Writer's Log!

Apple unearths labour violations

Payal — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:34:28 +0000

Sorry, this is no follow up of Naomi Klein’s celebrated book No Logo, which exposes the dark secrets of the working environments in the factories of many big brands. Nor is this the expose by any investigative journalist. The hard truths were revealed by Apple itself, which conducted an onsite audit of its 102 facilities recently.
(Read more)

Apple’s 2010 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, which audits third-party vendors to ensure that “the companies we do business with… provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made” makes for some shocking reading: 17 core violations, including child labour, falsified records, underpayment, overwork, and a whopping 57 vendors who have been cheating workers out of legally required benefits like sick leave and maternity leave.

As a long-time user of Apple products, I am deeply disturbed. However, considering that Apple themselves have revealed these violations, let’s hope it is because they are genuinely concerned about labour and human rights, and that it is not merely a PR exercise.

~PD

10 rules for writing fiction

Payal — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:59:44 +0000

The Guardian asked a line-up of eminent authors for their personal dos and don’ts for efficient fiction writing. The results, to say the least, ranged from entertaining to outrageous to hilarious: “Get an accountant, abstain from sex and similes, cut, rewrite, then cut and rewrite again – if all else fails, pray.”

So anyhow, to cut a long story short, though eminence is a far-off ~~nightmare~~ dream, no harm in compiling a list of my own. Here’s hoping it doesn’t affect my relationship with my accountant, have a bearing on my sex life, or make me believe in religion…

Uninstall all IM software: Really, truly. In fact, getting away from the Net is good, on the whole, except that it sometimes comes in handy to look things up. I have to admit, I don’t follow this rule. I’m bad.
Don’t try to plot your novel if that doesn’t work for you: I find it impossible to plot out a scene-by-scene story. I just need to let stuff happen. I never expected Nira to catch the speld — she just did.
Don’t worry about chapters: Working chapters is usually something I bluff my way through. A chapter break happens when I think to myself, “Oops, I haven’t had a new chapter for ages.” It seems to work. After all, Terry Pratchett doesn’t do chapters, does he? He’s inspirational!
Characters without the right name have no life: I beg to differ with Shakespeare — the name is everything. A two-metre-tall nerdy Scandinavian called Bill would have turned out very different from Noah.
Give yourself a deadline and treat it seriously: I promise myself a treat when (and if) I meet the deadline.
Get some honest reviews: I’d rather know from friends that my precious work-in-progress is crap than from strangers.
If you get stuck at some point in the story, move on to something else: No point being frustrated with a part that just isn’t coming together. I move on to writing something completely different or to another part of the story. When I come back to the problem later, I’m always surprised how much the break helped.
Also, don’t write in chronological order if you don’t want to: I just write the bits I have figured out first and worry about what comes after what later on.
Writer’s block happens: So no point fretting over it! I try and enjoy the break and not feel guilty about it.
Free-writing really helps: In fact, they have proved to be an effective antidote to writer’s block for me.

If anyone has any other rules for themselves, I’m curious to hear.

~PD

Life, according to Mma Ramotswe

Payal — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:26:30 +0000

It’s rare to read a book that completely enthrals you. But it can be a bitter-sweet experience: on the one hand you are so completely satisfied; on the other hand you know that nothing else will match up with it for a long time to come.

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency happens to be one such book. Detailing the adventures of the unconventional, intuitive, unflappable Mma Ramotswe, proprietor of the agency, this is the first in a series of eleven books. This is also the book that has, at long last, kicked me into adding to Writeside.net’s reviews section.

Here’s a teaser from the review:

Precious Ramotswe is about as unlikely a private detective as you would expect — indeed “the only lady private detective in Botswana”. None of the slick smarts of the Kinsey Milhones and Kate Brannigans of the world. That’s not to say that Mma Ramotswe is lacking in the intelligence department. Oh no… she is an extremely sharp and resourceful woman, and her Daddy would have been proud of her today if he had been alive to see her.

Read the rest here, but don’t forget to come back to comment.

~PD

Games going free

Payal — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:23:17 +0000

[NOTE: The following was originally written for my Financial Chronicle (Edge) column, but they only used part of it in their games section, so here's the whole of it.]

Name five gaming classics that can be enjoyed for free? Impossible, you say? Hmm…:

Wolfenstein 3D: Help BJ Blazkowicz outwit the Nazis and escape Castle Wolfenstein. Released in 1992, Wolfenstein 3D revolutionised the first-person shooter (FPS), but the game isn’t as simple as blasting your way out. BJ has to not just battle Nazi soldiers singlehanded, but find supplies for himself, solve puzzles and even treasure. Wolfenstein 3D has been released as ‘shareware’, where one of the six episodes—consisting of 10 missions—can be played for free. Don’t expect super-cool graphics, but do expect a lot of fun. Download it here.
Doom: Doom followed on the heels of Wolfenstein 3D by the same makers (id Software) just a year later, and like the latter, part of the game is available for free—one episode consisting of nine levels. You are an unnamed marine stranded on a base in Mars, which has been taken over by monsters. Can you survive, find the exit to the next level and keep the alien monsters at bay? Oh, and it’s not just a matter of killing the big bad monsters — you need to find the right keys and stay away from toxic and radioactive spills if you want to survive and get out. Doom came in for praise for its use of 3D graphics and had one of the best FPS controls of its time. In 2004 it was pegged by GameSpy as the greatest game of all time. Get it here.
Elder Scrolls: The first two Elder Scrolls games, Arena (1994) and Daggerfall (1996), are available full and free. These classic adventure role-playing games (RPG) are renowned for their open-ended gameplay. Set in medieval times in a place known as Tamriel, the Elder Scrolls offer the player a vast world to explore and complete quests. As is typical of RPGs, character development is a major component, thus making it possible to play the game many times in many ways. Magic has a big role in the gameplay, as does learning skills. An engaging storyline has always been the strong point of the game series, and in Daggerfall one may even choose to completely ignore the game’s story and go off by oneself to explore and ‘experience’ the world. Download both games here.
Dink Smallwood: [I've written about Dink here in the past, but what the heck!] Help Dink the pig farmer become the saviour of the world. Yet another adventure RPG set in a magical, medieval world, Dink Smallwood (1997) does not have the exploration scope of the Elder Scrolls games, but it has an engaging and sometimes irreverent story of its own. Setting out seeking a new life after the death of his mother, Dink gets caught up in a quest to cleanse the world of a nefarious group called the Cast. He gains powers, weapons and magic as he progresses, and finally comes face to face with the most dangerous enemy of all… Get Dink.
Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2: The first two in the popular — if controversial — series of games, Grand Theft Auto was released in 1998 and Grand Theft Auto 2 followed in 1999. You take on the role of a criminal working for a big city crime syndicate and gain points by performing tasks, including robberies, assassinations and generally creating havoc around the city. GTA also had an open-ended world, and one is free to roam around, steal cars, disrupt traffic and generally be a big-time nuisance. Not surprising that it has it detractors. Get them here.

The DOS question

Of course, some of these games are pretty ancient, and operating systems (yes, even Windows!) have evolved since then. Many of the games were built for the DOS platform and may not work in present-day computers. However, help is at hand in the form of an x86 emulator called DOSBox, which can be used one Windows, Mac OS and Linux systems.

[Which ones have I played?

Well, I'm certainly old enough to have played them all in their heyday! Doom is still a favourite, and I have fond memories of Dink Smallwood too. I have also tried out Wolfenstein 3D, but didn't get too far. The Elder Scrolls remain on my to-do list, and yes, I have to admit I'd like to try GTA too...]

~PD

Will there be a book 4

Payal — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:30:28 +0000

…of the Shadow in Eternity series?

Well, as things are going right now, there will probably be a sort of mini-book, a novella, if you like. It will basically be an attempt to catch up with the present.

The events unfolding in The Timeless Land (book 3) happened in 2006, when Maya was 14. It might be interesting to look in on her and her friends in the “present” day and find out what life is like.

I have a working title right now — Amazing Grace — but things could change…

~PD

20 things to do in ‘10

Payal — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:46:24 +0000

More than half of January has already gone by, but Writer’s Log still lags in last year. It hasn’t been for want of trying, but that is a lame excuse. Anyway, here’s a to-do list for 2010 (in no special order):

Don’t make lame excuses about not updaing my blog
Redesign my site (eeeep!)
Put the entire site on a single CMS (double eeeep!)
Redo the Halvard Castle site (yes, it’s so hopeless that I’m not even linking it!)
Do a site for the Vakker book
Upgrade Web development skills (yes, Niklas, that means return to my JS books)
Learn something new this year (a language, a skill, whatever; JS doesn’t count)
Write more.
Finish the Shadow in Eternity IV novella (there, it’s in writing now!)
Go out more
Don’t pretend to be happy about things I’m not
Buy a vehicle, even if it’s a bicycle
Start on (and preferably finish) a new book
Be happier and complain less
Do my tax returns
Visit Europe
Stop being scared of pregnant women
Stop being scared of babies
Play more games
Start following football again

That’s all folks.

~PD

A walk around Sankey Tank

Payal — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:09:26 +0000

Went to visit a well-known Bangalore landmark on Monday, 21 December — Sankey Tank. This is an artificial lake constructed in the 1880s to supply water to the city of Bangalore. It has seen many ups and downs, but has lately been revamped to make it a really nice place to be in.

The water and the place around have been cleaned up, “beautifying” the walkway, adding landscaping and benches (regrettably garish), building toilets, and so on. There is a separate tank for Ganesh Chaturthi immersions so the main body of water does not get polluted. The park only opens for a specific period of time during the day, which is a little sad, but also ensures it’s kept clean. No food and drinks are allowed inside either.

If you’re visiting Bangalore, this is worth checking out. You can no long walk completely around it since some parts have been blocked off since the Tank overflowed its bounds some years back.

~PD

My first meme

Payal — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:51:24 +0000

This is my first meme. I didn’t really know what it meant or even how to pronounce it, so I had to look it up:

Meme [meem] n.A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

Um… okay. Anyway, read on if this interests you:

Favourite song right now?
Don’t have one because I reformatted my iPod, but I was listening to the Sound of Music today.

What did you last eat?
A Subway 6-inch sandwich, double choco-chip cookie, tea.

What kind of books do you read?
Oh wow, I can’t answer that! I read anything that catches my fancy, but like crime, anything in the young adult genre, some fantasy. I also like to read books that have a positive characterisation of girls and women, and have strong characters, female.

What are you reading right now?
Marked (PC and Kristin Cast) and about to start Beast with the Nine Billion Feet (Anil Menon).

Favourite Television show right now.
Don’t have one. Am watching Brothers and Sisters and Grey’s Anatomy out of habit rather than any compelling desire to follow the lives of the Walker family or of Seattle Grace/Mercy West’s doctors.

What are you wearing right now?
Track pants, T-shirt and shirt.

What’s your current fandom / obsession / addiction?
Fandom: None (how sad is my life?); Obsession: Gender-related stuff; Addiction: Reading

What did you really want to do today that you didn’t?
Some writing and … *cough* … you know!

What are you most excited for?
Getting feedback on my forthcoming book!

If you could be a mythical creature, what would you be?
A Time Lady. I’d like a Tardis and go into the future to find out if it’s really worth it or if I should just find a tall building to jump off tomorrow.

What was the last thing you bought?
Subway sandwich and cookie.

If you could have any pet, what would it be?
I have a pet — my plant Billy, whom I basically ignore because he looks after himself (and since I killed his sister Chilly and their other sister Silly committed suicide because of that…). But seriously, I’d like a dog or cat.

What do you want right this minute, off the top of your head?
I want to be happy with myself. (Whatever that means!)

Where is the place you like to return to in order to calm down / relax / etc.?
If I can drag myself there, to the gym to work out, but I usually don’t make it. I can generally also find things to calm me down online, and I’ve been fairly lucky since mostly when I’m upset, I come online and find a friend or two around to talk to. When I really can’t do either, I get into bed with a book. I have to add, though, that there is one place I always imagine myself at when I want to think of being calm — it’s sitting on a certain rock on the shores of Crummock Water, Lake District.

Who was the last person you visited?
My friend Swapna, last Sunday.

Are there any bits of childhood that you miss?
Nope. I’m just glad I survived it. I can’t think of any moment I want to relive.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter?
Bah, I live in Bangalore — we don’t have seasons! But all right, winter.

Say something to the person who tagged you:
Katherine, I’m gonna get you. Just you wait… *dark look*. And for the sake of perpetuating the torture I tag Proteeti and Swapna.

~PD

Bhopal: 25 Years Later (Part 2)

Payal — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:31:03 +0000

A unique buffet

Twenty-five years down the line, the scars of the Bhopal gas leak tragedy continue to haunt the lives of the natives. As the ongoing campaign to bring justice to the survivors continues unabated, the following is a first-hand account of a unique protest:

A quarter century later Bhopal’s survivors are still fighting for justice. Ahead of 3rd December, the survivors of the tragedy and their supporters have launched a week-long protest to condemn the inaction of the state government to remove the toxic waste from the vicinity of the factory. In response to the preposterous claim made by the Joint Secretary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department that the level of toxicity in the soil inside and around the factory compound is way below danger level and if 200 gm of it is consumed orally by a person weighing 70 kg, it will not have any effect, implying that any food or plant grown in that soil is “safe” for consumption, a Vish Mukti Bhoj was organized on 28th November in front of the factory by the survivors of the tragedy.

Around 30–40 women from Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karamchari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha and Bhopal Group for Information and Action launched a unique and tongue-in-cheek protest to bring out the ridiculousness of the joint secretary’s claim. The protesters sat in a line with paper plates and bowls in front of them that contained the contaminated soil and water from the factory and surrounding areas. The plates came with name tags for Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan, Minister for Gas Relief and Civic Administration Babulal Gaur, Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni and other bureaucrats to invite them to eat the soil and drink the water that their government claims to be safe and free from contamination. Huge black banners were put up that said: “Jhoot bolna bandh karo” (Stop lying) along with a dummy crow depicting the theme of “jhoot bole kauwa kaate” (A crow will bite you if you lie).

A report released today by the Centre for Science and Environment confirms what the survivors of the tragedy already know — the groundwater has been contaminated as far as 3 km from the factory site and contains almost forty times more pesticides than Indian standards. (For more details on the Bhopal gas tragedy visit ICJB and Students for Bhopal.)

Shweta Vachani, 28 November 2009

Chilling reminders

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department’s flippant, insensitive claim needs no refutal, for the evidence is apparent. CNN IBN’s Nilanjana Bose finds how the tragedy “has left a permanent imprint on the city of Bhopal”. In her half-hour piece “Scars from the Bhopal Gas Tragedy”, she documents how the next generation is paying dearly for it: Watch it here (viewer discretion advised).

~PD

Bhopal disaster: 25 years later

Payal — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:30:49 +0000

Darkest before dawn

While the city of Bhopal slept on the night of 3–4 December 1984, they were unaware of the 27 tonnes of toxic gases that leaked from the Union Carbide Plant, exposing half a million people to a poisonous gas cloud containing methyl isocyanate, and possibly carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen oxides, phosgene, hydrogen cyanide and momomethyl amine.

Ten thousand people were dead within 72 hours, and twenty-five years later the death toll lies at 25,000 and still rising, with over 100,000 people affected. Toxic chemicals abandoned at the UCC plant when the powers-that-be decamped to evade responsibility continue to pollute the ground water, leaving hapless residents still at risk.

Today, the picture remains as bleak as ever, a humanitarian disaster on a massive scale. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), now owned by Dow Chemical Company, in refusing to admit liability, have left thousands of lives and livelihoods on the brink. Survivors grapple with a multitude of long-term health effects, including respiratory, neurological and immune disorders, reproductive health issues, eye problems and more. Birth defects among children due to their mothers being exposed to the poisonous gas remain common.

Burdened by the effects on their bodies, livelihoods have been compromised, pushing those already on the margins into destitution. With key stakeholders such as the government and Dow/Carbide crying off from taking responsibility, the survivors of Bhopal are fighting an uphill battle.

Escape, the best form of defence

As 4 December 1984 dawned, Bhopal woke to its streets covered with dead bodies. Today one person per day still dies because of what happened that night. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary Dow and UCC claim not to be culpable, continuing to pass off the leakage as sabotage. However, investigations have revealed substandard safety standards in the Indian plant, as well as the fact that the MIC tank alarms had not been working for four years. In addition, none of the leak prevention mechanisms were working on the fateful night:

1. Flare Tower: Disconnected
2. Vent Gas Scrubber: Out of caustic soda and inadequate for unsafe volume of gas
3. Water Curtain: Not functional; designed with inadequate height
4. Pressure Valve: Leaking
5. Run Off Tank: Already contained MIC
6. Mandatory Refrigeration for MIC Unit: Shut down for 3 months to save money

( StudentsforBhopal.org)

Testimonies from workers and independent studies paint a pretty bleak picture:

According to former workers of the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, while the factory was in operation, massive amounts of chemicals – including pesticides, solvents, catalysts and wastes – were routinely dumped in and around the factory grounds. These include deadly substances such as aldicarb, carbaryl, mercury, and several chlorinated chemicals and organic poisons. In 1977, Carbide constructed Solar Evaporation Ponds (SEPs) over 14 hectares 400 meters north of its factory. Toxic effluents and toxic wastes were routinely dumped there. Two tube wells dug in the vicinity of the SEPs were abandoned because of the noxious smell and taste of the water.

A 1990 study by the Bhopal Group for Information and Action found di- and trichlorobenzenes in water samples taken from wells being used by communities living near the factory fence lines, and phthalates, chlorinated benzenes and aromatic hydrocarbons in the soil samples taken from the SEPs. In 1996, the State Research Laboratory conducted its own tests on water and concluded that the chemical contamination found is “due to chemicals used in the Union Carbide factory that have proven to be extremely harmful for health. Therefore the use of this water for drinking must be stopped immediately.”

In 1999, Greenpeace and Bhopal community groups documented the presence of stockpiles of toxic pesticides… as well as hazardous wastes and contaminated material scattered throughout the factory site. The survey found substantial and, in some locations, severe contamination of land and water supplies with heavy metals and chlorinated chemicals. Samples of groundwater from wells around the site showed high levels of chlorinated chemicals including chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, indicative of long-term contamination.

( StudentsforBhopal.org)

Facing criminal charges of culpable homicide (manslaughter), the UCC has effectively fled the country. In addition, Dow/Carbide has consistently refused take responsibility to clean up the site and compensate the victims justly.

Some four years after the disaster the Government of India reached a settlement with Union Carbide that was a betrayal to the survivors. Without consulting the people directly affected by the disaster, they settled for a figure that was equivalent to a just 15 per cent of what was originally filed for, and also absolving UCC of other liabilities. Needless to say, the survivors filed a complaint, leading to a part reversal of the settlement, and as of now two cases remain pending. A civil case in the Southern District Federal Court, New York, and a criminal one in Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court, Bhopal. The extradition of Warren Anderson, then CEO of UCC, is also sought, to have him stand trial in India.

Justice blinded

Today, a quarter of a century on lives and livelihoods continue to be affected. The 390 tonnes of toxic chemicals from the factory that lie exposed, with burst and corroded tanks that seep their poisonous matter into the earth inexorably with each passing year of heavy monsoon rain, leaves thousands of residents still at risk.

The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, a coalition of survivors and environmental, social justice, progressive Indian, and human rights groups, has relentlessly been campaigning for Dow/Carbide to own up to its responsibilities, and clean up the site; provide necessary health care to survivors; provide economic and social support to those who have lost their livelihoods due to the exposure; and not to mention stand trial for what the world unequivocally believes to be a horrific “crime against humanity”.

They also campaign with the Governments of India and of Madhya Pradesh to — among other things — ensure Dow’s liability; set up a national commission on Bhopal to clearly articulate a policy for long-term monitoring, care and rehabilitation of survivors; ensure treatment for survivors as well as those exposed to toxic water; clean up drinking water supply; dispose of chemical wastes from the UCC plant; seek the extradition of Warren Anderson; and blacklist Dow and Union Carbide.

Help Bhopal

For more information, including how you can help the ICJB, visit Students for Bhopal and The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal.

~PD