Manufactured Demand For Bottled Water

This captivating video was created by The Story of Stuff Project, using simple black caricature on white background. I'm putting this video up in the blog for the viewing pleasure of a specific breed of environmentalist. My target audience are the guardians of environment who protest aggressively against tree felling, while reaching the site in an air-conditioned car, needing chilled mineral water to keep the cool all the while. I'm talking about you, for whom environmental activism is fashion fad to talk around, to blog and pollute net space. I'm talking about you, who frowns at the sight of plastic being burnt and yet give no thought to using plastic at the first place. I'm talking about you, who cry foul on news of garbage from foreign countries being dumped in India and yet is relentlessly in garbage creation.

PS: This video was forwarded by Anala (thanks for keeping me informed about whats going on in facebook).

After Effects of Earth Hour

Millions (or say BILLIONS to feel good) celebrated Earth Hour on March 27, 2010 throughout the world. My megacity, Bangalore, participated actively and apart from few scuffles about time of event (8:30 PM v/s 8:30 AM), there were no major incidents of violence.

Some activists got emotional at the end of the event and wanted the Earth Hour to be converted to Earth Year. Few anti-social elements raised slogan that Earth Hour is a propaganda of foreign powers to destabilize Earth. Overall, the feedback from the public was that Earth Hour should be celebrated during daytime. Here is a small list of 7 events that occurred in Bangalore during and because of Earth Hour:

1. There were 7 incidents of major fire at 9:30 p.m. today which kept the fire department busy. The suspected reason is that since all were suppressing fart during Earth Hour (since fart contains methane and methane causes global warming), everybody farted as soon as Earth Hour was over and concentration of inflammable methane increased suddenly at 9:30 p.m. causing outbreak of fire at many places.

One lady's Kanjeevaram silk saree was burnt as she farted explosively near her husband who was smoking. The sari was under warranty.

2. I myself had an accident with a bat after I switched off my bike's headlight and the bat switched off its sonar while participating in Earth Hour. Bat had not brought insurance coverage and my motor insurance does not cover air accidents.

3. Robbers in the city reportedly had huge difficulty as they had to work without torch during the Earth Hour. However, the president of the country had appreciated their effort in making earth hour a success. Robbers Association of India has requested to celebrate Earth Hour more frequently.

4. Couples who went to multiplex to watch "Love, Sex, aur Dhokha" ended up watching "Black" as projector lights were switched off during Earth Hour. Taking advantage of darkness, they betrayed their love, had sex with unseen person (it was dark), and did dhokha with their lover.

The police registered a huge increase in infidelity cases at 9:30 p.m. Multiplex owners also registered complaint against unknown couples for damaging the chairs. Pharmaceutical stores were finding it difficult to satisfy the demand for I-pill at 9:30 p.m.

5. Because monitors had to be switched off during Earth Hour, employees sent job applications to their present employer's email instead of prospective employer. However, this did not sour the employee-employer relationship as the employers were not able to see the sender's email ID.

Employees are demanding that at least backlit keyboards be provided during Earth Hour.

6. The flood lights at the cricket stadium were switched off during Earth Hour. Today's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab vs. Kolkata Knight Riders was played without ball as it was thought ball could hurt players as they had to play in dark. Deccan Chargers won the match.

Sidhu came out with the idea of radium-coated ball specially for matches during Earth Hour.

7. At coaching classes, students were not able to read or write as lights went off during Earth Hour. So, they ended up reading Penthouse and Mastram which they had by hearted and need no light to read.

Teacher said the students should put same kind of effort to study course material as they put for Penthouse. He also that he will send letter to NCERT for inclusion of Penthouse in the curriculum so that students can improve their grades.

Related: My Take on Earth Hour

My Take on Earth Hour

Technology is invented to ease the life. Ease of life shouldn't be limited to preserve the resource for future's sake. There is no need to preserve a technology/resources. If the demand far exceeds the present availability of resources, then it means the resource is inefficient to meet today's need. If the depletion of a resources scares you, then think it is the time to invent a new technology to replace the old one. Horse was replaced by petrol. Whale oil was replaced by electric bulb.

Those who neither have the courage to stand behind nor reasoning to support their ideology find it convenient to tout borrowed wisdom. There is no risk of being left alone as the army of mindless masses is always at leisure to support a popularized vision. You look into the publications and find a "cause" suitable to own personality and bingo! you are the latest fighter in the crusade of "the cause." Such a wisdom is just that, borrowed. Like borrowed money, borrowed wisdom is used for outer beautification of the body, never satisfies the soul. It is like concubines, can be of pleasure, can signify eliteness, but can never produce heirs. There is satisfaction of life in inventing the theories all over again on our own, there is sense in envisioning the universe by own eyes.

Lets celebrate the advent of new inventions rather than mourn the death of old and inefficient. Lets rediscover the wheel.

Two Routes to Death

The food ministry offers you two ways to die. Either you increase the chances of death by eating genetically modified food (this is unsure) or you die because of hunger (this is guaranteed). The choice is yours.

Few decades ago, similar choice was presented with crops fed with poisonous chemical fertilizers and insecticides on one side and conventional/organic farming with no use of chemicals on the other side. First option meant the society will have enough food to feed its growing population. The second one meant low production of food for increasing population and eminent hunger. Protest erupted against the use of chemicals in agriculture stating this will result in disease and death of the citizens. But, the nation chose to go ahead with chemicalization of the farms. What happened afterwards is history. Probably, you and me had never been born had there not been Green Revolution.

Related Reading: http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php