Nshima & Curry

The cowboys of Delhi

No, that isn't the cast of Danny Boyle's new movie Slumdog Cowboys -- that's a group of real-life cow catchers. They're rounding up cows from the streets of Delhi, helping to prepare the city for next year's Commonwealth Games, whose organising committee, unfortunately, did not want to add a hurdling element to the marathon.

In India's capital, cattle are both sacred and yet often surprisingly neglected. Cows that may be owned by a farmer and milked regularly, are often left to wander the traffic-filled streets during the day, creating chaos and causing accidents. [Link]

I'm not sure how much chaos they create, but they certainly create a lot of dung. It can be used as fertilizer and fuel, but it's not something you want to see lying on the street, especially if you just paid $500 for a pair of running shoes that you hope will win you a gold medal.

The dangers facing these urban cowboys are many. The horns of a bull can cause nasty injuries and it's common for the cowcatchers to come home with injuries. These young workers – the majority of whom are privately contracted and receive just $70 a month – invariably have no health coverage.

Then there is the threat of the people who either claim to own the cattle, or who disapprove of the supposedly sacred animals being captured and unceremoniously loaded on to a hydraulic truck. "Sometimes people will fight with us and try to release the cows," said Lal Krishnan, 37, a goodnatured cow-catching foreman who has been doing this job for 18 years. "Sometimes they throw stones. Sometimes they beat us up. I've been beaten up before." [Link]

It's a tough job, rounding up cows in India. Never mind that the Commonwealth Games are approaching -- many people think of the cows as their common wealth and don't want you playing games with them.

Snow, not-so-beautiful snow!

No, I didn't take this photo a couple of months ago in the midst of winter.  I took it this morning, from the front of our home in Winnipeg. Yes, it's April 24 and we're supposed to be a month into spring. But someone forgot to tell Mother Nature, who decided to give us a few centimeters of snow overnight, along with freezing rain. This might be a good time to revisit a column I wrote several years ago.

BURNING UP ABOUT COLD WEATHER

If you live in a part of the world that's warm all year,
that never gets snow and ice, that allows you to wear shorts
and sandals whenever you please, there's something I'd like
to say to you: I hate you.
 
Well, perhaps 'hate' is too strong a word. How about
'despise'? Yes, that's more like it. That captures exactly
how I feel about you at this moment, in the dead of winter,
when there's tons of snow outside my home and I can't even
visit the mailbox without having to spend the next three
hours defrosting my brain. But I really shouldn't complain:
It used to take much longer -- before I owned a microwave.
 
From November to March April every year, I can't help envying
people who are blessed with tropical weather, people who are
like my neighbor's cat -- always in heat. Unlike me, these
lucky people never have to scrape snow and ice off their
windshields, off their driveways, off their mustaches.
 
Every winter, I can't help asking a question that
environmentalists, for some strange reason, don't like to
hear: Is there any way to speed up global warming? [Read the Rest]

 

Al Gore's pool isn't too cool

Do you consider yourself an environmentalist or at least someone who cares about the environment? If so, how many of these statements apply to you? (A) I always carpool to work, or at least attempt to, even if it means sharing rides with the water conservationist down the street who hasn't taken a bath since the Reagan Administration. (B) I regularly use public transportation, including the elevator at work and the escalator at the mall. (C) I try to recycle as much as possible. Just ask my spouse, who's been married before. (D) I try to keep my trash to a minimum. You won't find me using paper towels or watching Jerry Springer.

If none of those statements apply to you, you might just be a "green hypocrite." At least that's what Steven Milloy would call you. He has put together a list of the 10 "greenest hypocrites of 2007," which, despite appearing on FoxNews.com, is worth a look.

1. Al Gore’s Inconvenient Lifestyle. While the former veep and nouveau-$100 millionaire jets around the world squawking about the “planet having a fever” and demanding that we all lower our standard of living, his own personal electricity use is 20 times the national average, including an indoor pool costing $500/month to heat. [Link]

That may seem like a lot of money, but not compared to what Gore spends on water. Every time he jumps in, the pool has to be refilled.

4. The U.N.’s ‘Bali High’.  Early December will witness 10,000 climateers descending upon the paradisiacal island resort of Bali for the 13th annual U.N. global warming meeting. The reason for much jet and limo travel — and other prodigious greenhouse gas generating activity associated with such a mega-conference — is relatively modest: setting the agenda and timeframe for a post-Kyoto treaty. Sure seems like something that could have been handled in a less carbon-intensive way — either by Internet and video conferencing or, if meeting is necessary, somewhere in North America or Europe where most key attendees are based. [Link]

Yeah, why not just meet at an Indian restaurant in New Jersey? Chand Palace, for example, has an extensive menu and, if you're bringing 10,000 "climateers," they might just serve your meals on environmentally friendly banana leaves.

10. California’s Hypocritenator. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared in June 2005 that, “California will be a leader in the fight against global warming…the time for action is now.”

But just two years later, the Los Angeles Times reported that state efforts had been derailed by the governor’s mismanagement and deceit. Schwarzenegger even fired the state’s chief regulator for refusing to limit the number of greenhouse gas regulations. Columnist Debra Saunders noted that, “Schwarzenegger boasts that he is a world leader in the fight against global warming — but his advocacy shouldn't keep him from flying in private jets or driving a Hummer.” [Link]

I'm glad he uses a private jet. Otherwise the pilot of a commercial airline would be using up a lot of energy making announcements: "Ladies and gentlemen, just want to let you know that there is a risk of thunderstorms in the San Diego area, and there is also a risk of groping in the first-class compartment."

Americans fight for 'right to dry'

When I visited India a couple of years ago, I noticed that many middle-class families owned washing machines, but no dryers. Instead they used something called "The Sun." Apparently, "The Sun" is hot enough to dry clothes. All you have to do is hang them outside and "The Sun" does the rest. Wow, I thought, I wonder if  "The Sun" would dry clothes in America too.

Many Americans are wondering the same thing, realizing how much energy they can save by using "The Sun." Some are joining the 'right to dry' movement, fighting bans against clotheslines in many communities.

Vermont is the latest state to introduce a bill that would override clothesline bans, which are often instituted by community associations loath to air laundry even when it's clean. Now, clothesline restrictions may be headed the way of bans on parking pickup trucks in front of homes, or growing grass too long -- all vestiges of trim and tidy hopes that may not fit with the renewed emphasis on going green. [Link]

That pickup truck can really help you save energy, especially if you dry your underwear on the antenna.