Author Archives: linuskendall

Making your deodorant

Ingredients:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
10 drops/shakes grapefruit essential oil
A tin or jar with lid

 

 

In a bowl, stir together dry ingredients, then add oils gradually until you like the consistency, mixing with a fork. Store in a closed container at room temp. (If the mixture seems too soft, try refrigerating it for a bit to firm it up.)

To apply, scoop up a bit with your finger, hold it against your skin for a couple seconds so it melts a little, then rub around.

 

via howaboutorange.blogspot.in

In another win for sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), here is a recipe for deodorant. I’m currently battle-testing it in 40 degrees Delhi summer, and as far as I can smell, feel or see it is absolutely superbly functional. Benefit of essential oils like lemon (which I used) is that I also believe they add extra anti-bacterial properties (sweat smell is in the end bacteria smell).

Not only is this deodorant effective, it’s also dirt cheap (at least in India), doesn’t include any harmful chemicals or metals (most other deodorants even ‘natural’ or ‘sustainable ones’ seem to include various forms of aluminium), shouldn’t be too carcinogenic (like regular deodorant) AND you can get it in any smell you like (just alter the essential oils).

I added some tea tree oil which also means that it’s good for your skin…

Apart from muffins, sodium bicarbonate has provide to have many uses like toilet and bathroom cleaner, pesticide and so on, in fact so many that once I should probably collect a post of all baking soda recipes I’ve collected (including that of chocolate muffins..).

Thankfully we can now reach Khan Market easily

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“While working on the redevelopment plan of the community centre at Khan Market, we stumbled upon the drawings of Land and Development Office. We found that the Amrita Shergill Marg extended all the way to Humayun Road, which had been encroached upon over a period of time,” said Amit Prasad, spokesperson of NDMC.
“A boundary wall had been constructed by people and some hutments had come up there. We have removed all of them” said a senior NDMC official.

 

So, thanks to NDMC the 3000 daily visitors can now visit their market easily and the pesky squatters have been cleared out of city. Another victory for the world class city!

 

 

Painful Cake – Racism at Swedish Art Exhibition?

Yesterday, for World Art Day, the Swedish Minister of Culture, participated in an event at the Modern Museum of Art in Stockholm which among other works of art included a performance art cake depicting a stereotypical image of a body of a black woman with the artist himself in blackface as the head.

Yesterday, for World Art Day, the Swedish Minister of Culture, participated in an event at the Modern Museum of Art in Stockholm which among other works of art included a performance art cake depicting a stereotypical image of a body of a black woman with the artist himself in blackface as the head.

http://storify.com/linuskendall/racist-cake-at-swedish-art-exhibition

Why men can’t – and shouldn’t – stop staring at women – The Globe and Mail

This is another thing that made the girl on the bike so appealing: she was free. It would be nice if we all were. Y, a 35-year-old married friend who still flicks his gaze at passing women the way other people flip channels, blames our national earnestness. “The problem for us as men is that we’re in the wrong culture, and we’re men at the wrong time. We’re not a culture that empowers men with casual sensuality.” ;

via theglobeandmail.com

This article has a whole host of wonderful lines, about how men should be allowed to stare and leer at women, as it’s merely a way of appreciation and of natural, evolutionary drives… It’s funny how it doesn’t fit into our consciousness how passing interactions with other human beings can be anything but sexualized and objectifying.

Protect yourself against pesticide – eat oranges

Scientists at Gwalior-based Jiwaji University have found that a combination dose of vitamins A, C and E can prevent organophosphate pesticides from causing too much damage. Organophosphates are the most commonly available pesticides in India. They are used in agriculture and in households against head lice and parasites in domestic animals. Its exposure can lead to, among other things, neuromuscular paralysis.

via downtoearth.org.in

A wonderfully sparse language

“Who has boarding pass may go.”

Or in other words:

“Those passengers who have already received their boarding pass may please proceed through the security check immediately”

Amazon’s customer service kicks ass

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via library.corporate-ir.net

After having battled it out with customer service operations of Indian companies such as Airtel (dismal) and MTNL (slightly less dismal), dealing with Amazon this morning was nothing but revolutionary.

First up, the problem: My Kindle’s screen displayed a strange pattern and was stuck in a “Critical battery” screen. It’s a few years old, so the ordinary 1 year warranty wouldn’t apply.

Since this however, seemed like some internal software or hardware error I decided to contact Amazon. Conveniently, you can easily do so via online chat on their website. I entered the chat and described my problem. The original chat representative connected me to a “Kindle specialist”. After he started with the regular customer service routine (plugin, reset etc.) I realized that it would go faster if I uploaded a picture of the Kindle to my Dropbox and sent it to him.

As he received the picture he quickly realized that a replacement order was necessary. He went off for a minute to file it (I guess) and returned to chat saying I would be contacted by replacements department in 48 hours. Within 20 minutes I received an order confirmation that they had created a replacement order with express shipment which would arrive in the next few days…

Now this is how you create loyal customers (& ambassadors for their products…)

How land reform changed villages in Odisha

The experience of these villages post pattas underscores the economic importance of land reforms. Most of the families covered under the programmes are marginal farmers. In Chilipoi, no family was taking up agriculture as a full time occupation despite availability of land. But with their rights settled, people are again involved in vegetable farming. On an average, each family earns Rs 1,000 from farming after meeting their own needs. “My family earned Rs 2,500 from potato farming last year. This extra earning will fund my children’s education,” says Bhanu Pradhan, president of the village’s self-help group set up to start community saving. What’s more, pattas give residents a legal existence; they can apply for government programmes like housing support. Children earlier denied admission to free boarding schools for tribals are now being admitted on the basis of pattas. They also help in getting caste certificate.

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/born-44

Shremetyvo shows its other face

P529
P528

See the full gallery on Posterous

Okay, it doesn’t quite look the way it did when I was here last. And with free wifi to boot I have no complains.