Distinguished members, Greetings for peace,
Considering the need to prepare for the end of petro-modern times and assessments on peak oil , it is important to call for globalizing what I propose ecostrategic thinking ,communication, consumption, production, carbon neutral discussion and neighborhoods. We need to underline the importance of safeguarding the future of children through protecting ecologically safe and peaceful habitats sharing the surplus, donating for poor, protecting women and elderly and then getting rid of paranoid vision for co-developing a shared space and habitats for children of 40th century/ future generation. Millennial thinking requires looking beyond the petro-modern futures and envisage habitats that are ecologically safe and socially inclusive . A presentation on the new discipline called ecostrategics can be seen and transmitted for wider dissemination for learning about the art of convergent thinking, ecostrategic thinking at http://slideshare..net/mukhtaralam We need ecologically safe habitats with sustainable consumption and production. Movement such as transition US are calling for local food security as energy intensive transport based food would not be available in all the futures. With warmest regards Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam 58-C,DDA Flats, Ashok Vihar-III,Delhi-110052 Tel:9968345380 --- On Mon, 13/4/09, Manoj Kumar <[email protected]> wrote: From: Manoj Kumar <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Editorial on a HARMFUL 'Nano' To: [email protected] Date: Monday, 13 April, 2009, 9:01 PM I wouldn't call Nano a revolution. Invention of wheel was a revolution! Nano is surely good for those who were not able to afford a car. The revolution for a state like Bihar would new automobiles/locomotives which don't need costly roads/rails. On 4/12/09, sunil pal <[email protected]> wrote: > > Nice thought. Complaining is in our blood, and this is human blood I am > talking about, and not just Indian blood. Everyone has their right to talk > and that what democracy is all about. If TATA is big, then thats because it > has monopoly in India. We have seen TATA Teleservices and how they have > played with the Indian market for such a long time. They had controlled the > government and the price until there were new players in market like Bharti > Airtel. That was a revolution in Indian mobile market. All big corporations > are true business men, so I don't believe that whatever they do, they think > common about people first. > > NANO is good for India and for the world. But with every revolution, there > are strikes and agitations. If the revolution is strong enough to survive > the heat, its worth enough, that the test every revolution has to go > through. If every revolution is accepted easily, then thats not a > revolution. > > Comparing India with other country is also good, but you have to keen in > mind that we are not comparing apple to apple. It good to keep in mind what > developed and other developing countries are doing, and learn from their > mistakes, but implementing what they have implemented for their development > and process does not make sense for us. > > Thanks > Sunil Pal > > --- On Fri, 4/10/09, Ashish Kumar <[email protected]> wrote: > >> From: Ashish Kumar <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: Editorial on a HARMFUL 'Nano' >> To: [email protected] >> Date: Friday, April 10, 2009, 4:46 AM >> quiet critical of cars...but thats >> the epitaph of customization. Now >> we are complaining about customised cars...but just for a >> spllit >> second assume that there is no nano launch...and instead of >> nano half >> as much buses are on road even then we will complain, with >> the >> errorneous schedule and congestion, pollution and crowd in >> buses. Our >> very nature is to complain. >> >> Atleast now when the people can afford this little bit of >> luxury so >> everybody is complaining about the intangible things which >> they never >> care, now all of a sudden the infrastructure, parking, >> environment has >> become issue. >> >> Its antagonising that the author is comparing the bus taxes >> with cars >> taxes, its height of conservative socialism. Thats why >> socialism has >> failed in every country. But in India luckily, we switched >> to >> socialist reforms to mould the democratic structure with >> the changing >> times otherwise we would also have been perished like other >> socialist >> countries. But sadly though, after almost 18 years of >> reforms there >> are still some people who are finding it difficult to >> digest. >> >> To those people i would like to give a piece of my thought, >> that even >> in the most industrialised countries, like here in >> Luxemburg with a >> total population of only 5 lakh there are 10,000 public >> buses and more >> than twice as many cars with special discounts from >> government is what >> driving its economy even in the times of recession. Any >> country can >> become recession proof with its internal market growth and >> thats what >> TATA NANO as a car and TATA as a company is trying to >> achieve. Instead >> of being critical, lets appreciate it and lets make our >> india a super >> power once again, 'coz people in most of the parts of the >> world still >> see India with a sense of repugnant, except the English >> speaking >> coutries where our countrymen have achieved a lot to make >> us proud. >> But apart from these half a dozen english speaking coutries >> our >> country is still considered a shit hole,fuelled by films >> like SLUMDOG >> MILLIONAIRE. >> >> >> On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 3:58 PM, Dr.V.N. Sharma <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> > >> > >> > I am forwarding the Editorial of the latest Edition of >> Down To Earth. >> > Very interesting in all aspects of Nano the Lakhtakia >> Car and its >> > impact on short term and long term life on this planet >> and may be >> > other ones too. >> > >> > vns >> > >> > ============================= >> > >> > Down to Earth - Editorial: The right right >> > (By Sunita Narain) >> > ============================= >> > >> > The world’s cheapest car, the Nano, rolls out in >> India this week. >> > Manufacturer Tata Motors says it will change the way >> Indians drive, >> > for the inauguration places the personal car within >> the reach of >> > people who once could only dream of owning one. >> Indeed, the Nano has >> > been marketed as an ‘aspiration’- the right of >> every Indian to a car. >> > No quibble here. There is no question an affordable >> car is better than >> > an expensive one; or that a small car, being more fuel >> efficient, is >> > better than a big one. No question, too, that every >> citizen of India >> > has as much right to a car as every citizen of >> America, where vehicle >> > numbers are obscene: some 800 vehicles for 1,000 >> people (old and >> > young) against our measly 7 per 1,000 people (urban >> and rural). >> > >> > Let me roll out my concerns. The issue is not the >> Nano. The issue is >> > all cars and whether cars still are the future of the >> world economy. >> > Over years, in different continents, vehicle >> manufacturers invented >> > and re-invented this appliance for self-mobility, for >> different market >> > segments. In India, two-wheeler manufacturers can >> rightly claim that >> > over the 1980s they, too, provided technology >> innovation and >> > affordable mobility for vast numbers. They can also >> claim they were >> > the first to break the class barrier. Then, in the >> early 1990s, when >> > Sanjay Gandhi’s people’s car, the Maruti 800, hit >> the roads, gender >> > barriers also fell - this was a car women could drive >> and it gave new >> > freedoms. No question, therefore, of what Nano will >> bring to new >> > owners. >> > >> > But this launch comes at a time when the production of >> personal >> > vehicles itself is becoming old - economy. It is not >> surprising the >> > car industry has become the first big dinosaur of the >> 21st century. >> > Every country today is working to bail out its >> automobile industry. >> > The big four companies are still on the brink of >> closure. There is >> > huge over -capacity in the world of cars - sales are >> down and the >> > industry is bleeding. You might think it is a >> temporary phase: cars >> > will zoom again, as recession blues turn pink. But >> this is far from >> > the reality. >> > >> > The fact is cars could only make it big in the old >> economy because >> > they were highly subsidized, or incentivized through >> cheap bank loans. >> > If people could not afford the next car, the bank >> worked overtime to >> > make sure the loans kept rolling, even if that >> eventually broke the >> > bank’s back. But that is the past. The future, too, >> will not be too >> > different. The bank might recover, but the cost of the >> fuel to drive >> > the dream vehicle will not. Oil experts will tell you >> black gold >> > prices will rise again, when the world economy >> re-boots. >> > >> > Add to this what can only be called the mother of all >> subsidies - the >> > free-ride personal vehicles have got, in the world, to >> emit large >> > amounts of greenhouse gases and pump them into a >> common atmospheric >> > space. As the rights over this ecological commons will >> be determined, >> > as they must, carbon dioxide emissions from the cars >> of the rich will >> > have to be limited and taxed. This will cost. It will >> make driving >> > more expensive. >> > >> > The global automobile industry knows it is not our >> future. It is our >> > past. Unfortunately, this message has not yet come >> home. Unlike the >> > car-saturated West, we still have a large number of >> people who are >> > potential buyers. But the fact is in India, because of >> the even >> > greater price-sensitivity, personal vehicles are >> viable only if they >> > are subsidized to the brim. >> > >> > Take the Nano. My colleague Chandra Bhushan has >> calculated the >> > incentives rolled out by Narendra Modi’s Gujarat >> government amount to >> > a fat write-off - as much as Rs 50,000-60,000 per this >> Rs 1 lakh car. >> > In other words, its cost is so low only because the >> state has doled >> > out a largesse. Every past and present automobile has >> got this benefit >> > (more or less). We can afford a car because our >> government pays for >> > it. We can also afford it because we are not asked to >> pay the price of >> > its running - the tax on cars is lower than what buses >> pay in our >> > socialist country. We do not pay for its parking, a >> cost, which, if >> > added, would make us think twice before we bought or >> drove our new >> > dream vehicle, whatever the variant. >> > >> > As the Nano rolls out, think of how we subsidize the >> car and tax the >> > bus. Public buses pay taxes as commercial passenger >> vehicles, each >> > year and based on the number they carry. In many >> states, they pay over >> > 12 times more tax than cars. Think of the public >> transport bus service >> > in your city and ask how much of its revenues go in >> taxes: half, in >> > most cases. Think also that the same Tata company, >> that has managed to >> > roll out the car of our dreams in record time, does >> not possess the >> > capacity to build the buses cities need. >> > >> > Such an old-economy approach becomes completely >> perverse when one >> > considers that already today, and definitely tomorrow, >> the greater >> > proportion of people who are or will commute are using >> and will >> > continue to use public transport - a bus or a train. >> Today, as much as >> > half of rich Delhi takes a bus, and another one-third >> walk or cycle >> > because it is too poor to even take the bus. >> > >> > Think again about the car inequity in India - 7 per >> 1000 people. Can >> > the government write off the costs - Nano style - so >> that all can buy >> > the car? Can the government pay for our parking, our >> roads and our >> > fuel, so that all can drive the car? If not, then is >> this the right >> > right at all? >> > >> > The issue, then, is not the right to own a Nano. The >> issue is the >> > right to a slice of the public subsidy so that >> everybody has the right >> > to mobility. There is no other right. >> > >> > Read this editorial online: >> > http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=1 >> > To comment, write to [email protected] >> > -------------------------------------- >> > Also >> > Watch video to find out who wins in the race to emit >> more >> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7aHCCI45pA >> > -------------------------------------- >> > In -depth: Urban transport - Cities need mobility, not >> cars >> > http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/indepth/term/2005 >> > >> > -- >> > "Those who have the privilege to know, have the duty >> to act." Albert >> > Einstein >> > >> > Dr.V.N.Sharma >> > http://canvas.nowpos.com/vnsharma >> > >> > >> >> >> ------------------------------------ >> >> INVITATION: Proud to say I am Bihari no matter wherever you >> are... >> >> We want you to make your presence at Bihar's First Social >> Networking Group. http://bihar-network.ning.com/ This is a >> cool website that combined all facility at one place such as >> yahoogroup + blogspot + chat + orkut + photo + youtube. >> >> Established by team of BIHAR NETWORK with a virtual action >> approach to channel our growing online population at one >> platform. Be a part of it, that will keep you up to dating >> on Bihar and World Wide Bihari (wwb) community. No matter >> wherever you are now Come, join us here @ Bihar Network >> http://bihar-network.ning.com/ >> >> If you already joined us then invite your friend by >> clicking on INVITE tab. If you did not join us yet then >> kindly don't be late, just have a look on http://bihar-network.ning.com/ >> And, after having a look >> on it we are sure you won't stop yourself to join it. >> >> >> Jai Bihar!! >> >> Virtually Yours, >> Bihar Network Team >> http://bihar-network.ning.com/profile/BiharNetwork >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> >> mailto:[email protected] >> >> >> > -- Manoj ------------------------------------ INVITATION: Proud to say I am Bihari no matter wherever you are... We want you to make your presence at Bihar's First Social Networking Group. http://bihar-network.ning.com/ This is a cool website that combined all facility at one place such as yahoogroup + blogspot + chat + orkut + photo + youtube. Established by team of BIHAR NETWORK with a virtual action approach to channel our growing online population at one platform. Be a part of it, that will keep you up to dating on Bihar and World Wide Bihari (wwb) community. No matter wherever you are now Come, join us here @ Bihar Network http://bihar-network.ning.com/ If you already joined us then invite your friend by clicking on INVITE tab. If you did not join us yet then kindly don't be late, just have a look on http://bihar-network.ning.com/ And, after having a look on it we are sure you won't stop yourself to join it. Jai Bihar!! Virtually Yours, Bihar Network Team http://bihar-network.ning.com/profile/BiharNetwork Yahoo! Groups Links Connect with friends all over the world. Get Yahoo! India Messenger at http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/?wm=n/
