Confessions of a Cauliflower Cultivator

I knew that from day one. The guys at neighboring farm were up to something. They were doing something with cabbage. Something odd, that every season, the cabbages of their field became whiter and whiter. Was that the leaf or the flower? I didn't know back then. I am not that silly to jump over the fence and have a look at it. But they harvested it, loaded in carts and sent it to some unknown place every season. It happened by accident. I was in the town to sell my cabbages. There was a new shop in the market. They sold some fried food. People were all around the shop, shouting and pushing each other. It made me curious. I went near the shop.They were selling some red stuff deep fried in oil. When I was waiting for my plate of the fries, I saw the cart.

The same cart of my neighbor, which he used to carry the white stuff. The cart was parked behind the shop and his men were unloading the white stuff from the cart. Before I could get a better view, I was given my plate of the fries and asked to move on. The stuff was hot. It was nothing but the regular batter they used for other such fries. But inside it, it was the white stuff. Crunchy and juicy, with a taste that was similar to cabbage stem. But the upper part of the stuff was somewhat rough and grainy in texture. So this is the stuff they are harvesting and selling secretly! I waited in the market till evening. When the crowd had gone and the shopkeeper was counting his money, I went to him.

I asked him, what was that stuff he was selling. He gave me an odd look and continued counting his money. I told him that I am from the same village as the other farmer who supplied him the stuff. He gave me a stare and asked what I wanted. I said, I will pay you twice the money, just give me the white stuff without frying. He refused. I raised the money up to 10 times the cost of fries. But he refused and asked me to leave. I stayed that night in the market. Before the dawn, some boys rushed from the back of the shop and dumped a sac in the garbage pit. I ensured that they were back in the shop and jumped in to the pit. I loaded some of the leftovers in my bag and rushed back to home.

It was clear from the leaves. It was a cabbage plant. But something had happened. Like what happened 100 years ago, when a great demand for turnip got started, they made cabbage plant to grow turnip like stem. How they did that? I remember my grandfather explaining that to my father. First they selected the wild cabbage with somewhat stouter stem, then every generation, they replanted plants with stems that were even stouter than the previous generations, while the other plants were carefully uprooted and fed to cows. After 60 cycles, they got it! A turnip like stem, green in color and crunchy to eat. It was an instant hit! People added it to their soups and salads. Almost half of the farmers switched to this new product! So my neighbor had done something similar with the flower this time. And he kept that secret unlike how they shared the idea 100 years ago.

3 months later, it was my youngest son who went to play with my neighbor's children, brought home those pods. They were like cabbage pods. But I understood that they are of the new large-flower breed. I managed to get 8 to 10 seeds from that and planted them on a patch of land behind my cottage so that my neighbor couldn't see it easily. It grew. Exactly like how it grew in his farm. I didn't know how my neighbor will react towards this. But I was curious to show him the plants and get more information on it. I was even ready to exchange some of the new breed chicken I got from a friend abroad.

So I gave him a shout and called him to the patch of land where those white buds were smiling at the sun. He didn't expect the surprise awaited for him. He was angry and shouted that I had stolen his hard work of 15 years! I was speechless. He almost made me cry. I promised him that I will destroy the plants and will never plant them again. But that was not enough for him. He revealed that he had an agreement with the fries shop. Moreover a share of the profit, he sent to the duke as tribute in exchange for protection in case of any problem. According to him, I have stolen his work of body and mind and deserved punishment. He called his men and tied me up and took me to the duke. The duke ordered me that I should give him an years yield and I should be imprisoned for twenty years! I was on my knees and I was crying for mercy. Neither the duke nor my neighbor considered my plea.

At last, I asked for a chance to meet my eldest son to settle things before I went to the dungeons. It was granted. Apart from advices on money dealings and other stuffs, I asked him to go to hill side and get some wild cabbage. I instructed him that he should plant them and replant them selecting the ones with larger and larger flower cluster, cycle after cycle. This he had to do it in my brother's farm in the next village. It may be a hard task for a 13 year old. But still, he had to do it for the honor of his father. 20 year passed and I came out half the man I used to be. Instead of taking me to my home, my son took me to my brother's farm. It was almost the same! White mounds of flower clusters! It almost looked like those clouds in the Heaven! He did it! He did it on his own. Now nobody can come and tell that we have stolen their work. It is our own work! Our entry in to our village was almost a carnival! A cart full of the harvested flowers followed us. My wife and other children came running to me cheering and yelling.

It was almost the same! White mounds of flower clusters!

That evening was almost like a dream. We were all reunited. My youngest son was already planning what to buy with the money we get when we sell those flowers in the market. Someone knocked on the door. Then there was a bang and the door flung open. Men of the duke marched in to my house. They kept a knife on my throat and my son's throat and pulled us away to the court. My neighbor and his son were standing there, filled with anger. The duke, now a ripe old man, looked at me and wondered was it the same man he released that morning. Now my neighbor's charge against us was "copying his idea". The duke heard for some time and declared that we both had violated the law by copying his idea and stealing his wisdom. We were clueless. If selectively planting the seeds with the desired traits is the "wisdom", then it was not their wisdom. This, everyone knows. If making a cabbage plant with larger flower is the work, my son had done it on his own. What had we copied? What had we stolen? But nobody listened to us.

At last they sentenced me to death for repeated offense and my son to 20 years in prison. I begged them to give me a chance to confess my sins to you, the public, before the sword takes my life. These are the crimes I have committed. I did to the flower exactly what they did with the green turnip. I wanted to share the fruits of my work like how they shared the new breed of cow that gave more milk. I wanted to sell more cabbage flowers so that the fries will be cheaper and made at everyone's kitchen. But I stand before you awaiting the sword. For his profit, you are going to pay with that extra money every time you eat the fries. I am paying with my flesh and blood. Good bye!

Reliable Source

Introduction

What is a reliable source for any information? Anybody with an Internet connection can write anything they want. Even this blog is one such thing. I have no qualification to write on any subject with authority save for some "public static void main". But still I am writing. So if a thousand blogs say that something is correct and only few "unknown" sites say the opposite, democratically, is it not correct, because that is majority? Is truth is what we feel and experience or something that is proven beyond doubt? Is truth is what works for me and may not for you? Is there no ultimate truth that is objective instead of subjective "feelings" or "experiences"? Is that coffee is hot for me and cold for you? But is there not a thermometer that says the coffee is 67C? What if someone sounds like a genuine skeptic while questioning the caliberation of the thermometer itself? I have seen people questioning moon landing and vaccines like true skeptics. Does questioning something makes you a skeptic while questioning something else makes you an idiot?

People who believe Coco-Cola and Mentos can produce cyanide without a question suddenly start to ask millions of question if you say that it won't. People who don't even have a doubt that solar eclipse causes birth defects become "Doubting Thomases" when you say that mercury in shark is harmful for lactating mother and label you as a foreign agent who questions their native wisdom! The source for the Coke-Mentos story may be a blog written from Brazil and the source for mercury in shark is FDA's own website. It doesn't matter. Both are websites. And some even argue that it is better to trust the Brazillian blogger as he has no financial interest than the FDA site which is influenced by corporate lobby! So whom can we trust?

History of Writing

Back in the old days, people who were educated alone could read and write. And only a minority of the educated minority wrote books. Majority of the population never had a chance to read something or express their ideas to a wider audience. Hand written copies of books were costly to produce, hard to maintain and almost out of reach for the public. Some countries allowed only the rich elites to possess books. Even worse, in some other countries only those people who were born in to particular castes were allowed to read and write.

Then came the printing press which allowed mass production of books. Books became cheaper and were within the reach of public. At the same time, industrial revolution and political changes allowed majority to get education. As literacy rate grew along with the increase in number of books, we saw a boom in creativity, inventions, discoveries and critical thinking. But there was a problem. Even though almost anyone could read a book, not everyone was able to publish a book. You can have your own manuscripts on your desk. Else you can even print a copy for yourself. But hitting market was out of question.

Even today, to reach a good number of audiences, you need a publisher. And the publishers lay out certain rules and restrictions to the buyers as well as to the writers! Writers are asked to surrender the copyright to publishers. Readers are restricted from creating derivative works. Even reselling of books and photocopying are becoming "offences" in the eyes of corporate publishers. On one side, quality books are becoming costlier and costlier. Also on the other side, whoever has money can publish anything they want. The books cover, paper quality and print, everything will look exactly like an encyclopedia from a renowned university, yet the content will be no better than "Weekly World News". On the third side, rise of Internet provides costless (apart from what you pay for data) information. Again in Internet, most of the serious researches and information are pay-walled, and anyone with a connection can write anything (they don't even need the power of money!) the picture is becoming very complex.

Let me categorize them vaguely.

1. Really Good Books

These are books that are product of serious research or study or skill. They are genuine works and they can be verified scientifically. They are written by scientists and researchers who invest their time, money and effort on their fields. These books are meant to be consumed by public and increase the awareness, ignite discussions and pave way for improvements or rectification of existing ideas. But the sad facts about the books are as follows. They cost more. They are "dry" and uninteresting for general public and most people seldom know the titles of these books! Add to this the threats and violent opposition to such books which dare to question existing beliefs or status quo!

2. Bad Books that Resembles Good Books

Majority of books sold in railway stations or book fairs etc. are of this category. They have polished covers, colorful photographs, shiny paper, good quality print, cost you a fortune and authored by a famous writer/activist you often see on TV or in movie credits. They resemble the "good books" in every aspect from ISBN to Best Seller endorsements. But they are nothing more than self-help crap, new-age rap, astrology bullshit, biased history batshit or mumbo-jumbo on any subject. Go to any book shop. You can find at least a dozen of books on Homeopathy but you can't get a book that explains Homeopathy is fake! As the free market neutrality and voting-with-your-wallet democracy "naturally selects" the "fittest for survival", you have books that endorse Homeopathy, Crystal Therapy, Astrology etc. widely and cheaply available, while a good book on astro-physics or bio-chemistry is out of stock (never been in stock) or out of budget!

3. Good Sites

Enter the Internet! There are some sites which are actually continuation of international science journals and serious magazines with genuine journalism from the printing era. They have made their way in to the Internet. But most of them are pay-walled. Even some of them are not pay-walled but they are unpopular among masses. Again, these sites serve articles that are not so "interesting" to read. Even though serious efforts (like this) are taken to make books that are already in public domain freely available to people in digital format, relatively new and fresh information is blocked by subscriptions, pay per view etc. Also attempts like Facebook's Internet.org (FreeBasics) will add another layer in between people and these sites. If you have to pay Rs. 200 every month for a full-fledged Internet connection while FreeBasics comes for Rs. 0 (I won't say it is free of cost! It costs your privacy and freedom of choice), most people will choose to stick with the few sites provided by Facebook. As far as Whatsapp is working, who cares to do a data recharge?

4. The Other Sites

The rest of the Internet is nothing but the noise you hear in the market. Absolute democracy! Everyone has their say! From flat-earthers to neo-Nazi racists. All are given equal opportunity to write and spread their "message" to the world. Whatsapp messages, Youtube videos, Facebook updates and retweeted blog links can enlighten us on GM diet, while nobody cares to check what it is actually. Even some widely read news sites publish unethical articles (see example below) and distance themselves from questioning by a lame disclaimer that the opinion expressed is the writer's and not of the publisher's. Again the genuine idiocracy democracy of the Internet wins! abchomeopathy.com has Alexa rank of 72,613 and quackwatch.org has a rank of 193,968. You know what it means right? People at abchomeopathy.com are 267% correct than people at quackwatch.org. If 100 blogs say that vaccines contain poisonous chemicals and cause autism and 3 or 4 sites say vaccines are needed to prevent diseases like polio or mumps, then surely those 3 or 4 sites are run by corporate funded doctors who have no idea about vaccines while those blogs are run by highly concerned citizens who are rightly qualified in UFOlogy or Tarot reading.



This article from The Hindu (Tamil version) claims that a single Siddha medicine can cure diseases cold, diabetes, cancer and AIDS. How can a Newspaper like The Hindu publish an article like this without moral responsibility?

Screen grab from the The Hindu's article titled "தொற்றுநோய்களை விரட்டும் மகா சுதர்சன மாத்திரை"

What’s My Problem?

People are choosing what they want to believe and it is their choice and their life. How can you say what you believe is correct and what I believe is wrong? What is your problem? Do you know whatever you say is 100% correct? Nobody is 100% correct. Unless you experience it yourself, you won't believe.

These are the usual response people give when confronted that what they believe is pseudoscience or hoax.

An engineering graduate believes that a pulse check by a naturopath is equally valid as an ECG and a glass of coriander juice is equally good as angioplasty. He even said that former is better than later as it is fully natural, safe and without side-effects. You don't see a problem?

A person with pain due to gall stones ignores it and goes for acupuncture to treat the pain. He is rushed to ICU with severe jaundice. No problem yet?

A project manager enrolls his son in mid-brain activation class for a hefty sum of money against his son's wish to join Karate or Swimming. Still no problem?

An MBA gold-medalist spending Rs. 8,000 a month on red-mushroom powder and Spirulina capsules and genuinely believes that it can cure any sort of disease.  Not a problem at all!

Magnetic necklace, pyramid schemes, water therapy, energy treatment, de-tox diet, positive vibrations, vaasthu fish, snake oil, faith healing all are real. Thousands of people are saying it worked for them. So I am just trying it out. Nothing is wrong in trying that. If it fails, I may lose some money or time. But what if it works? And we should fight the "leftist conspiracy" to infect our children with evil ideas like evolution, germ theory of disease, astronomy, physics, chemistry, history, biology and English grammar (their r grammer Nazis r8? Dey cn’t evn tolrite ma Whatsapp msg!). Also we should fight the right wing corporates who are trying to kill the people by vaccination, anti-biotics, fertilizers, cellphone radiation, chem-trails, GM food etc. We should rely on our UFO masters, spirits of nature, kundalini energy, water memory, cosmic waves and organic foods to save us!

Absolutely no problem! Go ahead!

Solution?

What is the solution? Am I the expert to ask? Not so. But here is my opinion. Researches, studies and serious work of science, history and politics should be made cheap or free of cost for the public. Government and rational intellects should encourage people to read and share that information. Sharing, derivative works, collaboration etc. should be encouraged rather than being met with lawsuits in patent courts. On the other hand, people who knowingly circulate unscientific and unethical ideas, misinformation, rumors etc. should be banned and punished. Yes. I hear you crying that I am for censorship and against freedom of speech. But for your kind information, spreading misinformation about vaccine or endorsing a home-made cure for cancer is harmful. It is not freedom of speech. It has direct impact on people who are foolish enough to fall for it. Lives are lost. Damages done in irreversible ways. Yet these people are walking free on pretext of free speech! Scientific community with the help of volunteers should set up a universal review panel to review and rate sites based on the content. Again, these may result in censorship. But we should think a way to make it impartial and honest system rather than giving every retarded view an equal opportunity to corrupt the minds of public. If there are sources with 95% truth and 20% truth, both are logically partial truth. But practically they are not equally valid. It is our duty to ensure the 95% truth grows to 99.999% and 20% truth (80% false) obscured from the public. Long live democracy! Long live freedom of speech!