Swamps, not lakes for Bangalore!

-- in good faith, krishnamb.

Water Hyacinth in Bangalore's Lakes

Wonder if the frothing of Bellandur and Varthur water bodies started after the depletion of Water Hyacinth in the lakes? Outright removal or serious depletion of successful and ecologically dominant species would drastically alter energy flows and bioremediation in an ecosystem, and replacements would be very hard to come by in the energy pathways of that system. It would indeed be very imprudent to remove or disrupt successful plants like Ipomoea carnea or Eichhornia crassipes in our tampered waterscapes!

KRISHNAMB Feb 2019 😊

-- in good faith, krishnamb.

Mist laden Mornings of Bangalore

Mist laden mornings, with a wispy ethereal drape over every place which otherwise would have looked so common. Stately trees lining black asphalted roads, leading out to a mystical nowhere, on a white canvas that only nature could have painted. That was the Bangalore I grew up in: that was the Bangalore I lived in as a schoolboy. 

The mist has lifted for good. The smooth roads have become pockmarked with potholes. The stately trees are maimed or gone. Drab 'matchboxes' line roads where pretty gardens stood. It is now looking as if Bangalore has greyed prematurely. 

Just like the Sun warmed up the day, lifting the wispy misty veil, telling us it is time up for school, it is now looking as if we would miss the bus if we do not get ready in time. We need to learn why, we with a quirky Midas touch, seem to be prematurely aging everything around us: everything that we touch! 

- in good faith, krishnamb.
making free time is culture!
   

On the issue of fake journals

1. The existing journals have been calling many journals fake and have been running a campaign against them. The existing journals themselves have been taking what should have been openly accessible materials and putting it behind a paywall.

2. In a landmark case cited in the AIR manual, the Bombay High Court in the past ruled that if a journalist has been employed or commissioned to write an article, then the copyright of the article vests with the employer or the one engaging the journalist. In contrast, if an article has already been written before employment or commission, then the copyright vests with the author.

3. This clear thought or ideology is violated in the case of research publications. In almost all cases, the research being written about or reported on, is done as a part of an employment or as a grant received by the researcher. And much of the time, the funds for the employment or grant come from the taxpayers, and is taken to be in the interests of humanity in the short or long run.

4. The researchers claim ownership of the copyright and happily sign off the copyrights to the journals they are submitting their notes, papers and articles to. And the journals monetise this copyright at exorbitant prices and make it financially inviable for access to by the original taxpayers.

5. This seems to be a clear violation of the thought and philosophy referred to in the second paragraph above. How is this allowed?

- in good faith, krishnamb.