Their City on Our Land

FILM SCREENING

"Amader Jomite Oder Nogori" [Their City on Our Land]

A documentary film on the issue of urbanization and dispossession
of land in the Rajarhat-New Town area

Director: Promod Gupta

Date:Friday, 6th May, 2011

Time: 3 PM

Venue:

Seminar Room,
CENTRE FOR STUDIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES,
R 1 BAISHNABGHATA PATULI,
KOLKATA 700094

Golden smiles

Candidates woo voters with innovative schemes in Tamil Nadu

From our Desi Times correspondent: special update 11 April 2011

Everyone is all too familiar with the methods used to seek votes in Tamil Nadu. The technique of 500-note-for-vote is already an old one. Free TVs, bicycles for school students, rice at one rupee a kilo, aand free and expensive medical insurance are some of the ongoing methods, used by both parties. The ruling party may begin a “scheme” and the opposition would do a take on that and implement “scheme plus”. In areas where the gifts are distributed at the door-step at pre-dawn hours, a power cut during those hours is a part of the tactic, ensuring that nobody knows who came and who accepted.

Since yesterday a new scheme called the Golden Smile has made an appearance. Voters are promised a gold-capped tooth – the tooth should be positioned between the pre-molar and the incisor to be seen when smiling – if they align with the party. Apparently both parties are keen to oblige the voters so we can rest assured there will be many smiles through these electoral days. One actually looks forward to all these golden smiles as one has become a little weary of the grimness after the scams.

To ensure that all these gold teeth are in place in all the mouths, several dentists have been hired. Through reliable sources it has been confirmed that about 500 NRI dentists, based in the USA and the UK, who are party patriots, have agreed to come and contribute their services for their party. State dentists, both private and those working for the government, may be hired at up to Rs 2,500 per cap which makes each tooth worth about Rs 5,000.

Since the announcement of this Golden Smile scheme less than 24 hours ago, a total of 107,433 people have already registered and the number is likely to grow at a fast clip. Tooth caps will be fitted in party centres in almost all the major cities in Tamil Nadu, including the hill stations of Ooty, Yercadu and Kodaikanal. It is estimated that these smiles will eventually cost the tax payer a sum of Rs 1.53 lakh crores; party insiders let it be known that the bosses wanted to keep costs less than what was incurred by the 2G scam.

All these potential smiles will bring many reporters and journalists to Tamil Nadu during this week. A few foreign correspondents, including those from the German Der Spiegel and the Dutch Volkskrant are also expected to cover the Tamil elections. The tourism industry which in Tamil Nadu won laurels for the maximum tourists in 2010 – beating God’s own country Kerala by a substantial margin – has been asked to gear up for the event.

The common man in Tamil Nadu, used by now to a life of free-dumb, is happy. A quick calculation has revealed that the resale value of the gold tooth, post elections, would be Rs 1200. That’s equivalent to about 20 quarter bottles of the local brandy sold at TASMAC. More reasons to smile as the money gets recycled!

Profits before people

by Eric Stevenson

Profit first policy endangers people in India and other countries

When it comes to strategies and plans involving major businesses, profits and revenue are what most companies always strive for. A number of businesses in Canada and the United States have put this desire for high profits and revenue above the risk of health problems related to their exports.

The health problems arising from such exports involve the use of asbestos. While it used to be known as one of the most versatile building materials, it’s now known more for its correlation and connection to health problems such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Both of these diseases result from direct exposure to asbestos.

Even though most countries have halted the use of asbestos as a usable product and building material, U.S. and Canadian businesses continue to export asbestos, in order to reap the monetary benefits from that. Canada is now one of the only countries left in the world that actually still mines asbestos. Even though resources are running out as far as Canadian mines are concerned, the businesses continue to mine and export asbestos, in the interest of their profit. In America, they don’t work as a direct exporter of asbestos, but rather as a third party in the asbestos trade. Nevertheless, businesses in both countries are putting their profits and revenue above the possible health risks for the countries they’re exporting to. Even though neither country has been able to “technically” ban the use of asbestos, the material is essentially blacklisted and viewed in a negative light in both countries.

One country in particular, India, has been the topic of research when it comes to the countries that are being exported to. Not only is it the largest of these countries, but it is a country that continues to use asbestos as a construction material. Research in India has also shown that often workers handle asbestos without the proper safety gear, putting them at a major risk regarding associated health problems.

The saddest part of the situation involves the kind of countries the asbestos is exported to. Usually the countries at the expense of which Canada and the US make money are poor and developing countries. This includes many countries in Africa and southern Asia. Moreover, the low affordibility in these countries also implies a major step-down in medical practice and health care. When a material like asbestos is brought into these countries, the people are confronted with a major risk of exposure, as well as all the health problems that often accompany asbestos exposure. Given the poor quality of health care and medical awareness in many of these countries, the people are in danger of serious and sometimes even life-threatening consequences.

For example, mesothelioma is extremely severe, often leaving victims to live only a year after their original diagnosis. Without the proper type of medical care, the health problems connected with asbestos are even more dangerous.

Even though this profit-first policy may have brought business leaders some good fortune, there has certainly been a backlash from media and controversy around the decision to send asbestos out to these countries. Hopefully with an increase in controversy surrounding these practices and the inevitable end of mining resources in Canada, the end to such cynical practices is near.

Image: from Modern Medical Guide