Baljit Grewal

Ignorance can be injurious to health

2010-10-07T11:43:00.001+13:00

Dylan Cleaver's tongue-in-cheek piece on Gandhi Jayanti in India in the New Zealand Herald (see link below) contains a gigantic slur towards the great man. Gandhi never drank his own or someone else's urine. Gandhi Urine is not the tipple equivalent of the North American Peace Pipe.

I think that is a case of mistaken identity. Morarji Desai the former PM of India is said to have confessed he drank his own urine in the morning. There is also reference to the healing properties of cow urine in some ancient ayurvedic texts.

To Mr Cleaver and his tippler ilk: Are you sure it wasn't Mountbatten who ultimately had to partake Gandhian Peace Urine? Also next time you come across a glass of beer in Delhi on a "dry day" be careful, be very careful. After-all there must be a reason beer is known colloquially in India as "ghore ka moot" (horse pee).

in reference to:

"tipple"
- Dylan Cleaver: Lesson in abstinence makes heart ponder Gandhi's wee tipple - Dylan Cleaver on sport - NZ Herald News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Is Paul Henry a snickering Shock-Jock, a racist or a middle class Western Taliban?

2010-10-07T09:04:00.002+13:00

Surely a shock-jock, Paul Henry (the NZ TV Broadcaster) snickers about many things. If you didn't see him but only heard his voice, you might wonder aloud, "Is there a Jackass in my backyard?"

Is he a racist? Well, that is hard to establish because TVNZ really protect him very well behind the veil of editorial independence, right to free speech etc. etc. I think he would probabely describe himself as a patriotic racist. The amount and nature of effort TVNZ expends in his defence, certainly gives the expression 'organised crime' a new meaning.

Is he a specimen of the far-removed-from-the-real-world, linguistically savvy, middle class in the West who delude themselves into believing that theirs is the only opinion that counts? Certainly he is a pathological case in that category. This group of people, whose membership includes, among others, many from the media and the academia often succumb to self-importance.

We might have to tolerate Apostle Paul (nah! mulla sounds better) for a while yet. But for now let us just celebrate his suspension.

The microphone is off and "All Izz Well" with the world.

in reference to: New Zealand TV Host Ridicules Name Of Indian Woman | Paul Henry (view on Google Sidewiki)

Related News: Mulla Paul's remarks result in an international diplomatic incident

The result of nuclear hedonism/vanity

2010-06-05T08:40:00.001+12:00

Nuclear Warheads (Source: SIPRI)

Russia: 12,000
US: 9,600
France: 300
UK: 225
China: 240
Pakistan: 70-90
Israel: 80
India: 60-80

in reference to:

"Nuclear Warheads (Source: SIPRI) Russia: 12,000 US: 9,600 France: 300 UK: 225 China: 240 Pakistan: 70-90 Israel: 80 India: 60-80"
- Pakistan's nuke arsenal bigger than India's - India - The Times of India (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sage Journals Online announces next generation platform using Highwire's H2O technology

2010-02-12T12:53:00.001+13:00

This is an excerpt from their press release

"we are undertaking a major upgrade of the SAGE Journals Online platform to a new environment supported by HighWire’s “2.0” technology (“H2O”). All 560+ SAGE journals will be available on SJO’s next generation platform by the end of 2010."

My view: Most of the major online journal content platforms needs upgrading in line with the evolving WWW.

in reference to: SAGE - Next Generation of SJO (view on Google Sidewiki)

Linktv.org - another good news cast site

2009-07-05T11:07:00.001+12:00

Check out a novel way to view TV News casts - 1cast.com

2009-07-05T10:57:00.002+12:00

Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

2009-05-09T16:16:00.001+12:00

I am not an English poetry buff and didn't even know who Arvind Mehrotra was until I chanced to read a news item on his being nominated to an prominent professorial chair at Oxford University.

Here is a sample of the evocative poetry of Arvind Krishna Mehrotra.

Canticle for My Son

The dog barks and the cat mews,
The moon comes out in the sky,
The birds are mostly settled.
I envy your twelve hours
Of uninterrupted dreaming.

I take your small palms in mine
And don't know what
To do with them. Beware, my son,
Of those old clear-headed women

Who never miss a funeral.

Excerpts From Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's poem "BHOJPURI DESCANT" based on Bhojpuri idioms.

"Piss after dinner,
Sleep on your left side:
You'll never fall sick.
...
One plough is death,
Two's survival,
Three's good business,
Four's a kingdom."

Arvind Krishna Mehrotra is a prominent indian poet. He has just been nominated to the position of the prestigious Oxford Professorship of Poetry. His nomination got wide coverage in Indian and Western Press.

Outlook, India has an article on his nomination.

Arvind Krishna Mehrotra is the first poet from this part of the world to be nominated for Oxford's Professorship of Poetry, the most high-profile in British poetry after the laureateship, and, for many, a more serious position than the latter. Former Professors include Matthew Arnold, W H Auden, and Seamus Heaney. Mehrotra's supporters include some very distinguished writers and scholars from every part of the world, such as Tariq Ali, Amit Chaudhuri, Tom Paulin, Charles Taylor, Toby Litt, Wendy Doniger, Adil Jussawalla, Shahid Amin, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, and various others. Charles Taylor, one of the most considerable of living philosophers, has said: 'I see what a boon it would be if Mehrotra were elected professor of poetry. The issues he raises are so central to language, and so little explored or understood - although often evoked.'

For a sample of his poetry check out:

1. The Transfiguring Places: Poems in Google Books
2. Kavitayan I Indian Poetry I Arvind Krishna Mehrotra
3. His profile page on The Poetry Centre at Smith College website

Xmas 2008 Picnic at Mangatawhiri Reservior

2008-12-29T10:22:00.002+13:00

Xmas 2008 Picnic at Mangatawhiri Reservior Originally uploaded by baljit grewal

Overexposed but does capture the wind's effect on the grass.

Xmas 2008 Picnic at Mangatawhiri Reservior

2008-12-29T10:20:00.001+13:00

Xmas 2008 Picnic at Mangatawhiri Reservior
Originally uploaded by baljit grewal

Tranquility.
A bit underexposed but a good result nevertheless.

Xmas 2008 Picnic at Mangatawhiri Reservior

2008-12-29T10:18:00.001+13:00

Xmas 2008 Picnic at Mangatawhiri Reservior
Originally uploaded by baljit grewal

I clicked this picture of Mannat by the stream near the reservoir.

BBC HIndi Radio Links

2008-09-28T14:56:00.001+13:00

बीबीसी समाचार-एक मिनट में

बीबीसी समाचार-चार मिनट में

बीबीसी-एफ़एम से ताज़ातरीन

बीबीसी टेक वन

बीबीसी फ़न ऐंड गेम्स

Jacqui Emmett - the psychic extraordinaire on her work

2008-03-08T19:18:00.001+13:00

My work is not a mystery, and I will try to answer questions that may start your own psychic development, so you may explore your own gifts and connect to your inner self and understand the path you yourself are walking. We are all Universally connected, so I know that together we can bring light into this age of seeking and through understanding can one day bring about a united, connected peace amongst us while we walk as mere humans on this Earth. Together we can make a difference. Let's 'pay it forward' and grow into the beautiful souls we are all destined to be with love amongst us all. I thank you all.

PUNJAB State Assembly Elections 2006 Results and Trends Information

2007-02-28T10:27:00.001+13:00

The elections to the Punjab assembly in India were historical because of the extreme competition and high voter turnout (76%). NDTV go it spot-on about a Akali win as did CNN-IBN/CSDS exit poll on vote shares. Yesterday the results indicated tight races in all the constituencies bar a few. Many stalwarts lost but the biggest winner was the Akali-BJP combine who regained power after five years. Congress-I gained a lot of seats in the Malwa belt - something that will worry Mr. Badal - the octogenranian Akali leader who starts a record fourth term in Office. BJP is the biggest winner in terms of seats gained. They benefitted out o this election wonderfully. Congress must set its house in order - sack Amrinder, deal with internal disensions and be a constructive opposition. Akali Dal must accomodate BJP properly, think about regaining Malwa, refrain from the politics of vendettta and give a clean administration - Punjabis deserve it after five years of sometimes high-handed rule from Amrinder Singh & his coterie.

Based on information from the Election Commission of India, who did an excellent job at updating the results constantly throughout yesterday, here is a link to the Election Map (based on Google Maps API).

Link: http://www.baljitgrewal.com-a.googlepages.com/mapInfo.html

ITV News - India unveils Kila games

2007-02-06T22:49:00.001+13:00

ITV gives the Kila raipur Games the weird tag. The first paragraph is reflective of the kind of reporting many western media indulge in while covering issues which fall outside their mental scape of thinking.

"India has unveiled what must be the world's weirdest - and bravest - sportsmen with their rural Olympics".

Link to ITV News - India unveils Kila games

News items from my Google Reader

2007-01-26T08:44:00.001+13:00

Howtopedia

via WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future by Sarah Rich on Jan 24, 2007
Everybody loves a "how-to." Simple instructionals and DIY projects are a requisite occupation for self-sufficient hipsters and hackers. From constructing personal PV arrays to generating pedal-powered electricity, brewing biodiesel to knitting scarves, worldchangers like to do things ourselves. Hence, my elation at discovering the nascent online project, Howtopedia.org, set up by a Swiss non-profit supported by Practical Action (formerly ITDG) and the International Network for Technical Information (INTI). Howtopedia's building a wiki-style library of DIY recipes that promote sustainability by helping us all become a little more independent. Howtopedia describe themselves as: A collaborative platform for practical knowledge and simple technologies, (i.e. technologies that require no complex machine, that are easily explainable and usable by individuals or small communities) for a sustainable and ecological future [...] We are convinced that sharing low-tech know-how across borders and organisations is essential for an independent and self-sufficient form of sustainable development. So far the library still has a lot of open space where content will eventually be found, and we're all invited to start filling it up by offering our own expertise and editorial skills. Even so, it's fascinating just to look through the placeholders and see what ideas have already begun to... (more)
(Posted by Sarah Rich in Collaboration at 12:04 PM)
Sabancı: "we could not turn into an *information society*"

via News-stream by unknown on Jan 24, 2007
The chairman of the board of directors of TÜSİAD (Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association), Ömer Sabancı stated that Turkey could not turn into an information society. ...
UOC Papers: e-Journal on the Knowledge Society

via News-stream by unknown on Jan 25, 2007
It is an interdisciplinary journal "which looks to publish original university papers that focus on the conflux of the subject areas dealt with by universities in the knowledge society". The site includes an archive of past issues.

From Google Reader

2007-01-25T07:50:00.001+13:00

Knowledge Society Report: 2007-01-24

via News-stream by Tanedu Tanzania on Jan 24, 2007

The Knowledge Society last Saturday was all about career guidance, with a focus on business leadership skills and choosing a career. Scott Beestman facilitated the business leadership skills programme as he skilfully went through his ...

On My Own's Site - Information Literacy in an Information Society

via News-stream by Neuromancien on Jan 24, 2007

On My Own's Site - Information Literacy in an Information Society. Tags: information_literacy.

British Social Attitudes 23rd report: Perspectives on a Changing

via News-stream by Paul Ayres on Jan 24, 2007

The 23rd British Social Attitudes Report - Perspectives on a Changing Society - was published on Wednesday 24 January 2007, by the National Centre for Social Research.

The latest Report assesses the consequences for public attitudes of a number of recent, fundamental social changes - including the emergence of radical Islamic terrorism; an ageing society; the huge growth of the internet; globalisation and increasingly competitive labour markets; and a change of government.

Among the findings:

Overwhelming majorities of the public are willing to give up various freedoms to tackle the threat of terrorism - four in five think that following people suspected of involvement with terrorism, tapping their phones and opening their mail is ‘a price worth paying’.
Commitment to civil liberties is in decline: in 1990, 40% disagreed that every adult should carry an ‘identity card’; this figure has nearly halved to 22%.
The current law that prohibits assisted dying is at odds with public opinion - four out of five people in Britain say that the law should allow a doctor to end someone’s life at the person’s request if they have an incurable and painful illness from which they will die.
‘Britishness’ is in decline - fewer people say that ‘British’ is the best or only way of describing themselves now than 10 years ago, and this is partly due to an increase in feelings of ‘Englishness’
Compared with the 1960s, there has been no decline in the proportion of people identifying with a social class. More people still identify with the working class than the middle class.

The press release includes brief summaries of the findings of all 10 chapters.

Intute: Social Sciences links to more resources on the issue of Social Research

From my Google Reader Page

2007-01-24T10:38:00.001+13:00

URL:http://www.google.com/reader/shared/11682765973818267001

Breaking Barriers. Using free and open source software for development

via News-stream by jc.dauphin@unesco.org on Jan 23, 2007

The successful deployment of free and open source software (FOSS) in projects in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America are described on a publication entitled "Breaking Barriers" by UNDP's Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme.

Quote of the day: "Knowledge in a knowledge economy is progress"

via News-stream by joe.francica@directionsmag.com (Joe Francica) on Jan 22, 2007

... it’s all about public good; All technology is essentially a tool to serve the public…Ultimately data is a source of information; and information in a globalized world is knowledge. And knowledge in a knowledge economy is progress."

Sage Prize

via News-stream by SBarbalet on Jan 22, 2007

Sage Publications have announced that they will award an annual prize for “the best article published in either Cultural Sociology, Sociology, or Work, Employment and Society” all of which are journals of the British Sociological Association.

You can see what online journals are available in speciality areas of sociology by searching Intute: Sociology and specify “Journals” as the resource type.

10 Most Popular World Bank Reports on South Asia in 2006

via News-stream by Shirl Kennedy on Jan 22, 2007

10 Most Popular World Bank Reports on South Asia in 2006 Source: World Bank Based on number of downloads. Afghanistan: Drug Industry and Counter-Narcotics Policy Can South Asia End Poverty in a Generation India Development Policy Review: Inclusive Growth and Service Delivery, Building on India’s Success AIDS in South Asia, Understanding and Responding Afghanistan: Managing Public Finances for Development Nepal: Resilience Amidst [...]

UNESCO World Report on knowledge societies - Press Kit

via Live Search: "knowledge society" "knowledge economy" "information society" macro:livesearch.pdffiles on Jan 22, 2007

... http://www.unesco.org/en/worldreport From the information society to ... expansion of new technologies and the rise of a knowledge economy ... There is not a single model of knowledge society; moreover, each ...

Knowledge for policy: policy for knowledge

via Sarah's blog experiment by Sarah Cummings on Jun 01, 2006

I've been wandering around for a few weeks with a copy of the report Kennis voor belied: beleid voor kennis, produced by the Dutch Advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy (AWT), in my rucksack. Frankly, I think it's dynamite!
This report was published in May 2005 under the title which translates as 'Knowledge for policy: policy for knowledge.' In this report, the Advisory Council argues that policy creation and implementation of the Dutch government would be improved if these processes of policy creation and implementation were supported by trustworthy, varied and independent knowledge. It is convinced that to obtain knowledge for policymaking, policy for knowledge is needed. Government departments need to have a knowledge policy which:

Integrates diverse perspectives or countervailing knowledge
Should be based on trustworthy, varied and public knowledge
Applies knowledge in a transparaent manner

If the government underestimates the importance of knowledge for supporting policy, the Advisory Council argues that it runs the following risks:

generating inadequate ploicy
policy failure as a result of unexpected, dramatic developments
insufficient preparation for the future
damage to its reputation

When knowledge policy does not function effectively, the Advisory Council argues that the following problems appear in the civil service practice: an overload of knowledge and information; fragmentation of knowledge domaines; and more attention to process than to actual content.

I found this report fascinating and applicable to much wider areas than policy alone. Also thought it was very interesting that commentators on Dutch policy are looking at policy in the UK for reference and comparison.

THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: IS THE UNITED STATES LOSING...

via Baljit's Epoxy on SuprGlu on Jan 13, 2007

THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: IS THE UNITED STATES LOSING ITS COMPETITIVE ...
of a knowledge economy, declining sharply as a percentage of the gross domestic product. This has. placed future innovation and our economic competitiveness ...

Global Indian Takeover?

via Baljit's Epoxy on SuprGlu on Jan 13, 2007

Here are some articles relating to the "global Indian takeover". The frame of India as a economic superpower is promoted as much by the media as it is by the government. However there are two sides to the argument – India as a economic powerhouse with great potential and the myth of India as a economic superpower poised to takeover the world. 1. India's great global takeover game By Raju Bist

Seymour Lipset dies age 84

via Baljit's Epoxy on SuprGlu on Jan 17, 2007

Seymour Lipset eminent political sociologist has died age 84. Stephen Miller, a obituary writer at the New York Sun Newspaper reflects on Lipset's life and contributions to the fields of sociology and political science. Perhaps another addition to the Dead Sociologists Homepage and Dead Sociologists Index. And maybe a few more jokes in sociology classes about dead sociologists.

Sibal on Knowledge in KE

2007-01-23T13:13:00.001+13:00

Kapil Sibal, the Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India addressing the Map World Forum in Hyderabad said,

“We live in a globalized world and it’s only befitting that in the years to come, the globalization processes affect data as well; a globalized world must have globalized data; And from globalized world we will have globalized products...GIS is not just a technology tool; it’s all about public good; All technology is essentially a tool to serve the public…Ultimately data is a source of information; and information in a globalized world is knowledge. And knowledge in a knowledge economy is progress."

Source: All Points Blog

New Terminology

2007-01-22T08:35:00.001+13:00

in the Knowledge / Information Economy / Society (KIES)* Discourse:

1. FLOSS - Free, Libre, Open Source Software

2. Creative Commons.

3. Simputer.

4. OLPC: One Laptop per Child.

5. K4D: Knowledge for Development.

6. ICT4D: Information and Communications Technology for Development.

7. Infocomm: Information and Communications.

8. Broadband Divide/Gap.

9. Web 2.0

This blog points to blog.baljitgrewal.com

2007-01-14T13:17:00.000+13:00

Hardeep Singh - veteran Punjabi singer in a unique mood

2007-01-06T15:58:00.001+13:00


Hardeep Singh is visiting Punjab Sports Club Amsterdam after Ronak Mela 2006

ICT4D Update

2006-09-23T11:17:00.001+12:00

India does well in bridging digital divide.According to LIRNEasia, India was ranked 119 among 180 countries in the global digital opportunity index (DOI). The DOI - which was decided upon by stakeholders participating in the 2nd World Summit on Information Society held in Tunisia last year - identified 11 indicators across three broad categories such as opportunity, infrastructure and utilisation as yardsticks for the ranking exercise. However, based on historical data gathered for 2001-2005, India ranked first in terms of being able to bridge the domestic digital divide. While India did well on this score, the country performed poorly as the lack of competition in the fixed telephony sector impacted the rollout of basic infrastructure and Internet access.

New Zealand's State Services Commission wants to procure new hardware and software for its e-government initiative. The system to replace is just 3 years old.

Greed by Julian Edney

2006-09-08T12:14:00.000+12:00

GREED

by Julian Edney (1)

Sign the tab in certain Midtown eateries and your neighbors' eyes slide over. Is that a $48,000 Michel Perchin pen? What's on your wrist – a $300,000 Breguet watch?

In Palm Springs and Bel Air, $100,000 twin-turbo Porsches and $225,000 Ferraris buzz the warm streets. In New York at an exclusive Morell & Company auction last May, a single magnum of Dom Perignon champagne was sold for $5,750. And there are the paintings of course - one evening at auction two Monets sold for $43 million (2). Hotel rooms, anyone, at $10,000 a night? Estate agents in suburbs of Dallas and Palm Beach have advertised baronial homes for sale at over $40 million (3).

These are prices paid by the exceptionally wealthy, the folks who skim the pages of the Robb Report (average annual salary of subscribers: $1.2 million) in whose glossy pages are reviewed the best of everything. In a recent issue a southern plantation is advertised, "everybody's dream," at $8.5 million.

Robert Reich points out that the superrich live in a parallel universe to the rest of the country: much of the time we don't see them because they live in walled estates, travel in private limousines and use different airports from the rest of us (4). There's lots of them. There are now more than 200 billionaires. Some five percent of American households have assets over $1 million. And we're back to levels of extravagant consumption not seen for 100 years (5).

By historical accounts this is a nation of persistent and resilient people with an unshakable mission: the pursuit of happiness. This idea of happiness is largely connected with wealth (and this connection has long philosophic roots). It is a nation of ambitious people with notions of unfettered future growth, a nation that celebrates abundance. There seems to be no reason anyone should be deprived of luxury, if he works hard. Indeed with this country's aggregate wealth, there should be no reason anyone should ever go hungry or suffer.

People are going hungry in America. A Los Angeles survey found more than a quarter of low income residents, many working, are not getting enough food to meet basic nutritional needs. And 10% are experiencing hunger(6).

Estimates are that 3 out of 10 Americans will face poverty sometime in their lives (7).

Misery is a word seldom applied to the contemporary scene. Like wretchedness it seems antique, an Old World term. But many Americans live in cold, dank slums; many do not earn enough for shelter, many sleep outside. In America's inner cities and at its lowest levels, under freeway bridges and in tubercular alleys, in stained and broken rooming houses and in torn-apart schools, misery exists and persists. All our largest cities contain neighborhoods where some people live day to day in apartments that could be mistaken for closets, some fearing to leave home on gang-terrorized streets, some sharing bus seats with people with drug-scarred arms. Every great metropolis has its skid row mired in fecal gutters, where whole blocks are awash in narcotics and violence, its inhabitants despised and flatly abandoned.

America is once again a nation of extremes. ...... Read More

Google Map for 76 Elliot Street Papakura New Zealand

2006-09-07T20:14:00.000+12:00

have a look at the geocoding features in Google Maps now available for New Zealand and Australia. For our home this is the link

http://baljit.googlepages.com/home

2006-09-06T08:33:00.000+12:00

http://baljit.googlepages.com/ home my home page