Wednesday, December 29, 2004
DONATIONS FOR TSUNAMI VICTIMS
(See update on Sri Ramakrishna Math's relief efforts for tsunami (which also includes an online facility) and an online facility for donations thru Seva Bharati).
There are several ways you can donate to tsunami victims. You can donate to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the Chief Ministers' Relief Fund, but the problem is that like all Government schemes, they leak like a sieve, and what reaches the victim is what is left.
There are other organisations where your money takes a shorter route to the victims. Some are Seva Bharathi, Mata Amritanandamayi Mutt and Land For Tillers Freedom. The addresses are below.
Newspapers like The Hindu, The New Indian Express and The Times of India collect donations, but they also end up with the two funds. But, as the Bhagawad Gita says, do your duty. Don't think about the result.
One advantage with The Hindu and The New Indian Express is that you can donate online.
I have come to know now that Sevabharathi too has an online payment facility.
One more site which accepts donations online is the relief Web site of the International Society for Krishna Conciousness (ISKCON), the link for which has been given below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seva Bharati
Cheques, demand drafts and money orders may be sent to:
'Sevabharthi Tamilnadu-Earthquake Relief A/c'
and may be mailed to:
Sevabharthi.
C/o. Sakthi,
No.1, M.V. Street,
Chetput,
Chennai - 600 031
or
Sevabharati
C/o. Sadhana, Cholarajapuram Salai,
Opp: Housing Unit Y Block,
Uraiyur,
Tiruchi - 620 003.
Cheques and DDs can also be drawn in favour of:
Jana Samkshem Samiti, Vijayawada
SB A/C no. 13455
Indian Overseas bank,
Governorpeta branch,
Vijayawada
Postal Address:
Jana Samkshem Samiti,
Madhava sadan, Kaleshwara rao road,
Vijayawada- 520002
Ph: 0866 2435199
Mob: 9849048859
Donors may also contact Shri. Bakthavatsalam at 044 - 28361049 and 9444160649 (Chennai).
Seva Bharati's online payment facility is at:
http://www.sevabharathi.org/tsunami.htm
All contributions are exempted under Section 80G.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sri Ramakrishna Mission
Donations may be sent to
Ramakrishna Mission,
P.O. Belur Math,
Dt. Howrah,
West Bengal - 711 202
Those wishing to donate online can do so at:
http://sriramakrishnamath.org/news/tsunami.shtml?Action=Back
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ISKCON (Bhaktivedanta International Charities)(In US)
Donations may by sent by check made payable to "Bhaktivedanta International Charities" with the words 'Tamil Nadu Relief' in the memo field:
Bhaktivedanta International Charities
P.O.Box 34153Los Angeles, CA 90034
United States of America
You can also donate online through their Relief Website:
http://www.foodrelief.org
(In India)
If you live within India, you can deposit donations at any branch of HDFC Bank throughout India. Use the bank's deposit slip or envelope, and make the cheque/demand draft out to "Bhaktivedanta Ashram Trust". Include the account number on the deposit slip: Account No. 2361450000022. (Demand drafts can be made payable at your local city where you deposit the donation.) You may leave the donation (attached to the deposit slip) in the deposit drop box; there is no need for you to wait in the queue.
If there is no branch of HDFC Bank in your city, you can send the donation to the trust by post. Please send it by Registered Post to the following address (if sending a DD, please make it payable at Cuttack, Orissa):
Bhaktivedanta Ashram,
At - Kuansh,
P.O. - Bhadrak,
District - Bhadrak
Pin - 756 100
Orissa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hindu
A relief fund has specially been set up to receive contributions, which may be sent as cheques or drafts payable to
"The Hindu Relief Fund"
Kasturi Buildings
859 Anna Salai
Chennai 600 002
INDIA
You can also donate online at:
http://pay.hindu.com/thrfpay/thrfpay.jsp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New Indian Express
Send cash or cheque to any office of the New Indian Express or Dinamani or Kannada Prabha in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh or Orissa. Cheques should be drawn in favour of 'Coastal Calamity Fund'.
Contributions can also be made online at:
http://www.newindpress.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Times of India
Cheques may be sent to 'Times Foundation' at either Delhi
(Times House, 7, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, New Delhi - 110002)
or Mumbai
(Times of India, Dr D N Road, Mumbai - 400001).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOS Children's Villages of India
You can send demand drafts, cheques in favour of
'SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES OF INDIA'
and money orders to
SOS Children's Villages of India, A-7, Nizamuddin West, New Delhi - 1100013. Phone: 011 24359450.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Organisations:
Indian Red Cross Society:
Cash/kind
Chennai: 044- 28554548/ 4425/4117/28586997
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mata Amritanandamayi Math:
Rice, clothes, medicine and money
Chennai: 044-23764063/582, 22425736, 55175186
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indian Council for Child Welfare, Tamil Nadu
Chennai: 044 26260097, 26282833
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land For Tillers Freedom
LAFTI, Vinoba Ashram, Kuthur - 611105, Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu
Phone: 04366-275443, 275540
email: laftitngsm@yahoo.co.in
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahavir International
Contact Mr Raj. Phone: 9444274363
Board nos: 044-26660800, 266615600, 52158880
Monday, December 27, 2004
The tsunami, and a lesson for us
This is a big posting. Please read it. I feel it's worth your time.
As Asia recovers from the tsunami (why are some spellings so complicated? Why not just sunami?), I think, it's time for some contemplation.
I feel, this is just a trailer. The coastal areas of almost all countries are set to experience something thousand times worse in some 20 years.
Of course, it is not tsunami. Several coastal communities, including several countries, will be totally submerged because of the melting ice caps.
Twenty years is not a long time. In fact, if you are living in a coastal city, and if your house is in the vicinity of the coast, better start planning now.
Geoffrey Lean's report in The Independent says a report, by a German government body warns that "measures to fight global warming will have to be at least four times stronger than the Kyoto Protocol if they are to avoid the melting of the polar ice caps, inundating central London and many of the world's biggest cities."
The report says that even if it is fully implemented, the protocol will only have a "marginal attenuating effect" on the climate change.
Lean says the report concludes that the protocol must urgently be brought into force, but only as a first step, insisting that "catastrophic" climate change "can now only be prevented if climate protection targets are set at substantially higher levels than those agreed internationally until now".
Lean continues, "The report, written by eight leading German professors, says that "dangerous climatic changes" will become "highly probable" if the world's average temperature is allowed to increase to more than 2 degrees centigrade above what it was before the start of the Industrial Revolution.
"Beyond that level the West Antarctic ice sheet and the Greenland ice cap would begin gradually to melt away, eventually raising sea levels world wide by up to 30 feet, submerging vast areas of land and key cities worldwide. London, New York, Miami, Bombay, Calcutta, Sydney, Shanghai, Lagos and Tokyo would be among those largely submerged by such a rise."
May be we can add cities such as Chennai and countries such as Sri Lanka to this list.
"Above this mark too, other "devastating" and "irreversible" changes would be likely to take place. These include a cessation of the Indian monsoon and the ending of the Gulf Stream, which would dramatically worsen the climate in Britain and western Europe, even as the world warms. Another risk is the so-called "runaway greenhouse" where rising temperatures lead to the release of huge reservoirs methane stored in permafrost and the oceans, adding to global warming and starting a self-reinforcing cycle that would eventually make the earth uninhabitable."
"To avoid such catastrophe, the report says that industrialized countries will have to cut emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide by at least 20 per cent by 2020, and by up to 60 per cent by 2050. The Kyoto Protocol would at best cut them by 5 per cent by 2012, and probably less, even if it were brought into force and fully implemented.
In the meantime the world looks as if it will greatly exceed the targets. Writing in The Independent on Sunday today, Michael Meacher, the former environment minister, calculates that global emissions of greenhouse gases could increase by 75 per cent by 2020, "putting the world well on the way to doomsday"."
Not only the coastal cities, even the little towns and villages on the banks of villages will be wiped out. The Siachen Glacier has started melting faster. And after it melts fully, there won't be any water left. Add to it the "cessation" of the monsoon, the devastation will be complete.
Its time to dump Kyoto and other useless "protocols" which only helps countries blame each other and totally stop all activities contributing to global warming. There is no other way.
Says a report in ecobridge.org: "A glacier from which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay set out to conquer Mount Everest nearly 50 years ago has retreated three miles up the mountain due to global warming. The head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Tashi Jangbu Sherpa, says " that Hillary and Tenzing would now have to walk two hours to find the edge of the glacier which was close to their original base camp."
Can we do something about this? Yes. Here's what ecobridge.com says. (This is mainly written for Western audience. A few points may not be applicable to India)
Use compact fluorescent bulbs in our homes, stores and offices. Fluorescent bulbs last 10,000 hours longer than incandescent bulbs, keeping more than half a ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere over the course of their lifetime.
When replacing home appliances, use energy efficient models. For example, replacing an old refrigerator using 320 watts with a new one using 85 watts could make a big difference. When buying appliances, look for the EPA/Department of Energy’s new Energy Star label.
Use cars and light trucks that get good gas mileage. In fact tell your friends that driving a sports utility vehicle adds to global warming and pollution. SUVs emit 43% more global-warming pollutants (28 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon) and 47% more air pollution than the average car. An SUV is 4 times as likely to rollover in an accident.
If car manufacturers were to increase their fleets' average gas mileage about 3 miles per gallon, this country could save a million barrels of oil every day, while US drivers would save $25 billion in fuel costs annually.
Choose a company that offers for homes electricity generated by renewable energy sources.
If possible, ask employer if your work could be done at home. Even if some of the work could be completed at your residence, this would help relieve traffic congestion, which adds to ordinary car emissions.
Help promote community carpooling.
Promote the construction of bike lanes, especially bike lanes that have an outside curb separating auto traffic and bikes. Establish numerous bike routes into center of city, limiting auto speed on these routes to 10 miles per hour, during commuting hours only. Companies could provide showering facilities, together with bike stands to encourage biking employees.
Place an insulating cover around water heater.
Insulate walls and ceilings, and lower heating bills.
When replacing windows, choose those that are the best energy saving models, such as double pane windows.
A car needs only about 2 minutes to warm up. Taking more time only wastes fuel and contributes to global warming.
Keep the door shut to any room that is not being used, saving the energy to heat that room.
Take public transit whenever possible.
As Asia recovers from the tsunami (why are some spellings so complicated? Why not just sunami?), I think, it's time for some contemplation.
I feel, this is just a trailer. The coastal areas of almost all countries are set to experience something thousand times worse in some 20 years.
Of course, it is not tsunami. Several coastal communities, including several countries, will be totally submerged because of the melting ice caps.
Twenty years is not a long time. In fact, if you are living in a coastal city, and if your house is in the vicinity of the coast, better start planning now.
Geoffrey Lean's report in The Independent says a report, by a German government body warns that "measures to fight global warming will have to be at least four times stronger than the Kyoto Protocol if they are to avoid the melting of the polar ice caps, inundating central London and many of the world's biggest cities."
The report says that even if it is fully implemented, the protocol will only have a "marginal attenuating effect" on the climate change.
Lean says the report concludes that the protocol must urgently be brought into force, but only as a first step, insisting that "catastrophic" climate change "can now only be prevented if climate protection targets are set at substantially higher levels than those agreed internationally until now".
Lean continues, "The report, written by eight leading German professors, says that "dangerous climatic changes" will become "highly probable" if the world's average temperature is allowed to increase to more than 2 degrees centigrade above what it was before the start of the Industrial Revolution.
"Beyond that level the West Antarctic ice sheet and the Greenland ice cap would begin gradually to melt away, eventually raising sea levels world wide by up to 30 feet, submerging vast areas of land and key cities worldwide. London, New York, Miami, Bombay, Calcutta, Sydney, Shanghai, Lagos and Tokyo would be among those largely submerged by such a rise."
May be we can add cities such as Chennai and countries such as Sri Lanka to this list.
"Above this mark too, other "devastating" and "irreversible" changes would be likely to take place. These include a cessation of the Indian monsoon and the ending of the Gulf Stream, which would dramatically worsen the climate in Britain and western Europe, even as the world warms. Another risk is the so-called "runaway greenhouse" where rising temperatures lead to the release of huge reservoirs methane stored in permafrost and the oceans, adding to global warming and starting a self-reinforcing cycle that would eventually make the earth uninhabitable."
"To avoid such catastrophe, the report says that industrialized countries will have to cut emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide by at least 20 per cent by 2020, and by up to 60 per cent by 2050. The Kyoto Protocol would at best cut them by 5 per cent by 2012, and probably less, even if it were brought into force and fully implemented.
In the meantime the world looks as if it will greatly exceed the targets. Writing in The Independent on Sunday today, Michael Meacher, the former environment minister, calculates that global emissions of greenhouse gases could increase by 75 per cent by 2020, "putting the world well on the way to doomsday"."
Not only the coastal cities, even the little towns and villages on the banks of villages will be wiped out. The Siachen Glacier has started melting faster. And after it melts fully, there won't be any water left. Add to it the "cessation" of the monsoon, the devastation will be complete.
Its time to dump Kyoto and other useless "protocols" which only helps countries blame each other and totally stop all activities contributing to global warming. There is no other way.
Says a report in ecobridge.org: "A glacier from which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay set out to conquer Mount Everest nearly 50 years ago has retreated three miles up the mountain due to global warming. The head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Tashi Jangbu Sherpa, says " that Hillary and Tenzing would now have to walk two hours to find the edge of the glacier which was close to their original base camp."
Can we do something about this? Yes. Here's what ecobridge.com says. (This is mainly written for Western audience. A few points may not be applicable to India)
Use compact fluorescent bulbs in our homes, stores and offices. Fluorescent bulbs last 10,000 hours longer than incandescent bulbs, keeping more than half a ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere over the course of their lifetime.
When replacing home appliances, use energy efficient models. For example, replacing an old refrigerator using 320 watts with a new one using 85 watts could make a big difference. When buying appliances, look for the EPA/Department of Energy’s new Energy Star label.
Use cars and light trucks that get good gas mileage. In fact tell your friends that driving a sports utility vehicle adds to global warming and pollution. SUVs emit 43% more global-warming pollutants (28 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon) and 47% more air pollution than the average car. An SUV is 4 times as likely to rollover in an accident.
If car manufacturers were to increase their fleets' average gas mileage about 3 miles per gallon, this country could save a million barrels of oil every day, while US drivers would save $25 billion in fuel costs annually.
Choose a company that offers for homes electricity generated by renewable energy sources.
If possible, ask employer if your work could be done at home. Even if some of the work could be completed at your residence, this would help relieve traffic congestion, which adds to ordinary car emissions.
Help promote community carpooling.
Promote the construction of bike lanes, especially bike lanes that have an outside curb separating auto traffic and bikes. Establish numerous bike routes into center of city, limiting auto speed on these routes to 10 miles per hour, during commuting hours only. Companies could provide showering facilities, together with bike stands to encourage biking employees.
Place an insulating cover around water heater.
Insulate walls and ceilings, and lower heating bills.
When replacing windows, choose those that are the best energy saving models, such as double pane windows.
A car needs only about 2 minutes to warm up. Taking more time only wastes fuel and contributes to global warming.
Keep the door shut to any room that is not being used, saving the energy to heat that room.
Take public transit whenever possible.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Swami Chidbhavananda
(I had put this in a separate blog. I am bringing this in this blog as I find it difficult to maintain separate blogs)
I studied for two years (higher secondary) in a school near Madurai run by Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam of Swami Chidbhavananda. I was forced to join the school after my mother's death. My father wanted to dump me in some 'residential' school (school with hostel facility) as there was no one to cook food at our home after my mother's death. The first few days were torrid. We had to get up at 5 am. And till we were allowed to sleep at 10 pm, we had no rest (except for 30 minutes in the evening after the classes). But gradually I got used to it. One day, we were informed that Swami Chidhbavandanda was coming to the school. (His headquarters is at Tirupparaithurai). I was not enthusiastic about his visit. I had seen a lot of swamijis who thought they were agents appointed by God to 'bless' moneyed people. Their speeches too went over my head (I had just finished 10th std). But Swami Chidbhavananda totally floored me. He moved freely among students. At an interaction, he called students, asked about their problems was least bothered about whether they were clean or not. He called a dirty looking boy, patted him on his back, and said, "I know you didnt take bath today. Why?" I was dumbstruck. He was the first Swami I had seen who didnt think twice before touching 'commoners'. The only persons scared about him were the management and the teachers. I saw it first hand during his next visit. At 6.30 am, we saw the Swami coming to the students' toilets and bathrooms. He entered each toilet and checked whether they were clean. He opened the pipes to check the water supply. After he came out of the third toilet, the management flunkeys said he could now check the bathrooms. He refused, walked ahead and checked more toilets. He now knew why the management guys wanted him to stop. Only the first few toilets had been cleaned. I dont know what happened. But I was surprised to see a religious head least bothered about entering students' toilets. We could also go and meet him whenever we were free. He had great vision about education. He didnt spend money on massive temples and ashrams. He spent them on education. I regard the two years I spent there as best in my life. Though I dont think I have lived according to his advice and teachings, I think I am fortunate to have seen and talked to a Swami like him.
I studied for two years (higher secondary) in a school near Madurai run by Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam of Swami Chidbhavananda. I was forced to join the school after my mother's death. My father wanted to dump me in some 'residential' school (school with hostel facility) as there was no one to cook food at our home after my mother's death. The first few days were torrid. We had to get up at 5 am. And till we were allowed to sleep at 10 pm, we had no rest (except for 30 minutes in the evening after the classes). But gradually I got used to it. One day, we were informed that Swami Chidhbavandanda was coming to the school. (His headquarters is at Tirupparaithurai). I was not enthusiastic about his visit. I had seen a lot of swamijis who thought they were agents appointed by God to 'bless' moneyed people. Their speeches too went over my head (I had just finished 10th std). But Swami Chidbhavananda totally floored me. He moved freely among students. At an interaction, he called students, asked about their problems was least bothered about whether they were clean or not. He called a dirty looking boy, patted him on his back, and said, "I know you didnt take bath today. Why?" I was dumbstruck. He was the first Swami I had seen who didnt think twice before touching 'commoners'. The only persons scared about him were the management and the teachers. I saw it first hand during his next visit. At 6.30 am, we saw the Swami coming to the students' toilets and bathrooms. He entered each toilet and checked whether they were clean. He opened the pipes to check the water supply. After he came out of the third toilet, the management flunkeys said he could now check the bathrooms. He refused, walked ahead and checked more toilets. He now knew why the management guys wanted him to stop. Only the first few toilets had been cleaned. I dont know what happened. But I was surprised to see a religious head least bothered about entering students' toilets. We could also go and meet him whenever we were free. He had great vision about education. He didnt spend money on massive temples and ashrams. He spent them on education. I regard the two years I spent there as best in my life. Though I dont think I have lived according to his advice and teachings, I think I am fortunate to have seen and talked to a Swami like him.
Monday, December 20, 2004
The MMS clip and Baazee.
It's time to put behind bars CEOs of all TV channels, Editors of all newspapers and magazines and heads of all news portals. That is, if we go by the Government's logic in arresting Avnish Bajaj, CEO of baazee.com.
What was his crime? Did he shoot the porn MMS? No. Did he have sex with the girl? No. Did he send MMS? No. Did he watch it? No. Then why was he arrested?
Because, the MMS clip was sold through Baazee.
The cops don't seem to have a clue how auction sites like baazee function. The deals are directly between the buyer and the seller. And Baazee is only a platform.
Now, how is Avnish responsible? The cops may say baazee should have filtered the content which are sold.
But how do you filter over 50,000 entries? The only way is to automate it. But unfortunately, our cops are so IT-savvy that it half the items on baazee (or any other site) would be chucked out if automatic filter is employed. If you have doubts, just search for 'saree' in google. You will get thousands of porn sites. Now what do you do? Arrest the CEO of google? Then our cops will have to arrest the CEOs of all search engine sites including Bill Gates.
Our cops dont seem to have a clue on how things are sold in baazee. First they said the MMS was sold through CDs. (There is an 'unbeatable' logic here. It its porn, it has to be CDs.) Then they found out it wasn't. Now they say the MMS was sold as email attachments, which seems to be true.
Baazee now belongs to ebay. So, they have arrested an ebay official. What a great advertisement for 'attracting' FDI!
What was his crime? Did he shoot the porn MMS? No. Did he have sex with the girl? No. Did he send MMS? No. Did he watch it? No. Then why was he arrested?
Because, the MMS clip was sold through Baazee.
The cops don't seem to have a clue how auction sites like baazee function. The deals are directly between the buyer and the seller. And Baazee is only a platform.
Now, how is Avnish responsible? The cops may say baazee should have filtered the content which are sold.
But how do you filter over 50,000 entries? The only way is to automate it. But unfortunately, our cops are so IT-savvy that it half the items on baazee (or any other site) would be chucked out if automatic filter is employed. If you have doubts, just search for 'saree' in google. You will get thousands of porn sites. Now what do you do? Arrest the CEO of google? Then our cops will have to arrest the CEOs of all search engine sites including Bill Gates.
Our cops dont seem to have a clue on how things are sold in baazee. First they said the MMS was sold through CDs. (There is an 'unbeatable' logic here. It its porn, it has to be CDs.) Then they found out it wasn't. Now they say the MMS was sold as email attachments, which seems to be true.
Baazee now belongs to ebay. So, they have arrested an ebay official. What a great advertisement for 'attracting' FDI!
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