Global Warming will push India into reverse, as global leadership fades says new report

I kinda knew this... I believe in this totally... something has gotta give... this indiscriminate exploitation of Natural Resources... cant go on forever!!! Read on...

New Delhi, India — Biggest study yet from a unique coalition of major development and environment groups reveals scale of climate impacts in India - immediate action needed before India goes ' Up in Smoke'

New Delhi 19th November 2007: A new report – Up in Smoke? Asia and the Pacific – with a foreword by Dr R.K. Pachauri, Chairman of the Nobel prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – says that without immediate action, global warming is set to reverse decades of social and economic progress across Asia, home to over 60 per cent of the world's population. The report is published in the wake of evidence that a majority of Industrialised countries are reneging on targets for emissions reductions set to tackle climate change.
As world leaders prepare for the next UN talks to determine the international response to climate change, in Bali at the beginning of December, Up in Smoke: Asia and the Pacific, shows how the human drama of climate change will largely be played out in Asia, where almost two thirds of the world's population live, effectively on the front line of climate change.

"While going through the foreword that I wrote for the 2004 volume of "Up in smoke", I find that the concerns and priorities that I had touched on as part of that write-up, if anything, have become stronger, and the uncertainties associated with what I had stated then have been reduced significantly. The IPCC findings provide the evidence for the same." Dr RK Pachauri, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute and Chairman, IPCC.

India is large country with close to 700 million people living in rural areas who depend on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forests, and fisheries for their livelihoods. Its ecosystems such as riversheds, mangroves, coastal zones, forests and grasslands are already overburdened by environmental pressures from commercialization , excessive resource use and indiscriminate dumping of industrial and agricultural waste.

The report highlights the potential devastating impacts of climate change in India, for example, that:

India has already 250 million people that live in absolute poverty with little capacity to cope with climate change. 400 million people living in the Ganga Basin will be further affected by water shortages in the near future. Many more will be affected by floods and droughts due to erratic monsoons and the fast depletion of Himalayan glaciers.
Around 600 million Indians depend on agriculture, which, unlike the rest of the economy, has been crawling along at a growth rate of less than 2% per annum. Production has been stagnant, per capita availability of food is declining, farmer suicides and hunger deaths are on the rise, and agrarian distress is acute and widespread. These trends will be further accentuated due to climate change.
Some vulnerable sections of society like women, tribal communities, scheduled castes will bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change. Women, for example, will spend a greater and greater amount of their time in arranging for food, fuel and water for their families.
In the Sundarbans, already four islands have been completely submerged, displacing about 6,000 families. These families have the misfortune of being India's foremost Climate Refugees.

There is growing consensus about the current human and environmental challenges facing Asia, and what is needed to tackle them. There is already enough knowledge and understanding to know what the main causes of climate change are, how to reduce future climate change, and how to begin to adapt.
Alongside new evidence of the devastating impact that climate change is already having on communities across Asia, Up in Smoke Asia and the Pacific, shows positive measures that are already being taken – by governments, by civil society and by local people – to reduce the causes of climate change and to overcome its effects. It shows examples of emissions reduction; alternative water and energy supply systems; preservation of strategic ecosystems and protected areas; increasing capacity, awareness and skills for risk and disaster management; and the employment of effective regulatory and policy instruments. The challenge is clear and many of the solutions are known: the point is, to act.
Immediate decisions needs to be made on the following:
1) Appropriate policy and fiscal measures for dealing with the immediate future impacts of climate change
2) Move towards sustainable, low carbon intensity energy pathways, while not compromising on development goals
3) Planned adaptation measures in climate sensitive sectors, especially water and agriculture
4) Disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness in vulnerable areas.

Source:http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/releases/global-warming-will-push-india

Earth Day! Please read... and spread....

Hello All,
This is something I keep thinking of and keep observing every single day. It is we, the Humans (Highly Unreliable Malignant And Nasty Species), who have changed the complexion of the planet and we are constantly degrading the nature/climate at the same time being dependent on and being a part of the nature!
We are so busy with work and in trying to achieve, earn, or succeed that we forget the little joys of sitting by the side of a pond and seeing the ripples from beneath the surface; walking by the side of a stream to listen the calming sound of running water; playing with your pals and pets in cool rain on a hot summer day; cycling on a warm spring morning and taking a break in the cool shade of a beautiful green tree (forget A/Cs... I hate them especially it reminds me of the prison called the workplace); waking up to the sweet chirping of birds or the blunt (yet sweet) sounds of the not-so-melodious crows;
Suddenly, we face a fate of over-heated earth - we hear the word 'Global Warming' at a more frequent rate than ever, and that is not a good news! And there seems to be no solution to it... we are all neck deep into things that aid to this degradation of our own planet... but we can at least try...
And that is the essence of April 22 (or of March 20 or any other day you would like to celebrate as) the Earth Day... honor our planet, praise the nature, value our lives and the wonderful system of interdependencies and sigh at the helplessness induced by this same sweet-but-sadistic nature!
And yes, there is something more worthwhile than Celebrating that you can do on this day or on any day (preferably everyday!)... try on your part not to contribute to the degradation, try to help sustain the balance and retain the vigor of our Nature...

it can be simple things like keeping a check on the health of your vehicle to limit the emissions, trying more energy-efficient (most of the times economical) ways of using fuel, sharing a vehicle, walking instead of using a bike/car when feasible (remember it is healthy to walk, too), not switching the A/C in the night when you get better and healthier air if you can keep the windows open, turn-off the monitors and shutdown the PC when not required otherwise, refuse to accept redundant poly-ethylene carry bags (when not hazardous try to reuse them), try avoiding plastic plates in the name of hygiene when treating guests @ home, minimize the usage of sprays as much as possible, the list is endless and all know of the items on the list.

It has to start from us, from every individual... no amount of 'policies' can save... no 'law' can stem the rot, there is always a legal/corrupt way of evading the law... it is every individual like us, like You, who can make a difference.
This is my humble attempt at venting the frustration I share when I see the dark clouds of smoke from the 'Taxi's and 'Maruti's alike, the heaps of plastic lying by the roadside, when I see the A/Cs working like tanks on the war-front. This my humble request to you all to think and try to do what best can be done to save this beautiful planet, coz there is no other option that I can see to remedy... I am helpless, as everybody else is, when alone!
I dont like the vision of our next generation playing in an indoor-pond inhabited by test-tube-grown-declared-safe-animals; playing with a SONY Aibo, programmed to never bite or bark; trekking an artificial peak in a man-made-and-enclosed-landscape; living a life of a machine indoors with the fear of being burnt or of cancer!
With a vision of a clearer, healthier and a 'Natural' Nature... I give you this message of Earth Day, from the official EarthDay site... www.earthsite.org

HOIST THE SAILS!

By John McConnell

Four billion years ago
Our lonely Earth
Set sail on cosmic seas
Guided by an unseen hand
Of nature, God or chance.

As life evolved
Through endles eco-cycles
Man was born, destined
To destroy or enrich
the Precious Ship.

And now his hand
Has seized the tiller
But his ear has not
Yet caught the Captain's
Quiet command.

The sails are down, the ship becalmed,
Its fragil life at stake.
No longer do we ride the gentle swells of
Silent seas and breathe
The fragrant air.

Broken are the rhythms
Of our cyclic plants
And other living things.

But now the Captain speaks again
Our quiet thoughts at last reveal his voice.

"Hoist the sails, Earth Man.
Set them for celestial winds.
Hold the tiler firm,
The course ahead is clear."

Be He nature, God or chance
His voice is heard
And we shall heed
The Captain's quiet command.

----------
Thanks for reading till here...
Thanks for sparing a thought...
More thanks if you think my effort was worthwhile!

Cheers
Venkat

And do share this message if you feel this would inspire any of your pals... your wish may not come true if you do so, but my wish of spreading this message of Nature-compliance will be fulfilled a step further!!

Bush Pilot (with English subtitles)

The Bush pilot himself reports about his job and the obstacles involved :D funny... no hard feelings ;)

Tsunami Kanyakumari India (2004)

Amateur camcorder footage of the 2004 tsunami disaster. The footage captures the sudden crashing of a giant wave against the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, situated at the southern tip of Kanyakumari. The video was shot by Aniket Kale. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had a magnitude of 9.15, triggered a series of lethal tsunamis on December 26, 2004 that killed approximately 230,000 people (including 168,000 in Indonesia alone), making it the deadliest tsunami in recorded history. The tsunami killed people over an area ranging from the immediate vicinity of the quake in Indonesia, Thailand and the north-western coast of Malaysia to thousands of kilometres away in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and even as far as Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania in eastern Africa. The disaster prompted a huge worldwide effort to help victims of the tragedy, with billions of dollars being raised for disaster relief. Unlike in the Pacific Ocean, there was no organized alert service covering the Indian Ocean. This was in part due to the absence of major tsunami events between 1883 (the Krakatoa eruption, which killed 36,000 people) and 2004. In light of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, UNESCO and other world bodies have called for a global tsunami monitoring system.

Inquisitive :D

 

News Man gets owned By drunk lady

News Man gets owned By drunk lady, funny humor, news lol, ownage

Invincible - Trailer # 1

When the coach of Vince Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time--no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way. Certainly no one like Papale--a down-on-his-luck, 30 year-old, substitute teacher and part-time bartender who never even played college football. But against these odds, Papale made the team and soon found himself living every fan's fantasy--moving from his cheap seats in the upper deck to standing on the field as a professional football player. In theaters August 25, 2006.

Secretary's Ass

Secretary's Ass :D Very Funny

Deer Gets Revenge

While being hunted, this deer decides that he's not going to have any of it and goes off the hook, in another amazing twist of fate.

A Minor waterfall in ParrySound

Venkat

Strategising for the tour :)

Venkat

Nice Car .... :D

Found this near China Town on Spadina and College... funny car with a lot of parking tickets ;)

Some function on Dundas Square

Tamil Function on Yonge & Dundas Square...

The Toronto Street Festival

This was a show called Tricycle... Amazing Circus and Mindblowing Fireworks!!!

Loon Lodge

Wolf's Den @ Algonquin Park :)

Burger Magician

The magician/actor is taking out the burger from the advertisement sign board and consume.

Journal of Paleolimnology

Venkat's Blog - started late though ;)

Science Tells How Jesus Walked on Water?

The Bible says that Jesus walked on water, but a professor of oceanography at Florida State University in Tallahassee has developed a controversial theory: He claims Christ was actually walking on a floating piece of ice.

The sixth chapter of the Gospel of John tells the story familiar to Christians: When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them: "It is I, do not be afraid." (John 6:16-20)

Reuters reports that FSU professor Doron Nof credits this miraculous act to an unusual combination of water and atmospheric conditions in what is now northern Israel that could have led to ice formation on the Sea of Galilee. Using statistical models to examine the dynamics of the Sea of Galilee (now known as Lake Kinneret) and records of surface temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea, Nof determined there was a period of cooler temperatures in the area between 1,500 and 2,600 years ago. He says this could have included the time in which Jesus lived.

Had the temperature dropped below freezing, it could have created ice to form in the freshwater lake that was then called the Sea of Galilee. And that ice would have been thick enough to support the weight of a man. What's more, it might have been impossible for distant observers--especially in the dark as the Gospel of John reports--to see that it was actually ice surrounded by water and not just water.

Nof calls this a "possible explanation" of how Jesus walked on water. "If you ask me if I believe someone walked on water, no, I don't," Nof told Reuters. "Maybe somebody walked on the ice, I don't know. I believe that something natural was there that explains it. We leave to others the question of whether or not our research explains the biblical account."

Nof acknowledges he has received hate mail for espousing this theory.

The study findings were published in the Journal of Paleolimnology.

The Coolest 4-letter word :-)

Venkat's Blog - started late though ;)



A Very Cool 4-Letter Word

The coolest four-letter word is "dude."

That's the proclamation from a linguist at the University of Pittsburgh, who has published a scholarly paper in the journal American Speech that deconstructs and deciphers the word "dude." (Yes, he was paid to do that.)

Hey dude, Scott Kiesling insists that "dude" is much more than a simple catchall for lazy, inarticulate surfers, skaters, slackers, and teenagers, reports The Associated Press. It's ability to morph into multiple meanings and uses has ensured its place in the lexicon of old and young alike.

Here are some of the many uses of "dude"--just in case you doubted the eminent professor:
Greetings: "What's up, dude?"
An exclamation: "Whoa, dude!"
Commiseration: "Dude, I'm so sorry."
A great one-up: "That's so lame, dude."
Agreement, surprise, and disgust (depending on your tone): "Dude."

How "dude" was used historically:
Originally: It meant "old rags." A "dudesman" was a scarecrow.
Late 1800s: A "dude" was akin to a "dandy," a meticulously dressed man, especially out West.
1930s and 1940s: "Dude" became cool.
1981: Dude became part of the teenage lexicon with the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Kiesling explains that the word derives its power from something he calls cool solidarity, which is an effortless kinship that's not too intimate. AP notes that cool solidarity is especially important to young men who are under social pressure to be close with other young men, but not enough to be suspected as gay. "It's like man or buddy, there is often this male-male addressed term that says, 'I'm your friend but not much more than your friend,'" Kiesling told AP.

The dude study: As part of his extensive research decoding the finer shades of meaning of "dude," Kiesling listened to conversations with fraternity brothers whom he taped in 1993. In addition, in 2001 and 2002 he asked undergraduate students in sociolinguistics classes to write down the first 20 times they heard the word "dude" and who said it during a three-day period.

The results, dude: He found the word taps into nonconformity and a new American image of leisurely success, notes AP.

* Men used "dude" much more than women, although the ladies did sometimes call each other dudes. (Dudettes?)
* The least frequent use of "dude" is between genders, and when it is used, it comes with rules. "Men report that they use dude with women with whom they are close friends, but not with women with whom they are intimate," according to the study.
* And the people with whom the students were least likely to use the word "dude" is with parents, bosses, and professors. Authority figures are not dudes.

And that's the word, dude.

Hurt cop files FIR against Pathan, R P Singh

 
Jamshedpur, April 13, 2006

A inspector, Vidhu Bhushan Dwivedi, who was injured before the sixth ODI yesterday when a drive from Rudra Pratap Singh hit him on his face, has filed FIR against Singh, Irfan Pathan and coach Greg Chappell.

Dwivedi, who lost three of his front teeth due to the impact, has also lodged a FIR against the manager of the Indian team, Jharkhand State Cricket Association and the Indian Cricket Board.

The sections of IPC which the cop has slapped on the players are 279, 337 and 338. The cop's grouse is that if it were a net practice, the players should have been inside the nets and not hit outside.

dint know this in Oracle SQL

  select last_day(sysdate) from dual