The right to freedom of speech and expression.

Please click on the image to enlarge and read.

Stories you may want to read:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/84730/LATEST%20HEADLINES/Govt+moots+jail+for+GM+food+critics.html

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264220

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article107866.ece

The battle for our country's food security. And how it was won.

A first hand report from the GMO battlefront, India.

For over six months now we have been deeply involved, as ordinary citizens of India in waging a war against the attempts of seed companies like Monsanto to control our food. Add Bill Gates to the mix and you have got a powerful mix of people and companies who will stop at nothing. With the kind of money and political power, it’s next to impossible to stop them.

First the facts: Patented gene technologies will not help small farmers survive climate change, but they will concentrate corporate power, drive up costs, inhibit public sector research and further undermine the rights of farmers to save and exchange seeds.

http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/10558-the-worlds-top-ten-seed-companies-who-owns-nature

Background: Bt Cotton

Armed with the growing power and a 26% share in Mahyco, it’s Indian counterpart, Monsanto unleashed Bt Cotton in India. PR, News and other media bought off, people started hearing how Bt cotton has been successful and made for amazing yields.
Till farmers started committing suicide. Today the numbers are placed at more than 200,000. The magical Bt Cotton was neither magical nor so Bt’ed with common sense. Predictably, the secondary pests developed a resistance and started creating havoc.
But the company had paid off the top politicians and greenwashed, blackwashed, bloodwashed the case of Bt Cotton.
Find out more about this humanitarian, ecological, environmental disaster of Bt Cotton here: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/farmersSuicidesBtCottonIndia.php

Bt Brinjal

So in 2009, the GEAC (Genetic Enginnering Approval Committe) gave the go ahead to the world’s first genetically modified food that was to be directly consumed by humans - the Bt Brinjal. Also known as eggplant and aubergine.

Dr. Pushpa Bhargava was a member of the GEAC. A renowned microbiologist, Dr. Bhargava expressed shock at the approval.
Greenpeace, I am no Lab Rat, Krishi Virasat, Vandana Shiva, Gene Campaign and many others launched a campaign protesting the decision.
Millions of educated Indians got into the act.
And within 72 hours, our environment minister, Mr. Jairam Ramesh’s offices was flooded with over 70,000 faxes and thousands of emails, saying Bt Brinjal must not be approved.

But it was the citizens of India who took it upon themselves to protest against this environmental colonialism. Thousands of letters from housewives, students and just about everyone poured into Mr. Jairam's office. From all corners of the country.

Never before was such a spontaneous environmental protest seen in this country’s history. Jairam Ramesh put off the decision till February. He said he would travel around the country and hold a series of public consultations. He would take the opinion of people, scientists and farmers.

Monsanto-Mahyco had politicians by their side. The science and technology minister of India, the agricultural minister of India came in defense of Bt Brinjal. Said it was harmless.
With all the power in their hands, Monsanto thought it had the game in control
Except they made a little mistake. They hadn’t realized that bigger than money, bigger than politics, bigger than anything else is something called the country.
It was India’s food security at stake and people came out in millions and took a stand against this blatant attempt at a new kind of colonialism.

And the Indians fought a pitched battle against Monsanto and their allies. Watch videos and see reports here: http://greenpeace.in/safefood/

Blogs like this were continuously giving out information which the mainstream media and newspapers refused to cover. http://greatindiansale.blogspot.com/search?q=bt+brinjal

The protest was democratic. More than 100,000 people around the country fasted in protest against Bt Brinjal on Martyrs Day - 30th January (anniversary of Gandhi’s assasination)

It was found that the politicians in favour of Bt Brinjal were singing Monsanto’s tune. In fact, they were quoting form Monsanto’s publicity material. Independent scientists wrote to the PM pointing out how promotional material of a pseudo-scientific organization funded primarily by Monsanto had found its way into government briefings on GM crops:
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264220

In the consultations, Monsanto brought in paid stooges to pose as farmers that supported Bt brinjals. They made a noise alongside scientists on Monsanto’s payroll. Which scientist would say things like: "people want new technology like iphone so why not btbrinjal?"
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15498385

And then the decision came in. India said no to Bt Brinjal.

Here is one of the most brilliant and transparent reports by a politician we have ever seen: http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article103839.ece

pdf: http://bit.ly/cbncBl

Read every word. It sets s precedent for the world trying to fight the GMO Battle.

Every word of it proves India is a strong democracy. And every word of it proves that science was being hijacked by the GMO companies. (Bad, inadequate research: http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11932-the-inadequacy-of-gm-brinjal-food-safety-studies-dr-judy-carman)

This was a victory of science.

As the Scottish Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said
"We know very little, if anything, about the long-term effects of growing GM crops. To take risks with our natural environment is wholly indefensible and irresponsible. We simply cannot afford to take risks with untested technologies.

"We are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with other nations who are opposed to GM and fight for what our people want. It is clear that concerns about GM exist in the developing, as well as the developed world, and I am pleased to see that the Indian Government has listened to public opinion."

The battle of the brinjal has been won. But the war continues around the world.

CONTAMINATION ALERT!

Contamination alert RT @GMWatch: URGENT: Immediate confiscation & destruction of all #Btbrinjal seed stock demanded http://bit.ly/bnzBJt


Further reading:

Monsanto on Monsanto: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne200210go_aheads.asp

All the answers to questions like will GMOs solve world’s hunger?
http://greatindiansale.blogspot.com/2009/10/great-indian-lab-rat.html

Sunita Narain on the decision: http://www.business-standard.com//india/storypage.php?autono=385392

photo courtsey: The Hindu

An open letter to Shri Jairam Ramesh

Dear Sir,

Please accept my congratulations on initiating a public dialogue on Bt Brinjal. What you have done proves our democracy is healthy.
However, I must bring to your notice some valid concerns regarding Bt Brinjal.
To sum up: Here is the situation. A whole lot of scientists are against Genetically Modified Food.
Many are in favour of it.
Those in favour say GM Foods are harmless.
But it’s not proven.
It would take years to find out the real effects of GM Food and then only they should be ‘unleashed’ on humans. If at all.
But why are the companies that make GM Food are in a hurry to get them approved?
Because with climate change they have an excuse of solving the food crisis. But that’s a tall claim and should be well tested.
Or it would mean compromising on our health, our country’s food security, and destroying small farmers.

After doing an extensive study, I list forth some key points that the GMO companies have put forth. And their point by point rebuttal from top scientists around the world.

What the companies say: There is no evidence that presently developed GE foods are harmful to health and environment.
Deceptive. The truth is that there is no scientific proof that the GE foods on the
market are harmless. There are studies, however, that are pointing out to the harmful effects. The Guardian reported that British scientist Dr Arpad Pusztai findings showed that rats fed on GM potatoes (both raw and cooked) after 10 days suffered a weakened immune system as well as severe impairment in the development of the internal organs such as heart, liver, kidney and even the brain.
Environment: The research to investigate long term environmental effects would take many years in each single case of genetic engineering. An expert appointed by the European Parliament to assess this issue concluded: "Our current knowledge does not provide us with the means to predict the ecological long-term effects of releasing organisms into the environment. So it is beyond the competence of the scientific system to answer such a question..."


What the companies say: GE-foods will save the world from global famine through greatly improved crops.
The report from International Assessment for Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, initiated by the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and conducted by 400 scientists over a period of three years, acknowledges that GM crops will not play a substantial role in addressing the key problems of climate change, biodiversity loss, hunger and poverty. “The future of farming lies in a biodiversity and labour-intensive agriculture that works with nature and the people, not against them.”
This report has been endorsed by the Government of India.

What the companies say: This is nothing new. Mankind has been modifying genes since thousands of years in breeding.
In mating, a chromosome from the mother is combined with a chromosome of the father. The sequence of DNA "code words" in each chromosome remains unchanged. And the chromosomes remain stable. The mating mechanism has been developed over billions of years and yields stable and reliable results.

In genetic engineering, a set of foreign genes is inserted haphazardly in the midst of the sequence of DNA "code words" (in this case in the DNA inherited from the mother. The insertion disrupts the ordinary command code sequence in the DNA. This disruption may disturb the functioning of the cell, and make the chromosome unstable in unpredictable and potentially hazardous ways.

Are long term tests really possible on GM Crops?
Agritech companies such as Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta don’t let their seeds be tested. For a decade their user agreements have explicitly forbidden the use of the seeds for any independent research. Under the threat of litigation, scientists cannot test a seed to explore the different conditions under which it thrives or fails. They cannot compare seeds from one company against those from another company. And perhaps most important, they cannot examine whether the genetically modified crops lead to unintended environmental side effects.
Research on genetically modified seeds is still published, of course. But only studies that the seed companies have approved ever see the light of a peer-reviewed journal. -
Scientific American, August 2009

Sir, we respect you and know that in the light of all the valid criticism against Bt Brinjal, you will impose a moratorium on it, till it proves to be safe.

Kind regards,

Wow! A "public" consultation on Bt Brinjal.

Some news reports from Kolkata:

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Decision-on-Bt-brinjal-likely-by-Feb/567032/

http://www.ptinews.com/news/467339_Ramesh-loses-his-cool-during-debate-on-Bt-Brinjal-in-WB

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100114/jsp/bengal/story_11982382.jsp

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/High-drama-at-BT-brinjal-public-hearing/videoshow/5441646.cms

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Discussion-on-Bt-brinjal-hits-the-road/567150/

A collaboration with the legendary Indra Sinha

Click on the image to enlarge and read.
Copy: Indra Sinha, The Great Indian Clearance Sale
Art and Illustration: The Great Indian Clearance Sale

A few writers can make people as uncomfortable with their words as Indra Sinha. And when he saw our Bhopal appeal, he thought it could be infinitely more powerful with facts about the tragedy. Here it is then: An open letter to the Prime Minsiter. Published in Bhopal on the 31st of December. Hope the nation sees the truth.
More on Bhopal by Indra Sinha:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/04/bhopal-25-years-indra-sinha
http://www.greenworld.org.uk/page189/page189.html

Did it hurt when they took away your eyes?

Click on the image to enlarge and read.



Read the fantastic Down to Earth story here: Subterranean Leak.

You: Sold!

Click on the image to enlarge and read.




Our favourite magazine Down to Earth speaks our language! The November 30 cover story is a powerful expose on how environmental clearances are being given with total disregard to sense, rules and everything else. The great sale is on, and unfortunately, they are selling you. Find out how. Read the Down to Earth story here.

I've seen the future, brother: it is murder.

Click on the image to enlarge and read.

The shit, as the say, is going to hit the fan in December. If you read the text on the image you will know why. Here is the full report.

And here are the reasons why you must oppose GM Food. Because if you don't there is going to be nothing left to oppose. We lose our food security, we lose our sovereignty.

But the future does look bleak. We at The Great Indian Clearance Sale have tried to bring you facts that you do not notice otherwise. What you do with the facts, is up to you.

The Great Indian Lab Rat

Please click on the image to enlarge and read.

It's simple really.
The pro GM Food lobby says GM Good is harmless.
Concerned scientists say, there is no proof it is the case. In fact, their independent researches show that indeed GM Food is harmful and may cause irreversible genetic contamination in the food and environment.
There is only one way to find out. Conduct proper long term tests.
And not introduce GM Food till then.
Introducing them without proper testing, will be undemocratic and inhuman.
We are no lab rats.

In the above poster, when you click and enlarge it, you will find arguments used by the GM Food companies. Beneath each of those is also a rebuttal to those arguments, as presented by scientists around the world. Read and think about it.

Most importantly, please write to the Prime Minister of India and register your protest. Also cc it to the environment minister, Shri Jairam Ramesh. He has invited public opinion till December 31, 2009.

Here are the mail ids of our respected minister: jairam@vsnl.com, jairam@sansad.nic.in, mosef@nic.in

PROTEST WITH ONE CLICK

You can also click and register your protest here with I am no Lab Rat.

or here with Greenpeace.


Here's some more information:

Do we really need GM Crops to solve world hunger?
A recent article in National Geographic says that sustainable agriculture and not GM Crops is the solution.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/06/cheap-food/bourne-text

And here is a brilliant debate in the New York Times. The best minds debate the issue - Can bitech cure world's hunger:
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/can-biotech-food-cure-world-hunger/

We need proper tests:
Gene flow from Bt brinjal to wild relatives, if commercialized, would therefore be virtually certain. Whether the Bt gene becomes a permanent part of the environment in India would then depend on the properties of the gene in the wild plants–something that cannot be predicted without performing tests. No such tests have been performed according to the records available.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11611:gene-flow-testing-for-bt-brinjal-useless-expert

But are these tests possible?
Agritech companies such as Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta don’t let their seeds be tested. For a decade their user agreements have explicitly forbidden the use of the seeds for any independent research. Under the threat of litigation, scientists cannot test a seed to explore the different conditions under which it thrives or fails. They cannot compare seeds from one company against those from another company. And perhaps most important, they cannot examine whether the genetically modified crops lead to unintended environmental side effects.
Research on genetically modified seeds is still published, of course. But only studies that the seed companies have approved ever see the light of a peer-reviewed journal.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=do-seed-companies-control-gm-crop-research

Why Bt Brinjal is no solution.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/bt-brinjal-is-no-solution/532815/2

Vandan Shiva on Bt Brinjal
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/trouble-on-the-plate/532814/

The case against GM Crops which answers many questions.
http://www.sgr.org.uk/GenEng/CaseAgainstGMcrops.html

Harassing Farmers
The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) rejected four key Monsanto patents related to genetically modified crops that PUBPAT challenged last year because the agricultural giant is using them to harass, intimidate, sue - and in some cases literally bankrupt - American farmers.
http://www.pubpat.org/monsantorejections.htm

So what's the climate action day all about. And why Indians should stand up and be counted.

October 24th. The International Day of Climate Action.
You have heard about it. You have seen the 350 banners. You have seen the Indian newspapers flimsily mention it.
So what's the big deal?
Well, for starters, this is the revolution we have been waiting for.
We always say, politicians are corrupt and won't do anything for our country.
We always say, oh but what can people do?
Two words. Civil Disobedience.
Two days from now, the people of the world will gather together, from wherever they are, and stand united. There will be millions of voices demanding a fair, ambitious and binding deal on climate change.
No bullshit. No false solutions. No political nonsense.
Our climate is not their business. And this is what October 24th is all about.

So what happens if Indians don't stand up and be counted?
We make a statement that we don't care. And that, friends, is an open invitation to a lot of bogus solutions like 'clean coal' and 'carbon trading' and 'GM Food' which will be sold cheap to willing buyers. And if the country of Gandhi doesn't care about civil disobedience, it becomes an easy prey to hawkish businessmen and politicians setting out ot make a quick buck. You have all seen how powerful the Bt Brinjal / GM Food lobby is. Wait till you see the clean coal brigade. It's got greedy governments on its side.

It's our future at stake here. And which is why stand up and make yourself be counted. Let's add a couple of more thousands to the number if not millions. It will be a start. Remember, Copenhagen is not about the governments, it is about us. And seeing all the people around the world coming together, it's already successful.

Onwards and upwards!

350.org PowerPoint Slideshow

View more presentations or Upload your own.

You can catch the latest on the biggest civil disobedience movement in the history of the world, here:



Click here for climate justice action:



Because the world needs to know:

Are those brinjals in your brain, or are you just happy to read this post?

Screw the science.
That’s the rule, the climate sceptics, companies and their lobbyists seem to play by.
And then one day this happens.
A Monsanto owned company files a report saying how good Bt Brinjals are. Also known as GM foods and so on.
A committee approves the report and lo and behold the Bt Brinjals get an, dramatic music please, environmental clearance!!!

What a dark day for India.

And many such dark days later, Bt Brinjal will be unleashed upon Indians. The first food crop to be tested on humans, anywhere in the world.
All in the name of climate change – lack of food – the immense power of GM Crops logic.
Of course, Europe has banned GM Food. There are massive protests in America. But India, as always remains open for exploitation.
Because our minister says: there are arguments for it, and there are arguments against it. And we will decide once we have looked at all the arguments.
So, what have we been doing all these years?

Let me present some quick facts.

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC, the clearing house for all gm crops in India), has cleared Bt brinjal on the basis of test results submitted by seed company Mahyco, which has developed the crop.

Mahyco is owned by Monsanto.

Activists managed to get their hands on Mahyco’s test results through a Right to Information petition. They sent the results to several independent scientists for review. Two scientists got back. Their analyses showed inconsistencies in Mahyco’s interpretation of the test results.
They also showed the tests were inadequate.

Mahyco claimed it did not find any significant difference between Bt brinjal and non-Bt brinjal in the biosafety tests. The company said it carried out toxicity and allergenicity studies on rats and its impact on soil microbes. It also assessed the impact on beneficial insects and the environment. Based on these, the GEAC cleared them for large-scale field trials. But the data is generated and analyzed by the company itself, said Suman Sahai, geneticist and convenor of the non-profit Gene Campaign. “There have been instances when companies have fudged data for obvious reasons.”

But our minister says: there are arguments for it, and there are arguments against it. And we will decide once we have looked at all the arguments.

This is no college, and we are in no classroom debate session. This is about the health and safety of a billion people. This is about food safety. This is about food standards. And if you don’t know how harmful genetically modified crops are, even after there is so much science that proves it, say so. Admit that you have been ignoring the overwhelming proofs against GMOs. Do whatever, but don’t pass that law which will cause an irreversible damage to our country, our environment, our health and our food security.

And if a debate really helps, I invite our environment minister to an open public debate on the issue. I am no scientist. I am an ordinary Indian, but I have something that will make me win this debate.

It’s called common sense.

Here are some questions and their answers. Click on the links. And you too can invite the environment minister for a nice little debate.

But first, write a letter to the environment minister. Please. Click here.

(Click on the questions to know the answers. Open in a different window)

Does India need GM crops? Are they safe? How much does the consumer know?

Biotechnology has failed in the world, why promote it here?

What are the health hazards, and how does it affect the land and environment?

What's the risk factor? And, isn’t it about MNCs continuing with their monopolistic hegemony by selling GM seeds in third world countries?

Why I still oppose GM Crops?

To hell with GM Crops. How can organic farming stop global warming?

Write a letter to our environment minister. Please.

Sir,

It is heartbreaking to hear that Bt Brinjal has been given an environmental clearance.
Around the world, there is genuine opposition backed with facts that GM food is dangerous. We request you to please stop it from being introduced in the country.
Our country does not need GM food. In fact, the world doesn’t need GM Food.
We wanted to put a counter argument here against GM food, but we are sure there will be many qualified people who would present a solid case against it.
Here is a Center for Science and Environment report on the same:
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20090415&filename=news&sec_id=9&sid=42

Sir, as Indians and as a citizens of the world, we humbly request you to please not introduce GM food.

Sincerely,

Here are the mail ids of our respected minister: jairam@vsnl.com, jairam@sansad.nic.in, mosef@nic.in

The anatomy of our greed

Click on the image to enlarge and read. The poster is based on Arundhati Roy's various essays, Shoma Chaudhary's brilliant articles in Tehelka, and common sense.

Just think about this before you start shouting like a television anchor who is baying for blood:

The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution grants tribals complete rights over their traditional land and forests and prohibits private companies from mining on their land.

Human rights activists have long argued that the real intention of the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh was to capture tribal land — brimming-rich with minerals — and hand it over to private companies. The fact that 600 tribal villages have been evacuated in the last few years gives credence to this theory. If tribals no longer live on that land, the inconvenient Fifth Schedule of the Constitution will not apply.

-From the powerful story in Tehelka by Shoma Chaudhary. Click here to read.

About time you read the Fifth Schedule?

Here's a bit more on it.

Here is Arundhati Roy's powerful essay on which this poster is based.

Read it word for word. It will open your mind.

And here is the interview every Indian must listen to. They have a transcript for you to read as well.

From the interview:

AMY GOODMAN: Arundhati Roy, we just have less than a minute. What gives you hope?

ARUNDHATI ROY: What gives me hope is the fact that this way of thinking is being resisted in a myriad ways in India, you know, from the poorest person in a loincloth in the forest saying, “We’re going to fight,” right up to me, who’s at the other end, you know. And all of us are joined together by the determination that, even if we lose, we’re going to fight, you know? And we’re not going to just let this happen without doing everything we can to stop it. And that gives me a tremendous amount of hope.

That says it all, doesn't it?

A public service announcement

Click on the image to read

The Great Indian Sale is offering a free check-up for you and your loved ones. Just spend a little time on this blog. Look up at some of the posters, read a few links. If at the end of it, you do not feel outraged enough at what is happening to our country, then the monster may have already eaten away your soul.

But there is a way to reclaim it. If you really want to, that is. It's going to be tough, but you need to start asking questions. For example: Why do I think going to a mall is a perfectly healthy exercise, when I KNOW going to a park will be better for me?

This will lead to the second question: What the hell happened to the parks?

And the third: What about the forests?

And the fourth: And the rivers?

The next step is a bit obvious. Take these questions to those people you have elected. You are paying their salaries.

We have surveyed and found that there is an alternative to reclaiming the soul too. It's making extensive trips to malls and spending as much money as possible. Just stuff the emptiness left by your soul with burgers and colas. It's working with a lot of us Indians it seems.

Here's a little link for you to think about: George Monbiot talking about climate change and why not to blame the poor for it.

And in the specific Indian context, you may want to see this wonderful video by Greenpeace:

Anyone for a revolution?

Some images from our second entry to the EJC competition. Please read the entry here, and leave a comment, start a debate. We should discuss the ordinary Indian citizen's point of view at this international forum.

Will COP 15 change anything?

TH!NK2 Climate Change is a 3 month blogging competition with a focus on UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) in December 2009. Some 90 bloggers from 43 countries, including all 27 EU Member states, India, China, Brazil and the USA, the world's biggest players in climate policy, will come together on the European Journalism Centre's thinkaboutit.eu platform, to exchange ideas and debate the issues of climate change.

Here is The Great Indian Clearance Sale's entry into the competition. Have a read and leave a comment on what you think. Click here.

Find out if you have the virus. Take the Bhopal Gas Tragedy test.

Click on the image to enlarge it, and take the test.

Shri Ramesh says: the greenery around the abandoned premises of Union Carbide was better than most other places, and asked “Would it have been (so) with all the toxicity around?” Hope Mr. Ramesh is aware tht even Chernobyl site is teeming with nature but still not fit for humans http://bit.ly/3k4vDw

“I went inside today, touched toxic material and I am alive. I am not
coughing,” Jairam Ramesh on visiting Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal.
He also "advised" 25 years after thetragedy, it was time to move on. Really? http://www.alternet.org/environment/20627?page=1

Here's the latest report from Center for Science and Environment which shows just how contaminated the water and soil is, in Bhopal.

http://downtoearth.org.in/webexclusives/story1.htm

International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal:

http://bhopal.net/

Reports in Hindu:

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article19277.ece

Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Bhopal-gas-victims-burn-Jairams-effigy/articleshow/5011375.cms

Indian Express:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/truth-about-bhopal-gas-leak-tragedy-uncomfortable-says-jairam/516435/0

Frontline story about TATA and Dow:

http://www.thehindu.com/fline/fl2402/stories/20070209001704300.htm

Paint it black

Click on the image to enlarge and read.

You have been saying a couple of things about this blog.

You say, this is too pessimistic.

You say, tell us the solutions.

You say a lot and don't do much.

Alright. Here's a deal. We are going to tell you what to do about the fact that the food you are eating is poisoned by genetically modified ingredients.

And we are going to tell you about what to do about the toxic paint you have been putting on your walls.

But first, you must know about these two things in detail.

Here's the first one. About food.

Greenpeace released this study today and it tells you the brands which use those sick ingredients. Click here. You know you want to. To make it easy we are making the whole damn line clickable. Click and download the report and read it. Remember it's the food you eat. Every single day.

And then number two.

The toxic paint you have been putting on your walls. Which causes stunted growth in children. Ironically, they use cute kids to sell you those paints. Click here to see the report. Damn, you have to read it and it's hard work. But hey, it's the children!

And now, what to do. Let's make this simple. You know the culprit brands. You are too lazy to write to the ministry. So here's what you can do in one easy step.

Boycott these products.

Surely, you don't want to bring home poison and feed it to yourself and your kids. Or, are you o.k doing it?

Now, don't start whining.

A call to arms

Click on the image to enlarge.

Will anything positive come out of Copenhagen? The answer is a well known one. It is a resounding "no!". Even as you read this, powerful lobbies are at work, stuffing governments with money and ill-logic. By December, all the selling and dealing will be done. And there will be no remarkable solution, no powerful legislation. Just empty promises.

Then why are we fighting?

Because Copenhagen is not about the government and not about the lobbyists. It is about us. 6 billion of us. It is about making each one of us aware and informed about the dangers we agce as a planet. So we can say NO and STOP to the industries and the businessmen and the governments.

There is no army, no government, no lobby in the world that can stop 6 billion voices.

This is a call to arms.

Talk about the issues that face us. Discuss them. Spread the word. And start making a stand. If we are to die, let us do that with honour. And not with carbon footprints on our faces. That is an ugly death.

Here are a few links that will tell you how to get involved. Click on each to know and see some amazing things.

24th October. Day of Action. Don't forget.

Greenpeace: 100 days to save the climate

The Age of Stupid. A film that MUST be screened.

Watch HOME on your computer. A film by Yann Arthus Bertrand.

Here is an interesting idea.

And here is a countdown clock to Copenhagen. Which you can download from here.

And if you have any doubts, watch a 13 year old speak:

Hello, tiger conservationists

The death of the tiger points to a bigger, more sinister problem. The problem of people’s rights caused by our greed for land, and hunger for money. And the ease by which the creators of this problem divert our attention.

In the name of development we are violating human rights with an abandon only seen in savages of past. While poor people are being driven away from their lands, all sorts of justifications are available.

If Vedanta wants a tribal hill, it is necessary in the name of development to drive tribals out of there.

If Tata wants a factory land, they are given fertile land and farmers driven away from it.

The tiger is on the verge of extinction. And who do we blame? Tribals.

While the tribals right to forest bill has been passed (and diluted), the dissent in tiger conservationists voices is apparent. They have been crying hoarse that the tribals should be driven out of these forests.

And most of us believe and buy that argument.

It’s too easy to believe. Tribals crowd the forests, hence tiger dies. Foolproof.

Or, is it?

Here is an amazing story of how tribals and animals co-exist. And why we must go back to their culture if we want to preserve our country.

http://infochangeindia.org/Environment/The-paradox-of-environmentalism/The-tribal’s-right.html

The tribals aren’t stupid people. Their knowledge and ways of co-existence with the environment is what we need.

People’s rights to their land and environment are not conflicting issues. The conflict is brought about by corporate greed. And the blame falls on indigenous people.

In this confusion caused by short term solutions, we will not only lose the tiger, we will lose our country and all that it ever stood for. To the lowest bidders. The Great Indian Sale is on.

Don’t let them tell you that tribals are the sole reason for tigers going extinct.

http://infochangeindia.org/Agenda/Reporting-conflict/Is-it-really-tiger-vs-tribal.html

The Down to Earth story about tigers:

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/40407

And some more news on the Forest Rights Act:

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20080131&filename=news&sec_id=4&sid=1#

And here's how they kill animals for fur in China. If you read the Time magazine story here, you can well imagine this is what the poachers do to the tigers in our own backyards.

So you'd rather save water when it comes to a choice?

Just in case you didn't notice, according to NASA's new and detailed study, North India's groundwater levels are depleting rapidly. "If measures are not taken to ensure sustainable groundwater usage, consequences for the 114 million residents of the region may include a collapse of agricultural output and severe shortages of potable water."
Oh and tigers are about to become extinct.
So what's the relation between tigers and water? Click on the poster to read. This isn't fiction, this is science. You may recognize the logic from primary school.

Happy Independence Day

Click on the image to enlarge and read.

Every day, every single minute a poor farmer is being driven away from his land. His land is being given to corporates to build malls, industries and other temples of development.A Buddha statue is to be installed at the cost of $250 million dollars. It will displace 2990 families. Where will they go? Will they ever get compensated? Has anyone ever got compensated?

This Independence Day let’s stop saying everything is going to be alright.

No it will not. Unless we start questioning our systems in larger numbers than we have ever done before. Make use of RTIs. Question. Question. Question. And if you don’t get answers, demand them.

This Independence Day let’s stop saying everything is going to be alright. This Independence Day, let’s start making things right.

The Land Acquisition Act is dispossessing millions of Indians of their homes, their basic human rights. And that’s neither pessimistic, nor optimistic. That’s plain and simple reality.

This poster is based on a powerful Tehelka story by Magsaysay Award winner, Sandeep Pandey. Click to read it.

A little idea to help bring electricity to villages.

Click on the image to read the idea in nice big font and see the images.

India is making all kinds of noises about climate negotiations. No, we won’t do it. The west will have to pay. Alright. The west should pay. Agreed. And what are we going to do with the money? Invest in alternate energy, clean energy. Yeah right. And how are we going to do that?

Let’s take wind energy for instance. For years now it has been sucked dry due to corruption. And the government can’t do better than to make committees which investigate how the wind turbines blow away the monsoon clouds. Did they employ kindergarten students in that committee? And what was the result? How dare politicians make such comments in the first place? We should have an immediate IQ assessment test of our leaders.

It’s been said here, and we will say it again. We need to cap corruption to stop climate chaos. Carbon’s got nothing to do with it.

Here’s the full story on wind energy. Do yourself a favour. Read it and start asking questions.

And while our rich look at wind energy as an ‘alternative’ way to save taxes, the poor of the world by their ingenuity are building wind turbines and generating their own electricity. See the amazing video below. If the poor of India were to do that, guess what would happen to them? They would be bollocked into jails and branded as anti-social elements.

Fairy Tales we will be telling our children

You can read the fairy tale if you click on the image and make it bigger. And should you feel you can't read it, it is reproduced below in three parts, which you can click and read. And fresh off the press is a "proof" of this fairy tale: click here.

Animal Farm

Forget carbon emissions, India needs a cap on corruption to fight poverty.

Click on the image to enlarge and read.

It would almost seem that India was really serious about tackling poverty the way it is rebuffing the world leaders. We will not cap carbon emissions, we have gone and thundered to the world. Like not capping carbon was the magical cure.
Boom! In a momentous explosion of soot and dust and CO2, India will gain its place amongst the decadent. We will too have a lifestyle to feel screwed about. We will build temples of consumption, more temples that is. There are already a zillion malls. And we will eradicate poverty.
Boom! Like that.
But.
What about thousands and thousands of crores of rupees that are required to alleviate poverty, that are already there. They just vanish in the black holes of corruption.
(More than 100,000 crores rupees every year are consumed by hungry officials.)
And that is the reason why poverty is never going to be eradicated from this country.
Carbon’s got little to do with it.
If we don’t cap corruption and we refuse to cap our emissions we will be left with one of the most corrupt and one of the most polluted countries in the world and a planet in peril.
Correction. An even more corrupt and an even more polluted country, and a planet even more closer to annihilation.

Read about the rice scam and the coal import contract in the latest issue of Outlook.

Here is the farmer scam in detail. 82,000 crores! What are the politicians doing with all this money? Buying mountains in Switzerland so they can shove them up their wrinkly behinds in their old age?

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main42.asp?filename=Ne180709the_rat.asp

Here are some very inspiring warriors fighting against corruption. Join them if you are clueless as to what to do about the problem.

JN Jayashree is married to a bureaucrat who has spent his career protesting against bribery and swindling in government practices. When she started to fear for her husband's safety, she decided to start up a blog to protect him and document their anti-corruption movement.

http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=editorial&id=479&catID=1


And here is a unique concept called Zero Currency. They print zero currency notes so that if someone asks for bribes, you can hand over zero rupee notes to them.
http://zerocurrency.org/

You can download the zero currency notes here:
http://india.5thpillar.org/ZRN

As always a little google will help you find scores of others. Unless you are happy to breathe the monoxide and call it development.

If you love the Himalayas, well, too bad.

Click on the image to enlarge and read.

Himalayas. Our last escape. Every one of us runs to the hills to get a sense of life and reality.
Over the last few years haven’t we all noticed how the Himalayas are being eaten away? There has been a rumble of construction in ecologically fragile areas. There has been much too much garbage strewn around hopelessly.
There has been dams which have come up without any environmental clearance. And you didn’t know that perhaps, there are plans afoot to build a massive ski village (which will use acrylic to make snow, hurray!) that will host winter Olympics and some such. The grandson of Mr. Ford is involved in that, no less.
The truth is, we can say goodbye to the Himalayas.
While we were busy “raiding da Himalayas”, they were busy being sold off.
Forest fires were busily ‘degrading’ forests. Poachers were busy ringing death knells in the night of god knows how many species.
So unless you want to go to the Himalayas and spend time in swanky malls, there isn’t much hope left for you.
Before I forget. Some years back a Delhi girl landed up in Kasauli and looked around and asked, incredulously, what…no McDonalds?
Here are a few links. Just remember, the news is all around you. Look for it in places you don’t look for. We are sure, if you know what is going on, maybe, maybe you will act.
Unless you are desperate for a Chicken Mc Nugget in the valley of flowers.

Ps: before you see how we are destroying the Himalayas, here is a little paragraph on how “environmental clearances” are being attained for everything:

http://tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=hub310109environment_clearence.asp

Are we destroying the Himalyas? Hydro-electric projects in Himalayas

http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2007/11/13/are_we_destroying_the_himalayas

Himalyan Ski Village in Himachal

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ski-village-in-himachal.html

In Arunanchal 104 large hydroelectric projects of a cumulative capacity of 55,556 MW coming up:
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=cr120408rumble_jungle.asp

Dam on Ganga riverbed govt announces pilot study

http://www.livemint.com/2008/11/12230236/Govt-announces-pilot-study-on.html?d=1

Happy reading.