JOIN THE STUDENT REVOLUTION! (Its huge but just read it.)

The revolution is back hoping that you have gone through the first post “Join the Revolution” and have thought about it considerably. We are getting even deeper and hope you people give us your support.

People single me out for being an activist, but I always say that the impulse is inborn - it just needs to be nurtured. It starts when you're little, and you see some kids being unkind to another kid on the bus. Maybe you do something. Maybe you don't. But there was that little hint in your brain that something was wrong, that you weren't comfortable with the situation.

Throughout your life, you have the opportunity to learn from that experience, to react to that little voice inside of you that says something has crossed your moral bottom line, to ignore what others are telling you to do and honor your impulse. The very core of being an activist is being true to yourself.

Student Revolution can be a way to unite with your peers and build a culture of resistance. And if done right, it can have a big enough impact that actual change in the system is made.

By the end of the year, we are planning on forming a group to unite students from several colleges, we are trying to form a network of radical student activists.

Remember: We are doing this to help you express your dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Right! We have a few issues that we want to raise a rucksack of. Our first step before we come up with developing our plan for student revolution is to start talking to people. Gather their thoughts about these issues. Try to get them all riled up and wanting to take action. While many people have their personal differences, almost everyone agree on some fundamental principles that things are incredibly unfair and something should be done about it.

The first thing that you must overcome is any personal inhibitions you might have towards people. Do NOT be shy or self-restrained. Don’t be afraid to go up to total strangers in a friendly way and start sharing all these personal experiences. Reach out to people of different cultural backgrounds. Don’t let social cliques and popularity contests keep the student body divided - believe me, everyone can unite around the common idea.

Once we get a band of students who want to do something about it, we will have a general meeting (The Yahoo Groups for instance). We are trying our best to get everyone we can together in one room to make some decisions about what can be done about the issue in question. Have everyone go around the room and introduce themselves. Make sure no one feels uncomfortable or left out.

A free mind can’t exist in an unfree society.

6 WAYS TO LEAVE A LIGHTER FOOTPRINT ON THE PLANET

1) Reuse shopping bags

2) Ban Coca Cola

3) Use rechargeable batteries

4) Switch to fluorescent light bulbs

5) Stop junk mail

6) Demand Organic

Reuse Shopping Bags!

"I went to the store. I bought a wastebasket. The cashier put it in a bag. I brought it home. I took it out of the bag. I crumpled up the bag and tossed it in the wastebasket."

For small purchases do without a bag. This alone could save hundreds of millions of bags. When you go to a book store, don’t accept a plastic bag. Smile and say “No thank you, I’m against polythene bags”. Stop using plastic bags. They are made from petroleum products and tend to end up in the dumpster or blocking drains, choking wildlife. They are not biodegradable, even if they say they are they do not decompose fully.

Also the ink that they use to color the plastic bag is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Now when we consume stuff, we excrete the waste by urinating or shitting. But the heavy metals (lead fumes from vehicles running on petroleum, chromium from paints, lead from batteries) that we consume can’t be excreted out by the normal process and they are removed thro’ the NAILS and HAIR. But cadmium is one heavy metal, which is not removed even thro’ the nails or thro’ the hair, which is pretty dangerous to all forms of life.

“Bring a cloth sack or string bag when you shop”

You might feel awkward lifting a cloth bag while shopping. You feel “what will people think of me?”. Just don’t give a damn about these people. And no one is ever gonna question you “hey why are you not using a plastic bag?”

Paper bags are reusable and biodegradable, however supermarkets use paper that has never been recycled before and they always say "recyclable" not "recycled".

Ban Coca-Cola

Coca-cola has infested KERLA. First they pump out all the water and hit the farmers in the stomach. The water level is pretty low and costs a lot to be pumped out. Also the effluent of the company has made the rest of the little bit of water into black water (Unfit to irrigate). The land there is found to have a drastic increase in cadmium content (I keep iterating on this because it cadmium is damn harmful.). The newspaper had this article which claimed that coca cola had 5 times as much pesticide content in it as it’s supposed to have.

What does thirst mean? It is a brain signal which is sent when the cells are out of fluid and more importantly when the kidney has to be flushed of impurities. But coca cola has so much of sugar in it that drinking it when thirsty will just about quench your thirst for 10 mins (Cauze its cold and stuff). After which you will get even thirstier because the coca cola adds to the impurities (sugar) in the kidney making the flushing of kidney even more urgent. And people have another cola to quench the thirst…duh huh.

I just did a Google search and found an interesting fact that the Most-Paid-Guys in the US of A are the doctors specialized in kidney transplant. The connection being in America people just drink coca cola to quench thirst and by the age of 20 they develop a kidney stone which is painful.

It costs only 50 paisa to make a 6 rupee coca cola. They get the water almost free. The major part of the profit i.e. 3 bucks of the 5.50 bucks coca cola makes goes for advertisement. Amithab Bachan what a bastard he is. I know he is a good actor and stuff, but in a recent interview where the reporter asked him “Sir don’t you think you are endorsing lots of products?” and our man replied “No not at all. I for instance am anti-caffeine and therefore you don’t see me in any coffee ads”

First of all Mr. B the coffee companies aren’t rolling in billions of dollars.

Second of all Mr. B you did an ad for Eveready batteries, the people responsible for the Bhopal tragedy. Now our man is anti-caffeine but not anti-cyanide. Hilarious.

Have Narial Pani (Coconut water) when you are thirsty. These people are getting wiped out after these MNCs have infested our land. You could do your bit to the environment.

Use Rechargeable Batteries

Replace alkaline batteries with rechargeables (nickel-cadium). Deadly heavy metals, mercury and cadmium, from batteries are leaching a major source of contamination in our landfills and when incinerated, contaminate our air.

Recycle alkaline batteries if you can. They can extract the mercury and cadmium for reuse. The amount of mercury used in batteries annually is more than 4 times what the government allows in our landfills. When your batteries do quit, dispose of your alkaline batteries properly. Don’t throw on bare earth, they will leak and contaminate the land. Batteries are not to be placed in waste baskets or dumpsters where they will end up as municipal trash. The best way to dispose a battery is to call your local municipal and hand it over to them for proper recycling or disposal. This might surprise you, but is true. It is the job of the municipal corporation to take care of this and there are people who call them to dispose used up batteries. To help their work to ease out, you can collect the batteries over a period of time and give them a call.

Switch to Fluorescent Light Bulbs!

Incandescent bulbs consume 20% of all electricity produced in India. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) burn cooler, last 10 times longer, use 75% less energy than conventional incandescents and are now available in a variety of shapes and wattages.

Fluorescent bulbs save you money. Even though fluorescents initially are more expensive lifetime use will cost you less. It will take 13 traditional bulbs to last for the same amount of time. Furthermore, a fluorescent light will cost you less for electricity during its lifetime, whereas incandescents will cost about 4 times as much.

Better for the environment: A fluorescent bulb, over its lifetime, saves a 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere.

Save even more energy with dimmable CFLs. If 100 million Indian households used ONE fluorescent light bulb, it would save the same energy generated by a nuclear power plant for a year.

Stop Junk Mail

Personal junk mail uses 1 1/2 trees per year or about 100 million Indian trees annually. India's daily consumption of junk mail could produce enough energy to heat a quarter of a million homes. “citibank has a offer for you”, “free vacation plan”, “get a free computer”, ”“you have been elected”, “Participate in…” etc. Personally, I dot read 50 percent of the mail I get, just cause it’s not worth it (It’s junk). On an average I get about 10 junk mails a month.

A life of junk free mail is possible. It can be as easy as sending in a letter, a post card, an email, or making a phone call to the source. Be persistent and it may take about 3 months to see results.

Don't give personal information to telemarketers or other freebie gimmicks
and ask to be removed from their list.

Don't sign-up for free vacations or other freebie gimmicks. Every time you give your name and address out, someone collects that information because it's worth 5 to 10 bucks every time they sell it. When you do provide your information, include in legible writing; "Do not rent, trade, sell or give away my name, address, or phone number."

Reuse the envelopes. You can also reuse envelopes with the glassine address window by placing a mailing label over it. (I learnt this from the IITians. They practice this in IIT Kanpur). Recycle the junk mail you receive

Demand Organic!

When you buy certified organic food and products, your money cast a vote for a healthier planet.

Look for the label

When you buy certified organic food and products check the label for:
"100% Organic" means all ingredients are organic.
" Organic " means 95% are organics.
" Made with organics," means at least 70% are organic.

Organic foods taste good and are good for you. They are produced without use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), harmful pesticides, hormones, synthetics or antibiotics. Children receive four times the exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Now, the EPA considers 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides, and 30% of all insecticides as potentially cancer causing.

The more we buy, the less it costs
Organic farming is the fastest growing segment of Indian agriculture with sales rising 20% a year. There is a 30% growth in the number of organic acres each year.

It is environmentally friendly
Organic farming uses scientific understanding of ecology and soil science. Organics do not rely on synthetic fertilizers, they build their soil through natural amenities, such as composted manure, and by planting diverse crops. The diversity of crops increases soil fertility as well as diversity of organisms.

Preserves biodiversity
Organic farming recognizes the value of preserving a diversity of seed varieties. Many growers have been collecting and using heirloom seed varieties for decades. On the other hand, many conventional farms still grow hybridized vegetables and fruits, bred for uniformity, ease of shipping and cosmetic appearance. Such practices ignore the value of preserving a more balanced ecosystem.

Protects water quality
Organics eliminates polluting chemicals and nitrogen from leaching into the soil. What’s good for the land is good for farmers and workers. 20,000 farm workers die each year form exposure to chemicals.

Buy locally and seasonally
It is fresher, tastier and more nutritious. The less miles your favorite food travels from field to table the fewer resources are used. Eating seasonal foods within your geographic area will support your health and the local farmers

Get to know the natural food stores in your neighborhood
Some conventional markets are now devoting small sections to organics... but read labels carefully. Natural food stores are popping up everywhere these days. Find them.

Consider supporting Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) In your area
Foods will be at peak of ripeness, flavor, vitamin and mineral content. Check it out carefully. Not all are organic.

When eating out, consider patronizing restaurants that support organic farmers and use less plastic.

Thanx a lot for undergoing thro’ this ordeal. One of my friends came up with this idea to let us know how many of you guys support us and our cause: every time you forward this mail make sure you include the email id nitterbog@gmail.com. That’s about it. Hail revolution and activism.

You have been KWHAed

Join the revolution, Live happier

So you're tired of wasting your life away behind a screen, or maybe you’re not satisfied with the way things are going around you. You're constantly looking deep down for more in life, more meaning, and more excitement. You want to make a difference, and you want to have a good time doing it. So what better way then to get active in your community?

Now when you hear the words revolution, and activism, a couple of things that may come to mind: protesting, rioting, tree hugging, stealing, and sometimes even arson. Well that is undoubtedly how the media portrays activists. However this mass depicted stereo type is extremist, and somewhat falsified. Becoming an activist has absolutely nothing to do with carrying a picket sign, breaking stuff in the streets, and setting stuff on fire (not saying that those things aren't fun ;)). It is about making changes to system, but not via the drastic methods you see televised. As a matter of fact, revolution will not, and can not be televised. Activists utilizing the system to destroy the system never have, and never will work out. So true activism takes effect at a local level. It is here at this local level were individuals have the biggest impact on the world.

So now that we got your windows cleaned from media mis-representation, and you see the bright rays of activism glaring at you. You probably want part of it, but what’s that? You don't know how or were to get started. Well don't worry there is no wrong way to get started. So to make it easy for you I have compiled a short list of activities and such you can do to become active.

1.) Turn off the television
TV is the centrifuge of most things corporal. Chances are you, or some one you know works for some one directly, or indirectly involved with this form of mass media (broadcast, the phone company, coke, coffee shops, or the gym they all advertise don't they?). Besides that, wouldn't you rather be living an adventure of your own, instead of watching one unfold before you on a screen? Go shake stuff up with your friends, meet new people, go on adventures, just please turn the TV off.

2.) Fall in love
Yes this is an activist act. Some one in love has more to live for, more excitement, and more meaning in there life. Some one in love has less place in the corporal elite ranks and more in the living life for the moment spectrum. So fall in love today. Fall in love with a girl, a guy, an activity, anything it really doesn't matter just find more to live for.

3.) Read a book
Especially books that make you question things around you, ones that get you to think. Books full of action, puzzles, mystery, tragedy, whatever it’s all good.

4.) Start conversations with strangers
Starting a conversation with some one you have never seen before in your life is a great exercise to break down the social-phobia that the system breeds us on. Also in the act of doing this you make the world a some what friendlier place to live in, by breaking down the social walls that keep us all isolated, distant, and forgotten. This alone is all we need to rekindle the flame of our communities.

5.) Use alternative transportation
Use public transportation whenever possible. You should also get some exercise in by, riding a bike, jogging, walking, or skating. Either of these options will both break down some social barriers and conserve fossil fuels, keep you a healthier person.

6.) Go to local band/music shows
these are usually cheap and are jam packed with fun. What better way to get the community together, while having a good time listening to your favorite local band? If you do choose to go to these events, don't let them be a spectator sport. What I mean is please don't just stand around and stare at the bands. Get social, party, live it up, and shake things up a bit.

7.) Call in sick on a sunny day
Calling in sick on a sunny day is an exploit people simply don't take advantage of enough. Everyone deserves a day off every once in a while, and this would be the perfect time to go explore a part of your town you've never seen before, interact with new people, and just have fun.

8.) Let your artistic side out
Break free from your systematic lifestyle by writing a poem, sketching something up, writing song lyrics, composing music, or writing a story, anything that gets the creative juices flowing and gets you thinking somewhat out of the norm.

9.) Spend less, Work less, live more
Buy only the absolute essentials you need to live. Make sure whatever product you buy, your buying it because you need it. Not because advertisers make you feel insecure to buy their product, or just for bragging rights. If you do this, then you will need less income. The less income you need the less you need to work. The less you need to work the more time you have to put your energy to something productive and fun you believe in. Set up a goal. And just work enough to get to the goal. For eg. If you are eyeing the IIM, and then just work enough to get a 70 percent in your university examination and pass the CAT exam. Don’t try to burden yourself with all the things.

10.) Get organized
Organize meaningful fun events in your neighborhood. Throw a community potluck. Have a community barbecue where everyone brings something. Organize spoken word, and music related events for people to come together and express themselves. Organize your own student union if you don't have one. Organize charities, non-profit organizations, anything really. Start your own projects as long as you see them as a productive thing then that’s really all that matters.

Unfortunately we are encaged on one single planet where the majority is unsocializable, brainwashed and unsuitable. I have a wish everyday but my wish becomes more of an impossible vision more and more everyday. I have come to realize my wish can only ever be a dream: A dream of a social, happy and evolving planet.

No need for war, bias or religion. But as I previously mentioned humanity as a whole is brainwashed. I believe humanity as a whole needs to see past all the lies they are fed. They need to take a step forward to ensure a safe and beautiful life. I believe religion has no truth, it is a faith. Their whole belief is based on a book. But what is a book? A writing of the author’s thoughts and imagination not factional. What great creator would watch their creation exterminate itself? What is the point in life if we don't use it for good? Why don't we learn from past mistakes? Why don't we have one world Government and one country? A suitable Government which doesn't need to lie to get elected. One to make a real change. Well I have no more to really say but that. But thanks for reading. If you didn't like it, or disagree that's ok just call me an idiot and make yourself feel better. Lets all get Happy and Active.

Hail REVOLUTION Hail ACTIVISM…

Love
A.P.P. Ganesh

You have been KWHAed