Endangered species : the Vechur cow
Vechur cow
We recently talked about the cowbird, but today I’d just like to talk about cows. Cows are ubiquitous here in India. The Vechur cow, however is on the FAO’s ‘Critical-Maintained Breeds List.’ Continue reading
Kathakali Chamayam – Makeup and Costumes
Photo credits: R Ranjith
Kathakali is known for its heavy, elaborate makeup and costumes.In fact, the makeup is so intricate and the costumes so huge and heavy that it looks as though the artist is wearing a mask. The makeup is based on a certain set of colors each of which is used to represent a particular character. Only natural dyes are used on the face and the process will take hours. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Northern Red Bishop (Mole National Park, Ghana)
Thalappoli – Traditions Of Kerala
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Thalappoli is a traditional and ritual procession carried out by young girls and ladies of Kerala to attract happiness and prosperity in the community which holds the festival. The participants wear traditional dress and hold thalam (a metal plate) in their hands filled with fresh paddy, flowers, rice, coconut and a lighted lamp. Continue reading
Sleek, sustainable alternatives to disposable tableware
Single-use tableware create increasing, massive amounts of waste. We eat out more than our parents ever did and our lunches are more and more wasteful. The best way to minimize lunch waste is to pack a lunch and pack only what you can eat, and to keep the restaurant option for that special occasion. The bento-box for lunch is a huge trend right now in Europe, mine is a shiny round box. When I happened to eat at my company’s canteen I noticed the invasion of the shelves by disposable packaging. And when my colleagues and I ate out at any of the pricey parisian eateries, it was more and more difficult to find non-disposable tableware. Here in rural South India, I never once had to say “I’d rather have a real cup please”. When I go to the staff cafeteria, I pick up my large steel tray and my steel cup from the drainer wash it, fill them up and afterwards I wash ’em put ’em back, so someone else can do the same. Easy peasy. Nothing worth adding to the landfill about. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Pigeon Guillemots (Portland Island, British Columbia)
Elephants in Kerala
Elephants being bathed by their Mahouts near the Kodanad Elephant Training Center; Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
A symbol of strength and prestige since ancient times, elephants were used by royalty and feudal lords to display their power. Nowadays elephants are still part of the life and cultural ethos of Kerala. People here consider this animal a harbinger of good fortune, a remover of obstacles. It is an integral and inseparable part of the religious and economic life. Continue reading
Entrepreneurial Conservation And Language Apps
This recent post about a language app was thought to be a one off on a funny subject. Then the topic was no longer one off, and not particularly funny. Even less funny, but technologically amazing, and certainly an example of one of our favorite topics, is this one (click the image to the left to go to the source):
…Last June, FirstVoices launched an iPhone app that allows indigenous-language speakers to text, e-mail, and chat on Facebook and Google Talk in their own languages. Users can select from a hundred and forty keyboards not recognized by iOS; the app supports every indigenous language in North America and Australia. (By default, iOS supports just two: Cherokee and Hawaiian.) The app accomplishes this through mimicry. When a text box is selected, a keyboard identical in form and function to iOS’s appears. The keyboard includes the characters necessary to write in, say, Cree, and follows a layout unique to the chosen language. Continue reading
Birders, Language Apps, And Protected Area Rules
Several visitors to Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, were found to be using apps that imitate the unusual ‘churring’ call of the nightjar to coax out the bird. Photograph: Don Mcphee for the Guardian
Where is Ben, apart from being on the road to 2,000 birds, when you need him? We are curious how widespread the use of such apps might be among serious birders. Read this Guardian story to the end and you may agree with us that this language app is more likely to do harm than good:
To the long list of nature reserve do’s and dont’s can be added a thoroughly 21st-century injunction: don’t use your apps to pap the feathered denizens. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Small Minivet
male – Outskirts of Bangalore, Karnataka
Robusta, Liberian, Arabica: a visit to a coffee plantation in the Western Ghats
Coffee plantation – Spring Valley, Kerala
Evan’s research on agroforestry in Ecuador inspired me to learn more about coffee in India. No coffee seed sprouted outside Africa or Arabia before the 17th century. Legend has it this all changed when a pilgrim named Baba Budan smuggled fertile coffee beans out of Mecca strapped to his stomach. Returning to his native India, he successfully cultivated the beans near Mysore.Commercial cultivation began in 1840 when the British rule established Arabica coffee plantations throughout the mountains of Southern India. Till today much of the production comes from the Western Ghats. Initially Arabica was widespread, but Continue reading
For The 2012 Design Team
Hey you! We think of you guys almost every day, and this vimeo made it necessary to stop and post a quick hello. The property we called Harbour is looking fabulous. And the property called Pearl down at Marari beach is curvaceous in exactly the manner we talked about. We have heard rumors that one of you got a job in New York. True or false? The rest of you? Stay in touch!
State to State
I live in New Jersey and go to school in New York, and consequently, I have crossed the border into New York on many occasions. During my drives, I often don’t even realize when I cross the border; the only thing that lets me know is a small sign that welcomes me to the state of New York. Almost a product of its name- the United States of America- this holds true for many states across the United States. When you travel between neighboring states, the principal language is the same (English), and apart from a few exceptions, people usually both look and sound similar.
As part of my summer interning at Raxa Collective, I am currently staying in Thekkady, which is located in the Indian state of Kerala. A couple days ago, a few colleagues and I decided to go for a ride to one of the neighboring states, Tamil Nadu. Because of my experiences in the United States, I expected both Kerala and Tamil Nadu to be very similar. Boy, was I wrong. While the only indicator that signaled my entrance into Tamil Nadu was a gate manually operated by a few workers, it was clearly evident that I was somewhere different. Continue reading
Thrikkakara Vamana Moorthy Temple – Cochin
Photo credits : Ramesh Kidangoor
Located near Cochin, Thrikkakara Temple is one of the few temples dedicated to Lord Vamana, the 5th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The name Thrikkakara means “the Holy place where Lord placed His Foot”. Thrikkakara is famous for the 10-day Onam festival celebrations. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Boneparte’s Gull (Sheep Creek, Alaska)
“The Upcycle”, the sequel to “Cradle to cradle”
If you’ve read “Cradle to Cradle” and you come here regularly, chances are you’ll be as excited as I am to learn about the sequel : ‘The Upcycle”.
10 years ago William McDonough and Michael Braungart published one of the most important environmental manifestos of our time.
Based on biomimetics, Cradle to Cradle design is an approach to the design of products and systems. It models human industry on nature’s processes viewing materials as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms. The book states that:
“All products can be designed for continuous recovery and reutilization”.
Every product can and should be conceived with the reuse of its materials in mind and every material can and should be conceived to be used again. Just like in nature, nothing goes to waste.
If you have not read it, McDonough’s TED talk Cradle to Cradle design will probably make you want to give it a go.
In their newest book The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability – Designing for Abundance, McDonough and Braungart go further than ‘Cradle to cradle’ saying that we should be ambitious about our role on this planet.
“Industry can do better than “do no harm”: it can actively improve everything with which it comes into contact.” Continue reading
Flavours Of Kerala – Unniappam
Unniappam is a traditional snack popular all over Kerala. They are easy to make, very tasty, and are prepared from the main ingredients of rice, jaggery, banana, and ghee.
How to Prepare
Mix rice powder, jaggery, chopped banana, fried coconut bits, and cardamom powder for flavor, all with water to make the batter. Then, heat the oil in an Unniappam pan and fill the holes with the batter. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Crimson-backed Sunbird
Gavi, Kerala
Are you doing a Big Year?
I was working from the internet café during a windy day last week-end when I thought I was squinting again. “Did you see that bird? It has two tails!” my colleague Martin exclaimed entering the room a little later. I checked out the sighting: a racket-tailed drongo. The most surprising, graceful creature I have ever seen. Actually, I didn’t know much about birding before I got here. Since then, I’ve learned about the fallouts following a storm, the threats to bird migration and the ethics of the birder. As of yesterday, thanks to India’s cable tv, I’ve learnt from a Hollywood movie that birding can also be a competition. Continue reading
