This is an archive of the Dadamac.net website, as it was in 2015, it is no longer being updated.

Blog posts about pamelamclean

Monitoring air and water quality

Submitted by Pamela on 18 December 2009 - 1:35am
Hi Vijay I am so pleased you have started to come to the worknets chat room for our meetings on the first Thursdays of the month and that you are getting to know my friend and teacher Andrius Kulikauskas . I noticed that you mentioned your project to him - where you said " right now i am working on a project monitoring air and water quality in Indian cities and towns:: the idea of this project is to empower citizens with crucial information about air and water quality (24x7)". (Andrius copied to the Holistic Helping group what you said...

The Way Out of Undernutrition

Submitted by vijay on 11 December 2009 - 3:03pm
Hi Pam, When I began discussing about a learning group on food security, I was only thinking of agriculture and farmers. But over this week, I began to realise that food security is a far bigger area than that: it also encompasses issues like availability and access, and most importantly, nutrition. Now, I don't how many people will agree with me that nutrition also forms a part of food security. But to me, the circle of food security is incomplete if a huge chunk of a country's population continues to wallow in hunger, despite high agricultural productivity and foodgrain output...

The Urge to See and Know Africa

Submitted by vijay on 10 December 2009 - 11:33am
Hi Pam, Sometimes, I have the great urge to push off to the rural heartland of an African country and spend some months understanding people and development. Although India itself offers a great variety of developmental challenges and learnings, I find Africa a more fascinating place to be in for understanding the interplay of development and anthropology in a cultural context different from mine. By going there, I hope to get a closer feel of people belonging to ancient cultures and traditions, and a land rich in pristine biodiversity. I would also like to see whether development is going to...

Learning and resources

Submitted by Pamela on 7 December 2009 - 11:29pm
Hi Vijay I've been been thinking about my ongoing learning journey over the weekend, and wrote about the thinking behind Dadamac Learners Resources - including some for you I've also started to collect up some resources including two articles I saw today which may be of interest to you. I think this one has something of "the feel" of being involved in activities at Fantsuam (but I have only skim read the very beginning). Mechanics vs. motivation: The two faces of social innovation It seems to capture the energy and enthusiasm of doing things - and the desire people have...

Week ending Dec 3rd

Submitted by Pamela on 3 December 2009 - 8:42pm
So much happening, so little time to write. Streaming Learning and Sharing Last Thursday, November 29th. Franz Nahrada held a skype planning meeting for the January video bridge, Streaming Learning and Sharing workshop http://twurl.nl/hlkeqy . I was there with other participants. it was our first online meeting. Developing Technologies Friday, November 30th - Meeting with Femi Longe (Africa Plus Plus and New Ideas for Africa)and Ron Bridges ( www.developing technologies.org ) at City University. That meeting ties in with our recycling plastic project. Tuttle Friday mornings is Tuttle club - so I called in on my way to the meeting...

Of Highways and Footpaths

Submitted by vijay on 24 November 2009 - 7:49am
Hi Pam, I am not sure whether what I am putting up now will be of interest to all. But those who live in big cites and towns, and are used to crowded, high traffic zones in urban environments, will probably like and agree with this contrarian view on urbanisation. In a recent interview to an Indian newspaper, Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Colombia, said that the quality of footpaths (and not highways) determine the quality of life in a city. "The single biggest difference between the infrastructure of an advanced nation and a backward nation is its footpaths,...

Education and ICT

Submitted by vijay on 17 November 2009 - 12:16pm
Hi Pam, Your chat with me this morning set me thinking about ICT. As I told you, I have been toying with the idea of studying further and adding to my knowledge and skills. But it almost seems impossible for me, since most of the online courses (I am not even thinking of proper, offline courses) seem unaffordable, in term of time and money. Some of the best online courses in UK and US cost a bomb for somebody like me in India. This is where I think ICT can play a crucial role in filling the gap for many...

Renewable energy initiatives

Submitted by Pamela on 26 October 2009 - 3:44pm
Hi Vijay I enjoyed reading your blog. it seems that we do share the same concerns and have similar ideas. The ideas of technology transfer and of investing in renewable energy initiatives are dear to my heart (and got some mention in my blog "Pam - we want street lights" ) so I was interested to read about the President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, and especially his comments that: The Western countries cannot ask "dynamically fast developing" countries like India not to produce or consume energy in order to control carbon emissions. The better option for the rich countries is...

Africa, India, MDGs

Submitted by Pamela on 15 October 2009 - 2:33pm
Hi Vijay Thank you for your open letter today directing our attention to Nobel prize winner Elinor Ostrom and her work to show that privatising natural resources is not the answer for stemming environmental degradation. I also appreciate the fact that you have introduced the issue of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) For me your blog was a strong reminder that there is great overlap between the problems of India and Africa (so it is good that you have brought an Indian perspective to add to Dadamac's usual African concerns). I was especailly struck by the comment that "FAO says Asia...

Nobel Victory for the Commons

Submitted by vijay on 15 October 2009 - 1:09pm
It has been a record haul for women at the Nobel prizes this year. But more heartening for me was the Nobel for economics going to a political scientist, who has worked painstakingly to show that privatising natural resources is not the answer for stemming environmental degradation. US-based Elinor Ostrom’s studies have challenged established economic thinking that natural resources can either be owned by the State or the private sector. They have shown that fish stocks, pastures, woods, lakes and groundwater basins can be managed better as common resources by communities. I don’t know who should celebrate more for this...

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