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Need for Social Transformation By Dr Arvind Kumar Transformation of the world in the image of love and justice entails deep social change and social transformation, of democracy versus plutocracy, and of people’s willingness to work together on common problems as full and equal citizens, not as clients or consumers. Any successful recipe for social transformation must include a wellf-unctioning market economy that creates wealth — broadly distributed throughout the population — and fosters technological innovation, directed at socially useful ends. When business puts its own house in order in this way, it can have an enormously positive impact by increasing the social and environmental value of the goods and services it produces, improving the quantity and quality of the jobs and incomes it creates, and acting as a good corporate citizen — which means paying taxes, obeying regulations, ending monopolies, and removing lobbying from politics. It has always been civil society and

Uranium Insecurity in Africa By Dr Arvind Kumar Dangerous trends of unsafe mining of uranium prevail in some African countries endowed with uranium mines. A recent UPI news report based on diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks reveals abysmal safety and security standards in the African uranium mining industry. Prevalence of poor safety and security standards in a number of African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Burundi and others, with regard to uranium and nuclear facilities is a matter of grave concern. European, Chinese, Indian and South Korean companies are reportedly involved in the illegal extraction and smuggling of uranium from Africa. According to the news report, Uranium imported from African countries is used by most European reactors. It is further revealed that Roger A. Meece, U.S. ambassador to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a 2006 cable reported that external and internal security at CREN-K, a nuclear research centre

Diet–Longevity Linkages By Dr Arvind Kumar In a recently published study in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietic Association , the research carried out among 2,500 adults in USA in the age group of 70 to 79 has revealed that those who maintained diet comprising ‘Healthy foods’ were less likely to die and more likely to remain healthy as compared to those whose diets consisted of more or less-health healthful foods during the decade-old period examined. The study subjects were divided into six groups according to their predominant food choices among 108 food items, as follow: "Healthy foods" (374 participants) "High-fat dairy products" (332) "Meat, fried foods, and alcohol" (693) "Breakfast cereal" (386) "Refined grains" (458) "Sweets and desserts" (339) Highlights of the Study Ø The’healthy foods’ category was includes relatively higher consumption of low-fat dairy, fr

New Geopolitical Landscape By Dr Arvind Kumar Emergence of a new geopolitical landscape is becoming inevitable and this is likely to be characterized by a multipolar world, hitherto perched safely on the horizon but now rushing quite abruptly into the present. It seems that the two-century old Western hegemony is drawing to a close rather faster than expected. New emerging powers like China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, South Africa and the rest are going to decide the rules of the game called geopolitics and geo-economics very soon. The global dichotomy will be between slow- growing and fast-growing nations as much as the rich and the rising. The geopolitical balance is tilting in favour of the rising powers which are expanding their sphere of influence in respective areas. China is becoming actively involved in East Asia, Africa and Latin America. Turkey and Brazil are enhaning their regional clout. Europe is scrambling for saving itself from being reduced to insignificance

Sustaining Renewable Energy By Dr Arvind Kumar T he success, thus far, of fossil fuels in meeting energy demand any time required has led to a belief that whatever we want we can always have whenever we want it. This of course is leading to problems as it patently can no longer be maintained. It also has lead to the development of quite unrealistic expectations as to how far renewables can replace fossil fuels. Renewable energy is being tagged on to a massive existing demand led fossil fuelled energy system that has historically recorded tremendous growth. Efforts at demand reduction and increased efficiency have seemingly resulted in slight savings and these are often deferred by people opting for higher comfort levels. Viewed in a broad spectrum, almost all the renewable technology presently installed has only made us 96% fossil fuel dependent rather than 100%! This is a cause of worry as to the very extreme degree of energy descent that may be experienced as we move further in

Uncertainty in Afghanistan By Dr Arvind Kumar The reported move of Obama Administration to start withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan from July 2011 after over a decade-long sufferings may be a good news for the American families whose members are fighting ‘aimless war’ on a foreign soil, but it is very difficult for Afghans to wriggle out of the foreign-created quagmire. Since the fall of the Daoud government in March 1978, Afghanistan has seldom seen even a brief spell of peace or stability. The present decade-old mess is the result of inability of the US and NATO-led forces to tame Taliban. Unless Pakistan is not reined in, it is difficult to restrain Taliban because Islamabad is the main source of money and weapons for Taliban. It is ironical that Pakistan itself has been the victim of Taliban terror, by the Taliban protégé – Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and it still continues to support Taliban. The post-US withdrawal scenario in Afghanistan entails the possibility

Spread Message of Love By Dr Arvind Kumar 25 December is celebrated as the holy day of Christmas to commemorate the day when Jesus Christ was born, as a tiny baby to restore the friendship between God and humanity, and to bring hope and joy and love to the world. Christmas is more than a charming story. It is, should be, a life-changing experience as well as a celebration. Yet in much of Christian World today there is a growing crave for materialistic possessions and the ideals of Christianity – love and compassion – are being replaced by Epicurean notions of eating, drinking and merry-making. Eating and drinking and making merry are fine, of course, but Christmas is a time to persuade people to part with more money for the poor and neglected segments of the society. Santa Claus (Father Christmas) has been hijacked as a super-salesperson for aggressive marketing. Instead of reverent, melodious Christmas carols, the air is filled with the sound of tinkling Muzak with cringe-making

"May the good times and treasures of the present Become the golden memories of tomorrow. Wishing you lots of love, joy and happiness. May your Christmas sparkle with moments of love, laughter and goodwill? And may the year ahead be full of contentment and joy. Wish you and your family merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Is New World Order Working? By Dr Arvind Kumar A new multipolar world is fast emerging to relace the so-called ‘unilateralism’ espoused by the United States for the past two decades. The emerging powers like China, India, Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa etc are making their international presence felt. The multipolar moment seemed to have arrived in May 2010 when Brazil and Turkey joined together to announce they had stepped in to broker a nuclear-fuel swap deal with Iran that reportedly -- not actually -- paved the way toward a peaceful solution to the standoff. A little over two decades ago, then U.S. President George H.W. Bush had proclaimed a "new world order," a U.S.-dominated international system "where the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle." Two decades later, the "new new world order" looks almost nothing like what Bush -- and most Americans -- imagined or hoped. Undoubtedly the United States still retains the world's most

Kisan Divas By Dr Arvind Kumar 23 December is celebrated as Kisan Divas or Farmers’ Day to commemorate the memory of Chaudhary Charan Singh, whose life reflected his peasantry background and he understood problems of the farmer and did his best to help them. The plight of farmers in India has been very miserable in present-day India and they have always been at the receiving end since Independence. Their hard toil fetches them nothing except fake assurances from the dispensations at the helm. It’s sad and unfortunate that people who are indispensable for the growth of nation have been left to their fate. This is quite evident from the suicide cases in Maharashtra, Andhra and other parts of the country including West Bengal. In state like UP middlemen and Mandi officials ensure that the farmers turn into object of grief. The need of the hour is implementation of schemes introduced by the government. This can take place effectively if the village panchayts are provided more powe

Dangers Ahead By Dr Arvind Kumar Many dangers are in store for us in coming years and unfortunately o nly a few people are willing to examine the future in a comprehensive way. However, we are going to experience a wide range of increasing threats if we ignore them. Global societies are called upon to start tackling them simultaneously for posterity. One reason there is little demand to effectively deal with those threats is that many people perceive that societies are incapable of solving problems of such magnitude. They also feel personally powerless to do much about it. This is far from the real situation we have now. Recent decades have been charaterized by deteriorating conditions as far as fairness is concerned, but people are tough and can withstand adverse situations. The people are succumbing to their own onslaughts. The present society is replete with a wide range of conflicting interest, which society resolve by compromise or more precisely by sacrificing most of th

Nature Is Not Negotiable By Dr Arvind Kumar T he recently-concluded climate conference in Cancún did indeed make progress on a few important issues, but it basically ignored the two crucial questions: How much carbon will we cut, and how fast? The climate is a place where we have absolutely no choice but to steer by abstract ideals. The terms of the climate change conundrum aren’t set by contending ideologies. In the case of global warming, there are lines, hard and fast. There’s no shading between one element and the next, and the elements are, in that sense, abstract ideals. In January 2008, world’s best climatologists gave us concentrations above 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon in the atmosphere as too much. We’re already past that; we’re at 390 ppm, which is why 2010 has been the warmest year on record, having witnessed the Arctic melting again in summer, Russia caught fire, and flash foods causing havoc in India, Pakistan and elsewhere. Scientists tell us that if we

International Day for South-South Cooperation By Dr Arvind Kumar 19 December is observed as the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation annually to commemorate the date when the United Nations (UN) General Assembly endorsed a plan of action in 1978 to promote and implement technical cooperation among developing countries. In 1978 the UN General Assembly established the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation to promote, coordinate and support South-South and triangular cooperation on a global level. It was on 23 December 2003 that the UN General Assembly declared 19 December as the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation to mark the date when the Assembly endorsed the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries. The Assembly also called upon all UN organizations and other institutions to enhance their efforts to mainstream the use of South-South cooperation in designing, formulating, and implementing

International Migrants Day By DrArvind Kumar 18 December is observed as the UN International Migrants Day every year to acknowledge the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants worldwide. It was on 4 December 2000 that the UN General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed December 18 as International Migrants. On that day, a decade earlier, the assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. International Migrants Day recognizes the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants worldwide. ©iStockphoto.com/Dave Logan Each year the UN invites governments, organizations, and individuals to observe International Migrants Day by distributing information on the human rights and migrants’ fundamental freedoms. People are also invited to share their experiences and contribute to designing action plans to ensure their protection. Organiz

City Light Pollution Dr Arvind Kumar According to a recent study by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, it has been revealed that excess light at night can contribute to air pollution. The study further indicates that uplight from outdoor lighting that contributes to sky glow over cities also interferes with chemical reactions that naturally clean the air during nighttime hours. The chemicals from vehicle exhaust and other human created sources are broken down every night and prevented from becoming smog, ozone, or other irritants by a form of nitrogen oxide called the nitrate radical. Sunlight destroys the naturally occurring nitrate radical, so this process occurs only in hours of darkness. Though the lights are 10,000 dimmer than the Sun, nevertheless, the study’s first results indicate that city lights can slow down the nighttime

National Security vs. Open Government By Dr Arvind Kumar The recent revelations from the classified cables released by the Wikileaks have raised questions about safeguarding national security while maintaining opneness in the government. Technology has changed the ways that citizens around the world can share information about government performance, access economic information, or share key development indicators, including several of the initiatives. Given the unrelenting media spotlight that the 21st century media ecosystem puts upon on every move of the government, it is cumbersome for officials to hide information from the public. However, the presumption of openness precludes the legitimate protection of information whose release would threaten national security, invade personal privacy, breach confidentiality, or damage other genuinely compelling interests. Legitimate concerns about national security must be balanced with the spirit of open government. The transparency

Is Urban Horticulture a Solution? By Dr Arvind Kumar The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and many other international and local institutions are disseminating the message - that micro-gardening and other forms of urban horticulture can go a long way to boosting city dwellers' food security and improving living conditions. This message has come from an international symposium in Dakar organized by FAO and the Senegalese government at Dakar from 6 to 9 December 2010. About 200 people from 39 countries participated to talk about building an international network to promote and implement urban horticulture, incorporating the practice into urban planning, and developing alternatives to pesticides. Urban and peri-urban horticulture is the cultivation of a wide range of crops - including fruits, vegetables, roots, tubers and ornamental plants - in cities and towns and the surrounding areas. FAO says an estimated 130 million urban residents in Africa and 230 million in Latin Am

Reviving Traditional Wisdom By Dr Arvind Kumar Environmental consciousness was preached by our ancestors preached, our parents taught it to us, the West is adopting it and are we abandoning it. Conserving water, switching off light when not required, patiently folding used wrapping paper and storing it under their mattress for reuse etc. were some steps the undertook by older generation as part of environmental consciousness. There was hardly any waste generated in a typical household. Everything was used and reused until it fell apart. The new generation is disinterested in reusing paper bags anymore. They don't even want to be seen conserving. They now have the power to waste, and want to flaunt it. As India's economic boom has transformed it from a global laggard into one of the world's key emerging powers, the new generation of Indians finally arrived — in business, science, and politics. Indian diasporas in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asia are

The Warming Of Antarctica By Dr Arvind Kumar While focusing on the prospect of fossil fuel emissions trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, particularly on Antarctica — the biggest chunk of ice on Earth i n 1978, John H. Mercer, a prominent geologist at Ohio State University had already predicted: “If present trends in fossil fuel consumption continue... a critical level of warmth will have been passed in high southern latitudes 50 years from now, and deglaciation of West Antarctica will be imminent or in progress... One of the warning signs that a dangerous warming trend is under way in Antarctica will be the breakup of ice shelves on both coasts of the Antarctic Peninsula, starting with the northernmost and extending gradually southward.” Mercer’s prediction has come true, and eight ice shelves have fully or partially collapsed along the Antarctic Peninsula, and the northwestern Antarctic Peninsula has warmed faster than virtually any place on Earth. The polar plateau rou

India at Cancun By Dr Arvind Kumar India’s role in the recently-concluded climate change summit in Cancun (Mexico) has been a balanced one. India not only played a leading role in the negotiations but also ensured that most of its concerns were addressed. A couple of days before the conclusion of the summit, it was feared that India might be forced into making its voluntary pledges to reduce the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions a “legally-binding” commitment. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s extempore statement, that kept the issue open-ended, also added fuel to the fire. However, as the final Cancun Agreements show, India was able to resist the pressure. The agreements have five insertions which are at India's behest. In the section on shared vision, the figure of 50 per cent has been dropped from identifying a global goal for substantially reducing emissions by 2050. Secondly, the phrase access to sustainable development has been introduced in the context of wo

International Mountain Day By Dr Arvind Kumar Mountains have come to play pre-emminent role in preserving ecological equilibrium in the wake of changing climate. The International Year of Mountains was held in 2002 with the aim of raising awareness and triggering action on issues relating to sustainable mountain development. The leading agency was the Food and Agriculture Organization. As this year drew to a close, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed 11 December to be International Mountain Day and encouraged the international community to organize events to highlight the importance of sustainable mountain development on this date. International Mountain Day was first observed on 11 December 2003. This observance, which is celebrated annually, aims to draw attention to the important roles that mountainous regions play in water and food supply. This photograph is reproduced with the courtsey of ©iStockphoto.com/Joseph Jean Various activities are organized on and

Human Rights Day By Dr Arvind Kumar 10th December is observed annually to mark the United Nations' (UN) Human Rights Day anniversary of the presentation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Events focused on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on and around December 10 are held worldwide. Most of these events aim at educating people, especially children and teenagers, on their human rights and the importance of upholding these in their own communities and further afield. This illustration is based on artwork from iStockphoto.com/Amanda Rohde The occasion may also include protests to alert people of circumstances in parts of the world where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not recognized or respected, or where the significance of these rights are not considered to be important. Cultural events are also organized to celebrate the importance of human rights through music, dance, drama or fine art. Having been drafted between January 1947 and Dec