tagged w/ India
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The 11th auto expo-2012 happening in New Delhi is being used as a platform by the companies to introduce new bikes and cars to the market. Harley Davidson India has introduced two new bikes, FXDB Street Bob and FXDS Super Glide Custom. Joining the club, Maruti Suziki has introduced its concept car X4 alpha in the auto expo. This particular car is opened up a new section called MINI SUV( whose price falls under below 10lakhs) The compact SUV is based on the concept of wrestling, integrated in Indian history.
http://hoowstuffworks.blogspot.com/2012/01/cars-and-bikes-in-new-delhi-auto-expo.htmlThe 11th auto expo-2012 happening in New Delhi is being used as a platform by the... more
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If true this is nuts.... the fact he has gone 108 hours in the hospital w/o food or water is pretty impressive. Survival books state that it is near impossible to go 3 days w/o water and/or 3 weeks w/o food without causing major organ damage.
"A team of doctors in western India is carrying out a study on a hermit who claims to have survived without food and water for 70 years.
The holy man claims that he derives energy through meditation. Sanjoy Majumder reports from Delhi."
for the video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8652837.stmIf true this is nuts.... the fact he has gone 108 hours in the hospital w/o food or... more
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Thoughtsinreality is a web development company offering competitive offshore web development services such as:E-commerce Development,Shopping Cart Development,Web Application Development,Web Portal Development,Social Networking Application,CMS Development,Open Source Development,DotNet Development.Thoughtsinreality is a web development company offering competitive offshore web... more
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No matter what you dress up, until you put on the drops of your favorite perfume, your dressing is incomplete. Perfumes, besides covering the body odor, have its own characteristic appeal, which are unique on its own. The sport perfumes set your adrenaline rush, while the classy and sensual ones ignite your passion. Its the perfume way to speak the language of your inner side you wish to speak up to your lady love is what RightPerfumes.in is aiming at. A trip to www.rightperfumes.in/item.asp?cid=&oid=11&i=Perfumes-Women-Perfume-Ladies is actually your pass to the paradise of fragrances you wish to gift her. Your perfumes are responsible to determine how you carry yourself. Just the way your dressing style determines how you portray yourself; your choice of perfumes contributes to your personality as well. And RightPerfumes.in brings you the cool perfume collections from every possible corner of variety. Whether you are a party animal, or a sport freak, or simply wish to have the perfume collection endorsed by none other than your favorite star, or a fashion guru among your pals, we have all the ranges of perfumes to suit your personality. RightPerfumes.in offers you not just the perfumes in accordance with your lifestyle, but also perfumes varying as per the constituents. From the naturally occurring fruity or floral fragrances to the artificially manufactured chemical fragrances, there go 360-degree ranges of perfume collections to give the final touch to your presence. Perfumes starting from Adidas to Azzaro, Banana Republic to Boucheron, from Channel to Esprit International, all are right here at www.rightperfumes.in/item.asp?cid=&oid=11&i=Perfumes-Women-Perfume-Ladies to add the fragrance touch to the fashionable presence she flaunts before you. Making this perfume shopping easy and smooth is what that RightPerfumes.in always aim for, and the discount range that you’ll be getting here is really the one that will make your shopping the real economically boosting one.No matter what you dress up, until you put on the drops of your favorite perfume, your... more
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Passers-by rescue children after icy river crash
Child sacrificed, liver offered to gods: Indian police
Iran test-fires long-range missiles in Gulf drillPassers-by rescue children after icy river crash
Child sacrificed, liver offered to... more
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Software Development Company in India:Swarnim Infosoft offers offshore outsoucing software applicaton or web development services in seo(search engine optimization),web promotion,website design,Java,.Net,Php,Android,custom application software development,product software development and IT services in noida,Delhi/NCR,India. http://www.swinfosoft.comSoftware Development Company in India:Swarnim Infosoft offers offshore outsoucing... more
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Mumbai-based designer Aartivijay Gupta featured a collection in pristine white. The theme was about a fairy tale with angels and imaginative spirit, who came alive through the collection. Aartivijay Gupta showed asymmetric tops paired with sequin skirts. ThereMumbai-based designer Aartivijay Gupta featured a collection in pristine white. The... more
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http://gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/13556-how-monsanto-tried-to-con-pakistan
NOTE: This is a big story in Pakistan and seems to reflect increasing scepticism in the media about the value of Bt cotton.
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Is Pakistan on the right path on Bt cotton?
Naufil Shahrukh
Weekly Pulse, December 16 2011
http://www.weeklypulse.org/details.aspx?contentID=1603&storylist=2
Cotton remains the second most significant crop in Pakistan after wheat and is the main foreign exchange earning cash crop for us. Our textile industry requires around 2-3 million bales annually to meet its production demands so we import it from India and other places as per requirements. To meet the deficit, the policy makers thought it is imperative that we increase the cotton crop yield and save foreign exchange. Currently we produce on an average between 12-14 million bales. Genetically modified or Bt Cotton was proposed as an option to explore.
A small U.S based, hi-tech or GM Seed and traits company (Monsanto) initially offered Bollgard-1 (BG-1) technology to Pakistan. It later turned out that the company’s patent for this purpose had expired and it was forced to accept this. In a letter written to the Punjab government, its (Monsanto's) Country Head acknowledged this fact. Prior to this, the government was ready to sign an agreement with Monsanto which would have resulted in payment of 'technology fees' to Monsanto worth billions of rupees! Once this information became public knowledge as a result of this letter, the Punjab government rightly called off negotiations in 2008 and ultimately did not sign the proposed agreement on 'BG-1 technology'. This saved the national and provincial exchequer significant money and adopting an outdated technology. Interestingly, Bollgard-1 cotton seeds were being grown in Pakistan since 2004-5 and seemed the bureaucrats negotiating with the US company were unaware of this.
In 2008, the same company came up with a new proposal that it will bring the upgraded Bollgard-2 cotton seed technology. The genetic modification in a cotton seed is that Bollgard-1 seed has a Cry-1AC gene introgressed in addition to its natural genetic make-up and it is effective against Pink, Spotted and American Bollworms or 'Sundee'. The toxin from this gene, tears apart the guts of the Bollworms. Bollgard-2 seed has a gene Cry-2AB in addition to Cry-1AC and is effective against Army Bollworms or 'Sundee' in addition to the previous three. So basically, the bollgard-2 is a minor up gradation to the original Bollgard-1 seed technology.
The company proposed that since Pakistan has weak 'Intellectual Property Rights' or IPRs therefore, it needed Government protection or 'Back-stop' to succeed in Pakistan as 'unscrupulous' elements could copy or replicate its Bollgard-2 technology. It signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the then Federal Ministry of Food & Agriculture in April, 2010 which envisaged that provincial governments of the Punjab and possibly Sindh should sign agreements with the company. In brief, the company would sell the Bollgard-2 seeds in the market however, in case people copied or replicated the technology or grew 'saved' seeds, a third party will be engaged which will conduct a survey to see how much seed was sold by the company in the market and the remaining quantity would be classified as 'unpaid' seed. The company indulges in similar practices in the US and Canada where it has sued scores of farmers for ‘saved seeds’.
Government was then to pay the company an amount of 21 U.S dollars per acre for the 'unpaid' acres as ‘compensation for losses’, royalty and ‘backstop’ agreements. Practically, it could mean that in Punjab, if such a survey 'proved' that 4 million acre worth of seed was sold by Monsanto and 2 million was 'unauthorized' or obtained/grown through other channels, Monsanto would be paid 21 U.S dollars per acre for those two million acres! This would mean a sum of US dollars 42000000/- will be paid to the company by the government every year. Nowhere in the world does such 'government backstop' guarantees or arrangement exists.
At this point in time in fact, even mandatory regulatory field trials were not complete when the MOU was signed in April, 2010. So there was no way to know, whether this technology would increase cotton yield in Pakistan or not! But some elements within Punjab bureaucracy, continuously tried to get the agreement signed for this technology between Monsanto and the Punjab Government.
In November, 2010, bureaucracy almost managed to get the Monsanto proposal approved by the Punjab Government. However, the Chief Minister Punjab came to know about the relevant issues and stepped in to prevent a hasty decision. It was learnt that Bollgard-1 and 2 technology is completely ineffective against Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV), White Fly and Mealy Bugs. These pests are the main reason why Pakistan Cotton crop loses 2-3 million bales every year. Thus, while the company would have been selling the seeds and making money through Government ‘compensation’ and sovereign guarantees every year, the real problems were still there and the ‘latest technology’ would have cost the Punjab government between 30-70 million U.S dollars every year with no guarantees of yield increase. The regulatory trials by this company in 2010, proved its technology was ineffective against the main pests (CLCuV etc) in Pakistan.
More at the link
http://c1eatdrinkbettercom.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2010/07/Monsanto-BT-Cotton.jpghttp://gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/13556-how-monsanto-tried-to-con-pakistan... more
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Thousands of demonstrators have marched through the South African city of Durban demanding faster action on climate change.
The annual UN climate summit is being held at the city's convention centre.
Protesters were particularly angered by the stance of rich countries such as the US and Canada.
In London. former UK Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott said the approach of these nations was "appalling".
Halfway through this summit, some progress has been made, but a few countries including the US, Canada and Saudi Arabia are holding out on important issues such as the future of the Kyoto Protocol.
Fourteen years ago, Lord Prescott played a leading role in the UN summit in Kyoto that brought the protocol into existence.
Speaking to the BBC, he was scathing about nations trying to delay progress now.
"Let's have a reassessment of it by 2015." he said. "But if you don't finish in time for the ending of Kyoto Two, which is next year, 2012, then, you know, it will actually wither on the vine and that's what Canada and America wants - and one or two other rich countries.
"It's a conspiracy against the poor. It's appalling. I'm ashamed of such countries not recognising their responsibilities."
The European Union wants talks on a new global agreement covering all nations to start as soon as possible.
It is backed by most of the world's poorest countries and small island states vulnerable to rising sea levels.
But even if resistance from the US and others can be overcome, it is hard to envisage anything being agreed that can start to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions before 2020.
And that is the timeframe science suggests is necessary if the most dangerous climate impacts are to be avoided.Thousands of demonstrators have marched through the South African city of Durban... more
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Why this kolaveri di! is now the trending video on YouTube. If you haven't heard the song. The song is from a Tamil movie named Three, directed by Aishwariya(rajinikanth daughter) and lead role is played by Dhanush(Aishwari's husband). Dhanush has penned down the lyrics of this song. Anirudh, young music director lent music for Three.
http://hoowstuffworks.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-this-kolaveri-di-is-most-searched.htmlWhy this kolaveri di! is now the trending video on YouTube. If you haven't heard... more
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Sister Valsa John wanted to go home. Living in self-imposed exile hundreds of kilometres away, she pined for the hut in an aboriginal village where she had built a life. She talked about the people she loved there, and the quiet of the nights. Then she added, in a voice both wistful and matter-of-fact: “If I go home, most probably they will kill me.”
They did kill her. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a mob of 25 or 30 men carrying spears, clubs and axes burst into her house in Pachuwara, a remote village in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. They beat and hacked her to death, a week after she went home.
The “they” Sister Valsa feared were “goons” hired by the mining companies she had helped the community of Pachuwara fight. The “coal mafia” told her on more than one occasion to get out of Pachuwara or they would kill her. She had repeatedly appealed to police for protection after threats on her life.
Sister Valsa, 52, was from Kerala in south India, and 24 years ago took her vows as a member of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary. She was one of the remarkable breed of Indian religious figures who are grassroots social activists, who immerse themselves in the most marginalized and impoverished communities and work on literacy, basic health care and human rights. Sister Valsa said she did Jesus’s work by teaching the aboriginal people – known in India as adivasi or “tribals” – about their rights to their land.
The Santhal community with whom she lived for nearly two decades were pushed off their land seven years ago by a private coal company. It was a familiar story here. Across the tribal heartland of India there are hundreds of these battles being waged, between communities with little education and even fewer resources, and huge mining and industrial corporations whose investments are eagerly sought by India’s state and central governments for the jobs they create, the taxes they pay – and the opportunities for graft they offer.
Sister Valsa helped organize the Santhal to demand compensation for their land; she was arrested at a protest in 2007. The company, Panem Coal Ltd., was eventually forced into a compensation agreement, and began to dig an open-cast coal mine, but didn’t meet all the terms of the deal. So when it moved to expand on to new Santhal land this year, Sister Valsa and her Santhal supporters dug in to stop them – and that is when the threats turned really ugly.
This past summer, Sister Valsa reluctantly left Pachuwara and took refuge with a friend, a fellow activist nun, at a school for low-caste girls in Bihar where I have been spending time on a project for the Globe. She fit easily into life there, gently shepherding the girls through their day, but she spent hours talking to me about “my people” and the war for land and resources going on in the tribal belt.
A few of these stories have attracted considerable attention, in India and beyond its borders, such as efforts by Vedanta Resources to build a bauxite mine on a mountain considered a god by the Dongri tribal people in the state of Orissa. But most of these fights go on, as Sister Valsa’s did, almost entirely unremarked.
snip
Inspector R. K. Mallick, the senior police official in the region, told The Globe and Mail it was too soon to discuss the investigation, but that police would soon have “the clear picture.” No arrests had yet been made. He would not entertain the question of whether police could have done more to protect Sister Valsa while she was alive. Three years ago, she filed a formal notice with police about the death threats.
Sister Sudha, who attended the funeral Thursday, said most who knew Sister Valsa believe it was people from the Santhal community, in the pay of the mining company, who killed her. “This is what the companies do: they divide people. When people are this poor, when someone gives them a little money, they can do anything,” she said. “Valsa knew it, and so many times we asked her to leave. But she said, ‘These are my people and I cannot leave them.’ ”
More at the linkSister Valsa John wanted to go home. Living in self-imposed exile hundreds of... more
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In the second part of a special report, Nina Lakhani exposes how survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster became unwitting guinea pigs in studies funded by Western drug companies.
Secret reports seen by The Independent reveal that drug trials funded by western pharmaceutical firms at the Indian hospital set up for survivors of the Bhopal disaster violated international ethical standards and could have put patients at risk.
Some 14 patients died during the three trials examined by the reports. In one trial, for an antibiotic, five out of seven patients died during the trial or soon after it finished. While there is no suggestion that every death merits compensation, critics say there has been no adequate investigation into whether compensation was appropriate in any of the cases. None has ever been paid.
At least eight other trials were carried out on hundreds of Bhopal gas victims. The Independent has evidence of patients who were unaware that they were taking part in a trial at all. The conduct of the trials has exposed the hospital to furious criticism from activists who say that survivors have been used as guinea pigs without proper informed consent.
full story at link...
the eugenics never ends with these New World Order scumIn the second part of a special report, Nina Lakhani exposes how survivors of the 1984... more
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Indian cinema is becoming more popular around the world. For those that haven't yet experienced its unique charm, here are ten must-see Indian films from the 2000s.Indian cinema is becoming more popular around the world. For those that haven't... more
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Welcome to Dharavi where residents are reaching for the sky. They want Dharavi to surpass London as a great city. Unlike the poverty tourism and accolades awarded to communitarian slum living by the likes of Prince Charles and Kevin McCloud, Dharavi residents think big. Sadhvi Sharma takes us through the streets and introduces us to aspirant families for whom Dharavi is a place of transition. The least we can do, she argues, is support their aspirations.Welcome to Dharavi where residents are reaching for the sky. They want Dharavi to... more
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