The Sound of the Forest

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A few years ago the Ministry of Environment included the Sagano Bamboo Forest on its list of "100 Soundscapes of Japan" -- a selection of everyday noises intended to encourage locals to stop and enjoy nature's music. PHOTO: CNN

A few years ago the Ministry of Environment included the Sagano Bamboo Forest on its list of “100 Soundscapes of Japan” — a selection of everyday noises intended to encourage locals to stop and enjoy nature’s music. PHOTO: CNN

What does it take for a government to officially recognize a natural soundscape? The bamboo forests of Kyoto. Growing tall on the edges of Kyoto, the Sagano Bamboo Forest is a once tranquil nature spot that is now a series of tourist-packed pathways, but if one can escape the sounds of camera shutters and boorish visitors, they can hear the rustling, creaking, and swaying of one of Japan’s governmentally recognized soundscapes.

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Taking Classrooms to Children

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The buses can only hold 20 students, without much space to wiggle around or store books. But they have unique benefits — like their ability to reach many of Mumbai’s poorest migrants who live on illegal plots of land where schools can’t be built. PHOTO: Karen Dias

The buses can only hold 20 students, without much space to wiggle around or store books. But they have unique benefits — like their ability to reach many of Mumbai’s poorest migrants who live on illegal plots of land where schools can’t be built. PHOTO: Karen Dias

Mumbai’s education system has fallen gravely short of absorbing its children. Only 400,000 children were enrolled in municipal schools in 2014, according to a report by Praja, a non-partisan research and advocacy organization. That number actually dropped 11 percent since 2009, despite increased government spending on education.That leaves more than half of the children in Mumbai either out of school or learning in private institutions. At least 37,000 kids in Mumbai live on the streets and work with their parents to earn a few cents a day, according to advocacy organization Action Aid.

Medium brings you more on how a collaborative system of volunteers, activists and NGOs is transforming the darkness of ignorance in one of India’s largest cities.

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The Post Office and World War

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A completed field postcard, posted on 22 March 1916. PHOTO: BBC

A completed field postcard, posted on 22 March 1916. PHOTO: BBC

When was the last time you put paper to pen and saw your writing come to life? The last time you held a piece of card so small but held news and feelings from across seven seas? Writing and receiving mail is quite the experience, all the more now in the age of keypads and instant messages. It was important, too. Like in the time of the World War. When the mail was recognized as the biggest tool of maintaining morale.

BBC brings some interesting facets:

The most effective weapon used during World War One wasn’t the shell or the tank, it was morale. The British Army believed that it was crucial to an allied victory, and it looked to the Post Office for help.

The delivery of post was vital for two reasons. Firstly, receiving well wishes and gifts from home was one of the few comforts a soldier had on the Western Front. The majority of them spent more time fighting boredom than they did the enemy, and writing was one of the few hobbies available to them. For some, it was a welcome distraction from the horrors of the trenches.

Secondly, letters served a propaganda purpose as everything that soldiers sent back was subject to censorship. The British Army claimed this was to prevent the enemy finding out secret information, but really it was to prevent bad news from reaching the home front. Letters from serving soldiers had a powerful role, not just in keeping families informed of the well-being of their loved ones; they also helped to sustain popular support for the war across the home front. Nothing could be allowed to jeopardise that.

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Who’s Taking Over Coral Reefs?

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Between August and November in 2014, Chinese dredgers created a land mass on Fiery Cross that spans 3,000 meters long and 200 to 300 meters wide. PHOTO: Washington Post

Between August and November in 2014, Chinese dredgers created a land mass on Fiery Cross that spans 3,000 meters long and 200 to 300 meters wide. PHOTO: Washington Post

Here are some figures for China’s military strength. Here is also the fact that much of the country’s military building is concentrated in the high seas. Especially in waters that once hosted biodiversity hotspots in coral reefs.

As China races to extend its military reach, it is turning pristine habitats into permanent islands. Satellite images of the South China Sea show rapid destruction of some of the most biodiverse coral reefs in the world. The reclamation of land in the contested Spratly archipelago to build runways, military outposts and even small towns is endangering ecosystems that are key to maintaining world fish stocks and biodiversity.

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Jerusalem’s 800-year-old Indian Connect

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There is a little corner of Jerusalem that is forever India. At least, it has been for more than 800 years and its current custodian has plans for his family to keep the Indian flag flying for generations to come. PHOTO: BBC

There is a little corner of Jerusalem that is forever India. At least, it has been for more than 800 years and its current custodian has plans for his family to keep the Indian flag flying for generations to come. PHOTO: BBC

For close to a century, many generations of an Indian family have been looking after the Indian Hospice, a symbol of India’s heritage, in the old city of Jerusalem.The Indian Hospice was born in 1924, with Sheikh Nazir Ansari, a police inspector’s son from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, becoming the first Indian to look after the hospice, situated opposite Herod’s Gate in the old city. Since then generations of the Ansari family have kept the Indian flag flying in a situation which is “politically fraught where every inch of territory is claimed or counter-claimed”.

From the roof he flies an Indian flag, its saffron and green visible over a city that remains as volatile as ever. Sheikh Munir, though, is not easily intimidated. “I am not afraid. I am satisfied for the future, that we, the Ansari family, are serving. After me, my elder son, Nazer, should replace me as Sheikh of the zawiyya [lodge].”

I ask if Nazer, who works overseas, is interested in taking over. Sheikh Munir hesitates. From a frame on the wall, his father looks down silently. The old man raises his hands, palms up.

“It’s not a question of interested.”

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The Prize for Energy Storage

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Jay Whitacre is the latest recipient of the prestigious $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, which honors remarkable mid-career inventors who have also demonstrated a commitment to mentorship in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). PHOTO: LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM

Jay Whitacre is the latest recipient of the prestigious $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, which honors mid-career inventors who have also demonstrated a commitment to mentorship in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). PHOTO: LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM

The Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI™) Batteries are based on a simple idea: in order to meet the challenges of the world’s growing energy needs and increase the use of renewable power, we need large-scale energy storage systems that are high performance, safe, sustainable and cost-effective. Jay Whitacre set out to solve this problem and discovered a simple and elegant solution that is a twist on a 200 year-old technology: saltwater batteries. Using abundant, nontoxic materials and modern low cost manufacturing techniques, the AHI batteries are now ready to take on the global energy storage challenge. And have also won Whitacre the prestigious $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize.

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Did Scrabble Almost Fail to Take Off?

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The game also formerly known as It and Criss-Cross Words acquired its lasting moniker in 1948, but its story begins 15 years earlier, when a 32-year-old architect named Alfred Mosher Butts joined the millions who’d already lost their jobs in the Great Depression. PHOTO: Getty

The game also formerly known as It and Criss-Cross Words acquired its lasting moniker in 1948, but its story begins 15 years earlier, when a 32-year-old architect named Alfred Mosher Butts joined the millions who’d already lost their jobs in the Great Depression. PHOTO: Getty

A game played avidly by amateurs and pros alike. In jails and by the British Royal Family, and has fans even at The White House. No other game brings wordsmiths together like Scrabble. And to think it may not have seen the light of living rooms:

Though words are its currency, it’s really a game about anything but. It’s a spatial game, a game of patterns and of memory. No wonder many top players have a mathematical rather than a linguistic background. You certainly don’t need to know what an obscure two-letter filler like ‘ee’ or ‘da’ means in order to play it, only that it appears on the endorsed word lists.

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When Food Unites

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Vigorón served at El Gordito in Granada, Nicaragua. The combination of soft, starchy yucca; salty, rough pork cracklings; and tangy, cool slaw made with cabbage, onions, tomato, mimbre fruit (also known as mimbro), chile and vinegar offers a distinct interplay of textures and flavors. PHOTO: Julie Schwietert Collazo for NPR

Vigorón served at El Gordito in Granada, Nicaragua. The combination of soft, starchy yucca; salty, rough pork cracklings; and tangy, cool slaw made with cabbage, onions, tomato, mimbre fruit, chile and vinegar. PHOTO: Julie Schwietert Collazo for NPR

No matter how different our ethnic backgrounds, beliefs, views and values are, we can all sit around a dinner table and unite in sharing a meal that includes different tastes and types of food from all over the globe – the palate knows no boundaries and no limitations. In a divided country like Nicaragua, all differences melt when it comes to vigoron. The national dish that cuts across political ideologies, economic status, and strong preferences.

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Nature and Her Surprises

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photo credit: Ms. Barbara Block

The last time I wrote was about my experience working in Nigeria, where I enjoyed the challenge of balancing the familiar and the new in culture, people, landscape and even weather. I’m now back in India and am happy to explore nature in my own country again.

I am based in the beautiful hill-station Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu and everytime I look up at the sky and the mountains and the beautiful valley, it takes my breath away! Then I stop to wonder – why do my fellow Indians long to go to Switzerland and other places, when we can experience so many similar things somewhere in our own country? Continue reading →

Where’s The Snow?

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In 500 years, the Sierra's stores of snow have never ben this low. PHOTO: François B. Lanoë/Nature Climate Change

In 500 years, the Sierra’s stores of snow have never ben this low. PHOTO: François B. Lanoë/Nature Climate Change

Yet another ironical evidence of climate change. One in the mountains of Sierra Nevada, which coincidentally mean ‘snowy’ range. A new study has found that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas is the lowest it’s been in the past 500 years. Definitely not good news for California which depends on this snowpack for water. A debilitating drought, fierce wildfires, and now a declining snowpack, things sure are not looking good for the city.

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The Food Museum Is Here

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The Food and Drink Museum will open in its first permanent home – a mini-museum in Brooklyn — in October. Above, an artist's rendering shows one potential exhibit – on ready-to-eat cereal — in MOFAD's final space. In the foreground is an extruder, a giant machine used to cook and shape cereal.

The Food and Drink Museum will open in its first permanent home – a mini-museum in Brooklyn — in October. Above, an artist’s rendering shows one potential exhibit – on ready-to-eat cereal — in MOFAD’s final space. In the foreground is an extruder, a giant machine used to cook and shape cereal. PHOTO: MOAFD

Everyone eats. People of all ages and backgrounds, from picky and apathetic eaters to gastronomes and food lovers, should care about food. Informed eaters are better eaters. They make better choices for their taste buds, health, community, and environment.Food is culture. It is more than simply what is on our plates: it is a common denominator of human relationships.Food is personal. People should be approached with a non-judgmental attitude about their diet.Food is participatory. To best learn about food, you must taste, smell, and think.Food is fun. A positive, non-fear-based outlook is the best way to approach food education.

The Museum of Food and Drink couldn’t have worded it more finely. And they are doing one better by working towards opening doors in Brooklyn come October. So hold on to all your questions about food (well the one about the chicken and the egg is still debatable), for answers may be at hand.

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Belize Lionfish Jewelry – Update

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Belize Lionfish Workshop participants with their certificates

Belize Lionfish Workshop participants with their certificates

I’ve posted previously about the emergence of lionfish jewelry as one of several market-based approaches to controlling the invasion of this non-native species which poses an unprecedented threat to marine ecosystems in the Western Atlantic.

Last month, for the third year in a row, I spent two weeks in Belize where I had a chance to get an update on how the market is developing.  I started my visit in Placencia, which is home to Kaj Assales, the most successful of the lionfish jewelry artists in the country, with her own jewelry line which she sells through her boutique as well as online.  It was my first chance to visit her shop and to see some of her new designs.

Next I spent a week in the Sapodilla Cayes with ReefCI, the NPO that I first collaborated with to help jump-start the lionfish jewelry market in the country.  This gave me a chance to practice my lionfish spearing skills, as the ReefCI team and visiting volunteers continue to remove several hundred lionfish per week dissecting a sample of 30-40 of these for stomach content. Data on size, sex, and stomach content is provided to the Belize Fisheries Department and has been a valuable input to its national lionfish control strategy.  Coincidently, ReefCI’s lionfish control program was profiled in the August issue of United Airlines magazine; not only a nice recognition of the group’s efforts, but also a great boost for raising awareness about the lionfish invasion. Continue reading →

15,000 Seats and a Slice of History

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At its height, the Brookdale could seat up to 15,000 people a day. No other restaurant on Earth could do that. PHOTO: Medium

At its height, the Brookdale could seat up to 15,000 people a day. No other restaurant on Earth could do that. PHOTO: Medium

It has the distinction of having been the world’s largest restaurant. A crown jewel in the cafeteria culture. A place at the centre of a community; a place where everybody could meet, a place that fueled artistic passions. Where everyone from Jack Kerouac to Ray Bradbury ate. A place steeped in revolution, built on the goodness of people. This is the story of Clifton’s Brookdale Cafeteria, Los Angeles.

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The Lamp at the Taj Mahal

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Curzon’s dedication in Persian – Presented to the Tomb of Mumtaz Mahal by Lord Curzon, Viceroy 1906 – was also inscribed on it, after a careful process of revision to ensure it matched the script used by calligraphers for the Taj Mahal. PHOTO: taj-mahal.net

Curzon’s dedication in Persian – Presented to the Tomb of Mumtaz Mahal by Lord Curzon, Viceroy 1906 – was also inscribed on it, after a careful process of revision to ensure it matched the script used by calligraphers for the Taj Mahal. PHOTO: taj-mahal.net

The Taj Mahal at Agra, India, is one of the most visited monuments in the world. Beyond it being a labour of love and a story of a dynasty, it’s a timekeeper. Of people who’ve come and gone, of men and powers that have left a mark. Like Lord Curzon. Scroll brings you a story:

Curzon, who became India’s Viceroy in 1899, was a man on several missions. To secure India’s northern frontiers from the advancing threat of Russia, Curzon encouraged Francis Younghusband’s 1903 Tibet expedition. His move to preserve India’s heritage was part of his own “civilising mission”.

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Bringing Food Closer in South Africa

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Lakheni is a social enterprise which harnesses the aggregated buying power of low-income communities to give them access to discounted staple food.

Lakheni is a social enterprise which harnesses the aggregated buying power of low-income communities to give them access to discounted staple food.

The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) provides aspiring entrepreneurs with mentoring, exposure, and $50,000 in prizes to transform their ideas into businesses that will have positive real world impact. And one of the winners this year is Lakheni, a service that could serve as a low-cost replacement for brick-and-mortar stores.

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India’s Forgotten Stepwells

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Mahila Bag Jhalra, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.(Victoria Lautman)
Ujala Baoli, Mandu, in Madhya Pradesh.(Victoria Lautman)
Chand Baoli, Abhaneri, in Rajasthan.(Victoria Lautman)
Rajon Ki Baoli, Mehrauli, Delhi.(Victoria Lautman)

All across India, elaborate subterranean temples are hidden in plain site. Constructed between the 2nd century and 4th century AD, these massive and ornate stepwells were built both for spiritual bathing and as a way to access water tables during monsoon season and drought seasons. Many stepwells have been abandoned and are in disrepair since the introduction of modern waterworks, plumbing and village taps. Some have been destroyed. Because the water table is even lower in recent years, many are now dry. Victoria Lautman, a freelance journalist in Chicago, has been traveling around India documenting stepwells before more fall into dereliction are destroyed by neglect or outright demolition.

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