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Showing posts from June, 2014

How to stop a corporation from becoming too big by making taxation simpler

Use of Proportional tax for Corporations to prevent dangers of  'Too Big' M ost corporations are held by private owners or groups of private share holders. At times a state owns a corporation but these latter have not proved to be very efficient over the long run in meeting human needs, except in areas that are inherently noble-services oriented such as health and education, where the profit motive dilutes the very purpose of that service. While corporations meet human needs, some become so large and so profitable that they can even have an adverse and controlling impact on humans. Private corporations usually function with an aim of maximizing profits and not human welfare. Therefore, it is not surprising if a corporation that has become a giant begins to exploit humans rather than serving them. If shades of George Orwell's 1984 have arrived on the planet, it is  more because of corporate action rather than government action. In the very least corporate b...

Villages, Towns and Cities of the Future – Smart and Green

Public Transportation driven by Solar electricity. M ost humans continue to live in villages, towns and cities of a bygone era compromised by over development. In the meantime, there have been huge changes in technology, life styles and human aspirations over the last few decades. It goes without saying that existing designs are not optimal for future lifestyles. Therefore, whenever a new city, town or village is established a completely fresh approach is required. One of the considerations required in future settlements is the ability to be able to connect to information highways of the world, not just cities but all human settlements that include villages. Further while villages would like to avail of services that are available in urban areas, new towns and cities would like to avail of green spaces that are available in rural areas. The new cities of the future have to be both smart and green, while new rural areas have to be smart as well. It is also necessary...

How to Reduce Deaths on Indian Roads

  Minimum essential components of a modern urban road on which motor vehicles are permitted I ndia has become famous as a country in the world where most deaths take place on its roads. Such deaths take place on highways and on urban roads. The present note is restricted to deaths on urban roads and how to prevent them. Three major factors that influence the rate of such deaths are:- Behavior of humans on roads Road and traffic laws and their implementation Road design Let us consider these three factors briefly here. Behavior of Humans :   A chaotic and undisciplined behavior of humans anywhere is unpleasant and uncomfortable. When such behavior is combined with high speed and heavy vehicles, it results in death, maiming and crippling from time to time. Overcoming such behavior requires basic education. That is a separate topic needing a full discussion of its own. Road behavior is also dependent on traffic and road regulations...

How to build a toilet for less than a few thousand rupees or twenty dollars – and stop open defecation

The Septic Drain T hose who live in developed countries may be surprised to learn that a large part of the human population lives without a toilet. Put crudely they simply piss and shit out in the open. In India it is estimated that half the population does that. This is all the more tragic in a country that invented toilets, bathrooms and covered drains five thousand years ago in the Indus Valley civilization ( http://alienaccount.blogspot.in/2013/09/indus-valley-and-atlantis.html ). Since then though, a lot of piss and water has passed under the bridge with a slide into poverty and decay. Aside from the inconvenience of having to run out into the fields every now and then, the phenomenon of open defecation poses some serious issues that have only increased with an increase of population density on the planet. First are health issues. When it rains the waste is washed into drains, rivulets, rivers, ponds and lakes. Water sources are then charged with disease causing bac...