Dilip Simeon's blog

Whales may be the most massive animals in the world, but siphonophores – relatives of jellyfish and corals – can be the longest, at up to 50 metres. On Wednesday evening the Science Museum in London is holding a  'Lates' event  to stage the announcement of the discovery of one million new underwater species. The Tara research team will announce the findings following a two-and-a-half-year, 70,000-mile voyage across the Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctic and Indian Oceans, investigating marine ecosystems and biodiversity under the impact of climate change. Their talk will also include rarely seen footage of siphonophores.. See photos:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2012/sep/26/siphonophore-longest-animals-on-pla net-pictures This siphonophore, physonect siphonophore Stephanomia sp., can reach 10 meters in length Also see :  Journey to the Antarctic Ocean

The People’s Union for Democratic Rights on Tuesday alleged that third degree torture methods were used by the Gurgaon Criminal Investigation Agency while interrogating workers of Maruti Suzuki India Limited’s Manesar plant who are accused of involvement in the killing of an HR manager and the violent attack at the plant on July 18. The PUDR alleged that the Gurgaon CIA investigation “did not seem” to be directed at solving the crime or probing the involvement of the arrested workers in the incidents and crimes recorded in the FIR but instead was based on their involvement in trade union activities. Grave doubts  “The use of third degree torture in police custody, and the securing of arrestees’ signatures on blank papers by the police, gives rise to grave doubts regarding the ability of such an investigation in effectively identifying or arresting those guilty. The police and the State seem keener to reassure Maruti Suzuki Ltd. and ensure that production continues,” the ...

No innocent person should be branded a terrorist and put behind bars simply because he belongs to a minority community, the Supreme Court has told the Gujarat Police. Police must ensure that no innocent person has the feeling of sufferance only because “my name is Khan, but I am not a terrorist,” a Bench of Justices H.L. Dattu and C.K. Prasad said on Wednesday. It ordered the acquittal of 11 persons, arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act and other laws, and convicted for allegedly planning to create communal violence during the Jagannath Puri Yatra in Ahmedabad in 1994. “We emphasise and deem it necessary to repeat that the gravity of the evil to the community from terrorism can never furnish an adequate reason for invading personal liberty, except in accordance with the procedure established by the Constitution and the law,” the Bench said. Being an anti-terrorist law, the TADA’s provisions could not be liberally construed, the Bench...

NAPM  का बनवारी लाल शर्मा जी के संघर्षपूर्ण जीवन को सत् सत् नमन और भावभीनी श्रधांजलि सितम्बर २६ ,  नई दिल्ली   :  आज तडके सुबह आज़ादी बचाओ आंदोलन के प्रणेता  डॉ बनवारी लाल शर्मा जी  का ह्रदय गति रुकने से चंडीगढ़ के पी जी आई अस्पताल में निधन हो गया  |  चंडीगढ़ में एक सभा को संबोधित करते हुए कल उन्हें कुछ तकलीफ के बाद अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया था  |  पिछले कुछ महीनों से उनके स्वास्थ्य को लेकर परेशानी बढ़ गयी थी फिर भी वे निरंतर जन आंदोलनों की मदद और साम्राज्यवादी ताकतों से लड़ने की रणनीति पूरे देश भर घूमकर बनाते रहे  |  इंदौर में आगामी नवं बर महीने में आज़ादी बचाओ आन्दोलन के वार्षिक अधिवेशन की तैयारी को लेकर वे इन दिनों काफी व्यस्त चल रहे थे  | उनकी अचानक मृत्यु हम सभी साथियों के लिए अत्यंत दुखद और सदमापूर्ण है |  अपना पूरा जीवन उन्होंने विदेशी कंपनियों के विरोध में और स्वदेशी विचार के प्रचार में लगाया  |  ५ जून १९८९ को प्रो .  रघुनाथ जी ,  राम धीरज और अन्य साथियों के साथ मिलकर आज़ादी ब...

Perhaps “criminal” seems a strong label for a Labour Party spin doctor. Yet, under international law, a criminal is what he is. Is there any better demonstration of our ability to normalise the unthinkable than the continued omnipresence of Alastair Campbell in British public life? Ten years and one day ago, on 24 September 2002, the British Government released its  propagandistic dossier  on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. A year later, Campbell was obliged to resign, in effect over the role he played in its composition - the publicist had become 'the story'. But this was not seen as a moral issue relating to the substance of the assault on British democracy he masterminded, but as a technical slip that could happen to 'any' public relations operative. Since then, the public have had to endure his presence on  Top Gear ; on Richard & Judy ; on  Newsnight ;  Question Time ; Comic Relief’s edition of  The Apprentice ;  Sky News ; the...

She's just 13 but carries the weight of grave issues on her slender shoulders. Issues as serious as the plight of widows in a traditional, male-dominated society where they have no voice. Jyoti Yadav , a Class VIII student from Dabadwas , Rajasthan, learnt early in life that fighting for a  just cause  wasn't easy. But she plodded on nonetheless and today, is a source of inspiration to others in her village.  Her mission began even before she was born. That's when Jyoti's father passed away and her 17-yearold widowed mother faced stigma. Jyoti grew up in an extended household where her mother's presence was frowned upon, where she was banished from marriages and other celebratory functions and where she wasn't spoken to properly. All this left a deep impact on the delicate sensibilities of this young child. As she grew up and attended school, Jyoti started questioning the skewed mores and hypocrisy of her society. Speaking from Dabadwas, Jyoti in a childlike voi...

Up to one million new species of microscopic sea life have been observed for the first time, promising new revelations about the marine ecosystem that could revolutionise our understanding of climate change's impact on the world's oceans.  Each new life form was discovered by the crew of just one small research vessel, the Tara, which has recently completed a two-and-a-half year, 70,000 mile expedition. The scientific journey, which is unprecedented in its scale, provides a snapshot of life at the bottom of the oceanic food chain. More than 30,000 samples of sea water were taken from locations across the globe, from the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, south to the remote Antarctic seas. The expedition's findings reveal the diversity and complexity of the tiny plankton that are a vital food source for fish and whales.  In total, 1.5 million species of marine micro-organisms were recorded – significantly more than were previously believed to exist. They range from cre...