Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Burning up the future: the climate crisis



This Friday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is all set to release a massive document detailing the climate crisis that we have unleashed on ourselves, and which is likely to ruin the future of generations to come.

It is of course a pity that India and China, two of the most populous and ambitious countries on the planet today are contributing actively to accelerate the pace at which such disaster will overtake the earth.

Both countries have huge populations that are now discovering prosperity levels that were unknown a century ago. Their newly affluent citizens are being actively wooed by the global automotive industry to sell cheap, low-performing, gas guzzling and unsafe cars and two-wheelers.

Strangely, the Communist parties in India have also got the wrong end of the stick and are calling for reduction in petroleum prices, as a panacea to the problems affecting mobility. This is a warped argument, although there seems to be a hidden agenda to support Indian capitalists who are riding the boom in the automotive sector. It is completely topsy-turvy because mass mobility can never be achieved through personal transportation, and the Communists are seen harping on individual mobility and freedom, which is a conservative, Right-wing approach to the issue, far removed from the traditional precincts of the Left.

The wheel seems to be turning full circle in the land of profligate consumption: America.

Look at what one of their conservative journals has said now, as the world prepares to hear the bad news from the UN.

(From a blog on The Huffington Post)

Even in the conservative American Spectator today, William Tucker made serious mention of some of the causes of this impending catastrophe (probably written before the UN news made the wire). Among a lot of analysis of the president's energy plan, Tucker acknowledged the following:

"In 1976 we burned 500 million tons of coal a year. Today we burn more than a billion. There are 90 more coal plants being built right now. The Department of Energy points out that -- because of various loopholes in the law -- 80 per cent of these plants still use the same old-fashioned dirty technology."
And...

"A carbon tax would truly drive Americans toward conserving gasoline. Everybody agrees it's wasteful to be splurging on SUVs and Hummers, but people will do it as long as gas is $2 a gallon. The real danger is that we're going to start running up against world supply limits, particularly if China and India go car-happy. As long as we've got the carbon excuse, why not start easing into a situation of scarcity with some kind of carbon levy?"

What is happening to the world? Right is Left and Left is Right!
More on this when the UN report is out.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Disappointing suburban CMDA layouts

Despite all the hype about life in the suburbs among sylvan surroundings, lakes, birds and bees, the reality can be very different.

This is what the owners and residents of Jeeva Nagar, a layout not far from the Sri Ramachandran Medical College and Research Institute in Kattupakkam - Mangadu have found.

They have been petitioning the Kancheepuram District Collector and the Mangadu Panchayat, about the abysmal state of civic facilities in their low-lying plots, which become inaccessible at the first hint of rain.

Here is their letter published in The Hindu
today.

Just to make it easier, the text is also reproduced here:

Civic works in Jeeva Nagar

The residents of Jeeva Nagar, a CMDA-approved layout in Kattupakkam just off the fast developing Mount-Poonamallee Road (PPD LO No. 134/2003 and Survey Nos. 558/2B2, 559/2, 561/2 and 562 of Mangadu Village) are awaiting civic works to be undertaken, to overcome problems of severe monsoon flooding, lack of basic roads and street lighting.

The Mangadu Panchayat, which has jurisdiction over the layout, has said that it is considering these development works, and tenders are being processed, which is a commendable step.

We would like to point out that optimal utilisation of the allocation can take place only if the road level in the layout is raised through addition of debris (which is readily available from nearby encroachment demolition work carried out by official agencies in December 2006). This would bring the Jeeva Nagar ground level on par with adjoining Badrimedu ward and AUDCO Nagar.

During 2005 and 2006, Jeeva Nagar remained inaccessible for nearly four months because of flooding, release of sewage from adjacent wards, lack of roads and total darkness at dusk. As a result, house-building activity came to a halt and the panchayat suffered revenue loss.

While thanking the Kancheepuram District Collector and the Mangadu Panchayat for their initiative, we appeal that they make the best use of funds by ensuring at least four feet road height, and provision for laying of drinking water pipelines along all interior streets.

S. Ramkumar,

President

Jeeva Nagar Owner's And Residents Welfare Association

Kattupakkam.

These residents also maintain a blog to highlight their issues and have put up a slideshow on the post-monsoon situation.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Royapettah Hospital: They attempted suicide with cleaning acid...



Republic Day 2007 was celebrated by a group of patients who survived a suicide attempt (they tried to kill themselves by drinking concentrated cleaning acid) at the Government Royapettah Hospital in Chennai.

There were patients from Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madurai and other places. Some have recovered sufficiently after surgery by Dr. S.M.Chandramohan and his team, to be able to eat routinely. Normally, the upper gut is rendered useless after consuming acid and it is impossible for these patients to eat normally. Surgery has worked a miracle for them.

Some of them spoke out on their experiences and rued their moment of weakness when they tried to commit suicide with acid. Now, their families are left with the searing pain of caring for someone who has been severely crippled; in the worst cases, people who cannot eat and must be fed with some nutrients directly into the system.

No Hospital Management Information System here...People wait to register at Govt. Royapettah Hospital

Dr. Chandramohan paid glowing tribute to all medical teams who had assisted in making the hospital's work a big success. Certificates were distributed to the departments of anaesthesiology, oncology, pathology, medical gastroenterology, intensive care, orthopaedics, ENT, nursing, radiology and others.

The Health Secretary Mr. V.K.Subburaj was there, and so was the Director of Medical Education (in-charge). There was some talk of expanding GRH, and putting up new buildings. For the thousands of people who depend on this suburban hospital that is located in a congested part of the city, good facilities will not come a day too early.

But then, they live in a country that is increasingly veering away from the ideal of free, universal healthcare access with high quality standards...

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Expect Ford to step on the gas in India



Ford, the iconic American car company that symbolised consumer utopia by mass manufacturing vehicles for the common man early in the 20th century has hit another massive speed breaker with a fourth quarter loss of 5.8 billion dollars and an annual loss of 12.7 billion dollars for 2006 (reports Reuters).

This is, according to the agency, the worst year in the 103-year history of the company. Last year, heavy job cuts sounded the alarm that Ford is running out of fuel (as the auto industry generally is bound to be in the developed world).

The question that should interest us Indians is the response from loss-ridden international automakers to the emerging scenario of global warming, costlier fuel and supply lines that are linked to the vagaries of geopolitics and the general unsustainability of motorisation in the developing world, of which China and India are the prime examples.

It is fairly certain that the losing carmakers will compete more aggressively in the developing markets; price cuts, cheaper (and unsafe) models, petrol/diesel guzzlers, higher emission engines and a tacit campaign against public transport are all being witnessed even today; we will see more of it.

The positive feature is that the frenzy of car sales has a GLOBAL climate impact, which is likely to send more Katrinas hammering the US coastline, as much as the typhoons in South East Asia and the seemingly unending monsoon downpour in Mumbai, all of these being very lethal weather phenomena.

If Indians are concerned about the future of the planet, and, that of their children, they should persuade the Manmohan-Chidambaram-Ahluwalia caucus against encouraging fuel-guzzlers from hitting Indian roads, whether they are from loss-ridden Ford, Chevrolet, Skoda, Hyundai, Suzuki, Toyota, Mercedes, Tata...

We need cheaper, modern buses that are rolled out on Indian roads by the tens of thousands each month. Why, if cars can be imported and sold (to supplement domestic manufacture), why not buses? And trains? and trams?

If the automakers are going to try to press the pedal further, we may have nowhere to run for cover.

Let us remember what Andre Gorz said long ago. It is simply impossible for everyone to want to buy a part of the beach, because that would give each person a few inches of beachfront; that cannot be used by the owner in any practical way. Ditto for the car. If all of us had a car each, none of us would be able to use them!

New autorickshaw rates in Chennai




Two items of great interest to the middle class that are in today's papers are a cut in roaming tariffs for mobile phones, and the impending introduction of newly regulated fares for autorickshaws in Chennai (from January 26).

There is of course a great deal of cynicism among the city residents that this is another attempt at window dressing by authorities who are not serious about regulating the autorickshaw sector.

The Hindu today carries a report giving all the numbers which will take down complaints against illegal demands made by autorickshaw drivers.

The mobile roaming tariffs are more likely to get implemented, although one is never sure how the cellcos are cheating customers on billing.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Who cheated whom? The Global Trust Bank scam



I have been a victim of the arbitrary and completely opaque takeover of the Global Trust Bank by the Oriental Bank of Commerce, under the directions of the Finance Ministry and the RBI.

As a long-standing depositor who lost Rs. 16,000 in two five-year term deposits, I believe both the RBI and Mr. P.Chidambaram, our extremely suave and highly educated but entirely unsuitable, arrogant and unethical Minister have a lot to answer for. What we need is an honest and communicative Minister in this job, not someone who thinks 99 per cent of Indians don't deserve an answer to questions about their money, which he appropriates to various accounts everyday. You don't need a Harvard education to do that. Many semi-literates are doing that everyday in different walks of life.

I would like to know, for instance, how it was decided that the contractual obligations of GTB with depositors will not be transferred to OBC, when it was assuming all its assets and liabilities. We have no idea what assets GTB possessed, particularly real estate. Mr. Chidambaram has not told us that. We are simply told that all rates and charges will apply on OBC terms from the date of takeover.

Meanwhile, I found this post raising some questions about the GTB-OBC forced marriage.

Advertising medical cures and public health



Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has said it for the third time in a year and half that he proposes to amend the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, 1954 with the aim of banning advertisements about treatment processes.

It is a matter of wonder why he is unable to implement what he said in 2005, though a full year has passed. He said it again in 2006, and now he has said it again in 2007. What is so pressing about advertisements, that is not about a host of other ills that are sapping the health of the average Indian?

We are living with air pollution beyond imagination (India has 5 of the world's most polluted cities, the World Bank says, and New Delhi is still the most polluted in the WHOLE WORLD). Why is Dr. Ramadoss happy to live in Delhi with such polluted air, but feels so strongly about advertisements, which are of course completely unethical and I hold no brief for the greedy corporate dispensers of health.

Water is another sadly neglected area which is yet to catch the concerned gaze of our Union and State Governments and Dr. Ramadoss. Only people who can buy bottled water are safe in India. Why not do something about municipal water supplies, so that people can drink safe water. After all, that is a much more fundamental driver of public health than getting a few tertiary hospitals to stop advertising? You can actually stop sending people to hospitals looking for cures!

Are these things not important because our political worthies see no 'returns' from such national scale actions?

Monday, January 22, 2007

A break in the forests



What a feeling it is to be away from the swirling madness that is urban India! Away from the IT and technoparks, the discussions on gated communities, the land grab mafias and the worst specimens of Homo sapiens...

Just got back after a fantastic four days during pongal at Nagarahole National Park, which is not far from Mysore. It is closest to the small town of Hunsur.

The real thing - in Nagarahole

I had the unique experience of observing the brilliant faunal diversity of the land in the company of Dr. K. Ullas Karanth, the renowned wildlife biologist of the Wildlife Conservation Society who specialises in scientific study of tigers, and the very talented film-maker Shekar Dattatri.

A piece on the whole question of studying tigers, the ecological concerns and the future of conservation is to appear in The Hindu soon... Also look out for pictures from the trip!

Meanwhile, I spotted this post on conservation from a fellow blogger.

Friday, January 12, 2007

"Muni" invites Chennai audience to be part of film

Here is a still from the audio release of "Muni" held against the backdrop of a giant statue created for the film in suburban Nandambakkam.

The giant statue created for the film Muni


Many look forward to the venture because Rajkiran is in it. It is interesting that the statue, the kind of which is (or rather was) a common sight in the Tamil countryside as Ayyanar, features prominently in this film.

Saran and a host of others were there at the audio release, where the filmmakers also offered lunch to those who came.
Thirumazhisai in Chennai to have NRI city

I learn that tomorrow's The Hindu Property Plus will have a big advertisement for a gated community in Thirumazhisai, a suburb off Poonamallee and Sriperumbudur.

Apparently, this town which is famous for Thirumazhisai "Alwar" and many temples of antiquity, has been chosen because it is proximal to the emerging automotive and IT hardware belt.

The second advertisement is for Alliance Bougainvillea, about which I have posted several times.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

New draft of Second Master Plan for Chennai

Srivathsan reports in The Hindu today that the Tamil Nadu Government has asked for a fresh draft of the Second Master Plan for Chennai, which has been stillborn and kept in governmental formaldehyde now many years.

It is of course significant that much of the planning input that went into the earlier Second Master Plan draft was based on the situation before the IT/ITES and retailing boom. These sectors are now expanding with unprecedented speed in Chennai, along with the automotive sector, with serious consequences for real estate prices, traffic, pollution, water availability and quality and overall quality of life (in short, going the Bangalore way).

Road leading to the upcoming gated community Alliance Bougainvillea near Poonamallee

It is also useful that Srivathsan reminds everyone about the expanding physical area and the population of Chennai -- 306 villages in 10 panchayats, 28 town panchayats, eight municipalities and a cantonment, stretching over 1,177 square kilometres. Phew! For those who are new to the city, Chennai has only rudimentary sewerage and piped water supply and most local governments listed above have next to no sewerage and grossly inadequate water sources. But many are now hosting Spanish villas and English gardens!

Srivathsan's report on the plan for a Chennai Metro rail is also informative.

If you want to see more of a planned gated community, watch this slideshow:

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Chennai's autorickshaw fares hiked, but will it fly?



Today, The Hindu's news update service reported the following:

Autorickshaw fare hiked in Tamil Nadu
Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: The State Government has hiked the minimum autorickshaw fares from Rs. 7 to Rs. 14 for the first two kilometres. For every subsequent kilometre, the fare has been increased from Rs. 3.50 to Rs. 6 . The new rates will come into effect from January 26.

The government has fixed a waiting charge of 40 paise for every 5 minutes. For trips between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., the commuters will be charged 25 per cent more than the revised rates. Autorickshaw owners must replace mechanical meters with electronic ones within six months and upgrade existing electronic meters within 45 days.

The government will help owners get financial assistance worth Rs. 2,000 from banks for effecting the change.

To register complaints, contact 103, 044-26445511, 044-26444445,044-26445959 or sms 98418 08123.



Fort MRTS station - note non-working clock at right, rear

The question to ask is, can the Government make it work this time?

Also, why isn't the same government intervening through the market: by operating more buses to meet the real demand and making suburban train services, MRTS and rail stations more attractive for new users?

Amid blogosphere noise, a tribute to Laurie Baker



It is sometimes difficult to find something that is not self-obsessed, inflated and ego-driven prattle in the blogosphere. Most bloggers are so full of themselves that unless you have a prurient interest in the person behind the online persona, you end up getting bored.

But here is a heartwarmingly personal post that surfaced in a google search on Laurie Baker that was refreshing for its sincere tone and its commitment to a truly extraordinary resident of India.

The few responses that it has prompted are equally sincere. Wish there were more of these...

Meanwhile, Gautam Bhatia's book on Baker is rated with five stars on Amazon.com. I found it in Landmark (Apex Plaza) in Chennai.

For more on Laurie Baker's legacy, visit this site.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Mixed motifs of Spain, England and Pallava country in Chennai



Apparently, there is something alluring about Spanish villas. We have seen Alliance Bougainvillea announcing its project near Poonamallee recently. XS Real Estate also has Villa Espana in Velachery "overlooking the Guindy National Park" (which is what should make the development really attractive).

The Bougainvillea site near Poonamallee - picture taken on New Year's Day


English gardens are similarly attractive, it seems. Both Alliance and XS are talking about English gardens (though they are silent about the hot, humid and dirty exterior) on their properties in Chennai, in Bougainvillea - Poonamallee and Chesterfields - Ramapuram.

XS also talks of some Pallava motifs in its "apartment bungalows."

It beats me why property developers are completely obsessed with Spain for the Sun and England for gardens. The irony strikes me because we have always had sunny skies. Moreover, in England, the local population years for more Sun and actually describes bright days as an "Indian summer!"

To property developers we are hopelessly smitted by Western architectural and cultural influences (though they do have some things of value even to us in our climate, such as Bay windows).

I am hoping for the day that some builder announces projects that pay tribute to Nature, and makes the best use of sunlight, rainwater and air, in the manner that Laurie Baker advocated.

Saran asks, are you a 'Muni'?



It is a good time to be a Muni. That is what those who have names beginning with or containing Muni must be thinking. Whether it is Muni, Munusamy, Muniyandi, Nathamuni or Muniappan, you are invited by Saran to Nandambakkam's Burma Colony, where his mega production that is titled Muni will be releasing the audio on January 10.

The bonus is not just having a biriyani if you love meat, but a photo op with Rajkiran and others. Also get a cassette for takeaway.

The piece de-resistance will of course be the shooting of a song titled "Varanda Muni" between 3 and 5 p.m.

Don't be intimidated by the long knives

"Thousands of Munis are expected," says Saran in his invitation, in which he thanks the fans for supporting him from the time of Aaru. "It has given me a good exposure in the movie industry," he says, on the eve of the audio release by Gemini Productions Pvt Ltd starting at 2 p.m., preceded by the lunch. Incidentally, the meaty lunch is a dominant aspect of the film and all its publicity.

If you are finding it difficult to locate the 40 feet statue of Muneeswarar at Burma Colony, Defence Grounds, Nandambakkam near the Mount-Poonamallee Road where the action will take place, call film PRO Nikil.

Monday, January 08, 2007

What does CMDA-approved in Chennai mean?

Apparently, getting a CMDA-approved plot does not add up to much. That is the lesson that one learns from Jeeva Nagar, a suburban layout promoted by a company called BLB Estates of T.Nagar.

The residents of this layout near Kattupakkam and Poonamallee that was approved in 2003 are at their wits' end because the promoter, the CMDA, and the local government represented by Mangadu Town Panchayat are not ready to help. Most of the properties are underwater even two full months after the Northeast monsoon came to an end.

The property owners who have paid all dues to the CMDA for the layout permission have petitioned the Kancheepuram District Collectorate too, without any concrete response.

Of course, building activity is going on all around the layout and the Alliance Bougainvillea project is just 2 km away. A Maruti dealership is all set to open next door with room for scores of cars, while Manipal Automobiles, a Tata dealership is already open 1 km away. DLF is building an IT Park 4 km down the same road.

But watch the slideshow put up by the property owners of Jeeva Nagar:

Jeeva Nagar

Friday, January 05, 2007

More from Professor Stiglitz in Chennai

As part of his talk, Professor Stiglitz emphasised his suggestion that one alternative to patents could be the institution of a Medical Prize Fund (see his editorial in the British Medical Journal).

His belief is that such a prize will spur innovation in much needed areas such as malaria, which is a disease affecting developing countries and for which big pharma companies will not devote research budgets.

Other points:

  • The concept of limited liability is being used to avoid cleaning up the environmental mess after it is no longer profitable to pursue a particular industrial process -- a familiar example is mining.

  • With the strong evidence available on global warming, there should now be a move to tax emissions in the developed world. The Kyoto protocol, which the US has pulled out of and which does not impose any obligations on developing countries, has reached an impasse.

  • Importantly, there is no enforcement mechanism in the present situation for climate change agreements, unlike the Montreal protocols on CFCs where trade sanctions were included. The Montreal protocol is perceived to have worked.

  • India's response to globalization should be to address the growing inequalities. There must be ways to cushion the losers. "Use some of the gains to ensure that there are fewer losers."

  • Manage globalization on your own terms, reject dogmas. In the case of the roles of Market and Government, in some areas, the State has to take a larger role even as it retreats from others.

  • Capital market liberalisation is going to be risk without reward. The argument that you cannot get capital without liberalisation is false. China has got it. FDI provides capital which has long term stakes, unlike speculative flows that only seek immediate gains.

  • In the area of drugs, intellectual property may impose high costs without the benefits. The acceptance of IP must always be a trade-off between the inefficiencies of having patents with the gains that it would bring. But in the case of drugs, you could have high costs, without the benefit. The Uruguay Round of talks resulted in compulsory licensing provisions, but that is not being taken full advantage of.

    That is because, if you do, the US will put pressure on you on other things. Thailand has faced the pressure on HIV/AIDS drugs. Brazil is also facing similar pressure. But India and Brazil are strong countries that can resist this.
  • Thursday, January 04, 2007

    Joseph Stiglitz's lecture in Chennai

    Professor Joseph Stiglitz's lecture on "Making Globalization Work," delivered under the auspices of The Hindu, dwelt on the opportunity before India to structure its participation in the globalization process according to its terms, rather than on the terms of profiteering international capitalists.

    The tone of the Nobel laureate's talk was a mix of informed persuasiveness and experienced caution.

    Here are some highlights, which should be familiar to those who have read his recent book on which the lecture topic was framed:

    Number of people in poverty in Africa has doubled in the last 25 years.

    China and India have benefited out of globalization, but Africa has neither the education resources or market resources to take advantage of the opportunity.

    There is a gross assymmetry between the way capital and labour have been liberalised. There is lot of interest in liberalising flow of capital, but not labour. Consider a scenario where capital was frozen, but labour could flow freely. That would mean we would be a lot more concerned about improving our environment and education systems to a degree that would help leverage such an opportunity.

    The impact of patents under TRIPS is likely to be severe on prices of drugs in developing countries, as also in the more developed ones. HIV/AIDS is the most visible example, where advanced drug formulations are going to cost about 17,000 dollars against 10,000 dollars for branded first generation drugs and even 200 dollars for generics.

    Generally, the TRIPs agreement is bad for science, US science and international science.

    Capital market liberalisation is unlikely to create economic growth in developing countries. It will only lead to more instability.

    Globalization is being used as a pretext in many countries to roll back social protections. We have not learnt how to temper globalization. To make it work, we must change the international rules that govern the process of globalization. Secondly, we must be able to manage the changes arising from globalization.

    When the 2001 development round of trade talks was held, the US and Europe reneged on their promises. The US doubled its agro subsidies.

    The problem with TRIPs is that it imposes a single intellectual property regime on all countries. All countries are asked to pay similar prices despite their different development status.

    More points to follow....

    Wednesday, January 03, 2007

    Online sales and gullible Chennaiites

    There is so much hype about the retail sector that the big stores are apparently finding it easy to take consumers for a ride in Chennai.

    Many blogs and newspapers are gushing about the opening of big-ticket stores like Pantaloon Retail's Big Bazaar in Chennai. I decided to check out their website, and went on to their "futurebazaar" e-commerce site.

    Here is one item that's on the site:

    Kingston 512MB Pen Drive
    MRP Rs. 1999 Offer Rs. 726

    It must come as a rude shock to those who fall for the "lowest prices everyday" sales pitch, that a 1 GB Kingston Pen Drive with smart software from u3.com is available on Ritchie Street, Chintadripet (off Anna Salai) for about Rs.900!

    So much for our retailing and e-commerce hype.

    Tuesday, January 02, 2007

    Chennai: potholed paradise

    On New Year's eve, many of the Hyundai Accents received by Chennai Police gratis from the Korean carmaker were at their screaming best. They were zipping along in some places, their lights flashing and sirens wailing or standing with metallic efficiency at other locations (what they achieved is not clear, though).

    In 2007, Chennai is no different from what it was a year ago, when there were no freebie Hyundais for "patrolling." After the Northeast Monsoon and with a faceless Mayor at Ripon Building (M. Subramaniam, heard of him?), the metro's roads are a long trail of potholes.

    Apparently, the somnolent occupants of the Corporation headquarters have decided to allocate money for road repairs, but the Zonal Officers (Assistant Commissioners) are in no hurry to do basic repair work to fill up the potholes. So in most places, you simply bump along and pay the automobile mechanic more.

    This sort of indifference contrasts with the hype generated by globizens about the way this hypermetro is making waves. There are colourful advertisements in newspapers claiming to offer "English" gardens with "Spanish" villas in their midst, tall glass and steel marvels housing BPOs who are linked to international capitals. You only have to spend a fiver on the Mass Rapid Transit System that travels the length of the Cooum and Buckhingham Canal, which are nothing but open sewers, to see what a travesty of truth Chennapatnam is!

    You rarely see this view. Chennai Central is in the background with a mound of trash in the Buckingham Canal, as seen from pedestrian walkway to Park Town MRTS Station

    The enormous amounts of waste generated by the villa types gets carted to shanties lining these canals, where some of it is segregated for onward sale for crude recycling. The rest is simply dumped on the riverside. The waste plastic and white board dumped summarily in this fashion provides some weak relief to the black sewage-marked banks of the watercourses, while the shanties appear in the background, rusty reminders that there is a city that is invisible to the chatterati and which the media has stopped talking about because it is no longer fashionable to do so.