Re: [Assam] Bewitched by the seven sisters: Exploring the flavors of the Northeast
Nice pis WK. Jibhaar paani porise' :-). But that picture of Maasor tenga, sure did not look like one. I guess the writer did not quite know the difference between 'tenga' and 'jwl'. On Jun 1, 2015, at 7:40 AM, Wahid Saleh - Indiawijzer w.sa...@indiawijzer.nl wrote: Hidden gems and treasure troves of culinary delights can be found all across India. And one such treasure comes from the bounty of the exotic and mystical land of the seven sisters - the Northeast http://tinyurl.com/nq9j97y . ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Growing food in urban home
Makes a lot of sense! It is not hard to do this, even in urban environs like Guwahati. On Nov 14, 2014, at 9:20 AM, Babul Gogoi bgo...@gmail.com wrote: This may be of interest to some of you: How To Make An Aquaponics System - grow vegetables and fish together http://www.goodshomedesign.com/how-to-make-an-aquaponics-system/ Dr. Subhrankar Mukherjee at Kolkata is a working on aquaponics in Mumbai and Kolkata -- http://www.sankalpacmfs.org/src/wp/Concept.Note_Aquaponic.Systems.pdf On Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 11:48 AM, Altaf Mazid altafma...@gmail.com wrote: Dear all, You may like to read a new urban approach in Guwahati: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/showpage.asp… http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/showpage.asp?id=nov1214%2C7%2C423%2C1254%2C663%2C906 http://www.asomiyapratidin.in/article.php… http://www.asomiyapratidin.in/article.php?date=12-11-2014page=6article=10.jpgcid=83558#.VGL6CzSUdoY Regards, Altaf Mazid 2 Udayachal Path Christian Basti Guwahati 781 005 India Desk +913612342236 Cell+919435193663 www.sauravkumarchaliha.org http://www.cultureunplugged.com/storyteller/Altaf%20Mazid#/myFilms ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] FASS GENERAL BODY MEETING
Excellent idea from Ike Sinha. Good luck. If you need any architectuiral assistance, I will try to help. Best. CM On May 20, 2014, at 11:44 AM, Bidyananda Barkakoty barkak...@yahoo.co.in wrote: Mr. Neiphiu Rio’s Speech at NDA Parliamentary Meeting on 20th May 2014 (Tuesday) in New Delhi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UejZGmXgBQU Mr. Rio is a Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagaland and was/is Chief Minister of Nagaland for three consecutive terms. Mr. Rio may be inducted into Mr. Modi’s Council of Ministers. Mr. Rio will be of help in taking forward Ike’s proposal. Bidyananda Barkakoty Guwahati Cell : 9435046211 On Fri, May 2, 2014 at 9:17 PM, Madan Bezbaruah mpbezbar...@yahoo.co.in wrote: I was delighted to read the proposal from Ike. As you know I chair a committee on NE ( the work was suspended when the Code of Conduct came into operation) to look onto the concerns of people from NE in the Metros. As part of our tentative recommendations I was thinking of such a centre. We had a little wider view -- wanted the centre to be 'one stop' centre for grievances, counselling, orientation for people coming for the first time to the metro about 'do's and dont's', spoken hindi classes etc. Any suggestions is welcome. It will be very helpful if a proper proposal could be sent to me so that I can make it a part of our report after consulting the other members. If it comes in the name of an organisation--like FASS- it will be even better. Can you also suggest a good name for the centre-- instead of the bland centre, complex etc?-- a name that symbolises the NE spirit. Madan Bezbaruah On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 10:35 AM, Ike Sinha ikesinha_i...@hotmail.com wrote: Dear Mr. Rajen Barua, Greetings from India. I have received your mail and that FASS is having its General Annual Meeting on Sunday April 27 ,2014 in Houston. Everyone seems to be sending complimentary words and good wishes. But I am writing to give you a proper idea and a commitment from all NE living abroad and FASS members all over the world to come together and if you are really serious to promote the interest of North East states ,it is suggested that you plan to have NORTH EAST STATES CENTER OF EXCELLENCE at New Delhi. The nation soon will have a new government by 16 May 2014. The country needs a change. The nation have not yet understood the potential of NE States ,its resources and how it could involve in nation building. We are surrounded by foreign countries all around and connected with mainland India just by 22 km. All such good brains have moved to greener pastures. So now it is time to do reverse investment and make all NE States progressive and developed state. POINTS TO BE NOTED 1. Government of India has a Ministry of DONER to look into the interests of the NE people of all 8 NE States. 2. As an organization ,FASS to make sure that Government land to be allotted at New Delhi and create a complex to be called NORTH EAST STATES CENTER OF EXCELLENCE 3. Make all MP's who will get selected to come together irrespective of party lines to ask the Government of the day to allot such land.They will all be taken as members but they have to work for their people in their constituencies. 4. The complex to have independent state pavilion who would sell products of their states on daily basis. 5. All handicraft /handloom products. 6. Convert this place as a Cultural Center with at least two or three restaurants providing both the food of the NE and also other Indian /continental food . Employ only people from the NE States. 7. All NE people become members and they must have a Membership number. 8. Have a state of the art auditorium. Hire it out when the state functions not held. 9. Invite all foreign delegation who visit India ,to come to this Center and to know more about the NE States. 10. Have a Conference room,library with all authors from the respective states to be able to display their product. 11. Let it be a Tourist place for all foreigners to be able to see all the NE States under one roof. 12. Let this Center be the doorway to the NE States. 13. Create Travel Facility and Information Center. 14. Create atmosphere for Exports for all NE products,for eg: Tea,Bamboo,Cane,Handicraft,Hand loom products,herbal products,organic food,Film release,book release ,fashion show of designers from NE.You hire out the place to other designers for their event and that money goes into the upkeep and maintenance of the Center. 15. The allotment of land must be negotiated with Chairman,NDMC so that the site must be centrally located. 16.All state events to be showcased here. 17. Let this place be vibrant and an everyday event place. In fact ,I had taken 1 year to prepare this project few years ago.I have discussed this subject with Mr. Mukundakam Sharma when he was President,Assam Association but he could not take any initiative. The
Re: [Assam] Petition against dehorning rhinos in Assam
While I respect Mr. Barah's sentiments here, allow me to express a few contrarian views: *** We all know that Assam and India has failed misearbluy to protect the rhinos. However Assam rhinos are NOt the only victims. Even African rhinos have been suffering from exactly the same fate. *** African rhino protection has received far more advanced international assistance than Assam rhinos. But still the dangers to them have not abated. *** It is under such circumstances that de-horning of rhinos is being experimented with, in Africa. While it obviously is a desperate attempt to save the rhinos, it does indeed seem to be an effctive way to prevent their killing, at least temporarily. *** It is known that a small percentage of rhinos being sedated to de-horn may die from the operation, it is a very small risk. *** The bigger problem here is the fact that a properly removed rhino horn will re-grow. In African rhinos, the rate is 3 to 5 a year. At that rate a rhino woluld hyave to be de-horned again in about 5 years. Since Assam rhinos are smaller and their horns are shorter, such de-horning may provide safety for the animals for a longer period than for African rhinos. *** In a few years the effectiveness of the process can be examined to see if it is worth continuing. The Assam rhino population is much smaller than its African counterparts. So, if it is effective, the procedure is probaly more sustainable over time than, say, in Africa. *** Finally a living rhino, even a de-horned one, is a far better alternative than a dead rhino, killed brutally by poachers. Under the circumstance I support the idea of de-horning Assam rhinos. Chandan K. Mahanta Architect St. Louis, USA On Mar 23, 2014, at 10:55 AM, Pankaj Barah pankajbo...@gmail.com wrote: Dear all, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild-Life), Assam, Assam Forest Department is proposing an experiential project to dehorn the rhinos in Assam as conservation measure. They are asking public opinion on or before 30th of March 2014 in this regard. The opinions can be send to pccf.wl.as...@gmail.com by email or to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild-Life), Assam, Assam Forest Department, Basistha, Guwahati-29, Assam by post. We believe that trimming the horns of rhinoceros can not stop illegal poaching of rhinoceros. It may have negative impact on rhino's normal physiology, or psychological status. We, strongly oppose the proposal of doing experiments by dehorning rhinoceros as a conservatory measure. 'Asomiyat Kotha-botora' a facebook group consisted of more than 15000 members across the globe is preparing an online petition opposing this unethical proposal by the PCCF, Assam. I request you all to sign this petition with your short comments and contact address by clicking the following URL. Copy of this petition will also be sent to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, World Wildlife Fund, Ministry of Environment Forests, India and United Nations Environment Programme etc. https://www.change.org/petitions/principal-chief-conservator-of-forests-wild-life-assam-don-t-trim-horns-of-rhinoceros We would also appreciate if someone living in USA (FASS officials) comes forward to help us to send this letter with all collected signatures to the World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20037. Best regard, On behalf of 'Asomiyat Kotha-botora' group Pankaj Barah Cell Molecular Biology and Genomics Group http://boneslab.bio.ntnu.no/wordpress/ Norwegian University of Science Technology (NTNU), Realfagbygget, Room no.: DU1-172 N-7491, Trondheim,Norway E.mail: pankaj.ba...@bio.ntnu.no Homepage: http://www.ntnu.edu/employees/pankaj.barah ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] AKASH : A Children’s Science Organization
Conspicuous by its absence, is an emphasis on performing experiments, recording and evaluating and interpreting results. Forming a hypothesis and working with variables: Controlled, independent and dependent, are critical parts of scientific experimentation that imparts creativity and promotes original thinking. I see a mention of experimental skills, but it seems to be almost in passing. Without these, more rote learning is you will get. These must become a centerpiece. On Mar 2, 2014, at 10:14 AM, Buljit Buragohain buluas...@yahoo.co.in wrote: AKASH (http://akashorg.in/)A Children’s Science Organization . আকাশ (বিজ্ঞান আৰু পৰিৱেশ শিক্ষা কেন্দ্র) । MISSION (i) To nurture and develop the scientific temper of children through inquiry-based, interactive hands-on experiments. (ii) To impart basic knowledge of Science, Environment, Astronomy, and Mathematics (SEAM) to the children through activity-based methodology. ‘Science’ includes Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth science. (iii) To develop a curriculum for activity-based learning of SEAM suitable for children of ages 11-16 years, and aligned with the National Science Education standard. (iv) To encourage the children to develop experimental skills and independent learning. (v) To design and develop science learning kits, especially from easily available low-cost materials. ACTIVITIES (i) Hands-on interactive experiments (ii) Regular weekly classes (Sunday; 2 hrs) (iii) Demo-cum-lectures (iv) Popular talks and Seminars (v) Nature study (vi) Quizzing and Extempore speech (vii) Sky watching (viii) Training on Science writing (ix) Library provisions (x) Science Film shows (xi) Publications (Print Audio-Video) (xii) Celebration of National and International S T Events TARGETS Children of ages (a) 11-13 years, and (b) 14-16 years ESTABLISHMENTS (i) Akash Science Environment Education Centre (ii) Properties :- Telescopes, Microscopes, Computers, Projectors (iii) Models and Exhibits (iv) Laboratory appliances (v) Books and Magazines AREA OF OPERATION Mainly, Biswanath Chariali and Sonitpur district of Assam. Outreach areas are other districts of Assam, and other states of North East India FIELDS (a) Our Class-room (b) Outreaches TEAM We are a team of 12 members with designations such as – President, Vice president, Adviser, General Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Publicity Secretary, and Executive Body Members SUPPORTERS (i) State Bank of India (ii) Private donors MEDIA Activity news mainly published in Print media, e.g., various newspapers and magazines National and International Events Celebration: We celebrate various National and International events with colourful activities such as Quizzing, Competitions of Extempore speech, Drawing and Painting, Essay writing, Exhibitions, Popular talks, Seminars, etc. Most of the programmes are held in Akash campus, but some programmes are held in our outreach areas like Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Narayanpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Jorhat, Jamugurihat, Chatia, Gohpur, etc. • National Science Day is observed on 28th February every year. • Participation in National Children’s Science Congress programme during October every year. • World Environment Day is observed every year on 5th June. • World Water Day on 22nd March. • International Year of Physics was celebrated in 2005. • International Year of Astronomy was celebrated in 2009. • International Year of Chemistry was observed in 2011. • International Year of Mathematics of Planet Earth (MPE) was observed in 2013. • International Year of Crystallography in 2014. • Birth days, Birth Centenaries of eminent scientists and mathematicians. Team Founder Prof. Kshiradhar Baruah, Retired Head of the Dept of Chemistry, Biswanath College Science writer and Communicator; Recipient of Science Popularization Award, National Council for Science and Technology Communication, Govt of India (2004). Workforce Prof. Kshiradhar Baruah, Ripunjay Bordoloi, Preety Baruah, Mamood Ahmed, Niranjan Sarmah, Bijan Borah Contact : Headquarter: Akash Bhavan, Hatkhola, Biswanath Chariali, PIN-784176, Sonitpur, Assam, India Phones : 03715-223039; +91-9435183888; +91-9864366161; +91-9886897720 -- সমাজৰ কাৰণে ভাল কাম কৰাজনৰ পৰিচয় ৰাইজৰ আগত দাঙি ধৰিব লাগে আৰু ভাল খবৰবোৰ যিমান পাৰি ৰাইজৰ মাজত বিলাব লাগে। বুলজিৎ বুঢ়াগোহাঁই ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Assam crusader helps draft rickshaw bill
Good work, Ankur! On Feb 20, 2014, at 8:44 PM, Ankur Bora ankur_bora2...@yahoo.com wrote: Dear all, Please find the following news about Pradip Kumar Sarmah , who is playing a key part in finalising the draft bill on the Non-motorised Vehicles and Pliers (Promotion, Regulation, Welfare and Conditions of Service) Act, 2012. The act , if passed , in the parliament of India , will be a framework for the livelihood and welfare to the millions of rickshaw-pullers all over India. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130911/jsp/northeast/story_17333757.jsp There is another article on this topic published in the today’s issue of the Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2014/02/19/driving-impact-by-reinventing-the-rickshaw-turning-empathy-into-action/ I had the fortune of participating at the prestigious Tech award 2011 , where Dr. Sarma was honored as a Tech laureate. I was humbled by the sincerity and devotion of Sarma who is fully dedicated to the wellbeing of this marginalized section of society. For Pradip Sarmah , the passage of the bill , will be the hardest battle , perhaps the most arduous fight of his life. We sincerely wish that he will succeed , thereby bringing security and welfare to the vast majority of India’s estimated 10 million rickshaw pullers. Thanks , Ankur The biggest risk in life is not taking one ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Race in India
Very well explained, Baruah. m On Feb 19, 2014, at 9:41 AM, Sanjib Baruah bar...@bard.edu wrote: Al Jazeera got me to comment on the race debate in India after the killing of an Arunachali student in Delhi. The piece may be of interest. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/02/student-death-india-racism-debat-20142197266693973.html SB ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Rajya Sabha approves bill for amendment to Citizenship Act
WK, Congrats on your efforts bearing fruit. What do you know about the status of PIO card holders? It is primarily a long term visa, isn't it? I don't believe it becomes an OIC automatically. Am I right? Also what is a PAN number? How does one obtain that? c On Dec 5, 2013, at 4:46 PM, Wahid Saleh - Indiawijzer w.sa...@indiawijzer.nl wrote: One of the news items of today is that the Rajya Sabha approves bill for amendment to Citizenship Act. I was in contact with the ministry on this subject. July 2005 to December 2013 is a ling time to follow an issue. But at long last all these years of correspondence with Delhi and The Hague is crowned with success. Rajya Sabha approves bill for amendment to Citizenship Act http://tinyurl.com/q89tdgf . This approval for amendment is the result of different representations and proposal submitted by the Diaspora community to the GOI. During this process, to obtain clarification of the OCI in relation to the Dutch nationality where possible, the Indian Diaspora in the Netherlands interacted with the Dutch government. Several times they interacted with the Minister, the Secretary and Joint-Secretary of MOIA on different Diaspora related issues. Please check the following link for extra information: The transition of PIO http://tinyurl.com/ob3vc2y OCI to OIC (Overseas Indian Cardholder). Wahid ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] A smile
Loved it :-)! On Oct 2, 2013, at 11:25 AM, Roy, Santanu s...@mail.smu.edu wrote: [https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/539671_330074763714752_1669718104_n.jpg] .___ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Kamrupi Physics from Assam Tribune
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=sep0913/at092 *** I knew there was something very special about Kharkhowa Bigyan. Just didn't quite know it was known as Kamrupi Bigyan, that has its own laws and is is based on the concept of zero . I invite our Kamrupi Khasrkhowa scientists among us to expound on this theory and hopefully educate the rest of us on it. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Fwd: Fw: Fwd: FOR INFORMATION OF THE HISTORICALLY DISPERSED ASSAMESE COMMUNITIES OF MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH
This is very interesting. Congratulations to the team led by Dr. Phukan for the excellent work on bringing this to light. cm On May 8, 2013, at 1:00 AM, Babul Gogoi bgo...@gmail.com wrote: -- Forwarded message -- From: Muktikam Phukan muktik...@yahoo.co.in Date: Wed, May 8, 2013 at 10:21 AM Subject: Fw: Fwd: FOR INFORMATION OF THE HISTORICALLY DISPERSED ASSAMESE COMMUNITIES OF MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH Dear All My elder brother Dr Satyakam Phukan is presently filming a documentary on THE HISTORICALLY DISPERSED ASSAMESE COMMUNITIES OF MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH and had been to both the countries recently for filming. They have submitted a report to the Hon'ble CM of Assam on the issue recently also. I am forwarding his email with the report to CM as attachment for your kind perusal, please. Thanx regards *Muktikam Phukan * Deputy Chief Engineer (PMC), CEMG, ED Department, Oil India Limited, FC-24, 5th Floor, IT Infrastructure Building, Sector 16A, NOIDA 201301, U.P. (India) Phone: +91 120 2510019; Fax: +91 120 2488117 Mob: +91 9818598565 -- Forwarded message -- From: *Satyakam Phukan* titbit...@gmail.com Date: 6 May 2013 22:32 Subject: FOR INFORMATION OF THE HISTORICALLY DISPERSED ASSAMESE COMMUNITIES OF MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH *FOR INFORMATION OF THE HISTORICALLY DISPERSED ASSAMESE COMMUNITIES OF MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH * Today on the 6th of May 2013 at 12.30 pm myself and Mr Binoy Kumar Sarma got the audience of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam Mr Tarun Gogoi in his office at Dispur, Guwahati, Assam. We apprised the Hon'ble Chief Minister about the historically dispersed Assamese communities in Myanmar and Bangladesh. He gave us a patient hearing on the matter and we submitted a memorandum, copy of which is attached herewith as attachment. We also had a detailed discussion with the PPS to Hon'ble Chief Minister Mr Jishnu Barua, IAS. Since we know of our Hon'ble Chief Minister Mr Tarun Gogoi as a good and righteous man, we are hopeful of something good on the issue. Recipients of this email in Myanmar and Bangladesh are requested to ensure deliverance of this piece of to the following persons there 1. Ms Padmamala (Daw Mar Lar) in Mandalay 2. U Aye Maung in Bhamo 3. Mr Ashok Assam, Mr Pankaj Assam, Mr Ajay Assam, Swapan Assam and Mr Bankim Assam in Rangmati 4. Mr Nihar Assam in Chittagong Yours sincerely Dr Satyakam Phukan CM_memo_Myn_Bng.pdf___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Texas Secession
I don't get it Dilip. Do you? I mean what has size to do with it? California's economy is much bigger than Texas'. So what should that mean? I think the states that have the most vocal secessionists today are the same states that once had slavery and racial segregation. See the maps at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10101431274461982set=a.627135299352.2275322.68110619type=1theater I have heard some of the Jokes. Late night TV is full of them. Stl Louis POst Dispatch had a cartoon this morning that says it all: http://skydancingblog.com/2012/11/14/angry-white-men-istan/ And don't miss: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnyvideos/youtube/texas-secession.htm It is an Obama thang, thats what it is. :-):-) On Nov 15, 2012, at 2:18 PM, Dilip Deka dilipd...@yahoo.com wrote: The following link gives you one of the reasons why Texas talks about secession at times - the sheer size of the state's economy. Please note the info in the attached link is from the governor's office!! http://www.governor.state.tx.us/files/ecodev/GDP_Comparisons.pdf I heard some independence related jokes on local radio - (1)In independent Texas,the detention centers would be filled with illegal white immigrants from New Mexico,Oklahoma and Arkansas. Texas would grant amnesty to the ones from Louisiana because they are cuz to the Texans. (2) The latinos don't want independent Texas because they will have to jump two fences to get to the USA. (3) Dallas is so far to the north in new Texas that Dallasites are called yankees. How about some jokes circulating in the yankee cities? Dilip ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
Maybe so Dilip, but it looks terrible! While the world looks up to America's scientific might, we put these buffoons to represent us. It demonstrates a certain attitude, one that is eating American basic education out from the guts. Not good! On Nov 14, 2012, at 7:46 AM, Dilip Deka dilipd...@yahoo.com wrote: Think of the reason why the science committee gets such members. To start with, science is not an attractive subject in USA. So, anything to do with science gets lower ranking than say economy, finance, health,social security etc. Thus, the science committee does not attract the star players. The rejects who do not get selected to any other committee opt for the likes of science committee.The common man does not care what rubbish the science committee puts out or what the members utter in the name of science. The importance of a committee is measured in terms of how many dollars it influences. Dilip === --- On Tue, 11/13/12, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 9:42 PM If it is not theater of the absurd, I can't imagine what would be! Faat diya boxumoti paatale' lukaon! ( Please Mother earth, split asunder, so I can hide from this shame). On Nov 13, 2012, at 9:35 PM, amlan saha a.s...@alumni.tufts.edu wrote: Ah, the ever amusing Science Committee, which counts among its members the likes of - *Todd Akin* - If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” - *Paul Broun* - “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell,” - *Roscoe Bartlett* - “There are very few pregnancies as a result of rape, fortunately, and incest — compared to the usual abortion, what is the percentage of abortions for rape? It is tiny. It is a tiny, tiny percentage.” - *Randy Neugebauer* - join together in prayer to humbly seek fair weather conditions” after several destructive tornadoes and droughts. - *Dana Rohrabacher* - “We don’t know what those other cycles [of global warming] were caused by in the past. Could be dinosaur flatulence, you know, or who knows?” - *Jim Sensenbrenner* - railed against scientific fascism and called climate change research an international conspiracy. - *Sandy Adams* - voted in favor of a bill to teach theories that contradict the theory of evolution. Rohrabacher and Sensenbrenner are now in the running to take the gavel of the Committee in the 113th Congress! On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 10:05 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: He is still a Congressman you know, lame duck as he is. But it is appalling to see the pea-brained people that are in the Science Subcommittee. It is a pathetic joke. On Nov 13, 2012, at 7:02 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: I meant - if it were a hot topic, then!. : ) I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . What about him, in spite of being Rhodes Scholar being a gung-ho supporter of the NRA? I thought Todd Akin lost. Can he still serve at a (any) Congressional Committee? Sent from my iPad On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:20 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: I didn't get that, A. On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:14 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: But that would have made India's cases similar to that, stronger, don't you think, C-da? : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:58 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Oh, darn A! Looks like I had been losing sleep over nothing. But anyway, it was fun reading about it. Where else can we get such interesting news from? I mean other than Missouri. Did you know our very own Todd Akin serves at the Congressional Science Sub-committee? I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . Used to think that India had problems, you know? On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:44 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: It has (or is) never been a hot topic even to think or discuss about it, let alone be tensed about it. : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Folks, I am greatly relieved to share a terrific piece of news that many of us Markhowas have been sweating under since November 6: That the leader of the Secessionist movement from Texas is a real Gandhian, says ---We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys For more on it, look up: Read more
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
Never thought of it that way Santanu. While it does make some profoundly cynical sense, there is a downside to it though: Because these are the people who control the hearings and the pathway to funding of basic research and higher education that the Govt. must do and private enterprise won't. On Nov 14, 2012, at 8:01 AM, Roy, Santanu s...@mail.smu.edu wrote: Dilip-da: I agree with you about the general apathy towards science, but there is something more too - a hostility towards science in the minds of the religious fringe (quite a large fringe). They truly believe it to be a dark art and would like to retain some political control over it. Having these kind of representatives provides some form of assurance to this section of the population, and allows government to function with less friction. As long as these representatives are sufficiently corrupt to compromise on their principles (they always are), they do serve a useful purpose. The crazies must feel included. Santanu. From: assam [assam-boun...@assamnet.org] on behalf of Dilip Deka [dilipd...@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 7:46 AM To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA Think of the reason why the science committee gets such members. To start with, science is not an attractive subject in USA. So, anything to do with science gets lower ranking than say economy, finance, health,social security etc. Thus, the science committee does not attract the star players. The rejects who do not get selected to any other committee opt for the likes of science committee.The common man does not care what rubbish the science committee puts out or what the members utter in the name of science. The importance of a committee is measured in terms of how many dollars it influences. Dilip === --- On Tue, 11/13/12, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 9:42 PM If it is not theater of the absurd, I can't imagine what would be! Faat diya boxumoti paatale' lukaon! ( Please Mother earth, split asunder, so I can hide from this shame). On Nov 13, 2012, at 9:35 PM, amlan saha a.s...@alumni.tufts.edu wrote: Ah, the ever amusing Science Committee, which counts among its members the likes of - *Todd Akin* - If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” - *Paul Broun* - “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell,” - *Roscoe Bartlett* - “There are very few pregnancies as a result of rape, fortunately, and incest — compared to the usual abortion, what is the percentage of abortions for rape? It is tiny. It is a tiny, tiny percentage.” - *Randy Neugebauer* - join together in prayer to humbly seek fair weather conditions” after several destructive tornadoes and droughts. - *Dana Rohrabacher* - “We don’t know what those other cycles [of global warming] were caused by in the past. Could be dinosaur flatulence, you know, or who knows?” - *Jim Sensenbrenner* - railed against scientific fascism and called climate change research an international conspiracy. - *Sandy Adams* - voted in favor of a bill to teach theories that contradict the theory of evolution. Rohrabacher and Sensenbrenner are now in the running to take the gavel of the Committee in the 113th Congress! On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 10:05 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: He is still a Congressman you know, lame duck as he is. But it is appalling to see the pea-brained people that are in the Science Subcommittee. It is a pathetic joke. On Nov 13, 2012, at 7:02 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: I meant - if it were a hot topic, then!. : ) I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . What about him, in spite of being Rhodes Scholar being a gung-ho supporter of the NRA? I thought Todd Akin lost. Can he still serve at a (any) Congressional Committee? Sent from my iPad On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:20 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: I didn't get that, A. On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:14 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: But that would have made India's cases similar to that, stronger, don't you think, C-da? : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:58 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Oh, darn A! Looks like I had been losing sleep over nothing. But anyway, it was fun
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
I am not convinced of that Dilip. Take the case of Todd Akin. Akin has been the unchallenged rep. of one of the most affluent area of St. Louis County for years and years. Such affluence do not come from know-nothings. Do his constituency not know of his views? They do. But they subscribe to them. Even after his 'rape' comments they voted for him overwhelmingly. So it is not as benign as it may seem. It does matter. It was voters from outside Akin's usual constituency that finally ousted him. Someone I read characterized it as the Icarus syndrome, flying too close to the sun. On Nov 14, 2012, at 9:00 AM, Dilip Deka dilipd...@yahoo.com wrote: What saves our reputation is that the committee members do not represent the USA in the international scientific community. The professors and graduate students from universities and the researchers from the science industry do.So, who cares what these committee members say - they are there to warm the chairs our political system has put in D.C. It'd help if there was a way to remove some of these chairs and put them in the basement. Dilip === --- On Wed, 11/14/12, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 8:50 AM Maybe so Dilip, but it looks terrible! While the world looks up to America's scientific might, we put these buffoons to represent us. It demonstrates a certain attitude, one that is eating American basic education out from the guts. Not good! On Nov 14, 2012, at 7:46 AM, Dilip Deka dilipd...@yahoo.com wrote: Think of the reason why the science committee gets such members. To start with, science is not an attractive subject in USA. So, anything to do with science gets lower ranking than say economy, finance, health,social security etc. Thus, the science committee does not attract the star players. The rejects who do not get selected to any other committee opt for the likes of science committee.The common man does not care what rubbish the science committee puts out or what the members utter in the name of science. The importance of a committee is measured in terms of how many dollars it influences. Dilip === --- On Tue, 11/13/12, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 9:42 PM If it is not theater of the absurd, I can't imagine what would be! Faat diya boxumoti paatale' lukaon! ( Please Mother earth, split asunder, so I can hide from this shame). On Nov 13, 2012, at 9:35 PM, amlan saha a.s...@alumni.tufts.edu wrote: Ah, the ever amusing Science Committee, which counts among its members the likes of - *Todd Akin* - If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” - *Paul Broun* - “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell,” - *Roscoe Bartlett* - “There are very few pregnancies as a result of rape, fortunately, and incest — compared to the usual abortion, what is the percentage of abortions for rape? It is tiny. It is a tiny, tiny percentage.” - *Randy Neugebauer* - join together in prayer to humbly seek fair weather conditions” after several destructive tornadoes and droughts. - *Dana Rohrabacher* - “We don’t know what those other cycles [of global warming] were caused by in the past. Could be dinosaur flatulence, you know, or who knows?” - *Jim Sensenbrenner* - railed against scientific fascism and called climate change research an international conspiracy. - *Sandy Adams* - voted in favor of a bill to teach theories that contradict the theory of evolution. Rohrabacher and Sensenbrenner are now in the running to take the gavel of the Committee in the 113th Congress! On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 10:05 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: He is still a Congressman you know, lame duck as he is. But it is appalling to see the pea-brained people that are in the Science Subcommittee. It is a pathetic joke. On Nov 13, 2012, at 7:02 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: I meant - if it were a hot topic, then!. : ) I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . What about him, in spite of being Rhodes Scholar being a gung-ho supporter of the NRA? I thought Todd Akin lost. Can he still serve
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
Exactly! On Nov 14, 2012, at 9:14 AM, amlan saha a.s...@alumni.tufts.edu wrote: Except that, sometimes, loons like these can have real impact - recall the lack of federal dollars for stem cell research during the Republican years. On Wed, Nov 14, 2012 at 10:00 AM, Dilip Deka dilipd...@yahoo.com wrote: What saves our reputation is that the committee members do not represent the USA in the international scientific community. The professors and graduate students from universities and the researchers from the science industry do.So, who cares what these committee members say - they are there to warm the chairs our political system has put in D.C. It'd help if there was a way to remove some of these chairs and put them in the basement. Dilip === --- On Wed, 11/14/12, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 8:50 AM Maybe so Dilip, but it looks terrible! While the world looks up to America's scientific might, we put these buffoons to represent us. It demonstrates a certain attitude, one that is eating American basic education out from the guts. Not good! On Nov 14, 2012, at 7:46 AM, Dilip Deka dilipd...@yahoo.com wrote: Think of the reason why the science committee gets such members. To start with, science is not an attractive subject in USA. So, anything to do with science gets lower ranking than say economy, finance, health,social security etc. Thus, the science committee does not attract the star players. The rejects who do not get selected to any other committee opt for the likes of science committee.The common man does not care what rubbish the science committee puts out or what the members utter in the name of science. The importance of a committee is measured in terms of how many dollars it influences. Dilip === --- On Tue, 11/13/12, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 9:42 PM If it is not theater of the absurd, I can't imagine what would be! Faat diya boxumoti paatale' lukaon! ( Please Mother earth, split asunder, so I can hide from this shame). On Nov 13, 2012, at 9:35 PM, amlan saha a.s...@alumni.tufts.edu wrote: Ah, the ever amusing Science Committee, which counts among its members the likes of - *Todd Akin* - If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” - *Paul Broun* - “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell,” - *Roscoe Bartlett* - “There are very few pregnancies as a result of rape, fortunately, and incest — compared to the usual abortion, what is the percentage of abortions for rape? It is tiny. It is a tiny, tiny percentage.” - *Randy Neugebauer* - join together in prayer to humbly seek fair weather conditions” after several destructive tornadoes and droughts. - *Dana Rohrabacher* - “We don’t know what those other cycles [of global warming] were caused by in the past. Could be dinosaur flatulence, you know, or who knows?” - *Jim Sensenbrenner* - railed against scientific fascism and called climate change research an international conspiracy. - *Sandy Adams* - voted in favor of a bill to teach theories that contradict the theory of evolution. Rohrabacher and Sensenbrenner are now in the running to take the gavel of the Committee in the 113th Congress! On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 10:05 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: He is still a Congressman you know, lame duck as he is. But it is appalling to see the pea-brained people that are in the Science Subcommittee. It is a pathetic joke. On Nov 13, 2012, at 7:02 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: I meant - if it were a hot topic, then!. : ) I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . What about him, in spite of being Rhodes Scholar being a gung-ho supporter of the NRA? I thought Todd Akin lost. Can he still serve at a (any) Congressional Committee? Sent from my iPad On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:20 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: I didn't get that, A. On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:14 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: But that would have made India's cases similar to that, stronger, don't you think, C-da? : ) Sent from my
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
Very well said, Santanu. On Nov 14, 2012, at 9:55 AM, Roy, Santanu s...@mail.smu.edu wrote: Hi Chandan-da, Of course, it has a huge downside. As a whole, federal spending on research has suffered huge cuts over the years. It is the easiest to cut; there is no clear political constituency that objects (unless it is funding for military purposes that come with huge kick backs). The allocation of this spending has also been suboptimal as the lack of funding for stem cell research suggests, but the actual impact of that pales in comparison to the impact of shrinking research budget size. Research and higher education have been the primary engines of US prosperity and growth; but more than that, the US leadership here has defined the frontier for the rest of the world for about a century (most of the world has been free riding in a sense). As the US declines, its profitable economic activities might move elsewhere;, but I see no hope that achievements in basic research will be taken up by any of the rising Asian stars. It is much easier for other economies to adopt technology, to do product and process innovation, to apply basic research and make money. It is much harder to build up institutions that create incentives for doing seemingly useless fundamental research. Yet the latter is the foundation on which all technological progress rests. The epoch of western civilization - white peoples' intellectual journey - that began in the Italian city states in the middle ages may finally be coming to an end; the emegence of darkness in the minds of its last frontier in America may simply be a reflection of that. Santanu. -Original Message- From: assam [mailto:assam-boun...@assamnet.org] On Behalf Of Chan Mahanta Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 8:55 AM To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA Never thought of it that way Santanu. While it does make some profoundly cynical sense, there is a downside to it though: Because these are the people who control the hearings and the pathway to funding of basic research and higher education that the Govt. must do and private enterprise won't. On Nov 14, 2012, at 8:01 AM, Roy, Santanu s...@mail.smu.edu wrote: Dilip-da: I agree with you about the general apathy towards science, but there is something more too - a hostility towards science in the minds of the religious fringe (quite a large fringe). They truly believe it to be a dark art and would like to retain some political control over it. Having these kind of representatives provides some form of assurance to this section of the population, and allows government to function with less friction. As long as these representatives are sufficiently corrupt to compromise on their principles (they always are), they do serve a useful purpose. The crazies must feel included. Santanu. From: assam [assam-boun...@assamnet.org] on behalf of Dilip Deka [dilipd...@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 7:46 AM To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA Think of the reason why the science committee gets such members. To start with, science is not an attractive subject in USA. So, anything to do with science gets lower ranking than say economy, finance, health,social security etc. Thus, the science committee does not attract the star players. The rejects who do not get selected to any other committee opt for the likes of science committee.The common man does not care what rubbish the science committee puts out or what the members utter in the name of science. The importance of a committee is measured in terms of how many dollars it influences. Dilip == = --- On Tue, 11/13/12, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 9:42 PM If it is not theater of the absurd, I can't imagine what would be! Faat diya boxumoti paatale' lukaon! ( Please Mother earth, split asunder, so I can hide from this shame). On Nov 13, 2012, at 9:35 PM, amlan saha a.s...@alumni.tufts.edu wrote: Ah, the ever amusing Science Committee, which counts among its members the likes of - *Todd Akin* - If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. - *Paul Broun* - All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell, - *Roscoe Bartlett* - There are very few pregnancies as a result of rape, fortunately, and incest - compared
[Assam] Hot News from USA
Folks, I am greatly relieved to share a terrific piece of news that many of us Markhowas have been sweating under since November 6: That the leader of the Secessionist movement from Texas is a real Gandhian, says ---We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys For more on it, look up: Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83776.html#ixzz2C8161Xxo Now my question to our friends from Texas is if they too are equally relieved. cm :-) PS: I understand that Texas Governor 'Oops' Perry, once a secessionist himself, will not back the new freedom seekers. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
Oh, darn A! Looks like I had been losing sleep over nothing. But anyway, it was fun reading about it. Where else can we get such interesting news from? I mean other than Missouri. Did you know our very own Todd Akin serves at the Congressional Science Sub-committee? I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . Used to think that India had problems, you know? On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:44 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: It has (or is) never been a hot topic even to think or discuss about it, let alone be tensed about it. : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Folks, I am greatly relieved to share a terrific piece of news that many of us Markhowas have been sweating under since November 6: That the leader of the Secessionist movement from Texas is a real Gandhian, says ---We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys For more on it, look up: Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83776.html#ixzz2C8161Xxo Now my question to our friends from Texas is if they too are equally relieved. cm :-) PS: I understand that Texas Governor 'Oops' Perry, once a secessionist himself, will not back the new freedom seekers. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
I didn't get that, A. On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:14 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: But that would have made India's cases similar to that, stronger, don't you think, C-da? : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:58 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Oh, darn A! Looks like I had been losing sleep over nothing. But anyway, it was fun reading about it. Where else can we get such interesting news from? I mean other than Missouri. Did you know our very own Todd Akin serves at the Congressional Science Sub-committee? I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . Used to think that India had problems, you know? On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:44 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: It has (or is) never been a hot topic even to think or discuss about it, let alone be tensed about it. : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Folks, I am greatly relieved to share a terrific piece of news that many of us Markhowas have been sweating under since November 6: That the leader of the Secessionist movement from Texas is a real Gandhian, says ---We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys For more on it, look up: Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83776.html#ixzz2C8161Xxo Now my question to our friends from Texas is if they too are equally relieved. cm :-) PS: I understand that Texas Governor 'Oops' Perry, once a secessionist himself, will not back the new freedom seekers. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
He is still a Congressman you know, lame duck as he is. But it is appalling to see the pea-brained people that are in the Science Subcommittee. It is a pathetic joke. On Nov 13, 2012, at 7:02 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: I meant - if it were a hot topic, then!. : ) I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . What about him, in spite of being Rhodes Scholar being a gung-ho supporter of the NRA? I thought Todd Akin lost. Can he still serve at a (any) Congressional Committee? Sent from my iPad On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:20 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: I didn't get that, A. On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:14 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: But that would have made India's cases similar to that, stronger, don't you think, C-da? : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:58 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Oh, darn A! Looks like I had been losing sleep over nothing. But anyway, it was fun reading about it. Where else can we get such interesting news from? I mean other than Missouri. Did you know our very own Todd Akin serves at the Congressional Science Sub-committee? I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . Used to think that India had problems, you know? On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:44 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: It has (or is) never been a hot topic even to think or discuss about it, let alone be tensed about it. : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Folks, I am greatly relieved to share a terrific piece of news that many of us Markhowas have been sweating under since November 6: That the leader of the Secessionist movement from Texas is a real Gandhian, says ---We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys For more on it, look up: Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83776.html#ixzz2C8161Xxo Now my question to our friends from Texas is if they too are equally relieved. cm :-) PS: I understand that Texas Governor 'Oops' Perry, once a secessionist himself, will not back the new freedom seekers. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
I am not so sure that Texas can liberate the U.S of A. There is an inordinate number of kooks in that state though :-). On Nov 13, 2012, at 7:03 PM, mc mahant mikemah...@hotmail.com wrote: This is coming! Has to . Texas has to Liberate the U.S of A. Like OXOM has to-- India ,Bangla,Bhutan. “stop being the stupid party” and make a concerted effort to reach a broader swath of voters with an inclusive economic message that pre-empts efforts to caricature the GOP as the party of the rich. mm Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83743.html#ixzz2C9cTy4MW From: cmaha...@gmail.com Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:20:51 -0600 To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA I didn't get that, A. On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:14 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: But that would have made India's cases similar to that, stronger, don't you think, C-da? : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:58 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Oh, darn A! Looks like I had been losing sleep over nothing. But anyway, it was fun reading about it. Where else can we get such interesting news from? I mean other than Missouri. Did you know our very own Todd Akin serves at the Congressional Science Sub-committee? I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . Used to think that India had problems, you know? On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:44 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: It has (or is) never been a hot topic even to think or discuss about it, let alone be tensed about it. : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Folks, I am greatly relieved to share a terrific piece of news that many of us Markhowas have been sweating under since November 6: That the leader of the Secessionist movement from Texas is a real Gandhian, says ---We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys For more on it, look up: Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83776.html#ixzz2C8161Xxo Now my question to our friends from Texas is if they too are equally relieved. cm :-) PS: I understand that Texas Governor 'Oops' Perry, once a secessionist himself, will not back the new freedom seekers. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hot News from USA
If it is not theater of the absurd, I can't imagine what would be! Faat diya boxumoti paatale' lukaon! ( Please Mother earth, split asunder, so I can hide from this shame). On Nov 13, 2012, at 9:35 PM, amlan saha a.s...@alumni.tufts.edu wrote: Ah, the ever amusing Science Committee, which counts among its members the likes of - *Todd Akin* - If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” - *Paul Broun* - “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell,” - *Roscoe Bartlett* - “There are very few pregnancies as a result of rape, fortunately, and incest — compared to the usual abortion, what is the percentage of abortions for rape? It is tiny. It is a tiny, tiny percentage.” - *Randy Neugebauer* - join together in prayer to humbly seek fair weather conditions” after several destructive tornadoes and droughts. - *Dana Rohrabacher* - “We don’t know what those other cycles [of global warming] were caused by in the past. Could be dinosaur flatulence, you know, or who knows?” - *Jim Sensenbrenner* - railed against scientific fascism and called climate change research an international conspiracy. - *Sandy Adams* - voted in favor of a bill to teach theories that contradict the theory of evolution. Rohrabacher and Sensenbrenner are now in the running to take the gavel of the Committee in the 113th Congress! On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 10:05 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: He is still a Congressman you know, lame duck as he is. But it is appalling to see the pea-brained people that are in the Science Subcommittee. It is a pathetic joke. On Nov 13, 2012, at 7:02 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: I meant - if it were a hot topic, then!. : ) I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . What about him, in spite of being Rhodes Scholar being a gung-ho supporter of the NRA? I thought Todd Akin lost. Can he still serve at a (any) Congressional Committee? Sent from my iPad On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:20 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: I didn't get that, A. On Nov 13, 2012, at 3:14 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: But that would have made India's cases similar to that, stronger, don't you think, C-da? : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:58 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Oh, darn A! Looks like I had been losing sleep over nothing. But anyway, it was fun reading about it. Where else can we get such interesting news from? I mean other than Missouri. Did you know our very own Todd Akin serves at the Congressional Science Sub-committee? I can see why Bobby Jindal is urging HIS people to “stop being the stupid party” . Used to think that India had problems, you know? On Nov 13, 2012, at 2:44 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: It has (or is) never been a hot topic even to think or discuss about it, let alone be tensed about it. : ) Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Folks, I am greatly relieved to share a terrific piece of news that many of us Markhowas have been sweating under since November 6: That the leader of the Secessionist movement from Texas is a real Gandhian, says ---We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys For more on it, look up: Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83776.html#ixzz2C8161Xxo Now my question to our friends from Texas is if they too are equally relieved. cm :-) PS: I understand that Texas Governor 'Oops' Perry, once a secessionist himself, will not back the new freedom seekers. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Oxom Xaagor
Glad you caught on to the main idea A. See I am not nearly as radical as people like to paint me as . I do believe in being rational :-). BTW, there is a whole lot more to this scheme than meets the eye. I will expose more of it shortly. Stay tuned. c-da On Nov 3, 2012, at 10:33 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: That is a great detailed description, C-da. Thank you! And it does look scary. How can a natural process be totally stopped and all the waters be stored into those dams It will be like cleaning the Augean Stables. Also, even if it is done, if/when the embankments give way then the water will be uncontrollable. This would be worse than the Riverlinking idea. I don't see a solution there now. : ( On Nov 2, 2012, at 10:26 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: A: It is NOT so much about building dams as embankments. The idea proposed by Major Chandra is entirely based on building hundreds of miles of mega-embankments, on both sides of the Brahmaputra. He would create monster canals, impoundments, he calls Sagars, both sides of the Brahmaputra, ostensibly to prevent the tributaries from flooding the main river and its flood plains, which really is most of the Brahmaputra valley. His embankments are proposed to be 20 meters ( 66 ft) in height. If we draw a cross section of a 66' tall embankment with a 20 meter ( again 66') top, it will be like a mesa that is 66' wide at the top and 330 ft. wide ( 110 yds) at the base at the very least ( with a 1:2 slope, which is much too steep-ideally it should be 1:3). These will run from the western to the eastern end of the Brahmaputra valley, two of them to the north and two to the south. I call them the Mother of All Embankments. Now compare these embankments to the new highway that has been under construction four at least the past 5 years, from near Jagiroad to near Na-Gaon. I am not sure if it is done, YET! Did you see the environmental catastrophe this project created? And it was barely 3 meters tall and perhaps no more than 15 meters wide at the top. The Chandra Sagar project will be a hundred folds larger, if not more. Oh, one more thing: Chandra knows he will have to build an impervious core to these embankments. Impervious core will be concrete. I am no civil engineer, but an educated guess will be that this impervious core, 66' tall will be at least 10' thick. Can you imagine the volume of concrete he will need to build these - nearly 500 mile long for each embankment, multiplied by two for the north and an equally long , nearly a thousand miles, for the south AT THE VERY LEAST. I say at the very least, because we have not considered the lengths of these embankments both sides of the tributaries also that the scheme will require as well. All these are in the realm of the possible. But at a cost. And what might the costs be? A: First we should look at WHY the Brahmaputra and the tributaries flood so much. A very short and simple answer is that the rivers have become very shallow from silting. So to be able to carry they volume of water they need to expand, widen, causing flooding. The PRIMARY cause of the worsening flooding is SILTING of the rivers. So, why are these rivers getting silted? Where is the silt coming from? A simple answer is that it comers from Arunachal to the north and from the other hIll areas from the south. WHY you may ask. Again to put it simply, because of unrelenting deforestation and land disturbance ( earthmoving) in these hilly areas. The population there are building roads, settlements, farming more and so forth. Now then, what do you think will Chandra's embankment building do to the silting problem of these rivers? Simply put, it will exacerbate the silting problem by several hundred folds, not to mention the dust and other pollution that will be the norm all over Assam for decades to come. Not that Chandra does not know of the silting problem. He does. And he tells us that the tributaries will have to be fitted with dams to prevent the silt from getting into the Brahmaputra and that they will have to be DREDGED! Wait just a minute! Dredging did he say? I heard it is NOT possible. Apparently Indian and Kharkhowa experts have decided that dredging is not feasible since there is no place to deposit the dredged silt. I am sure you heard it too, right here in Assamnet. WHAT GIVES? Does it NOT sound fishy to you? IF Chandra Sagars are contingent on de-silting of the tributaries, why not start doing that to the MOTHER river, the Brahmaputra, to begin with? That will obviate the need for building the Chandra Sagars with the mother-of all embankments, which will uproot thousands of natives from the valley and render vast areas of fertile arable land permanently inundated and keep it under water year round
Re: [Assam] A New Blog Site
So, Alpana, Babul has provided ALL the written material of the Oxom Xaagor scheme. The proposal describes all the benefits the scheme is expected to generate. The big idea is to block the tributaries from contributing flood water to the Brahmaputra. But that is not all! Major Chandra has also put together an exactly similar scheme to block ALL of the tributaries to the Ganga in Bihar as well, creating Bihar Sagars. Note also the one line item: 12. *NO INVOLVEMENT OF *any other state. I am sure you know why it is such a stand-out bit of info. He knows Assam's sensitivity about her waters being spirited away. How can one go wrong, right? ** Think about it, and see if there could be problems with the scheme. And if so what? c-da On Nov 1, 2012, at 8:57 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: Thul-mulkoi - in text version, can it be explained, what is this Oxom -Xaagor that Mukul-da and now you are talking about, C-da? Sent from my iPad On Nov 1, 2012, at 5:07 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Hello Assamnetters, Long time no talk. Decided to return to the ol' 'juhalor mel' by announcing my latest blog site. I hope this one will last a bit longer than the previous attempts. Posted a picture to: http://chanmanstl.tumblr.com It is from my recent 10 day rafting/ camping trip down the Colorado River deep in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was an awesome trip. I hope to share some images and hopefully with a little description in the coming weeks and months. It is a departure from my usual fare in assamnet. But this may be more palatable than the never ending debates of the past :-). Speaking of which, mm's note of this morning referring to Oxom Xagor is something that got me going a few days back. It is yet another one of those hare-brained proposals that ought to be nipped in the bud. I thought of posting it here, but since it requires graphic attachment, probably won't go thru this list. Maybe I will be able to post it thru some other forum. We will see. The author also prohibits publishing it without permission. I can imagine why :-). cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] A New Blog Site
Aw come on A! Nobody is gonna bite you. What are you afraid of? Being right or wrong ? *I* promise NOT to make any snide or sarcastic comments if you are wrong. Instead I will try to explain why you may be wrong. On the other hand, if you make the right assessment, we will shower you with praise. Wouldn't that be nice? So, go ahead and do share your thoughts. We will all be the richer for it. Personally, I learn something everyday. Who knows, you may open my close mind! :-) On Nov 2, 2012, at 2:04 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: Yes, i saw that and read some of it. Thanks to Babul. To be honest, I am just too afraid to comment now. : ) On Nov 2, 2012, at 9:13 AM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: So, Alpana, Babul has provided ALL the written material of the Oxom Xaagor scheme. The proposal describes all the benefits the scheme is expected to generate. The big idea is to block the tributaries from contributing flood water to the Brahmaputra. But that is not all! Major Chandra has also put together an exactly similar scheme to block ALL of the tributaries to the Ganga in Bihar as well, creating Bihar Sagars. Note also the one line item: 12. *NO INVOLVEMENT OF *any other state. I am sure you know why it is such a stand-out bit of info. He knows Assam's sensitivity about her waters being spirited away. How can one go wrong, right? ** Think about it, and see if there could be problems with the scheme. And if so what? c-da On Nov 1, 2012, at 8:57 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: Thul-mulkoi - in text version, can it be explained, what is this Oxom -Xaagor that Mukul-da and now you are talking about, C-da? Sent from my iPad On Nov 1, 2012, at 5:07 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Hello Assamnetters, Long time no talk. Decided to return to the ol' 'juhalor mel' by announcing my latest blog site. I hope this one will last a bit longer than the previous attempts. Posted a picture to: http://chanmanstl.tumblr.com It is from my recent 10 day rafting/ camping trip down the Colorado River deep in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was an awesome trip. I hope to share some images and hopefully with a little description in the coming weeks and months. It is a departure from my usual fare in assamnet. But this may be more palatable than the never ending debates of the past :-). Speaking of which, mm's note of this morning referring to Oxom Xagor is something that got me going a few days back. It is yet another one of those hare-brained proposals that ought to be nipped in the bud. I thought of posting it here, but since it requires graphic attachment, probably won't go thru this list. Maybe I will be able to post it thru some other forum. We will see. The author also prohibits publishing it without permission. I can imagine why :-). cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] A New Blog Site
A: It is NOT so much about building dams as embankments. The idea proposed by Major Chandra is entirely based on building hundreds of miles of mega-embankments, on both sides of the Brahmaputra. He would create monster canals, impoundments, he calls Sagars, both sides of the Brahmaputra, ostensibly to prevent the tributaries from flooding the main river and its flood plains, which really is most of the Brahmaputra valley. His embankments are proposed to be 20 meters ( 66 ft) in height. If we draw a cross section of a 66' tall embankment with a 20 meter ( again 66') top, it will be like a mesa that is 66' wide at the top and 330 ft. wide ( 110 yds) at the base at the very least ( with a 1:2 slope, which is much too steep-ideally it should be 1:3). These will run from the western to the eastern end of the Brahmaputra valley, two of them to the north and two to the south. I call them the Mother of All Embankments. Now compare these embankments to the new highway that has been under construction four at least the past 5 years, from near Jagiroad to near Na-Gaon. I am not sure if it is done, YET! Did you see the environmental catastrophe this project created? And it was barely 3 meters tall and perhaps no more than 15 meters wide at the top. The Chandra Sagar project will be a hundred folds larger, if not more. Oh, one more thing: Chandra knows he will have to build an impervious core to these embankments. Impervious core will be concrete. I am no civil engineer, but an educated guess will be that this impervious core, 66' tall will be at least 10' thick. Can you imagine the volume of concrete he will need to build these - nearly 500 mile long for each embankment, multiplied by two for the north and an equally long , nearly a thousand miles, for the south AT THE VERY LEAST. I say at the very least, because we have not considered the lengths of these embankments both sides of the tributaries also that the scheme will require as well. All these are in the realm of the possible. But at a cost. And what might the costs be? A: First we should look at WHY the Brahmaputra and the tributaries flood so much. A very short and simple answer is that the rivers have become very shallow from silting. So to be able to carry they volume of water they need to expand, widen, causing flooding. The PRIMARY cause of the worsening flooding is SILTING of the rivers. So, why are these rivers getting silted? Where is the silt coming from? A simple answer is that it comers from Arunachal to the north and from the other hIll areas from the south. WHY you may ask. Again to put it simply, because of unrelenting deforestation and land disturbance ( earthmoving) in these hilly areas. The population there are building roads, settlements, farming more and so forth. Now then, what do you think will Chandra's embankment building do to the silting problem of these rivers? Simply put, it will exacerbate the silting problem by several hundred folds, not to mention the dust and other pollution that will be the norm all over Assam for decades to come. Not that Chandra does not know of the silting problem. He does. And he tells us that the tributaries will have to be fitted with dams to prevent the silt from getting into the Brahmaputra and that they will have to be DREDGED! Wait just a minute! Dredging did he say? I heard it is NOT possible. Apparently Indian and Kharkhowa experts have decided that dredging is not feasible since there is no place to deposit the dredged silt. I am sure you heard it too, right here in Assamnet. WHAT GIVES? Does it NOT sound fishy to you? IF Chandra Sagars are contingent on de-silting of the tributaries, why not start doing that to the MOTHER river, the Brahmaputra, to begin with? That will obviate the need for building the Chandra Sagars with the mother-of all embankments, which will uproot thousands of natives from the valley and render vast areas of fertile arable land permanently inundated and keep it under water year round. But that is NOT ALL. There is much more to it that I will point out, should it be difficult for you and others to imagine! Chandra Sagars are borne out of a far more insidious and unspoken motive. Guess what? On Nov 2, 2012, at 9:19 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com wrote: If you did not like the RiverLinks project how would you like this project which talks about building dams? Taking care of the flood problem which washes away all hopes for the villagers/farmers every year, was the main reason that made me fall for it, like many would! I won't deserve any praises since it isn't my project or anything, just was not ready for the Guwal-gaali'. : ) Did not want to make mm-da mad either, as he also 'naakos kori disil prothomotei' when he brought it up yesterday. Sent from my iPad On Nov 2, 2012, at 2:17 PM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote
[Assam] A New Blog Site
Hello Assamnetters, Long time no talk. Decided to return to the ol' 'juhalor mel' by announcing my latest blog site. I hope this one will last a bit longer than the previous attempts. Posted a picture to: http://chanmanstl.tumblr.com It is from my recent 10 day rafting/ camping trip down the Colorado River deep in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was an awesome trip. I hope to share some images and hopefully with a little description in the coming weeks and months. It is a departure from my usual fare in assamnet. But this may be more palatable than the never ending debates of the past :-). Speaking of which, mm's note of this morning referring to Oxom Xagor is something that got me going a few days back. It is yet another one of those hare-brained proposals that ought to be nipped in the bud. I thought of posting it here, but since it requires graphic attachment, probably won't go thru this list. Maybe I will be able to post it thru some other forum. We will see. The author also prohibits publishing it without permission. I can imagine why :-). cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Faith and Science
Thoughtful comment! A side note from us St. Louisans being on the news , thanks to a 'faither' named Todd Akin, that has brought about these discussions about faith and science. This person has been elected to the Congress 6 times by substantial majorities, from one of St. Louis' most affluent constituencies ( and thus could be considered educated as well) in spite of his well known , blind, faith based views, often verging on know-nothingism. I find it funny that all the Republican bigwigs are suddenly surprised by Todd Akin expressing himself, being who he always has been and being scandalized. They knew, from day one, that Todd Akin gets his marching order from God himself. And they are surprised now that he won't step aside? Borrowing n expression from Dickens, I say Bah-humbug! I think it is a poorly disguised case of political inconvenience, not a display of ordinary integrity or wisdom. BTW, Kathleen Parker wrote a funny one on this today. You can see it at: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/kathleen-parker/kathleen-parker-akin-s-breakin-heart/article_19b28bdd-616f-502b-a31d-02bed871ff2b.html On Aug 23, 2012, at 9:21 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: The following comment was posted on Gail Collins' OpEd about Todd Akin in the NYT . It is well written and expressive. I think Faith is blind and always will be in the article should have been Faith has blinders on and always will. Comments are welcome. * Bruce Blodgett * Crestone, CO Belief trumps fact not only among the Tea Party faithful but a large portion of the population. Belief is simpler, easier, faster. When believers try to find facts to stabilize their beliefs, they have started down a road that leads ultimately nowhere. The best we can do is make fun of them the way Gail Collins does so beautifully. There is no arguing with a believer who scorns science as a source of truth. Faith is blind and always will be. Faith always turns to the past for wisdom, never to the hard work of real research, which is generally pointed in the direction of the unknown, of the future. It deifies ancestors like Founding Fathers and chisels wisdom in stone. Faith is the opposite of thought. God Bless America and In God We Trust are expressions that America uses to shield itself from truth, that it wraps itself in for warmth and ends up suffocating the very freedom it so cherishes. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Center is Responsible for Ethnic Violence in Assam
While I hold my opinions on the matter, may I ask what you found ridiculous in the report Alpana :-)? BTW, the report seems to be from Ram Dhar's [Assam] NDTV hindi program - discussion about Kokrajhar incident, illegal migration post. So it could be surmised that it was prepared by some Hindiwalla, not exactly some Kharkhowa anti-Indian type :-). Buty I could be wrong about that. On Jul 29, 2012, at 11:57 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: How ridiculous! I am not sure if this is an opinion or quotes from somewhere else. Sent from my iPad On Jul 29, 2012, at 3:19 PM, Rajen Barua baru...@hotmail.com wrote: The Center is Responsible for Ethnic Violence in Assam The ethnic violence in Assam should be an eye opener to GOI and to all in Assam. Assam has about 3% of India's total population but has 140 different ethnic groups compared to India;s total about 600 total ethnic groups. The significance is clear when we realise that this 3% population of Assam is carrying about 25% of India's ethnic burden resulting in about 12 times more ethnic stress in Assam compared to the rest of India. I donot see that this point has been realised and presented in proper perspective by any political leaders either from the state or from the center. Assam simply cannot take any more ethic stress. Ethnic violence results from conflictc in ethnic groups trying to take proper ethnic identities. In an multi ethnic state like Assam, one will have to take multi identity for harmony of all. Thus the identity of Assamese with all ethnic groups that also consists of Hindus and Muslims is ideal for harmony. However, if one odes not want to take the Assamese identity that is fine as long as one doe not push too much on its own narrow ethnic identity to make additional room in Assam where room is simply not there. I hope this should be an eye opener to all in India. Against this background, the present ethnic violence in Assam is plainly a case in point which shows how the GOI is exploiting Assam under the terror of Indian Democracy. The ethnic homeland such as Bodo Land in a state like Assam which is already full of many different ethnic groups is not tenable, and the GOI should have known it. Many were opposed to the creation of the BTAD under the sixth schedule of the Constitution but Delhi which is the arbiter in all such cases does not think too far ahead. The center is trying to ceate rooms where room is not there. The GOI is doubly to blame, because this particular problem is created mainly by influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh which the GOI is supposed to take care f in the first place. This also shows the lack of leadership of the Assam political leaders in not being able to present in proper perspective the complex ethnic map of Assam with its proper significance ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Assam search engine ‘Bisarok’
IF 'bisarok' is supposed to be an imperative verb as opposed to a noun, I guess it could be appropriate, ( as in 'aapuni bisarok etiya'). But I thought in this context it was meant to be the name of the search engine, as a noun. If so then it won't be appropriate,considering the widely prevailing meaning of the Oxomiya word bisarok': A judge.. I will however stand corrected. Did not mean to split hairs g here :-). On Jul 18, 2012, at 11:41 PM, Amitabh Kakoty wrote: I go with Ms. Sarangapani. 1. In English - 'Search' button in any search engine's home-page actually means 'Now *You* Search' (after you type or speak what you want to search). 2. In that sense, 'Bisarok' in that particular page also means 'Apuni Bisarok'; they for obvious reasons did not make it 'Bisara' (Tumi) or 'Bisar' (Toi). 3. It is definitely not saying that you are a 'judge'!!! 4. 'Bisarok' (from Bisora) is in fact a very native, easy and simple word; there is no requirement of creating a new 'da(n)t bhonga' laboratory product. This trend is only leading to our mother tongue's alienation from us and contributing to its decay and death. Sanskrit was a tough written language - nobody actually accepted it as a normal language in the sub-continent (apart from few villages of descendants of few priests - that also in Dravidian South India!). Sanskrit based laboratory products in Assamese languages are actually threat to our mother tongue. Forget about it's acceptance from the local ethno-cultural groups as a lingua franca, even a common Assamese would prefer simpler languages or something like 'Assalish' or 'Hinglish'. The trend is evident. 5. But is this search engine a real search one or is a parasite on Google; it is not even in 'Assamese Language' - then, why not to use 'Google'! Are people going to use it? What are the advantages of using it? Regards Amitabh On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 1:28 AM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: A: While 'Aapuni Bisarok' could be an appropriate use of 'bisarok', I think Nava Thakuria was correct about pointing out that 'bisarok' is indeed a 'judge' and 'bisaarwta' is a more appropriate transliteration of 'searcher'. Another 'protixobdo' could be 'Onuxondhok', assuming such a form of the verb 'Onuxondhan' exists in the Oxomiya bhaxa :-). c-da On Jul 18, 2012, at 4:07 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: Bisarok could be both - a judge (noun), and a verb also - like, Aapuni Bisarok. So 'Bisarok' (for Search) does make sense to me. Sent from my iPhone On Jul 18, 2012, at 2:16 PM, Nava Thakuria navathaku...@yahoo.com wrote: very good initiative. but the word Bisarok does not mean searching. rather it indicates judge. it may be Bicharota or Bichari Uliaota. nava thakuria --- On Wed, 7/18/12, Buljit Buragohain buluas...@yahoo.co.in wrote: From: Buljit Buragohain buluas...@yahoo.co.in Subject: [FriendsofAssamNE] Assam search engine ‘Bisarok’ launched (The Assam Tribune,16.06.2012). To: assam@assamnet.org, friendsofassa...@yahoogroups.com, northeastin...@yahoogroups.com, silc...@yahoogroups.com, axomiya_stude...@yahoogroups.com, assamsoci...@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 3:19 PM Assam search engine ‘Bisarok’ launched Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, June 15 – A search engine titled ‘Bisarok’ – exclusively for Assam – has been launched. It has added websites of the Government of Assam, educational institutes, and the print, web and television media of the State. With the use of ‘Bisarok – Assam Search Engine’, users would be experiencing a new online environment getting results of their queries related to Assam only.Built on Google custom search engine, ‘Bisarok’ would be collating and building a database of web properties exclusively of the State.Explaining the idea behind ‘Bisarok’, RK Rishikesh Sinha who had earlier created a similar custom search engine (‘Bisarei’) exclusively on Bishnupriya Manipuri, said that except Google there was no link to get results, if one sought information, particularly from the list of Assam government websites.“As the results that Google show up do not meet the requirement, a necessity was felt to come up with a search engine exclusively for Assam,” Sinha said, adding that the search engine would help bring information and knowledge on Assam near to people.Any web entity related to Assam can be part of ‘Bisarok’ ( https://sites.google.com/site/assamsearchenginebisarok/ ).Sinha said that still at a nascent stage, ‘Bisarok’ will be graduated as soon as possible after analyzing the response from its early adopters and with their feedback. (The Assam Tribune,16.06.2012) -- সমাজৰ কাৰণে ভাল কাম কৰাজনৰ পৰিচয় ৰাইজৰ আগত দাঙি ধৰিব লাগে আৰু ভাল খবৰবোৰ যিমান পাৰি ৰাইজৰ মাজত বিলাব লাগে
Re: [Assam] Assam search engine ‘Bisarok’
A:
While 'Aapuni Bisarok' could be an appropriate use of 'bisarok', I think Nava
Thakuria was correct about pointing
out that 'bisarok' is indeed a 'judge' and 'bisaarwta' is a more appropriate
transliteration of 'searcher'.
Another 'protixobdo' could be 'Onuxondhok', assuming such a form of the verb
'Onuxondhan' exists in the Oxomiya bhaxa :-).
c-da
On Jul 18, 2012, at 4:07 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
Bisarok could be both - a judge (noun), and a verb also - like, Aapuni
Bisarok. So 'Bisarok' (for Search) does make sense to me.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 18, 2012, at 2:16 PM, Nava Thakuria navathaku...@yahoo.com wrote:
very good initiative. but the word
Bisarok does not mean searching. rather it indicates judge. it may be
Bicharota or Bichari Uliaota. nava thakuria
--- On Wed, 7/18/12, Buljit Buragohain buluas...@yahoo.co.in wrote:
From: Buljit Buragohain buluas...@yahoo.co.in
Subject: [FriendsofAssamNE] Assam search engine ‘Bisarok’ launched (The
Assam Tribune,16.06.2012).
To: assam@assamnet.org, friendsofassa...@yahoogroups.com,
northeastin...@yahoogroups.com, silc...@yahoogroups.com,
axomiya_stude...@yahoogroups.com, assamsoci...@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 3:19 PM
Assam search engine ‘Bisarok’ launched
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI,
June 15 – A search engine titled ‘Bisarok’ – exclusively for Assam –
has been launched. It has added websites of the Government of Assam,
educational institutes, and the print, web and television media of the
State. With the use of ‘Bisarok – Assam Search Engine’, users would
be experiencing a new online environment getting results of their
queries related to Assam only.Built on Google custom search
engine, ‘Bisarok’ would be collating and building a database of web
properties exclusively of the State.Explaining the idea behind
‘Bisarok’, RK Rishikesh Sinha who had earlier created a similar custom
search engine (‘Bisarei’) exclusively on Bishnupriya Manipuri, said that
except Google there was no link to get results, if one sought
information, particularly from the list of Assam government websites.“As
the results that Google show up do not meet the requirement, a
necessity was felt to come up with a search engine exclusively for
Assam,” Sinha said, adding that the search engine would help bring
information and knowledge on Assam near to people.Any web entity related to
Assam can be part of ‘Bisarok’
(https://sites.google.com/site/assamsearchenginebisarok/
).Sinha
said that still at a nascent stage, ‘Bisarok’ will be graduated as soon
as possible after analyzing the response from its early adopters and
with their feedback.
(The Assam Tribune,16.06.2012)
--
সমাজৰ কাৰণে ভাল কাম কৰাজনৰ পৰিচয় ৰাইজৰ আগত দাঙি ধৰিব লাগে আৰু ভাল খবৰবোৰ
যিমান পাৰি ৰাইজৰ মাজত বিলাব লাগে।
বুলজিৎ বুঢ়াগোহাঁই
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[Assam] A Beekeeper's Saga - Part II
Before I start on Part II, a declaration and apology: I realize Assamnet is not a BLOG. It is NOT my intent to use assamnet as my personal BLOG to write about MY hobbies and such. I am doing this only because some netters asked. And I will be perfectly happy not to indulge in this any farther, should anyone be annoyed. ** A renewed Attempt at Rebuilding and Trapping Feral Swarms: After I returned from Assam the last week of March, I was stunned to find that my sole over wintered hive was almost dead, with just a handful of bees, plenty of left over honey and with a few eggs and larvae. The queen was still there. But there were sealed cells with dead larvae, indicating that a disease has struck. I did treat the hive last fall for the common honey-bee disease Nosema, with antibiotic in sugar syrup. So, it could not have been Nosema, or at least so I think. But symptoms were like Nosema. There was no hope that the hive would survive. So what now? I can certainly buy one or two nucleas hives again to start all over. It is never a good idea to have just one hive, because if something f goes wrong, one will be left with nothing. It can be an extremely depressing thought. A nucleas hive ( 'nuc' in beekeeping parlance) is composed of a queen, three frames of larvae and sealed brood , a frame containing pollen ( protein source for brood) and a frame of honey ( to sustain the emerging colony, before nectar becomes available in spring) along with young nurse bees. It is houseApril. Ordinarily it begins mid to late April in our area. When the queen begins to lay eggs more rapidly and the brood expands, the frames and the bees are transferred into a standard hive box that holds nine or ten frames. A good honey producing hive requires to maintain six frames of brood during the nectar flow. Since the life of worker bees vary from one to four months, adequate number of newly emerging workers are essential for good production. The more the number of worker bees, the higher the rate of honey collection. Purchasing nucs to re-start the project, however, had a serious problem . Local beekeepers won't have a nuc available to sell until queens become available in May. That would mean NO honey for the season. Because by the time the nuc grows to producing strength, the nectar flow would be over in our area, which would be by the end of June to mid July. I almost gave up hope. But just out of a need to talk to someone about the sorry state of affairs, I called my mentor and President of our club, Bob, who was my go-to-guy since I started in 2010. Bob was driving to his bee yard, when I called him. After listening to my sad story, he said: Chan, we will have to figure out a way to get you some bees so that you are not without honey this season. While it sounded hopeful, I had my doubts and asked how that could happen. He said he will check with Ted, an octogenarian and the most experienced bee-keeper in our area, who had some over-wintered nucs ( thus won't have to wait till May to get queens for them). I knew Ted. He sold me a nuc in 2010 after I lost one of my hives due to the workers' rebellion that I wrote about last year. Ted, in his hey-day had over two hundred hives in his then semi rural subarban homestead near St. Louis. He told me in 2010 that he used to sell honey nationwide, by the ton, and that he makes more money selling nucs now ,( at $ 110. 00 a pop) than selling honey. He said he is limited only by the availability of new queens and can't keep up with demand. Shortly afterwards Bob called me and asked me to call Ted right-away. I did. Did he have any nucs for sale? Yep, he had a couple left. I said I am coming right over. Ted sold me his two last overwintered nucs., which were actually very strong. Ted said, I could start setting up honey supers on these two colonies in two weeks. That was the first week of April. And I felt sooo relieved! There was a very good chance we would have honey again this year. Won't be like 2011, but we won't be left empty handed. We got spoiled from last year's bounty. Our sweetener consumption has entirely turned into home grown honey. Could not bear the thought of returning to sugar. Our children , nephew and grand nephews, all got used to having honey from the Mahanta apiary. What is a honey super? It is a shallower box of honey comb frames, that we place over the main brood box, sometime with a queen excluder, where the workers store honey for their use during the nectar-less months and for the winter, and which we steal for our consumption. What is a queen excluder? It is a screen made of metal bars that are spaced just enough apart to let workers through to go store honey, but too narrow to let the queen go past , to lay eggs on the honey supers. I got re-equipped for a hopefully productive spring: I
Re: [Assam] misuse of this mailing list
That was perceptive of you Sushanta. Manoj, I know Bhuban Kokaideu, nearly 80, very well. He is from Namti, same place I grew up in. Worked for BBC for a long time and lives with his family at London and in Spain parts of the year. Jyotirmay does have a point. But I am quite sure BK has been doing what he has been, in his way of keeping the semblance of a life ticking in this net. I used to be a major trouble-maker in Assamnet. But I have gotten tired of the same old, same old, even though I am open to lighting small fires now and then. Unfortunately one or two participants cannot really generate a meaningful discourse. There is a dearth of participants, perhaps due to apathy, perhaps due to a lingering fear of speaking openly and frankly and perhaps because of a weariness, like yours truly's. Even though I have a nominal presence in Facebook, I rarely participate there either. So my absence from this net has had nothing to do with social or anti-social media of any kind :-). Best. cm On Jun 3, 2012, at 1:14 PM, Sushanta Kar wrote: Dear All, I was also thinking that way like all of you about B Baruah's mails. But, I gave another thought. Please don't take it otherwise. Have you noticed this mail group is no more as active as it was in pre-Facebook dates? All most all of us became less active here. It's only he who is keeping this mail group busy. It's true that most of his mails are not related to Assam. It would be better to suggest him prefer Assam related post, He may not be well aware about the policy of this group, so he is posting whatever he likes. Sushanta Kar On Sun, Jun 3, 2012 at 11:25 PM, Manoj Kumar Das dasm...@gmail.com wrote: Yes,.. I also wondered who this Bhuban Baruah is... Sent from my iPad On 03-Jun-2012, at 4:55 PM, Jyotirmoy Sharma jyotirmoy.sha...@gmail.com wrote: Why is Assam Times being bombarded with irrelevant mails by one person. I joined the list as it used to be contain news, views about Assam and NE India. Now it seems it has become the job of one person to keep mailing news from other newspapers which are of no significance to this mailing list. Most people who use this mailing list have internet and are able to look for news( from other papers ) concerning their interests. Please stop this email abuse. JS ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org -- Sushanta Kar সুশান্ত কর তিনসুকিয়া, আসাম আমার ব্লগগুলি: http://sushantakar40.blogspot.com http://ishankonerkahini.blogspot.com http://ishankonerkotha.blogspot.com আমার সম্পাদিত 'প্রজ্ঞান' http://pragyan06now.blogspot.com http://sites.google.com/site/pragyan06now স্বাজাত্যের অহমিকার থেকে মুক্তি দানের শিক্ষাই, আজকের দিনের প্রধান শিক্ষা রবীন্দ্রনাথ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Beekeeping at the Mahanta Apiary
Now that you asked Utpal :-): It has been quite an awesome journey for me since I took up beekeeping in the spring of 2010. Some of you read about the emotionally roller-coasting experiences: The loss of a queen, laying-worker colony, destruction of the colony, replacement with a new starter in early summer and so forth. Anyway, I managed to get two good colonies going thru the fall of 2010, overwintered them successfully, started the spring of 2011 with two solid colonies ready for the spring honey collection. I split off some combs from both the two strong colonies and made a third one with a new queen purchased thru our bee-club. The two older colonies started collecting honey in earnest as soon as the nectar-flow began and the third built up strength to join in the effort early in summer. I extracted my first honey during the Memorial-day weekend of ( last one of May) of 2011, and kept harvesting until mid-July. I extracted 327 lbs. of honey by the time I stopped. That was much more than my wildest expectations. Samples of our bounty traveled across the continent and beyond the oceans, all the way to Assam. I sold some too. But UPS got a whole lot more on shipping costs than my sales could make up for. My mentor in the club told me that our crop was much, much above the average yield of the club members. I attribute that to the strength of the colonies -- all the hard work paid off-- and the abundance of nectar in our environs. As if all that was not enough, I took up mead making. Mead is wine made from honey and is the earliest form of wine that humans ever brewed. Soma is speculated to be honey-wine, as was the Greeks' Ambrosia. 8 thousand year old Egyptian honey-wine remains have been discovered in the Pyramids. More recently, the merrymaking libations supplied by Friar Tuck to Robin Hood and and his band was mead. So, as you can see, mead has a sweet and intoxicating history. I used 15 lbs. of my finest clover honey to start a batch of 5 gallons of mead on New Years day, 2012. Today I am cleaning salvaged wine bottles to bottle 4.5 gallons of our very drinkable mead. It tastes like semi-sweet Riesling. If you pay us a visit, we shall break bread, or more precisely, partake of maasor-tenga with a fine bottle of Mahanta Mead of the Ole Jamestown Apiary, 2011 vintage. Experts say, however, that mead should be aged at least a year for it to taste good, better still with about three years of aging. I doubt my 4.5 gallons will last that long. That was the good news. My bees ran into trouble in the summer of 2012. By the end of fall I lost three of my hives. Only one overwintered successfully, but that hive got diseased by March, and after returning from Assam by the last week of March, I was without a single hive. It was devastating. The roller-coaster never seems to end. Next: A renewed Attempt at Rebuilding and Trapping Feral Swarms. c-da On Jun 3, 2012, at 3:26 PM, Utpal Brahma wrote: But Chandanda, Your Bee story was awsome. I -- nay am sure we -- look forward to reading more of it. Perhaps even some Hollywood producers can pick it up and make a new Blockbuster The Bee Story much like The Antz or The Toy Story. Very curious to know how is your Bee adventure going on . Utpal From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sunday, June 3, 2012 2:39 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] misuse of this mailing list That was perceptive of you Sushanta. Manoj, I know Bhuban Kokaideu, nearly 80, very well. He is from Namti, same place I grew up in. Worked for BBC for a long time and lives with his family at London and in Spain parts of the year. Jyotirmay does have a point. But I am quite sure BK has been doing what he has been, in his way of keeping the semblance of a life ticking in this net. I used to be a major trouble-maker in Assamnet. But I have gotten tired of the same old, same old, even though I am open to lighting small fires now and then. Unfortunately one or two participants cannot really generate a meaningful discourse. There is a dearth of participants, perhaps due to apathy, perhaps due to a lingering fear of speaking openly and frankly and perhaps because of a weariness, like yours truly's. Even though I have a nominal presence in Facebook, I rarely participate there either. So my absence from this net has had nothing to do with social or anti-social media of any kind :-). Best. cm On Jun 3, 2012, at 1:14 PM, Sushanta Kar wrote: Dear All, I was also thinking that way like all of you about B Baruah's mails. But, I gave another thought. Please don't take it otherwise. Have you noticed this mail group is no more as active as it was in pre-Facebook dates? All most all of us became less active here. It's only he who is keeping this mail
[Assam] AT News: CM proposes international expert team
Be ware Raiz of this INTERNATIONAL TEAM packaging! While the packaging may seem sophisticated, what comes inside is what everyone must scrutinize carefully. There is an ancient Oxomiya 'fokora' that goes: Goru haal baalew bura hoy, haaal nebalew bura hoy. Literally it means that cattle grow old, regardless of whether they ever pulled a plough . Just like a person can get old regardless of ever having done anything useful, and NOT deserving of the respect and veneration offered to the aged in our society. Similarly, just because an individual may be 'International, does not make her either able or wise or fair. Indian politicians, past and present have a sordid and pervasive history of using this International packaging to sell patently bad ideas to the population, still awed by them 'bilaat-ferots' and 'sahibs'- white or brown or even kharkhowa. I don't know WHO are in this team. But I won't be at all surprised if it is going to be loaded with those who will either rubber-stamp the Govt's designs, or with those who have their own interest in getting a piece of this lucrative action, or both. So, I hope the able will put their thinking caps on and scrutinize this very old PLOY well! cm http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jun0112/at06 CM proposes international expert team Spl Correspondent NEW DELHI, May 31 – In yet another attempt to tackle the anti-dam agitation raging in the State, Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi has proposed constitution a 10-member international expert team to study the downstream impact of dams in Assam. The Chief Minister announced the government’s decision at a workshop on ‘Piano Key Weir for In-stream Storage and Dam Safety’ organised by Indian Water Resources Society and Department of Water Resources Development and Management, IIT Roorkee among other organisations. The Chief Minister said that the main task before the team of international team of experts would be to study the problem of flood and erosion, power generation besides impact of dams. Gogoi also mentioned about the huge network of embankment in the States some of which are over 60 years old. He also mentioned about the possibility of exploring the use of new technology like the piano key weir. The Chief Minister stressed on the utility of constructing multi-purpose dams with power generation and flood management components. The Chief Minister proposed that the new expert committee would visit Assam and hold deliberations with all stakeholders including the Expert Group. City » ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Picture of Coppersmith Barbet
Here is the link: http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/image-of-the-day-may-2/ So, does anyone know what the Oxomiya name for this bird is? Yes, it is a quiz :-). On May 3, 2012, at 8:01 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: Here is the picture that Bhubanda wrote about. May 2, 2012, 12:58 pm Image of the Day: May 2 By THE NEW YORK TIMES European Pressphoto AgencyA Coppersmith Barbet peeps from its nest in a betel-nut tree, for predator birds in Guwahati, ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] This Man Is Doing Something Tangible
Quite a heartwarming story and an admirable example! Hopefully the publication of the story will help his efforts and bring him support. cm On Apr 9, 2012, at 4:36 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: It is hard to walk the talk. This man's work (in the article below) is admirable. He is a modern day Noah. The link was in another Assamnet email. In case you didn't open the link there, I wanted to bring it to your attention. We can help Mulai through AFNA. === Home » India Man creates forest single-handedly on Brahmaputra sand bar Mar 25, 2012 | Tags: Brahmaputra Jadav Payeng A man in his mid-50s helped grow a huge forest on a sand bar in the middle of the mighty Brahmaputra in Assam's Jorhat district, which has caught attention of the government, tourists and film-makers. The 30-year-long effort of Jadav Payeng, known among local people as 'Mulai', to grow the woods, stretching over an area of 550 hectares, has been hailed by the Assam Forest Department as 'examplary'. Mulai began work on the forest in 1980 when the social forestry division of Golaghat district launched a scheme of tree plantation on 200 hectares at Aruna Chapori situated at a distance of five KMs from Kokilamukh in Jorhat district. Assistant conservator of forest Gunin Saikia, who is presently posted at Sivsagar district, said, “Mulai was one of the labourers who worked in our project which was completed after five years. He chose to stay back after the completion of the project as others left. Mulai not only looked after the plants, but continued to plant more trees on his own effort slowly transforming the area into a big forest, Saikia noted. “This is perhaps the biggest forest in the middle of a river,” Saikia, who was instrumental in conceiving the project, said. The department planned to launch another plantation programme in the area this year, Saikia said pointing out that there was ample scope to extend the forest by another 1,000 hectares. Not only tourists are flocking to the woods in droves, a famous British film-maker Tom Robert went there two years back to shoot one of his films. The forest, known in Assamese as 'Mulai Kathoni' or Mulai forest, houses around four tigers, three rhinoceros, over a hundred deer and rabbits besides apes and innumerable varieties of birds, including a large number of vultures. It has several thousand trees among which are valcol, arjun, ejar, goldmohur, koroi, moj and himolu. There are bamboo trees too covering an area of over 300 hectares. A herd of around 100 elephants regularly visits the forest every year and generally stay for around six months. They also gave birth to 10 calves in the forest in recent times. Mulai’s efforts caught attention of the forest department only during 2008 when a team of forest officials went to the area in search of a herd of 115 elephants that sneaked into the forest after damaging property of villagers at Aruna chapori, around 1.5 km from the forest. “The officials were surprised to see such a large and dense forest and since then the department is showing interest on conservation with regular visit to the site,” Mulai said. Mulai, an avid nature lover, has constructed a small house in the vicinity of the reserve and stays with his family which comprises wife, two sons and a daughter. He earns his living by selling milk of cows and buffalows he has kept. Mulai has one regret, though. The state government has so far not provided any financial assistance to him to carry out his 'mission' except for the Forest Department which from time to time supplies him saplings for plantation. “A few years back, poachers tried to kill the rhinos staying in the forest but failed in their attempt due to Mulai who alerted department officials. Immediately our officials swung into action and seized various articles used by the poachers to trap the animals,” Atul Das, forest beat officer, said. In the last three months Das along with a few of his staff are camping in the area to stave off any attempt by poachers to kill the rhinos. “We are persuading the state government to initiate necessary measures with the Centre for declaring the area a mini wildlife sanctuary,” Pranon Kalita, leader of Jorhat district Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad, said. Member of Parliament from Jorhat and former DoNER Minister B K Handique would also take up the matter with the concerned union ministry for declaring the area into a wildlife sanctuary, Kalita said. Mulai said, “If the Forest Department promises me to manage the forest in a better way, I shall go to other places of the state to start a similar venture,” he said. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam
[Assam] A New Species of Amphibians Found in Assam and Contiguous Areas
http://www.batangastoday.com/chikilidae-new-family-of-legless-amphibians-discovered-in-india-photo/20750/ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Lower Subansiri and the Politics of Expertise
Beautifully explained, Baruah! cm On Jan 23, 2012, at 9:14 AM, Sanjib Baruah wrote: From Assam Tribune, January 22, 2012 http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/showpage.asp?id=jan2212,6,417,108,999,855 Lower Subansiri and the Politics of Expertise Dr. Sanjib Baruah The mobilization of a variety of highly credentialed experts to settle the controversy over the Lower Subansiri hydropower project reminds me of an American Doonesbury comic strip. It features Stewie, a young researcher, who is frustrated with his calculator because it wouldn’t produce the ‘right’ answer. Stewie grumbles that he can’t get the ‘pesky scientific facts’ to ‘line up behind [his] beliefs.’ Some of our decision-makers seem to be behaving like Stewie. They are looking for experts whose opinions can be interpreted as being in line with what officials consider to be the ‘right answer’ to the questions raised about the Lower Subansiri hydropower project. It is perhaps not a coincidence that a North American comic strip speaks to our present predicament in Assam. The Doonesbury strip was a comment on former US president George W. Bush’s attitudes toward scientific truths vis-à-vis a number of issues including climate change and evolution. (Many of Bush’s Christian fundamentalist supporters are ‘creationists’ who believe in the Bible’s story of creation and reject Darwin’s theory of evolution). Thus an authority figure dressed in a white lab coat, based on the real-life character of the science adviser at the Bush White House, appears in the scene. He advises the confused Stewie on “situational science” which he explains is “about respecting both sides of a scientific argument, not just the ones supported by facts.” The “situational science adviser” then lists a number of “controversies” where “situational science” could be useful, among them the “evolution controversy,”“the global-warming controversy” and the “pesticides controversy.” In the comic strip cartoonist Garry Trudeau uses the term ‘controversy’ ironically with reference to subjects on which there are well-established scientific truths. However, we live in a world where knowledge controversies have become a familiar part of public debates in many parts of the world. Such knowledge controversies are examples of what Dutch social theorist Annemarie Mol calls ontological politics. Controversies about the dangers of the “mad cow disease” or what scientists call Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the UK, and other recent panics about food safety in Europe, are examples of ontological politics. What is common about these controversies is that significant sections of the public challenge the knowledge claims of scientists and technologists that inform government decisions and practices. While a few years ago the authority of science and the reassurances provided by technocrats may have been enough to reassure the public about “acceptable risks,” they now fail to convince those that are affected by policy decisions informed by expert knowledge. The debate on the Lower Subansiri project is best seen as a knowledge controversy – an example of ontological politics. In these cases, the first-hand experience of citizens and the vernacular knowledge generated by that experience are in tension with what is regarded as authoritative science by decision-makers. They fail to allay public concerns. German sociologist Ulrich Beck explains this as a characteristic feature of “risk society.” Experts in the context of such knowledge controversies fail to convince the public that the risks involved in a new product or in an infrastructural project are “acceptable.” At the root of the controversy over the Lower Subansiri project are two sets of tensions (a) between first-hand experience and vernacular knowledge on the one hand, and expert knowledge that informs government decisions on the other; and (b) between expert knowledge produced by one group of well-credentialed experts familiar with the local context, and by a second group of equally well-credentialed experts based at institutions in the Indian heartland, but viewed locally as experts who have few stakes in the region. A number of factors account for these tensions. First, the people of the Brahmaputra valley have known floods in a way that very few other people in the world have. Second, the experience of the earthquake of 1950 and the catastrophic floods that followed are deeply etched in the collective memory of the people of the Brahmaputra Valley. A research team studying flood adaptation in the Brahmaputra Valley found that even after six decades villagers affected by those catastrophic floods remember them as ‘Pahar Bhanga Pani’ [hill-destroying floodwaters] and ‘Bolia Pani’ [floodwaters driven by madness]. It is hardly surprising that hydropower
[Assam] Speaking of Anna Hazare
Speaking of Anna Hazare, whatever came about from the 'movement'? Anything? If I am not mistaken this was ONE 'movement' so many Indians were banking on to truly change the face of a corrupt India. And so many in Assam were excited. But did it deliver anything? Just curious. cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Portrait
Great job, Mahesh Da. You really captured the personality of his waning days. c On Dec 8, 2011, at 2:31 PM, Mahesh Baishya wrote: Attached is a watercolor portrait of Bhupenda. Your feed back pl. Thanks, Mahesh BaishyaBhupen Hazarika 002.JPG___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Check This Out
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/06/kadinchey-pogos-remix_n_1131222.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] OOPS-- But Torun Begins and ends and all in between -- ALSO
You can see it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/nov/10/rick-perry-speechless-debate-video Also is a favorite connective for our brilliant Alaskan ex-Gov, Sarah Palin. Birds of a feather? On Nov 27, 2011, at 10:06 PM, mc mahant wrote: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/rick-perry-stumbles-cnbc-debate-031555419.html When I clicked to see it shows-- Sorry-- Gone CAN WE See and enjoy mm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] AShort Story
Loved the story very much, Utpal. I did not at all expect the catch. Great job! c-da On Nov 6, 2011, at 10:05 AM, Utpal Brahma wrote: http://utpalbrahma.blogspot.com/2011/11/love-letters-with-malabika-bora.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] [assam] Rajat Gupta, a former Mg Director of McKinsey Co.
Dear BK, What do you think of the Rajat Gupta scandal? Is he a crook? Someone who made an error of judgement? Does he embody the Indian mindset or desi-ethics? Should desis now abandon him, having made him their mascot as P R Sinha asks? Should desis have made him ( or anybody else) their mascot to begin with ? Is Rajat Gupta the highly successful businessman ( like all the other desi-CEOs of so many US Corporations) or was he ( and the other) are merely manipulators cashing in on enterprises somebody else built? And finally, should Gupta or Rajaratnam and other tainted and even convicted individuals taint everybody else who bears the 'desi' identity or flaunts it or is given it by default ( like yours truly for example :-)) ? s On Oct 31, 2011, at 8:38 AM, bbar...@aol.com wrote: Dear Netters: The way India Ink (New York Times) arranges the various topics is bewildering. In my post to AssamNet this morning i missed the following two that i am forwarding now. a. Newswallah in the English language Press this Monday (31 10 11). b. Once Revered, Business Icon is now Reviled (Report on McKinsey's former Managing Director Please click on: http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/once-revered-business-icon-is-now-reviled/ -bhuban ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Go Cards!
Thanks Ram. It was certainly one heckuva series! These Cards were awesome, returning from the brink, over and over again, to get to the top, which nobody but nobody expected to happen. I felt sorry for the Rangers. Twice they were almost there. Needed just one more strike and they would have been the champs. I can imagine how badly they feel. On Oct 29, 2011, at 7:54 AM, Ram Sarangapani wrote: I guess, we have to ultimately congratulate you St.Lousians for the Cards win yesterday, at some point. :-) That was a good win.. Ram ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] perfect world
Hi A: This sure is a wish out of no-where! What made you opine for these anyway? Give us the context. Perhaps someone can help you with an alternative solution to seeking the perfect world! :-) c-da On Oct 26, 2011, at 3:38 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: I used to wish for separate lanes on the highways for 18 wheelers. Now I wish there were separate lanes for vans and station wagons as well, right side lanes, that is! But it is not a perfect world, is it? ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Student Scientists to Submit Space Station Experiments
While it IS an excellent opportunity, it presents some extremely big challenges to students who are NOT necessarily familiar with the concept of: --- experiment question, hypothesis, method and expected results. Even though it sounds pretty basic to the field of science learning, if I were to borrow on the 'science' education of my era, these are pretty strange notions. Unfortunately in MOST of Assam's schools they still are. Who will change that? And how? On Oct 20, 2011, at 8:56 AM, Rajen Barua wrote: This is a great opportunity for school students to compete internationally. Students in NE between the age group of 14 to 18 are encouraged to participate in the following program. Closing date is Dec 7, 2011. There will be two winners each from Asia, Europe and America. All information are in the NASA website noted below. If any student need any guidance, please ask. Best Wishes. Rajen Barua FASS International Houston rajenba...@gmail.com http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/YouTube.html Student Scientists to Submit Space Station Experiments Expedition 29 Commander Mike Fossum encouraged students to participate in the YouTube Space Lab contest via a broadcast from aboard the International Space Station. (NASA) View large image Your experiment, 250 miles above Earth, for the whole world to see. That is the promise made at the end of the video on the official YouTube Space Lab contest Website. NASA has partnered with Space Adventures to support this competition. Space Adventures is collaborating with YouTube and Lenovo. Armed with initiative and imagination, students have the chance to envision and design their own experiment with the ultimate prize -- flying it on the International Space Station. The contest opened on Oct. 11, 2011, and will continue to accept submissions in the form of a two-minute duration video through Dec. 7. Students age 14 to 18 can become researchers in their own right by proposing up to three separate original entries on the official YouTube Space Lab contest Website. Participants can enter as either individuals or in teams of up to three people. Entries must include an experiment question, hypothesis, method and expected results. Part of the appeal of the contest is the prestigious panel of judges that are lined up to select the finalists, including professor Stephen Hawking, NASA's Leland Melvin, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, among others. The final selection includes a public vote which will begin via YouTube on Jan. 3, 2012. The space station really is the greatest science classroom we have, said Leland Melvin, associate administrator for education at NASA Headquarters in Washington and YouTube Space Lab judge. This contest will capitalize on students' excitement for space exploration while engaging them in real-life scientific research and experimentation. As an award, six regional finalists will get to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in a zero-g flight. On March 13, two global winners will be announced. The global finalists will get to travel to either Russia, where they can engage in an authentic astronaut training experience, or Japan to watch their experiment blast off into space. They also receive the grand prize of having their experiments performed on the space station and live streamed for the public via YouTube. This competition aims to inspire students to look beyond their daily studies and ask their own questions of the universe around them. Proposed experiments will focus on either life sciences or physics with the hope that the entrants will take their experiences with them as they continue in their education, perhaps towards careers in math and science. NASA astronaut Mike Fossum encouraged students to participate from aboard the space station via his own YouTube video. YouTube Space Lab is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to have your experiment performed by astronauts like me in the space station, said Fossum. Imagine, you become the scientist! Your experiment is performed in space and streamed back to Earth. The world watches as your scientific investigation unfolds. What will you do from onboard the International Space Station? The official YouTube Space Lab Website asks some initial prompting questions, such as can plants survive beyond the Earth and whether or not proteins grown in space could reveal the mysteries of life. The real thrill, however, is the unlimited potential opened up in the minds of students as they begin to ask their own questions and seek real answers. With previous student experiments in space having already led to new knowledge, there is no boundary to what exciting possibilities this latest opportunity to probe young minds may create.
Re: [Assam] [asom] Regarding news item of Dr. Pradip Sarmah
Dear Das: A long distance hello from one Kharkhowa creative professional to another. You may remember we met at your lab. at IIT-G a number of years back, mutually introduced by my namesake, Dr. Chandan Mahanta, your fellow professor. It was by fluke that I came to receive your mail. I opted out of the e-mail group 'assamonline' a number of years back for a number of reasons. But somehow, I do end up receiving mail from the group every now and then. For once I am glad I got to see your post from this list because I feel strongly about the issue, on more than one level. That is why I am also posting this note to 'assamnet', the e-mail group that I maintain connections with. First off allow me to congratulate, like I did when I first saw the prototype in your lab, for your Dipbahan tricycle rickshaw, what, about 5 years back? I thought you and your team of colleagues, students and grad. students who may have been involved were doing an excellent job. Being an architect and also having been exposed to NID way back in 1967 and later being a colleague and partner with a graphic/product designer here in St. Louis, USA , I appreciate the value of modern product design, something that was sorely missing in India. You and your team therefore are filling a very critical gap in the country's higher education in the area of CREATIVE designs. With this background, when I read your note, I was taken aback by what has been going on with Dipbahan. I will be the first to acknowledge here, that in affairs such as this, there are many layers of issues, events, facts and even fictions, of which I am sure I am quite ignorant. But the fact of your and your IIT colleagues' original creative ownership of the design is indisputable as far as I am concerned, because I saw it personally, under development at your lab. That is why I am mincing no words in declaring that a gross violation of professional ethics has taken place here. Having said that, let us examine Pradip Sarmah's role here: I don't know him, although I heard the name in association with the modern tricycle rickshaw design. I assumed that he was working with you and your team at IIT-G and thought it was a good thing that the product has found its way to the market and in a good way at that, to enable needy drivers to become owners. I won't attempt to deny Sarmah due credit in helping bring the rickshaw to the needy drivers. But IF he did it in the way you describe here, it is thoroughly unprofessional and dishonorable. This brings us to the question of intellectual property rights. I feel strongly about it, because I too have been a victim of theft of creative work by people who one would not expect from. Unless India can establish and enforce, fairly and in a timely manner, protection for rights to creative work, little of it will emerge. The country will always remain a copier and stealer of others' creations. Not a pretty thought for an emerging power. But I realize, as I am sure you do, that protection of property rights of creative works is an extremely difficult issue. Even in countries like USA, where patent laws and intellectual property rights are widely enforced. That is in part because more often than not, more than one person may be involved in these efforts. For example, in the case of Dipbahan too, there may have others involved: Your colleagues, under-grad. students, grad students and so forth. They too have right to be acknowledged, given credit for their contributions. Then comes the issue of IIT's investments in the development of the product design. IIT being a public entity, ultimately the property rights belong to the people. I am sure that is why you co-operated with Sarmah in the beginning. That was the honorable and professional, thing to do. And it would have behooved Dr. Sarmah, himself a professional, to act accordingly. I hope the people of Assam (and India) and their well-wishers and supporters abroad, including the so-called NRAs, would help rectify the wrongs that have been committed. I encourage Dr. Sarmah to rise to the occasion and do the right things. Best. Chandan K. Mahanta President Mahanta Associates, PC Architects St. Louis, Missouri USA. On Sep 19, 2011, at 8:47 AM, da...@iitg.ernet.in wrote: Dear all, Greetings from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati). I am Amarendra Kumar Das, presently Professor and Head, Department of Design, IIT Guwahati. It has come to our notice from local news papers in Assam India regarding laureate of The Tech Awards 2011. I have reproduced the text of the news item below. “DR. Pradip Kumar Sarmah, the founder of Rickshaw bank was today named as a laureate of The Tech Awards 2011, one of 15 global innovators recognized each year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc.,
[Assam] Regarding news item of Dr. Pradip Sarmah
Dear Das: A long distance hello from one Kharkhowa creative professional to another. You may remember we met at your lab. at IIT-G a number of years back, mutually introduced by my namesake, Dr. Chandan Mahanta, your fellow professor. It was by fluke that I came to receive your mail. I opted out of the e-mail group 'assamonline' a number of years back for a number of reasons. But somehow, I do end up receiving mail from the group every now and then. For once I am glad I got to see your post from this list because I feel strongly about the issue, on more than one level. That is why I am also posting this note to 'assamnet', the e-mail group that I maintain connections with. First off allow me to congratulate, like I did when I first saw the prototype in your lab, for your Dipbahan tricycle rickshaw, what, about 5 years back? I thought you and your team of colleagues, students and grad. students who may have been involved were doing an excellent job. Being an architect and also having been exposed to NID way back in 1967 and later being a colleague and partner with a graphic/product designer here in St. Louis, USA , I appreciate the value of modern product design, something that was sorely missing in India. You and your team therefore are filling a very critical gap in the country's higher education in the area of CREATIVE designs. With this background, when I read your note, I was taken aback by what has been going on with Dipbahan. I will be the first to acknowledge here, that in affairs such as this, there are many layers of issues, events, facts and even fictions, of which I am sure I am quite ignorant. But the fact of your and your IIT colleagues' original creative ownership of the design is indisputable as far as I am concerned, because I saw it personally, under development at your lab. That is why I am mincing no words in declaring that a gross violation of professional ethics has taken place here. Having said that, let us examine Pradip Sarmah's role here: I don't know him, although I heard the name in association with the modern tricycle rickshaw design. I assumed that he was working with you and your team at IIT-G and thought it was a good thing that the product has found its way to the market and in a good way at that, to enable needy drivers to become owners. I won't attempt to deny Sarmah due credit in helping bring the rickshaw to the needy drivers. But IF he did it in the way you describe here, it is thoroughly unprofessional and dishonorable. This brings us to the question of intellectual property rights. I feel strongly about it, because I too have been a victim of theft of creative work by people who one would not expect from. Unless India can establish and enforce, fairly and in a timely manner, protection for rights to creative work, little of it will emerge. The country will always remain a copier and stealer of others' creations. Not a pretty thought for an emerging power. But I realize, as I am sure you do, that protection of property rights of creative works is an extremely difficult issue. Even in countries like USA, where patent laws and intellectual property rights are widely enforced. That is in part because more often than not, more than one person may be involved in these efforts. For example, in the case of Dipbahan too, there may have others involved: Your colleagues, under-grad. students, grad students and so forth. They too have right to be acknowledged, given credit for their contributions. Then comes the issue of IIT's investments in the development of the product design. IIT being a public entity, ultimately the property rights belong to the people. I am sure that is why you co-operated with Sarmah in the beginning. That was the honorable and professional, thing to do. And it would have behooved Dr. Sarmah, himself a professional, to act accordingly. I hope the people of Assam (and India) and their well-wishers and supporters abroad, including the so-called NRAs, would help rectify the wrongs that have been committed. I encourage Dr. Sarmah to rise to the occasion and do the right things. Best. Chandan K. Mahanta President Mahanta Associates, PC Architects St. Louis, Missouri USA. On Sep 19, 2011, at 8:47 AM, da...@iitg.ernet.in wrote: Dear all, Greetings from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati). I am Amarendra Kumar Das, presently Professor and Head, Department of Design, IIT Guwahati. It has come to our notice from local news papers in Assam India regarding laureate of The Tech Awards 2011. I have reproduced the text of the news item below. “DR. Pradip Kumar Sarmah, the founder of Rickshaw bank was today named as a laureate of The Tech Awards 2011, one of 15 global innovators recognized each year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc.,
Re: [Assam] [assam] Bee-Keeping
BK: I am quite sure there are checks against gross impurities in honey by importing countries' health depts. For example dead bees, larvae, ash, debris etcv. are very easily detected and could not get thru. The real bad stuff are the antibiotics and sugary syrup adulterants, like high-fructose corn syrup which are hard to detect. High fructose corn syrup is widely used by Chinese and Indian exporters as well as re-sellers in the USA or Europe. Health and nutrient benefits of honey, at best, are not quite measurable. But what sets honey apart from other sweeteners is its flavor. That is one of the most significant attributes of pure LOCAL honey, its unique flavors. There is nothing to beat that. Bees forage in a small area surrounding their hives. It is no farther than 1.5 miles to 2 miles at most. And the flavor of the honey is dependent on the type of nectar producing plant in a particular area. Therefore they also vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood. This unique characteristic of LOCAL honey is lost in commercially sold honey, because the packers mix up honey from many different areas and promptly lose their unique flavors. And to make matters worse, when they add adulterants like high-fructose corn syrup, it is entirely destroyed. c On Aug 30, 2011, at 3:24 PM, bbar...@aol.com wrote: Dear Chandan I am no longer interested in bee-keeping but the following piece followed the earlier one and I have to forward it to you. I had to edit it a little in order to shorten it without damaging the core. A question. As you know, honey is collected from the forests of Nepal, West Bengal, Assam and rest of India by contractors of the Forest dept. This is not the same honey as produced by bee-keepers.These wild bees build their hives on top of very tall trees of the forests. Their honey is full of dead bees, larvae, ashes and all sorts of impurities. Is this honey also exported? Is there any quality check somewhere? -bhuban Stripe-suited workers create a new buzz at stock exchange By Tom Lowe DIEGO RAVIER Xavier Rolet, CEO of the London Stock exchange. Bee keeping in la Verrier Ceramic Bee Box - Skep Attractive fully functioning nester for bees £19.50 next day delivery. www.ArkWildlife.co.uk/CeramicBeeBox Beekeeping Supplies Everything You Need For You Your Bees www.PaynesBeeFarm.co.uk Beekeeper's Clothing Great Quality Beekeeper's Clothing. Buy Now - Free PP With Every Order BeechwoodBees.co.uk The London Stock Exchange is to welcome thousands of new worker drones next month, by introducing bees to its rooftop in the City. Europe's largest stock exchange, the fourth biggest in the world, has taken delivery of two beehives which will receive their 100,000 residents in a fortnight . It is a step that will strike many as eccentric, both in the City and outside, but the Exchange's chief executive Xavier Rolet, an avid beekeeper, is excited about the move, which he says is a small effort to address the threat to Europe's dwindling bee populations. The honey will be given as corporate gifts. Related articles Leading article: Honey money Search the news archive for more stories Honey bee numbers across Europe and North America have been falling in recent years, raising concerns for their future. It is hoped that the LSE's warmer central London location, overlooking St Paul's, will help its new colonies survive the winter. According to the London Beekeepers Association: Urban bees have a wide range of forage, as the gardens and green spaces in cities contain a rich variety of trees and flowers. This, and the slightly milder weather, means that the beekeeping season is longer and usually more productive than in rural areas. With concern mounting over bee populations, the number of hobbyist beekeepers is on the rise, and the LSE is only the latest business organisation to install apiaries on its premises. Mr Rolet, 51, keeps 50,000 bees at his private estate in Provence. The former Bank of England governor Robin Leigh-Pemberton and the Business Secretary Vince Cable are beekeeping enthusiasts, and the Japanese investment bank Nomura has installed two hives at its London site. Like the new LSE project, Nomura's apiary was set up in partnership with a not-for-profit social enterprise, The Golden Company, and offers underprivileged young people the opportunity to help sustain the hives and learn business skills. The Exchange hopes that employees will get involved. A spokesman said: Local people and communities, including underprivileged children, will be able to help look after the hives, and employees will also have the chance to help. Natural remedy * Honey has been used for centuries to treat everything from sore throats to cuts, burns and digestive problems and can help against seasonal conditions such as hay fever. * Locally produced honey, as the kind
Re: [Assam] Anna's next agenda - electoral reform
While I wish Anna and his mission well, stuff like '---the Right to Reject will be a column in the ballot paper which would ensure the voter has a right to say that he does not like the listed candidates. ' tells me how the movement is truly clueless about how to make REAL change! On Aug 28, 2011, at 9:40 AM, Ram Dhar wrote: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/anna-hazares-next-agenda-electoral-reforms-129589 He said his fight would now be for Right to Recall and Right to Reject. While Right to Recall would be for those elected, the Right to Reject will be a column in the ballot paper which would ensure the voter has a right to say that he does not like the listed candidates. We have to reform electoral system. (we need) Right to Reject. You should be able to reject your candidate in the ballot paper. We have to do that. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] More on Bees
Look up: http://www.queenofthesun.com/ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] [assam] Beee-Keeping
Dear BK: I am sure your late father had influenced the beekeeping surge in our area in the early sities. I won't be surprised if our father had lessons from yours. Bees in Europe and North America have been devastated in recent years by the Varroa Mite. It is a tiny critter, a 'sikora' in Assamese, the size of a pinhead. They latch on to bee larvae and emerged adults, sucking their blood out. Although they don't kill the bee, they get deformed and unable to fly and forage. When the infestation becomes widespread, the whole colony collapses. Fortunately there are plant based chemicals available today, to treat bees against the Varroa mites, in addition to what is called IPM ( Integrated Pest Management) strategies. In fact I am treating my hives with Apiguard, a chemical manufactured in Britain, right now. This can be done only after the honey extraction season is over and no honey would be collected for human use during treatment. In addition to mites the other major bee maladies are European Foul Brood, American Foul Brood and Nosema spore infestations, all of which require antibiotic treatment. I too noticed the lost enthusiasm for beekeeping in our village and the surrounding areas. I suspect, it is a combination of the effort that goes into it, lack of adequate knowledge, resultant low yields and perhaps even low price fetched by the harvests. I understand a litre of honey in Assam these days cost around Rs. 200. That is fairly good for the villagers, but the buying power of Rs. 200 these days of essential goods not locally produced, is virtually negligible. Thus the incentive is not there. Incidentally, India is the largest exporter of honey to the USA. There is huge discontent among US beekeepers raging these days, because of Indian merchants laundering banned Chinese honey ( due to excessive use of prohibited antibiotics) and dumping in US markets at low prices, thereby driving down price of American beekeepers' produce. s On Aug 27, 2011, at 9:45 AM, bbar...@aol.com wrote: Dear Chandan Thank you for taking the trouble to write about your experience as a bee-keeper. I am pleasantly surprised. My late father managed to become the President of Sivasagar District Bee-Keepers association and I think he managed to obtain some grant as well from the government. Quite a few of the villagers started keeping bees but the tempo was lost after the death of my father. After his retirement my brother Umesh maintained a few hives but last time I went home, he had only one hive in good health. A couple of years back here in UK bees were not thriving but the environment seems to have improved since then. There is a sort of co-operative of bee-keepers at our next village, Sidcup, in the same borough but I have not contacted them. I don't simply have the energy now. Best regards -bhuban ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] [assam] Corporate money turns to honey as beekeeping becomes the new buzz
BK: I don't know about Assam Govt's. activity now, but years ago, in the sixties, possibly with UN funds, there was a widespread and quite successful, if I might add, move to train rural folks in Assam in beekeeping. The hive boxes and extraction equipment were sold by the Khadi-Gramodyog department at subsidized rates and a lot of people got involved. Trained people went door to door, extolling the virtues of bee-keeping and recruiting new keepers. Our father and my two younger brothers too were into it. They produced quite a bit of honey. Our father, who took it quite seriously, even planted nectar producing shrubs that bloom in winter, when there was no other source of forage for the bees. Sugar was rationed and expensive to make syrup to feed bees. So the specialized plants. I was away at boarding school at the time, so did not any hands-on experience. But I learned enough to be dangerous and the desire to get into it never left me. Decades ago, after we bought our first home in St. Louis I almost got into it, but demands of time and money ( it is a fairly expensive hobby here in the USA to get started with) prevented me from taking it up. Finally took the plunge last year and started with two hives in April 2010. The first months and the year was turbulent, to say the least. I had a workers' revolution in one of my hives and I lost it. But it was early enough in the season for me to replace the bees and a queen and they overwintered successfully with two decent hives. In April this year, I split the stronger into two, as measure to prevent swarming and by June all three of my hives were producing honey. We did better than my wildest expectations and harvested a total of 327 pounds ( a tad bit more than 27 gallons or 113 litres ). My mentor, the president of our bee-club, which has over two hundred members, tells me we harvested much above average, thanks to the abundance of trees and nectar producing plants in our neighborhood. People at Guahati can easily keep bees and raise a lot of honey. Those who have access to rooftops are particularly well suited for the undertaking. But everything productive and successful require dedication and effort. Bee-keeping requires quite a bit of it. It is NOT something you start and let nature take its course. Those who take the latter approach usually end up contributing to the demise of thousands of bees not to mention acquiring of a sense of failure. Recently, I was pleased to see that in my native village, there are still a couple of beekeepers. But there could be many more. s On Aug 26, 2011, at 7:36 AM, bbar...@aol.com wrote: Dear Netter: Short of being a bee-keeper myself, I take interest at least in the news related to bee-keeping in UK possibly because my late father was a trained and experienced bee-keeper. Recently I came to know from an Assamese newspaper online that Assam Government also has some activity in this field. I hope the following news generates interest. - bhuban Financial Times, August 26, 2011 Hives benefit the environment and employees, writes Emma Jacobs Hive of activity: Xavier Rolet, LSE chief executive [picture: not reproduced] Despite its recent battering, the London Stock Exchange will next month take on thousands of new workers. The new recruits, however, are not traders, but worker bees, as the LSE becomes the latest business to install hives on its premises. Xavier Rolet, LSE chief executive, is enthusiastic about the project. He keeps bees at his family’s home, in a converted medieval priory in Provence. When the LSE takes delivery of its two hives, housing 100,000 bees in the heart of London, it will be helping to maintain a fragile and dwindling population. In recent years concern has grown over declining numbers of honey bees in North America and Europe. Earlier this year, the International Bee Research Association found that US beekeepers lost an average of 42 per cent of their colonies during the past winter. Losses in the three previous winters ranged from 29 per cent to 36 per cent. Beekeepers generally regard a loss of about 15 per cent as acceptable. According to the London Beekeepers Association, “urban bees have a wide range of forage, as the gardens and green spaces in cities contain a rich variety of trees and flowers. This, and the slightly milder weather, means that the beekeeping season is longer and usually more productive than in rural areas.” Concern over declining bee numbers has led to an increase in part-time beekeepers, or apiarists. And companies are showing greater interest in housing beehives. When part-time apiarist Robin Leigh-Pemberton was governor of the Bank of England between 1983 and 1993, the bank played host to bee colonies. Vince Cable, the UK business secretary, is a beekeeping enthusiast who has spearheaded campaigns to raise funding for bee research. The LSE hopes that its
Re: [Assam] Carbon Credit Dying?
One form of monoculture is no better than another. On Aug 17, 2011, at 10:36 PM, mc mahant wrote: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects are being canceled left and right. The latest victim is an American Electric Power (AEP) project in West Virginia. AEP ignored a $334 million federal grant underwriting half the cost, blaming changing legislation and unreliable government support. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations due in September will force power plants to capture two thirds of CO2 output. Most CCS projects survive by selling their output to enhanced oil recovery operations, so without a national CO2 pipeline network, prospects for widespread CCS are dim. Should the federal government jump-start a national network? Assamnet needs a serious debate on whether/How we should go green for: Earning a few Crores of INR as lollypopEnding the wasteful TEA plantations introduced by Brit East India Company( now controlled by an Indian) Repopulating all wastelands with new SuperBamboo- in lieu of PVWhat to grow and what to eat-- by humans, domestic animals,birds beasts mm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] [assam] 63% drop in student visa applications in Australia Report
Dear BK: What is your personal view if a 'phoren' :-) education is of any benefit to a 'desi', regardless of whether he/she returns to India and regardless of the quality of the particular 'education' as compared with an equivalent 'desi' education'? I ask the question because you are one amongst us who has, most likely, the longest number of years of the benefit of first hand experience of seeing both. s On Aug 7, 2011, at 3:50 PM, bbar...@aol.com wrote: Dear Netters: I have been posting figures of Indian students going abroad for higher studies. Here is a report on visas for Australia. We know why Australia is shunned by Indian students. 63% drop in student visa applications from India in Australia: Report PTI | Aug 3, 2011, 10.54AM IST Read more:student visa applications from India|Simon Marginson|Melbourne University|Indians in Australia|immigration department MELBOURNE: Australia has recorded a drop of almost 63 per cent in offshore international student visa applications from India in the last financial year, according to latest official data. The figures also show an overall drop of 20 per cent in the offshore international student visa applications, media reports said on Wednesday. The Indian market has been the hardest hit by the fall in offshore applications with a drop of 63 per cent. The June month Immigration Department's quarterly report on the student visa programme revealed that the number of offshore applicants from India dropped from 18,514 in the 2009-10 financial year to just 6875 in the 2010-11 financial year. Apart from this even applications from China, Australia's largest source country for international students, also dropped 24.3 per cent. Melbourne University higher education expert Simon Marginson said the drop showed the sector was still a way off from a recovery. [There is] no sign that we have yet reached the bottom of the curve, he said. Marginson said the steep drop-off in offshore applications was largely because of federal government changes to the visa criteria and skilled migration list. Demand for Australian education in India always was relatively soft and the elimination of the migration-related industry run through education agents, plus the image problems triggered by the violence, has permanently depressed the prospects of recruitment in that country, he said. Professor Marginson said the drop in applications from Vietnam - down 31 per cent - and China was of greater concern. China and south-east Asia are our core markets [and] far more worrying is the defection of part of the student market in China and Vietnam, where demand is more education-centred, and the quality of students coming to Australia has been higher than those coming from India, he said. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Fw: Could you watch my car for a sec please?
That was a riot :-). On Aug 6, 2011, at 10:37 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: For all your practical prankers out there JJ http://www.wimp.com/disappearingprank/ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Kopou Ful
Glad you and the others who liked it. Yes, the color is always pink. In Assam, naturally growing wild Kopou ful also have a mild but distinctive fragrance and is not particularly attracvtive. BTW, orchids, as a family of flowers are not known for their fragrance. Only a very few varieties of orchids have any notably pleasant fragrance. Rhynchostylis retusa comes in a second sub-variety called Rhynchostylis retusa giganta, which also have white flowers. Their flowers are slightly larger but the inflorescence I have seen are shorter and more stout than our Kopou-ful. THey are also not common in Assam. Maybe found in Arunachal, I am not sure. But they are common in Burma and Thailand, as far down as Singapore. Rhynchostylis retusa is strikingly similar to another variety of sub-Himalayan region orchid called the Aerides. They too are mostly pink, but also have orange to red varieties as well as white. Their inflorences, again, are usually shorter and the leaves are flatter. Their habitat ranges from the Himalayan region to South India to Sri Lanka and east to China, Burma, Thailand down to Malayasia. You ought to have known by now Alpana, that asking me a simple question holds the promise of a day-long discourse :-). c-da On Aug 2, 2011, at 4:41 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: Very beautiful, C'da. Just looked at it. Liked the color also, is that the only color for this variety? How long and how often do they normally bloom? I thought only during Bohag Bihu they come out. Anyway, thanks for letting us view it. Sent via BlackBerry by ATT -Original Message- From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2011 21:21:38 To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: [Assam] Kopou Ful Hi Netters: I am delighted to announce the blooming of Kopu-ful ( Rhynchostylis retusa, Foxtail Orchid). For those of us in the USA and other temperate areas, bringing a Kopou-ful to bloom is a seriously difficult task. How I have finally succeeded, I don't know. My best guess is that global warming has lent me a hand here. Since I cannot post images to assamnet, you can see it at my blog: http://www.chanmahanta.com/kopou-ful-rhynchostylis-retusa-foxtail-orchid cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Kopou Ful
O' Deka: As they say, if you grow them, they will come. Houston could be a very hospitable environment for Kopou ful. But I am afraid attempting to attract Naasonis with khwpa with kopu-ful might prove harmful to your health. :-) O'm On Aug 3, 2011, at 8:42 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: Dhuniya Kopou Ful. Kopou Ful jogar hol. Pise etiya Nasoni aru Khwpa lagibo nohoy, kopou Fulor --- On Tue, 8/2/11, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: [Assam] Kopou Ful To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 4:21 PM Hi Netters: I am delighted to announce the blooming of Kopu-ful ( Rhynchostylis retusa, Foxtail Orchid). For those of us in the USA and other temperate areas, bringing a Kopou-ful to bloom is a seriously difficult task. How I have finally succeeded, I don't know. My best guess is that global warming has lent me a hand here. Since I cannot post images to assamnet, you can see it at my blog: http://www.chanmahanta.com/kopou-ful-rhynchostylis-retusa-foxtail-orchid cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Kopou Ful
Hi Netters: I am delighted to announce the blooming of Kopu-ful ( Rhynchostylis retusa, Foxtail Orchid). For those of us in the USA and other temperate areas, bringing a Kopou-ful to bloom is a seriously difficult task. How I have finally succeeded, I don't know. My best guess is that global warming has lent me a hand here. Since I cannot post images to assamnet, you can see it at my blog: http://www.chanmahanta.com/kopou-ful-rhynchostylis-retusa-foxtail-orchid cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] (non) Acceptance of the US visa application fees at Guwahati
On Jul 24, 2011, at 9:45 PM, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Yes, Ankur.. her email did get hacked... even I got fooled *** Whose e-mail, Ram? Is it in reference to this issue? c-da We are doing fine, hope things are going good for all of you. Ram da On Sun, Jul 24, 2011 at 4:26 PM, Ram Sarangapani assa...@gmail.com wrote: Dear Ankur, Please accept our sincere congratulations, Your efforts, in steadfastly pursuing this matter, has paid off. This will be of great help and convenience to a lot of people in Assam/ NE instead of going to Calcutta. Great job! Ram da On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 9:36 PM, Ankur Bora ankur_bora2...@yahoo.comwrote: Dear All, There were a couple of postings on this issue recently in various Assam and North East based yahoo groups. It's about application payment for US visa interview through HDFC bank. HDFC bank has been authorized to accept the US visa application fee by the US consulate. However, the HDFC bank branches either in Guwahati or any other city of North East region do not have the facility for accepting the money and issuing the receipt. This has caused tremendous inconvenience as people have to go all the way to Calcutta to pay the fees. There was question posted - Does everyone travel to Kolkata just to pay the fee? - Unfortunately it was true unless he has frineds/relatives there. We thought it is time for an initiative to make the US Consulate accept fees at banks in the North East, given that there is more than a trickle of traffic to US. I submitted an email to the HDFC bank. Intially they were reluctant to pursue the matter. I however continued to pursue mainly I was getting supporting emails from the FASS and Noerth East India group. Finally HDFC bank informed that they received the approval from Embassy to start collection of application fees at Fancy Bazar branch in Guwahati. Finally , Hemanta Bayan Deputy Vice President of HDFC bank informed that the visa application fees would be accepted from 25th July 2011 at Fancy Bazar. This is a successful collective effort and I am sharing the news Cheers, Ankur ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Space Shuttle Discovery Crew Cabin View
Here is something worth the couple of minutes to view: a 360 panorama of the Space Shuttle Discovery crew cabin flight deck. This is pretty cooland maybe the last time we get to see it before it’s stuffed and mounted at the Smithsonian! ENJOY…… Lighting is from the internal instrument panel lights… http://360vr.com/2011/06/22-discovery-flight-deck-opf_6236/index.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] (non) Acceptance of the US visa application fees at Guwahati
Good job Ankur. On Jul 21, 2011, at 9:36 PM, Ankur Bora wrote: Dear All, There were a couple of postings on this issue recently in various Assam and North East based yahoo groups. It's about application payment for US visa interview through HDFC bank. HDFC bank has been authorized to accept the US visa application fee by the US consulate. However, the HDFC bank branches either in Guwahati or any other city of North East region do not have the facility for accepting the money and issuing the receipt. This has caused tremendous inconvenience as people have to go all the way to Calcutta to pay the fees. There was question posted - Does everyone travel to Kolkata just to pay the fee? - Unfortunately it was true unless he has frineds/relatives there. We thought it is time for an initiative to make the US Consulate accept fees at banks in the North East, given that there is more than a trickle of traffic to US. I submitted an email to the HDFC bank. Intially they were reluctant to pursue the matter. I however continued to pursue mainly I was getting supporting emails from the FASS and Noerth East India group. Finally HDFC bank informed that they received the approval from Embassy to start collection of application fees at Fancy Bazar branch in Guwahati. Finally , Hemanta Bayan Deputy Vice President of HDFC bank informed that the visa application fees would be accepted from 25th July 2011 at Fancy Bazar. This is a successful collective effort and I am sharing the news Cheers, Ankur ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Fw: 'South California' proposed as 51st state by Republican supervisor - latimes.com
Do you really think the two are the same: Demand for Telengana and South California? On Jul 13, 2011, at 9:40 PM, Dilip Deka wrote: Isn't this interesting? Another Telengana uprising? 'South California' proposed as 51st state by Republican supervisor July 11, 2011 | 2:40 pm 235 264 The 51st state should be named South California, says Jeff Stone, a Republican on the the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. But the proposed 13 southern California counties that would split off from the Golden State would not include Los Angeles. Stone told the Times' Phil Willon that the ommission is intentional and is part of a plan that would make for a new conservative Californian state. Los Angeles is purposely excluded because they have the same liberal policies that Sacramento does. The last thing I want to do is create a state that's a carbon copy of what we have now,'' Stone said. Los Angeles just enacted a ban on plastic grocery bags. That put three or four manufacturers out of business,'' Stone, a pharmacist from Temecula, said. Stone plans on formally proposing secession Tuesday during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors. South California would encompass Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Tulare counties, totaling approximately 13 million people. The proposed 51st state would be the fifth largest by population, more populous than Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. South California would take nearly a third of the population away from California, making the Golden State the second-largest state after Texas. Eleven of the 13 proposed counties in South California traditionally vote Republican, a fact noticed by California Gov. Jerry Brown's office. If you want to live in a Republican state with very conservative right-wing laws, then there's a place called Arizona, Brown spokesman Gil Duran said. ALSO: Gov. Perry: Texas may secede from union over Obama spending Tennessee gubernatorial candidate floats secession; rival calls him crazy -- Tony Pierce ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Fw: 'South California' proposed as 51st state by Republican supervisor - latimes.com
That may be true. But I was curious about the causes that have brought about the two, to see if you thought they are similar or equal, as opposed to being serious or frivolous. On Jul 14, 2011, at 9:11 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: No, I don't think they are. One is for real, the other one is wishful thinking and a joke. You decide which one is what. From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Do you really think the two are the same: Demand for Telengana and South California? On Jul 13, 2011, at 9:40 PM, Dilip Deka wrote: Isn't this interesting? Another Telengana uprising? 'South California' proposed as 51st state by Republican supervisor July 11, 2011 | 2:40 pm 235 264 The 51st state should be named South California, says Jeff Stone, a Republican on the the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. But the proposed 13 southern California counties that would split off from the Golden State would not include Los Angeles. Stone told the Times' Phil Willon that the ommission is intentional and is part of a plan that would make for a new conservative Californian state. Los Angeles is purposely excluded because they have the same liberal policies that Sacramento does. The last thing I want to do is create a state that's a carbon copy of what we have now,'' Stone said. Los Angeles just enacted a ban on plastic grocery bags. That put three or four manufacturers out of business,'' Stone, a pharmacist from Temecula, said. Stone plans on formally proposing secession Tuesday during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors. South California would encompass Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Tulare counties, totaling approximately 13 million people. The proposed 51st state would be the fifth largest by population, more populous than Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. South California would take nearly a third of the population away from California, making the Golden State the second-largest state after Texas. Eleven of the 13 proposed counties in South California traditionally vote Republican, a fact noticed by California Gov. Jerry Brown's office. If you want to live in a Republican state with very conservative right-wing laws, then there's a place called Arizona, Brown spokesman Gil Duran said. ALSO: Gov. Perry: Texas may secede from union over Obama spending Tennessee gubernatorial candidate floats secession; rival calls him crazy -- Tony Pierce ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] About ICICI Bank NRI Svcs
I don't know if any netter has used ICICI Bank's much vaunted NRI services. I have and it has not been fun! See below: From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Date: July 7, 2011 8:53:33 AM CDT To: NRI Service n...@icicibank.com Cc: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: 'ICICICARE=042-078-385' Cannot Login I am glad that finally someone read my mail to respond about the issues and not merely sent back a perfunctory form letter. Thank you. Here is one more thing I would like to point out: When someone finally called from ICICI bank on July 05, it was around 10:00 PM, US time. I had already gone to bed. My wife, who took the call, only knew that the transaction finally went thru. She did not know of all the hassles I had to endure in the meantime. The point I wish to make is that when your international help desk calls back, should they not know that 10:00 pm is not the most opportune time to call? Should they not know who they are calling, in what continent, at what time? Allow me to tell you one more horror story, from January of this year: I had to apply, on paper, to get an e-Transfer URN by filling out an application form and mailing it to Mumbai. It could not be performed thru the web. I did mail itr by registered air mail, including the required ICICI Bank Internet Banking ID number. And after two or three weeks, I received an e-mail, informing me that they received my application but could not process is because it lacked some number or other and that I should call the helpline. At that point I just gave up on eTransfer services, knowing the usefulness of the help desk folks. But guess what, while I was pulling my hair out trying to send money via Money2India this time, like I did before, because I could not eTransfer, and could not log in, after one of a number of various attempts, I received an URN Number, one that they told me earlier in the year that could not be processed! So much for PROCESS ! This is nothing personal. I hope YOU can help make the much touted ICICI bank's EASE of TRANSACTION actually happen. On Jul 7, 2011, at 5:46 AM, NRI Service wrote: Dear Mr. Mahanta, We value your relationship with ICICI Bank and regret the inconvenience caused to you. We are deeply concerned with the issues raised by you in your e-mail. We regret that our service couldn't live up to your expectations. We appreciate your feed back. We are constantly trying to improve our services and any comments / feedback will be most welcome to help us serve better. Do keep writing to us with your suggestions and feedback. This enables us to work towards, improving our services. It is our constant endeavor to modify our processes based on your suggestions. Sincerely, - Customer Service Manager ICICI Bank Limited CONFIDENTIALITY INFORMATION AND DISCLAIMER: This e-mail message may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. It should not be accessed by anyone who is not the original intended recipient. If you have erroneously received this message, please delete it immediately and notify the sender. You will appreciate that e-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as its contents are susceptible to loss, damage, interception, destruction, etc. Before opening any attachments please check them for viruses and defects. The notice appended to the e-mails is not intended to prejudice the interests of our customers in any manner or to evade responsibility for any act of done with the endorsement of ICICI Bank. -Original Message- From: Chan Mahanta (cmaha...@gmail.com) Date: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 06:10 PM To: NRI Service (n...@icicibank.com) Cc: Chan Mahanta (cmaha...@gmail.com) Subject: Re: Cannot Login That is not the whole truth! The truth is that I did NOT get any help from your staff. I resolved it myself with many attempts. There was yet another problem, which, again your help staff could not resolve for me yesterday and gave me the runaround. This was after logging in and entering the info. on the sending bank, recipient's name bank etc. and the amount, the screen would no go on to the next step. Your help staff told me it was my computer's firewall and when I told her what my computer is and the firewall info., she told me she could not help, because she is not familiar with a Mac ( my iMac ) that I will have to call tech-services or some such thing. But the problem was NOT the firewall at all. It was because your website is poorly designed and does not tell the user HOW the AMOUNT to be transferred has to be entered. When I entered X,000.00 (US dollars), it dd not recognize it, and the transaction would not go thru. After many attempts , by chance, when I entered X000 ( US dollars), it went thru. Shouldn't your website
Re: [Assam] Searching for Something Good to Say About India - NYT, June 29th
OK, I will take the bait Ram :-). So what do YOU think of it? Is Manu Joseph trying to stir up trouble, or is he just another one of those India bashers, or perhaps a western-apologist in the style of , as many of us say here seem to think in this forum, Pankaj Mishra? BTW, I read Manu Joseph's Serious Men last year. One of the best books by an Indian English language writer, about contemporary India. He is an astute, empathic observer of the Indian condition and merciless with his prose. One could however easily miss the satire and the biting commentary in the fiction he weaves. It is a take-no-prisoners expose' of the myths of a modern India so many like to wave around. But it is not a hard or depressing read. It is laced with intelligent comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed, even though at times his brutal treatment of seemingly ordinary people's foibles and vanities were quite unnecessary. c-da On Jul 6, 2011, at 12:34 PM, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Any takers? ___ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/30/world/asia/30iht-letter30.html?pagewanted=2sq=Indiast=csescp=4 Searching for Something Good to Say About India By MANU JOSEPH NEW DELHI -- It is a question that journalists in India are often asked without affection. “Don’t you have anything good to say?” A positive story, a happy story? The rebuke, when it is an e-mail or an online comment in response to an unflattering article about India, is sometimes accompanied by abuses or a general description of the journalist’s mother. And it is particularly passionate when it comes from the expatriate Indian whose expletives are more contemporary. Nobody loves India like the Indian who does not live here anymore. When they were in India, they just had to emerge from their house, go onto the road, and the whole nation would assemble itself into an unambiguous pyramid of social hierarchy with them somewhere at the top. Respect came with the lottery of birth. But in the First World, it is not so easy. This, and the natural love for home, make the expatriate so patriotic that he or she finds it hard to tolerate the often embarrassing portrayal of the nation, especially in the news media outside the country. Among the nonresident Indians, and also the Indians who live here, there is a common view that what the Western news media want to tell their readers about India is stories that involve cows, poverty, honor killings and other exotic, depressing or weird things. But is it possible to tell a happy Indian story, an honest, complete story, that would fill Indians with pride? Some Indian newspapers have consciously tried to make Indians feel good about themselves. So there are frequent stories about India as an emerging superpower, and India as a cultural force whose curry and music apparently have mesmerized the world, and about how alpha-male Indian companies are taking over foreign corporations. There are commercial rewards for carrying such good news. About three years ago, the shrewd promoter of an Indian publication, a deep philosopher of sorts, explained this when he walked into an editorial meeting and smiled with sympathy at the journalists. “I know what you want,” he said, “You journalists want to bite. You want to write depressing stories. But you know what the advertiser wants. The advertiser wants to advertise on a happy page. Write about good things, happy things.” He then said that if Indian journalists were really desperate “to be negative,” they were free to criticize foreigners. “Attack Greece or something.” It is not as if Indians have not had good reasons to puff their chests in recent times. But, sometimes what makes a country proud is actually a poignant indicator of how far behind it lags. For instance, when a country’s tennis doubles players are national celebrities, as they are in India, you know that there is something wrong with its general sport talent. India did win the cricket World Cup, though, this year, probably the happiest Indian story since 1983, when it last won the Cup. Indians would argue that there are happy stories beyond cricket. For instance, the figure “8 percent” has its own triumphant character in India. It is probably the single most important source of joyous Indian stories. It is the approximate rate at which the Indian economy is growing and expected to grow. But is it an achievement? Writing last year in The New Yorker, Steve Coll described a country whose number of poor people had fallen by almost half between 1999 and 2008, from 30 percent of the population to about 17 percent. “This extraordinary change, a result of rapid economic growth and remittances,” he wrote, “is not often discussed on American cable-news outlets.” He then went on to say that in 2005, the nation had attained an economic growth of “8 percent annually, and the economy has continued to expand, if more slowly, even since
Re: [Assam] [assam] Do we need Bangladeshi immigrants to boost our economy?
Dear BK: It is a good and thoughtful analysis. Makes a lot of sense. Immigration, WITH controls, is a good thing. B'deshis in Assam too would be a good thing, as long as it is CONTROLLED, unlike it has been. s On Jul 1, 2011, at 4:51 AM, bbar...@aol.com wrote: Dear netters, Immigration, legal or illegal is a formidable issue in the North-East. In today’s Independent (1 July 2011), its Economic Editor reasons that legal or illegal, immigration is a great economic good. Assam or the North East of India do not enjoy the same economic or social conditions as Great Britain, nevertheless certain basic problems are universal. Hope this article will generate some wholesome ideas. With best wishes Bhuban The more people come to the U K, the better it is for us all Analysis By Sean O’Grady, Economics Editor You may wonder what the latest population data might have to do with the wave of public strikes over pensions yesterday. The answer is:demographics. Not the least economic benefit of immigration is the way it rejuvenates a nation’s population, as the young are usually the most mobile, enterprising, flexible, able to work and determined to make a new life in another country. They are also, by dint of their age, likely to have children, and may tend to have larger families than the established population While it is true that these children can put some strain on local schools and add to the benefits bill, in the long run, like all children, the overwhelming likelihood is that they will in due course go to work, pay taxes and –crucially-help pay for the pensions for the rest of us. It is from their taxes and NI contributions that the state pension, care and NHS bills and public sector pensions will be funded. Demographics are fundamental to public finances and economic growth. It is no accident that Greece and other southern European nations struggling with selerotic economies and unsupportable debt burdens have lousy demographies. In improving the “dependency ratio”, then, immigrants automatically provide an enormous economic boom. This is not limited to the rich and highly skilled who the coalition favour; there are many arguments in favour of allowing many more casual labourers, mini-cab drivers and plumbers, say, into the country, as it reduces the cost of these services. It is too easily forgotten that London’s thriving tourist trade would collapse if all the illegal cleaners, hotel staff and taxi drivers were sent home. There are economic downsides to immigration, and it is as well to face up to them. They tend to reduce wages among those who are already poorly paid and the cultural, political and racial tensions sometimes provoked need little elaboration. On balance, though, immigration is a great economic good. And if we are loading future generations with debts, then the bigger that generation is, the easier it will be for them to deal with the burden ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Bijoy Kr Bhuyan passes away (The Assam Tribune, 12.06.2011)
My sincere condolences to Sjt. Bhuyan's family. A few years back we had the pleasure of meeting him and hosting him and his son at our home here in St. Louis. Since that time Sjt, Bhuyan kept in touch via e-mail and collaborated with some of our efforts, most notably on the effort to block the Assam Govt's bid to change Assam's ( Oxom's) name to Asom. He was an illustrious person with a deep interest in Assam's history and its welfare. May his soul rest in peace. cm On Jun 11, 2011, at 8:08 PM, Manoj Das wrote: RIP Bijoyda. I met him 2 years back. Full of ideas and initiatives all the time. His some work are pending in some Delhi publisher's place. Successors pl note lest those will be lost for ever. MKD On 6/12/11, Buljit Buragohain buluas...@yahoo.co.in wrote: Bijoy Kr Bhuyan passes away Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, June 11 – Bijoy Kumar Bhuyan, known among his fans as Bhaitida, the youngest of the three sons of renowned historian late Dr Surya Kumar Bhuyan, died at his Uzanbazar SK Bhuyan Road family residence here around 9-30 pm of June 10. According to family sources, the end came due to heart failure. He was 78.A former tea planter and businessman of repute, Bijoy Bhuyan was the man behind the preservation and propagation of the invaluable works of late Dr SK Bhuyan. Due to his relentless efforts, several publishing houses, including the Publication Board, Assam, recently published several of the works of late Dr Bhuyan.The Publication Board published 10 works of Dr Bhuyan, including the Two German Articles, Lachit Barphukan and His Times, Atan Burhagohain and His Times, Assam in the Eighteenth Century and Two Years in Parliament, during the 25th Guwahati Book Fair early this year. The Two German Articles was edited by Dr SK Bhuyan and it has been highly appreciated by the readers.Bijoy Bhuyan, who is an avid reader of Assam history, had extensive knowledge of Assam’s history and culture. He helped many scholars and students with the information he could gather from various sources, including the writings of his famous father. His amiable and helpful nature won him many friends.Born on April 10, 1934 in Guwahati, Bijoy Bhuyan was connected with various socio-cultural organisations, like the Kamarupa Anusandhana Samiti, the Sabita Sabha and the Maniram Dewan Memorial Trust, among others.He leaves behind his wife and two sons. His last rites were performed at the Navagraha cremation ground amidst the presence of a large gathering of his friends, relatives and fans, this evening.The Kamarupa Anushandhana Samiti and the Kamrup Mahanagar Zila Sahiya Sabha have condoled the death of Bijoy Bhuyan. The Kamrup Mahanagar Zila Sahitya Sabha has described Bhuyan as a great nationalist. (The Assam Tribune, 12.06.2011) -- সমাজৰ কাৰণে ভাল কাম কৰাজনৰ পৰিচয় ৰাইজৰ আগত দাঙি ধৰিব লাগে আৰু ভাল খবৰবোৰ যিমান পাৰি ৰাইজৰ মাজত বিলাব লাগে। বুলজিৎ বুঢ়াগোহাঁই ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org -- Sent from my mobile device C 166 LGF Sarvodaya Enclave New Delhi 110017 09910972654 ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Vanishing of the Bees
Very informative and interesting Q and A session with the makers of the documentary, Vanishing of the Bees. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/vanishing-of-the-bees_n_872568.html cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] assam Digest, Vol 70, Issue 11
Funny :-)! On May 13, 2011, at 2:32 AM, Wahid Saleh - Indiawijzer wrote: Another Youtube link British Royal Family is Indian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_sR2Us5bls -Original Message- From: assam-boun...@assamnet.org [mailto:assam-boun...@assamnet.org] On Behalf Of assam-requ...@assamnet.org Sent: 13 May 2011 08:30 To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: assam Digest, Vol 70, Issue 11 Send assam mailing list submissions to assam@assamnet.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to assam-requ...@assamnet.org You can reach the person managing the list at assam-ow...@assamnet.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than Re: Contents of assam digest... Today's Topics: 1. Do you know someone with a great script? (Altaf Mazid) 2. The Desi Giant Killer at NY (Chan Mahanta) 3. National Law School Judicial Academy, Assam (NLSJAA). (Buljit Buragohain) 4. Assam Polls Results 2011 (IBNLive). (Buljit Buragohain) 5. never seen footage from Royal wedding !!! (Ram Dhar) 6. Re: never seen footage from Royal wedding !!! (Chan Mahanta) 7. Mosaic (Manoj Das) 8. Friends of Majuli (Wahid Saleh - Indiawijzer) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 13:22:47 +0530 From: Altaf Mazid altafma...@gmail.com To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org, assamsoci...@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Assam] Do you know someone with a great script? Message-ID: banlktinrfmuhphyzw1f6jtd1aiel-ib...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 *Mumbai Mantra | Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab to be held in India in March 2012! Submissions Open.* Here?s an incredible opportunity for all aspiring scriptwriters.* Mumbai Mantra Media Limited* has collaborated with *Sundance Institute*, founded by *Robert Redford*, to organize the *first Screenwriter?s Lab in India *which will be entirely modelled on the Sundance Lab which is held in Park City, Utah every year. In the past, Sundance Institute has supported projects like *Quentin Tarantino?s Reservoir Dogs, Walter Salles? Central Station, Kimberly Peirce?s Boys Don?t Cry*, and *Joshua Marston?s Maria Full of Grace*, among many others. This initiative fulfills the Mumbai Mantra's desire to help Indian storytellers achieve their fullest potential and assist them to develop stories that resonate to a larger audience in India and internationally. The Lab (planned in March 2012) will be a *5-day workshop* that will give the Indian screenwriters an opportunity to work intensively on their script with Creative Advisors, who would be established screenwriters and filmmakers from around the world. Scripts could be in any Indian language including English. However, the application for the Lab will only be accepted in English. The applications are open till *June 1* and after this the screenwriters will have atleast 3 more months to send in their complete script. Only 6-8 screenwriters will be selected for this workshop. Please note that there is no submission/ registration fee involved in this. Application details and a detailed FAQ is available on *www.mumbaimantra.com * * http://goog_299871659* *[image: image002.jpg] * -- For more news and reviews visit: http://DearCinema.com Join us on facebook: http://facebook.com/dearcinema Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/dearcinema On Youtube: http://youtube.com/dearcinema To unsubscribe from this group, send email to dearcinemaweekly+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com Altaf Mazid 2 Udayachal Path Christian Basti Guwahati 781 005 India Tel +913612342236 Cell +919435193663 www.sauravkumarchaliha.org -- Message: 2 Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 10:20:58 -0500 From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Subject: [Assam] The Desi Giant Killer at NY Message-ID: c8431501-e64f-4578-988c-fb8ce306c...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Meet Preet Bharara, who just had Rajaratnam convicted. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-11/raj-rajarathnam-fo und-guilty-how-prosecutor-preet-bharara-got-his-man/# And while at it, also look up: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/galleon-chiefs-network-of-friends-who -tell-secrets/?hp *** Looks like corruption is imprinted into desi-genes! Most, anyway. cm -- Message: 3 Date: Fri, 13 May 2011 04:37:59 +0530 (IST) From: Buljit Buragohain buluas...@yahoo.co.in To: northeastin...@yahoogroups.com, assamonl...@yahoogroups.com, silc
[Assam] More on the Giant Killer
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/u-s-attorney-sends-a-message-to-wall-street/?hp ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] The Desi Giant Killer at NY
Meet Preet Bharara, who just had Rajaratnam convicted. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-11/raj-rajarathnam-found-guilty-how-prosecutor-preet-bharara-got-his-man/# And while at it, also look up: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/galleon-chiefs-network-of-friends-who-tell-secrets/?hp *** Looks like corruption is imprinted into desi-genes! Most, anyway. cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] never seen footage from Royal wedding !!!
That was FUN !!! On May 12, 2011, at 10:34 PM, Ram Dhar wrote: it has gone viral !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ_fWNCbXYc ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Speaking of Quality Education in India
Checked your Blog. Is that why you abandoned Assam Net? :-) Not at all A. Actually, as you probably have seen, there is nothing in my blog. And turns out, the pdf file I thought I uploaded, did not happen. Not sure why. c-da On May 10, 2011, at 11:26 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: It was a good read, C'da. Thanks for the forward. India does need vocational schools, but not so much at the cost of the academic schools (and yes, the curricula and the administrative style of the schools need to be improved). Because the goal is not just to produce Call Center attendants. Checked your Blog. Is that why you abandoned Assam Net? :-) Sent via BlackBerry by ATT -Original Message- From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 14:29:29 To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: [Assam] Speaking of Quality Education in India http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271696 Also you may like to see : Sabyasachi Bhattacharya Indian Science Today: An Indigenously Crafted Crisis In my blog: http://www.chanmahanta.com/ Since the article was in pdf format, cannot upload to assamnet. cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Re; A Moving Video
Dear BK: I envy you all who can watch these BBC productions. We don't get them here. Some shows like Planet Earth are shown, but many are not available in US TV. I also admire the British interest in many cultures of the qworld and their heritage, as produced in BBC 3. None such here. s On May 7, 2011, at 2:42 AM, bbar...@aol.com wrote: I have seen some of these shots elsewhere. But presented in this format makes it more exciting, astounding really. ? By the way, nobody should miss Prof Brian Foxe's series on BBC2 on the Planet universe and rebroadcast on many other channels. The only danger I can see is that after watching the series people will?no longer believe in God?irrespective of their religion. ? Thanks, Chandan. ? Bhuban ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] A Moving Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=2HiUMlOz4UQvq=large ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Assam, Don’t Hold Your Breath
Another, very well thought out and informative piece Baruah. It is also depressing at the same time. m On May 3, 2011, at 7:04 AM, Sanjib Baruah wrote: Forbes India Magazine, 06 May, 2011 http://business.in.com/article/special/assam-dont-hold-your-breath/24462/1 Assam, Don’t Hold Your Breath In spite of successful elections, it’s too early to declare that the troubled state is on the road to recovery by Sanjib Baruah | May 2, 2011 There are signs that the Assam elections mark the beginning of a new phase in the state’s politics. The voter turnout rate of 76.03 percent was impressive and the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) did not call for a poll boycott. While the familiar controversy over the citizenship status featured in the campaign, especially in the BJP platform, it was not a defining element as it was in 2006, or arguably, in all state elections since the beginning of the Assam Movement of 1979-85. Is this the end of Assam’s troubles and the inauguration of the politics of good governance and development? Unfortunately, such a reading would be premature, and it would be a triumph of hope over reality. Politicians often respond to problems with words rather than deeds, or by symbolic rather than instrumental actions. That buys time, but ultimately, rhetoric cannot be a substitute to solutions. And the problems underlying Assam’s political troubles are neither minor, nor provincial. They raise fundamental questions about the Partition’s vision of two, and subsequently three, bounded nation-states, and whether it matches the subcontinent’s subsequent ground realities. During the Assam Movement of 1979-85, the campaigners claimed that tens of thousands of “foreigners” were enfranchised in Assam. This is hardly an issue that can be settled in any obvious way. Thus, when the Supreme Court in 2005 — 20 years after the end of the Assam Movement — found the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act to be unconstitutional, its ruling read almost like an official text of the Assam Movement. There can be “no manner of doubt,” said the court that Assam is facing “external aggression and internal disturbance” because of large-scale illegal immigration from Bangladesh. To solve the problems animating Assam’s troubled politics would mean confronting a number of inconvenient facts. First, the insertion of an international border between India and East Pakistan in 1947 did not turn off the flow of people from one of the subcontinent’s most densely populated areas to a relatively sparsely populated one. The pressure of migration actually increased since the Partition because it generated a big and continuous movement of Hindus, while the economically induced migration of poor Muslims also continued. Second, our citizenship laws take little cognizance of the post-Partition cross-border population flows, except those that occurred during the immediate years after the Partition. Indian citizenship laws embody the spirit of the Nehru-Liaquat pact of 1950 that sought to maintain a population status quo. Thus, there is no way in Indian law to make a distinction between Hindu and Muslim arrivals from Pakistan or Bangladesh except in the context of the immediate post-Partition years; and that too only by implication. But there is a tension between the legal definition of Indian citizenship laws, and the fact that many Indians believe that Hindus have an implicit right of return to post-Partition India. Third, we have been able to live with these ambiguities because our citizenship practices enable a blurring of the line between citizens and non-citizens. In particular because the documentation that enables a person to be included in the electoral roll in India can be rather rudimentary including say, a ration card. In the words of the Japanese scholar Hiroshi Sato, there are fault lines between the normative definition of citizenship in Indian law, and the actual exercise of franchise by people “based on the legitimacy of rudimentary documents rather than on the registration of citizenship.” It is hardly surprising that by bringing the issue to the centre stage of Assam politics, the campaigners of the Assam Movement set in motion a virtual earthquake and multiple aftershocks in the state’s political landscape. ULFA was founded in 1979. Even though the citizenship issue has never been directly on ULFA’s agenda, it views the gradual political marginalisation of locals, because of immigration and the enfranchisement of non-citizens, as a symptom of Assam’s subordinate political status in the pan-Indian dispensation. ULFA as an idea has always been more powerful than the reality of ULFA as a political organisation. Unlike our security experts, politicians like Tarun Gogoi intuitively understand it. This has led to attentiveness to questions
[Assam] Osama Bin Laden, Abbottabad and A case of Exploding Mangoes
Osama Bin Laden, Abbottabad and A case of Exploding Mangoes --- what kind of a subject matter can this be, right ? Well, A Case of Exploding Mangoes is a satirical novel written by Mohammed Hanif, the Pakistan born novelist, in which the characters are real life Pakistani military and ISI honchos, past and present and was set in an elite Pakistani Air Force Academy, which could very well have been at Abbottabad. Hanif's book was a terrific read. Very well written, often amusing, sometimes scary and lays bare the hollowness and corruption of Pakistan's militarism. Netters may find a number of anecdotes and accounts in the book very familiar to our own post colonial desi culture, particularly by those who attended missionary schools and boarding schools and colleges. cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] St. Louis storm
We are fine Ram. Thanks for checking. We were right in the middle of the storm's projected trajectory, but it spared us. We were affected however. We were due to fly out Sat.day AM for a short vacation. We were re-scheduled to fly via Peoria, Illinois three hours of driving away. It was a long, long day yesterday. But we are at our destination, relaxing in the lovely warmth of sunrise on the Bay of Mexico. We still don't know about returning on WEdnesday, whether it will be to St.L or to Peoria. c-da On Apr 23, 2011, at 10:07 AM, Ram Dhar wrote: Chandanda, Hope all is well with you guys . Just watched it in CNN that they have closed the Int'l airport indefinitely after a major storm hit St. Louis. thanks RD ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics
Well said Uttam. On Apr 23, 2011, at 3:59 AM, uttam borthakur wrote: Dear all, The Rorschach test is obviously meant for finding out the psychological make-up and therefore, the outlook of the person. And this surely has been reflected in our discussion here. I am fond of Ravana. In fact, my name finds a place in a publication by Mamoni Raisom Goswami where I had to co-translate Navakanta Baruah's RAVAN as the etrnal lover. Needless to say, I am pretty embarrassed with the translation as the very first rush print sent to examine the integrity of meaning got printed instead of the last refinded one sent for print :-). That's besides the point. Despite dissemination of education, the presence of all pervading corruption in India, proves one point for sure: system needs to be replaced. Even the most pure either gets allured or gets crushed in this system (now crony capitalism, which implies that head is rotten, and therefore the remaining parts, like the proverbial rotting fish). So, it would be a fallacy to think that Indian citizens enlightened by education per se would attain divinity and therefore the existing system would be adequate. It has not been proven so far. ( There are good people and that is why even this rotten thing is still running; perhaps it is at the end of its elasticity as evinced by recent happenings). Why, even the noble Dr. Faustus could not resist Mephistopheles, not to speak of numerous Hindu gods and sages falling preys to avarice! So, singing paens to the extant system and hoping for people to become god would be a very tall order. Too tall. That's why, Anna Hazare, however good or bad a person he is, shall not possibly succeed with his present brand of solutions. Having said that, the present awkening has the wherewithal to unleash the forces that may bring about the desired changes. No time table can be set for that! Uttam Kumar Borthakur ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics
Here is a thinking man! Thanks for sharing. I wished he would write about the causes in more detail. That would help. Glad he also explained: A common response to these has been: At least Hazare is doing something; what solution do you offer? My response to that is that firstly, as the pieces above argue, the solution he is offering could actually make the problem worse, and are a step in the wrong direction. That is reason enough to oppose it without needing to propose an alternative. Secondly, the alternative is obvious: if we are to tackle the root cause of corruption, then we should campaign against excess government power and discretion, starting with any particular domain that grabs our fancy. cm On Apr 22, 2011, at 8:31 AM, Altaf Mazid wrote: The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics By Amit Varma http://in.news.yahoo.com/blogs/opinions/rorschach-effect-indian-politics-053923332.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics
Very well said Santanu. c-da On Apr 22, 2011, at 9:21 AM, Roy, Santanu wrote: Nice piece. It is always so easy to view the problem of corruption related ills as one of personal morality; that it happens because the people who have discretionary power, particularly politicians, are fundamentally bad people. If they are replaced by good people, the outcome will be fundamentally different. It is this view that gets the urban middle class so excited about the Hazare-like premises. I have tried to understand why this seems to be a collective social view, though individually almost all of us have the basic intelligence to understand the time immemorial adage that one who goes to Lanka, shall become a Ravan. Quite apart from the fact that reforming Lanka is nowhere as entertaining or appealing as burning Ravan, it reflects a fundamental desire in us to differentiate ourselves - they are the bad guys so they bring misery, I am good, if I were there, I would perform differently; I or someone like I can do it. By saying this, I exult my moral superiority. It is so easy to sell this creed to I. You?, well I am not so sure about you :-). Santanu. From: assam-boun...@assamnet.org [assam-boun...@assamnet.org] on behalf of Altaf Mazid [altafma...@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 8:31 AM To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Subject: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics By Amit Varma http://in.news.yahoo.com/blogs/opinions/rorschach-effect-indian-politics-053923332.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics
Allow me to butt in here A. No one is questioning the need for personal integrity. Your Bor-deuta is a good example. Question you should be asking is why HE had to QUIT? Where is the institutional support system that should reward good behavior and punish bad? It is THIS absence that breeds more and more behavior. There is no DETERRENCE. And about the 'I' and 'you', even if it is not specifically written, there still might be a tendency to preach, like you and I and many of us here and elsewhere do *** As long as such preaching does not go unchallenged, it is for the good. It makes people pause, think, look deeper into issues, instead of merely jumping onto this bandwagon or that, seeking easy answers and simple fixes. But if we are to dismiss or devalue Santanu's analysis as yet another set of preachings or attempts at self-aggrandisement, then we would be missing the point. On Apr 22, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: Good to hear from you, Santanu. Don't see you much these days. While i agree with you in principle that if the system of governance is very good, most things work out fine, i think there are other issues as well. I feel that for a country to function well, it has to have good governance, regulations, rules on one side and a population that has principles, not susceptible to corruption, and takes active and healthy interest in the general well being of the country. And about the 'I' and 'you', even if it is not specifically written, there still might be a tendency to preach, like you and I and many of us here and elsewhere do. One does not necessarily need to go to Lanka to become Rabon, you can find Rabon all over the place. Do people have to compromise on principles and morality because the system is so corrupt and put the blame on the system and succumb to taking bribes and what not? If the answer is yes, what does that tell us about our society? On a side note, my Bor-Deuta, as a young man, worked as a Supply Inspector for a couple of months and quit the job in disgust, because of large scale bribery. He didn't die a materially rich man, but he kept his principles and morality very high up thoughout his career and life. In those days, he was not the only one, of course, to do that. BTW, I understand how the proverb goes. But it is unfortunate that people forget that Ravan had high principles. From: s...@mail.smu.edu To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:21:59 + Subject: Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics Nice piece. It is always so easy to view the problem of corruption related ills as one of personal morality; that it happens because the people who have discretionary power, particularly politicians, are fundamentally bad people. If they are replaced by good people, the outcome will be fundamentally different. It is this view that gets the urban middle class so excited about the Hazare-like premises. I have tried to understand why this seems to be a collective social view, though individually almost all of us have the basic intelligence to understand the time immemorial adage that one who goes to Lanka, shall become a Ravan. Quite apart from the fact that reforming Lanka is nowhere as entertaining or appealing as burning Ravan, it reflects a fundamental desire in us to differentiate ourselves - they are the bad guys so they bring misery, I am good, if I were there, I would perform differently; I or someone like I can do it. By saying this, I exult my moral superiority. It is so easy to sell this creed to I. You?, well I am not so sure about you :-). Santanu. From: assam-boun...@assamnet.org [assam-boun...@assamnet.org] on behalf of Altaf Mazid [altafma...@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 8:31 AM To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Subject: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics By Amit Varma http://in.news.yahoo.com/blogs/opinions/rorschach-effect-indian-politics-053923332.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics
Rght ! So, I guess there is no escape from it, is there :-)? The fallacy here Alpana is that you are so stuck on the good people, bad people mantra, you cannot divorce yourself from the notion that a few or perhaps a lot good folks is all you need for salvation. The fact is that people are mostly the same, all over. Generally, they are mostly good. But the rigors of survival, selfish instincts, absence of societal and personal ethics and other factors push them to temptation. If such temptation is not discouraged by say: Ethical qualms Laws of the land and institutions of state that will punish bad behavior and support good behavior then the slide down the path of bad behavior becomes perpetuated, like in today's India. Americans or the British or the Germans or the French or the Norwegians or the Chinese or the Russians--they all are good and bad. But those societies that have succeeded in fostering ethical behavior in conjunction with an effective system of governance with trustworthy and functioning institutions, have by and large been able to prevent such wholesale descent into a corrupt state. So, it is NOT the Kharkhowas' innate badness that has caused its descent into what it is mired in now, It is India's make-believe democrasy and its dysfunctional state institutions, compounded by an absence of knowledge about what they ought to be, that is at the root of its profound malaise. Therefore, even if you get a half dozen saints imported from far off, saintly lands to run Assam, never mind AGP+BJP, vs Kongress or Akhil + Anna or even ULFA, will make any difference, UNLESS it is coupled with a complete overhaul of its failed governmental system. That simple. On Apr 22, 2011, at 11:36 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: But the system is made of the (local) people only. I might be acting like - 'gorur aagot tukari baai, mur jukaari ghah khai' to your argument of just blaming the system, and not taking responsibility of one's own greedy behavior, but I know for sure that It is not written in Indian book of law that taking bribe is mandatory. Sent via BlackBerry by ATT -Original Message- From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:02:58 To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics Allow me to butt in here A. No one is questioning the need for personal integrity. Your Bor-deuta is a good example. Question you should be asking is why HE had to QUIT? Where is the institutional support system that should reward good behavior and punish bad? It is THIS absence that breeds more and more behavior. There is no DETERRENCE. And about the 'I' and 'you', even if it is not specifically written, there still might be a tendency to preach, like you and I and many of us here and elsewhere do *** As long as such preaching does not go unchallenged, it is for the good. It makes people pause, think, look deeper into issues, instead of merely jumping onto this bandwagon or that, seeking easy answers and simple fixes. But if we are to dismiss or devalue Santanu's analysis as yet another set of preachings or attempts at self-aggrandisement, then we would be missing the point. On Apr 22, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: Good to hear from you, Santanu. Don't see you much these days. While i agree with you in principle that if the system of governance is very good, most things work out fine, i think there are other issues as well. I feel that for a country to function well, it has to have good governance, regulations, rules on one side and a population that has principles, not susceptible to corruption, and takes active and healthy interest in the general well being of the country. And about the 'I' and 'you', even if it is not specifically written, there still might be a tendency to preach, like you and I and many of us here and elsewhere do. One does not necessarily need to go to Lanka to become Rabon, you can find Rabon all over the place. Do people have to compromise on principles and morality because the system is so corrupt and put the blame on the system and succumb to taking bribes and what not? If the answer is yes, what does that tell us about our society? On a side note, my Bor-Deuta, as a young man, worked as a Supply Inspector for a couple of months and quit the job in disgust, because of large scale bribery. He didn't die a materially rich man, but he kept his principles and morality very high up thoughout his career and life. In those days, he was not the only one, of course, to do that. BTW, I understand how the proverb goes. But it is unfortunate that people forget that Ravan had high principles. From: s...@mail.smu.edu To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:21:59 + Subject: Re: [Assam] The Rorschach
Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics
What do you think? Why don't you tell us where the fallacy is, as YOU see it :-). On Apr 22, 2011, at 2:44 PM, Dilip Deka wrote: There is a fallacy in separating the system from the people completely. It is after all the people who make and install the system (political/administrative in this case). The system did not suddenly arrive from outer space.ALSO The same very people use or abuse the system. You indicated that the British system works. If I am not mistaken, the Indian system takes after the British one. It almost looks like a copy job - with the president as a figure head, Rajya Sabha patterned after the House of Lords, the IAS like the BCS, a governor in every state as the representative from Delhi, similar laws and regulations etc. etc. Why doesn't the Indian system work? Is it possible that a system that works in Brtain (I am not saying it does) stops working in India because it is abused by the people? === From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics To: Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com Cc: assam@assamnet.org assam@assamnet.org Date: Friday, April 22, 2011, 12:04 PM Rght ! So, I guess there is no escape from it, is there :-)? The fallacy here Alpana is that you are so stuck on the good people, bad people mantra, you cannot divorce yourself from the notion that a few or perhaps a lot good folks is all you need for salvation. The fact is that people are mostly the same, all over. Generally, they are mostly good. But the rigors of survival, selfish instincts, absence of societal and personal ethics and other factors push them to temptation. If such temptation is not discouraged by say: Ethical qualms Laws of the land and institutions of state that will punish bad behavior and support good behavior then the slide down the path of bad behavior becomes perpetuated, like in today's India. Americans or the British or the Germans or the French or the Norwegians or the Chinese or the Russians--they all are good and bad. But those societies that have succeeded in fostering ethical behavior in conjunction with an effective system of governance with trustworthy and functioning institutions, have by and large been able to prevent such wholesale descent into a corrupt state. So, it is NOT the Kharkhowas' innate badness that has caused its descent into what it is mired in now, It is India's make-believe democrasy and its dysfunctional state institutions, compounded by an absence of knowledge about what they ought to be, that is at the root of its profound malaise. Therefore, even if you get a half dozen saints imported from far off, saintly lands to run Assam, never mind AGP+BJP, vs Kongress or Akhil + Anna or even ULFA, will make any difference, UNLESS it is coupled with a complete overhaul of its failed governmental system. That simple. On Apr 22, 2011, at 11:36 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: But the system is made of the (local) people only. I might be acting like - 'gorur aagot tukari baai, mur jukaari ghah khai' to your argument of just blaming the system, and not taking responsibility of one's own greedy behavior, but I know for sure that It is not written in Indian book of law that taking bribe is mandatory. Sent via BlackBerry by ATT -Original Message- From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:02:58 To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics Allow me to butt in here A. No one is questioning the need for personal integrity. Your Bor-deuta is a good example. Question you should be asking is why HE had to QUIT? Where is the institutional support system that should reward good behavior and punish bad? It is THIS absence that breeds more and more behavior. There is no DETERRENCE. And about the 'I' and 'you', even if it is not specifically written, there still might be a tendency to preach, like you and I and many of us here and elsewhere do *** As long as such preaching does not go unchallenged, it is for the good. It makes people pause, think, look deeper into issues, instead of merely jumping onto this bandwagon or that, seeking easy answers and simple fixes. But if we are to dismiss or devalue Santanu's analysis as yet another set of preachings or attempts at self-aggrandisement, then we would be missing the point. On Apr 22, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: Good to hear from you, Santanu. Don't see you much these days. While i agree with you in principle that if the system of governance is very good, most things work out fine, i think there are other issues as well. I feel that for a country to function well, it has to have good governance, regulations, rules
Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics
What is your own perception A? Share your view of how things happen, how corruption happens. Obviously you don't believe in what I explained. Nor do you accept Amit Varma's or Santanu's. So you must have a different explanation. Tell us about it and we will see if it holds water :-). *** As long as such preaching does not go unchallenged, *** Anyone can write anything, espouse anything, assert anything. But we are free to challenge what we don't think adds up, holds water . And then we can present what we believe to be a better explanation, a better alternative and so forth. So if someone appears or sounds preachy , wee are free to call them out, of course hoping we have a good explanation WHY we think they are preachy and are not credible or merely holier than thou but untenably so. That would be different from jumping into every bandwagon that pops up, signing petitions, holding processions and 'gheraos' and what not. Things that thinking people would do. On Apr 22, 2011, at 4:08 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: And why don't you explain how the System compels people to get corrupted? What s your logic? *** As long as such preaching does not go unchallenged, Explain this as well, C'da. BTW, I did not dismiss Santanu's analysis, just analyzed it myself. Are you trying to be a Narod? :) :) I've been sent out to pick up some tool for the car. Can anyone believe that? After having to work straight for 12 days without a day off, I am doing this for the household, but I am good at taking challenges, so here I am struggling with my glasses/eyesight to use this little keyboard to work. :) Sent via BlackBerry by ATT -Original Message- From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:45:22 To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics What do you think? Why don't you tell us where the fallacy is, as YOU see it :-). On Apr 22, 2011, at 2:44 PM, Dilip Deka wrote: There is a fallacy in separating the system from the people completely. It is after all the people who make and install the system (political/administrative in this case). The system did not suddenly arrive from outer space.ALSO The same very people use or abuse the system. You indicated that the British system works. If I am not mistaken, the Indian system takes after the British one. It almost looks like a copy job - with the president as a figure head, Rajya Sabha patterned after the House of Lords, the IAS like the BCS, a governor in every state as the representative from Delhi, similar laws and regulations etc. etc. Why doesn't the Indian system work? Is it possible that a system that works in Brtain (I am not saying it does) stops working in India because it is abused by the people? === From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Assam] The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics To: Alpana B. Sarangapani absarangap...@hotmail.com Cc: assam@assamnet.org assam@assamnet.org Date: Friday, April 22, 2011, 12:04 PM Rght ! So, I guess there is no escape from it, is there :-)? The fallacy here Alpana is that you are so stuck on the good people, bad people mantra, you cannot divorce yourself from the notion that a few or perhaps a lot good folks is all you need for salvation. The fact is that people are mostly the same, all over. Generally, they are mostly good. But the rigors of survival, selfish instincts, absence of societal and personal ethics and other factors push them to temptation. If such temptation is not discouraged by say: Ethical qualms Laws of the land and institutions of state that will punish bad behavior and support good behavior then the slide down the path of bad behavior becomes perpetuated, like in today's India. Americans or the British or the Germans or the French or the Norwegians or the Chinese or the Russians--they all are good and bad. But those societies that have succeeded in fostering ethical behavior in conjunction with an effective system of governance with trustworthy and functioning institutions, have by and large been able to prevent such wholesale descent into a corrupt state. So, it is NOT the Kharkhowas' innate badness that has caused its descent into what it is mired in now, It is India's make-believe democrasy and its dysfunctional state institutions, compounded by an absence of knowledge about what they ought to be, that is at the root of its profound malaise. Therefore, even if you get a half dozen saints imported from far off, saintly lands to run Assam, never mind AGP+BJP, vs Kongress or Akhil + Anna or even ULFA, will make any difference, UNLESS it is coupled with a complete overhaul of its failed governmental system. That simple. On Apr 22, 2011, at 11:36 AM, Alpana B
Re: [Assam] Taxes etc.
..brace yourself, C'da. :). Can't wait A :-). On Apr 17, 2011, at 9:58 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: It was one of the most boring Sundaysfiled taxes todayyes, at the last moment. I had to assist today, can you believe that? I had to forego my Sunday (window) shopping and help with the taxes. Yesterday, it was different. In the morning, I had a new experience of working behind the scenes in a fundraising gala for scholarships at our college system. I never realized how much work and fun it can be. I opted out for the evening gala because we wanted to attend Houston Bihu function in the evening. Of course, I havce some comments on the Lok Pal and corruption in India which are coming shortly...brace yourself, C'da. :). ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work?
Dear Mazid: A govt is always elected by us, to rule us in a manner we can bribe them when needed. Altaf That is what is fallacious! It is the CHOICES you are given . The choices are made by a defective system that does not allow able people, people with integrity to get into. As I say, if you are stuck with choices between dumb and dumber, or a crook and a felon, what do you up getting? I don't know you, but I can imagine you are an able person, a person of integrity and you want to serve in government. Should you wish to run for office, will you get a ticket ? And to get a ticket, or even run as an independent, where will you get the funds, who will support your candidacy with the resources required? Who provides the parties with the funds? Why do you need able people to run for office? For a simple reason: In the Indian system law-makers actually become executives. A popular MLA becomes a minister who ACTUALLY administers a huge department even though it is supposed to b e done by professional managers--the Administrative Services. The separation of duties are on paper only. A minister or an MLA can and do influence the executive branches work thru improper use of political power.If a BA -fail minister runs the PWD , what do you end up getting? It is a DEFECTIVE system. It must be changed. There are dozens of other, substantial reasons why desi-demokrasy is a farce. Oh yes, it looks good on paper. But the reality is a wholly different thing. cm n Apr 18, 2011, at 12:17 AM, Altaf Mazid wrote: A government is only as good as the people who make it up we are getting a govt just like us. A govt is always elected by us, to rule us in a manner we can bribe them when needed. Altaf On 18 April 2011 10:37, Dilip Deka dilipd...@yahoo.com wrote: This time you are very correct - cent per cent as my high school math teacher used to say. But how do you get the people of integrity to rub shoulders with those that have no integrity? Draft them? Slowly tempt them in? Educate them at a young age to join public service and maintain integrity? From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com To: Ganesh Bora ganeshb...@yahoo.com Cc: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2011 6:07 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work? Good to hear from you Ganesh. But I don't share your optimism, because without functioning institutions in place, a watchdog or watchdogs will eventually become lapdogs. Just look at CBI. A government is only as good as the people who make it up. Until such time as able and people with integrity could not become a significant part of governance, it is doomed to be what Indian governance is. c-da On Apr 17, 2011, at 5:55 PM, Ganesh Bora wrote: C' da, The Jan Lokpal may or may not work! But it scared the corrupt MMS government. If Jan Lokpal does not work, some other Watch dog will be born! But atleast for some time, government will think (or feel) that some one is watching them! This is the beginning of the end of Governing without Accountability! Ganesh Bora Fargo, ND From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sun, April 17, 2011 8:49:34 AM Subject: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work? Prashant Bhushan is a credible person on these issues. But will the 'Jan Lokpal ' thing work? What do you think? I don't think it will. It may have some value temporarily. Something a newly independent state may employ to get its bearing, like I proposed for an independent Assam. But until such time India reforms and fixes its broken, dysfunctional system, it will be about as effective as all the other, much hyped schemes, programs, laws acronyms and whatchmacallits -- like for example Panchayats, Fast Track Courts, RTI, CVC and many others. Why ? For the simple reason that the dysfunctional system will continue to keep producing the corrupt and the inept. How will the JL, which is designed only to look after the CENTER - won't have anything to do with the states, keep the floodgates closed and for how long? That raises another assamnet specific question to this 'odhom': I was under the impression that it is Assam, and a few other states are the truly corrupt entities, not the Center, not the 'prospering' states and so forth. Where is the disconnect? The notion is akin to treating Typhoid with fever control medication. What is amazing is that no one NO ONE, is talking about fixing the broken system. Why? Any thoughts? Also look up http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271406. Some very fgood points raised in this. cm http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271389 OPINION Removing Misconceptions Addressing some of the issues and concerns raised by a number
Re: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work?
Draft them? Slowly tempt them in? Educate them at a young age to join public service and maintain integrity? I am not sure I have a magic answer. But it will obviously require a whole range of efforts, not the least of which, in my view, is educating new generations with what a democracy is, how it is supposed to function, how the citizenry fits into it , its responsibilities--so on and so forth. I can vouch for the fact, as well as you can and myriad others can, that we grew up with little knowledge of what democracy is, how it is expected to work, the role of its institutions, the citizens' responsibilities and so forth. And we were above average students, remember :-)? On Apr 18, 2011, at 12:07 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: This time you are very correct - cent per cent as my high school math teacher used to say. But how do you get the people of integrity to rub shoulders with those that have no integrity? Draft them? Slowly tempt them in? Educate them at a young age to join public service and maintain integrity? From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com To: Ganesh Bora ganeshb...@yahoo.com Cc: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2011 6:07 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work? Good to hear from you Ganesh. But I don't share your optimism, because without functioning institutions in place, a watchdog or watchdogs will eventually become lapdogs. Just look at CBI. A government is only as good as the people who make it up. Until such time as able and people with integrity could not become a significant part of governance, it is doomed to be what Indian governance is. c-da On Apr 17, 2011, at 5:55 PM, Ganesh Bora wrote: C' da, The Jan Lokpal may or may not work! But it scared the corrupt MMS government. If Jan Lokpal does not work, some other Watch dog will be born! But atleast for some time, government will think (or feel) that some one is watching them! This is the beginning of the end of Governing without Accountability! Ganesh Bora Fargo, ND From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sun, April 17, 2011 8:49:34 AM Subject: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work? Prashant Bhushan is a credible person on these issues. But will the 'Jan Lokpal ' thing work? What do you think? I don't think it will. It may have some value temporarily. Something a newly independent state may employ to get its bearing, like I proposed for an independent Assam. But until such time India reforms and fixes its broken, dysfunctional system, it will be about as effective as all the other, much hyped schemes, programs, laws acronyms and whatchmacallits -- like for example Panchayats, Fast Track Courts, RTI, CVC and many others. Why ? For the simple reason that the dysfunctional system will continue to keep producing the corrupt and the inept. How will the JL, which is designed only to look after the CENTER - won't have anything to do with the states, keep the floodgates closed and for how long? That raises another assamnet specific question to this 'odhom': I was under the impression that it is Assam, and a few other states are the truly corrupt entities, not the Center, not the 'prospering' states and so forth. Where is the disconnect? The notion is akin to treating Typhoid with fever control medication. What is amazing is that no one NO ONE, is talking about fixing the broken system. Why? Any thoughts? Also look up http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271406. Some very fgood points raised in this. cm http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271389 OPINION Removing Misconceptions Addressing some of the issues and concerns raised by a number of commentators on the provisions in the draft of Jan Lokpal Bill PRASHANT BHUSHAN A number of commentators have raised issues about the provisions in the draft of Jan Lokpal Bill, whether it will be effective instrument for checking corruption and about the manner in which pressure was brought to bear on the government through Shri Anna Hazare’s fast. It is therefore, important to understand the provisions of the bill and how it seeks to set up an effective institution to deal with corruption. Corruption in India has grown to alarming proportions; because of policies which have created enormous incentives for its proliferation, coupled with the lack of an effective institution which can investigate and prosecute the corrupt. Under the garb of liberalization and privatisation, we have adopted policies by which natural resources and public assets (such as mineral resources, oil gas, land, spectrum, etc) have been allowed to be privatised without any transparency or public auction. Hundreds of MoUs have been signed overnight
Re: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work?
Ram: Hope you all had a good Bihu weekend. We will have our nominal Bihu two weeks from now :-). All our young kharkhowa friends have moved out of St. Louis , robbing us of our Bihu energy that produced a lot of fun last year including an authentic 'meji'. There would need to be reforms, implementation and a follow through (accountability) *** I have been hearing of that demand for at least a quarter of a century. But what have you gotten so far? The problem probably lies in your solution. An independent Assam is more of an emotional issue for some, That may very well be. But for MANY, independence is not a trophy but a tool--to reform Assam governance. Why so you will ask: Because the operating Indian system is the obstacle for reforms. Perhaps you know of a way to effect the reforms within the sacrosanct Indian Constitution and operating within the system, like so many well-meaning folks always declare. Why not tell us how that might happen? I am NOT dedicated to independence. I would take anything that would help Assam dig out from the mire that is its governance, created and operated in the image and aegis of Dilli. What is needed , in tech talk, a CLEAN-INSTALL. The system is so terribly broken, only a complete overhaul will work. It is far too gone to be rescued by yet another scheme like Jan Lok Pal however well-intentioned. *** Corruption is a problem, but only ONE of a myriad of problems. And when we speak of corruption it behooves us to examine WHERE corruption gets its sustenance: Corruption is a result of laws, regulations. They are what empowers those with their fingers on power. Try eradicating the corruption empowering laws and regulations working within the Indian system . How do you propose to begin and where? c-da On Apr 18, 2011, at 9:56 AM, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, Happy Rongali Bihu. I don't think it will. It may have some value temporarily. Something a newly independent state may employ to get its bearing, like I proposed for an independent Assam Reading thru the posts, first, I think you make some excellent points regarding the system itself - ie. how BA - fail ministers are in charge of departments and are ill managed. And that there very poor choices in the hands of the electorate. In many ways, the system, you so often rightly complain, is at fault, and many will totally agree with you on that. There would need to be reforms, implementation and a follow through (accountability) The problem probably lies in your solution. An independent Assam is more of an emotional issue for some, but definitely impractical. No one in the last 30 years has been able to prove or convince that an independent Assam will somehow be better than what we have now.. Its the proverbial 'out of the frying pan, into the fire'. Why would a sane population in Assam agree to let their fate be decided by some corrupt, violent, gun-totting, insurgents. The people may not like the present setup, but at least they have a chance to turn things around with Hazare's or other similar movements. The two articles you forwarded, have plenty of problems, have to write again on that. But thanks for forwarding - gives one an idea what some people can come up to label as 'corruption' (from the article). --Ram On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 8:49 AM, Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com wrote: Prashant Bhushan is a credible person on these issues. But will the 'Jan Lokpal ' thing work? What do you think? I don't think it will. It may have some value temporarily. Something a newly independent state may employ to get its bearing, like I proposed for an independent Assam. But until such time India reforms and fixes its broken, dysfunctional system, it will be about as effective as all the other, much hyped schemes, programs, laws acronyms and whatchmacallits -- like for example Panchayats, Fast Track Courts, RTI, CVC and many others. Why ? For the simple reason that the dysfunctional system will continue to keep producing the corrupt and the inept. How will the JL, which is designed only to look after the CENTER - won't have anything to do with the states, keep the floodgates closed and for how long? That raises another assamnet specific question to this 'odhom': I was under the impression that it is Assam, and a few other states are the truly corrupt entities, not the Center, not the 'prospering' states and so forth. Where is the disconnect? The notion is akin to treating Typhoid with fever control medication. What is amazing is that no one NO ONE, is talking about fixing the broken system. Why? Any thoughts? Also look up http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271406. Some very fgood points raised in this. cm http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271389 OPINION Removing Misconceptions Addressing some of the issues and concerns raised by a number of commentators on the provisions
[Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work?
Prashant Bhushan is a credible person on these issues. But will the 'Jan Lokpal ' thing work? What do you think? I don't think it will. It may have some value temporarily. Something a newly independent state may employ to get its bearing, like I proposed for an independent Assam. But until such time India reforms and fixes its broken, dysfunctional system, it will be about as effective as all the other, much hyped schemes, programs, laws acronyms and whatchmacallits -- like for example Panchayats, Fast Track Courts, RTI, CVC and many others. Why ? For the simple reason that the dysfunctional system will continue to keep producing the corrupt and the inept. How will the JL, which is designed only to look after the CENTER - won't have anything to do with the states, keep the floodgates closed and for how long? That raises another assamnet specific question to this 'odhom': I was under the impression that it is Assam, and a few other states are the truly corrupt entities, not the Center, not the 'prospering' states and so forth. Where is the disconnect? The notion is akin to treating Typhoid with fever control medication. What is amazing is that no one NO ONE, is talking about fixing the broken system. Why? Any thoughts? Also look up http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271406. Some very fgood points raised in this. cm http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271389 OPINION Removing Misconceptions Addressing some of the issues and concerns raised by a number of commentators on the provisions in the draft of Jan Lokpal Bill PRASHANT BHUSHAN A number of commentators have raised issues about the provisions in the draft of Jan Lokpal Bill, whether it will be effective instrument for checking corruption and about the manner in which pressure was brought to bear on the government through Shri Anna Hazare’s fast. It is therefore, important to understand the provisions of the bill and how it seeks to set up an effective institution to deal with corruption. Corruption in India has grown to alarming proportions; because of policies which have created enormous incentives for its proliferation, coupled with the lack of an effective institution which can investigate and prosecute the corrupt. Under the garb of liberalization and privatisation, we have adopted policies by which natural resources and public assets (such as mineral resources, oil gas, land, spectrum, etc) have been allowed to be privatised without any transparency or public auction. Hundreds of MoUs have been signed overnight, by governments with private corporations, leasing out large tracts of land rich in mineral resources, forests and water, which allow those corporations to take away and sell these resources by paying the government a royalty which is usually less than 1% of the value of resources. The Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, has pointed out in a report on mining in Karnataka, that the profit margins in such ventures, is often more than 90%; thus leaving a huge scope for bribe giving and creating huge incentives for corruption. The same thing happened when Mr A. Raja gave away spectrum without a public auction to companies at less than 10% of its market price. Private monopolies in water/electricity distribution, airports, etc; have been allowed to be created where huge and unconscionable profits can be made by corrupting the regulator and allowing the private monopoly to charge predatory prices. Tens of thousands of hectares of land have been given away to corporations for commercialisation in the guise of airport development, construction of highways, SEZs etc. at prices which are less than 10% of the value of the those tracts of land. Apart from creating huge incentives for corruption, such policies have resulted in involuntary displacement of lakhs of the poorest people, rendering them on brink of starvation and forcing many of them to join the Maoists. They have also stripped the country of its natural resources (a good deal of which are exported), destroyed the environment and most ominously, resulted in creating monster corporations, who are so powerful and influential that they have come to influence and virtually control all institutions of power as we see from the Radia tapes. In fact it is the corporations which have become the fountainhead of corruption, with ministers and public servants having become their agents. While adopting policies which create huge incentives for corruption, we have not set up an effective institution to check corruption, investigate and prosecute the corrupt and bring them to justice. The CBI continues to be under the administrative control of the government, which is seen as fountainhead of corruption. Thus no action is usually taken by the CBI to effectively investigate high level corruption unless once in a while, the court forces its hand. Often, we see the CBI behave in a corrupt manner with no other institution,
Re: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work?
Every one getting a piece of the pie. *** That is not necessarily correct Majid. Only a FEW are getting the piece of the pie. It still is a very small percentage. But they are exponentially getting fatter at the cost of the vast majority. The answer is far more complex: A: At the root of it is that the vast majority don't KNOW, what it should be like. Generations have grown up seeing and knowing ONLY their broken system, while being touted by the media, its intelligentsia and the political class as the world's largest democracy and lauded by the West for being a 'democracy' but oblivious of the farce that it is. Now, when the West lauds something in India, it automatically becomes the TRUTH, never mind the 'kwabhaturi' (rottenness) it is. B: There are those in the political class ( and the intelligentsia) , who do know it is broken. I would suspect MMS is one of them. They are NOT all intellectual bumpkins. But they also know of the enormity of the task of mustering the political will of the tottering behemoth to effect meaningful change in an orderly and timely manner. They are afraid to declare its mortal flaws and call for change, knowing of the logistical nightmare involved and terrified of turning anarchic forces loose, seeking change. So, like so many of our friends right here in assamnet, they PRETEND everything will be fine , 'in due time'! 'Bhukute koltw nopoke nohoy' :-). C: There are many other reasons, big and small. Share your thoughts on what they might be. *** What is however quite obvious is that this dinosaur of a centrally controlled India will never be able to reform. Reform must happen at state levels. But that is easier said than done under the current constitutional shackles, such as those whose phony sanctity keeps getting touted even by India's most informed in an incredible display of fakery at times and ignorant at others. cm On Apr 17, 2011, at 10:27 AM, Altaf Mazid wrote: It is interesting to read CM's observations, and the attachments. CM is correct to note that it is the states like Assam is equally corrupt like the CENTER. Yes, no one is talking about fixing the broken system. Why? Every one getting a piece of the pie. We had seen hundreds of supporters coming out in Guwahati for Anna during the fasting days. Eventually the fast has ended and the discussions about the draft bill has started. Now how the corruption in Assam is going to be addressed following the foot prints of Anna? It must get generated somewhere. And how many will join to discuss the issues of dysfunctional system that is prevalent in Assam with lighted candles? Altaf ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work?
Good to hear from you Ganesh. But I don't share your optimism, because without functioning institutions in place, a watchdog or watchdogs will eventually become lapdogs. Just look at CBI. A government is only as good as the people who make it up. Until such time as able and people with integrity could not become a significant part of governance, it is doomed to be what Indian governance is. c-da On Apr 17, 2011, at 5:55 PM, Ganesh Bora wrote: C' da, The Jan Lokpal may or may not work! But it scared the corrupt MMS government. If Jan Lokpal does not work, some other Watch dog will be born! But atleast for some time, government will think (or feel) that some one is watching them! This is the beginning of the end of Governing without Accountability! Ganesh Bora Fargo, ND From: Chan Mahanta cmaha...@gmail.com To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sun, April 17, 2011 8:49:34 AM Subject: [Assam] Will the Jan Lokpal Bill Work? Prashant Bhushan is a credible person on these issues. But will the 'Jan Lokpal ' thing work? What do you think? I don't think it will. It may have some value temporarily. Something a newly independent state may employ to get its bearing, like I proposed for an independent Assam. But until such time India reforms and fixes its broken, dysfunctional system, it will be about as effective as all the other, much hyped schemes, programs, laws acronyms and whatchmacallits -- like for example Panchayats, Fast Track Courts, RTI, CVC and many others. Why ? For the simple reason that the dysfunctional system will continue to keep producing the corrupt and the inept. How will the JL, which is designed only to look after the CENTER - won't have anything to do with the states, keep the floodgates closed and for how long? That raises another assamnet specific question to this 'odhom': I was under the impression that it is Assam, and a few other states are the truly corrupt entities, not the Center, not the 'prospering' states and so forth. Where is the disconnect? The notion is akin to treating Typhoid with fever control medication. What is amazing is that no one NO ONE, is talking about fixing the broken system. Why? Any thoughts? Also look up http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271406. Some very fgood points raised in this. cm http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271389 OPINION Removing Misconceptions Addressing some of the issues and concerns raised by a number of commentators on the provisions in the draft of Jan Lokpal Bill PRASHANT BHUSHAN A number of commentators have raised issues about the provisions in the draft of Jan Lokpal Bill, whether it will be effective instrument for checking corruption and about the manner in which pressure was brought to bear on the government through Shri Anna Hazare’s fast. It is therefore, important to understand the provisions of the bill and how it seeks to set up an effective institution to deal with corruption. Corruption in India has grown to alarming proportions; because of policies which have created enormous incentives for its proliferation, coupled with the lack of an effective institution which can investigate and prosecute the corrupt. Under the garb of liberalization and privatisation, we have adopted policies by which natural resources and public assets (such as mineral resources, oil gas, land, spectrum, etc) have been allowed to be privatised without any transparency or public auction. Hundreds of MoUs have been signed overnight, by governments with private corporations, leasing out large tracts of land rich in mineral resources, forests and water, which allow those corporations to take away and sell these resources by paying the government a royalty which is usually less than 1% of the value of resources. The Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, has pointed out in a report on mining in Karnataka, that the profit margins in such ventures, is often more than 90%; thus leaving a huge scope for bribe giving and creating huge incentives for corruption. The same thing happened when Mr A. Raja gave away spectrum without a public auction to companies at less than 10% of its market price. Private monopolies in water/electricity distribution, airports, etc; have been allowed to be created where huge and unconscionable profits can be made by corrupting the regulator and allowing the private monopoly to charge predatory prices. Tens of thousands of hectares of land have been given away to corporations for commercialisation in the guise of airport development, construction of highways, SEZs etc. at prices which are less than 10% of the value of the those tracts of land. Apart from creating huge incentives for corruption, such policies have resulted in involuntary displacement of lakhs of the poorest people
Re: [Assam] FW: Thanks for taking action
Thanks for sharing it WK. Where have we heard these before :-)? Anyway, Raghu gets it, but not fully. That is the unfortunate part, that some like Raghu, who has been in the thick of it and has seen it all, does not quite understand the deficiencies or the dysfunction of the SYSTEM, which he has rightly fingered. Why do I say that? Simple: A mere ratification of the UN Charter on CORRUPTION will go nowhere and nothing will come out of it, until the enforcement and adjudication system is drastically CHANGED, made functional! Why? It should be clear to anyone who has watched this and have a basic understanding of a democratic society with a respect for what is referred to as DUE PROCESS, ought to know, that just because someone gets CAUGHT with violation of the RULES , will ever be held accountable by the dysfunctional-desi-system. The investigators could be unqualified, without resources, underfunded, under-quipped, un-trained, politically influenced and even be corrupted. A crafty lawyer could easily portray the evidence to be discredited or show that they do not measure up to the standards of justice. The prosecutor could be incompetent, could be compromised. The judges could be compromised, exactly by the same forces. Add to that the current state of a 30 yr. backlog, in which the corrupt accused can laugh all the way to his grave. So, how does anyone held to account? I am appalled by the this amazing absence of understanding of how the process is supposed to work, even by India's best. I lay the blame to the absence of EDUCATION about WHAT democracy consists of and how its institutions are supposed to work. In the absence of this knowledge base in the citizenry, nothing really could be expected to change. But in the meantime, things could be done. I delineated some of those things, three or four years back, much to the chagrin of some of our friends right here, who were prompt to discredit them :-). c On Apr 8, 2011, at 5:45 AM, Wahid Saleh - Indiawijzer wrote: · Please watch this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlyyE7wDzNk to hear T R Raghunandan, the Ex-IAS Officer’s speech and see his presentation on corruption in India. You will be surprised to see and read why the corrupt ones go scot free and how they get the courage for all their corrupt activities, so easily in India. ·Then go to IPaidABribe.com (copy and paste) and register to push for anti-corruption laws in India. From: Avaaz.org [mailto:av...@avaaz.org] Sent: 07 April 2011 23:38 To: indiawijzer...@gmail.com Subject: Thanks for taking action Avaaz usually sends about one email per week, offering a chance to take quick action on an urgent global issue. If you received this message in error, or would prefer not to receive email from Avaaz, click here to unsubscribe https://secure.avaaz.org/act/?r=unsubemail=indiawijzer...@gmail.comlang=encid=1210 or email unsubscr...@avaaz.org. Thank you for standing with Anna Hazare against corruption! Your name has been added. The more people join this campaign, the more powerful our call will be. Please, spread the word by forwarding the email below and by posting a message on Facebook and Twitter: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_anna_hazare/97.php?cl_tta_sign=5579bf66198a52bb063fb00a343463c7 Thanks so much, The Avaaz Team - Here is the original email to forward to your friends: Dear friends across India, Right now, Anna Hazare, a 73-year-old Gandhian, sits in the burning sun fasting, and he will stay until death -- unless the government agrees to consider a powerful law that could rid Indian politics of the scourge of corruption. This “Modern Mahatma” is taking the utmost act of courage and determination to push through a bill that would give an independent body the power to punish corruption -- even in the Prime Minister’s office. Across the country a movement has exploded, and a media storm of pressure has been sparked that’s engulfing Singh. But dirty politicians are desperately trying to water down or kill the law. For the first time in forty three years, we have the chance to change the way politics is done. Let's join together and stand with Anna Hazare to tackle corruption and clean up Indian politics. We have no time to lose -- sign the petition to Prime Minister Singh and send this on to everyone: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_anna_hazare/97.php?cl_tta_sign=5579bf66198a52bb063fb00a343463c7 Hazare is championing a citizen-developed bill called “Jan” Lokpal that will create an independent body, selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities, with enough power to investigate and punish all politicians. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence its investigations. Since 1968, when this bill was first introduced, greedy politicians have thwarted its passing. Now the
Re: [Assam] Modi: The Man with a Vision - Tavleen Singh (The Sentinel)
*** Brings up a question that Tavleen Singh, in her awe of the Modi, forgot to ask or deal with: Does economic progress therefore trump everything else? Does it absolve an ethnic cleanser of his crimes, if he is able to deliver the riches? Same question for all others who are marching lock-step with Tavleen's Singh's views here :-). On Mar 28, 2011, at 11:00 AM, Ram Sarangapani wrote: *Among the stars who glittered at the India Today conclave, Narendra Modi shone brighter than all the others. Even those who came prepared to hate him left with a very different view* Some of our ardent Assamnetters, could have attended the Modi bhai address :-) --Ram Modi: The Man with a Vision *Among the stars who glittered at the India Today conclave, Narendra Modi shone brighter than all the others. Even those who came prepared to hate him left with a very different view* Even before Narendra Modi arrived for his session at last week’s India Today conclave there was a buzz of excitement about his presence. Opinion in this gathering of liberal opinion makers was heavily weighted against him. The journalists were all implacably hostile and spent their time preparing questions on the violence that swept through Gujarat in February 2002 and that continues to haunt him wherever he goes. The drawing room intellectuals in the audience were prepared to have a more open mind on the Chief Minister of India’s fastest growing State but admitted that there was something about him that continued to give them the creeps. All in all there was a hornets’ nest awaiting him and this is why the speed with which he disarmed the stings was so impressive. The Aaj Tak anchor, Ajay Kumar, who introduced him made no effort to conceal his hostility and although he admitted that Gujarat was making remarkable economic gains under Modi, tempered this praise by adding that the Chief Minister was a ‘cunning and clever’ politician. The implication was clear: no matter how impressive this man may seem remember what he did after Godhra. Modi ignored the implication and began his address with this question. ‘Can our country become one of the world’s super powers?’ He answered the question himself by saying that his experience in Gujarat had led him to believe that India could indeed become one of the world’s most powerful countries if it set itself some clear goals. He said the ‘Gujarat model’ was proof that the cynical, defeated mood that prevailed in the country about our political leaders and governance in general was wrong. “In Gujarat we have shown that those same government offices, those same government officials and those same old laws and regulations can be used to bring about development and change.” By the time he got to pointing out that the 21st century was widely acknowledged as Asia’s century and that the race was between China and India he had everybody’s attention. He then listed what he considered India’s three advantages over China. Democracy, youth power and a judicial system that worked. It was on these three strengths, he said, that India needed to build. In the rest of his speech he explained what he had done in Gujarat to bring about the changes that even his worst critics admit have happened. His secret, he admitted, was that he had emulated another famous Gujarati politician, Mahatma Gandhi, by copying how the Mahatma had enlisted the masses into the movement for India’s freedom. There had been other leaders before him who had made their contribution to the cause of freedom but they had failed to build a mass movement. In Gujarat all the changes that have happened since Modi became Chief Minister ten years ago were made possible because he made ordinary people participate in them through campaigns to gain popular support. He called it his jan andalon method which he said he used for every change from rural healthcare to agricultural productivity. When he finished speaking the drawing room liberals in my vicinity whispered among themselves about how wonderful it would be if Modi became Prime Minister. The questions were, as usual, about the violence he had presided over but they failed to deflect from the general sense of hope and optimism that Modi had succeeded in creating. Everyone I spoke to agreed that what India needed was a leader like Modi. What made this opinion even more pervasive was that Modi made such a vibrant contrast to the lacklustre performance we had witnessed earlier from the Prime Minister. He addressed the first session of the conclave and said nothing new. In the monotone we have become accustomed to he gave us a catalogue of his government’s ‘achievements’. The Right to Information law, the Right to Education act, the rural employment guarantee scheme, the rural health mission…the list was long. When questioned about failures to deal with corruption, child malnutrition and black money he
Re: [Assam] Parliament approves new name for Orissa
It is a matter for the Odiyas. But somehow I fail to understand how the 'r' replaced with 'd' will feel them any more Odiya than Oriya, considering the fact that few English speakers would know the difference or care. It is, at best, a demonstration of ethnic insecurity. cm On Mar 26, 2011, at 12:02 AM, Bidyananda Barkakoty wrote: Parliament approves new name for Orissa PTI – Thu, Mar 24, 2011 2:36 PM IST New Delhi, March 24 (PTI) Orissa will hereafter be called ''Odisha'' and the Oriya language will be known as ''Odia'' with Parliament giving approval to amendment of the Constitution and also passing the related bill. The Rajya Sabha passed the Orissa (the Alteration of Name) Bill and adopted the Constitution (113th) Amendment Bill after a brief debate with members from all parties hailing the move as historic for people of the state. Supported by all parties, including the Biju Janta Dal, the Constitution Amendment Bill was adopted by all 169 members present and voting. Such a bill requires support of at least two-third of members present and voting. Besides, the majority of the strength of the House should be present for voting. The Upper House has a strength of 245 members. Lok Sabha has already adopted these measures after the Centre received the resolution passed by the state Assembly. While there was all round support for the measure, BJP and Congress members sought to target Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik charging him with non-performance and heading a government facing scams. The bills were piloted by Home Minister P Chidambaram. However, the electronic voting system witnessed glitches during the division so much so that even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh''s vote was also cast wrongly. Participating in the debate, members said the name change was the process of decolonisation as Britishers had changed the Indian names of cities and states. Pyarimohan Mohapatra (BJD) said it was a great moment for people of the state and added that with the change of name, they are getting back their pride. R C Khuntia (Cong) rued that the state, which was prosperous once, has become poverty-stricken. He, however, hoped the change of name will fulfil aspirations of people. He said the state was facing many scams and corruption charges in the present rule. Rudra Narayan Pany (BJP) charged the Orissa Chief Minister with non-performance and said Patnaik could not speak even the local language. His colleague Chandan Mitra said, Orissa regains its prestige and sense of history. Mitra said while India''s heritage was revered in many parts of the world, we have forgotten our own heritage. There have been many cities and states that have been renamed after independence. These include Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Pune (Poona), Kochi (Cochin) and Bangaluru (Banglore). ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Gandhi--Noble Soul
Almost all of it is just plain lip service. And THAT, unfortunately is what defines Indians! On Mar 25, 2011, at 9:58 PM, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Thank you for forwarding this excellent piece, Mukul da. The tragic element is that he was ultimately forced, like Lear, to see the limits of his ambition to remake his world.” To add, and paint with a rather broad brush, few Indians pay serious thought to any Gandhian ideal. Almost all of it is just plain lip service. --Ram On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 8:39 PM, mc mahant mikemah...@hotmail.com wrote: Netters :worth reading through and over http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/books/review/book-review-great-soul-mahatma-gandhi-and-his-struggle-with-india-by-joseph-lelyveld.html?_r=1nl=booksemc=booksupdateema2pagewanted=print ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
