Around the world

Three billion plastic bags a day

China uses three billion plastic bags a day and has now banned their use to save the environment and conserve the use of oil. The oil is used in the manufacture of plastic bags and in that process will now save 37 million barrels of crude oil each year.

Thus China has delivered two blows with a single ban - saving the oil and saving the environment.

The other countries that have banned the use of plastic bags, according to reports, are Ireland, Rwanda and Bangladesh.

Italy will be doing so by 2010. The USA is the other biggest user of plastic bags discarding 2.5 million bags an hour.

Some food chains in the US have stopped issuing plastic bags although there is no government ban. Skeptics say that the full ban on plastic bags in China may come into effect if there is cooperation from the users and if those appointed to check the use by fining and confiscation do that job diligently.

The ban does not seem to have been received too well by shopkeepers and their customers to judge from the conversation overheard in shop talk.

“Is there a ban on plastic bags,” asked a man in a cake shop. “I don’t know. Anyway, maybe it will take effect next month. I am sure no one is going to enforce that today.”

The flimsiest of the plastic bags are the ones targeted because these are the ones that clog the drains and waterways creating the most damage. Reportedly there are also conciliatory postings on Internet, sina.com, announcing that “To protect the environment they shouldn’t provide plastic bags.

As time goes on, people will get into the habit of carrying their own bags when they go shopping.”

World’s crime capital - New Delhi

Our great neighbour’s capital city, New Delhi, has suddenly turned out to be the city where the highest number of crimes like murder, rape and drug offences are committed. Compared to its neighbour Pakistan, crime is three times more in India and when compared to America, it is double that of what was once the leading country in the world in crime, breeding villains like Al Capone.

How has India come to dislodge America from the criminal throne? Nobody is sure. All that is said in explanation is that “Most of the murders are incited by passion, sudden provocation, crime and family disputes.” In other words there has been a rise in the usual reasons for committing crimes.

According to a Government report more than five million instances of crime were reported between 2007 and 2008 out of which 32, 719 murders were recorded during this period, with the US following with nearly half that number of murders at 16,692 and Pakistan limping behind with 9,631. Only South Africa is able to overtop the US figures and come a close second to India with 30,960 murders.

These figures were compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau and released by the Union Ministry. Among the countries with the lowest figures for murders are Israel with 177 and Austria at the bottom with 148. As for rape the number of assaults in the USA is relatively very high with 93,934, South Africa comes second committing 54,926 assaults and India hitting the bottom with 18,359. Population wise, however, Indian criminal activity is proportionately less.

For every 100,000 population the Indian murder and rape rate is only three and four per cent. This is in contrast to South Africa where the rate for murder and rape is very much higher.

Polishing up the accent

Call Centres have become a lucrative source of foreign exchange for India. This might drop if the Indian staff operating in India does not pick up the nuances of the English accent.

British customers have complained to various institutions in Britain like banks, insurance companies, British Rail and other companies that ‘conversation is often difficult due to differences in accent and articulation.’ A remedy has been suggested to get hold of the man who taught Princess Diana to get over some speech problems she had. He is Andy Barret who has set up a company Bart Cale Training for this very purpose of overcoming common flaws made by speakers of the English language. Andy Bart says, “I host training sessions either face to face or over the telephone using Skype as there is no charge for calls to and from the UK.”

He has spotted some speech areas where Indians often need help.

They are diction and articulation, vocal quality and resonance. He says that the training he gives, “gives a voice with grounded and centered quality, which is very important in the business world as it adds truth and believability to what was being said.”

- Roving Eye