Pune

The OpenCoffee Club will meet on Nov 7th, at SICSR, Model Colony to discuss how to bootstrap Sales in the US, the largest market for IT in the world.
CEO's, BizDev Heads from successful companies will be in attendance to help guide your efforts and answer your questions.

- To RSVP and for details click on:
http://punestartups.ning.com/events/next-meeting-hitech-selling

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Why did six Indians go to eco-war?

And why were they thrown into jail for this crime?

In October 2007, Al Gore accepted the Nobel Prize for Peace with the words “I can't understand why there aren't rings of young people blocking bulldozers and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants."

At precisely the same moment, six Greenpeace activists broke into a highly-secure coal-power plant in Kolaghat. They made their way straight to one of the station’s six chimneys and started climbing. At 260 feet, they stopped, secured themselves, and swung over the edge of the tower. The only thing keeping them secure was a 9mm rope, years of training, and a heartbreaking love for the planet. Suspended high above a vast toxic wasteland of coal – the dirtiest fuel known to humankind – they opened their backpacks. Out came 5 litres of black paint. And two industrial-grade paintbrushes. Then, in ten-foot-high letters on the side of the tower, they started painting a damning message against climate change. Even in the early-morning breeze, the air was thick with coal soot. Every breath made one want to vomit. A dead hawk lay on the parapet. It was impossible to talk too. They couldn’t hear themselves over the wind blowing in from the Bay of Bengal. And the coal-power plant was noisier than a rock concert just before the end of the world. Deaf and out of breath, their biggest fear wasn’t falling to their deaths. Their biggest fear was making a spelling mistake.

But the message they left there (without any spelling mistakes) should be a Statutory Warning on every single chimney of every single coal-power plant in this country and on this planet: SMOKING KILLS!

Their work done, they climbed down. And for alerting our nation to the causes and perils of climate change, the six activists – one of them six weeks pregnant at the time – were arrested and thrown into jail. Nearly two years later, the unbelievable charges against them (ranging from tresspass to terrorism) are yet to be dropped. Their case, unreported by the media, drags on in court. Meanwhile, climate change continues unchecked. The monsoon has failed. Nearly half of the country’s 626 districts are paralysed by drought. As a result, India is facing inflation and is forced to import food. In spite of all this, our government doesn’t seem to be waking up to climate change. Instead of building less coal-power plants, we’re building more of them. This is shameful. This is stupid. And this has to stop. What will it take? It will take more than six Greenpeace activsts willing to go to jail.

It will take more than you and me. It will take a HUGE number of people like us, every one of them joining the long war against climate change. We think it’s time to get all of them together.

Click here to turn Greenpeace’s fight against climate change into India’s fight against climate change.

Love. Peace Justice.

The Vote4Earth Team

PS: Greenpeace’s campaign against climate change is only as strong as the number of ordinary Indian citizens that support it. On our own, we’re alone. Together with others, we’re a force. Please get others to join this campaign so we can become a force that neither governments nor powerful corporations can ignore.

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7 am on a Sunday morning, celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi @ Pashan Lake. The Sun refused to come out of the clouds... and the long lens didn't help our case...

Waiting for my tripod to come from South Africa.

                           

Click here to download:

pashanlake.zip (1010 KB)

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Swine Flu and Proactive Behavior.

Today Level 6 has been declared in Pune, which is the critical and last level .Which also means that the Virus is gaining momentum rapidly.

You think of watching the TV and you see Breaking news about another death in Pune, Mumbai ……Also heard a new phrase: Pune: The Capital of Swine Flu.

There are many discussions forums going on about Government failing to take proper measures and actions, also Government lacking a Proactive behavior and so on…..

Well whenever we are talking about proactive behavior we need to take certain points into consideration.

1)      Population of India

2)      Number of People below poverty line

3)      No of facilities and policies of government for medical treatments.

 Everyone says Mexico did take certain measures and closed schools, colleges etc.

When we are talking about India we are talking about 100 crore + population. So you cannot compare Mexico or United States or for that matter any country. We do have a huge population so closing schools, malls and cinema theatres is not going to solve the problem.

Secondly 36 % of people are below poverty line that means 36 crore people approximately cannot afford these Swine flu tests and the medication, nor do we have any policies or schemes where everyone will be treated without any cost incurred.

There is no vaccine for Swine Flu; the one which is in process will be tested after 15^th September by WHO. So at this point of time Prevention and taking care of you is the key factor. Debates come and go and News channels are here for business; they are not any non –profit organizations. 

Looking at the above points do you really think that blaming the government and talking about proactive behavior is right. Handling a country of 100 crore population itself is a big thing. Let us also not forget that we are still a developing nation and any comparison with any other country should not be a good move.

 What matters at the end is whether you wash hands regularly, if you are given leave (schools, malls, Multiplexes) do you really sit at home or are planning any outing or picnic. Are you eating healthy food and avoiding junk and food on the thelas and haath gadis? Why everyone wants the Government to be proactive.  

Please note discussions on channels can be mesmerizing and very influential, but you need to decide whether you also think in the same way or you are just following someone without analyzing? At the end the fact remains that 13 individuals have lost their lives and many more are serious on ventilators.

Take good care of you and your family , avoid stress( watch news for not more than 30 minutes) and keep faith in the government , as you do not have any other option ………

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I was watching Indian of the Year awards on NDTV on the eve of 60th Republic day of the country. Of course it was dedicated to all the brave people who laid down their lives on 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.Listening to all the stories and the spirit shown by the NSG and Mumbai Police tears rolled down from many eyes watching the show.
 
To be very honest 26/11 is rolling back of our minds since 2 months. Everyone is angry about the responses we are getting from Pakistan. No one knows (common man) how he can contribute to tackle this. Many parents have not allowed their children to go to Mumbai for a job change. People are afraid, angry, to some extent frustrated because the only option they have is watch the news channels, sms updates to friends, talk and discuss this wherever possible and finally thank god that we are still alive to discuss this.
 
Is this because we do not have set of good Leaders? The answer seems to be yes, because after 59 hours of terror, 5 days of uncertainty, Maharashtra got its “Maratha” Chief Minister. I mean people died in Taj, Trident, Oberoi and Nariman House and the politicians were busy deciding whether the CM will be OBC or Maratha.
 
We are definitely lacking young and dynamic leadership. I see no Indian Obama today. President Barack Obama for me represents hope, progressive leadership, and optimism.
The United States of America is facing the consequences of recession and financial crisis, but whenever you hear Obama saying America "All issues will be met" or "yes we can", you feel so reassuring. Though it is too early to comment on Obama as people are eager to see how much he does, though a leader like him makes you calm and in the time of crisis you do not panic.
 
Rahul Gandhi seems sincere but we have hardly heard him talk or give reactions on any issues or for that matter the visibility is still lacking.
 
General elections are not far and the political parties need to rethink on the candidates they give ticket to. If the old tradition of candidates with criminal background (illiterate), film actors continue then you, me and all the population of India need to rethink about the voting traditions. If the political parties are not going to change their agendas are we going to stick to the same party we were voting? If yes then I think we do not want to see India developed, or we are driven by the same old attitude that “Kisi ko toh vote dena hai” “kya farak padta hai”.
If No then please take interest, think, validate and then vote for an eligible candidate. 64% of India’s population is literate. Considering that all the literate population of India votes with logic, common sense then at least I am optimistic about a good result.
 
At least the educated population definitely knows that “We are Indians first”. Nobody wants buses and taxis to be burnt or shops stoned on the basis of so called “Marathi Manus” issue.
Also no one is expecting a miracle either. People want to reside in a peaceful environment.
We can some extent tolerate attacks and terror from forces outside India, but definitely not from within. So what do I mean when is say we are not going to tolerate attacks from within?
What can we do? Or can we actually do anything? Or can we tolerate?
 
For all the questions there is only one answer: We will vote with eyes wide open. This is the only way through which we can express that we will not tolerate.
 
So I promise that being an educated individual I will vote with eyes wide open to express that we will not tolerate any nuisance, to see a better future and of course to change the trend.
 
 
 
Mihir Kulkarni
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What Tiscali can do for you - http://www.tiscali.co.uk/services

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