Natural Childbirth Practices & A review of The Business of Being Born

The Business of Being Born. This documentary explains why Natural childbirth practices should be preferred.

Less than a month ago, my sister gave birth to her first child. It's a boy. He is the first child in our family of the next generation, a child after 18 years. It's a moment of happiness. The delivery took place at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Nepal, arguably one of the best hospitals in the country. All of us wanted her to have a normal delivery, if possible. We were all very hopeful since she went to the best hospital in the country. But the doctors performed a Cesarean section, popularly known as C-section. Because contractions did not start, the doctors injected her with a chemical to trigger contractions. Despite this, there were no contractions. 

Then the doctor told her that since contractions did not begin within six hours, she had no choice but to have a surgery to get the baby out safely. As experts, the doctor told my sister and her husband that if they were to wait any longer, the chemical might enter the child's body and inflict serious damage. When I heard all of this, it really infuriated me. It also made me very sad that doctors did not give complete information before injecting the contraction inducing drug. Whatever the motivations/incentives the medical professionals might have had, it was unethical and inappropriate. Furthermore, due to inadequacy of facilities, two childbirths were being performed on one bed. That is just unimaginable, even for a developing country like Nepal.

A review of the documentary: The Business of Being Born

I wanted to find out more about childbirth practices elsewhere for comparisons. I came across a documentary on childbirth titled, " The Business of Being Born" which chronicles around this same issue that I wanted to learn and know more about. It compares the natural childbirth practices performed in assistance with midwives against childbirths carried out in hospitals by surgeons. For anyone who is interested in knowing more about childbirth practices in the US and elsewhere, this is a good documentary to watch, readily available on Netflix. I'm not going to embarrass you by describing the details but will quote some statistics that will surprise you. 

In America, midwives attend less than 8% of all births and less than 1% of those occur outside a hospital. At the same time, the US has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world.

Another interesting statistics, 

In 1900, 95% of all births took place in the home. In 1938, half the births took place at home, and the trend continued to spiral downward.

Today, less than 1% of childbirth takes place at home in the US. That is surprisingly low. From an economic perspective, childbirths performed at home under supervision of trained mid-wives is several times cheaper. At hospitals, on average it costs around $13,000 but with mid-wives, an average of $4000. These numbers are quoted in the documentary. Experts unanimously agree that childbirths are safer and better when performed at homes under mid-wives yet, why are more women choosing to go to hospitals? Is it mere fear espoused by popular media or is there something more? It turns out more than 70% of European women have childbirths at home. Yet maternity deaths are lower. Other countries spend less and have better results than the U.S. Isn't that a double whammy?

What about the aftereffects? The documentary doesn't describe what happens after a surgery is performed, how long it takes for the wound to heal or how does it affect the strength of the individual later. 

The bottom line is: if a pregnant woman goes to a hospital, hospital staff will wait for a few hours, if contractions don't start, pitocin is injected. Then, depending on the course of action, more drugs are injected to either ease the pain or control contractions. Epidural is injected to ease pain. Eventually, an incision is made, a C-section, to perform the surgery. Despite the technology getting better, the number of incisions being made during childbirth is rising and is at an all-time high. Many fear if someone does not intervene, it is on its way to hitting a 100% mark. If you go to a hospital, they don't want to wait. They just want to perform the operation and want you out of there so that they can accommodate someone else. However sad you think this practice is, it is THE truth.

Review of College Inc: a documentary on commercialization of education

College Inc, a documentary by PBS Frontline on commercialization of education. Source: http://bit.ly/qOTWW4

I have been watching a lot of documentaries this summer since my internship ended. The one I recently watched is called "College Inc." This is about commercialization of education, mushrooming of online courses and for-profit education. The documentary made by PBS Frontline is very powerful and unsettling. It explains why I see disproportionately more University of Phoenix advertisements. I do not want to spoil it for you, but after watching the documentary, you will realize that for-profit universities like U. of Phoenix spend more on marketing and sales than on compensating faculties and other staffs. 

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

The Future of Miller Fountain at Trinity University

Lifeless empty Miller Fountain at Trinity University due to water restrictions imposed by SAWS. Photo: Digital Subway

Trinity University has experienced a temporary albeit important loss in its essence and tradition ever since Miller Fountain stopped sprouting water. Dry and lifeless, it no longer adorns Trinity’s iconic Bell Tower or the Northrup Building, which houses the “Oval Office of Trinity”. Instead, it sits mournfully among the adjacent rubble from drilling and construction sites.

The Miller Fountain has remained shut for a long time in compliance with San Antonio Water System’s (SAWS) Phase Two Drought water restrictions. The last time it sprouted was during Senior’s graduation (see picture below) and that was only for a day. The fountain has remained shut before that due to Phase One water restrictions imposed by SAWS. The sprouts that gushed forth out of fountain’s nozzles had served to palliate souls that took refuge in its solace. Instead of offering a repose to humans (who visited it for occasional escapes), an empty fountain now further aggravates feelings of emptiness and failure.

 Paurakh and me during his graduation. Best of luck for his Ph.D program at Stanford University. 

Furthermore, Trinity students have not celebrated their birthdays in the old-fashioned way ever since the fountains went dry. An important tradition has been to throw the student in the fountain on the midnight of their birthday. This has been followed without any ordinance or mention in Student Handbook. A reason to rejoice though is that some Trinity students have not given up on this tradition despite this. On one occasion, my friends and I hand-carried water in our bottles and mugs to the fountain and poured it on the birthday boy as a symbolic gesture of celebrating birthday and also upholding the Trinity tradition. I have seen some others do the same.

Water level in Edwards Aquifer for the recent 12 months. Source: SAWS website.

It is natural to ask then, when will the drought restrictions be lifted? When will Trinity students start enjoying the beauty, serenity and the tradition offered by Miller Fountain they had hitherto taken for granted? The answer lies on SAWS website. Currently, San Antonio is in Phase Two water restrictions due to drought which has decreased the water level in Edwards Aquifer. Edwards Aquifer is the only source of clean drinking water from the underground in San Antonio. The water level has been receding due to lack of rainfall but continued usage by city dwellers. Phase I is enacted when the water level drops below 660 ft below sea level. And Phase II is enacted when it drops below 650 ft below sea level. Currently, the water level is around 643 ft. Following the water level trend in the last two months, SAWS might have to declare Phase III soon if, the water level drops below 640 ft. The water restrictions will be even stricter and seeing sprouts in Miller Fountain might be a distant dream.

So, is it all doom for Trinity students  and residents of San Antonio? Should we all start praying to the God for showering us with some love and rain? Of course, there is an option for us to reduce our water consumption by taking shorter showers and using electric razors among others. We are talking about a drastic change in water consumption habits here. And that is not easy.

Verdant grass despite SAWS restrictions because Trinity uses recycled/reclaimed water. Photo: Digital Subway

On the positive side, the grasses and lawns at Trinity have still remained verdant and green, thanks to sprinkling that has been performed duly. During phase II, use of non-handheld sprinklers are prohibited, but Trinity seems to have gotten around that because it uses recycled, treated water. 

Another note to SAWS and other city dwellers (who might be jealous) to justify Trinity's use of sprinklers. Photo: Digital Subway

A short term and a hell lot easier solution to get Miller Fountain operational is to get a waiver from SAWS. If Trinity can convince SAWS that fountain’s operation is essential for reasons other than aesthetics alone and that only secondary (treated) water is being used, an exception might be granted. If not, Trinity could always use the condensate from its cooling and heating units. Condensates in most air conditioning units go to waste by default. Harvesting rainwater and treating it for circulation in the fountains is also a possibility. If all fails, the talented students and professors in Chemistry department might devise an experiment to produce inexpensive water that does not come from SAWS and thus not subject to drought restrictions. The dry fountains should serve as the innovation bed for Trinity’s creative minds.

Cultural Symbolism Behind Grass

Perfect grass after months of hard work & maintenance at Trinity University's renovated Soccer Stadium. Photo: Digital Subway

           Grass, despite being one of the most abundant life forms on the Earth, has failed to draw any noticeable attention or  secure its berth in human hearts and minds. The fact that I am even writing about grass may appear mind-boggling to some. Grass is a form of weed that adorns our garden, gives it a verdant appearance, adds vernal fresh air but needs to be trimmed down duly to maintain its aesthetics. And that’s all. I argue that grass carries with itself cultural symbols which vary across transoceanic boundaries. It impacts our lives in subtle yet important ways and therefore deserves more visible attention. Let me explain.

Grass, by the virtue of possessing a naturally green color is soothing to eyes. Unsurprisingly, after spending the entire day staring at light emanating screens at work, we go out for a run or a walk in the park rich with luscious green grass and vegetation because it soothes our eyes and offers the much needed repose to our soul that we so desperately seek. It is true that grass has receded from our vicinity as time has passed and we have to travel greater and greater distances when we desire to find solace in its vernal serenity. Yet, we still desire to have them close to our dwelling, albeit in limited amounts, of which lawns are the prime examples. Well-maintained luscious green grass is still characteristic of beautiful campuses, mansions and corporate complexes. It has certainly gone from being universal to available only to the luxurious in urban areas. It is nature’s gift that its prevalence has still been maintained in rural areas though. Nevertheless, grass has become a symbol of ornamental display.

        Cultural distinctions associated with grass across transoceanic boundaries can be understood more clearly if we foray into attitudes held towards walking on grass in these regions. My parents and grandparents in South Asia encouraged me to walk barefooted on grass, especially in the morning when dew is still fresh on their leaves. This is known to soothe one’s heel which in turn calms one’s minds. Take a continental stride right from Asia to America, walking on grass is prohibited and considered socially inappropriate. On one occasion, my friends and I took the shortcut by walking on grass instead of concrete pavement. One of the professors behind us yelled out, “Don’t walk on grass. Get off immediately.” Unhappily, we obliged.

            In another instance, a student complained because we were playing soccer in the open space. His argument was that we were killing the grass. In America, walking on grass is a taboo unless you are in the park or forest. Grass is grown and nurtured painstakingly, and watered frequently using an extensive network of fancy sprinklers supported by underground water pipelines. Municipal water suppliers even have clear guidelines and restrictions about what days and times the lawn can be watered. Clearly, any person in (rural) areas where grass grows abundantly would find this excessive expenditure of energy astonishing, if not out rightly ludicrous.

             Growing and mowing grass is a cultural activity in America. Lawn-moving is centered around this and holds a unique position in every American’s heart. Every American has his/her own memories of lawn mowing in childhood. For some, it might have been a source of additional income or a (bi) weekly ritual performed with their dad. For others it might have just been a punishment for some misdeed or a mandatory chore for continued reception of pocket money. Whatever the reason may be, every American can relate to lawn mowing. There can be some exceptions and there always are. And of course, many absolutely abhor mowing their lawn just as they do shaving (since they share a similar trait, are repetitive and monotonous) and others love it because it allows them an opportunity to reconnect with nature, expend some energy naturally or because it is a mutual family activity. This whole experience and childhood memories are centered around grass yet, we regard them with utter indifference. I did not seek motorized assistance for mowing my lawn as a kid, but I too have memories of cutting grass using a traditional “khurpi”. It was not for aesthetic reasons but rather because I enjoyed feeding the grass to the cows and buffaloes that my grandparents reared. The joy I felt as these pleasant and docile creatures munched on the grass I fed incentivized me to spend hours cutting grass as a child. Incentives diminish as we mature, I agree and eventually vanish in some cases, such as this one.

              It will be false to claim that grass has only received indifference despite its cultural and salubrious significance. Humans have selectively chosen varieties that have superior softness and aesthetics. Some of the best grasses to walk on, albeit forbidden fall in this exquisite category and are colloquially known as “carpet grass” because of its appearance. I hope that by now, you are somewhat convinced that grasses are not simply fodder for vegetarians but also cultural and visual fodder for humans.

A Naturalist’s Remorse

Construction and man-made pavements outnumber natural paths for walking. Photo: Digital Subway

It is easy to fall prey to machinations of a plebian lifestyle. And it normally takes a stimulant or in its absence, a conscious effort to resist this temptation. Our deviation from spiritual to material beings has followed along a continuum, which is largely why many of us have embraced without any questioning. However, once in a while we come down with this bout of dissatisfaction, sense of guilt or maybe even acute depression and are not sure how or why it came about. I will share with you a little revelation (self-rambling) I had.

A few days ago, I was taking a barefooted walk. I hope you know that walking without an artificial layer of protection between our heels and the Earth is fun. The experience is not transformative yet it is uniquely rewarding because suddenly we have a greater awareness of our surroundings. While walking in our shoes, our heels are indifferent to grass, gravel pavements or tarred roads.

Barefooted, I could feel the textures of pebbles, thick and thin grasses, tarred roads and varieties of soil. While I was trying to avoid concrete pavements, just because walking on grass felt a lot softer and kinder on my heels, it struck me that walking on grass has become a luxury. Everywhere I looked, I saw concrete pavements. Grass was rare. I came to realize that one of the most abundant substances on the Earth had become a rarity in the region with high population density. Nature is absent where humans are present. And this feeling pushed me into further contemplation, an abysmal realization as I would later determine.

Trinity University's beauty is marred by construction and concrete rubble. Photo: Digital Subway

The roads and pavements that we have constructed out of tons of cement, sand, rocks, fired clay and tar has been brought about by mass displacements of these substances from its original destination. Thousands of clay-fired bricks for construction is prepared by digging out large amounts of clay which leaves behind islands of emptied Earth, only later to be filled as puddles or ponds by rain. Tons of concrete is manufactured by mining limestone from caves and mountains which renders them unstable and vulnerable to further erosion. Similarly, sand for preparing the right density of concrete is obtained by digging up river basins or grinding rocks collected from rivers or mountains which alters the landscape and decreases the capacity of rivers to soak water. What we proudly call development is limited to our vicinity and if seen, in the light of a larger area is an unplanned, unwise and eco-destructive resource displacement.

It does not always require one to be in a thinking session to be struck by such grossly inappropriate human actions. All it takes is a receptive mind. We do not always realize the full implications or ramifications of our actions. Circumspection, although essential has been used very infrequently. Take for instance, the remorse and suffering after a natural disaster like flood strikes a region. We are smart and quick to call it a “natural” disaster oblivious of the fact that it could have been caused due to our own unwise action of emptying out sands from river-beds. Similarly, by replacing natural grasses with concrete pavements, we reduce its natural capacity to maintain moisture, regulate water cycle and resist desertification. And then again, we feel terrible that the God brought upon us yet another drought or excessive rainfall this season.

Natural imbalances that we (humans) are inducing inadvertently have been pointed out by several naturalists, scientists, saints and philosophers alike. However, the human populations driven by materialistic instincts are more comfortable believing the rational explanations offered by economists that environmental impacts are simply by-products of development. A less pristine environment is tolerable to maintain the high standards of living. We are assured that even if we have unusually hot summers or frigid winters, air conditioning units (thanks to smart engineers) will continue to keep us cozy. Occasional brown-outs or black-outs caused on days with severe weather (an unusual snow day or during a heat wave) is attributed to anomalies in our aging transmission grid and electrical failures. Unless we are willing to admit that development is synonymous to ecological destruction, we may lie as much as we like about “natural” causes of calamities but their frequencies will keep increasing. The fact that 2010 and 2011 were among the years with most “natural” disasters around the world should serve as an evidence to the claim proposed in this article.

Trinity Construction: Upgrading Tennis Courts

Tennis Courts at Trinity University in midst of upgrade. Photo: Digital Subway

In the wake of recession, most universities' endowments suffered a major blow. However, anyone would be skeptical to believe this given the aggressiveness of construction projects at Trinity University. A perfectly good tennis court in great condition, with a capacity for eight simultaneous games was torn down for an upgrade right before our eyes. I overheard a Trinity student saying, "They took down a freakin' good tennis court, it better look damn good once it's completed."

This is how the tennis courts shown above looked before  upgrade. Source:  http://bit.ly/qV7EQR

The administration has proclaimed that the tennis court was in dire need for a major face-lift, additional seating capacity, shading for spectators, a scoreboard and extra space between individual courts. It can be agreed that shading, scoreboard and extra spaces are welcome attributes to an already awesome tennis court in red and green. However, it will be an arduous task to find supporters who would agree that the tennis ground itself needed a major face-lift. 

Tennis Court beside Murchison is also being upgraded. Photo: Digital Subway

Spending more than 2 million dollars for just adding shade, extra space between courts and a scoreboard appears as an imprudent move in terms of economics and value obtained. However, there is little room for argument among amateur economists (including me) when decisions like these are thoughtfully approved by economic scholar and university president Dr. Dennis Ahlburg and other wise board members in the light of all possible investment opportunities.

Trinity Construction: Utility Plants and Horizontal Drilling (video)

Trinity University in a maze. Photo: Digital Subway

If you miss the exhilaration and excitement of finding your way through a maze, consider visiting Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. It is free and open to public which makse it the best deal anyone could find in these tough economic times. A green and beautiful campus has become a maze and a sight of bustling activities due to simultaneous construction projects being undertaken. 

Laying out of pipelines for consolidation of utility plants at Trinity. Photo: Digital Subway

One of the projects in the process is the consolidation of three utility plants into two in order to be efficient and save space for Center for Sciences and Innovation. Currently, three central heating/cooling units service the university's needs for hot and cold water. These shall be consolidated into two energy-efficient units - one boiler and chiller each separately. 

Drilling Machine used for horizontal drilling. Photo: Digital Subway

At first, it might seem like a multi-million dollar project like this may not be cost-effective keeping in mind the elimination of benefit from heat exchange that could take place between boiler and chiller if placed in the same plant. However, the new chillers use modern technology to cool water and thus their operational costs will be lower in the long run and result in net savings. I have neither looked at economics nor technical details behind the equipment used in this project so I can not comment any further. But it has been acclaimed that the project will be completed before university reopens in Fall 2011.

A worker joining pipes for injecting drilling fluid. Photo: Digital Subway

A project of this magnitude is no easy task and requires rigorous drilling at multiple sites to re-channel pipelines for flow of hot/cold waters. The Californian contractor performing this task is using horizontal drilling, the same controversial technique using in extracting natural gas from shale formations - also known as fracking. The only difference in this project that has exempted it from being criticized by environmental groups, students or professors alike is the lack of use of hazardous chemicals. However, upon closer inspection, I discovered that a drilling liquid (see below) is being injected while drilling. Since I was unable to obtain a sample or conduct any tests, its nature and toxicity remains a mystery.

A Gel/Drilling fluid of unknown toxicity injected during horizontal drilling. Photo: Digital Subway

Pipes for chiller and boiler. Photo: Digital Subway

An anonymous Californian worker (anonymous because I forgot to ask his name) described that the tip of the drilling machine has a 2 degrees bend which allows easy maneuvering and makes horizontal drilling possible. A metallic pipe of 2 inches in diameter and 10 or 15 feet in length is first used to drill a hole from one end to another, which can be as long as 1000 feet. As drills are made, more pipes are joined using a socket. Furthermore, once the initial drill is made, other drills are made around it to accommodate the larger pipe which could be several inches in diameter. See a video demonstration of this process below. He admitted that it is a difficult task and requires both strength and technique. However, it pays well since he is part of a labor union back in California.

               Video clip of horizontal drilling process at Trinity University. By Digital Subway

If you have any questions, concerns about this report, please leave your comment below. All digital media in this post is copyrighted by Digital Subway.

San Antonio earning a name in Clean tech Industry

San Antonio's major Julian Castro announced a partnership to bring five cleantech companies to San Antonio next year or so. This is under his overarching Mission Verde Plan that wants to make San Antonio the greenest city in the U.S. I am excited that San Antonio is doing a lot of activities to make the city sustainable and promote greener lifestyle among city residents. While working as the energy management intern at Office of Environmental Policy, City of San Antonio, I am glad that my work to benchmark city-owned facilities for utility consumption will assist the city to become greener by reducing its energy consumption. 

CPS Energy is also aggressively supporting renewable energy generation by calling for investors to build utility-scale PV in the region in the upwards of 400 MW. This will place San Antonio on the charts among the cities with the largest PV installations. Since CPS Energy is a municipal owned utility with a monopoly in San Antonio for supplying electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses, it can drive changes from top-down very easily. In addition, unlike privately owned utilities, it is not always trying to maximize profits. It has responsibly encouraged homes and businesses to perform energy audits that are highly subsidized by CPS Energy, either through its own funds or stimulus money. It also supports installations of programmable thermostats and many smart meters as part of pilot program have already been installed. Its website offers numerous suggestions on how to reduce energy consumption and what kind of electrical appliances to buy/install for maximum efficiency. This is a very exciting time to be in San Antonio, Texas or the South in general because it is among the leading regions in renewable energy production and cleantech jobs.

A Temporary Technological Sabbath

Summer has been very interesting for me. Interesting for several reasons, primarily because my lifestyle has been very different than during the hectic college semesters. I wasn't planning on blogging as part of my temporary/partial technological Sabbath. Oh yes, I need to tell you about this. I have stopped using a cellphone since about a month after I got it wet and rendered it dysfunctional. No immediate plans to own a cellular device either. It is not the WHO report, linking cell-phones usage to a heightened probability of developing cancer from its radiation, that drove this change. It is primarily because I wanted to reassess the pervasiveness and impact of technology on cohesion/interaction among human beings.

The pace of digitization of appliances from analog has changed our lives pretty dramatically. We no longer produce analog acoustic waves for communication between us. Digital communication signals coded in 0 and 1 is what emanates from our devices varying from smart-phones to laptops. Communication has moved from being analog to mostly digital. Google is proud to service few billion search requests daily and happily lets tens of thousands of new users connect using its Android OS on smart-phones. Facebook too is adding millions of new members every month and Mark Zuckerberg (I don't care if I spelled his last name incorrectly) has vowed to eliminate privacy from our experience. Apparently, he believes there shouldn't be anything such as privacy. Amid this battle for digital attention, there are groups of secretive hackers expressing dissent by taking down websites of corporations and the government. What a world we live in, utterly confusing and digitized.

I am not against digitization of our world. In fact, as an aspiring and soon-to-be degree holding electrical engineer, I relish designing and thinking about novel designs for electrical and electronics products. If you have not noticed, my blog is titled "The DIGITAL Subway" and url also has the word digital. So, what is all this whining for? Well, I'm sure you know why. The ground has been shifting right before our feet. The very "laborsaving devices" that we built to free up leisure time are keeping us more occupied and busy. Staying busy has become the norm of hard-working and “intelligent” city-dwellers. The devices that we built to better communicate with our fellow acquaintances have overwhelmed us and captured all our attention. A typical workplace has become a 100 square feet of dreaded space with a computer. Seminars have transformed into webinars, meetings into conference calls, face-to-face talk into phone calls and small talks during lunch breaks into thumb swipes on touchscreens of smartphones for texting or browsing the web.

If you want to read more about how technology has changed us, I would recommend the book called, “Better off: flipping the switch on technology” by Eric Brende. Eric is a MIT graduate who took a break from his graduate education to live among a group of Mennonites to experience the life devoid of any motor-operated device which includes cars, cell-phones or any machine you can think of.

Note: More on this topic to come in subsequent posts. I actually decided to write something after a long time because I need some practice for my GRE essay; my GRE is in less than a week now.

3-Day Start-up @ Rackspace in San Antonio

This is what our board looked like today while developing ideas. Photo by: Digital Subway

Organized by Trinity University and hosted by Rackspace, 3 Day Startup event has been so intense yet interesting. Ideas about startups were pitched and among them six ideas were chosen to develop further. A basic working principle with marketing results, business model and expansion has to be developed for each of these ideas.

Sample of another board. These cool models were drawn by Dustin. Photo by: Digital Subway

I am working with the group that is trying to develop a "Collaborative Inventory Management" for local farmers in order to sell their produce efficiently. It is a really cool idea with an expanding market. This model is already working in Georgia state in the U.S. according to the research of Dustin Larimer. Since this is an idea for a tech startup, this is all I can tell you without diving into the details. I can't spill the beans. 

It's a lot of fun and a 3 day event, hence the name 3DS (3 Day Start-up). I am really glad to be participating in it. Let's see how tomorrow goes while pitching final ideas to the investors.

More pictures of 3DS. Photo by: Digital Subway

In Defense of Non-Vegetarianism

Should we eat meat? There are several reasons why we should not, yet most of us consume meat despite knowing the harm to the animals or the environment. I attempted to formulate an argument in favor of consuming meat for my Environmental Ethics course. Read it if you think it might be of interest to you.

Should we spare it or kill it? Source: http://bit.ly/hwVCif

Ecologists and animal liberationists have argued against eating meat because consumption of meat is unhealthy and unethical. They have launched movements calling for a complete halt of meat consumption on grounds of ecology, animal liberation, human health and global justices. It can be agreed that commercialization of meat production and distribution has institutionalized mistreatment of animals and therefore, operation of such large-scale animal farms have to stop. However, to ask all humans to stop eating meat, such as beef and become vegetarians is neither pragmatic nor ethical. If prevention of animal deaths is the primary motive behind promoting vegetarianism then, environmentalists will need to devote resources in preventing animal deaths even in the wild. Trying to prevent animal deaths due to natural causes such as overpopulation, food shortage, poisonous plants, diseases or preys by carnivores will not be pragmatic. On the other hand, if carnivores can continue preying on animals, it would be unethical to demand omnivores like humans to limit themselves to an herbivorous diet. 

Ecologists like Coffin and Fox have argued that meat consumption is unsustainable since it has created immense pressures on ground water supply and land productivity. Fox has further argued that eating meat is unhealthy and meat production is a threat to biodiversity. In light of these valid arguments, alternatives to resource-intensive meat production should be sought. Instead of feeding grains to animals like cows, age-old practice of grazing grass in approved pasture lands should be performed locally. Since humans would consume animal protein processed from cellulose, grain production could still be reserved to feed humans. In addition, localized animal husbandry has potential to optimize use of resources and diversify breeds of cows reared. In order to make meat diet healthy, animals have to be reared naturally, i.e. without injection of artificial growth hormones and meat consumption will have to be curtailed from the current level. A limited consumption of beef will be no unhealthier than many vegetarian diet containing oils that are high in fatty acids and cholesterol. 

A prominent utilitarian and animal liberationist, Peter Singer, calls upon non-vegetarians to give up meat consumption on grounds of human justice so that grains used to feed poultry and farm animals can be used to feed hungry population in less privileged regions. Taking his argument in consideration, it has already been suggested in the paragraph above that local farmers should use grass and shrubs containing cellulose (a form of nutrient humans could not have digested directly) to feed cows and other animals. Adopting a localized animal husbandry in place of commercialized large scale animal farms will appease ecologists and environmentalists to a large extent and limited beef consumption can be continued. 

Despite some vegetarian diet providing an equivalent amount of protein or calories, meat eaters argue that meat has high culinary value and tastes good. The fact that meat is also rich in protein and has high calorie content serves as a secondary motive. Such forgone culinary value could not be easily substituted by a vegetarian diet. Advocates of vegetarianism often argue that human canine teeth and digestive system are not designed for consumption of raw meat and thus, nature does not want humans to consume meat. Carnivores on other hand, can consume meat since they have well designed canine teeth and digestive system to process raw meat. I find this argument feeble and shortsighted. Humans have used their skills and instincts to design solutions for survival using natural resources. Discovery of fire, albeit by accident has allowed humans to increase palatability of meat but this process can be considered only as unnatural as use of clothing or shelter to “artificially” protect ourselves from hostilities of the nature. The shortsightedness of the argument should be apparent by extending it to “artificial” use of jet engines to fly even though nature has not provided humans with wings for aerodynamic flight and navigation.

Other animal liberationists such as Tim Regan argue against meat consumption on moral grounds stating that since animals have rights, killing animals is unethical. Warren responds to Regan’s animal rights argument by pointing out animal deaths caused due to natural causes. If Regan’s animal rights theory were accepted, humans would be morally obligated to prevent animal deaths in the wild and also stop herbivores from being preyed by carnivores. Demanding a vegetarian diet from humans and allowing carnivores to prey unabated is an application of double standards. Furthermore, while movements to call for vegetarianism is fairly recent, meat has been part of human diet since ancient times when humans lived in hunter-gatherer societies. Meat consumption fulfills ritualistic purposes and preserves important cultural aspects in several societies. Feasting on meat is a communal human activity with ancient roots that has been carried into modern societies in the form of celebration such as Thanksgiving Day, which is centered around eating turkey, a form of meat. Consumption of meat (like beef) in limited amounts is justified and should be permissible if it is produced through application of small-scale animal husbandry practices that are resource friendly and do not impose undue pressures on existing global food production. 

On the Fate of Lucky, the Elephant at San Antonio Zoo

I wrote this article for my environmental ethics course in response to support the movement that is working to free Lucky, an elephant at the San Antonio Zoo. I figured this might be of interest to people interested in animal rights.

Lucky, an elephant at San Antonio Zoo has been captive for almost five decades, even more than 24-25 years which is called life imprisonment for humans. Source: http://bit.ly/fBvfmb

Lucky, a 53 year old Asian female elephant currently at San Antonio Zoo needs to be freed and transferred to Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Despite living in unfavorable conditions, she has lived longer than any other elephant at San Antonio Zoo and remained as the lone survivor until another Asian elephant named Boo was recently acquired. Taking a non-anthropocentric stance and using Dale Jamieson’s arguments against zoos, I argue that zoos are an unsuitable place for elephants, the largest land mammals on the Earth. Jamieson argues that animal captivity in zoos is immoral when it fails to provide any substantial entertainment or educational experience to humans. Any child or student would learn more about an elephant by reading a book, watching animal planet documentaries or even Disney cartoons than seeing the giant locked up miserably in a space that does not reflect its natural habitat. On the contrary, observing Lucky in a static position for a long time might lead a child to believe that elephants are generally lazy which would be an incorrect inference since elephants in the wild on average walk more than ten miles daily (IDA Letter). In addition, watching a static animal in a cramped space is far from entertaining. Utilitarians such as Peter Singer might argue that animal captivity can be justified if the total utility (entertainment and education) provided is greater than the negative utility (suffering) of the animal. However, SA Zoo as an institution has failed to amuse or educate its visitors about an elephant and thus can no longer claim that Lucky needs to remain at the zoo to serve public interest.

According to the Voice for Animals, most zoo elephants die before reaching the age of 40 while on average elephants live up to 60 in the wild. Radical egalitarians like Tom Regan would consider this as a violation of the animal’s “Right to Life” while Jamieson would term this as violence since captivity prevents the mammal from realizing its full potential. Furthermore, Jamieson would fail to see any reason for Lucky’s presence in SA Zoo since it has neither been used for any kind of life-saving scientific research nor reared to preserve an endangered species. In fact, he would be appalled to realize that a happy and healthy four year old female Asian elephant was captured and transported thousands of miles away to be placed among non-native African elephants ostensibly for entertainment and education of American population.

San Antonio Zoo. Source: http://bit.ly/fVj0Tk

It appears that zoos captivate the biggest land mammals on the Earth to display it as a treasure and use it as a major attraction for visitors just like kings in the past used to own the best and most fierce gladiators to entertain its public. Animal captivity in zoos shows that even though [human] slavery is over, animal slavery is still in practice. The director of San Antonio Zoo, Steve McCusker kept Lucky, an Asian elephant with an African elephant despite the risks of contagion. After 49 years, he still refuses to grant her the freedom that she is entitled to. Ignoring the recommendations of In Defense of Animals (IDA), Voice for Animals and other animal welfare groups, McCusker has chosen to add yet another Asian elephant named Boo to the zoo’s collection instead of sending Lucky to the sanctuary. The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has agreed to bear all costs associated to Lucky’s transportation but it seems McCusker is too reluctant to free its “slave” without compensation. After all, zoos are business enterprises set up to maximize profit rather than animal care centers set out of overflowing passion. Any sane human who cares for animals would not advocate caging of animals since zoos are like prisons where innocent animals are caged for no discernible crime.

Regan does not see animals as mere resources and as a radial egalitarian might argue for an immediate rehabilitation of Lucky in native forests of Thailand, its true home. But keeping in perspective the fact that Lucky has been living in a zoo environment for the last 49 years, it might be rational to rehabilitate her at Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee where she can be taken care of in old age, if she were to need help. To prolong Lucky’s captivity any further would be a crime since she deserves to be closer to the nature, walk several miles every day for which her feet is designed, meet native mates and experience the air of freedom before taking her last breath.

Algorithm for Securing an Internship

I wrote an algorithm for securing an internship. It worked for me and I hope it works for you too.

I created this flowchart and to know more about how this algorithm really works, you will have to become a premium reader of this blog. Calm down. I don't need your credit card number for that. All it means is that you will have to click on the right on Follow button in order to follow my blog and leave a comment so that I can get back to me. 

Good luck.

Meeting Engineering Professionals

Networking is the proven way to get hired. Source: http://bit.ly/8up18u

Recently, I have been meeting quite a few professionals from engineering industry. It is mainly because I have more or less decided that I do not want to go graduate school immediately after graduation. Instead, I want to go into workforce and see what work is like, assess what field of work I like the best and then decide about graduate school. Imagine getting a degree in an engineering field such as Electrical, Mechanical or Chemical and not liking the work afterward. You will then be stuck up with that degree for the rest of your life.

In addition, it seems like I will be able to graduate with double degrees. A double degree is different than a double major. You can get a double degree if you major in a Bachelor of Science and also a Bachelor of Arts. In order to get a double degree, you need to have at least 159 credit hours. To give you a sense of what this number means, imagine taking a full load of 18 hours (the maximum allowed at Trinity) every semester for eight semesters. A quick math in your head should tell you that totals 144 hours, still 15 hours short of required 159. You would have to spend an extra semester just to get a double degree. That would be pretty stupid. Furthermore, if you study abroad during your college, you will probably not be able to transfer 18 hours. It could be a maximum of 16 hours. That will increase the deficit further. My solution is: using AP/Advanced Level credits that I received from high school. Still, obtaining a double degree is difficult without attending summer school. I have not and will not be attending summer school but it seems I may just be able to get a double degree if everything works perfectly.

What I intended to get across is that, my interests are diverse and I do not know yet which field I want to focus on for graduate school. A few years in workforce will hopefully give me some insights on what my future path should be.

Just a funny cartoon about why Engineering is cool. Source: http://bit.ly/1zsn34

Yesterday, I met civil, petroleum and mechanical engineers working at various companies or as consultants. I was surprised by how many engineers identified themselves as consultants. In order to be a consultant, you need to have an Engineering degree and then get a Professional Engineer license for which you have to have practice in the field for at least two years. They shared lots of stories about their first jobs, what they wish they knew on their first day at the first job and advice to students about how to network or look for a job. One thing I realized from the networking session is that, the proven way of obtaining a job is through networking. It is unlikely that you fill out an application, will get an interview and boom, get hired. It just doesn't happen that way. Instead, you know someone at the company, you send your resume, she forwards it to someone else and testifies how good of a person you are. You then get an interview and likely get selected.

So, lesson learned: start networking and start early.

Now even I am a Proud User of Ubuntu

I have embraced Open Source software with open arms. This began after reading Linus Torvald's "Just for Fun" where his appeal for supporting open source software was convincing (I think). I installed Ubuntu on my PC and this blog post was typed and published on a Linux platform.

Have I told you about my new passion for programming and learning more about computer software? I have started learning C++ and also Linux. Windows is all good but I need to learn Linux because it is open source and thus offers flexibility to its users. Plus I am one of those guys who believes in open source, individuality and dislikes corporate control over intellectual property or strict regulation of copyright laws. You got the point.

Anyway, I will share an interesting troubleshooting story with you. After installing Ubuntu, I wanted to use Opera browser instead of Firefox. Don't even mention Internet Explorer, that's for old generation people who still live in dark ages. Do you ever think why people still use hotmail and yahoo while Gmail is available and it's free? I guess they might be afraid of giving too much control to Google that will link their browsing history with Gmail content. Or maybe they are just indifferent. One of my friends suggested Opera and have been using it in conjunction to Chrome. I realized Flash videos didn't work with Opera on Ubuntu. I also have Opera on Windows 7 so I checked if flash worked. It did. Flash also worked with Firefox on Ubuntu. So Flash only didn't work with Opera on Ubuntu. What a niche, you might think. A fraction uses Ubuntu and out of that even a tiny fraction uses Opera. So, maybe no one cared to fix the bug.

I decided to fix this problem because I thought it would be a good practice to start learning Windows-Linux interoperability. This was certainly a start among several other incompatibility problems to pop-up in the future. I went online to seek a solution. Adobe forums did not have anything about it but Opera forum seemed to have a thread on this because other Opera users on Ubuntu platform seemed to have the problem too. The solutions were very geeky with detailed descriptions of using terminals to open directories, locate files and then moving files around. I tried this option but commands for displaying files in the directory did not work on my terminal. I could have been putting wrong commands. So, I tried to adopt the second route: locating system files and manually copying and pasting into plugin directory of Opera and Mozilla from Flash. Unfortunately, the system denied permission for me while trying to paste the required file into Opera and Mozilla plugin directories.

I did not know how to fix the problem. I was scratching my head. I mean dreadlocks. When I looked at the clock, it was 6:50 pm, and suddenly I realized that in ten minutes Coates (food cafetaria at Trinity) would be closed. I grabbed my Tiger card and ran out of room towards Coates. I made just in time but the guy at the grill certainly wasn't happy to see me. More work for him. After eating, I made my way to the room still thinking how to fix the problem. I opened up Opera again and loaded youtube site and magic- flash player started working. I laughed ecstatically sharing the joy with myself. Now I am sharing this joy with you all readers.

After reading this you might realize I am aiming to become a proper geek now. 

Trinity Engineering Science Program: A Mismatch

Spring Break has officially begun. I can't tell you how stressful this semester has been. I promised I would update this blog more frequently but Trinity's overly demanding Engineering professors are making it so much difficult for me to do anything besides coursework. I don't think this Trinity's Engineering degree will get me very far anyway. No company wants to hire Engineering Science students. They are always looking specifically Electrical/Mechanical/Computer/Chemical/Civil Engineering etc. Anyway, I'm stuck and I have to try get the best out of it.

I really want to take courses related to Energy and Environmental Engineering. The Engineering department offers only elective called "Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering" which I have already taken. And it's taught by Dr. Uddin who is amusing in class. I liked his teaching style but can't say I learnt a lot because he didn't push us hard enough. He has amazing lecture slideshows for the class and that was the best part. But the course covered a broad field in one semester and there was not much depth in any field. It was a general introduction course.

Currently I am taking Fluid Mechanics and Embedded Microcomputer Systems. I like latter one than the former. I absolutely dislike having to enroll in Fluid mechanics course. Unfortunately, it is mandatory. I sit in the class and none of the stuff excites me but instead enters my brain and exits at the same rate with zero retention rate. The professor is funny but cannot deliver the ideas properly. It is mandatory courses like these that make me feel I am in the wrong program. I have already completed seven semesters of Trinity Engineering. It would be immature to try to change major or transfer to another college. If I could do it all over again, I would probably try to be a Computer Science major. There is so much flexibility as a Comp Sci major. If course is not interesting, I could learn programming and take up projects on my own in my free time. Recently, I have developed this fetish for programming. I want to be a geek. Not that I was a Greek and want to take a U-turn. I was a semi-geek anyway, it's just I want to be a proper one now. Geeks have made it big and become famous. Take Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Linus Torvalds, Sergey Brin, Larry Page and numerous others for example.

Is it too late to become a geek now? I guess one cannot become a geek, one needs to be born as one. I am planning maybe I can get started with fundamentals of C-programming this Spring Break and take it from there. My inspiration arose from reading "Just for Fun" by Linus Torvalds, the guy who created the kernel for Linux Operating System. I stumbled upon this book quite randomly while perusing through book shelves at Trinity University. He is my icon from now, the one I can look up to in life besides others that I already adore and revere. Blame it on my laziness, I have not gotten started on learning programming yet. I have been still reading "Just for Fun", tweeting, watching TV and cricket among my other pastimes. Wish me good luck and send some encouragement my way.

I promise once I start learning programming and spend more time with my computer, I will update this blog more frequently.

Libyan Situation Creates Unrest

I write this with a troubled heart. Thousands of miles away in North African land, unarmed protestors are being gunned down from land and air simultaneously and this scenario has induced uneasiness inside me. You might ask what connection do I have with Libyans? Hundreds of Africans (thousands maybe) die every day of hunger, malnutrition, malaria, AIDS, civil war and other cultural and natural malaises so why does it matter suddenly when 300 Libyans have died in a matter of two weeks? This is a valid question.

To know my answer about why I as a Nepalese citizen living in the U.S. feel connected about Libyans, read “Nepal's Stalled Revolution” by Manjushree Thapa. He, a fellow Nepalese outlines what a Nepalese in general, thinks of Arabian revolutions going on around the world.

My trouble stems from the fact that I have been actively following reports of killings of protestors by mercenaries and armed men loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Twitter is flooded with such reports despite the internet and telecommunication blockade in Libya. Follow Andy Carvin on Twitter if you want to stay updated on situation in Libya. I feel powerless to witness violence on Al-Jazeera live yet not be able to act or even attempt to prevent it. Tolerating injustice is as heinous of a crime as committing one, don’t you agree?

How can we go about our daily routine pretending to be oblivious of the fact that freedom seeking fellow Homo Sapiens are being mercilessly terminated? You could call me a hypocrite too for not I haven’t attempted to launch a protest at my university let alone local town or resident country. I still go about studying in the library and completing assignments for this hectic Midterm week and stop to catch Al-Jazeera and Twitter updates only when convenient. In addition, sleep deprivation that I have subjected myself to in the last two weeks is not because of the alarming situation in the Middle East or Northern Africa but only because I have been trying to keep with my college work and do well on tests. I have been a passive participant in these revolutions.

You can again ask what good does a passive participant do than who chooses not to participate at all? My response is: review Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle.  In crude terms, it states that mere presence of observer affects the state of the object/subject being observed. In other words, a device attempting to measure velocity of a moving body alters its motion by bombarding it with photons, even though the change may be very small. You can never measure both the displacement and velocity of an object accurately without compromising the other. This is because the presence of measuring device makes a DIFFERENCE. My mere presence in this world and thinking about a situation makes a difference. Review Chaos theory where flutter of butterfly wings could cause a cyclone in the Atlantic. Metaphorically speaking, writing this post and putting my thoughts out there is my flutter of butterfly wings.

When a geek with an interest in international affairs (like me) tries to understand or interpret the situation, use of scientific theories to understand and model the problem should be expected. My request to all of you reading this is: Do what you can. Tweet about your thoughts, update your Facebook status about Libyan situation or send your thoughts to media. Train to be an assassin to kill Gaddafi, if you have to. But don’t be indifferent. (Actually I was kidding about assassin training. Do that in your free time.) Flutter your wings because we are all connected with invisible strings (my version of string theory) floating in this matrix with solid space to step on that we call Mother Earth. Your little flutter will create force strong enough to cause a dramatic impact in a place thousands of miles away across the Atlantic. Act now.

P.S. 300 deaths have already been confirmed and Italy fears the actual number could be around 1000. Crude oil prices have peaked since recession due to situation in Libya. We can't just ignore it and go about our daily routine anymore.