Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The Latest Health Issue in America: Sleep Deprivation.


Sleep or the lack of it has become a critical health issue among contemporary Americans. In fact, this lack of sufficient slumber is considered to be a major cause of fatal motor vehicle accidents, industrial mishaps, as well as occupational errors of assorted kinds. Falling asleep inadvertently, being lethargic during driving, and finding it hard to perform common everyday tasks due to nodding off, can very well contribute to such perilous outcomes. All those who undergo sleep insufficiency can also suffer from such chronic maladies like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, increased mortality, diminished quality of life as well as productivity. It is estimated that a whopping 50 to 70 million American adults suffer from wakefulness/sleep disorders. All these end up in what sociologists call TATT Syndrome, an abbreviation for Tired All The Time. As a result people are turning stupid, morose, clumsy, and even not surprisingly, dead. Sleep insufficiency can prevent you from enjoying an undisturbed slumber. This means that you are unable to fall asleep, are unable to return to sleep once awoke, and often waking up at night. It can leave you irritable and exhausted, making it hard to concentrate on anything during daytime. Some common causes of sleep insufficiency are... • Beware of that nightcap! Many have a nightcap before going to bed believing that drinking makes one feel drowsy and so makes it easy for one to sleep well. However, the response of the human body to alcohol is not that easy. Experts opine that alcohol disrupts the rhythm of your sleep. At first it makes you drowsy as expected, but once the level of alcohol in your blood drops, you are awake again. So to prevent this from occurring have that nightcap at least three hours prior to bedtime. • Sleep apnea Sleep apnea remains a typical sleep disorder that troubles a lot of people. Those who suffer from this condition tend to cease breathing unexpectedly during asleep. At such brief occasions, there is a build up of carbon dioxide in the blood stream that makes the sufferer wake up suddenly, gasping for breath. This period can range from a couple of seconds to longer durations resulting in the bluing of the skin from the resultant lack of oxygen. • Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is neurological in nature and this sleep disorder results in severe sleepiness during the day. Those who suffer from this ailment are subject to bouts of overpowering sleepiness, making them fall asleep several times during daytime. These periods of slumber can range from a few seconds, to an hour and even or more. They can even fall asleep while enjoying a meal, talking to someone, or even driving an automobile. This syndrome affects around 250,000 in the US alone. It is in fact a chronic condition that begins during the teens. The sufferers might also experience hallucinations. • Sleepwalking Sleepwalking, or somnambulism as it is known in medical circles is characterized by getting out of bed frequently, while still asleep and walking around. • Night terrors Many young children in the age group of 2 to 6 frequently suffer from the mental condition, although persons of other ages can also be affected by this fearsome sleep disorder. Common symptoms are shaking of the body while asleep, excessive sweating, as also apparent fear. Effects of sleep deprivation: • Accidents Loss of sleep can be catastrophic to public safety especially on the highways. Like driving drunk, sleepiness can critically bring down reaction time. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsiness is a major cause of around 100,000 automobile crashes as well as 1550 deaths linked to crashes, every year. And this problem is at its worst, among youth in their early twenties. Recent research has shown that sleep deprivation also causes on-the-job injuries and accidents. • Health problems Lack of sleep can also bring about grave health problems. Chronic sleep disorders can result in heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, stroke, irregular heartbeat and diabetes. • Affects sex drive Sleep deprivation can adversely affect the sex drive. According to specialists both men and women when deprived of sleep tend to have lower libidos and diminished sex-drives. This is brought about by factors such as drowsiness, depleted energy, and excess tension. • Lack of sleep makes you dumb Slumber plays a decisive role in the process of learning and thinking. This sleep deprivation adversely affects our cognitive processes by various means. To begin with it weakens attention, concentration, alertness, reasoning, and the capacity to solve problems. Thus learning is considerably impaired. Secondly, certain sleep cycles help to combine memories in one’s mind at night. So unless you get sufficient sleep, you cannot recall the things you learned as well as experienced during daytime. • Lack of sleep and depression Insufficient sleep can gradually bring forth the various indications of depression. Studies reveal that those are diagnosed with anxiety or depression tends to sleep for not even six hours per night. Also, insomnia is strongly linked to depression and often the condition is an initial symptom of depression. In fact, depression and insomnia are teamed together in a vicious cycle. Loss of sleep intensifies most of the symptoms of depression which in turn makes it hard to achieve sound sleep. • Lack of sleep and forgetfulness Recent studies made by French and American scientists revealed that certain events occurring in the human brain termed ‘sharp wave ripples’ consolidate the memory. These ripples also convey information from the hippocampus region to neocortex, a location where memories of a long time nature are stored. And these sharp wave ripples arise while we are undergoing deep sleep. Thus it is clear that in order to maintain sharp memories we need a lot of sleep. • Loss of sleep and unhealthy skin If you miss a lot of sleep, your eyes turn puffy and skin sallow. Thus chronic loss of sleep can result in fine lines on your face, dark circles under your eyes as well as unhealthy looking skin. This is because sleep insufficiency causes the body to release cortisol, the stress hormone. And if it is released in large quantities it tends to break down the protein skin collagen which maintains the smoothness and elasticity of the facial skin. Loss of sleep also inhibits the release of growth hormones which can thicken the skin, strengthen the bones as also increase the mass of the muscles. This is essentially the normal process of repairing the wear and tear caused by the elements, every day. • Loss of sleep and weight gain Studies show that those who sleep less tend to become obese. This is because lack of sleep deprivation increases appetite and hunger. While the peptide gherkin excites hunger, another peptide leptin conveys satiety to your brain, thereby suppressing appetite. However, lack of sleep elevates ghrelin and suppresses leptin. What is more, sleep deprivation not only seems to promote appetite, but also arouses cravings for foods high in carbohydrates and fats. In the future, weight loss programmes might insist on sufficient sleep to begin with. • Lack of sleep can impair judgement Insufficient sleep can adversely affect the way we interpret events, thereby harming our aptitude to arrive at sound judgments. Thus, we might not evaluate situations precisely as well act on them sensibly. The one thing wrong with people who sleep less is that they feel they are adapted themselves to lack of sleep. However, this is a fallacy, for sleep depraved people fail markedly in tests of mental alertness. And the most unfortunate thing is that you are not aware of how impaired you are. • Lack of sleep and risk of death A study conducted in the UK in 2007, entitled Whitehall Second Study revealed that patterns of sleep affected the mortality rate of around 10,000 civil servants over a period of forty years. Those who cut down their sleeping hours by 7 to 5 every night, almost doubled the risk of death, especially from cardiovascular disorders. Treating sleep deprivation The ultimate treatment for lack of sleep is easy: sleep more. If you suffer from acute loss of sleep, a mere eight hours of sleep during a single night ought to do the trick. If you suffer from chronic sleep loss, you need to sleep for longer hours with extra naps during daytime to compensate. Youngsters might take a little longer to get well from extended sleep deprivation.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Vedanta Resources

The Whitewashing of Vedanta Industries In one of the article posted some time ago, ED had mentioned the MNC called Vedanta. The name itself of the company is a misnomer. The ones who had named it so do not know the meaning or complexity of the term. This company with such a vainglorious name is out to take undue advantage of many indigenous tribes such as the Niyamgiri and Dongria Kondhs in the state of Odisha in India, in the name of development and creating misery for the people by imparting “happiness” to the people – which by the way is another misnomer – according to the misinformation they are disseminating through a series of ads. No less than an organization than Amnesty International as well as a lot of human rights groups have taken exception to the activities of this monster ready to gobble up the local tribes inhabiting the hinterlands of Odisha, through their avaricious activities. In Chhattisgarh, in their Balco plant 45 workers were killed in an accident during construction. The company is under litigation for this mishap. Now Vedanta is out to whitewash its malpractices by means of clever advertisements, one of them featuring a naïve lad named Binno. Their latest endeavor in the process is to invite students of mass communication from scores of educational institutions from all over India to produce 3-minute short films to illustrate of all things Vedanta’s so-called Corporate Social Responsibility projects. What an irony? No wonder movie greats like Shyam Benegal and Gul Panag have withdrawn from the list of juries. No amount of whitewashing will improve the image of a company that is out to destroy a unique culture and a fragile environment. Mining companies are not exactly friends of mother Earth.

Friday, November 19, 2010

The Death Knell Sounds…for Mother Earth

The Arctic lies like a wounded and helpless animal waiting for her inevitable death. The protective ice cover covering the land mass is being constantly eroded by certain heinous activities from afar.

A group of hyenas is jostling around the area for the ultimate kill and dismemberment. Right now they are in no position to close in on the prey because of the frozen ice and dwindling icebergs. Their ships cannot traverse the intervening seas right now but they are patient and can wait for the prize is worth it. They can afford to bide their time. There is enough time too to sharpen their nails and canines to make the kill all the more smoother and enjoyable. None will stand in the way and if someone does God help the mariner.

The greenhouses gases are inexorably melting the polar ice. And once enough ice has been melted, the ships can plow their way to the kill. They are waiting for the ice to melt a little more and they won’t have to wait for long.

For there is liquid gold under the Arctic, there is oil. And once the icy obstruction is done away with they can go in, plunder and sell the booty in the open market and can be rich as they have never been rich in the whole of their history.

Once the oil rigs are in place with their supporting infrastructure and personnel out to make a fast buck, one can literally kiss the pristine Arctic goodbye.

And who are the villains of the piece, the hyenas closing in for the kill?

Russia, Canada, Denmark…

Saturday, September 11, 2010

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Friday, August 20, 2010

Cause of Floods Around The World

If carbon emission apologists in the USA and UK argue that the ugly phenomenon is a ‘crock of shit’, here is another nail on the coffin of their cheap and vain arguments. Bob Lutz must be gloating over the fact that the recent floods in the New England, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Kansas have been caused by his own particular brand of whatever ‘shit’ he might choose to call it.
In spite of the likes of the Lutzes and the Nicks of this world, the floods that have been making life a misery for millions of folk around the world are a reality. These villains of the piece can be proud of being the progenitors of such national calamities caused by the actions of infamous persons of their ilk. Jay Lawrimore, a climate analyst of repute from North Carolina states that the changing climate syndrome is caused by greenhouse gases. He opines that ‘extreme events are occurring with greater frequency and in many cases with greater intensity’. He lays the blame squarely on the excessive heat caused by increased amounts of greenhouse gases let out into the pristine air by greedy industrialists who are out to suffocate the whole of God’s creation with the horrid gases spewed out by their loathsome factories.
It is all right, if they see the writing on the wall and make an attempt – however small – to go for other kind of energies as much as they can, for ever a small drop in the volume of greenhouses gases means that much less heat in the air.
No, they keep on going down the same old route that helps them put their ill gotten money in their pockets at the expense of the world at large.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Modern Day Barbarians

Great civilizations were destroyed by barbarians. America, the seat of modern technological civilization is being consistently undermined by minions of certain vested interests interested in the unbridled use of fossil fuels to gain their avaricious ends. What happens to our environment in the process is no concern to them. Now a diabolic campaign is being conducted by the same barbarians against climatologists who warn us of the impending danger of uncontrolled carbon emissions into the already dying atmosphere.

In the last blog, post EE touched on this subject. In UK this campaign is mostly limited to verbal and written criticism. And these scientists were exonerated from all blame by a committee headed by Sir Muir Russel. But in the good old US of A, climatologists are being threatened with death following the leak of climate leak emails reported in this blog some time ago. To add fuel to this, the police refrain from taking any action against these cowardly bullies. Some scientists are even thinking of carrying hand guns to protect themselves from these criminal elements. One eminent scientist opined that such people are mentally imbalanced. He even wonders whether he should put on a bullet proof vest. He has even unlisted his address and his house is equipped with extra alarms.

Scientists and their work are the foundation of any technological civilization to protect which the greedy elements out to destroy the Earth should be stopped at all costs. The US government should take all steps to protect these scientists so that America as a nation and the world at large can continue to exist.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Climate Scientists Exonerated!

It was only recently that a group of anti-Earth activists termed as climate skeptics accused the scientists of East Anglia University, UK of manipulating as well as suppressing important climate data. Now the Independent Climate Change Email Review headed by Sir Muir Russel, a former British government official has dismissed the claims of these critics whose actions are motivated by pure greed and avariciousness. Sir Muir, after spending many months going through all the submissions of the praiseworthy scientists as well as the villains of the piece came to the happy conclusion that ‘their rigor and honesty as scientists are not in doubt’ which was the accusation leveled against the scientists whose only crime was revealing the real truth about the warming of the Earth. It seems that the only lapse from the part of these scientists was failing to maintain the right measure of openness.

The diabolic critics have concocted a pot-pourie of falsehoods, misunderstandings and conspiracy theories to undermine the noble efforts of the Climatic Research Unit of the university. Most of these scientists suffered untold agonies as a result of these machinations of the carbon emission apologists. Now it is only right that the exoneration should get the same publicity as the adverse propaganda so heinously set in motion by the climate skeptics. Legal measures also should be undertaken to compensate for all that mud-slinging, by taking the conspirators to court.
The whole thing began when henchmen of the climate skeptics hacked into the CRU computers. Then they went on to accuse CRU scientists of withholding temperature data from a host of weather stations and keeping secret the necessary algorithms to process such data. Sir Muir’s review found that all such allegations were unfounded. The whole dark episode was nothing but a vain effort to undermine last year’s Copenhagen summit.

Moral: Truth will ultimately prevail.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010


Monday, March 15, 2010

Climate Scientists…Well Meaning But Foolish

In their eagerness to warn the world of the dire consequences of environmental degradation, some scientists went a bit far, thereby creating a controversy that raged around the planet for some time. Scholars like Phil Jones, the British climate scientist were one of them. These scientists, by resorting to the dictum that the end justifies the means, did more harm than good to the holy cause of environment.
Now the whole climate science and those who practice them are considered to be liars, suppressors of alternate opinion, and manipulators of information. Consequently many think that things like carbon emissions are a hoax and as such they are playing right into the hands of Lutz in USA and Griffith in England, the notorious apologists for carbon emissions.

Scientists need not engage in such underhand practices to make folk believe what is happening right before their eyes only if they have eyes to see.
The destructive change in climatic patterns, the vanishing of the polar ice caps and the melting of glaciers in the Alps, the Himalayas and elsewhere are there for all to see.
As Gavin.A.Schmidt of the NASA aptly put it, “Climate scientists are paid to do climate science. Their job is not persuading the public.”
The harm these well meaning, but wrongheaded scientists have done is incalculable and unpardonable. Let’s hope that they will learn from this lesson and heed to Mr.Schmidt’s sane advice and stick to their jobs instead or resorting to being amateur PR executives.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Don’t Ignore The Writing on The Wall Mr.Indian PM

The glaciers of the great Himalayas are shrinking fast. Monsoon is playing havoc. Carbon emissions are increasing by leaps and bounds with increased development and industrialization. The numbers of vehicles run by fossil fuels spew out of the assembly lines. The petroleum import costs keep steadily increasing. There is no end to the villain, coal fired power stations. Environmental restrictions remain on paper. Those who are entrusted with the keeping of them are either corrupt on don’t care less.

While progress for progress’ sake is progressing beyond anything, the powers that be are blissfully ignorant of the fact that the folk who suffer most are the downtrodden. Today’s governments are intent on making progress so that a handful of stinking rich can prosper at the cost of the downtrodden masses of India, living in filth and depravity.

EE is not against the rich getting richer as such. But when the haves get richer at the expense of the have-nots, there’s something basically wrong with the system.
It is at such a juncture that the Indian Prime Minister begins to make the appropriate noises. It is a well known fact that after China, India is the worst polluter of the environment in Asia.

Recently the Indian PM stated that, “A modest accord (on carbon emissions) that is fully implemented may be better than an ambitious one that falls seriously short of its targets.”

This shows that India is not ready for any substantial cuts in carbon emissions, but only “modest ones.” The PM hails from Punjab, meaning five rivers and all of which originate from the Himalayas. The state is primarily an agricultural one and when all the Himalayan glaciers melt and the ‘five rivers’ run dry and the Punjabi farmers cannot get enough water to sustain their wheat crops, God help the PM. Punjabis are the kind of folk who doesn’t take everything lying down.

In another context, China with a whopping 25% of world’s carbon emissions is sidling with India whose emissions are only 5%. It will be better for India not to join hands with the Chinese in any field of endeavor, let alone environment. China has annexed a lot of Indian Territory on its southern border and even has the audacity to claim an Indian state for its own. China attacked India at a time they were talking friendship with India. It was somewhat like what the Japanese did at Pearl Harbor.

The Hon’ble Indian PM will be acting wisely if he stops talking about ‘modest cuts’ in carbon emissions and be wary of aligning himself with the untrustworthy Chinese in their machinations to get the maximum concessions from the West in environmental meets. If he does, India won’t be a gainer but China would.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

CONGRATULATIONS TO PAUL WATSON OF SEA SHEPHERD

The cowardly Japanese whalers not only flagrantly violate an internationally accepted whale conservation moratorium to which they themselves are signatories to but also resort to highhanded policies on the high seas. BBC reports that they have wantonly rammed into Adi Gil - a vessel belonging to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society – and cleaved it into two. At the time of this heinous act the small vessel had six unarmed, defenseless people on board. The whole world was shocked by this mindless cruelty and as such a horrible act in the extreme. Surely this is an act of terrorism on a defenseless vessel trying to protest the illegal activities of the monsters aboard the Japanese vessels.
The gritty activists are fighting for the lives of the greatest fauna on earth, the majestic whales. And why do the Japanese hunt them? They do it in the name of research! Blah! And what is the topic of research! Is it to find out how chunks of meat of those poor hapless whales are processed in ‘the gutless’ bellies of those Japanese who are so inhuman as to consume it? And what original research the Japanese do anyway? They take the ideas of the Western scientists, brush up something here, something there and pass of it as their own by manufacturing it wholesale and dumping it on other countries? Now they can’t even do that, their duplicate economy is in shambles, the Chinese and the Koreans are beating them at their own game.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Saga of Nick the Nut

The very presence of Nick Griffin, the British National Party leader is an insult to the spirit of Copenhagen. By choosing him as part of the EU delegation to the summit, the European Parliament has shown scant regard to the principles that guide the Copenhagen conference.

Politicians belong to various kinds of political orientation. There are rightists, centrists and leftists. That is understandable. There are world leaders who want to bring about a balance between controlling carbon emissions and their respective economies. This is also understandable.

But to call climate change campaigners ‘cranks’ is something that is unacceptable. Branding climate change as a ‘new theology’ is so much poppycock. He is using pseudo jargon to describe the process to make him seem like an intellectual bent on putting things right. If those who are conscientious and dedicated enough to save the earth are ‘cranks’, then Nick Griffin is a nut and EE christen him as Nick the Nut.

Thankfully, spokesmen for the British Government stated that Nick the Nut do not represent its views. After all he’s nothing but an English version of Bob Lutz of the ‘crock of shit’ notoriety.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Carbon Emissions, Future Promise.

International Energy Agency or IEA has come out with a statement that makes lovers of the earth happy. In its 2008 forecast on the oil situation, IEA ‘fears’ that oil supplies are dwindling fast, in a way that seems very ironical to Environmental Extremist. Two important countries China and India needs increasing supplies of oil as their economies are growing rapidly. These countries are also guilty of massive carbon emissions into the already dying environment.

The new demand will create a gap between production and supply to the tune of 7 million barrels a day, according to IEA projections, incidentally bringing down a voluminous reduction in carbon emissions, a situation that is cause for celebration. The agency exhorts the countries of the world to shell out $450 billion annually to look for new sources of oil. Environmental Extremist believes that IEA is chasing chimeras by this act of wishful thinking.

IEA forecasts that oil production from all prevailing oil fields to drop by half – such a forecast is music to Environmental Extremist’s ears because the scaling down of the resultant carbon emissions will out to be a real boon for Mother Earth. The agency is of the opinion that the world will need a whopping 64 million barrels a day by 2030.

The hope of finding new oil strikes to keep up with this massive demand might be fulfilled but only by a small fraction of the hoped for by oil cartels. This scenario is highly appreciated by Environmental Extremist, because the less oil produced, the less carbon emissions into the air.

It is said that when a cat drinks milk on the sly, it closes its eyes. The politicians around the world closes their eyes to the fact that incredible volumes of carbon emission is filling the air every minute and by closing their eyes to it like the cat, they hope that the problem will disappear in that instant.

And this ostrich approach prevents them from pursuing all alternate energy sources on a war footing until that objective is achieved within as short a time frame as possible. Instead they are still hoping for the miracle of finding fresh oil fields in the hundreds so that their main sponsors the auto and oil barons are kept happy and satisfied.

Oh! World leaders who is going to Copenhagen, IT IS TIME TO SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL AND TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION. If you keep on your present policy of kowtowing to the oil and auto barons, the future generations will curse you so that your progeny for a thousand generations will stay cursed.

Leaders of the world on the way to Copenhagen, only you can prevent Mother Earth from becoming a sewer for future generations – among them your own grand and great grand children – to wallow in like pigs. It is the humble request of Environmental Extremist and thousands like him to end all kind of pollution especially carbon emission. So ACT NOW WITH RESPONSIBILITY, FOREKNOWLEDGE, VISION AND WISDOM and make Copenhagen a resounding success.

The coming generations will forever be grateful to you if you save them from the inevitable catastrophe.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Action350

To kick start The International Day of Climate Action, the true children of Mother Earth assembles in various parts of the world, holding placards in their hands with the inscription '350' which is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
They demonstrated before the Bourse in Paris, in front of the Circus Maximus in Rome, near the Opera House in Sydney. At the Red Fort in New Delhi, the Earthlings formed themselves in huge formations of the magic number and in the picturesque Dal Lake in Kashmir, India, small boats were used in similar formations.
To all these men and women, EE extends support and thru this blog pay tribute.
While such great things were going on around the word, Politicians who alone can do something against the evil tendency of carbon emissions is sparring and bickering. In a recent London meeting of the Major Economics Forum launched by President Obama, the emissaries of the concerned countries miserably failed to come to an agreement on the two points that matter. The developing countries, instead of working in a spirit of compromise want to make hay when the sun shines. They want the developed nations to underwrite the losses of bringing down atmospheric carbon emissions to a safe level, while the developed countries want to bring down the cuts in greenhouse gases as little as possible and push the onus down the throat of the developing nations.
ALL THIS POINTS TO ONE GRIM SCENARIO: The professional windbags will let out a lot of hot air at Copenhagen and no effective agreement will be signed.
Since it is the developed countries that began to violate Mother Earth in the first place with their Pittsburghs and Ruhrs, they have a moral responsibility of putting things in order first by substantially cutting down their carbon emissions RIGHTAWAY!

Friday, October 2, 2009

The Politicians Are Making The Right Noises

The politicians are indeed making the right kind of noises ahead the Copenhagen Summit in December. All those who are responsible for the worse pollution in history like America, the EU, China and India are making positive noises. Let’s go thru what they said.
The credit of being the pioneers in atmospheric pollution, the founding father of carbon emission goes the United States. And what does the present president of America says. In recent high level climate summit convened by the inimitable Ban Ki-moon, President Obama declared that they would meet their responsibility to future generations. He said that his country is a serious partner in combating global warming and that he is determined to act. In burst of oratory he added that,” Our generation’s response to this challenge will be judged by history.” He continued that nations faced difficulties in the process “But difficulty is no excuse for complacency.” He concluded by stating that his country is ready to play the leading role but rapidly growing nations should do their part.

Now we turn to the worst polluter among the developing countries, the high faluting China. President HU Jintao at the same venue emphasized the need to conserve energy and improve energy efficiency. He’s ready to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of China’s GDP by a notable margin by 2020 from the 2005 levels. He will go for alternate and nuclear energies by increasing the share of non-fossil fuels in basic consumption by15% by 2020. China will increase forest carbon sink by increasing forest coverage by 40 million hectares. He realizes “global climate change has a profound impact on the existence of mankind and is a major challenge facing all countries.

Let’s go to India the next in line in the matter of carbon emissions. Jairam Ramesh, minister for Environment and Forests righteously stated that “it is wrong to blame India for deadlock.” He called India a deal maker and a deal breaker. It must be remembered that at any such conferences India and China usually turn stumbling blocks, putting all the blame on the developed countries. The minister said that “the message that I am conveying is tat we have not caused the problem of global warming but we want to be part of the solution in Copenhagen.” He said, India’s national climate plan planned a voluntary mitigation measures by 2020. He concluded by exhorting the Americans to change their lifestyles to combat climate change. Judging by the way urban Indians following the ‘Americn style’ bandwagon, this statement is an understatement.
P.S. In a recent statement, the very same hon’ble minister made it clear that India will not accept any legally binding agreement on climate change at Copenhagen!
WE’LL SEE WHAT WE’LL SEE AT COPENHAGEN!!!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

In praise of Senor Jose Manuel Barroso

After showing EE’s appreciation and admiration for the present U.N.Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, another world figure has come out with a dire warning at the outcome of carbon emissions i.e., global warming. He is no less a personage than Senor Jose Manuel Barroso, Hon’ble President of the European Union.

He has expressed his apprehensions concerning the forthcoming climate conference in Copenhagen. He is particularly concerned about the ‘business as usual attitude’ of those countries that looks on with folded hands as carbon emissions on a massive scale warms Mother Earth and bring about catastrophic climate change. Judging from past experience, the politicians at the summit will stick to their positions without an iota of change.
Senor Barroso rightly foresees a split between the developing and developed countries resulting from what he termed ‘acrimonious collapse.’ He exhorts the concerned countries to emulate the European example and to put ‘offers on the table, offers at the outer limits of our political constraints.’ He suggests that ‘all developed countries clarify their plans on mid term emissions reductions and show the necessary leadership, not least because of our responsibilities for past emissions.’

The present goal is an 80% reduction of carbon emissions by 2050. To achieve these, developed countries should limit such emissions of 20-40% on a collective basis by 2020. He assures us that E.U is willing to go from 20 to 30% if other countries make similar efforts. At the same time the developed countries ‘have to pay a significant part in helping to finance mitigation and adaptation action by developing countries.’ He goes on to state that the biggest share of this help ‘should come from the carbon market, if we have the courage to set up an ambitious global scheme.’

He is of the opinion that the advanced developed countries should finance part of these themselves. These countries should put forward their proposals as to how far they will go in mitigating carbon emissions. Senor Barroso is aware that these countries have already taken measures to limit the growth of their carbon emissions but these are not enough and ‘there is a need to step up such efforts, especially by the ‘most advanced developing countries.’

He considers ‘Copenhagen is a critical occasion to shift, collectively onto an emissions trajectory that keeps global warming below 2 degrees C.’ He concludes with the remark that ‘the fight back’ should begin at the G8 summit in New York.

Kw’s:

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge

Monday, September 14, 2009

Leave The Indian Elephants Alone You Japanese!

In a previous post EE took exception to the Chinese practice of using parts of a tiger’s anatomy to produce medication according to ancient Chinese medicine. And to satisfy this despicable demand of a lousy, despicable medical system, the poor tigers of India have to pay the price. Hundreds of tigers are being slaughtered by poachers in India attracted by the high prices that tiger flesh brings. They seem to believe that their puny cocks will have better erection if a macho animal like a tiger’s innards are consumed. This is just a symbolic thing that belongs more to the realm of literature than to any system of medicine. When medications like Viagra and Cialis are freely available in the open market, what need is there for an unproved ancient medicine system? Let the poor Indian tiger be, the Chinese cannot borrow a tiger’s penis to use it as their own. Chase good goals, not chimeras brother Chinese.

The Chinese are not the only culprits that encourages poaching in India. A neighboring country is also involved shamelessly in the same. It is a country who takes great pride in its unique culture but is very hypocritical in a few ways. They wantonly slaughter the majestic whales in the name of ‘research’. They really kill them to stuff their bellies with whale flesh. EE has commented on this in a previous post.

Now I hear that the Japanese are guilty of a similar thing. No less an authority than the famed Discovery Channel reports that a lot of Indian ivory is being imported into Japan through another ‘Chinese’ country, Taiwan. Now Taiwan is pimping for Japan to get ivory. And what is the result? Hundreds of poor elephants are poached and mercilessly ‘murdered’ so that ivory carvings can add beauty to the interiors of the filthy Japanese who use it. Environmentally, Japan is guilty in many ways.

So Japan and China! I am an Indian. I love our tigers and our elephants. Please bring this cruel and hateful practice to an end. Elephants and tigers are an inalienable part of the Mother Earth. To me as an Indian, an environmentalist and a lover of all creation, the life of one tiger or elephant is equal to the lives of a million Japanese or Chinese.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Hats Off to Mr.Ban Ki-moon

U.N.Secretary Generals come and go and soon forgotten. But the present Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is an exception. He will remain in the annals of history for a long time to come for he is the most environmentally conscious public figure ever.
In all international forums, his bold voice is heard protesting against the evils done to the MOTHER EARTH and exhorting the myopic world leaders to scale down any activity that directly or indirectly promote a worsening of the environmental situation. His words at the last session of the World Climate Conference are prophetic for its apocalyptic emphasis. And there is extreme irony in the metaphor he used to express it.
‘OUR FOOT IS STUCK ON THE ACCELATOR AND WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS AN ABYSS,’ Who pollutes the environment more than the guy sitting behind the steering wheel of a motor vehicle powered by the despicable internal combustion engine – oh, I know he has no choice.

Recently he visited Svalbard, an island situated in Norway. He watched in grief the death of another glacier, collapsed as a result of the personal greed of a group of industrialists and their colluding henchmen occupying the Olympian heights of politics.

The distant scenarios that the scientists have been predicting are happening now according to this wise and concerned international diplomat. He made a dig at those who claimed that there is no climatic change or if there is, it is necessary for economic growth. He said those who called scientists scaremongers are the real scaremongers for they are taking the whole world with all the people in it towards ultimate destruction, a veritable end of the world as prophesied in all religions.

This modern day great has made extensive visits around the world to the current ecological hot spots. He watched anxiously as the desert ate into Chad, the diminishing of the Amazonian forests in Brazil and the disappearance of the layers of ice in the Poles.
He warned, “change is altering the geopolitical landscape” itself. A whopping 130 million people will be affected. And the worst sufferers will be the poorest countries that have done no harm. The have to pay the price for the avariciousness of certain industrialists and the politicians kowtowing to them in the name of progress.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT ARE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE AND NOT TO MAKE HOMO SAPIENS ANOTHER EXTINCT SPECIE.

Hats off to the greatest modern-day-individual BAN KI-MOON.

Friday, August 21, 2009

PROGRESS: NOT FOR PROGRESS’ SAKE BUT FOR PEOPLE’S SAKE.

We have heard of the saying ‘art for art’s sake.’ If you are not interested in art it doesn’t mean anything. But when you say development is for development’s sake, there is something wrong with the system that makes the statement.

Theoretically all development is for the benefit of the people in general. But if the very same development is harmful to the people how can we justify it? And if this happens in an extensive scale who is loser: the ordinary man without means, without influence.
Now the saying ‘development for development’s sake’ is getting to be true after all and none denies it.

The great M.K.Gandhi once said,
“There is enough for everybody’s need
And not for everybody’s greed.”

Precisely the latter is happening all over the world. But we can understand this greed that drives the industrialists and the colluding politicians to line their pockets at the expense of the Environment that sustains us and health of the ordinary hobo. Any capitalist economy is full of such things. But what about a Marxian economy? There nothing is done for personal greed but everything is done for the well being of the people. At least that is what we think?

Then what the devil is happening in China? Everything is centralized and all power is vested in the hands of a few. And they can work miracles IF they set their hands to it. But do they?

All manufacturing units in China are state-owned and there is just no room for personal greed. But in Shaanxi province, many villagers are tormented by the noxious fumes spewed out by a lead smelting plant. No less than 600 tiny tots are suffering the ill effects of lead poisoning. To worsen the scenario water and soil content of the region is mortally high.

It was not long ago in this very same socialistic country hundreds of thousands of kids suffered the ill effects of consuming milk powder containing melamine, a highly toxic industrial chemical. Mindless executives of the Sanlu, kept on doing this even after they knew that the evil chemical was a constituent of the milk powder. And innocent little children were made to suffer for consuming this devilish brew.
Citizens and groups are up against this villainy, but only after thousands of the little were made to pay for the price of this criminal outrage.

OH! GOVERNMENT OF CHINA WAKE UP TO THE SITUATION. PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT ARE FOR THE GOOD OF PEOPLE.