Hyderabad blast

The comment here is too little too late, but had to be made.  Totally condemn the act of horrendous violence committed in Hyderabad this week.  I hope we can keep the focus on the affected families and utilize our common resources in providing any and every help to them.  The perpatuators of these acts have tried to take these lives for granted, let us prove them wrong.  In fact let us attack this notion of using violence to teach a lesson/as a deterrant/ make a point.  I also hope we will soon learn why this act was carried out and work towards finding a way out of this madness, rather than finding a few scapegoats, sacrificing them(with much celebration) and then moving on.  And while we are working on others not taking lives for granted we can also start looking at the lives lost in India to hunger(5000 kids a day), farmer suicides and state sponsored violence(direct or structural) and work towards addressing them. To paraphrase MLK, let us not repress or cause outburts of anger, let us harness anger under discipline for maximum effect.

Working with ourselves to build a safer future

They say to us that we must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers- MLK in his Eulogy of the girls who died in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. 

This weekend should have been no different. After all, I am used to reading news of little children dying horrible deaths thousands of miles away. Usually it results in very little action from my side because I proceed to carry on with my day after fuming a bit and may be a posting here or there on a social networking site. But this one was different, this one hit closer home and kept me and my wife worried. We were worried about what are we doing to protect the future of little children in our lives. Isn't it shameful that an act so monstrous in scale has to be enacted to wake us from our slumber. Isn't it shameful that we keep quite when our own President approves the bombing missions that kill many children in other countries, some in schools, some while sleeping? 

Why am I asking this, how is this relevant?  People tell me not to worry.  It is a small statistics, the crime rates are falling etc.  But isn't the madness rising?  When I sat down to reflect upon the horrible tragedy I did not merely question the motive of the killer or focused on this tragedy, instead I tried to look in the mirror. Was he the only one who was brutally murdering children.  Was I doing something similar, just in a more sophisticated and detached way.  If so I tried to find what I can do to address it.

 

I don’t have a silver bullet, even though there are some common sense solutions to restrict it temporarily. But there is also a bigger picture, a part of which I see. In it I see that there is lot to be done that we all can individually contribute to reduce this madness.  There is a lot we can do to remove violence from our society, both implicit and explicit.  Direct and structural. This is my attempt to add my voice to the conversation, and yes we need one desperately, and tell what I see.

What follows is the recollection of the questions I explored and the answers I came up with.

Q: I am shocked at these occurrences of mad violence. I am fearful of it but what can I do? What can we do to address this?

A: I think we have to break out of this confusion and fear cycle and make some concrete efforts towards a more peaceful future. Not all is lost. The acts of self sacrifice and bravery by the teachers gives me some hope and courage and let me know that not everything is broken. But it might be worthwhile to inspect what needs to change.

I agree that I am tempted to put some sort of gun control law at this time. At least for acquiring automatic weapons that can take down many in a short duration. There has also been some talks that such acts are done to hog some attention, we could also start by denying that. A sort of non-cooperation with the killers. Hence-forth we and the media together anonymize the next killer. We don't want to see their pictures, we dont want to hear their thoughts, we dont even want to know their name.

But I am aware that any such thing would just be symptomatic treatment and won't last very long. Like for gun control just enacting a law without changing hearts and mind would be a partial success. The bigger problem is that the poison has spread inside us and we need to detox and also dismantle or slowdown the factory that keeps producing the poison. The good news is that even though it looks like a tougher task it is much more achievable because we need to start at ourselves and given enough will power we can change ourselves?

Q: So how do you propose we go about gun control?

A: We are a pretty polarized society so it is definitely not going to be an easy discussion. The first problem is that just enacting a law without changing hearts and mind would be a partial success. We have to find a way to change hearts here. If we jumped to debating it may never end. We can present facts on both the sides but it would work only if people on both sides were listening.

If we were to talk about snatching  away their guns they would feel victimized and would fight back again so it may not be a permanent solution.   I don’t think we should wait for the government to "do something about it".  I think we can all start participating in this quickly if we can organize.  We can start informational - picketing the gun shops where such weapons are sold.  Get arrested if needed and suffer for it.  The people in favor of gun ownership are still people and their hearts will eventually melt.  The tragedies must have softened it a little already and our sufferings will bring them closer to us to have a dialogue.  As Martin Luther King pointed out in his speech after the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist church our unearned suffering will be redemptive.

Before we can have any meaningful  dialogue with them we first need to remove the threat from the equation. We must be very clear that we want them to give up on this setup that allows anyone to amass such killing power. If they claim "Right to bear arms" reason with them. History is full of examples where people got rid of the despotic government without blowing things up. If they claim self-defense educate them about the statistics that even though in few situation it has been helpful to posses a gun, by and large the chance of dying a violent death is 4 times higher if you are in possession of gun (and in most cases these are accidents without provocation). If they want to go hunting work with them to find out why they would need a 100 rounds a minute shooter?

Q: I don’t think the gun lovers are capable of understanding.

A:One thing to remember is that you must never give up on the humanity of the other side. I will give you an example. The Pathan tribes of Afghanistan were known to be fierce warriors and they lived and died by their sword/guns for centuries before Khan Abdul Gaffer Khan (also called Frontier Gandhi) walked that land. Long story short, he was able to raise an army of 100000 from among these tribe that was known as Khudai Kidmatgaars some even called them the Red Shirts (not to confused with the Russians). The unique thing about this army was that the soldiers carried no weapons and faced their adversary thus. Their story of how they nonviolently faced the whole British army platoon at Kissa Kahani Bazaar is well known in nonviolent circle. So much so that the British employed Nepali/Indian soldiers refused to fire on them after sometime even when they were threatened with court martials (which was eventually imposed on them). If such a change can be brought in people considered ruthless weapon wielders who cannot be changed? You have to know how to appeal to their heart, like Khan was able to do.

In the NV circle we talk about the Laws of Suffering where the NV actor goes thru voluntary sufferings to bring out the suffering already inherent in the situation. When doing so he opens a channel for dialogue and perhaps a change of heart. For example in the story above the Khudai Khidmatgaars did not beat themselves nor ran away. They stood their grounds to let the soldiers on the other side know the kind of suffering their actions were causing to essentially "good" people. Thus changing their heart and allowing both sides to see each others as humans.

Q:So we can picket and argue our way out of this misery?

A:No it will useful but not sufficient.  We should keep opposing the guns but we also need to work on ourselves.

 

 

Q: What do you mean? What do we need to change in ourselves, what is in our control that is causing these incidences of violence?

A: I don't think I am in a position to give you the exact formula. But I can talk about a few factors. I will leave it up to you to judge what you want to change and what you want to keep. There are several factors some we can change some we cannot but we can address many of them. For example you cannot change the history and the violence in the past, but we can definitely address it. There is promotion of violence in the general atmosphere. This should not be hard to change if you can stop buying this idea that we need violence to solve problems. Look at the movies where the lead character mows down everyone in sight only to emerge virtuous and victorious. Look at the way you conduct businesses where the rivals are supposed to "bury each other" or "crush" the competition. Vandana Shiva has a good phrase on how we do business in the language of war. This we can change quite fast by our own will power, by opting out of it. Boycott the movies/art that degrades the human image or alienate us from each other. Be a bit more compassionate in your day to day life and refuse to cooperate in acts that degrades value of any human. I know it is easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere. So I would recommend that we start addressing these problems around ourselves . A general plan would be like

1. Reduce the promotion of violence in and around yourself.

2. Deal with the violence that is already within you.

3. Deal with the violence carried out in your name.

4. Address the violence you have committed.

5. Acknowledge and work with the victims of any violence.

6. Educate the young ones on the dangers of violent mindset and power of love/non-violence.

 

Q: What is the promotion of violence you talk about?

A: In general when we give consent to the notion that might is right we set a bad example. For those around us and most importantly for the kids. When we given consent to the notion of our separateness that we are all sort of individuals who have no common grounds or goals, when we give consent to a lifestyle where we each exist in a separate compartment we deliver the second blow. And when we project that some lives are more worthy than others we deliver the third and final blow. All of this is blatantly promoted by today's media culture and unfortunately for most people it is delivered through the medium that has no intention of addressing this problem.

Q: Can you elaborate it?

A: Let's see, I don't know the full extent but this is what scares me. Kids in this country spend 2-3 hours in front of TV everyday, forming their perception of the world based on unrealistic portrayal. They see 3000-5000 commercial messages a day. Many play violent video games for long hours. Did you know that the US Army uses some of these games for its soldiers? Not to make them a better marksman but to enable them to kill without remorse. 

Not only that, many parents believe that this is probably OK that somehow their kid will escape any ill-effects of such blitzkrieg . That somehow everything will clear up soon, that somehow "evolution" will take care of this and the "crazy ones" will soon take themselves out of the gene pool and the ones who cannot be misled by such programming will prevail. It is really wishful thinking.

Q: You mention the ill effects the mainstream movie violence is having on the society, the psychological effects this culture of greed, fear and mean-world portrayal in news, TV programs are having. I watch these movies all the time. I don’t go out shooting.

A: You just gave me statistics of 1. A vast majority of people who share this common experience have led a different life than you. It affects them differently. When studies after studies are showing that statistically it is causing a great harm to our youths isn't it time to notice it?

Q: But the Japanese make more violent movies than us. They don’t have these problems?

A: Each culture-society reacts differently to different input. While abortion technology is stated to bring free choice to women in the West, it is the cause of a large scale feticides in India where close to 20 million females were never allowed to be born. If the violent movies are working for them, great. I don't agree that we have the right support structure here to handle the after effects of such conditioning. Hence I am opting out of these sources of "entertainment".

Q: So you are now blaming it on the TV?

I don’t intend to say that TV/Cinema by itself is evil, but the control of programming in the hands of few(about 8 companies right now), in the hands of those few who would like us to believe that we will achieve peace and happiness by buying stuff is harmful to us. Our mainstream TV/Cinema world exist for and on advertisements. Remember how we were sold one TV once “Neighbor’s envy, owner’s pride”? Such business prospers on our alienation. Humans don’t function well when they are alienated and when this happens in large number it becomes dangerous.

So I am not proposing a ban on TV, what I am asking is that you use your judgment when exposing yourself and the young ones to the TV and perhaps look for the alternatives. May be it has not done it to you but these mediums have enslaved a large population in this country . My request is that you assist in breaking out of this chain and help free up the others by forming alternatives.

Q: But wouldn’t life be boring without these means of entertainment?

A: True,you could start slow or become more selective. For example a few years ago I used to be in theater every weekend. Sometimes twice every weekend. But today I have been to theater only once in past two years. I still watch TV once in a while but my viewership is receding. Soon it will be limited to watching Democracy Now and few documentaries. The best part of looking for alternatives is that you will need more friends and people and it will work on your alienation problem as well. If you look around you will be surprised at options available where people come together and have a good time . Over time I have realized that no movie made me laugh as hard as some of my friends and kids do. I am blessed to have them around. And unlike the reports about Hollywood stars they get more beautiful with time.

Q: You also believe that there is a history to such violent built up?

A: Yes like many other societies the one we currently live in was built up on large scale violence. Be it the Native American genocide, inhumane slavery or the third world colonization and ravaging (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan), nuclear bombing the list is endless. And our society has been complicit (if not an active participant) in all of these episodes. The effects of these were not isolated but they spread all around. It propelled the most violent institutions in to more powerful positions from where they could make life changing decisions. It also fed the thought that after all might is right and that some lives were disposable. I would claim that there is fair amount of guilt consciousness and probably some fear that if we aren't alert enough we might be a victim ourselves. This has also led us to adopt an attacking posture with a hand on trigger all the time and made it easy for anyone to convince us that slaying of someone was necessary.

Violence is also prevalent in all of our institutions. Look at how we treat our sick ones, the weak and our old ones. We send the message that you are on your own and we make people insecure in general. Not only that we some how rationalize the loss these of lives (even before they die) with very convoluted logics. We some home accept extremem economic disparity in a system where nothing moves without money.  Our prisons hold the largest population and it is so obviously tainted with racism that we use the statistics to reverse blame the races for being criminal by birth! We can't fight eradicate violence with first addressing the structural/systemic violence.

Q: But clearly we cannot change the history.

A: Yes but we can still address them. We can start by accepting as a nation that what we did was wrong and make a sincere effort to correct it. This in turn will be the best lesson we give to our young ones that such violent acts are wrong but there is a way out of the hell. If you caused someone harm today how would you try to fix it. Would you not do your best to make sure that the harmed ones can get back on their feet and carry on with their lives, try to fill the void. Wouldn’t you make a pledge to be double sure you do not repeat this mistake ever. Have we done this in the cases I cited above? What does our action teach our young ones?

You can also address the present before it becomes history. How much discussion do we have when our president approves missions abroad that blows up little children with high tech machinery operated from a comfortable office in CA? Isn't that a cold blooded murder too? Eventually the chicken come home to roost, because some kid down here learns that it is OK to blow up some innocent bystanders to get what you want. Remember the wise words of MKL? "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"?

Q: Finally what do you propose should we do about the education of the young ones? How do we teach them the art and science of NV?

A: We need to first purge the violence of our education system. By that I don’t mean just the physical aspects of it but the inherent violence in a system that pushes and reserves the right to punish. We can educate the children about the peace and justice system a few techniques to do dispute resolution etc. But perhaps the best way to impart this education is when the teachers and the school administration starts practicing this art. We need to work on how we treat low performance. In NV setting we internalize that every kid is gifted in a unique way and if they aren't performing well in certain areas it is not because they aren't useful but it is because we probably don’t have the right challenges for them. In such cases instead of punishing them or labeling them we need to find a more constructive outlet for their energies. Everyone has a need to be respected and we need to ensure our education system addresses that. If there are trouble creators we need to be little more proactive about engaging them and helping them give meaning to their lives. Of course you are going to tell me that is lot of effort. But that just means you need to staff better, train better and invest more money in the education system. We aren't doing that, instead we are cutting the funds and increasing the stress on teachers. Practice of NV requires lots of time and patience and we are taking both away from the teachers.

The other thing we can address at school level is to help them unlearn the myths they pick up in the mainstream culture. All the generalization that exists in the culture that guys have to be macho and girls have to be good looking objects. We have left that to parenting which under the pressure of current economic system is falling behind as well. We have seen increased amount of materialism among the children and they feel very deprived and frustrated when they are denied stuff that they crave. In a NV setting kids learn to connect with themselves and each other and get happiness thru accomplishing meaningful stuff.

 

It is my belief that these kids, who will be spared the violent ideas that our generation has cooked up for so long, will build a more just and peaceful world. 

Hindi Cinema

It feels weird to realize that for past few decades adult male lyricists/producers have been expressing/selecting female and child feelings in Hindi cinema and in the process shaping them too! No wonder "Munni badnaam hui"!

Obituary

RIP Oticon Tego. You were a good friend, constant companion and above all a great listener. I will never forget the day you first whispered into my ears. You died on a Tuesday morning when you started emitting sound worse than the SA Vuvuzela. You were unable to survive the heat and humidity of my land where you went to accompany me. You were 4 years old.

Growing food

The need to shout!

One his recent trip to Iowa, President Obama was “heckled”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-obama-healthcare-20100325,0,641546.story

The president was heckled at one point by a man in the crowd who said the bill should have gone farther and included a "public option'' – a government-run program that would compete with private insurance plans.
"That's not in it,'' Obama said.
"Why not?'' came the reply.
"Because we couldn't get it through Congress, that's why,'' Obama said, adding: "There's no need to shout, young man.''

Well there is a need to shout, Sir. You have the mike, he doesn’t.

Mass Detention of Over 5500 FARMERS in Ahmedabad - Feb 25th 2010

Farmers Protesting Nirma Factory and Limestone Quarry in Mahuva Detained

Chunibhai Vaidya, Veteran Gandhian, Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA and SanatBhai Mehta, ex Finance Minister Among Those Detained

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Michael Mazgaonkar - 09427188044

Swati Desai - 09429556163

Anand Mazgaonkar - 09426858117

Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA of Mahuva, Ph: 98252-31012

Chunibhai Vaidya, Gujarat Loksamiti, Ph: 079-2755 7199/ 2755 7878

Sagar Rabari, Gujarat Loksamiti, Ph: 094288-25927

Photos: http://mozda.net/photos/mahuva/25feb2010/

Over five thousand farmers from the Mahuva area in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat have been detained and prohibited from taking out a peaceful rally protesting the government's sanction for a Nirma factory and limestone quarry in their area. Chunibhai Vaidya, a veteran Gandhian who founded Gujarat Loksamiti, Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA of Mahuva, and Sanatbhai Mehta, ex Finance Minister of Gujarat, Ilaben Pathak of AWAG and a senior editor Prakash N Shah are among those detained by the police in this illegal suppression of collective democratic rights.

The farmers were enroute to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, from where they intended to start a peaceful march to Gandhinagar to submit their petition, signed by 11,111 affected individuals in their own blood, when the buses and other vehicles they were using were stopped by the police. The farmers have been taken to Shahibagh in Ahmedabad and have been detained in police grounds. Several hundred protestors who reached the Sabarmati Ashram directly were also whisked away in police vans and blocked from taking out the march.

These farmers from Mahuva area in Bhavnagar district are protesting the decision by the Government of Gujarat to sanction a cement plant by Nirma Ltd, which includes 288 ha. of land for the factory and another 3000 ha. for a limestone quarry. Mahuva area has among the most fertile lands in Gujarat, where farmers grow three crops, and export dehydrated onions and numerous other fruits. Moreover, the numerous onion dehydrating plants (turnover Rs. 300 crore) & cotton gins (turnover Rs. 3,500 crore) provide employment to an additional 10,000 people in the factories. The cement plant which the government proposes to build in the area will employ only 418 people for an investment of 2500 crore (Rs. 2.5 billion), but will end up devastating around 50,000 land owners, farmers & farm labourers, besides polluting the air and destroying the pristine coastal & inland ecology. It was only in the last few years that the Government had invested tens of millions of public money to construct structures for water conservation & prevention of salinity ingress in this very area.

The farmers of the area have been protesting the government policies for over a year, and have been facing the combined wrath of the government and company goons for doing so. The government appointed a committee under SK Shelat (ex-Chief Secretary) to look into people's grievances last year, and the company was required to stop work pending the presentation of the report of the Shelat Committee. This Committee, without either visiting the area or listening to the affected people, has now given the 'go-ahead' to the company for this project, which is likely to destroy the lives of around 50 000 people.

The attack on the protestors today follows a pattern of police repression of non-violent and peaceful expression of dissent by the affected villagers. On 13th December 2009, Dr Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA, 92 year old Gandhian Chunibhai Vaidya, Sagar Rabari, Anirudh Jadeja, Lakhan Musafir and Anand Mazgaonkar were prevented from holding a public meeting in Vangar village. Two local leaders Shri Wamanbhai and Pravinbhai Kathiria were beaten up apparently by hired goons, and other villagers were manhandled by the police. A few days ago, on 20th February, the police lathi-charged a peaceful rally of villagers, and ten activists continue to be imprisoned on false charges. Dr. Kanubhai Kalsaria, the MLA from Mahuva area, his wife and companions were again attacked o way to Doliya village on 21st February, and their 4 motorcycles were badly damaged. Undeterred by these clearly State sponsored backlash, the people from the area pressed on with their original plans of a massive march from Sabarmati Ashram to Gandhinagar (State capital) today to present their petition to the Chie f Minister. This latest round of police suppression of this villagers' rally today is a sad testament to the declining space available for voicing dissent in Gujarat today.

Howard Zinn- R.I.P

"Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment (beware of such moments!) but as an endless succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society. We don't have to engage... in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don't "win," there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope.”- Howard Zinn in “The Optimism of Uncertainty”

More Readings

 

Howard Zinn, Historian who Challenged Status Quo, Dies at 87

 

Pnews

Yet another word

Pnews [pronounced: News]: Paid news, advertisement shown as news.

The Hindu : Columns / Sainath : ‘It is shameful to misguide people’

In newspapers across the state, sometimes the same puff item appeared as ‘news’ in one newspaper and as an advertisement in another

Mnews

Mnews [pronounced: News]: "News" reported with backround Music. (wink wink "Times Now", "Star News" etc).

So someone hurled an egg at her.

Almost gloating, TOI informs us about how a few “tribals” hurled eggs and tomatoes at activists including Medha Patkar and Sandeep Pandey. They even had a video of some people supposedly shouting anti Medha slogans claiming that she supports the “Maoists”. Like Bush the Lesser’s declaration, it seems now you are either with the state or with “Maoists”. A label that can arbitrarily be applied to anyone who begs to differ with the state. I have been asked about what I think now that the “tribals” are opposed to the presence of these activists in their area.

The short answer is “Not much”.

The long answer is a bit complicated to explain. The most I learn from that news is that “Some people in that area don’t like these activists”. The other things that come to my mind are as followed.

1. It might be better utilization of resources if TOI covered the issues raised by the activists. But that is hard work and then you cannot “character assassinate” issues as you can do that to an activist. How could you say “the tribals hurled eggs at a protest against state sponsored killing of tribals”.
2. If TOI does indeed cover news from that area, it might better serve their readers if they also covered demonstrations against the State repressions and how Tatas and Essar have been pushing the tribals off their lands for their mining operations.
3. Why was the actual event (Jan Sunwai) not covered? What was disclosed at the event? What about the Sodi Sambo case? What about the press release from the event?
4. When the mainstream channels are done with the Ruchika’s case will they investigate the case of the tribal Ruchikas?
5. Oh, and the mandatory skepticism, was this all staged like the one to stop Himanshu Kumar's padyatra?

PS: Apologies for TOI character(?) assassination :)

20 things that happen in 1 minute

Created by Online Education

Who’s Responsible? 100 Years of CO2

Source: World Resource Institute.

Book Notes- Gandhi Today(1987) by Mark Shepard.

I’d like to open with this quote from a recent New York Times op-ed for no particular reason. 

From the New York Times :
Democratically elected leaders cannot ignore public skepticism, but they should not surrender to it when they know better.

I just finished reading the book Gandhi today : a report on Mahatma Gandhi's successors / by Mark Shepard and decide to write a little summary and notes to self.

The books is a treat for someone who wonders what happened to the mass movement that Gandhi shaped up during the Independence struggle.  The history we read in schools offer no help here, it is as if the Gandhian’s suddenly wrapped up and left with the Britishers.  There were some claims about “Gandhigiri” becoming cool again after release of a Bollywood movie “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”. The claims look very silly after reading the book, for, “Gandhigiri” never went out of style, its thrived, evolved and often triumphed.  As Professor Nagler would say, it worked and it “worked”.

The book is mostly a short biographical accounts of people the author studied during his India trip.  Other Gandhian workers like MLK etc are not mentioned. The list is in no way complete.

Vinoba Bhave aka “The Walking Saint”:  One thing that Vinoba is most remembered for  (besides his walking statistics) is that he was the architect of the famous Bhoodan(land gift) movement.  Because its currently in news, I found it quite interesting that Telangana region was the origin of Bhoodan movement.  In those days(1951) too it was the scene of armed insurrection, with the state repression worse than the guerrillas’.  Vinoba was already well known among villagers and he was popular as the spiritual inheritor of Gandhi.  During a village assembly as he tried to help a group of Harijans he asked if anyone could give them some land.  A well to do farmer offered 100 acres to which the Harijans responded that they only needed 80 acres. This is when Vinoba realised that the solution was actually much simpler than he expected it to be, he decided to walk through the region and collect land gifts for the landless.  He calculated that he needed a fifth of the held land for the poor and he would call himself the “fifth son” of the landlord and ask for his share.  The book examines many reasons why he received donations including fear of communist take over, status/prestige or merely the chance to gain some “spiritual merit”.  However some rich were truly affected too.  Having heard about this phenomenon from Krishnammal and David Albert I didn’t find it all that unusual.

Bhoodan was later expanded into Gramdan where more and more land around a village was merged under the ownership of a village council.  Gramdan later lead to envisioning of Bihardan. 

Did Bhoodan work?  The book offers some good statistics and reasoning for its apparent lack of targeted success of 50 million acres.  Taking the rollbacks into account the movement was still able to redistribute 1.5 million acres of land which was far more than the “socialist” India’s land reform program.  It was also able to offer a chance to demonstrate an alternative village model.  It also allowed for creation of several pockets where the Gandhian workers would later carry out long term programs. 

Jayaprakah Narayana (JP):  During his early years(1921) JP dropped out of the college to participate in Gandhi’s call for non cooperation.  But later he decided to resume his studies, so he jumped into a cargo ship an arrived in US to study in UC Berkley (and various other universities) for next seven years.  It was in US he came in contact with communist students and professors and by the the time he landed in India in 1929 he was a confirmed Marxist.  He openely criticized Gandhi’s non violent methods feeling that it was delaying India’s independence.  He even tried to organize armed resistance during the WWII years.  But around the time of India’s independence he had started questioning the notion of violence.  He grew disillusioned with the direction communism took place in USSR.  Watching the Hindu-Muslim riots in horror he started questioning if violence could ever bring the kind of society he yearned for.   Following this he realigned himself with the Gandhians and declining the offer from Nehru to join the cabinet as his lieutenant he offered himself to the task for Bhoodan as the first Jivandan (life gift)

The book follows his years of work for Bhoodan and then later as he grew vocal against the Indira Gandhi government.   At times he led 100K strong (and non violent) crowd protesting against the corruption, lack of employment, education etc.  Many times these protestors were fired at, many died but the protests essentially remained non violent (perhaps not in the purest sense).  The lack of Gandhian purity caused Vinoba Bhave to oppose some of these actions.

It then covers JP’s work during the 18 months of imposed Emergency in which Indira Gandhi’s government was able to tear apart the (MK) Gandhian network.  JP went down fighting valiantly with failed kidneys and frequent requirement of blood purification.

to be continued….

Facebook links

Yesterday, December 14, 2009, 1:36:40 PM Kabira

Vandana Shiva in Copenhagen: 12.12.09 Kombatrock

Source: blip.tv

Vandana Shiva at COP15 Climate Justice March Copenhagen 12.12.2009

Protests rocked Copenhagen on Saturday as anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 people (depending on who you talk to) marched to the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen to demand a strong climate treaty to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Indian physicist, author, and activist Vandana Shiva spoke to the crowd before the march:

Sunday, December 13, 2009, 10:34:03 PM Kabira

Declaration · Klimaforum09

Source: www.klimaforum09.org

Et af de centrale resultater af Klimaforum09 bliver en global klimadeklaration, som præsenterer de ønsker, ideer og visioner, der findes blandt borgergrupper og sociale bevægelser i alle kroge af verden.

Many people have asked me about what the protestors are really asking for at Copenhagen. Views vary, but here is the most concise declaration from them.

[T]he declaration to be finalized at Klimaforum09 will put forth a vision of a more socially just world society. In addition it will emphasize the need to create substantial changes in the social and economic structures of society in order to meet the challenges of global warming and food sovereignty.
http://www.klimaforum09.org/Declaration

Saturday, December 12, 2009, 11:03:57 PM Kabira

Green holiday carols - Sustainable Wallingford

Source: greenwallingford.ning.com

carols copy.pdf I'm dreaming of a green Christmas I'm dreaming of a green Christmas. We'll learn again to grow our food. We'll build local turbines and share our grapevines. And find meaning in our jobs. ...

http://greenwallingford.ning.com/profiles/blogs/green-holiday-carols

Lent my voice to the 350.org Carolers.
Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204917436008&ref=mf

Friday, December 11, 2009, 9:23:34 AM Kabira

Left I on the News

Source: lefti.blogspot.com

Barack: World War II was a conflict in which the total number of civilians who died exceeded the number of soldiers who perished.

http://lefti.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html#3235978415383777105

A line by line commentary on Obama's speech during Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

Thursday, December 10, 2009, 11:16:12 AM Kabira

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/23327

Source: www.zcommunications.org

‘Scientists discover way to convert human hair into high grade fuel' read the innocuous looking news item tucked away in a corner of the technology pages of my daily newspaper.

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/23327

Thursday, December 10, 2009, 9:49:43 AM Kabira

'Basically you're sleeping in the cold and the wet'

Source: www.komonews.com

To the 55 people who call Nickelsville home, escapes from the bone-chilling temperatures are few and far in between. "And at night, when you're in your tent, the condensation turns to icicles," said one resident.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/78943642.html

Wednesday, December 09, 2009, 1:21:56 PM Kabira

Prolefeed Dissident: Personal experience post.

Source: onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com

http://onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com/2009/12/personal-experience-post.html

Notes from an acquaintance.

Monday, December 07, 2009, 11:30:02 AM Kabira

The Manufactured Doubt Industry and the Hacked Email Controversy CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

In 1954, the tobacco industry realized it had a serious problem. Thirteen scientific studies had been published over the preceding five years linking smoking to lung cancer. With the public growing increasingly ...

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/07-1

Friday, December 04, 2009, 1:16:41 PM Kabira

NYC New School Students Die en Masse to Protest Dow's Criminal Neglect in Bhopal The Yes Men

Source: theyesmen.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday December 3, 2009The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (www.bhopal.net) and The Yes MenCONTACT:Aquene Freechild: 617-378-2579; aquene@gmail.comDwai Banerjee: 917-388-5210; ...

http://theyesmen.org/dowdead

Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 11:13:30 PM Kabira

Prolefeed Dissident: Bhopal, 25 years on.

Source: onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com

Safreen and Satinath(Sathyu) who were available for panel discussion after the screening of Secrets and Lies left a lasting impression on me. Their optimism and dedication towards the goal of obtaining justice for Bhopal victims is commendable. ...

Recalling Sathyu's poem(A RABID OPTIMIST) to remind myself why even after 25 years and many setbacks(latest court ruling included) we are still hopeful that justice will be done some day and lessons will be learnt from the avoidable tragedy!

http://onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com/2009/05/bhopal-25-years-on.html

Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 8:54:51 AM Kabira

Annie Leonard :: The Story of Cap and Trade

Source: www.yesmagazine.org

Annie Leonard's newest video asks tough questions about who cap & trade really benefits—and what effect it would really have on climate change.

From the creators of the "Story of Stuff" another story that needs to be told!

Tuesday, December 01, 2009, 2:59:20 PM Kabira

A Troop Surge Can Only Magnify the Crime Against Afghanistan CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

After months of waiting, President Obama is about to announce the new US strategy for Afghanistan. His speech may be long awaited, but few are expecting any surprise: it seems clear he will herald a major escalation of the war. ...

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/01-3

Monday, November 30, 2009, 9:54:31 PM Kabira

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-goodman-border-incident.html

Source: www.cbc.ca

U.S. journalist Amy Goodman was stopped at a Canadian border crossing south of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-goodman-border-incident.html

Hmm, so what's wrong with the Olympics? Thanks Canandian authorities for pointing the curious minds in the right directions!

Link2: http://olympicresistance.net/content/what-wrong-olympics-0

Friday, November 27, 2009, 11:23:25 AM Kabira

The Hindu : Health : Malnutrition reaches epidemic proportions in M.P.

Source: beta.thehindu.com

A child holding placard during a Tribals rally to protest against the death of children due to malnutrition in Bhopal. File Photo: A.M. Faruqui

http://beta.thehindu.com/health/article56048.ece?homepage=true

Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:07:21 PM Kabira

Chanda Mama Playing For Change Song Around The World

Source: www.youtube.com

http://playingforchange.com/ - This Song Around The World is a folk tune from Chennai, India. We started the track in New Orleans and added musicians from the across the globe before finally delivering it the people of its origin. ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I23Bkk92124

Friday, November 20, 2009, 11:58:44 AM Kabira

UNICEF - Convention on the Rights of the Child -

Source: www.unicef.org

UNICEF’s mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided in doing this by the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the "Convention on the Rights of the Child" the most widely and speedily ratified human rights treaty in the world.

US is the only other nation along with Somalia to refuse to ratify the convention. In a statement, Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch called the U.S. stance an “embarrassment...”, adding: “The US [is] in the sole company of Somalia, a country with no government.” (source: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/20/headlines).

Thursday, November 19, 2009, 8:34:19 AM Kabira

U.N. chief: Hunger kills 17,000 kids daily - CNN.com

Source: www.cnn.com

Somewhere in the world, a child dies of hunger every five seconds -- even though the planet has more than enough food for all.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/17/italy.food.summit/

Just many kids must die of hunger before we declare a "war"(with 1 US war sized budget) on that?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:45:05 PM Kabira

USDA: 1 in 7 U.S. Households Struggle for Food Online NewsHour Nov. 17, 2009 PBS

Source: www.pbs.org

Update from the Online NewsHour: USDA: 1 in 7 U.S. Households Struggle for Food: At some point in 2008, 14.6 percent of U.S. households had trouble finding food, a 3.5 percent increase from 2007 and the highest since the USDA has kept records.

Friday, November 13, 2009, 9:52:20 AM Kabira

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Source: www.youtube.com

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0AC1046C93DE6ACB

This week's Chitrahaar.

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 1:38:25 PM Kabira

Prolefeed Dissident: About the Baucus Co-op Plan

Source: onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com

http://onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com/2009/11/about-baucus-co-op-plan.html

From: Democracy Now!

Coincidence perhaps:
If you look at the Baucus framework, which was the basis of the Senate bill. Just right-click on that document, and it turns out the author of the document was Elizabeth Fowler, who’s a former vice president of Wellpoint, the nation’s largest private insurance company, covering 35 million people

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 9:23:37 AM Kabira

The Big Lie of Afghanistan CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

In 2005, I was the youngest person elected to the new Afghan parliament. Women like me, running for office, were held up as an example of how the war in Afghanistan had liberated women. But this democracy was a facade, and the so-called liberation a big lie.

Kabira Heard Malalai Joya in a Seattle event yesterday- it's inspiring to see brave people like her working against such tremendous odds. Check out this piece about her: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/malalai-joya-the-woman-who-will-not-be-silenced-1763127.html and her article in CommonDreams.org below.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 9:49:38 AM Kabira

Himalayan Blunder: The Perils Of Denying Glacier Melting By Devinder Sharma

Source: countercurrents.org

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh loves to challenge the dominant opinion (except in the case of Genetically Modified crops). Whether it is the stand India should take at the forthcoming Copenhagen conference ...

http://countercurrents.org/sharma101109.htm

An environment minister who fails to "get it" (also see his recent letter to PM). Reminds me of the poem by great poet Muhammad Iqbal ("Saare jahan se achcha" fame)
" Bas ek hi ullu kaafi hai barbaad gulistan karne ko, har shaakh pe ullu baitha hai anjame gulstan kya ho"!

Monday, November 09, 2009, 1:07:06 PM Kabira

Tehelka - India's Independent Weekly News Magazine

Source: www.tehelka.com

The government regulator gives a go-ahead to India’s first genetically modified food. SAMRAT CHAKRABARTI investigates why Bt brinjal should be kept far away from our plates

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne071109uber_gene.asp

Another article on Bt Brinjal's harmful effects to consumers and enivronment.

Sunday, November 08, 2009, 10:08:01 AM Kabira

IRC- Coca-Cola - RALLY FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE! PROTEST AGAINST COCA-COLA!

Source: www.indiaresource.org

India Resource Center- Linking local struggles against corporate globalization

http://www.indiaresource.org/campaigns/coke/2009/mehdiganjrally.html

In the midst of near drought conditions, Coca Colar continues to extract millions of liters of water from the common groundwater resource. Coca-Cola reaches its maximum water use in the summer months - exactly when the water shortages to the community are most acute - exponentially exacerbating the water crisis. To add insult to injury, Coca-Cola has also polluted the groundwater and land in Mehdiganj.

Friday, November 06, 2009, 10:05:30 AM Kabira

Climate Justice Fast

Source: www.climatejusticefa...

It runs ahead of the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December, where world leaders will be effectively tasked with deciding the fate of our planet at the UNFCCC COP15.

http://www.climatejusticefast.com/pages/about-climate-justice-fast/

40 day, water only fast for climate justice. Thanks Srijan Chakraborty for sharing.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 9:56:35 PM Kabira

KBCS: :: Listen Live ::

Source: kbcs.fm

In the sidebar under Library click "Radio" then double-click "College/University Radio".You'll find us as "KBCS Community Radio."

East siders tune into 91.3 FM to hear Desi songs(and a funny Indian guy trying to speak American accent) or listen live at http://kbcs.fm/site/PageServer?pagename=listenlive

The Spice Route - Wednesdays 9-11 pmAn exploration of the immense variety of music coming from South Asia, ranging from the classical and folk traditions of Zakir Hussein and Ravi Shankar, to Bollywood film music and modern experimental sounds. Your hosts are Ajay Bhat, Arpana Sanjay and Ramendra Sharma

Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 3:15:34 PM Kabira

How To Spam Facebook Like A Pro: An Insider’s Confession

Source: www.techcrunch.com

Last night we wrote about the lead generation scams within social gaming networks. This is a guest post by Dennis Yu, the CEO ...

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/01/how-to-spam-facebook-like-a-pro-an-insiders-confession/

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, 11:23:42 AM Kabira

Organ donors hit with shocking bills - UPI.com

Source: www.upi.com

Kidney donors may face huge medical bills because having one kidney may constitute a pre-existing condition under which coverage is denied, officials confirm.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/11/01/Organ-donors-hit-with-shocking-bills/UPI-10561257110887/

Just FYI

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, 8:57:56 AM Kabira

Fiji Water: Spin the Bottle Mother Jones

Source: www.motherjones.com

Obama sips it. Paris Hilton loves it. Mary J. Blige won't sing without it. How did a plastic water bottle, imported from a military dictatorship thousands of miles away, become the epitome of cool?

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle

Fiji's Green Campaign(http://www.fijigreen.com/) appears laughable after reading the other side of their story.

Sunday, November 01, 2009, 12:09:10 AM Kabira

The heart of India is under attack Arundhati Roy Comment is free guardian.co.uk

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Arundhati Roy: To justify enforcing a corporate land grab, the state needs an enemy – and it has chosen the Maoists

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/30/mining-india-maoists-green-hunt

Saturday, October 31, 2009, 9:01:55 AM Kabira

Harry Belafonte & Odetta - There's A Hole In The Bucket . Slide show.

Source: www.youtube.com

Harold George Belafonte, Jr. (born March 1, 1927) is a Jamaican American musician, actor and social activist. One of the most successful popular singers in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso," ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlICWoBb5Ik

Friday, October 30, 2009, 6:34:52 AM Kabira

Clinton faces Pakistani ire at drone attacks - Pakistan - msnbc.com

Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton came face-to-face with Pakistani anger in a series of public appearances on the final day of her three-day visit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33548966/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

one man alluded obliquely to the drone attacks, saying he had heard that in the United States, aircraft are not allowed to take off after 11 p.m., to avoid irritating the population. "That is the sort of peace we want for our people," he said through an interpreter.

Friday, October 30, 2009, 6:32:29 AM Kabira

Food Democracy Now - Stop Big Ag in the White House - Say no to Monsanto - CropLife

Source: action.fooddemocracynow.org

Agribusiness executives are now in charge of USA's agricultural research and trade policy. I wonder if we are going to see an exemplary show of self-control/self-regulation/self-restraint from people with poor track record of exercising the same.

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 1:54:08 PM Kabira

DeFOX America

Source: defoxamerica.com

Fox "News" personalities are pushing an agenda that is dangerous to ordinary Americans. Using tactics such as placing individuals singled out for censure on a blackboard and linking them to murderous dictators ...

The news about Fox News is not new. The video just tells the other side of the ACORN debate.

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 10:40:29 AM Kabira

NoMad with "The bravest woman in Afghanistan" Malalai Joya

Source: www.youtube.com

Malalai Joya: The woman who will not be silenced Malalai Joya is an Afghan politician who has been called "the bravest woman in Afghanistan. As an elected member of the Wolesi Jirga from Farah province, ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTRpBtdTcmE&feature=player_embedded


For detailed interview watch/read on DN!
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/28/a_woman_among_warlords_afghan_democracy

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 8:39:56 AM Kabira

Car-Free Cities: An Idea with Legs CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

A quarter of households in Britain – more in the larger cities, and a majority in some inner cities – live without a car. Imagine how quality of life would improve for cyclists and everyone else if traffic were removed from areas where people could practically choose to live without cars. ...

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/29-8

An alternative to the "American way of life".

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 6:55:49 AM Kabira

Will Texas Execute Another Innocent Man? The Case of Reginald Blanton

Source: www.democracynow.org

A controversial death row case is unfolding in Texas today. Twenty-eight-year-old Reginald Blanton is set to be executed tonight for the 2000 killing of Carlos Garza. Blanton was convicted of breaking into Garza's apartment and shooting him in the head. ...

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/27/will_texas_execute_another_innocent_man

Well, they did execute Reginald Blanton last night. His last statements.
"Carlos was my friend," he said. "I didn't murder him. What's happening right now is an injustice. This doesn't solve anything. This will not bring back Carlos."

Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 8:45:56 AM Kabira

Go Veggie to Fight Global Warming, says Expert CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

Nicholas Stern, the author of an influential 2006 review of climate change, said methane emissions from cows and pigs were putting "enormous pressure" on the world and people needed to think about what they ate.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/27-6


Gentle reminder. There are, perhaps, more things one could do to stop climate global climate change.

Monday, October 26, 2009, 10:13:25 AM Kabira

India Together: Lakshmibehn's legacy of loss - 26 October 2009

Source: www.indiatogether.org

DISPLACED BY THE DAM A legacy of loss It is not only those whose villages have been submerged who have suffered, but hundreds of families have lost land to the building of Sardar Sarovar itself. Neeta Deshpande reports.

"Lakshmibehn is viewed as a mere obstacle, even a nuisance. In a developing, growing India, she must keep her truth, her loss, her hope, all to herself. For even if she speaks out, with her reservoir of courage and perseverance, who will hear her story?"

Thursday, October 22, 2009, 7:28:22 PM Kabira

Horribly Injured Americans Against Obamacare

Source: www.youtube.com

See more UCB Comedy http://www.ucbcomedy.com/ Subscribe to UCB http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=ucbcomedy Say NO to OBAMACARE. Paid For By American Families Against Healthcare. Credits: ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK2jmFIK9u8&feature=player_embedded

Thursday, October 22, 2009, 8:06:56 AM Kabira

Exclusive: U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets Danger Room Wired.com

Source: www.wired.com

America's spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of your Twitter updates -- even check out your book reviews on Amazon. In-Q-Tel, the

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/10/exclusive-us-spies-buy-stake-in-twitter-blog-monitoring-firm/

Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 1:45:21 PM Kabira

The Anthropology Song: A little bit Anthropologist

Source: www.youtube.com

**October 20th** Wow, this video has skyrocketed! If you leave a comment, especially if you've watched this in a class, I'd love to know where/what school you're from. I'm so happy (and flattered!) to hear that so many people are enjoying and identifying with the song! ...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 8:39:37 AM Kabira

Trick or Treat for Climate Change CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

Halloween is around the corner, and children will soon be dressing up and chanting “trick or treat,” their demand for candy backed up by the threat of a prank. Climate-change activists, from pranksters to presidents, are doing the same. ...

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/10/21-1

Oct. 24 is the global day of action organized by the group 350.org, which includes environmentalist Bill McKibben. Named after what scientists have identified as a sustainable target for carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, 350 parts per million (we are currently at 387 ppm), 350.org lists close to 4,000 events around the world on Oct. 24.

Monday, October 19, 2009, 9:21:43 AM Kabira

Asha for Education - Seattle

Source: www.ashanet.org

About us Donation Center Get Involved Events Project Partners Resources Contact us

requests all his friends to donate to "Asha for Education, Seattle Chapter". 100% of your donations will go towards one of Asha's projects in India. Ask me or visit the Asha Seattle website for more details. Microsoft friends, please donate via the Give Campaign which ends next week.

Monday, October 19, 2009, 7:44:07 AM Kabira

Maldives government meets underwater

Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn

The Maldives government has held a cabinet meeting underwater in a bid to attract attention to the problems caused by global warming.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2009-10/19/content_8808662.htm

Monday, October 19, 2009, 6:04:46 AM Kabira

cagle.com

Source: cagle.com

http://cagle.com/news/BalloonBoy/images/breen4.jpg

Friday, October 16, 2009, 11:07:20 AM Kabira

World's hungry reach more than 1 billion in '09: U.N. Reuters

Source: www.reuters.com

ROME (Reuters) - A combination of the food crisis and the global economic downturn has pushed more than 1 billion people into hunger in 2009, U.N. agencies said on Wednesday, confirming a grim forecast

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE59D18D20091014

Today is World Food Day and more than a billion people in this world are hungry. Stop and think about that number again - One Billion - it's more than a mere number, it's one BILLION people on this same planet who don't have enough food..., NOT because there is a shortage of food. There is enough food to feed every single one in this planet. While you celebrate Diwali or any other festival - may be do something for them too?

Thursday, October 15, 2009, 12:26:33 PM Kabira

Bill Gates says ideology threatens hunger fix Green Business Reuters

Source: www.reuters.com

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The fight to end hunger is being hurt by environmentalists who insist that genetically modified crops cannot be used in Africa, Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of software

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59E58120091015

It is really sad that alternative approaches that are more sustainable, just and clean are ignored and rejected to allow the propagation of unjust, harmful and often toxic technologies. One must also remember that once you get tied to cultivating(with some "charity" help) the current GM crops it is almost impossible to get out of the GM cultivation loop.

Watch: The World According to Monstanto.
Read: Vandana Shiva's take on environmental and social impacts of the Green Revolution in India.

Thursday, October 15, 2009, 6:38:30 AM Kabira

Fax Jairam Ramesh with just one click! « Safe Food Now

Source: bit.ly

There’s just 24 hours left before the government opens the floodgates to genetic contamination of our food supply. Make Minister Jairam Ramesh keep his word. Please act now!

Consider signing this petition!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 8:34:24 AM Kabira

The Hindu : News / National : Say ‘no’ to Bt brinjal: civil society

Source: beta.thehindu.com

Civil society groups have cautioned the government against introducing genetically modified crops in the food chain and questioned the credentials of a panel of experts to look into the biosafety of Bt brinjal, which will come up before the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on Wednesday.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article33559.ece

Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 12:35:53 PM Kabira

The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Energy & Environment : Vedanta v. villagers: fight for sacred mountain

Source: beta.thehindu.com

Adivasis from Dhogria-Khonds addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Nov. 16, 2007, against Vedanta, a UK-based mining company's Bauxite mining project in the Niyamgiri mountains, Orissa. Photo: S. Subramanium

http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article33320.ece?homepage=true

Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 5:17:12 AM Kabira

Reconsider Columbus Day

Source: www.youtube.com

Reconsider Columbus Day Presented by Nu Heightz Cinema rethink columbus day reconsider christopher columbus anti columbus day

Friday, October 02, 2009, 10:25:07 AM Kabira

The Population Myth By George Monbiot

Source: www.countercurrents.org

It’s no coincidence that most of those who are obsessed with population growth are post-reproductive wealthy white men: it’s about the only environmental issue for which they can’t be blamed. ...

http://countercurrents.org/monbiot300909.htm

George Monbiot explains how Money(consumption) and not Sex is the reason for the environmental issues of today.

Thursday, October 01, 2009, 10:52:23 AM Kabira

Operation Hey Mackey! - Whole Foods, Oakland

Source: vimeo.com

John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods has argued that American workers do not deserve a health care system. We believe that heath care should be affordable for everyone, not just rich people. So Mr. ...

http://vimeo.com/6774515

Monday, August 24, 2009, 11:02:17 PM Kabira

Banks of Marble - by Pete Seeger

Source: www.youtube.com

Pete Seeger singing the classic "workers' rights" tune from the 1950's. Lyrics below: BANKS ARE MADE OF MARBLE I've traveled round this country From shore to shining shore. It really made me wonder The things I heard and saw. ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-o3CJytIPE

Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 10:35:38 PM Kabira

Noam Chomsky on Health Care--Why has reform taken so LONG

Source: www.youtube.com

Noam Chomsky spoke to a full capacity crowd at the Orpheum Theatre 4-7-09. Here is what he said about health care.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvo9O4A18d0&feature=player_embedded