I share – you share – we all share!

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ImageWith the advent of technology and news media, it feels like we are caught in an information warp.

It’s a dangerous place to be in. I used to be the newspaper addict three years ago. Now, I read it online. I find myself reading news on social media recommendation. People are  tweeting articles, images and videos. It may seem trivial at first glance, but looking at the bigger picture, they make a huge difference in my online life. Let’s face it, most of our lives our online now. We shift from screen to screen. From the smart phone to the laptop, from the laptop to the tablet and maybe in between the poor old idiot box may find a place. The back to our smart phones. Digital communications is a powerful tool. What we share reflects our views. Our likes, tweets, comments and pins can represent us, and misrepresent us.

We share something, and then gets comments. Sometimes, it backfires, and which leads to the wall wars! It’s also a place that one may or may not like to consider reality. Sharing a certain article may reveal your opinion on something, which you would otherwise may be apprehensive of expressing in the ‘offline’ aka real world.

I am curious about what people think of shares? Does it affect your selection of news, I think I read things which I would have never searched otherwise. With the internet penetration being at around 8% in growing countries like India, it’s not very impossible to think where social media is mainstream form of communication.

The Syrian Soldier’s Offensive

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Syria has been in the news for its humanitarian crisis with President Bashar Al- Assad  accused of killing civilians. According to the UN, the death toll has crossed 7,500, and this is not counting the soldiers, the military has also been suffering high amount of casualties. The figure vary from various Human Rights groups, as there is no official count yet.

Homs is the new battleground and under siege by the Syrian military. Avaaz - a Human Rights advocacy group claim there is no access to emergency food and medical supplies, making it extremely difficult for civilians to deal with the crisis. Read about the campaign here.

What happens actually on the field though? Do the soldiers think before they shoot, or do they function robotically under the orders of their dictator? The Egyptian revolution was a success only because the soldiers decided to side with the people. The Egyptian military had considerable respect as they did not blindly support former President Mubarak Hosseni. The military is independent in Egypt, of course it’s a different matter that it got powerful and started taking advantage of the control earlier this year.

Currently. the Syrian forces under Bashar Al Assad is involved committing widespread massacre, especially in the city of Homs. According to recent reports, there is a blockade to international aid agencies like Red Cross in the region of Baba Amr, in Homs.

With Moscow and Beijing using their veto power to prevent intervention, how will Damascus hold up? Tehran on the other hand is teaming up with Assad’s regime, under the pretext of peace. With the situation between Jerusalem and Tehran already tense, the Syrian bloodbath will only lead to bigger implications and division for the region.

Protests and demonstrations are not new to the Middle East, Tunisia – Egypt – Yemen – Libya and now Syria. The Arab Spring has been largely violent, with the exception of Tunisia. In all the revolutions, the tyrants were challenged by an isolated incident, which then spread like wild fire, instigating nation wide protests.

As I am writing this post, the death toll is mounting in Syria. The International community must act urgently, and more importantly, the Arab League must take a tougher stance on its regional member.

Troubleshooting Earth and Water

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Climate Change has been in the news from the past decade. Few of us take it seriously, while some dismiss it. It’s in the media agenda, with climate change summits trying to put it in the spotlight, do people really take it seriously? Do we, as citizens of the Earth take efforts in our everyday life to make climate change slow down?

There isn’t much evidence or proof that I can provide. But I did attend a meet up recently which got me thinking about the reach of an average earthling. Greenups is a popular sustainability meet up group, where people gather and discuss about environment, and their contributions or interests in sustainability. They usually have a topic for each meet up, and invite speakers and experts to share their experiences / projects.

The last month, the theme was – Water. The event took place in the National Maritime Museum Sydney.  I attended the Aqua water exhibit – a thought provoking interactive visual installation, highlighting the importance of water to life – to us, and the consequences of depleting fresh water sources. A Fabulous presentation, raising questions on usage of water, and problems arising when it starts running out.

The highlight of the evening was – John Dee, an environmental campaigner, who won the Australian of the Year 2012 award. His presentation on phasing out bottled water was simply fantastic. He narrates how an entire town of Bundanoon, in NSW managed to ban bottled water! The story is inspiring. It’s not about being a greeny loon, this stuff matters. Being sustainable and eco friendly is actually common sense. Think of it – if you have water pumps, and refillable bottle, why would you pay 3.50$ for a bottle of water? John Dee points this out time and again, makes it more obvious how easy it is to reduce consumption of bottled water. His achievements include installing filter water taps at Manly Beach with the help of Manly Council.

Of course, the above example is only possible in countries which supply drinkable and safe drinking water straight from the taps. In developing countries, the debate stops when you don’t have access to drinking water leading to sanitation issues. Developing countries have to tackle the problem of supplying clean water to their increasing population.

Which brings me to the other discussion – Hot Cities – a documentary running currently on SBS Australia. By far, it’s one of the most practical approach to climate change, covering water and food security issues. In the last episode, the documentary examines the cities of Lima and Adelaide. Both are located in the Southern hemisphere, but the similarities end there.

Lima is crowded South American city, struggling to cope up with the pressures of increasing urban migration, resulting in water shortage. The city traditionally did not have recycling usage, but recently implemented using recycled water for city parks and gardens. And smaller communities have started investing in ‘Fog water catchment’, which is essentially catching the fog precipitation and using it to irrigate the land around.

Adelaide, on the other hand is suffering from dire environmental consequences as the Murray river basin dries up. The city of Adelaide is flourished by the Murray river, and with each passing year the city is facing increasing water restrictions. In a bid to avoid water crisis, Adelaide has resorted to a water desalination plant, which is not just expensive but high on carbon energy consumption. According to academics and environmentalists, the city did not invest and plan in recycling water usage, and is now witnessing the effects of a parched river ecosystem.

It’s clear that water and oil are going to run out soon. With affordable and accessible renewable energy, we could still fix the energy issue, but what about water? Once the fresh water runs out, there is NO substitute to it. We are not giving enough time the Earth to replenish its resources. In fact, we are depleting them, without thinking of the sustainable factor. Think before you use resources – the point is not to stop using them – but to use them effectively – use them in a manner that they last longer, and get a chance to replenish itself – that’s what sustainability is. It’s pure common sense.

‘A Separation’ Academy nominee review

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Film: Jodaiye Nader az Simin

Director & writer: Asghar Farhadi

Rating: 4.5/5

Iran has churned out bold and compelling cinema in the past few decades. Iranian cinema is the perfect opportunity to explore the supposed authoritarian facade that Iran erects. From films like ‘Colour of Paradise’, ‘A moment of innocence’ and to ‘A Separation’, filmmakers have constantly excelled at portraying every single element that comprises everyday Iranian life.

‘Jodaeiye Nader az Simin’ aka ‘A Separation’ is a tale of two families hailing from different socio-economic classes in modern Tehran. Nader (Peyman Moadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) represent an average middle class Iranian couple. They have a teenage daughter- Termeh and Nader’s ailing father staying with them. From the beginning of the film, the audience are exposed to the troubled  relationship that Nader and Simin are in.

Enters the other protagonist – Razieh, a god fearing woman, who is a house keeper, and barely manages to get by. She has a young daughter, and an aggressive husband – Hodjat, who is responsible for most of Razieh’s troubles.

What follows is an intricately woven story of two families that crash into each other, and in the process highlighting the political, social, economical aspects of Iranian society. Nader and Simin who are already going through domestic hell, end up in a brawl with Razieh and Hodjat, which could potentially put Nader behind bars.

‘A Separation’ does not directly approach suppression of freedom of speech and expression that most of the world expects to see, but instead narrates an incident that skilfully points out human emotions caught up in a difficult situation. The cultural context of the story is significant and characterises its uniqueness.

While Nader (Moadi) has deep family values, his ego often gets the better of him. Moadi delivers a powerful performance. His face off with Razieh, in particular is an evidence of his involvement in Nader’s character. Simin on the other hand is strong headed, and wants to leave Iran. She expects Nader and Termeh to accompany her, but Nader refuses, creating further blows in their fragile marriage. Leila Hatami playing Simin puts in her hundred percent to portray the plight of almost single mother, who is repeatedly forced to be patient and calm in order to get her family out of tough circumstance.

Razieh and her husband Hodjat are coping with economic crisis. Hodjat is in deep debt, and cannot walk in public without being confronted by debt collectors.

Director and writer Asghar Farhadi flawlessly creates though provoking, engaging and moving cinema. His story telling crosses cultural frontiers and manages to connect with audiences world wide.

I cannot give further details about the plot, as it may spoil your enthusiasm and curiosity to watch this wonderful piece of cinema. It is a must watch, and I hope it can win the Academy for the Best Foreign Film.

Should you and if you go vegetarian

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Vegetarianism – is it for me or not?

Having been vegetarian all my life, I can say it’s not too hard, but then again most people are not like me (I am not the cringing types when others eat meat with me).

Food is passion, love and habit for many and I respect that. People have been eating meat and fish all their life. It’s a part of their culture, and it’s something they love. It’s not easy to give up something you love. I am a vegetarian and I don’t propagate it. If you want to try it out, go ahead. There are various reasons to give up meat. Many people are clueless about their diet when they veggie. I think it’s important to know what you can eat, and what your body needs when you give up certain kind of food. Some myths about going vegetarian I’d like to bust:

- Veggie food is beyond boiled vegetables and soup

- Being veggie does not involve being vegan

You can try out by slowly going down on your meat consumption, no need to go cold turkey, it may back fire and put you off the process.

Things you could consider:

- Find your reason – It’s important to know your reason. Just like any other task you undertake in life, the results are better if you have an objective. Your reason could be from health issues, animal rights, challenging yourself or even just trying something different. It does not matter what is it, as long as YOU know it. It helps to gain some perspective.

- Experimenting with different cuisines: Sometimes, you are so comfortable in your zone, that you don’t feel the need to experiment, which I completely understand. But it’s worth a try if you’re trying out something different. For example, you may get accustomed to the flavours in Thai food, and can discover some easy Tofu based recipes to supplement your diet. Indian food is a good option for vegetarians, lots of dishes involving lentils, pulses and vegetables.

- Cooking at home – If you’re even 10% the cook-at-home-types, it’s much easier to try vegetarianism. If you like a certain cuisine, you may want to replicate it at home. The best part is even though you follow a recipe, you have absolute liberties to alter the methods to your own taste. So if you’re not fond of hot chilles or ginger in Indian cuisine, you can make it mild and you’d probably like the end product more than the restaurant version

- Know your limits – If you can’t do it, don’t force it. It’s only worth your time if you like it. At any point you think it’s not for you, drop it, rather than hating it. If you miss your pork ribs beyond limits, eat it! I have tried eating meat, but couldn’t get it past my throat, hence I stopped.

- Take the advise but don’t follow it blindly - This is VERY important. You will meet similar people who have converted and will advise you, give tips and get you on the veggie board. Well that’s great, but do not follow others blindly, everyone has a different perspective, and adaptation times. Some things could work for you, others wouldn’t. I have met people with a militant vegetarian ideology, which I find concerning, come on it’s a free world, do what you like!

If you think it’s for you, then I’d love to hear your experiences or efforts! And I’ll post some recipes that are easy and quick for veggies soon.

Enjoy your greens.