scanman's posterous - Filed under 'opinion'

i am a card carrying indian citizen now!

this week marks a momentous event in my life.

i finally became a true card carrying citizen of this great country of ours.

i got my family card (see second photo), better known as the all powerful ration card.

it's only after i got it that i was told that "just" getting a ration card is not enough. it has to be validated at the local civil supplies distribution shop aka ration shop. i love the name in tamil, nyAya vilai kadai (நியாய விலை கடை), literally "fair/just price shop." begs the question how unfair the prices are in other shops!

so i made the pilgrimage to the local ration shop a couple of days ago. surprisingly, there was no crowd in the shop. i had imagined wading through a mass of ration-card-and-bag-carrying humanity to reach the counter! the lady at the counter looked up with an eyebrow raised in enquiry from her newspaper. i hesitantly told her i was a new card-holder. for a moment my mind flashed back to that long ago day in sixth standard when i walked into the classroom for the first time in a new (boarding) school with a chit from the head master to the class teacher. the lady put down the newspaper with an exaggeratedly weary sigh, reached over the counter to take my card and checked the number. then she pulled out a fat ledger with an even bigger sigh and opened it to a page marked with a strip of yellow paper. she found the relevant entry (all hand written, of course), checked it and scribbled something therein. she then turned the ledger around and told me to sign at the 'x' mark. i did that. then the lady opened my ration card to this year's page and made a note of the ledger entry number, the shop number and date. she didn't even sign it!

i realized that the little anonymous notation (marked in red in the first photo) is the single most important thing in the making of an indian citizen. you are not considered a card carrying member of the system if you don't have that scribble.

forget the fact that i've had a driver's license for nearly two decades, a passport for a little over a quarter of a century and a voter id card for the past five years. now that i have my duly sribbled (er, notarized) ration card, i can proudly and honestly proclaim to the world that i am indeed an indian.

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Filed under // india opinion personal photos

pakistani schoolgirls debating the nuclear tests conducted by india & pakistan

via Kenney Jacob & youtube.com

forget the "rabble-rousing" prepared debate points in the first two minutes.

the rest of the interaction between the teacher, the girls and the videographer, who says he's a visitor from india, is truly heart-warming.

scratch the surface and folks are folks all over the world.

i believe that any pakistani visitor to an indian school would go back with similar memories.

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Filed under // india opinion politics social commentary twitter

federal democracy at work aka daylight robbery

a long conversation on twitter a couple of days ago between two US emergency physicians - symtym & movinmeat, one of them with a US law degree (but not yet licensed to practice), an Indian radiologist (me), an Australian surgeon (DrCris - sorry, I forgot to add you initially) and a US internist (changu) with contributions from 2 US psychiatrists (intueri & purplesque) about the seemingly simple, Byzantine medical licensing system in the USA. it's a long conversation with 42 tweets in all. my apologies if i've left out any relevant tweets.

it all started after i read this post by Tim (aka symtym) and asked him a question on twitter.

i have some thoughts about this, which i hope to put together in another post. any comments from others medtweeps who missed the conversation are welcome.

following the twitter timeline as always, with the oldest tweet at the bottom & the newest on top...

changu @scanman @movinmeat @symtym what licensing fees pay 4 .» link to AMNews: May 12, 2008. Doctor disciplinary actions down for 3rd year ... American Medical News IMC do anythin comparable? about 14 hours ago from digsby
movinmeat @intueri "eavesdropping?" OMG I feel so violated! about 17 hours ago from Tweetie
purplesque @scanman Missed the entire licensure discussion, but it is insane. Not just the money, but the paperwork involved takes months. about 19 hours ago from web
intueri @symtym @scanman @movinmeat I enjoyed "eavesdropping" on that MD license/Constitution discussion y'all had. International forum. about 20 hours ago from web

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movinmeat @symtym very true. Just back from DC - great way to get the ol' patriotic/reverence for our system juices flowing again. 12:17 PM Apr 24th from Tweetie

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symtym @scanman so disagree, you need to read McCullough's John Adams, etc. -- they got it right despite all the lawyers, politicians, etc. 12:12 PM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat they got so much right in the 18th century coz - lesser number of politicians, laws & lawyers 12:06 PM Apr 24th from iTweet

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DrCris @scanman Ridiculous that we have to oppose something that we want. Like when we had republic referendum. Politics ruins everything. 12:04 PM Apr 24th from Tweetie

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symtym @movinmeat don't disagree, but then I'm tending to see it as amazing that the guys got so much right in the 18th century, that lasts so long 12:00 PM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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scanman @DrCris there's bound to be politics / political interference in any kind of regulatory set up. 11:59 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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movinmeat @symtym won't say it's good/bad, just an odd unintended consequence of particular way the gov't here formed. could have been better, though. 11:34 AM Apr 24th from Tweetie

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symtym @scanman most things US is one entity, but there are many aspects where we are truly 50 different states, all types of licenses r like this 11:03 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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symtym @scanman that's what I figured, I've heard the question before, common misconception for those out of the US 11:02 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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DrCris @scanman We are moving toward national registration in Australia (currently state-based) but the model makes medical appointments political. 11:02 AM Apr 24th from Tweetie

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changu @symtym @scanman is much stronger here, and India could use a lot more policing of physicians , life time licenses that s just ridiculous! 11:00 AM Apr 24th from web

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scanman @symtym that's what I was looking for Tim. Trying to make sense of something that is beyond me. 10:59 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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symtym @scanman don't get nasty there, "lawyer" means license, don't got that, whole other set of fees...there are 50 of those as well 10:59 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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changu @symtym I actuallly appreciated symtym's photons, didnt realise licensure , had to do with police..Also think the fed structure contd... 10:59 AM Apr 24th from web

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scanman RT @symtym $890/3 yrs, DEA license $551/ 3 yrs, board recert every 10 probably $1,500 < Obscene. 10:58 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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symtym @movinmeat it seemed more like what @scanman was looking for, instead of "because" or "its that way" ;) 10:58 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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scanman @movinmeat "granular level of detail" << you have to remember @symtym is a lawyer :) 10:57 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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symtym @scanman mine is $890/3 yrs, DEA license $551/ 3 yrs, board recert every 10 probably $1,500 10:57 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat @changu regulation = control = $ << very true. And the Americans have perfected it. 10:56 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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movinmeat @symtym never said it was wrong - just funny/granular level of detail 10:55 AM Apr 24th from Tweetie

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scanman @changu It's a lifetime licence. If u're registered in Karnataka Medical Council no one's going to stop you from practising in Kerala or TN 10:55 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat Moreover our licensing fees, which are usually for life, are a pittance. About $50 - both national & individual states 10:54 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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changu @scanman there are 30 states now? I left when it was 22, am only licensed in Katnataka, prob expired now.. 10:53 AM Apr 24th from web

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symtym @scanman my wife has 17 RN licenses to just to do telephonic nursing; regulation = control = $ 10:53 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat Our states have individual Medical Councils too, but they don't usually care if u're licensed in another state. 10:52 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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symtym @movinmeat @scanman at the risk of tossing more photons, for many aspect of US Gov u have 2 consider us as 50 distinct states, license = $ 10:51 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat And you guys complain of a doctor shortage!? *exits shaking head in wonder* 10:50 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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symtym @movinmeat @scanman obviously India is more advance, or we have an older democracy (federal form of democracy) 10:50 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat Why should a US doctor be forced to pay 50x to practice in 50 states. Shouldn't there be a national licensing authority? 10:49 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat - If I'm licensed by the Indian Medical Council - after paying a fee once, I can practice in all 30 states in India. 10:48 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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scanman @symtym @movinmeat - I understand a federal set up. We have one in India too. But don't you guys have an overall national licensing body. 10:46 AM Apr 24th from iTweet

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symtym @movinmeat what's your explanation for 50 licenses? 10:36 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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symtym @movinmeat I sent him the specific Amendment, the 10th, that is responsible for all state police powers, which is the source for licensure 10:35 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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symtym @movinmeat he asked why we have 50 licenses, it is because the Constitution guarantees that power -- specific question, specific answer 10:34 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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movinmeat @symtym @scanman he asks about MD state licenses & you send him Constitution. That's like he if asks about rainbow & you explain the photon. 10:28 AM Apr 24th from Tweetie

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symtym @scanman our constitution: » link to Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 8:32 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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symtym @scanman why, because we have a federalist system; the power of a general police power (nidus) is vested in the 50 states = 50 licenses 8:32 AM Apr 24th from TweetDeck

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Filed under // friends india medbloggers medicine medtweeps opinion twitter USA

Jason Snell's pov on Apple netbooks

As someone who’s fascinated by the idea of Apple doing some sort of small device—not necessarily a netbook, but something bigger than an iPod touch and smaller than a MacBook—I pay close attention to what Apple says about the whole netbook market.

(If you haven’t been paying attention, a netbook is a cheap, small laptop. PC-makers are selling a lot of them. Apple doesn’t make one.)

During the company’s quarterly conference call with financial analysts Wednesday, the analysts once again wanted to know what Apple was doing in the netbook market.

Back in January’s first-quarter results call, an analyst asked Apple COO Tim Cook what Apple’s intentions were for the fledgling Netbook market.

What Cook said then was that netbooks were “much less powerful” than consumers wanted, with cramped keyboards and small displays. But, Cook added, “We’ll see. We are watching the space… We’ve got some ideas here.”

If you follow Apple regularly, you’ll know that the company often runs down its competitors in a category before introducing its own game-changing product in that category. Cook’s past statements lead me to believe that Apple is indeed planning its own answer to the netbook—and his statements during Wednesday’s conference call did nothing to dissuade me from that opinion.

Cook also repeats the claim Steve Jobs made last year, that in many ways the iPhone and iPod touch are Apple’s “answer” to the netbook—or at least, to many consumers’ needs for a small electronic device that does browsing and e-mail.

Then comes the tease. Cook is suggesting that perhaps Apple is working on an “innovative product that makes a contribution”—not a big shocker there. In three months, the ideas Apple has for the netbook space have become “interesting.”

And finally, the hammer: “I think [it’s] a stretch to call [the netbook] a personal computer.” Ouch. With smack talk like that, can Apple’s entry into the netbook market be far behind?

via macworld.com

interesting!
now i've got to think of ways to convince my wife that i need one more toy before the apple netbook comes out :)

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Filed under // geekery Mac news opinion

well said Mr.Ram

As for Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s differentiation between the idealistic freedom-fighter Prabakaran, the LTTE’s unchallenged supremo, and the “terrorism [that] crept into the outfit,” it is like saying that Osama bin Laden is an idealistic Islamist and not a terrorist — but the al-Qaeda is!

via The Hindu: Editorials: Who then is a terrorist?

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Filed under // india news opinion

animals & gods

note: this is NOT a religious post. just some random thoughts about hinduism that occurred to me as i sit through yet another seemingly interminable pujai in the temple in my ancestral village. writing this despite the twinge of apprehension that i might be earning some bad karma by blogging during a pujai :)

...

i think the myriad hindu gods & goddesses are superb examples of animal friendliness. most of the major gods & a few of the named lesser ones among the supposedly 330 billion (or 33,000 crore) gods are associated with animals and birds, usually as their vaahanas (literally vehicles or means of transportation) and sometimes associated in other ways, as adornments & even as furniture. some of them are quite incredible, like the mouse as vaahana for vinaayaka (ganesha, the elephant-headed one).

here's a partial list that i've compiled from memory. it obviously isn't complete. feel free to add or suggest corrections / revisions in the comments if you are so inclined.

nandhi, the bull for shiva, the destroyer who also wears snakes as adornments.

garuda, the eagle for vishnu, the protector who reposes on aathiseshan the multi-headed serpent. among vishnu's ten avathaarams, there are a fish, a turtle and a boar. one of vishnu's most loyal associates is hanumaan, the monkey god.

the lion for most forms of the mother goddess, sakthi.

meenakshi, the fish-eyed goddess of madurai holds a parrot in her hand.

the swan for saraswathi, the goddess of learning. i think her consort brahma, the creator shares the swan (a celestial one-car family).

the peacock for murugan, the war god / boy god who also has a saeval (cock).

the tiger for ayyappan, another war god / boy god.

airaavatham, the white elephant for indiraa, the king of gods.

the horse for surya, the sun god.

the dog for kaalabhairavar.

the crow for shani (saturn).

the buffalo for yama, the god of death.

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Filed under // india opinion personal

MUST Read - NYT: Good Grief, Nurse Brown

Oncology nurse Theresa Brown is a regular contributor to Well. Today she writes about how nurses cope with grief on the job.

(Jeff Swensen) Theresa Brown, R.N.

By Theresa Brown, R.N.

Dealing with work at work needs to happen, too, and as nurses we confront death, and our own grief, in specific ways. We make crass, unrepeatable jokes that people not in the know can find shocking. It’s a defense mechanism, and we recognize the humor for the release it is. Sometimes we cry and get angry, swear loudly, drink too much when we get home, and tease each other mercilessly on the floor.

Off and on we think hard about quitting, about doing nursing work that isn’t so continually sad. Different nurses, for different patients, go to viewings and funerals, and others, like me, have a rule about never going. We make rash promises not to get so attached, and then, after we meet our next round of patients, promptly break them.

Death is hard, but the really hard part about this job is not giving up hope. When I think about hope in the midst of so much despair, another image from “Peanuts” comes to mind. Who does not know of the many times Lucy has enticed Charlie Brown with a football perfectly placed on the ground for him to kick? She positions the football and convinces him that this time she will let him kick it, only to pull the ball away at the last minute as he’s rushing forward. Carried upward by the momentum of his aborted kick, Charlie Brown flies through the air screaming, “AAUGH!” and lands flat on his back, “WUMP!” In one strip, as Lucy holds out the ball to him, Charlie Brown asks, “How long, O Lord?” Lucy, standing over him after he has once again fallen for her trick, answers, “How long? All your life, Charlie Brown…All your life.”

A part of me looks at all our patients, those with new diagnoses and the old timers, and thinks, just as Charlie Brown does when he sees Lucy holding the football, “She must be kidding.” Then I, like all of us nurses in oncology, get into position and run my heart out toward the football.

Because unlike Charlie Brown, I know that sometimes toe will hit leather. The ball will soar away into the distance lost to sight. So many deaths, but at that moment, even if it’s only for a year or two, one patient’s time on earth preserved. Sometimes, one or two good kicks can be enough.

via well.blogs.nytimes.com << go read the entire essay there. now!!!

the most eloquent essay that i've read about healthcare professionals coping with grief on the job! that's saying something, being a follower of so many great medbloggers.

this is straight from the heart stuff; akin to stuff from people like Bruce Campbell, Rob (when he's not being zany), Theresa Chan, Buckeye, bongi, Sid Schwab, Michael Hébert, etc.

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Filed under // good stuff medbloggers medicine nursing opinion

i don't think i'll be going!

[an invitiation that i saw in my inbox today]

TEDIndia! Registration is open

Dear TEDizens,
Namaste!
After more than a year of dreaming and planning, we're delighted to announce the opening of registration for TEDIndia. It's to be held later this year, November 4-7, at the beautiful Infosys campus in Mysore.
A high-powered group of TED regulars will be making the trip, linking up with innovators and influencers from India, China and elsewhere in Asia. What's happening in the East today will shape all of our futures. This is a unique chance to learn, to immerse, to understand, to participate.

To attract a broad new membership from both inside and outside India, we're substantially discounting our normal fees. TEDIndia registration costs $2400, an amount that includes accommodation and airport transfer. There will be 8 full sessions based on the famous TED format, plus pre and post-conference activities, evening galas and numerous other delights.
I will be co-hosting the event with the wonderful Lakshmi Pradhury for whom this has been a labor of love. Last night she sent our team this note: "Words are not enough to express what I feel right now. It has been a dream ever since I attended my first TED fifteen years ago to do just this - to see the words TED and India join together."
Please take 5 minutes to explore the beautiful new TEDIndia section of our website which has pictures, program and accommodation details and much more.
Then, if you can come, we urge you to register early. This will ensure you get first access to special pre-conference activities, many of which have limited space. Sign-up for these will commence shortly. We also encourage you to get travel dates and flights locked down.

We so much hope you can join us on this wonderful adventure.
Best wishes,

Chris Anderson and the TED Team
P.S. The first 100 sign-ups will be mailed a beautiful gift showcasing India's spectacular beauty, history and culture.

2400 dollars!!! no way can i afford that kind of money for a conference.

i wouldn't go if i got a sponsored ticket.

i love the TED talks.

but this i cannot agree with.

at today's exchange rate US$ 2,400 = Rs. 121,860. a little more than Rs. 30,000 a day.

oh. my. god.

i can't believe that a huge bunch of people are going to spend that kind of money talking about ways to make my country more advanced while the money could feed a few hundred families for a year.

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Filed under // india news opinion

how quaint, @the_hindu

is savvy enough to get on twitter, but retains most of its staid & old-fashioned ways.
reading glasses + leather-bound notebook + expensive-looking fountain pen = executive.
but then, that could be directed at similar staid, old-fashioned (& clueless) "executives" who read The Hindu Classifieds "to manage their careers."

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Filed under // india news opinion photos

scanman’s posterous

opinion

i am a card carrying indian citizen now!

surendra's cartoon - நெத்தியடி

pakistani schoolgirls debating the nuclear tests conducted by india & pakistan

federal democracy at work aka daylight robbery

Jason Snell's pov on Apple netbooks

well said Mr.Ram

animals & gods

MUST Read - NYT: Good Grief, Nurse Brown

i don't think i'll be going!

how quaint, @the_hindu

Tags

opinion