Apple ist ja bekannt dafür, dass deren Werbespots immer sehr stylish, einfallsreich und vor allem immer tolle Melodien zu bieten haben, die sich in das Hirn der Zuschauer brennen.

Nach der Apple Ipod nano Parodie gibt es hier eine zum Macbook Air zu bestaunen.

Viel Spaß,
Euer Long

2. Oh, for those who didn't already know, this journal is a highly edited shadow blog for my friends-only live journal. Not everything on there will make it onto here. Some things just need to stay private.

3. My little Foreman grill makes pretty darn good grilled cheese sandwiches! :) It helps that it really presses the bread down so the cheese like gets absorbed into the bread. YUM!! I am making one for lunch in a few minutes.

4. An LJ friend posted this on her blog yesterday, and it made me laugh hard. Thought I'd share.

If you saw SNL (I've been avoiding it as a rule, but lately with Tina Fey and her Sarah Palin impersonation it's been worth watching...for those skits at least) last night or even watched the debate itself, you know just how true it is.

5. Still tossing NaNo ideas around in my head. I may just go with something totally off the wall...who knows. That could end up being awesome. Just randomly pick some names and pick a scenario to start and go. We'll see. I've got the rest of the month to figure something out.

Eventualy the minds weakness shows. One such occation was the other night. Lying in my room looking at the steel walls I can see it from a more humorous perspective.

Once again I had been surveying the surrounding system of TDE. I investigated reports on hosile activity next to 020, in the 6YC system making sure that the fleet that were assembling was safe.

Every thing seemed to be going smooth untill the FC called for a cyno field in MGAM.

I quickly launched into a run for MGAM in order to put up a field.

As I spurred toward the destination reports started tickling in that TRI was one the move with a medium size fleet and most likely inbound for the MGAM system.

I arrived well a head of the TRI gang and in my haste I bought a beat up Merlin. The mechanics of the station looked very very wierd at me when I ordered it loaded up with Ozone and a cyno generator.

I promtly undocked and the last thing I heard as I headed out was the local docking communication ending with "...there wont be enough...", I shrug it aside as whatever the little people in the docking areas thinks is of no consequence to a pod pilot.

I set off for the POS as the first of the TRI fleet entered the solar system. Thinking they were in for quite a surprise I activated the cyno field module... nothing. I willed it to activate and again... nothing.

A communication flashed up from the fleetcommander asking what in space I was doing and why I was not broardcasting a jump beacon.

That was when it hit me that I had never really trained the art of cyno fields to a large degree so the consumption of Ozone was huge when I tried to open it.

With hostiles now reported at the station I realised the hopeless situtaion. Our fleet was stuck in our home system, the hostiles free to roam and I was to blame.

I called up the regional maret interface and saw that next door there was a ship of desired design that could hold the amount of Ozone need to open the field.

I was sure the hostiles would have scouts on the gates but desided that since I had created such a mess it would be perfectly ok to loose a small ship and my clone. I made a quick dash to the next door system and back again to the POS without incident. Cursing my lack of attention all the way forth and back.

As I arrived back at the POS another more competent pilot opened a cyno field and our fleet jumped in. I was devastated.

While the fleet formed up and some still were jumping in a sole Sabre class Interdictor belonging to INZi showed up and was quickly killed.

The interdictors aligned for the station as well as the battleships with my insignificant ship in trail.

Carriers were undocked and were jammed at once, interdictor warp to the station and was shortly followed by the battleships. I warped in with the interdictor and ordered my ship pulled in by the docking crew.

I was promtly transfered to my Megathron battleship but could feel the moro from the hangar crew.

As I undocked from the hangar I entered battle at once.

The battle that followed must have been as frutrating to the enmy as it were to us. The TRI gang warped back and forth while activating their microwardrives making it hard to kill individual targets as they slipped in and out of range.

On their part our supperior remote repairing of the battleships kept our fleet alive as the enemy could not bring enough damage on any single ships for a longer period of time without risking their own ships.

Besides their fleet was outnumbered and outgunned so I was impressed they kept at it for som long as well as trying to begin with.

One of our ship had wandered off a bit and TRI was not slow to explot it and rammed their ships at full speed into our comrade. Their ships took massive damage to the structural integrity doing this and some exploded on impact with the metal beast piloted by Splagada.

Large version

The result was a loss for TRI but I can only assume they knew what they walked into.

As for myself I now have investigated the nature of cynofields and will not make the mistake again.

The group's association, first with Mysore and later Karnataka, began towards the end of the 19th century when its founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata decided to set up a Research Institute or University of Research, prodded by Swami Vivekananda during a chance meeting on their voyage to America in 1893.

Bangalore, now India's IT hub, was chosen as the location and the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, pitched in to allot over 300 acres of land. With grants from Jamsetji and the help of the then colonial British government, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) took birth on May 27, 1909.

Jamsetji did not live to see his vision being realised. He passed away in 1904. Jamsetji did not want his name to be associated with the institute. Hence it was named the Indian Institute of Science. But many old timers in Bangalore and across Karnataka still refer to it simply as the Tata Institute. As the IISc faculty and students prepare to celebrate in May 2009 the centenary of the institution that has made a name for research across the world, the Karnataka government is furiously wooing the Tata group to set up its 'dream' car project in Dharwad, around 420 km northwest of Bangalore.

The Tata group has been in Dharwad since 1996 when it was allotted around 650 acres of land for manufacturing earth-moving equipment. Production began in 1999. The group's experience with Karnataka, however, has been mixed. It has been smooth in the case of one of the group's traditional strength -- automobiles.

The group's plan to build a new Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli, about 35 km from the city centre in the 1990s, ended on a bitter note, like the Nano car project in Singur in West Bengal. However, the blame for forcing the Tata group to pull out of the project has been put on the then United Front government (1996-97) led by H.D. Deve Gowda, the first prime minister from Karnataka. The then Karnataka chief minister J.H. Patel had stated that the Tata group "is fed up over the treatment meted out to them by various central ministries".

Tata Motors managing director G. Ravi Kant has told the Karnataka government that the Nano small car project needs 1,000 acres as it is an integrated project.

The state government says it will provide not only the land but several other facilities for the group if it decides to relocate the plant from Singur in West Bengal.

The Tata group now has around 900 acres in Dharwad, including 300 acres allotted last year for the manufacture of luxury buses and vans in a joint venture with the Brazil-based Marcopolo company.

The state government is aggressively promoting Dharwad not only because the Tata group has a base there already but also because the city is within 600 km of four ports -- Panaji (Goa) 160 km, Karwar (Uttara Kannada district) 180 km, Mangalore (Dakshina Kannada district) about 480 km, and Mumbai 550 km.

There are three airports nearby, in the twin city Hubli, 15 km, Belgaum 75 km and Panaji. Dharwad is well connected by railways and road as it is one of the major cities on the Bangalore-Mumbai route. While Dharwad is known more for its educational institutions - it is the headquarters of Karnatak University - its twin city Hubli is famous as a commercial hub. Dharwad has pleasant weather through the year as it is 2,500 feet above sea level.

Dharwad has produced several renowned Hindustani musicians such as Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Mallikarjun Mansur, Kumar Gandharva and Basavaraj Rajguru. Two poets from the city Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (popularly known in Karnataka as Da. Ra. Bendre and by his pen name Ambikatanaya Datta) and V.K. Gokak have won the Jananpith award.

Karnataka officials are hopeful that if not the mother plant, Tata Motors will at least set up a satellite plant in Dharwad as the group is familiar with the terrain and the advantages of being close to Pune, where it has major manufacturing facilities, besides other big cities and ports.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa telephoned Tata group chairman Ratan Tata Friday soon after the announcement of Nano withdrawal from Singur and invited him to Bangalore to take forward the state government offer of land and other facilities to relocate the plant at Dharwad.

He has named his principal secretary V.P Baligar and industry secretary V. Umesh to hold talks with the Tata Motors team, which, his spokesperson said Friday, is expected in Bangalore Monday. If the Tata team is not able to visit Bangalore, these two officials may themselves go to Mumbai to meet Tata Motors managing director G. Ravi Kant, official sources said Saturday.

Given that it may take at least six months for the mother plant or a satellite unit to start operations if the Tata Motors decide to set up one now, the first product from the Dharwad plant may well roll out around Tata Institute's centenary celebrations, a co-incidence none expected when Ratan Tata unveiled the model of the Rs.100,000 car in New Delhi early this year.
Posted by: Expertz Web

When you teach people for two generations not to respect the property of others, you are bound to have a tragedy.

And his analysis is bang on.

Those who don't understand the basic idea behind rights will either blame Mamata for derailing the Nano project, or bash the Left instead, cleanly missing the crux of the problem - if property rights were respected, the problem would not have arisen in the first place. But our politics is based on pragmatism - an ideology that thrives in an atmosphere of ignorance and obfuscation - and being pragmatic is considered to be the intelligent thing to do. Given this unsavory fact, I see more Singurs on the horizon.

The group's association, first with Mysore and later Karnataka, began towards the end of the 19th century when its founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata decided to set up a Research Institute or University of Research, prodded by Swami Vivekananda during a chance meeting on their voyage to America in 1893.

Bangalore, now India's IT hub, was chosen as the location and the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, pitched in to allot over 300 acres of land. With grants from Jamsetji and the help of the then colonial British government, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) took birth on May 27, 1909.

Jamsetji did not live to see his vision being realised. He passed away in 1904. Jamsetji did not want his name to be associated with the institute. Hence it was named the Indian Institute of Science. But many old timers in Bangalore and across Karnataka still refer to it simply as the Tata Institute. As the IISc faculty and students prepare to celebrate in May 2009 the centenary of the institution that has made a name for research across the world, the Karnataka government is furiously wooing the Tata group to set up its 'dream' car project in Dharwad, around 420 km northwest of Bangalore.

The Tata group has been in Dharwad since 1996 when it was allotted around 650 acres of land for manufacturing earth-moving equipment. Production began in 1999. The group's experience with Karnataka, however, has been mixed. It has been smooth in the case of one of the group's traditional strength -- automobiles.

The group's plan to build a new Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli, about 35 km from the city centre in the 1990s, ended on a bitter note, like the Nano car project in Singur in West Bengal. However, the blame for forcing the Tata group to pull out of the project has been put on the then United Front government (1996-97) led by H.D. Deve Gowda, the first prime minister from Karnataka. The then Karnataka chief minister J.H. Patel had stated that the Tata group "is fed up over the treatment meted out to them by various central ministries".

Tata Motors managing director G. Ravi Kant has told the Karnataka government that the Nano small car project needs 1,000 acres as it is an integrated project.

The state government says it will provide not only the land but several other facilities for the group if it decides to relocate the plant from Singur in West Bengal.

The Tata group now has around 900 acres in Dharwad, including 300 acres allotted last year for the manufacture of luxury buses and vans in a joint venture with the Brazil-based Marcopolo company.

The state government is aggressively promoting Dharwad not only because the Tata group has a base there already but also because the city is within 600 km of four ports -- Panaji (Goa) 160 km, Karwar (Uttara Kannada district) 180 km, Mangalore (Dakshina Kannada district) about 480 km, and Mumbai 550 km.

There are three airports nearby, in the twin city Hubli, 15 km, Belgaum 75 km and Panaji. Dharwad is well connected by railways and road as it is one of the major cities on the Bangalore-Mumbai route. While Dharwad is known more for its educational institutions - it is the headquarters of Karnatak University - its twin city Hubli is famous as a commercial hub. Dharwad has pleasant weather through the year as it is 2,500 feet above sea level.

Dharwad has produced several renowned Hindustani musicians such as Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Mallikarjun Mansur, Kumar Gandharva and Basavaraj Rajguru. Two poets from the city Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (popularly known in Karnataka as Da. Ra. Bendre and by his pen name Ambikatanaya Datta) and V.K. Gokak have won the Jananpith award.

Karnataka officials are hopeful that if not the mother plant, Tata Motors will at least set up a satellite plant in Dharwad as the group is familiar with the terrain and the advantages of being close to Pune, where it has major manufacturing facilities, besides other big cities and ports.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa telephoned Tata group chairman Ratan Tata Friday soon after the announcement of Nano withdrawal from Singur and invited him to Bangalore to take forward the state government offer of land and other facilities to relocate the plant at Dharwad.

He has named his principal secretary V.P Baligar and industry secretary V. Umesh to hold talks with the Tata Motors team, which, his spokesperson said Friday, is expected in Bangalore Monday. If the Tata team is not able to visit Bangalore, these two officials may themselves go to Mumbai to meet Tata Motors managing director G. Ravi Kant, official sources said Saturday.

Given that it may take at least six months for the mother plant or a satellite unit to start operations if the Tata Motors decide to set up one now, the first product from the Dharwad plant may well roll out around Tata Institute's centenary celebrations, a co-incidence none expected when Ratan Tata unveiled the model of the Rs.100,000 car in New Delhi early this year.

Posted by: MiracleStudios.us

Above is a picture of the new ipod nanos. The new range has been labeled "Nano-Chromatic" this is due to the fact that the new range come in a variety of fresh bright colours which look great close up. At first when this range was released, i personally thought that they were the ugly-est ipod i have ever seen, but after a while they have grown on me, and i think they look great. They are also the thinnest ipods ever but they are also packed with a whole lot of features. They now have cover-flow and shake-to-shuffle and other cool features. Overall they are great and i want the green one :) Now available in 8 & 16GB

Above is the new ipod touch which is less impressive then the ipod nanos but still has some cool features. The new ipod touches have been labeled "The Funnest Ipod Ever" as there are now hundreds of games to choose from thanks to the app store and the 2.0 software update. The new touches have volume controls on the side and are more curved and thinner like the iphone 3G. They also have built in speakers on the bottom somewhere which is always a plus. Overall it alright but there's nothings dramatically changed except the price, as they are now much cheaper then the previous range.

It is unfortunate but a sad reality that the TATAs have been forced to steer the Nano factory out of Singur, and out of West Bengal.  Several state governments are wooing TATAs to set up the Nano factory in their states: we have to wait and watch which Indian state the TATAs will favour now.

Meanwhile, the Singur saga now can contribute to English language two words:

singur (verb):  To bully and bury a project

As in:  The Nano project was singured and hence business houses now think twice before setting foot in West Bengal.

mamatic (adj): being selfishly stubborn, intransigent and bellicose

As in: The madam's mamatic posture ruined the interests of the villagers.

As in: No amount of risk management or project management skills can save a project from a mamatic opposition.

But thenI would miss out on all the great community feel going on at not only the NaNo forums, but at the Young Writers Society, and generally with any writer I know. Aside from the internet, I know know writers--only myself. My friends think I'm mad to do be doing NaNo. They have a point. 30 days, 50,000 words? Well, it will get me writing faster and dare I say, out of writer's block. It's the experience, no?

Last work I found out that my exams aren't until the 27th or something like that, which just inspires extra incentive to finish earlier. I'm going to get all my notes and test papers done before October, so I glance over them the night before. Besides, it' jsut Science, right?

My idea? Murder mysteries are my speciality at the moment--aside from Ever Wayward, of course, which I won't abandon. I would like to do a prequel to Ever Waywrad actually, in the form of a murder mystery. I'm running out of time to think and with me going to London late October (yay!), will I get chance?

That means plotting, devising and all the jazz too. I'm actually attempting a murder mystery with someone on YWS too, Bride and Doom. Who said murder mysteries ever have decent titles, eh? :P

Sep 25, 2006: Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee decides to sit on dharna outside BDO's office at Singur to protest land acquisition drive. Also calls for rail and road blockade.

Oct 9, 2006: Trinamool calls 12-hour state-wide bandh.

Dec 2, 2006: Violence mars Singur, five get hurt in rubber-bullet firing.

Dec 4, 2006: Attack on Tata Motors showroom in Kolkata. Mamata Banerjee on hunger-strike, spurns Chief Minister's talks offer on Singur issue.

Dec 18, 2006: Trinamool issues 48-hour Bangla bandh after school girl Tapasi Malik's alleged rape and murder inside Singur project's fenced-off area.

Dec 28, 2006: Mamata Banerjee calls off indefinite hunger-strike after 25 days following appeals from PM and President.

Jan 14, 2007: Land puja offered at car project site.

Feb 5, 2007: Police-mob clash at Singur.

Mar 9, 2007: State government signs a 90-year agreement with Tata Motors for 'Nano' plant.

Mar 11, 2007: A farmer Haradhan Bag commits suicide at Singur.

Mar 16, 2007: Mob attacks Tata Motors' factory fencing at Singur.

Mar 18, 2007: Explosion at Tata Motors' factory damages fencing.

Mar 25, 2007: Five guards at project site injured during clash with protesters.

May 24, 2007: Peace talks between state govt and Trinamool fail.

May 25, 2007: Singur farmer Prasanta Das commits suicide.

Jun 4, 2007: Jyoti Basu echoes Mamata Banerjee's demand that 600 acres is required for the Singur project.

Sept 18, 2007: Tatas appoint first batch of 17 Singur youth after training.

Nov 12, 2007: Central forces deployed at Singur after fresh protests.

Jan 16, 2008: Tatas give jobs to 80 displaced farmers.

Jan 18, 2008: Calcutta High Court declares Singur land acquisition legal.

Feb 15, 2008: Tatas announce Nano roll-out by Oct, 2008.

May 13, 2008: Supreme Court refuses to block Nano roll-out from Singur.

May 21, 2008: Trinamool wins majority of seats in Singur self-governance institutions.

Jun 27, 2008: Singur protesters break factory gate.

Aug 7, 2008: Mamata Banerjee willing to talk to Tatas.

Aug 18, 2008: CM invites Mamata Banerjee for talks.

Aug 19, 2008: Mamata says 400 acres must be returned to farmers.

Aug 20, 2008: Talks between state govt and Trinamool Congress fail.

Aug 22, 2008: Ratan Tata threatenes to move Nano projective out of West Bengal if violence continues at Singur.

Aug 23, 2008: Indian industries rally behind Tata project, saying continuing protests would tarnish state's image.

Aug 24, 2008: Trinamool begins indefinite dharna at Singur demanding return of land.

Aug 26, 2008: Nano factory workers stay away from work.

Aug 27, 2008: RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani backs Tatas on Nano project.

Aug 31, 2008: Trinamool delegation meets Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi over Singur suggesting a mediator to resolve the deadlock.

Sep 2, 2008: Cricket icon Sourav Ganguly bats for Tatas.

Sep 3, 2008: Tatas suspend work at Singur plant due to assault and intimidation by agitators, threaten to relocate plant elsewhere.

Sep 3, 2008: Governor invites state govt, Trinamool Congress to meet him at Raj Bhavan to end stalemate.

Sep 4, 2008: Ratan Tata says all possible steps being taken to roll out Nano on time.

Sep 7, 2008: Raj Bhavan agreement signed in presence of Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee and Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi to remove Singur impasse.

Sep 9, 2008: Special land search committee formed at the end of the meeting with members from Trinamool Congress and WBIDC.

Sep 12, 2008: CM-Mamata meeting at instance of Buddhadev Bhattacharjee in view of continuing deadlock at Singur.

Sep 13, 2008: State government annouonces rehabilitation package for the Singur farmers.

Sep 15, 2008: Left Front meeting on Singur calls for an end to deadlock.

Sept 16, 2008: Mamata Banerjee holds counter rally at Singur demanding implementation of the agreement.

Sep 24, 2008: Attack on security guards at Singur factory.

Sep 24, 2008: Government hopes for a settlement of the Singur crisis.

Sep 30, 2008: All-party meeting on Singur called by Chief Minister at Writers' Buildings, boycotted by Trinamool Congress and some of its allies.

Oct 1, 2008: CM says Ratan tata to discuss Singur issue.

Oct 3, 2008: Ratan Tata formally announces that there will be no Nano from Singur.

Posted by: Expertz Web

Sep 25, 2006: Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee decides to sit on dharna outside BDO's office at Singur to protest land acquisition drive. Also calls for rail and road blockade.

Oct 9, 2006: Trinamool calls 12-hour state-wide bandh.

Dec 2, 2006: Violence mars Singur, five get hurt in rubber-bullet firing.

Dec 4, 2006: Attack on Tata Motors showroom in Kolkata. Mamata Banerjee on hunger-strike, spurns Chief Minister's talks offer on Singur issue.

Dec 18, 2006: Trinamool issues 48-hour Bangla bandh after school girl Tapasi Malik's alleged rape and murder inside Singur project's fenced-off area.

Dec 28, 2006: Mamata Banerjee calls off indefinite hunger-strike after 25 days following appeals from PM and President.

Jan 14, 2007: Land puja offered at car project site.

Feb 5, 2007: Police-mob clash at Singur.

Mar 9, 2007: State government signs a 90-year agreement with Tata Motors for 'Nano' plant.

Mar 11, 2007: A farmer Haradhan Bag commits suicide at Singur.

Mar 16, 2007: Mob attacks Tata Motors' factory fencing at Singur.

Mar 18, 2007: Explosion at Tata Motors' factory damages fencing.

Mar 25, 2007: Five guards at project site injured during clash with protesters.

May 24, 2007: Peace talks between state govt and Trinamool fail.

May 25, 2007: Singur farmer Prasanta Das commits suicide.

Jun 4, 2007: Jyoti Basu echoes Mamata Banerjee's demand that 600 acres is required for the Singur project.

Sept 18, 2007: Tatas appoint first batch of 17 Singur youth after training.

Nov 12, 2007: Central forces deployed at Singur after fresh protests.

Jan 16, 2008: Tatas give jobs to 80 displaced farmers.

Jan 18, 2008: Calcutta High Court declares Singur land acquisition legal.

Feb 15, 2008: Tatas announce Nano roll-out by Oct, 2008.

May 13, 2008: Supreme Court refuses to block Nano roll-out from Singur.

May 21, 2008: Trinamool wins majority of seats in Singur self-governance institutions.

Jun 27, 2008: Singur protesters break factory gate.

Aug 7, 2008: Mamata Banerjee willing to talk to Tatas.

Aug 18, 2008: CM invites Mamata Banerjee for talks.

Aug 19, 2008: Mamata says 400 acres must be returned to farmers.

Aug 20, 2008: Talks between state govt and Trinamool Congress fail.

Aug 22, 2008: Ratan Tata threatenes to move Nano projective out of West Bengal if violence continues at Singur.

Aug 23, 2008: Indian industries rally behind Tata project, saying continuing protests would tarnish state's image.

Aug 24, 2008: Trinamool begins indefinite dharna at Singur demanding return of land.

Aug 26, 2008: Nano factory workers stay away from work.

Aug 27, 2008: RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani backs Tatas on Nano project.

Aug 31, 2008: Trinamool delegation meets Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi over Singur suggesting a mediator to resolve the deadlock.

Sep 2, 2008: Cricket icon Sourav Ganguly bats for Tatas.

Sep 3, 2008: Tatas suspend work at Singur plant due to assault and intimidation by agitators, threaten to relocate plant elsewhere.

Sep 3, 2008: Governor invites state govt, Trinamool Congress to meet him at Raj Bhavan to end stalemate.

Sep 4, 2008: Ratan Tata says all possible steps being taken to roll out Nano on time.

Sep 7, 2008: Raj Bhavan agreement signed in presence of Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee and Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi to remove Singur impasse.

Sep 9, 2008: Special land search committee formed at the end of the meeting with members from Trinamool Congress and WBIDC.

Sep 12, 2008: CM-Mamata meeting at instance of Buddhadev Bhattacharjee in view of continuing deadlock at Singur.

Sep 13, 2008: State government annouonces rehabilitation package for the Singur farmers.

Sep 15, 2008: Left Front meeting on Singur calls for an end to deadlock.

Sept 16, 2008: Mamata Banerjee holds counter rally at Singur demanding implementation of the agreement.

Sep 24, 2008: Attack on security guards at Singur factory.

Sep 24, 2008: Government hopes for a settlement of the Singur crisis.

Sep 30, 2008: All-party meeting on Singur called by Chief Minister at Writers' Buildings, boycotted by Trinamool Congress and some of its allies.

Oct 1, 2008: CM says Ratan tata to discuss Singur issue.

Oct 3, 2008: Ratan Tata formally announces that there will be no Nano from Singur.

Posted by: MiracleStudios.us

when the future of a state or of a nation is decided by a single individual
democracy goes horribly horribly wrong

Tatas pullout jolts Bengal's industrialisation drive

Sougata Mukhopadhyay / CNN-IBN

Published on Sat, Oct 04, 2008 at 09:18,

Kolkata: West Bengal's tryst with Nano is over. Ratan Tata has declared that the Nano plant will be shifted out of the state as according to him the atmosphere in Singur was far from industry-friendly.

Tatas announcement to pull out from Singur is a big blow to West Bengal. For two years, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Ratan Tata together tried to build the automobile complex in Singur which would have employed at least 6,000 people to begin with.

However, they met with resistance from just a few people who were to lose their lands. In the end the government and the Tatas gave up the fight.

"I think Ms (Mamata) Banerjee has pulled the trigger," Ratan Tata said at a press conference in Kolkata on Friday

Tata did give a pro-industry certificate to the Left Front government but the state's image has taken a beating.

It took TWO YEARs for this project to reach this stage - it had not mushroomed overnight -
but Mamata Banerjee's seige at the factory gates did.
It changed the future of the project in a matter of a week
It has changed the future of my state, for a long long time, if not for ever.

More .....

So it’s happened. After months of violent protests over loss of farming land, after vicious battles by self-serving regional politicians, and after seemingly endless attempts at a compromise, Ratan Tata has pulled down the shutters on Tata Motors’ low cost Nano car plant in West Bengal and is off to make the car elsewhere.

“We have little choice but to move out of Bengal. We cannot run a factory with police around all the time,” was one of several memorable wrap-up quotes that he produced last night to explain his decision.

“We have to shift because of Mamata Banerjee,” Mr Tata said at a press conference in Kolkata last night. So this fiery politician’s ambitions have robbed a state that desperately needs industrial development of a $350m project that would have generated thousands of jobs in the main car factory, in component suppliers located on the same site, and in other downstream businesses.

This is the second time that politicians and powerful pressure groups have turned investment away from West Bengal. A battle between the Communist-led Left Front and Trinamool for control of another part of West Bengal led last year to plans being abandoned for a 25,000-acre chemicals special economic zone (SEZ) at Nandigram amid violent protests where 14 people were killed.

Protests by farmers and the landless labourers against their land being used for industrial development are understandable – and in many cases justified. As Kamal Nath, India’s Minister for Commerce and Industry, said to me last month when I was talking to him about delays in Orissa on a steel plant planned by Posco from Korea, “In a democracy all the stake-holders have to have a voice – and in India they have a particularly loud voice”.

The irony is that Ratan Tata, who heads a government –sponsored Investment Commission set up to help foreign companies like Posco manage their projects in India, could not turn Singur round  - which brings me to a final thought………Is there something happening here that has not been publicised? 

Was someone else encouraging the protests?

I would not be surprised to hear that Tata’s problems were fanned by another autos manufacturer wanting to disrupt the “one lakh” Nano’s launch. I have no evidence of this but such dirty tricks are not unknown.

There were rumours a few years ago that bureaucrats and politicians were being paid by a foreign car company to disrupt the appointment of top management at Maruti Suzuki, a highly successful Japanese-India joint venture, in order to delay the launch of an important new Maruti model. Has the same sort of thing happened here? Politicians always need funds!

The Tata Nano was unveiled at Delhi’s auto show  in January with a price tag of around 100,000 rupees ($2,130). and was due to be launched on the market this month. The plan was to make 250,000 cars a year at Singur, rising later to 350,000. That will not now happen. Instead the car will be produced in smaller numbers at other Tata locations till a new permanent site is found.

So who has gained? Not Tata, nor West Bengal - nor, in political terms, either the Left Front which has been shown to be weak, or Mamata Banerjee, whose protests have lost jobs, nor the people living in the area, some of whom have lost both their land and Tata jobs.

The only winners are other auto firms that need longer to get their rival cars ready for market.

Bengal's symbol of industrial resurgence, the Nano, died a violent death today, the trigger pulled by Mamata Banerjee, Ratan Tata said.

After a meeting with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Tata said: "Two years ago, I said if somebody puts a gun to my head, you would either have to remove the gun or pull the trigger. I would not move my head. I think Ms Banerjee pulled the trigger." More:

Also in The Telegraph transcript of Ratan Tata's media conference:"This is a decision we have taken with a great deal of sadness..." Click here for more

Indians count cost of pyrrhic victory over Tata

Amy Kazmin in Financial Times:

Rising from the lush green paddy fields 40 kilometres from India's decrepit former colonial capital Calcutta, Tata Motors' flagship Nano car factory was expected to bring jobs and prosperity to a region little touched so far by the forces of globalisation now transforming other parts of India.

Instead, the high-profile plant in Singur - where Tata planned to produce the world's cheapest car for India and for export - foundered on resistance of farmers such as 55-year-old Prabhat Shi, who saw little role for himself in the industrial sector, and preferred to cling to time-tested ways of living.

More:

Previously in AW: Time to say tata & bye bye?

Much has been written in the popular media and blow-by-blow events are too well known to need recounting.  It needs "unpopular", scarcely read media such as this blog to write about the reason behind this situation in which either outcome could only represent a loss for India.

Eminent domain is a doctrine that allows governments to appropriate private property on the claim that they can better decide the purpose to which the property can be put.  The nominal reason given has always been that the property is acquired for the public good.  However, in practice, the reason has often been to hand the land over to some private party on whom the State wishes to bestow a favour - of course, for the common good.  In reality, the State (or it's current rulers) hope to gain in the form of increased taxes being generated from the new uses of the property or direct monetary gains by the rulersin the form of bribes.  Add to this the absence of constitutionally guaranteed property rights and you have the India of the 21st century.

The original Constitution of India recognized property rights under Article 19 (subclause f) which guaranteed to all citizens the right to acquire, hold and dispose of property.  The evil twin of Article 19 was Article 31.  Article 31 abrogated to the state the right to deprive citizens of their property by authority of the law.  Meaning the government could take over your land and that was your private tragedy.

Like always in a socialist system, Article 31, won and the right to property ceased to be a fundamental right in 1978 opening the way to eminent domain in some cases without citizens having recourse to the courts (Article 300-A which replaced Article 31.)

Add to this situation, more socialism in the form of land use acts and land reform acts and zoning and it becomes nearly impossible for a private party to acquire enough land to create a large industrial complex.  Leading to further land appropriations and deadlocks such as Singur.

The only way out of this imbrolio is to drop entirely the doctrine of Eminent Domain and reinstate the Right to Property as a Fundamental Right which cannot be violated even by the State.  The Right to Property needs to be realized as an absolute right leading to the removal of all laws pertaining to land use or zoning.  This time around, Article 19 must be restored without it's evil twins, Article 31 and 300-A.

This is the only basis on which conflicts such as those which have embroiled Singur can be avoided in the future.

In the meantime, India will continue to burn in the conflict between agriculture and industry.

Maybe it is unfortunate that a flagship project was aborted (if indeed that is what happened.) But those singing foolish elegies for the Nano- those who believe that the protestor's were a ‘motley crew' of self-righteous vanguards- are painfully off the mark. If one wants to trace the origins of the problem, one has to go back to the authoritarian and anti-democratic manner of the acquisition in 2006. Repeatedly, reports by a variety of independent groups has examined and exposed the false promises and myths on which the official version of the actual acquisition and the supposed future employment generation rode. By ten-thirty last night Star Ananda was showing pictures of tyres being set afire in Singur. Their reporter spoke to angry ‘willing peasants'- or so we are made to believe. These ‘peasants,' three of them, repeated verbatim the line: Tata hobe na to konoi shiplo amra hote debo na (if Tata doesn't happen, we won't allow any industrial project.) And of course we are to believe that these are ‘willing peasants' and not CPM cadres planted at the site. This is exactly why I'm still sceptical about the abortion. None of the critics of the protestors, nor any other observes- except the protestors themselves- seem to think that corporate bodies are political players too, and not merely money-making machines. Open whispers of the Tatas shifting the first batch of the Nano to Pantnagar began a long time back. The packing up and leaving could very well be just another step in this complicated political theatre. Is this why moments after Ratan Tata's announcement Industries Minister Nirupam Sen publicly said that the land acquired in Singur will not be returned and will instead be used for some industrial project? Is this why the Tatas seem to prefer leaving Singur rather than allowing their agreement with the West Bengal government to become public? And does not the CPM stand to gain politically in some sense from this withdrawl? Will they not win middle class sympathy and use that to further thrash their ‘regressive' and ‘primitive' opponents?

The problem with debates that erupt in this fashion is that they end up looking more like fist-fights. And then, even the most self-aggrandising upholders of civilised conduct are found longing for a little more violence. This perhaps, is the reason why, in a piece accompanying its lead story this morning, The Indian Express, our most vitriolic CPM basher is found nostalgically stating that this is the first time in 30 years that LF clout in the state has failed.

*

On another note, some trivia.

Did you know:

If the Home Minister, Honourable Shivraj Patil, spends time on his looks instead of blasting out Terror networks, everyone tears him to shreds. But if he sits back for a month and offers idle threats to the Orissa government as it oversees the rapes murders destructions of Christian lives and properties, no one whimpers. After all, what's at stake? Neither shilpo not AK-47s.

Cheers.

2. Still, EtE had to be all snarky and say "I understand you had a couple of rough days." at the end of bussing. I told her today had some rocky patches, but overall I felt like it hadn't been that bad and yesterday they were actually good. She was like "Oh...ok..." GAH! If I go with the teacher diary idea for NaNo I DEFINITELY have a good built in villain!!

3. Speaking of NaNo, I went through iTunes last night to look at song titles (since titles are not subject to copy-write) and wrote interesting ones on index cards. Also if a lyric from a song jumped out at me I made that a card as well. Some are specific to one idea or another, but others can be used for either. Or something new altogether. Expect a poll on topics and/or names in the next couple of weeks. :)

4. Beginning to spread out into the living room now. :) One shelf is emptied of clothes and they're in the dresser. And there are still clothes to go. I think I smell a clean-out coming. That shelf has been cleaned and is now holding books. :) YAY! This is not a one-night project, so I'm not stressing too much.

5. On the plus side...there was a just dead/dying mouse under that shelf so it went in the garbage before it REALLY started smelling. (To clarify: mouse = not great; just dead/dying mouse = yay for no smell (ergo a plus)!)

6. I have one other set of plastic shelving and one of those mesh cube thingies. One of those will remain in my bedroom and the other will go into the living room...I think. Now that the porn star wanna be has moved out, I'd like to move my bed back to the other wall...and it would be nice to STORE the rubbermaid container and put the clock on an actual shelf. So we'll see. I'm holding off on pictures until it's a little more done. :)

7. I'm getting tired now...but I know as soon as I lay down in the bed I'll be WIDE awake! That's the cycle I'm on at the moment. I actually have to set my alarm for tomorrow since I'm seeing Blindness at 10:45. Very excited about that.

8. I think I'm going to TRY to go to church on Sunday. We'll see what happens.

9. Any time the check from the work I did with the UFT over the summer would like to get here I'd be thrilled. Tomorrow would be VERY nice. Even if they do checks once a month, it went in at the end of August...it certainly should have been cut this week. I'm trying to be patient since I'm sure they were closed on Rosh Hashanah, but come on! Please??? *bats eyelashes*

10. It's not life or death! It's! A! Sandwich! (Ok, there was no reason for that...other than I've wanted to use it since I heard it the first time in Ace! Hee!)

The debate has been growing for a long time and today Tata Motors has announced its exit from Singur and shift its `Nano' car project out of West Bengal. The decision was taken after discussions between Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata and West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the state secretariat.

Speaking to the press about this decision, Ratan Tata said "We have moved the project out of West Bengal as we have timelines to meet and promises to keep but we have not lost any enthusiasm for the projeect" and he added "We have arrived at the painful decision mainly for the well-being of our employees and for the safety of contractors"

Though various views strike the Indian people, a cry of Tata Groups wellwisher goes like this "If Ratan Tata exits out of singur, it will be demoralising for capitalists and foreign investors and will be a great loss to economy of the state and the country as well"

Mr.Tata said the firm had not decided where to build the Nano but was examining offers of sites from three or four states. "We hope we would be able to find a location that has a congenial environment," he added. "All these issues we will announce in the next few days when we have a clearer picture."

- sources

Lets wait to see when will NANO roll out as the pride of every Indian :D

Suddenly my enthusiasm for writing my NaNo novel, The Words Between, is either down so far in the dumps it can't be seen, or has taken itself for a very long and dangerous walk. I have a feeling the previously mentioned MC may have played a part in its' disappearance- holding it for ransom in some steel-locked room in my deepest subconscious? The payment is three whole chapters in her story. TOUGH LUCK. My playstation2 is partly to blame, I know, so on Saturday I'll be carting it over to my grandfather's flat and leaving it there, so I don't get tempted to play Final Fantasy instead of working out plot points.

Even this blog counts as procrastination, but at least I'm WRITING something, rather than staring at a tv, pressing triangle-x-circle-x-square-triangle-down-left-R1 oops Gameover!

Perhaps the Snowflake method will work for this book. We'll see.

Honour the glorious poets. Their shades that left us are now returned.

Okay, so if you haven’t hopped over to NEW MYTHS and read “The Merry’s Dalliance”, go do it, okay? I’m very fond of this piece. In fact, there will be more with these characters, and they’ll get their own website soon.

I’m posting the GDRs for 2009 later today. If you haven’t participated in the Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions before, give it a read. Even if you don’t use them, they might get you thinking.

Worked a lot on The Big Project yesterday. It’s going well, in spite of having to stop to fact check every now and again. Tasha’s a lot funnier than I expected, and tougher, but it works for the piece.

And Josiah, in the Western, just keeps surprising me, in the best possible way. He’s going to reveal his agenda when HE’S ready, not when I need it for the writing. He might have to get shot or something to shake him up. Not fatally, just to remind him who’s the creator over here! ;)

Seriously, though, I am going to have to toss chapter two yet again and restructure it to get where I need.

A lot of this week will be spent prepping for the Muse Conference, which starts next Sunday. Since I’m teaching AND signed up for too many workshops . .well, you know how it goes.

I’m doing a live chat on Wednesday at 7 PM over on FireDrakes Weyr. I hope you’ll stop by so I’m not talking to myself, or the wallpaper.

I hung out on Nano forums, very dangerous, playing catch up with former buddies. One of last year’s N3s is actually mentoring this year and said she had a good mentor last year – I was pleased that some of that tough love was useful last year. I think I’ll mentor a handful, even if I don’t do the traditional Nano. I’ll definitely write 50K or more during the month, so . . .

Lara tagged me, so here it goes:

If you have pets, do you see them merely as animals or part of the family?
I am owned by three cats, currently, and they are definitely family. Personally, I think they should get out there and start earning some cash to help with the cat food/litter/vet expenses, but hey, they were worshipped in Ancient Egypt and never let me forget it.

As soon as I get my house, I’ll have more cats and a few dogs. If I have enough land and a barn, I want to add in some rescued horses and maybe a few alpaca.

Yeah, I’d have to learn how to shear and spin, but it would be worth it!

And I spend so much time shoveling metaphorical manure that the real thing isn’t a problem!

If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?
Earn enough money to buy enough land, buildings, and hire a staff for an animal refuge. Of course, I’d prefer to support that refuge with my writing! ;)

What is the one thing most hated by you?
Acts of deliberate cruelty.

What would you do with a billion dollars?
Pay off debts, invest WISELY, and set up the above-mentioned animal refuge. Maybe combine it with an artists' retreat.

What helps pull you out of a bad mood?
Sex, friends, or chocolate.

Choose one letter out of your name and come up with a word to describe yourself:
V – volatile. In every sense of the word.

What’s your bedtime routine?
Depends on who’s waiting in the bed!

What kind of books do you buy?
A wide range, everything from science to research to historical to all genres of fiction. I read almost anything. A lot of my book-buying is dictated by whatever project I’m writing.

Where do you want to be in ten years?
Living in my dream house on the Cape, with a second home in Montreal (or maybe Iceland), traveling as much as I want, and continuing to live the writing life, but with less financial stress.

What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Sweet, generous, loving, smart, kind, compassionate, and very, very funny.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Move cats off various body parts on which they’ve climbed.

What’s your favorite food?
I have to pick one? Then it’s chocolate.

Formal wear or Casual Wear?
You mean I have to get dressed? ;) Seriously, I love wearing yoga clothes to write, but my life requires a wide array of clothing, and I’ve learned to enjoy all the different wardrobe requirements. While I hate shopping for clothes, I love wearing clothes that make me feel great. And I’ve culled everything from my closet that doesn’t.

Trust me, when you attend the Tony Awards, you want to look delicious.

Sports: Football or baseball?
Can’t stand either one. I’m an ice hockey and horse racing fan. And sailing. And archery. And fencing. And skiing. And . . .whatever sport they’ll pay me to cover!

What do you consider your guilty pleasure?
You mean something I’m willing to post on the internet? Because there are a few you’ll never know unless you know me really well in person! Actually, come to think of it, I don’t feel guilty about anything that gives me pleasure.

People I’d like to tag:
How about Lori and PJ?

Back to the page.

Devon

Western Novella – 8,168 words out of est. 30,000

8 / 30 (26.7%)

The Big Project – 5,195 words out of est. 75,000

5 / 75 (6.7%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here</a