China e India contaminarán menos;¡chisssst! es un secreto, no se lo digáis a nadie

NOTA: este artículo va dedicado a CHINA e INDIA no siempre denostadas en su justa medida.

Y estos son los logros de otra “INCREDIBILE” cumbre sobre reducción de emisiones contaminantes a la atmósfera. O lo que es lo mismo, países con estructuras de producción eléctrica obsoletas basadas en carbón, renovarán cuando les venga en gana dichas estructuras, introduciendo petróleo o energía nuclear, que como tecnológicamente son más eficientes pues provocarán una reducción de las emisiones. Esta transformación se iba a llevar a cabo con cumbre o sin ella, ya que dichos países no tienen más remedio si quieren seguir produciendo a bajo coste; pero claro está, por que no ir a una cumbre para anunciarlo a bombo y platillo; fíjate tú todo lo que podemos conseguir:

* salvamos la cara ante la opinión pública internacional ya que vivimos de ellos

* les salvamos el pellejo a políticos de medio pelo, tipo “OBAMA”

* y lo que es más importante, comemos y bebemos a costa de los erarios públicos; ¡qué coño! “QUE PARA ESO SOMOS POLÍTICOS.

 

[Via http://aopensecret.wordpress.com]

PERTANIAN KITA DALAM PETA DUNIA

Melihat pandangan negara-negara lain terhadap Indonesia dalam pertemuan multilateral APEC di Singapura, terasa bahwa kita adalah negara yang dipandang penting dalam peta dunia.

Sebagai negara berpenduduk terbesar keempat di dunia dan memiliki pertumbuhan ekonomi ketiga tertinggi setelah China dan Indonesia, Indonesia dinilai penting dalam menjaga keseimbangan pertumbuhan ekonomi global.

Hal tersebut juga berlaku dalam bidang pertanian. Berdasarkan data statistik dunia, Indonesia adalah penghasil pertanian terbesar keenam dunia dengan nilai keluaran sekitar 60 milliar dollar Amerika Serikat (2007). Indonesia adalah produsen biji-bijian pangan (sereal) terbesar kelima dan produsen buah-buahan terbesar kesepuluh di dunia. Indonesia juga produsen beras nomor tiga di dunia setelah China dan India meski merupakan konsumen terbesar ketiga juga setelah China dan Inda. Sekadar menambahkan, Indonesia adalah produsen minyak sawit mentah (CPO) terbesar di dunia, nomor tiga untuk karet dan kakao, nomor empat untuk kopi, dan nomor enam untuk the.

Arti penting pertanian Indonesiaitu terefleksikan dalam berbagai usaha mencari solusi persoalan global. Melalui posisi Indonesia yang kian terhormat di forum-forum internasional – ASEAN, APEC, atau G-20 – peran Indonesia dapat lebih banyak tersampaikan.

Ketidakpastian iklim

Dalam ketahanan pangan dan terkait perubahan iklim, Indonesia adalah korban ketidakpastian iklim, tetapi sekaligus dapat menawarkan solusi. Ketidakpastian iklim telah menimbulkan masalah bagi ribuan petani Indonesia yang menghadapi kekeringan, kebanjiran, atau siklus iklim yang berubah-ubah.

Ketidakpastian iklim membuat produktivitas kian sulit ditingkatkan, gejolak harga membingungkan. Bahkan, beberapa pulau di Indonesia terancam abrasi air laut dan tercancam tenggelam.

Namun, Indonesia juga dapat menawarkan solusi. Pertama, dengan membangun ketahanan pangan sendiri, Indonesia telah turut berkontribusi dalam ketahanan pangan global. Pengalaman krisis pangan tahun 2008 menunjukkan, ketidakstabilan pangan pada satu negara dapat memicu persoalan, bukan melalui perdagangan atau investasi, tetapi melalui informasi.

Tahun 2008, Filipina membutuhkan tambahan amat besar stok beras. Keadaan ini menyebabkan harga beras melambung tinggi, termasuk di negara-negara yang telah berswasembada beras bahkan pada negara-negara eksportir. India yang mengalami masalah penurunan produksi gula tahun 2009 juga menyebabkan kenaikan harga gula di beberapa negara. Artinya, dengan Indonesia mampu menjaga stabilitas ketahanan pangan, selain untuk kepentingan rakyat Indonesia sendiri, maka akan dapat memberi solusi – setidaknya mengurangi beban – persoalan ketahanan pangan global.

Kedua, menambah pasokan pangan tetap merupakan agenda besar di seluruh dunia. Ketersediaan lahan dan air menjadi amat penting. Indonesia masih memiliki kedua sumber daya alam penting itu. Badan Pertanahan Nasional telah mengidentifikasi lahan seluas 7,1 juta hektar yang dapat dimanfaatkan untuk perluasan areal tanaman pangan. Sebagian di antaranya dapat dibuka untuk kerja sama internasional menambah pasokan pangan pasar global, sebagian lainnya untuk penambahan pasokan pasar domestik.

Strategis

Karena itu, amat strategis langkah Presiden RI menawarkan revitalisasi industri dan pertanian – khususnya untuk gula, pupuk, daging, kedelai, dan hal-hal terkait daya saing sektor pangan – sebagai kesempatan investasi kepada para pemimpin dunia usaha di “CEO Summit” pertemuan APEC Singapura.

Investasi di bidang-bidang itu dapat bermakna ganda, sebagai peluang yang menguntungkan serta sebagai bagian solusi ketahanan pangan global dan membangun pertumbuhan ekonomi dunia yang lebih berimbang.

Hal itu harus dilakukan dengan tetap melakukan pembenahan diri ke dalam. Petani, industri, pedagang, dab semua pelaku pertanian diajak untuk lebih proaktif melakukan adaptasi dan mitigasi lingkungan.

Semua praktik keseharian yang tak ramah lingkungan harus dikurangi bersama bahkan dihilangkan. Iklim investasi terus diperbaiki sehingga memberi apresiasi lebih besar bagi ”investasi hijau”. Pemerintah akan menyambut tiap kreativitas dan inovasi petani untuk dapat lebih hemat air. Apresiasi akan diperoleh pemerintah daerah jika menerapkan kebijakan yang efektif dalam melarang oembakaran sampah atau sisa tanaman di pemukiman, sawah, kebun, apalagi di hutan ; dan aneka kegiatan prolingkungan lainnya. Efisiensi industri dengan menggunakan teknologi ramah lingkungan akan mendapat respons positif dari konsumen.

Semua itu jelas tak dapat dilakukan sendiri. Menteri Pertanian dengan tepat melakukan pendekatan lebih terbuka kepada dunia usaha untuk membangun kerja sama sinergis. Penguatan organisasi pertanian dengan struktur baru pun akan didayagunakan untuk mengurai sumbatan kebijakan dan pelaksanaannya, sekligus mencari terobosan bersama lintas sektor.

Semua itu diharapkan dapat kian mengaktualisasikan peran pertanian di dunia bagi sebesar-besarnya kemakmuran rakyat ; dan tidak hanya menjadi angka-angka statistik belaka.

Sumber  :

Pertanian Kita dalam Peta Dunia, Bayu Krishnamurthi | Wakil Menteri Pertanian
Kompas, 18.11.2009

[Via http://hagemman.wordpress.com]

Transformers-2 or Transgressions-2 ???

Yesterday was a perfect night to watch a movie in theater. No weekend, so less crowd and more space to tread upon. But as you may well know, Chennai has only two multiplexes, Satyam (Sathyam, sorry) and INOX which makes the experience of watching movie on big screens, a rare occassion (Supply short and demand high, u can do the rest of the math). But thanks to the government, the price of a multiplex ticket is still low (Rs. 120) as compared to other metropolitans (especially Mumbai and Bengaluru).

Anyways, coming back to the main subject here. I had expectations from transformers-2, the live action coupled with exquisite special effects, the curvature of Megan Fox, the idiosyncrasies of Sam Witwicky and his parents etc etc. All were shattered after I sat half an hour through the movie.

First let’s deal with the graphics and action part. It was mind-boggling, no doubt about that. The first scene generated a lot of applause and excitement in the audience. The larger-than-life figures all coming to life with magnificent action cinematography and stimulating special effects. It was all good. But excess of everything is bad and Michael bay clearly did not pay heed to this adage. Even tolerance has a limit. It was too much for me, seriously. After a while I was myself functioning like a sleeping Autobot. Only Megan Fox remained the last ray of hope. More about it, but later.

Second the story part. It was like a first time cook learning a new recipe and constantly experimenting with it. I don’t know what kind of inspirations the writers had since I (and my friends too) picked up few similarities with other Hollywood movies like Terminator, American Pie, Predator, National Treasure. The story sucked and with decepticons and autobots doing what they do best (i.e. screw each other) and taking too much time to finish each other off, I was uplifted to the tip of the pyramid of intolerance. There was no head and no tail; no dramatization was attempted to keep the audience interested; it was make-believe (in a negative manner) sort of stuff.

Now let’s come to the better part. Megan Fox.She oozed exuberance and sensuality. Without her, this movie won’t be worth it. Screw the acting part. She remains a sweetheart and the hottest babe on the circuit. I wanted to see more of her but these damn autobots and decepticons ruined the show through excess garbage and other worldly noises.

Comedy doesn’t comprise of a scene or two in a movie which makes the audience laugh. There is subtle humor and open (or outright) humor. I don’t know what Transformers 2 attempted to do: to make the audience laugh or cry at the poor sense of humor (overall).

There was no depth, no clarity, only robotic pandemonium, too much effects and too much spent ($250 million budget). God save me from Transformers-3: Return of the Primes (Speculation).

[Via http://daabloo.wordpress.com]

tamil game

In the fishing village of Vaithikuppam which is adjacent to Puducherry. I was cycling past these women playing a game on the street. We made eye contact and they invited me over.

tamil game

I didn’t catch on to the rules of the game (story of my life – no, that’s not true) but the parts include the gridded board with ‘x’s marked in some squares, three colors of small stones, and two metal rectangular bars – used for rolling (like a dice). I’m super curious to know more so I will investigate further to find the name of the game and the rules. I’ll report back.

I frequently see people sit out on the road at the end of the day and play games. Women play with women and men with men. I see boys play marbles quite a lot and the young girls… I don’t see them playing outside in the same way. Where are they? Also needs more investigation.

I’ve uploaded a few more photos from this enounter. Here is a link to view them on Flikr.

[Via http://prehistoricbird.wordpress.com]

India is 'indispensable': Obama

Barack Obama threw the biggest party of his presidency for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, hailing the world’s largest democracy as “indispensable” and pledging to work out a range of thorny issues.

US President Barack Obama (R) and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh toast each other during the first official State Dinner of Obama’s administration at the White House in Washington. (AFP Photo)

Obama rolled out the red carpet for Singh for the first full-fledged official visit of his White House, climaxing in a black-tie dinner that was one of Washington’s most elite social occasions since his January 20 inauguration.

Obama, who had caused unease in India with his early focus on neighbors China and Pakistan, assured that the world’s largest democracy was a true partner on his top priorities from counter-terrorism to climate change.

“Our nations are two global leaders, driven not to dominate other nations, but to build a future of security and prosperity for all nations,” Obama said, flanked by Singh. “As we work to build that future, India is indispensable.”

In a toast later before the more than 300 guests dining in candlelit tent on the White House lawn, Singh told a moved Obama that his historic election “captured the imagination” of millions of Indians.Related article: Obama’s big night

“You are an inspiration to all those who cherish the values of democracy, diversity and equal opportunity,” Singh said.

In a nod to Indian concerns about Pakistan, the two leaders issued a joint statement voicing “grave concern about the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremists emanating from India’s neighborhood.”

Obama accepted an invitation to visit India next year and his administration signed eight memoranda aiming to solidify growing cooperation.

One 10-million-dollar initiative named after Obama and Singh would support university linkages; India is already the top source of foreign students in the United States.

The two nations also agreed to launch a dialogue on economic relations, with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to head to India in early 2010.

Other projects would work to boost food security and support research on green technology, with two dozen cities across the United States and India to test new systems on solar technology.

Climate change has been one of the few points of recent discord between India and the United States, with each side pressing the other to make further commitments ahead of next month’s high-stakes Copenhagen summit.

But Obama, who is expected to make an announcement in coming days on a target for US cuts in carbon emissions, said he agreed with Singh and Chinese leaders to reach a “strong operational agreement” on reducing global warming.

“It takes us one step closer to a successful outcome in Copenhagen,” Obama said.

With a cold drizzle covering Washington, the White House called off an elaborate welcome on the South Lawn. But it went ahead with a glittering dinner whose guests included entertainment mogul Steven Speilberg and members of the increasingly influential 2.5-million-strong Indian-American community.

“You are the hottest ticket in town,” Vice President Joe Biden told Singh at a lunch he co-hosted for the premier with Clinton.

Showing the new president’s style, his wife Michelle Obama served fresh arugula (rocket) grown at a White House garden she set up in a drive to encourage better eating habits.

The entertainment for the night was to feature two Oscar-winners — Jennifer Hudson, the singer and actress from “Dreamgirls,” and A.R. Rahman, the composer of music for “Slumdog Millionaire.”

The pageantry comes one week after Obama paid his maiden visit to China, where he faced criticism at home for a lack of concrete achievements, with Chinese state television not even broadcasting his sole public forum.

India, by contrast, has transformed in a matter of years in US eyes. After decades of mutual unease during the Cold War, ties with the United States have been rapidly warming and enjoy strong support across party lines.

Former president George W. Bush signed a landmark accord with Singh to allow cooperation on civilian nuclear technology, ending New Delhi’s long pariah status for declaring itself a nuclear weapons state.

Obama is a strong advocate of nuclear disarmament and many Indians doubt he would have reached the same agreement. But Obama pledged to go ahead with the deal.

“I am confident and I have the assurance that that process can be completed without much further loss of time,” Singh said.

Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

[Via http://baovietnam1.wordpress.com]

RAJRUPA SEN: JOVEN PROMESA DEL SAROD

El sarod es un instrumento que, por momentos, tiene un aire muy parecido a la guitarra clásica; sin embargo, sus recursos técnicos le permiten experimentar con otro tipo de sonidos y matices. Rajrupa Sen pertenece a una generación de nuevos músicos. El recibir constantes invitaciones de  All India Radio y Doordarshan India parece indicar que es una gran promesa para revitalizar la Música Clásica de India.

[Via http://sauceverde.wordpress.com]

Looking for a snow leopard adventure?

there’s still a bit of time to sign up for the Snow Leopard Conservancy and KarmaQuest trek in search of wild snow leopards in the Himalayas. This is an exciting project (will be a two week trek in February 2010) and the previous winter teams have had wild snow leopard sightings….you all know that this is a rare thing indeed, rarer than the proverbial hen’s teeth.
check out the project info here.

This is truly the chance of a lifetime!

[Via http://snowleopardblog.com]

Índia

A Índia é longe
A Índia é perto,
A Índia é feia
A Índia é linda.
A Índia é ausente
A Índia é presente.
A Índia é pobre
A Índia é rica.
A Índia esta odiar
A Índia esta amar.
A Índia esta por fora
A Índia esta por dentro de nós.
A Índia continua viva.
A Índia continua lutando para permanecer viva.
A Índia é guerreira e não guerreiro, pois a força é da mulher que esta adormecida em cada fêmea e cada macho.
A Índia é uma terra masculina de alma feminina. Por isso é Índia e não Índio.
A Índia é de deuses, mitos e lendas que se confundi com a própria história, tão antiga que continua nas mentes das pessoas, confundindo com verdades e fantasia.
A Índia é da tecnologia e da modernidade.
A Índia parou no tempo.
A Índia está além de seu tempo.
A Índia vem contra e a favor, forças contrarias gerando energia.
Quem vai a Índia ama ou odeia, quem vai a Índia quer voltar novamente, quem vai a Índia nem quer pensar em retornar, quem vai a Índia esta com ela quando para casa voltar, quem vai a Índia fica com ela, mesmo quando não quer ficar. Quem vai a Índia vai sem saber porque, quem vai a Índia, vai para ver o porque, quem volta sem ver e vê o que queria ver, as coisas por dentro.
A Índia não é para principiante.
A Índia não é fácil, é para quem tem olhos de ver e ouvidos de ouvir.
A Índia não é para entender, é para sentir.

[Via http://otavio108.wordpress.com]

On Leaving the Sathya Sai Baba Cult - Ex Leaders and Rank-and-File

In 2000 came the publication of three articles in Nexus magazine (August-September). A person close to me, who knew well that I had deafened my ears to anything inimical to Sathya Sai Baba, strongly urged me to read these articles, one of which was by the head of the Australian Sathya Sai Organization, Terry Gallagher, an agricultural scientist and businessman.  For a witnessing document from him, see: 

Sathya Sai Organization, Australia, Ex-Head Terry Gallagher’s Testimony Against Sathya Sai Baba

Terry Gallagher.  A Voice of Conscience Raised In The Wilderness

 Terry Gallagher had come to realise – between 1986 and 1993 (the latter being the year of the grisly police executions in Sai Baba’s bedroom) that grave matters had been profoundly covered up, not only by the ashram officials but by local, state and central governments. Those who eventually leave commonly do not leave suddenly. There is a fighting against the blinkers. There is refuge in thought of all the positives that have occured. 

In much detail, by telephone, Terry Gallagher told me that, against extraordinary unwillingness of devotees in the Australian Sathya Sai Organization, to look at the allegations,  he had done what he could to investigate. This led to his surfacing, after his private discussions with those whom he regarded as dependable witnesses, including a number of Sathya Sai Baba college/university students, terrible facts about Sai Baba’s serial sexual abuse of young males. He also took his concerns to Sathya Sai Baba, whom he says tried to get from him who his informants were. He told me that he had extensively, in the course of a whole weekend, shown documentation to Valmai Worthington, a Brisbane leader of the Sathya Sai Organization, who has led many groups to from Australia to see Sai Baba. This led to no meaningful action, and she has continued to lead groups, including those with young males in them. In fact, she led the group of which I was a member when it went to India on mid November 1997.  

Other leaders were likewise impervious and went into the utmost psychological denial. Groups, including those with young males in them, continued to go to the ashram. (See below excerpts from the Terry Gallagher testimony and the link to the full document).These explorations – including direct contact with a number of deeply concerned students from Sai Baba’s education establishment – culminated in Terry Gallager’s resignation on the most serious moral principle from his headship of the Australian Sathya Sai Organization. However, he said, his relations with his brother-in-law, Neville Fredericks, now the head of the Sathya Sai Organization in Australia, had slowly been repaired in both the family and business sense, and he (Gallagher) didn’t want to raise his voice further. NOTE:  For those with limited time, I have excerpted, for the sake of a focus, some points from Terry Gallagher’s testimony, which was first published by David and Faye Bailey (very prominent leaders who also resigned) in The Quarterly, UK.  See also:

David Bailey and Thomas Wiehe. Transcript Of Phone Link: Sathya Sai Abuses

Truth In Action: David and Faye Bailey Vs Sathya Sai Baba

Later the Gallagher testimony appeared in the September-October 1999 edition of the Australian magazine ‘Nexus’ when the editor, Duncan Roads, became, as he has accounted, disillusioned with Sathya Sai Baba, having heard from a number of other alternate and firm sources with similar accounts

Before returning to Sathya Sai Baba for a few months in November 1997, I had somehow dared to look at writings on the Internet. I read the Canadian academic rationalist philosopher Professor Dale Beyerstein, of the University of British Columbia. His very incisively-written book: ”Sai Baba’s miracles: and overview is HERE.  There was the likewise articulate Italian former devotee Paul Holbach.

Across a range of Sai Baba issues, their writing was disciplined and probing; they raised questions which, by any token, deserved proper answers. These were the sorts of questions which, if not answered frankly and truthfully, could best be answered by properly consitituted processes, such as a police, court of law or government enquiry. Above all, they needed to be answered by the leaders of the Sathya Sai Organization. But they were glacially silent. Except to slander and drive out those who questioned, whom they very well know through years of experience of them to be truthful persons. Sathya Sai Baba and his servitors remain tight-lipped to this day, all these years after - although the allegations, not only of sexual abuse but abuses of various other grave kinds. With incredible mendacity, they tell their congregations – inasmuch as they tell them very much at all – that ‘the allegations’ are made by a small handful of disgruntled individuals. 

Hard questions were being raised. It was not enough, as so many devotees do when there is a process of questioning, to assume, somehow, the unworthiness of those who question.  In that direction the psychological factor of being in-denial is all too likely to kick in. Honest questions merit honest answers. During twenty-five years of deep devotion, I underwent many wonderful experiences, but facing the questions was not one of them. As I began to hear the direct testimony, and, in other cases, from parents and close friends of those who had been affected, the experience was gut-wrenching.

(To Be Continued …. in Questioning Voices Raised)

                                                                         ————————————————————————-

 Sathya Sai Baba Critic Serguei Badaev: An Incisive Voice of Conscience From Russia

The Late Leo Boogaard: A Dutch Voice of Conscience On Sathya Sai Baba

New Zealand Lawyer Exposes Official Cover Up of Killings In Sathya Sai Baba Bedroom

(Late) Ron and Peggy Laing: Deeply Alienated From Sathya Sai Organization

Senior Indian Policeman (Rtd) Speaks Out About Sathya Sai Baba Murders Cover Up

V.P.B. Nair. B.Premanand. R.Priddy: Sai Baba Bedroom Killings

                                                                           ————————————————–

Barry Pittard’s comments in regard to the Public Petition) -:

Petition For Official Investigation Into Sathya Sai Baba Cult

 ————————————————————————-

Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization

There is a Spanish version available:

PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA ”INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL

 ——————————————————————- 

Subscribe to Call for media and government investigation of Sathya Sai Baba

Subscribe in a reader

Sachin- Man among men.

Genius and a humble human being without pretenses.
Story.

“Nothing bad can happen to us if we’re on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.”
- Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight.

“Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job.”
- Yaseer Hameed in pakistani newspaper.

“To Sachin, the man we all want to be”
- Andrew Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin.

“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don’t know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives.”
- BBC on Sachin

“Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?”
- Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin’s catch in 2003 WC.

Sachin is a genius. I’m a mere mortal.
- Brian Charles Lara

“We did not lose to a team called India…we lost to a man called Sachin.”
- Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)

“The more I see of him the more confused I’m getting to which is his best knock.”
- M. L. Jaisimha

“The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility – all make for a one-in-a-billion individual,”
- Glen McGrath

“I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play,”
- Anjali Tendulkar

Question: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shah Rukh Khan: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!!
- Shah Rukh Khan in an interview.

“India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain..Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte.. “
– Navjot Singh Sidhu on TV

He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also.
- Waqar Younis

Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delevery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best i have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not prepare. Atleast u wont regret if he hits you for boundaries.
- Allan Donald

On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!
- Peter Rebouck – Aussie journalist

“Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It’s clear discrimination. “
- NKP Salve, former Union Minister when Sachin was accused of ball tempering

There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others.
- Andy Flower

“I have seen god, he bats at no.4 for India”
- Mathew Hayden

“Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed coz even the GOD is watching”
- A hoarding in England

NOW THIS ONE IS PROBABLY THE BEST AND MOST CUTEST OF THE LOT

“Even my father’s name is Sachin Tendulkar.”
- Tendulkar’s daughter, Sara, tells her class her father’s name after the teacher informs them of a restaurant of the same name in Mumbai.

Things that make you go...uh?

I read the other day that there will be an international 24 hour fast in solidarity with the 1 billion people in the world who are hungry. This will be a high profile event, with the UN Secretary General, Ban-ki Moon, himself  taking part. Now, I don’t know about you but this struck me as rather obscene. Lots of people who always have plenty to eat going without for one day to show ’solidarity’ with those who never have enough? How does that go then?

“Yes, is that the Ivy? Great, I’d like to move my booking from Friday to Saturday as I’m fasting in solidarity with the poor. Yes, it will still be a table for six.”

Not that this is the first time those ‘who have’ partake in a ridiculous stunt in an attempt to ‘raise awareness’ of an issue. I recall MPs in the UK sleeping ‘rough’ one night to show solidarity with the homeless. I don’t remember if they were provided with complimentary left over sandwiches from Boots and White Lightning cider though?

Even if you don’t find this all rather objectionable it needs its bumps read from a strategic point of view. Exactly what is the outcome if Mary Bloggs of 34 Putney Road doesn’t eat all day (aside from fainting)? She now knows what it feels like to be really hungry. And then what? Exactly, nothing. After all, feeding the poorest 1 billion has never and will never be high on party manifestos in rich countries and the answer is so politically and economically complex that it will not be addressed by a few more rumbling stomachs. Sad maybe but true.

Next we will be having ‘Wear a blind fold for the day’ in solidarity with the sight impaired, ‘Drink water from muddy puddles’ in solidarity with those who don’t have access to clean drinking water, and ‘Lock yourself in the bathroom’ to know how prisoners of conscience feel. Nonsense.

Moving on, but not too swiftly if these figures are anything to go by.

South Asia, and especially India, is renowned for its dodgy driving and road accidents. A report earlier this year showed that India has more road accidents than China, despite China having a larger population and greater car ownership. South Asia ranks as one of the most dangerous places to take to the road in the world. Actually, that needs qualifying. South Asia is one of the most dangerous places to take to the road on two wheels or as a pedestrian, because two thirds of those killed on the road fall within these two categories.

Here in Nepal, although there are fewer cars than in India, it is no less dangerous. Road traffic accidents are reported in the papers on a daily basis. Earlier in the month there were two separate incidents in Pokhara which killed couples on motor bikes. One incident involved two teenage girls on a scooter and resulted in riot police being deployed on New Road with tear gas being fired to disperse the angry mob. Communities living by roads where trucks and buses regularly plough down people (mainly kids) now take the law into their own hands as a first resort, blockading the road to demand compensation for the death of their loved ones.

A quick bit of maths using the recently published figures shows that nearly as many people died during the last ten years as were killed during the conflict here that spanned the same period. Strangely, this apolitical killing has not gained as many column inches as the conflict or the current peace process. I can’t say I have seen huge amounts of international donor aid pouring in to stem the tide either. Maybe the international contribution is in the form of the ‘white elephants’ (UN and INGO SUVs) ploughing the road, after all at least those inside them are well insulated in case of an accident.

I guess that some types of deaths are more important than others. It probably also depends if the metal doing the killing is in the persons hand or the person is inside the metal object. It seems to make all the difference to the political response. I guess car deaths don’t challenge the legitimacy of your political system though…

Romantic Meanings of Flowers

Today I like to say about flowers. Flowers play a significant part in our lives, especially during special occasions. Throughout the years of our tradition of sending flowers, some have become synonymous with certain meanings or expressions.

When you want to convey true love, there’s no doubt what you mean when you send red roses. With this in mind, we’ve come up with a fun way to send your message using the language of flowers. To let your love know you’re filled with desire or everlasting love, send one of these quick e Cards!

Selected Flower Meanings

1. Amethyst- Admiration; My Love for You is Undying
2. Spanish Jasmine- Sexy or Sensual
3. Four Leaf Clover- Be Mine
4. Orchid- Beauty
5. Red Tulip- Declaration of Love
6. Jonquil- Desire
7. Baby’s Breath Posies- Everlasting Love
8. Red rose- Passionate Love
9. Tulip- You are a Perfect Lover
10. Ambrosia- Returned Love
11. Gardenia- Secret or Concealed Love
12. Sunflower- Adoration
13. Amaryllis- Splendid Beauty
14. Red and White Rose- Unity
15. Ivy- Wedded Love and Fidelity
16. Fern- Sincerity
17. Daisy- Shared Sentiments
18. Carnation- Pride and Beauty
19. Zinnia- Thinking of You Though You’re Far Away; I Remember You Daily
20. Yellow Tulip- I am Hopelessly in Love
22. Daffodil- I Send my Regards; You’re the Only One for Me
23. Deep Red Carnation- My Heart Aches for You; I Admire You
24. Althea- Consumed by Love
25. Primrose- I Cannot be Without You

Expressing your feelings through the traditional meanings of flowers is a romantic way to show her your deepest feelings. A single flower can be just as impactful as large bouquet. Choose your select flower or flowers with care and thought. Write her the thoughts of your heart and the feelings you have for her. She is sure to treasure this sincere and romantic gesture.

A Hindi Lesson

While I sat in the tiny, dimly lit concrete room of my Hindi teacher in North India, struggling to grasp the possessive form for nouns, my errant mind zig zagged away from the lesson.

Though his room was bare, I was distracted by its simplicity and the unanswered questions that his life and habitat posed. His narrow bed was evidence that he was probably unmarried; unusual for man his age which I guessed to be over sixty-five. He didn’t have the pious way so many Indian widowers are prone to either. He seemed like a bachelor.

His impatience was evident as he kept hammering away at me the rules for possessive nouns, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. The rules just floated out of my brain like dried leaves falling from a tree to the earth. My inability to create the simple phrases he asked of me was mortifying. Why am I torturing myself, trying to learn this impossible language, I asked myself?

I left his room discouraged. What’s wrong with me? Am I too old to learn? I’ve always prized learning. If one cannot learn what one desires to learn, what’s left? The usual joy I derive from learning was absent. I dreaded having to return there the following day and toyed with the possibility of cancelling the lesson.

The old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” kept repeating itself over and over in my mind. I didn’t want to give up so easily just because it was difficult.

I sat quietly by the Ganges with my lesson book and studied it intently. I made up sentences employing all the irregularities that had been troubling me. I confronted the work that I needed to do.

On the way up the hill to my teacher’s room, I recalled passing him the  day before in the street, camera bag looped over his shoulder. It occurred to me that I had seen him on the bridge , canvasing the Indian tourists for souvenir photographs. An entrepreneur, trying to make an honest living, I thought as my admiration and curiosity grew.

I arrived at his room, door ajar, a few minutes early. A young man, crippled and deformed about nineteen years old sat awkwardly on the floor. At first I thought it odd that he sat on the bare, cold floor and not on the sofa where I usually sit. Then I took in his thin, twisted stick like legs that poked out from his narrow hips like broken spokes on a bicycle wheel. He was studying English. The young man touched my teacher’s feet lightly and crawled to the door to leave. I could feel the prick of tears forming: sadness for the plight of the eager young man and awe for the magnanimity of my teacher.

My teacher was dressed in a fresh, cream colored traditional kurta and matching slacks that seemed to transform his appearance from the previous days when he had been clad in a well worn, dingy, gray-blue polyester shirt and plain dark trousers. The light color brightened and enhanced his features and the traditional cut lent him an air of elegance. He sat calmly in his chair and began my lesson.

We left the troubling possessive for the time being and moved on to imperative verbs. I understood that it was essential that I pay strict attention to his explanation of the rules from the very beginning and not day dream. I called upon all my powers of concentration and focused on every word he said. To my relief, and no doubt his, I formed nearly every sentence that he asked of me correctly. At the end of the lesson, he smiled and extended his hand. He grasped mine firmly. “Congratulations.” He said.

Carefully, I made my way down the few broken and crooked steps to the street, certain that I’d return the next day to learn the lesson this man had to teach me.

Mumbai, India: Hello, I Am Looking For Some Paint

Two men walking along the coast against the Mumbai skyline.

Children playing cricket in a relatively quiet street in Mumbai, India.

Child safety fail!

A glorious improvised men’s room made from a shipping container.

One of the slums of Mumbai, India.

A PSA on toilet etiquette from a healthy elderly person.

www.globalsaridelivery.com

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Dementia drug use 'killing many'-BBC.

Anti depressants,mood elevators and sleeping tablets also affect the Brain,Heart and kidney.
Beware.
Story:
Needless use of anti-psychotic drugs is widespread in dementia care and contributes to the death of many patients, an official review suggests.

About 180,000 patients a year are given the drugs in care homes, hospitals and their own homes to manage aggression.

But the expert review – commissioned by ministers – said the treatment was unnecessary in nearly 150,000 cases and was linked to 1,800 deaths.

The government in England has agreed to take steps to reduce use of the drugs.

These include:

Improving access to other types of therapy, such as counselling
Better monitoring of prescribing practices
Guidance for families explaining what they can do if they are worried about drug use
Specialist training in dementia for health and social care staff
Appointment of a new national director for dementia to oversee the measures
The review – and the government pledge to take action – comes after long-running concerns about the use of anti-psychotic drugs.

Over the past 30 years, the NHS has increasingly turned to the treatment, which was originally aimed at people with schizophrenia, as it has struggled to cope with the rise in people with dementia.

‘Different mindset’

There are currently 700,000 people in the UK with the condition, but this is expected to rise to one million in the next 10 years because of the ageing population.

The review, led by King’s College London expert Professor Sube Banerjee, accepted that for some people anti-psychotic drugs would be necessary.

But it said they should be used only for a maximum of three months and when the person represented a risk to themselves or others.

Professor Banerjee estimated that of the 180,000 people given the drugs each year, only 36,000 benefited.

He said health and social care services needed to develop a “different mindset”.

Allan Trueman’s father “became a totally different person”
He believes if the steps the government has agreed to are followed, anti-psychotic drug use could be reduced by two-thirds within three years.

Care services minister Phil Hope agreed action was needed.

“We know there are situations where anti-psychotic drug use is necessary – we’re not calling for a ban, but we do want to see a significant reduction in use.”

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said the long-awaited review was a welcome recognition of the scale of the problem.

He added: “This goes beyond quality of care. It is a fundamental rights issue.

“Our members tell us of enormous worry and distress over what is happening to their loved ones.”

The Royal College of GPs – in most cases the drugs are prescribed by family doctors – admitted the situation was “unacceptable”.

President Dr Steve Field said: “People deserve much better.”

While the review was commissioned by the government in England, ministers elsewhere in the UK have agreed to study the recommendations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8356423.stm

Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a non-denominational, international development agency...

2008 – The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. Its mission is to develop and promote creative solutions to problems that impede social development, primarily in Asia and East Africa. Created as a private, non-profit foundation under Swiss law, it has branches and independent affiliates in 15 countries. It is a modern vehicle for traditional philanthropy in the Ismaili Muslim community under the leadership of the Aga Khan.

Please also see Related Material:
Aga Khan Foundation

more about “Aga Khan Foundation – Press Centre: V…“, posted with vodpod Source: AKF ->>>>><<<<<-

Sathya Sai Baba and Sexual "Grooming" of Boys and Young Men

Shortly before Christmas 1997, a highly capable and lovely person,with whom I worked among orphans at Puttaparthi,  Maria Quoos, a Polish film and stage actress and businesswoman, came anxiously to me .  She is now leader of the Polish Sathya Sai Organization.

Ms Quoos brought a married Polish man in his mid twenties to meet me in my old friend Walia’s restaurant (the owner was Sathya Sai Baba’s former head gardener). The Polish man, a member of the group of which she led, was distressed and confused and Ms Quoos wanted me to help. He told us that in their recent interview with him, Sai Baba had covertly grasped his penis.

I responded in a way that I now know to be very typical of believers who are confronted with anything that might question a charismatic leader. I fortified him with inspirational stories intended to convince him that there must be a spiritual reason for this act. 

One of these concerned an Indian Malaysian who, in about 1980, had asked me to wait until he emerged from the interview to which he alone, in a rare example of a solitary interview, had just been called by Sathya Sai Baba and at an hour well past the morning darshan time when people are normally called for interview.  He had already told me of his concern that he was irresistible to many women, and that he certainly did not resist them.  On his exit, some three quarters of an hour later, he told me that Sai Baba took him, alone, into the inner interview room, got him to drop his pants, materialised (so it seemed)  sacred ash (vibhuthi) and applied it to the man’s penis. 

As many Sai devotees have done, I took this to be a healing – ‘calming the raging hormones’, as it were. It is a very typical response by Sathya Sai Baba devotees when the are convinced of the truthfulness of accounts of they way in which Sathya Sai Baba’s sometimes handles the genitals of young males. 

However, overwhelming numbers of accounts from many countries suggest that Sai Baba has, down many decades, has practised ‘grooming’. This practice has been defined (although the practice extends far beyond the child example referred to in this quote) as: “The process of manipulation often utilized by child molesters, intended to reduce a victim’s or potential victim’s resistance to sexual abuse.  Typical grooming activities include gaining the child victim’s trust or gradually escalating boundary violations of the child’s body in order to desensitize the victim to further abuse.” (Center for Sex Offender Management, A project of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, June 1999).

  ————————————————————

General

 Barry Pittard’s comments in regard to the Public Petition) -:

 Petition For Official Investigation Into Sathya Sai Baba Cult

 Posted by Barry Pittard on July 10, 2009

  ————————————————————

Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization

There is a Spanish version available:  PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA  ”INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL)

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Day 11: Amritsar to Delhi

Acrobat: One who is skilled in feats of balance and agility in gymnastics.

In India time is very different, on our first day we already felt we had been in India for at least two weeks. The street is faster, your mind doesn’t even have the capacity to process half the things and you have to give up along the way. Imagine yourself being miniature and falling onto an old vinyl record going at 78 r.p.m., as you spin you try to grab onto something only to fall off hopelessly, well thats kinda what India is for a first time westerner like me.

So, day 11 and I feel like i’m living here, i’ve seen so much already. K went to the pharmacy and tried to explain my ailment, he came back with little orange sachets of something called ORS and as he told me his fascinating tale about the inside of the fridge where they store medicine I noticed the ORS expiry date is 2004. The medicine is sealed and in powder form and i’m desperate to get back to normality so who cares. After packing up I frowned and whispered into K’s ear “that is supposed to be for the street children” as he handed the doorman a hefty tip. We got back to Amritsar Junction, and boarded the train, I don’t know the name of it but on the ticket it said PTK DLI EXP.

I had missed so much, Amritsar was two visits to the Golden Temple, peering into the Martyr’s well at Jallianwalla Bagh (the site of the 1919 massacre) and paying 500 rupee for 2 Snapples in a western style cafe. (Tip: If something isn’t on the menu and is displayed in a place your eye is bound to wander then beware, they’ll rip you off bigtime). Oh well, I did have the Punjabi countryside as a consolation as we headed through, and on our way, to Delhi. Every now and then I noticed little blue war planes had landed on the roofs of houses only to realise they were water storage units. I did see people and tractors and the flat landscapes, everything I had imagined. Sitting across from us was an older, fed up looking man in disheveled clothes, a teenager in a light blue turban( who made sure we noticed his mobile telephone), and a moody looking man in khaki who was clutching onto his briefcase and looking down at people through his thick lensed glasses. As the train raced along K asked:

“So, which religion are you all?”

I just wanted to be swallowed up right there and then. I don’t know if this is an insulting question in India, the disheveled man turned out to be Hindu, the teenager Sikh and old Mr Grumpy Hindu. After answering . . . . . silence returned. We decided to play cards and some people giggled when they noticed I was cheating. Old Mr Grumpy got off somewhere near Ludhiana and I just thought “Thank You Lord!” We travelled on through the afternoon and then something truly astonishing happened. We could hear drums, the people sitting near us seemed to roll up their eyes thinking “Oh no, not this” but we turned into two little meerkats, our heads popping up over the chairs and scanning the carriage trying to see who was making the commotion. It was on my wishlist, The Nats!!! The little girl was fabulous, about four years old, she danced along the aisle of the carriage, her face painted red, clownlike. She was doing a little dance, putting one hand on her hip, the other behind her head and all I could think of was Betty Boop and the caricature of Mae West “Come up and see me sometime”. She tried to do an acrobatic stunt only get stuck in a metal hoop, and then she danced along the carriage. I think everyone had noticed our enthusiasm as they all began to laugh too and enjoy the moment. We took some photos of her and as she moved on I thought about her, wishing that one day she will find some sort of happiness in this super country.

We pulled into Old Delhi train station. I’m aware that I’m feeling better but don’t want to push my health to the limit. We walked towards the prepaid rickshaws, a tout told us the booth where you pay for the rickshaw was closed but we could already see the man who works there writing out the “paid” vouchers for the people in line. We handed our voucher to one of the traffic police and he told us to follow. We followed him onto Mukherjee Marg where he waved down an empty rickshaw. The driver obviously didn’t want to take us if it was prepaid but the traffic officer told him he had no choice. So, we stepped into the rickshaw-from-hell. I could see him fuming in the mirror as he drove in his rage, like a mad man, at one point we hit the back of a bus, I was waving my finger in the air and yelling to him:

“Slow down!! You know what you are? You know? You are an an idiot, an I.D.I.O.T, thats what you are!”.

This made him laugh and he slowed down. We got back to Pahar Ganj and headed to the hotel in the alley. The men working reception look pleased to see us and asked where we had been this time. They’ve gave us an upgrade, same price but with a view onto Main Bazaar. I feel really glad to be back in Delhi. It’s as hectic as London and New York, hmmm, thinking about it I would say that Delhi is WAY MORE HECTIC than London and New York COMBINED, the energy is out-of-this-world and I feel at home.

We’ve just chilled out on the roof top restaurant all evening, the Delhi skyline, the night every now and then lit up by a firework signalling that Diwali is imminent. Evenings in Delhi are the best, just when the city and people have cooled down but still as manic as the afternoons. We have decided to stay here for the remainer of our vacation and explore everything this city has to offer.

I’m figuring out that what makes India so unique and memorable are the people, sure the monuments are impressive in their own super-iconic ways but they are just a backdrop to what is really going on.

Desinomics

My friend who has just landed in the US wanted to get his first taste of America at a strip club on the first weekend there. However his veteran roommates there advised him against it.”Go on a weekday”, they told him “There is no entry fee”.

Back when I was in Sydney, a guy friend, V, wanted to rush to the nearest medical center to get the free vacinnation for cervical cancer.”It is free,” he said “so lets get it”. The poor guy was disapointed to learn that it was some government program exclusively for Australian citizens. And then, only as an after thought, he asked me where cervical cancer attacks.

Welcome to the world of Desinomics.

A world where a dollar saved is 50 rupees earned.( or Rs.45 or less on a bad day). Of course the rule is universally applicable. works the same for Euro, Pound, anything. A world where a suitcase packed with Maggi Noodles can see you through hunger pangs for three months. A world where swallowing saliva till you reach home rather than buying a bottle of water saves as much as a pack of Tropicana Juice back in India.A world where friendship ( actually fellow countrymanship ) means sharing…just about everything.

Of course, I am no stranger to that world. I shared a two bedroom apartment in Sydney with five others. A sixth person sometimes joined for a couple of weeks. Every person , of course meant dollars saved, and with lightning fast divisions and conversion calculations, it all translated into more rupees in the bank back in India. So I grit my teeth and put up with fear factor level bunk beds and 5.30 am bathroom schedules in winter. There were several moments I remembered Oliver Twist at dinnertime.

Sitting back here in India now, I am both amused and ashamed thinking about that dollar saving spree, but earning in foreign currency the first time, the exchange rates seemed more important than stretcing my limbs luxuoriously in the morning. The next time though I was a little less Scroogey. I realised that all those dollars-converted into rupees were just not worth putting myself through such wartime living conditions. Of course, I did carry a load of Maggi Noodles and ginger garlic paste. But I also had an actual bed to sleep on and a bathroom that I could visit any time I wanted. At the end of the day, that was the only thing that actually mattered.

K,a friend came back from a haircut looking like he had enlisted in the army. Of course he went for the haircut only after people began wondering if he was trying out a 70s hippie look. But when he did go, he came back proud with the fact that he had gotten value for each cent spent and that he would not need to spend 15 dollars for atleast another six months. Not to mention the dollops of shampoo that he would be saving on. My roommate and I were no different. We tried our hands with each other’s eyebrows to save 10 dollars each. We ended up with mismatched caterpillars over our eyes.

A more enterprising colleague on a short term visit brought dozens of bars of Mysore sandal soap to do business with a local Indian store there. He probably made a easy quick buck, no taxes, no duties and no guilty conscience either. It was not a hawala scam anyway, just a few bars of soap.

Yet another one made additional trips through the train station just to collect extra freebies that the Indian students working parttime were handing out. He came to work often with cans of soft drinks or packets of breakfast cereal samples. They saw him through the day and saved God knows how many dollars.

There is this constant comment on the rediff message boards, in good humor though, a guy asking advice about how many kilos of rice and medimix soap he would be allowed to carry to the US and whether he could work at a gas station by night while working as a software professional by day. A true reflection on the mindset of Indians travelling abroad.

 But then, maybe, if the Americans had taken a tip or two from us Indians, the world would not be reeling under this Great Recission of 09. Is it time to nominate the entire community of Indians travelling abroad for the next Nobel Prize in Economics?

Gift of Insults - Food for Thought

THE GIFT OF INSULTS

 

Ancient Wisdom

 

An Inspirational Story

 

By

 

VIKRAM KARVE

 

 

 

Now-a-days many persons, especially young people, are very touchy and hypersensitive to what others say.

 

Here is one of my favorite stories to mull over.

 

 

There was once a great warrior. His reputation extended far and wide throughout the land and many students gathered to study under him. Though quite old, he still adept at martial arts and, despite his age, the legend was that he could defeat any adversary.

 

One afternoon, a young warrior, known for his complete lack of scruples, arrived in the village.

 

The young warrior had never lost a fight.

 

Along with his strength, he had an uncanny ability to spot and exploit any weakness in an opponent. He would wait for his opponent to make the first move, thus revealing a weakness, and then would strike with merciless force and lightning speed. No one had ever lasted with him in a match beyond the first move.  

 

The young warrior had heard of the old master’s reputation was determined to be the first man to defeat the till then invincible great master.
The brash young warrior challenged the old master to a fight. Much against the advice of his concerned students, the old master gladly accepted the young warrior’s challenge.

 

All villagers eagerly gathered in the village square to witness the bout.

 

As the two squared off for battle, the young warrior began to hurl insults at the old master. The young warrior threw dirt and spat in the master’s face and tried his utmost to goad and incite the master to make the first move.

 

But the old warrior merely stood there motionless and calm.

 

For hours the young warrior provoked the master. He verbally abused the master with every curse and insult known to mankind and even insulted the master’s ancestors, but the old man kept smiling and remained impassive.

 

Finally, as the sun started setting, the young warrior started feeling exhausted and humiliated. Gradually comprehension dawned on the young warrior and he knew that he was defeated so he bowed before the master and feeling shamed he left the village.

 

Disappointed that the master had received so many insults and provocations, the students gathered around the old master and questioned him, “How could you bear such indignity?  Why didn’t you use your sword and fight the insolent youth? It would have been better if you lost the fight instead of displaying such cowardice in front of us all?”

 

“If someone comes to you with a gift, and you do not accept it, to whom does the gift belong?” asked the master.

 

“To the giver, the one who tried to give the gift,” replied one of his students.

 

“The same goes for envy, anger and insults,” said the master, “If you do not accept the gift of insults, they continue to belong to the one who deliver them!”

 

 

Dear Reader, I am sure you have read this famous story before. Now let us apply it in our daily life.

 

 

VIKRAM KARVE

vikramkarve@sify.com

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com

 

 

 

MM Lee says future challenges will focus on economic issues

Lee Kuan Yew at another business forum.  CNA:

“I don’t think the world’s future will be decided by either Islamic fundamentalism or Christian reaction to it,” he said.

“The big countries do not fight each other because they all have got nuclear bombs. Your contest in the future will be an economic one – who has the best technology, the best products, who commands the largest market share.

“Today, (it) is the US, despite its difficulties. Japan is not doing badly, although its domestic economy is still sluggish. But as I see it, the next 20 years, the rise of China and India is inexorable.”

India, Mr Lee said, will not be able to move as fast as China because of its poor infrastructure and different languages. …

Mr Lee said: “In business leadership, all you’ve got to do is to get a good organisation and get market share, in other words, get customers to buy your products or buy your services.

“In politics, you’ve got to get the people to vote for you and support you. That’s a completely different kind or set of qualities you require.”

 

ESSENTIAL OIL & SCENT HISTORY part 2

Essential oil history is really the history of plants and herbal medicine. As is the history of scents. Essential oils and scents are a  part of herbal medicine.

All ancient cultures used aromatic substances and herbs for cooking, healing, scenting and praying. The earliest written herbal text is the “Pen Tsao” (Great Herbal – still in print) which was compiled by Shen Nung, an emperor, during the time of 1 000 to 700 B.C. In this work is listed more than 350 medicinal plants and remedies. Another great and ancient work of plants and medicine is the “Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine” also still in print. Acupuncture was already used at this time and has since then spread all over the world.

Aromatic substances also played an important role in the lives of the Sumerians who lived along the rivers of Eufrat and Tigris ca 4 000 B.C. From them documentation is found pertaining to the use of herbs for healing. The Babylonians and Assyrians left inscriptions of different laws among which there are instructions for the use of plants and spices in medicine. In Persia a clay-receptable was found that is believed to be a crude form of distillation-apparatus. It is dated to 2 500 B.C. Similar receptables are still used in the area for distillation purposes.

In India the medicine of Ayur Veda has existed in written form since 1 000 B.C. Ayur Veda has become an increasingly popular form of alternative medicine and can today be found all over the world.

In ancient Rome and Greece medicine developed into a science. Hippocrates (468-377 B.C), known as the father of medicine compiled scripts known as “Corpus Hippocraticum”. Pedanius Dioscorides wrote the classic “De Materia Medica” in the year 60 A.D. This work became the standard basic for medicine during the next 1 500 years. During this time the practice of medicine slowly started to divide into 2 routes;

• Empirical; Seeing the body and mind as a whole, interacting unit. Knowledge comes from experience and studies.

• Scientific; Seeing the body as a machine that can be repaired.  Knowledge comes from studying parts in isolation.

Calorie Chart

Source :

FRUITS FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Amla 60 Apple 60 Banana 115 Cherries red 65 Chickoo 100 Currants black 315 Custard Apple/ Seetaphal 105 Dates dried 315 Dates fresh 146 Figs 35 Grapefruit 45 Grapes 70 Guava 50 Jackfruit/ phanas 90 Jambu fruit/ jambu/ jambhool 60 Lemon/ limbu 55 Litchi 60 Papaya 30 Pineapple 70 Pomegranate/ anar 65 Mango 75 Orange 50 Pear 50 Plum 50 Raspberry/ rusbhory 55 Strawberry 45 Sweet lime 35 Watermelon/ tarbuj 15 Vegetables FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Ash gourd/ petha 10 Bitter gourd/ Karela 25 Bottle gourd/ dudhi 10 Brinjal/ baigan 25 Broad beans 50 Capsicum/ Shimla mirchi 25 Cauliflower 30 Cluster beans/ gawar 15 Cucumber 15 Drumstick 25 French beans 25 Green peas/ mattar 25 Jackfruit seeds 135 Ladies finger/ bhindi 35 Mango green 45 Parwar/ padval 20 Papaya green 30 Pumpkin fruit/ lal bhopla 25 Ridge gourd/ thuria 15 Tinda 20 Tomato 20 Leafy Vegetables FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Ambat chuka/ khatti palak 15 Cabbage 25 Cauliflower greens/ phool gobi saag 65 Coriander leaves 45 Curry leaves 110 Drumstick leaves 90 Fenugreek leaves/ methi 50 Lettuce 20 Mint/ pudina 50 Mustard leaves/ sarson ka saag 35 Radish leaves 30 Spinach/ palak 25 Turnip greens 65 Roots & Tubers FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Beetroot 45 Carrot 50 Onion big 50 Potato 100 Radish pink 30 Radish white 20 Sweet potato 120 Turnip/ Shalgam 30 Yam/ suran 110 Cereals & Cereal Product FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Bajra 360 Jowar 350 Maize, dry 340 Maize, tender 125 Ragi 330 Riceflakes/ poha 345 Rice parboiled – Handpounded 350 Rice puffed/ murmura 225 Sabudana/ Sago 350 Wheat bread brown & white 245 Wheat flour – refined 350 Wheat flour – whole 340 Wheat semolina/ rawa 350 Wheat vermicelli/ sevaiya 350 Milk & Milk Products FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Cheese 350 Curds 60 Khoya/ thickened milk 410 Milk buffalo 115 Milk cow 65 Milk goat 70 Paneer/ cottage cheese 265 Skimmed milk powder cow milk 360 Whole milk powder cow milk 495 Pulses & Legumes FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Bengal gram/ channa dal 370 Bengal gram/ whole chick pea/chole/channa 360 Bengal gram roasted/ bhuna channa 370 Chowli 325 Masoor dal/ Red gram 345 Moong dal 350 Moth beans/ matki 350 Peas dry 315 Peas roasted 340 Rajmah 345 Soya beans 430 Nuts & Oil Seeds FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Almond 655 Cashew nut 595 Coconut dry 60 Coconut fresh 445 Coconut milk 430 Coconut tender 40 Coconut water 25 Gingelly seeds/ til 565 Groundnut roasted 570 Groundnuts 565 Pistachio nut 625 Piyal seeds/ chironji/charoli 655 Walnut 690 Fats & Oils FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Butter 730 Cooking oil Sunflower/ Postman/ Saffola/ Groundnut Oil etc. 900 Ghee 900 Hydrogenated oil/ vanaspati 900 Sugars FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Honey 320 Jaggery cane 385 White sugar/ Sugarcane 400 Sea Food FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Bombay Duck 295 Crab small 170 Indian Herring 120 Lobster 90 Mackerel 95 Pomfret, black 110 Pomfret, white 90 Prawn 90 Rawas 110 Sardine 110 Small dried Shrimp 350 fresh Surmai 90 Meat & Poultry FOOD ITEM CALORIES per 100 gms Beef 115 Buffalo 85 Chicken 110 Duck 130 Egg hen 175 Egg duck 180 Lean Goat meat 120 Mutton with fat 195 Pork 115

Sathya Sai Baba Critic Serguei Badaev: An Incisive Voice of Conscience From Russia

Serguei Badaev was ex-President of the Sathya Sai Organization’s Moscow centre, ex-deputy National Coordinator, and National Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV) Coordinator for Russia.

The Moscow centre wrote a letter to Indulal Shah (then head of the Sathya Sai Baba Organization) and 7th World Conference seeking an explanation from their teacher for the spiritual meaning of the up-rush of criticism on the Internet about him and his mission.

There had been some earlier alarums and excursions – See:

New Zealand Lawyer Exposes Official Cover Up of Killings In Sathya Sai Baba Bedroom

and references to the principled resignation of a probing Terry Gallagher (and agricultural scientist and businessman), the first leader of the Australian Sathya Sai Organization, in my article:

Sathya Sai Baba Organization’s Betrayal of Love and Compassion

However, starting in great earnest circa 2000, amid allegations coming from a number of countries of Sathya Sai Baba’s serial sexual abuse of boys and young men (not to mention other gravely criminal allegations), there was significant leave-taking and much consternation in centers round the world. Some believed that an airing of concerns was needed, and that, irrespective of findings or views, clampdown invited great risk to the integrity of the organization, as well as to matters of individual integrity and fearlessness to raise the issues no matter how fraught.

Badaev has written about the evils of Soviet suppression in past decades. But here were he and his peers finding it visited from a source that they had thought to be all Light and Love.

The letter drew silence, except that Badaev was dismissed as President of the Moscow Centre.

The then head of the Sathya Sai Organization in Australia, T.Sri Ramanathan, meted out remarkably similar treatment to Stephen Carthew, spiritual coordinator of that organization in South Australia. He too had called for a democratic and properly chaired forum for the airing of members’ concerns. He too was summarily dismissed. See: Caught In One Of History’s Most Powerful Cults (5)

Serguei Badaev is an incisive writer with a professional background (the physical sciences), whose writings critical of the Sai sect – no less than those of others who have raised critical questions – receive no answer from Sathya Sai Baba and his officials. Nor do they explain how those with years of loving, sacrificial  and dedicated service to the Sathya Sai Baba organization (what to speak in their own professions and wider communities) should, practically overnight, become demons, naysayers, and defamers.

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Story of my disqualification

From: Serguei Badaev (Russia)

Date: 12-21-01

Date of disqualification: April 2001

Source: http://www.exbaba.com at this page HERE

It started about 2 years ago when we (I mean Russian devotees) were informed that David Baily left the Organisation and disseminated dirty rumours about Sai Baba. It was a sort of a shock because D.Bailey had visited Russia several times (with Faye) and had given talks and appeared to be a dedicated devotee. We were not told about the reasons so we were puzzled very much. The situation was similar with Conny Larsson. Then again with Dr.Bhatia. It was like a mysterious virus which struck people and converted them against Swami.

Then we learnt that some information can be found on the Internet. After some web sites with negative information were located, we looked them through and realised that the accusations were serious enough not to be ignored. We decided to discuss them during the special meeting of the active members in the Moscow Sai centre. I sent to Steen Piculell (central coordinator for region 16) 2 questions about false materialisations and homosexual activities. Both questions were formulated like this: do you know (or believe) that the information about … is a fake or they do exist and have some special spiritual meaning? Steen Piculell did not answer. He forwarded it to T.Meyer (Chairman for the zone 4), who replied not to me but to the Moscow Sai centre. He told us that we were not allowed to arrange such a sort of meeting and that if Serguei Badaev could ask such questions that meant he did not have enough faith to be an office bearer in the Organisation.

The Moscow centre wrote a letter to I.Shah and 7th World Conference with the appeal to acknowledge these facts and ask Bhagavan for their spiritual explanation. The letter was passed to our National Coordinator who went to 7thWC and he passed it to S. Piculell and T.Meyer. As far as I understand it never went further. In the beginning of January the National Coordinator phoned me and announced about my disqualification as a deputy of the National Coordinator and National SSEHV Coordinator. He told it was a sort of recommendation of T.Meyer. When I asked about the reason the answer was – “lack of faith in Bhagavan Baba and His teaching”.

That time my tenure as a President of the Moscow Sai centre after 4 years was finishing, but the active members meeting decided to postpone the change of the President in regard to this situation. When the National Coordinator learnt about it he disqualified me as a President of the centre. The Moscow centre wrote a letter to the National Coordinator asking him to come to the Moscow centre to have a meeting with the active members. He failed. I wrote a letter to all the Central Council members with the appeal not to accept this decision until collective settlement would be reached.

Soon after that the meeting of the Central Council of Russian speaking countries was held. S.Piculell and T.Meyer came there. I was not invited. But I went as an observer as well as a delegation of the office bearers and active members from Moscow, about a dozen people altogether. During the meeting of the Central Council people from Moscow were not given a word. After all the previous decision was confirmed and imposed on the CC members who were keeping absolute silence. So that is the story in brief.

According to the Charter the reason for disqualification is deliberate violation of 9 Points of Code of Conduct. That was not the case. But during the CC meeting T.Meyer clearly formulated that a National Coordinator has the right to disqualify any office bearer under his supervision without assigning any reasons. I have never seen or heard about such regulations in the Organisation.

Soon after this CC meeting National Youth Coordiantor, Maria Ponomareva-Stepnaya, resigned.

Serguei Badaev

March 2001

P.S. In April 2001 I left the Sai Organisation.

A Small Selection of Sergei Badaev’s Writings

• SAI BABA’S CLAIMS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST AND CHRISTIANITY Documented texts of Sathya Sai Baba on Jesus and the Christian religion analysed.
• DISCREPANCIES IN SAI BABA’S PUBLISHED WORDS Documented texts
• SATHYA SAI UNIVERSITY PROMOTION NOT WHAT IT SEEMS (if unavailable, see here)
• RUSSIAN SATHYA SAI BABA FORUM – APPEAL AND REPLY
• TO SEE WITH OPEN EYES – NOT WITH ROSE-COLOURED GLASSES
• THE TWO CHARTERS (OF THE SATHYA SAI ORGANIZATION)
• DISCREPANCIES IN WORDS AND FACTS ABOUT SATHYA SAI BABA’S ‘MISSION’
• IF AND HOW THE SATHYA SAI ORG. IS A ‘DIVINE TOOL’
• CAN WE TRUST THE CENTRAL TRUST?
• SATHYA SAI BABA’S SUPER SPECIALITY HOSPITALS AS TWO-FACED PROJECTS
• THE CHILD’S DIGNITY AND INDIAN EDUCATION
• SAI BABA AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIA
• WHY DOES THE PROTECTOR OF THE WORLD NEED SECURITY?
• SAI BABA CANNOT MONOPOLISE SELFLESS SERVICE

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General

Barry Pittard’s comments in regard to the Public Petition) -:

Petition For Official Investigation Into Sathya Sai Baba Cult

Posted by Barry Pittard on July 10, 2009

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Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization

There is a Spanish version available:

PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL)

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