Environmental taxation, mangoo and some more...

I case you are interested in the question:

"Should we be taxed to use the environment?"

I would ask you to read the interview of Mr DAVID F. WILLIAMS published in The Hindu (Bangalore Newspaper) on May, 24. It gives some basic insights about how governments should take care of environmental resources and how greeen taxes seem to be a feasible option for that. You might just click on the given link: The Hindu, Interview

or just copy that in your browser:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/05/24/stories/2008052450160901.htm


So the winner takes it all. The picture shows a mangoo stand. Well the original pic is not that great eiter, a litte blurry, I know.
But somehow I like it and thats why I posted it.



Well I spent the weekend in Hyderabad. Was an exciting bus journey. Just took around 12 hours to get there, and around 14 hours back including very very very bumby roads and a bus break down :-)

The city is kinda in the center of India and it was boiling hot there. Even though its approximately as big as Bangalore you could feel the difference. The city is coinde by its Muslim religion. They were some sights to see, streets to walk, bolywood to visit and some good card games to play (well I lost most of them!).




So far so good. I better get prepared for my field trip now. I am going to leave to Shimoga today night. Its a small town which is close to a big forest :-) And I am sure I will find some bamboo there!



Enjoy your week and take care.
hugs.

Mangoooooooooooooooooooooooo

so well, everyone how was voting for the MANGOO STAND -
you are the winner of the day :-) acutally, the picture was taken out of a riskaw.
Thanks for taking time and participating. I will post the original picture by tomorrow.

Well actually I just arrived back in Bangalore and headed straight to work...the bus ride back took like 15 hours :-) ...traffic jam, bus broke down,...and so on and on...everyone who knows how much I love to travel far distances knows how I am feeling :-) *dear joesn, I tried not to annoy my seating neighbor but well I think I did*

hope you enjoyed your weekends too.
hugs.

...

Can you spot the way to make it to this toilet?... Well, I cant!

Due to the fact that this is a blog I just thought to write some more about India and me, cause thats the purpose of the whole thing.

So far my bamboo work is doing good. However the biggest problem is to get, find, extract, make up any information at all. That can be tiring but its a good experience too. You got to know people, get to know the institutional system cause mostly you have to go somewhere, well I prefer the Forest Department *g* and somehow find someone who is in charge of bamboo :-) As I told you already even though English is spoken widely you might not make it through a government agency. Its kinda recommendable that you have someone with you who speaks the language of this particular State. Right now, I am into organizing my field trip for next week. Yeah - kinda excited about that. I will make my way to the forest, of course ;-, specifically to Shimoga which might be a 10 hours bus drive from Bangal. As I am doing a case study on a certain district I will have to collect detailed information on the field and talk to some suppliers, distributors, collectors and departments. Again, someone who likes to travel and is an employee of ATREE too might join me thus I can overcome the language difficulties. Thus I ll see how that works out.

By now the rainy season (monsoon) is getting going here. Well so far its raining at laest shortly a day but this will intensify over the next two months. I better get ready for that and look out for an umbrella then!

Some of you might know already that I was visiting Johanna's uncle last weekend. He is living in the so called metro-bangalore which might be around 25 km away from my place. Still, it took me 3 hours to get there mixing bus-riskhaw-pedes for traveling purposes. You ll see public transport really works out on the busy roads of Bangalore. However some of you might be curious about his profession as he is a priest. Specifically he is leading the Indian and greater Asian mission of his religious order. Here in Bangalore they have built up facilities for students and school kids. I have to say I was very impressed by the work he gets done here and by his presence itself. He might be my favorite priest by now :-) I am also going to visit him some more at the weekends to help out with teaching and entertaining the school kids there. Looking forward to that a lot!

Well you got a long weekend at home, lucky u. But I ll make the best out of mine and going to travel to Hyderabad, a city further up north, might be a 12 hours bus trip! Well I first was thinking going to a mountain resort, but buses were booked so we came up with free spots to Hyderabad :-) WE, means that I had to get hold of some traveler fellows due to security reasons. Its kinda not recommendable to travel alone, being female and Caucasian too. Thus two Spanish guys (you remember the security reasons :-) and me going to spend incredible 24 hours on a bus, to be able to spend like 1.5 days in Hyderabad. Sounds exciting :-)

Now I might get back to work. By the way I am going to post the solution of the picture on Monday. So far, take care and enjoy your weekends.
hugs.

Lisi

Quiz

What is that? Well, if you are interested I ll ask you to fill out the little questionnaire on the top of the left panel side. Please give it a guess!
hugs.

Still spicy

Hey zuhaus,

Nun hab mittlerweile erfahren das es Arbeitskollegen (Inder!) gibt die nicht in office essen weil es ihnen zu spicy ist...sehr beruhigend :-) Derweilen mixe ich mein essen einfach mit joghurt, neutralisiert wunderbar. Aber i denk mal bald sind meine Geschmacksnerven eh abgetoetet, insofern hat sich das problem bald selbst erledigt!

If it is spicy all over, I am soon game over!

Ah ja meiner Bamboo Studie gehts auch ganz gut. Hab noch ein paar Sprachprobleme...sprich werd iatz bald mal eine Field Study machen, und dafuer krieg ich an Uebersetzer mit weil in den laendlichen Gegenden komm ich mit meinen Ami-Englisch nicht weit. Wird sicher a spannend gschicht.

Bamboo makes me think a lot, even though its kinda hot!

Ja und damit den breaking news noch nicht genug. Zum aktuellen Warenpreisindex:

1 DVD Greys Anatomy = 1 pair of Levis Jeans!

Nun soweit von meiner Seite.
cheers,
Lisi

Indien im Blick - Karikaturen aus Indien

Ausstellung:
museum of young art (MOYA), Löwelstraße 20, 1010 Wien
www.moya-vienna.at
MO bis SA 10-17 Uhr
Eintritt: freie Spende

„Der Blick wandert in die größte Demokratie der Welt, in eine kommende Supermacht Asiens, in eine der ältesten und vielfältigsten Kulturen mit bis in unsere Tage lebendigen traditionellen Lebensweisen und Strukturen. Mit Humor und Satire führen die Karikaturisten eindrucksvoll in die Gesellschaft Indiens ein. Ihr kritischer Blick richtet sich auf die ersten Jahrzehnte seit der Unabhängigkeit, die heutige Innenpolitik, das Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsleben, die Sicherheitspolitik, die Rolle der Frau, Umwelt, Entwicklung, Globalisierung und den Geist der Zeit.“

Die 23 KünstlerInnen sind berühmte KarikaturistInnen aus Indien.

Viel Spass dabei!
hugs.

am wochenende habe ich mich ein wenig auf erkundungstour gemacht und bin schliesslich in Mysore (ca. 200 km von Bangalore entfernt) gelandet. war a spannende gschicht. schon alleine die busfahrt: ca. 50 Inder und ich, inklusive busfahrer welcher am weg nach Mysore ca. 10 mal bei irgendwelchen freunschaften und souvernirshops anhielt :-) Is ja recht und gut wenn man um das wohl bekannter bemueht is aber na ja.

Mysore war wunderbar. na ja wie immer recht heiss. brauchte ca. 4 L Wasser und auf ice cream musste i leider verzichten. die bakterien mache mir hier a bisl zu schaffen. bin schon brav am kohletabletten schlucken. yuhu. Aber bis jetzt hab ich leider noch nix gfunden was gegen die Schaerfe hilft.
ah ja eine Palace gabs natuerlich auch. Wie schoen. muss sagen bei den menschenmasse die dort waren kommt man sich manchmal ein bisschen verloren vor - Inder soweit das auge reicht. ah ja und um die kuehe nicht zu vergesse. habe echt nu net genau heraus gefunden welchen priviligierten status die hier haben. zumindest sind sie ueberall. ob auf, neben, drueber, drunter, links, recht von strassen, hausern, tempeln etc...hm werd da numal nachfragen...

nun so far so good. bin noch immer a bisl am Projekt tuefteln. morgen gehts ins Forest Department. Ich hoff die verstehn mi :-) manchmal bin ich mir nicht sicher das wir das gleiche Englisch sprechen...aber gut auch daran gewoehnt man sich. Ok mein feierabend schreit. yuhu. werd mich jetzt auf den heimweg machen und versuchen saemtlichen autos, busen, rikshas, etc welche mich anhuppen werden bestens auszuweichen.

Hugs.

...some notes

sodala habs grade in die arbeit gschafft und draum erzaehl ich euch auch mal von dieser. ATREE - is eine environmental NGO welche forschung mit schwerpunkt bereich biodiversity bertreibt. mitarbeiter san eigentlich alles dr, postdocs oder studenten von da uni. man kriegts ja fast mit da angst zum tun bei soviel wissen! na ja i derf im bereich environmental economics mitarbeiten und hab auch schon mein eigenes project bekommen. yuhu. sprich i untersuch fiscal measures on bamboo :-) spannende gschicht, bin grad dabei das i zaumbastelt was i da genau machen werd! muss sagen die firma is recht gmuetlich. also vor 10 is ma fast allein im buero. hab ah nu net genau rausgfunden wieso des so is... um ca. 11 gibts daun mal kaffee oder tee. also mehr kaffee als tee bei mir :-)...um 1 gibts mittagesse. indische kueche. bin nu dabei mi an das scharfe essen zu gewoehnen und daran das ich nicht genau weiss was ich ueberhaupt esse...ja und um 4 gibts wieder kaffe in da gartenlaube...working hours san open end. wie gesagt, es ist ja jeder mit an eigenen projekt beschaeftigt mit deadline. sprich zeiteinteilung is frei!
ok soviel zu meinen arbeitstag hier. also dann gruesst mir zhaus!
hugs.