Manipur Blockade: Fuel Runs Out

Imphal, Jun 4 : The Manipur government's effort in countering the economic blockade by regulating and rationing of fuel and essential commodities seems to be running out of steam as the blockade entered the 51st day on Friday.

Imphal city is not new to fuel crisis but this summer has been unusual. People have been queuing up overnight for just a few litres of petrol or diesel.

The two highways into Manipur have been choked by protesting Naga student groups demanding greater autonomy.

After a month's wait, the government started airlifting supplies and forced open the blockade for a day to move in a convoy of trucks carrying essential commodities. That is now running out.  

The government has also been regulating the sale of fuel. Two wheelers are allotted 5 litres and four wheelers are eligible to get 10 litres. The supply, however, is irregular and inadequate.

But the black market sale is thriving. Petrol and diesel are available for anywhere between 100 to 150 rupees.

"I'm buying fuel for hundred and fifty rupees so I am charging my passengers that much. If it's a hundred rupees fare then I charge two hundred," said Anand, an autorickshaw driver.

Schools have reopened after school buses are being given additional fuel. But other commuters have been hard hit.

Along with fuel, commodity prices are also shooting up in the state with no breakthrough in the crisis in sight.

Assam Farmers Learn Organic Lessons From a Lab

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Farmers in Assam, especially those in districts close to the state capital, have found a new and safer method of pest control. The State Bio-Control Laboratory (SBCL) of the state agriculture department has isolated two exotic species of farmer-friendly insect bio-agents and have begun sharing these with farmers.

The two species of insect bio-agents — Trichogramma japonicum and Trichogramma chillonis — have earned considerable popularity among farmers, with the authorities claiming that they have not been able to meet the increasing demand.

“Our focus has been on paddy, brinjal, tomato, potato, chilli and sugarcane, and farmers have already started accruing a lot of benefit from these bio-agents,” said G C Borthakur, senior agricultural development officer at the SBCL.

“Farmers have realized that prolonged use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have not only lowered soil quality but have also contributed towards pollution of both air and water. Thus, finding an alternative, more farmers are using our bio-agents.”

In Assam, a common pest affecting paddy is Scirpophaga incertulas, popularly known as stem-borer or moja-khowa in Assamese. “Over 70 per cent of paddy area in Assam must be infested by stem-borer,” said B K Sarma, a former ICAR scientist, who is also the author of the widely-acclaimed book ‘Rice Diversity of Northeast India’.

While farmers across the state have been using chemical pesticides, research has shown that their prolonged use has led to residual effect in rice. Trichogramma japonicum, is made to lay eggs in corcera, a host insect, after which the larvae are released in paddy plants affected by stem-borer. The larvae feed on stem-borer eggs, in the process saving the paddy stalks from dying due to damage to the stems.

Similarly, eggs of Trichogramma chillonis are also becoming popular among farmers facing the menace of a common pest called fruit-borer (Leucinodes arbonallis). The larvae of Trichogramma chillonis also feed on eggs of fruit-borer, in the process protecting brinjals from being affected. Farmers collect eggs pasted on cards, which are then released on the plants within 24 hours. The eggs hatch within 24 hours and the larvae start feeding voraciously on eggs of stem-borer and fruit-borer. There has been a three-pronged impact of this: while pest control has become safer, use of pesticides is going down, and the farm produce is definitely going to be organic.

“Set up in 2001, this laboratory does not intend to supply bio-agents to the farmers on a commercial scale. While we are looking at registration of our bio-agents from the Faridabad-based Central Insecticide Board, we also want to give the know-how to entrepreneurs for supply to the farmers,” said Bhaben Kalita, another scientist at the SBCL.

The laboratory produced 3.33 million Trichogramma japonicum and 2.5 million Trichogramma chillonis during 2009-10, with the demonstration programme itself benefiting about 500 paddy farmers and 2,000 brinjal growers. In case of brinjal, Trichogramma chillonis has also benefited the consumer in a significant way.

“Farmers are known to apply chemical pesticides on brinjals to make them shine more. But with Trichogramma chillonis, farmers do not need to do so as the bio-agent is also proved to have added some physiological benefits in size, colour and glaze of the brinjals,” Borthakur claimed.

“The efficacy of bio-agents identified and propagated by the SBCL has come as a major boon to farmers. The laboratory has worked wonders, especially when the whole world is talking organic. The state government has decided to strengthen the lab by providing more funds,” said state agriculture minister Pramila Rani Brahma.

George Bush Joins Facebook: Read His First Post

Former US President George W. Bush has officially joined Facebook.

His Facebook page includes information on his location (Dallas, TX), birth date (July 6, 1946), education (Harvard Business School and Yale), as well as links to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush-Cheney Alumni Association, the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, and a link to Amazon, where his forthcoming book, Decision Points, is available for pre-order. There's also a link to the Washington Speakers Bureau, for those interested in scheduling an event with President Bush.

His first status update, posted around 10AM ET, read:

Since leaving office, President Bush has remained active. He has visited 20 states and 8 countries; given over 65 speeches; launched the George W. Bush Presidential Center; participated in 4 policy conferences through The Bush Institute; finished the first draft of his memoir, "Decision Points"; and partnered with President Clinton to establish the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. More on his activities in future posts...

And his second:

Laura Bush's memoir, "Spoken from the Heart," is #1 on the "New York Times" Bestseller List for the third consecutive week. To learn more, visit her website at www.laurawbush.com

President Bush lists five "Favorite Pages"--among them, Laura W. Bush's Facebook page.

His status updates are, thus far, less personal than his wife's, who has been sending short posts from her book tour.

At the time of this post, some 560 people have "liked" his page. Facebook users have posted a stream of complimentary messages on his wall (no word yet on whether the page's admin or Facebook will be monitoring the content.) "I may not have agreed with everything you did, but I never doubted your love of country or your will to protect her," wrote one user.

Story continues below

A Twitter account, @George_WBush, was created under his name, but it has not been verified as authentic. AFP political correspondent Olivier Knox (@OKnox) tweeted, "Sorry to disappoint, but @george_wbush is not the former president's feed, his office says, and Dubya has "no plans to tweet.""

What politicians do you follow on Facebook? Who would you like to see join that hasn't yet?
LOOK:

German Soccer Fans Prefer World Cup Over Sex

Sports fans will give up a lot to see their team do well. In one recent survey, soccer enthusiasts said they would submit to week-long starvation if it meant their favorite country would win the World Cup. Some respondents even said they would forfeit their job.

The trend is no different in Germany, according to a new study. AFP reports that a Reader's Digest survey found only 5% of participants would choose sex over watching a German World Cup final game. Approximately 20% said that even an emergency wouldn't get in the way of their World Cup viewing.

While fans might prefer soccer to sex, it seems the two may go hand in hand. According to the article, Germany saw "a flood" of new babies nine months after the 2006 World Cup.

Already iPad Has a Competitor

Asus Eee Pad, iPad Competitor, Unveiled

Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan's AsusTek Computer Inc. unveiled Monday a portable tablet computer that runs on Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system, joining a slew of manufacturers trying to tap demand for the sleek devices following Apple's launch of the iPad.

AsusTek is among several Taiwanese computer makers to display tablet PCs at the five-day Computex Show in Taipei that opens Tuesday.

Acer Inc., the world's second largest PC vendor, unveiled last week a 7-inch touchscreen tablet that like many other coming models runs on Android, the operating system that Google is distributing for free for mobile devices.

AsusTek's touchscreen tablet, with the name of Eee Pad, comes in 10- and 12-inch sizes and is set to go on sale in the first quarter of 2011.

In addition to full Windows support, Company Chairman Jonney Shih said Eee Pad is equipped with a Web camera and runs Flash by Adobe Systems which will allow users to view YouTube and other video programs on the Internet.

The 10-inch Eee Pad will sell for $399 to $449. No price tag was given for the 12-inch model.

By contrast, Apple's iPads cost $499, $599 or $699 depending on the data storage capacity. But iPads use the HTML5 standard and its lack of Flash support has alienated some users.

AsusTek also unveiled on Monday an e-notepad that serves as both an electronic-reader and note-taking device, with a built-in camera that will let the user grab screenshots of lecture slides.

Shih said the notepad – with a price tag of $199 to $299 – turns pages at a faster speed and does not cause as much eye-fatigue during lengthy reading as other e-readers.

6 Reasons Oil Spill Can’t Be Fixed

By Max Fisher

Sean Gardner/Getty The much-vaunted "top kill" attempt to stop the worst oil spill in U.S. history has failed, adding yet another failure to the joint BP and U.S. mission to curb the oil that is already destroying the Gulf of Mexico's chemical balance, marine and bird populations, and delicate coastlines. Why are we struggling so to stop and contain the oil leak?

• 'Fix-It' Faith in Technology 'Misplaced' The New York Times' Elisabeth Rosenthal writes, "Americans have long had an unswerving belief that technology will save us — it is the cavalry coming over the hill, just as we are about to lose the battle. And yet, as Americans watched scientists struggle to plug the undersea well over the past month, it became apparent that our great belief in technology was perhaps misplaced."

• Not Enough Regulation  The Los Angeles Times' Doyle McManus asks, "Does it show that the federal government should be given more power to regulate energy industries, just as the financial crisis showed that Washington needed more power to regulate Wall Street?" He answers, "On that count, this crisis is very different from Katrina, which was mostly about governments' failures to prepare for a natural disaster. The oil spill fits into a different political narrative: the Democrats' insistence on the need for more federal regulation, in this case to protect the environment. In the face of events, voters may take a second look at that proposition."

• Our Limited Knowledge of Deep Sea  The New York Times' William Broad writes, "Strange as it sounds, we know more about distant planets than we do about the deep sea. ... Inky darkness, icy temperatures and, most of all, crushing pressures conspire to make deep exploration daunting if not impossible. That is why scientists estimate that humans have glimpsed perhaps only a millionth of what there is down there to see. That also helps explain why a runaway oil well on the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico is a massive calamity, with crews struggling to stop the gushing crude. It is the brutal nature of the abyss."

• Regulators and Industry Are Too Cozy  Newsweek's Evan Thomas and Daniel Stone discuss "the limits of government regulation." They say that "the oil companies and the federal government grew a little complacent" in a way that "underscores an uncomfortable truth about government regulation in the modern age. The government is dependent on industry for essential know-how. ... Inevitably, when government regulators are dependent on the industries they regulate, coziness and sometimes corruption creep in. The [Minerals Management Service] appears to have been no exception."

• White House Too Deferential To BP  The Wall Street Journal's Miguel Bustillo and Guy Chazan write, "initial hopefulness has eroded in recent days as the federal government has continued looking for direction to BP, which has been unable to put a stop to the runaway spill despite company and government spending of more than $930 million."

• Regulation Should Emphasize Oversight, Not Bans  The Cleveland Plain-Dealer declares, "the cozy era of insider U.S. oil industry regulation has to end." However, "Now the president risks a whiplash in the other direction with tough directives that suggest an excessively cumbersome environmental review process for each well could be in store. What's needed is effective oversight, not knee-jerk bans."

[ via theatlanticwire ]

Female Banker Files a Lawsuit Against Citigroup After She was 'Fired for Being Too Attractive'

A 33-year-old single mother has filed a lawsuit against Citigroup, after Citibank allegedly fired her for being too attractive.

Debrahlee Lorenzana claims that she was let go from the New York branch of the bank after being told that her choice of clothes made her 'too distracting' in the largely male-dominated office.

Ms Lorenzana's lawsuit alleges that her bosses told her 'as a result of the shape of her figure, such clothes were purportedly 'too distracting' for her male colleagues and supervisors to bear'.

Debrahlee Lorenzana has filed a lawsuit against Citigroup for allegedly firing her because she was 'too attractive'

The Puerto Rican banker says she was given a list of clothes she would no longer be able to wear - including pencil skirts, fitted suits and polo necks.

But Ms Lorenzana told New York newspaper The Village Voice it is her right to dress as she wishes, as long as it is a professionally-appropriate outfit.

She said: 'I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I said, "You gotta be kidding me! I was like, Too distracting? For who? For you? My clients don't seem to have any problem."

'Where I'm from, women dress up - like put on makeup and do their nails - to go to the supermarket..

'I was raised very Latin. We're feminine. A woman in Puerto Rico takes care of herself.'

Ms Lorenzana's lawyer Jack Tuckner said he believes the case is self-explanatory.

He explained: 'It's like saying that we can't think anymore because our penises are standing up - and we cannot think about you except in a sexual manner - and we can't look at you without wanting to have sexual intercourse with you.

'And it's up to you, gorgeous woman, to lessen your appeal so that we can focus!'

Ms Lorenzana claims she was given a list of clothes she wasn't allowed to wear in the office

As well as some 'conservative' photos taken by Mr Tuckner, Ms Lorezana's lawsuit includes evidence of a meeting when she was told by her two managers that her trousers were too tight, and photos of other employees dressed in provocative clothes.

She added: 'I could have worn a paper bag, and it would not have mattered. If it wasn't my shirt, it was my pants.

'If it wasn't my pants, it was my shoes. They picked on me every single day.'

The fitted clothes and flattering suits favoured by Ms Lorenzana have made a comeback recently thanks to hit U.S. TV show Mad Men.

But, judging from this lawsuit, women such as Christina Hendricks' character Joan Holloway would cause a bit of a stir in today's society.

However, because Ms Lorenzana was required to sign a mandatory-arbitration clause before she began her job at Citibank, the case will never end up in front of a jury or a judge.

An arbirtrator will decide the result of the lawsuit.

A statement from Citigroup read: 'We believe this lawsuit is without merit and we will defend against it vigorously.

'We respect the privacy of all of our employees and therefore cannot comment more specifically on this litigation, this former employee's overall performance, or the reasons for her termination - which an arbitration panel must resolve.

'Citi is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and providing a respectful environment in the workplace. We have a strong commitment to diversity and we do not condone, or tolerate, discrimination within our business for any reason.'

[ via Dailymail ]

Six Astronauts Begin 520 Days Locked up in Windowless Mock 'Spaceship'

Six volunteers will today be locked up together in a windowless, mock spaceship for 520 days.

The 'astronauts' will be trapped inside the capsule for a simulated flight to Mars, and are expected to live and work as if they are on the 43-million mile journey for real.

The all-male crew will not endure weightlessness, but from today they will follow a harsh regimen of experiments and exercise.

The main task of the Mars-500 experiment is to study the effects of long isolation to help a real space crew of the future cope better with stress and fatigue.

'When everybody interacts with the same people in the same space, habits and behavior become apparent very quickly.

'These habits may irritate and cause indignation - and even fits of aggression,' psychotherapist Mikhail Baryshev said.

Chinese astronauts Wang Yue and Diego Urbina of Italy wave before their 520-day isolation

Two researchers test spacesuits on a simulated Mars surface during a training session at Moscow's Institute for Medical and Biological Problems ahead of their incarceration

The experiment, conducted by the Moscow-based Institute for Medical and Biological Problems in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Chinese space authorities, will simulate a 250-day journey to Mars, a 30-day surface exploration phase and 240 days return trip.

But the choice of an all-male crew has provoked criticism for 'inflicting sexual discrimination on Mars before man has even set foot there'.

There is even a threat of a legal challenge over the absence of women, while the experiment faces criticism for failing to address the real issue of sexual dynamics which future crews to Mars may have to face.

'The absence of women in Mars-500 Project yet again proves the presence on old-fashioned earthly gender stereotypes,' complained Mikhail Salkin of the Moscow Human Rights Protection Centre.

'The organisers were likely set on choosing men from the start. We suspect the endurance tests they set were more suitable to men than women, and the results will be a biased judgement because it will only apply to males, so will not five the full picture.

'Women should have equal access to any job so we are ready to apply to the Russian General Prosecutor on this and ask him to investigate.

'The organisers have also forgotten the social tension they can face among six men which might have been softened by having a woman on board.'.

The facility built for the experiment comprises several interconnected modules with a total volume of 20,000 cubic feet and a separate built-in imitator of Mars surface for the mock landing.

The researchers will communicate with the outside world via internet, delayed and occasionally disrupted to imitate the effects of space travel.

The six participants attend a news conference before entering a confinement module

No women: The module for the Mars-500 Experience, which will not leave the ground but in all other respects will emulate what cosmonauts will face on the first manned flight to the Red Planet

They will eat canned food similar to that currently offered on the International Space Station and take a shower once every 10 days - mimicking space conditions. The crew will have two days off in a week, except when emergencies are simulated.

ESA said the crew will also regularly play video games as part of the agency's project to develop personalized software to interact with crews on future space missions.

French crewmember Romain Charles said the experiments will keep the team busy in isolation.

'It's not a jail, it's a program, an experiment,' he said. 'It will be hard I'm sure, but we have a target to stay here 520 days and we will achieve it.'

Both Charles, 31, and Italian-Colombian Diego Urbina, 27, are engineers by training. China's Wang Yue, 26, is an employee at China's space training center.

The 38-year old Russian captain, Alexey Sitev, has worked at the Russian cosmonaut training center and the two other Russians, Sukhrob Kamolov, 32 and Alexander Smoleyevsky, 33 are doctors.

The European crewmembers will earn the equivalent of about $97,000 for their participation in the experiment; he declined to cite a figure for Wang.

A similar experiment in 1999-2000 at the same Moscow institute went awry when a Canadian woman complained of being forcibly kissed by a Russian team captain and said that two Russian crew members had a fist fight that left blood splattered on the walls.

Russian officials downplayed the incidents, attributing it to cultural gaps and stress.

A 2009 experiment that had four Russians, a German and Frenchman spending three months in isolation went smoothly.

We did it: A team of researchers celebrate ending their three-month stay in July last year

Martin Zell, an official with the ESA's Directorate of Human Spaceflight, said the 2009 experiment helped study stress linked with cardiovascular problems and effects on the immune system.

While the isolation experiment may give scientists ample material to analyse the problems faced by a future Mars exploration crew, technological challenges make a real mission a distant prospect.

One of the biggest is designing a compact and efficient shield against deadly space radiation.

Both the US and Russia are working on spacecraft which could be used for a mission to Mars, but design works are still in an early stage.

Last month, President Barack Obama told NASA workers in Cape Canaveral that he was committed to manned space flight and foresaw sending astronauts to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s.

[ via Dailymail ]