People, World

Topics connected mainly via my mind
[and I keep changing my mind, so this page will keep changing...]

Plants and their characteristics [links to images and figures I use in teaching]
Plants and people	Plant products
Biodiversity	Plant Genetic Resources Intellectual Property Rights
Food	Words: Food entities, their names and history
Miscellany: Specific, General	Language
The world: Today, Yesterday...	History and Traditions: General, Random
...Tomorrow?	Asia
India: Biology	India: Society

Plants and people Palms Palms and human culture South Asian palms, palm-leaf documents Yams *Prehistoric use of Dioscorea* yams Sweet potatoes and 'true' yams Spices Everything you wanted to know about spices Hing in Afghanistan Radhuni = Celery? NOT? Olives in India**	Plant products Sugar Sugar in history, the crusades and sugar (views from the occident, mainly) Cane sugar Palm sugar The refining process: one account, another, and yet another Toddy Indian words for toddy, palmyra palm Cotton Cotton farming in India today, one account Lessons from a tragedy The most polluting crop Rayon (much modified from wood) Could it be an alternative to that oh-so-comfortable-but-most-polluting fibre crop, cotton? Rayon Fibre, Viscose Pollution Prevention and Abatement Pulp bleaching Rayon in India
Food Cuisines India Tamil Nadu Kerala: Moplah Konkani Sri Lanka: Burgher, Malacca Malaysia: Penang mamak Mongolia: one version Recipes South Indian: discussion Bengali	Words: Food entities, their names and history Sambal, Thuvaiyal, Pachadi Are these connected: sambal (Tamil), sambol (Sri Lanka, Malay)? What about chammandi (Malayalam)? Does sambal simply mean sauce? Interesting, isn't it, that sambal finds itself in South Africa? What does sambal have to do with thuvaiyal? Presumably the ethnic group, the Sambals or Zambales in the Philipines, have nothing to do with the food. Sambal is NOT sambhar, whatever the uninitiated might think. Curry : This word requires a lifetime or two, and many people, to do it justice
Miscellany, Specific TV food show: Rant about what chhokka is not: Amita Malik Pol sambole: A Baila song Food in Tamil literature Famous foodies: Charles Darwin Philippine Food Glossary Miscellany, General Stefan's Florilegium, Society of Creative Anachronism	Language Hobson Jobson (etymologie) Pali-English Dictionary Indian Lexicon (Languages included) Merriam-Webster Brittanica Oxford English Dictionary Etymologie English to Tamil Tamil and Malay Tamil and Anglo-Sri Lankan lexicon India: Languages
The World: today, yesterday The UN System: a web locator WHO on Depleted Uranium Security Council Resolution 1441 The League of Nations What really happened at the League of Nations Italy in Ethiopia	History: general, random Dutch Portugese Colonial History British Timelines World Wars League of Nations United States Traditions The New Year in S, SE Asia Pongal
Tomorrow Peace Building and Development Institute, American University	South Asia Southern Asian Institute, Columbia University South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) International South Asia Forum (INSAF)
India: Biology, Ecology Delhi University Centre for Ecological Sciences, Bangalore French Institute, Pondicherry Indian Council of Agricultural Research Department of Biotechnology	India: Society Communal hate in Gujarat: a US connection?

Recipes

Sambal/Sambol

Coconut sambal (Tamil)
Kattarikkai (eggplant=brinjal) sambal (Sri Lankan Tamil)
Thuvaiyal

Coconut thuvaiyal (Tamil)
Kattirikkai thuvaiyal (Tamil)

Pachadi/Pacheri

Arusuvai Pachadi (Tamil)
Bevu Bella: Ugadi Pachadi (Karnataka)

Chutney

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The World and the League of Nations (1919-1939)

Colonial/Imperial/Super Power action
Colonized/non super power action
League of Nations/ United Nations action

1935
Britain and France signal to Mussolini they would not object to non-military take over of Abyssinia

Italy invades Abyssinia (=Ethiopia)

Appeal from Selassie to LON for help against invasion by Italy

LON condemnation of military invasion: arms embargo against Italy that was not enforced
(US doubled oil and other exports to Italy during Abyssinian war )

1990

1991
US signals to Iraq it would not object to takeover of Kuwait

Gulf war
Iraq invades Kuwait

UN-sanctioned Gulf war

Sanctions against Iraq
Weapons inspection and disarmament
No-fly zones and surveillance

Failure of LON because major imperialist powers did not see it fit to desist from using violence in pursuing their interests. Appeasement of contending powers (Italy, Japan, Germany)

Going the way of the League of Nations (CSAR: Consolidation for Social Awareness and Responsibility

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WHO on Depleted Uranium (DU)
Among other things, they say:

Following conflict, levels of DU contamination in food and drinking water might be detected in affected areas even after a few years. This should be monitored where it is considered there is a reasonable possibility of significant quantities of DU entering the ground water or food chain.

Where justified and possible, clean-up operations in impact zones should be undertaken if there are substantial numbers of radioactive projectiles remaining and where qualified experts deem contamination levels to be unacceptable. If high concentrations of DU dust or metal fragments are present, then areas may need to be cordoned off until removal can be accomplished. Such impact sites are likely to contain a variety of hazardous materials, in particular unexploded ordnance. Due consideration needs to be given to all hazards, and the potential hazard from DU kept in perspective.

Small children could receive greater exposure to DU when playing in or near DU impact sites. Their typical hand-to-mouth activity could lead to high DU ingestion from contaminated soil. Necessary preventative measures should be taken.

Disposal of DU should follow appropriate national or international recommendations.

WHO on DU in Iraq

"There are reports of increased rates of cancers, congenital malformations and renal diseases among the population of Iraq. The Iraqi government has attributed this increase to exposure to depleted uranium (DU). Epidemiological studies are needed to investigate such increases and explore all possible causal factors. Iraqi health officials and scientists, working with WHO, have developed plans for the surveillance of cancers, congenital malformations and renal diseases, for investigating the health effects of environmental risk factors including depleted uranium, and for improved cancer control. The plans have yet to be implemented."

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R. Geeta This page last updated on August 23, 2003

	Colonial/Imperial/Super Power action	Colonized/non super power action	League of Nations/ United Nations action
1935	Britain and France signal to Mussolini they would not object to non-military take over of Abyssinia Italy invades Abyssinia (=Ethiopia)	Appeal from Selassie to LON for help against invasion by Italy	LON condemnation of military invasion: arms embargo against Italy that was not enforced (US doubled oil and other exports to Italy during Abyssinian war )
1990 1991	US signals to Iraq it would not object to takeover of Kuwait Gulf war	Iraq invades Kuwait	UN-sanctioned Gulf war Sanctions against Iraq Weapons inspection and disarmament No-fly zones and surveillance