Sometimes it is not the big things that make a difference but the small gestures that touch the heart.
An 8-year-old girl named Rasika Joshi saw a picture of Aamir Khan with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. Being a huge fan of Aamir Khan, she asked her father, Manoj Joshi, what was Aamir Khan doing with the CM.
To which he replied that he is giving a cheque to the CM for the relief fund to help the farmers who lost their crops to bad weather and are struggling to survive now.
Inquisitive, Rasika asked if her photo would be clicked if she donated the money to which her father said yes. That excited Rasika and she decided to give her piggy bank donations to the farmers to help them.
Her benevolent gesture impressed her family as well as the Maharashtra CM who said he was touched by her gesture. He assured that no matter what, her savings would reach the farmer.
Her father was elated by the CM’s response to the little girl’s plea and his reaction to it.
Earlier, many celebrities including Ajinkya Rahane, Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar etc have donated funds to aid the farmers in drought-stricken Maharashtra. The recent rainfall has brought relief to some of the areas, however, many areas still remain dry with people struggling to make the ends meet.
Will there be another Rasika Joshi to help them out and show them love?
The sea of 96MILLION plastic balls that LA hopes will save it from drought: Reservoir is covered in an ocean of black spheres to stop 300million gallons of water evaporating
Black plastic balls were this week released into the 175-acre Los Angeles Reservoir in Sylmar, California
They are designed to cover the water, prevent evaporation and protect it from dust, rain, chemicals and wildlife
The polyethylene balls, around the size of an apple, cost 36 cents each and are black to help deflect the UV rays
With no apparent relief to California’s record-breaking drought, Los Angeles has turned to more unusual methods to protect the city’s water.
Officials recently released 96 million floating ‘shade balls’ into the 75-acre Los Angeles Reservoir in Sylmar, California.
The black plastic balls are designed to help protect the water against dust, rain, chemicals and wildlife, as well as prevent 300 million gallons of water from evaporating each year.
With no apparent relief to California’s record-breaking drought, Los Angeles has turned to more unusual methods to protect the city’s water. City officials recently released ninety six million floating ‘shade balls’ into the Los Angeles Reservoir to cover the complex’ water
The balls work by floating on the surface and blocking the sun’s rays.
As well as protecting against evaporation, they also prevent the chemical reaction that creates the carcinogenic compound bromate.
For most people, exposure to bromate – created from naturally-occurring bromide in water -is unlikely to be cause problems.
But some people who ingest large amounts of bromate have suffered nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
The balls also form a protective barrier across the surface that helps keep birds, animals and other contaminants out.
Dr Brian White, a now-retired Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP biologist), was the first person to think of using shade balls for water quality.
The idea came to him when he learned about the application of ‘bird balls’ in ponds along airfield runways.
His in-house solution has been used in LADWP’s open-air reservoirs since 2008 to block sunlight, prevent chemical reactions and curtail algae blooms.
The balls, around the size of a large apple, cost 36 cents each and are black because it is the only colour that is able to deflect UV rays.
They balls work by floating on the surface and blocking the sun rays to prevent the water from evaporating. By doing this, they also prevent the chemical reaction that creates the carcinogenic compound bromate.
They are currently in place at Upper Stone, Elysian and Ivanhoe reservoirs, and come with the added benefit of reducing evaporation off the reservoir surfaces by 85 to 90 per cent.
Mayor Eric Garcetti joined officials yesterday to release the final 20,000 shade balls as part of the region’s $34.5 million water quality protection project.
‘In the midst of California’s historic drought, it takes bold ingenuity to maximize my goals for water conservation,’ Garcetti said.
‘This effort by LADWP is emblematic of the kind of the creative thinking we need to meet those challenges.’
The polyethylene balls are expected to save $250 million when compared to other, similar techniques to protect the water.
These include splitting the reservoir into two with a bisecting dam; and installing two floating covers that would have cost more than $300 million.
‘In addition to cutting back on the need to chemically treat our water to prevent natural occurrences like algae, these shade balls are a cost-effective way to reduce evaporation each year by nearly 300 million gallons, enough to provide drinking water for 8,100 people for a full year,’ added Councilman Mitch Englander.
Pictured is an aerial view of the reservoir showing the shade balls in position. The polyethylene balls are expected to save $250 million when compared to other, similar techniques to protect the water
Dr Brian White, a now-retired LADWP biologist, was the first person to think of using shade balls for water quality. The idea came to him when he learned about the application of ‘bird balls’ in ponds along airfield runways.
FIVE BEST SENTENCES IN ECONOMICS – Thought Provoking
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked well since no one would be poor and no one would be rich, thus providing a great equalizer.
The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on the Socialist plan”…. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A…. (substituting grades for dollars – something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one was motivated to study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward (and risk) is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will work really hard to succeed.
These are possibly the 5 best sentences you’ll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:
1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.
Guavas are found in the tropics, and invoke images of vacations, summer parties and island life, but this tasty fruit is more than a celebratory food. This fruit is bursting with healthy vitamins and minerals and can be used to treat many serious ailments. You can recognize guavas by their yellow, green or maroon skins and creamy white or pink pulp.
Weight loss and gain
Guava is a winning fruit for its many great benefits. If you’re trying to lose weight, guavas are not a fruit you need to give up. In fact, this snack-sized fruit can satisfy your appetite while adding few calories, low amounts of carbohydrates and no cholesterol to your diet. And, compared to other fruit, adds a low dose of sugar. Guavas also offer a great source of vitamins, proteins, roughage, fibers and minerals. For lean people trying to gain weight, this fruit is also beneficial as it promotes the healthy absorption of nutrients and its substantial nutrients regulate one’s metabolism.
Blood pressure and Diabetes
Guavas are hypoglycemic and rich in fiber, which helps reduce blood pressure. Dietary fibers maintain the blood’s fluidity and prevent it from thickening, which can worsen blood pressure. Foods lacking in fiber (for example refined flour) increase blood pressure because they convert to sugar more quickly. This can help fight or even prevent diabetes. The fiber regulates the sugar being absorbed by the body and the risk of both high spikes and drops in the body’s insulin and glucose levels is reduced.
Diarrhea, dysentery, and gastroenteritis
The abundant astringent (substances that contract body tissue) makeup of raw guava and guava leaves helps loosen the bowels and can reduce the symptoms of diarrhea and gastroenteritis. Being highly alkaline, the guavas act as a disinfectant, removing excess mucus from the intestines and inhibiting microbial growth. For these reasons, guavas can also be used to treat dysentery. The guavas’ plentiful supply of vitamin C, carotenoids and potassium can also boost your digestive system.
Thyroid health
A good substance for regulating the thyroid’s metabolism is copper, which guavas have plenty of. The thyroid glands regulate important hormones and organ system functions, which helps maintain a healthy balance in your body.
Healthy brains
Also present in guavas are high amounts of vitamins B3 and B6. These both have benefits for the health of your brain. B3, which is also called niacin, is known to help increase blood flow and stimulate cognitive function, while B6 helps preserve normal nerve function.
Scurvy
Guava is your best source for vitamin C. In fact it has four times the amount of Vitamin C found in oranges, which are regarded as the go-to food for this vitamin. The concentration of vitamin C can prevent scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of this vitamin.
Constipation
The seeds of guavas, either ingested whole or chewed, are excellent laxatives. In addition to the fruits’ substantial amount of dietary fiber, guavas are advantageous for treating constipation. These two sources cleanse your intestines and excretory system and help your body retain water, helping you achieve healthy bowel movements. Frequently snacking on guavas, then, can be beneficial for proper digestion.
Colds and coughs
Colds and coughs
Drinking the juice of guavas and fresh guava fruit helps in fighting colds and coughs. The astringent quality can lessen mucus, disinfect the respiratory tract, throat, and lungs and reduce microbial activity. The substantial amounts of iron and vitamin C in guavas also help treat viral infections. It’s advised to avoid eating overly ripe guavas when you have a cold or cough as they can actually aggravate them.
Eyesight
The considerable quantities of vitamin A in guavas are extremely beneficial for the health of your vision. This helps slow down macular degeneration, the growth of cataracts and even improve one’s eyesight degradation once it has begun.
Guava is also valuable in your diet as a preventative measure against cancerous growths and metastasis. The high levels of an antioxidant called lycopene has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. Guava leaf oil is another anti-proliferative extract from the guava plant that has proven effective in reducing cancer growth.
Skincare
Guavas are also fantastic at improving skin texture and keeping your skin looking fresh. Guavas are full of astringents, particularly in fresh fruit and the leaves of the plant. If you rinse your skin with a guava decoction, the fruit can tone and tighten areas of loose skin. Eating the fruit also provides a rich source of vitamins A, B, C, as well as potassium, which are excellent antioxidants and detoxifiers. They can keep your skin glowing, prevent premature aging and wrinkles, and can speed up the healing process of wounds.
Every being is an embodiment of the Divine. True human relationship can grow only when this truth is recognised. The first stage is where you recognise, ‘I am in the Light.’ Next is when you know, ‘The Light is in me,’ and finally you realise, ‘I am the Light.’ ‘I’ represents love and light which connotes Supreme Wisdom (Jnana). When love and light unite, there is Realisation. The path of devotion is easier than the path of wisdom. Love should come from within, not forced from outside. Develop spontaneous love. The attitude of petitioning to God for favours should be given up. Love of God should not be based on quid pro quo, seeking favours in exchange for prayers and offerings to God. Place your faith in God and do your duty to the best of your ability. Saturate yourself with love and share it with all.
A commercial on TV shows a person waving his CIBIL Reports and the lenders flock to him to give him a loan; he is treated well, with a lot of respect and of course his loan is sanctioned. So what does the CIBIL Score actually say about a person’s financial profile that opens doors of banks for him; what all do those three digits tell?
Apart from lenders, employers when hiring people for higher management positions and looking for individuals to work in financial sectors can also ask for an applicant’s CIBIL score. This trend is still at a nascent stage in India. In USA, which is heavily credit driven, it is common for utility providers, insurers to ask for a credit report; even when looking for an apartment or a life partner the credit score comes into play! So have you ever wondered what does the CIBIL Score say about me?
Financial health
The most important fact revealed by the credit score is the financial health of an individual. Credit score is calculated based on a lot of information collected from various sources across a considerable time period. It’s not just recent behaviour or one off random action that is reflected in the credit behaviour.
A lot of variables and factors contribute to the final score; repayment behaviour for all types of credit dating back years, type of debt, credit utilisation, loan tenure etc are all considered when calculating the CIBIL score. Thus these three digits give a concise picture of your financial health and behaviour; any randomness is taken care of by the numerous variables and also the time period over which the data is spread.
In case one or two credit card payments are missed over a five year period then it can attributed to genuine reasons and they will not have an overall adverse impact on the credit score. However if credit card payments are missed every few months then they reflect on the poor financial health of the person. It is clear indicator that the person is in the risk of falling into a debt trap.
Risk profile
A low credit score means a high risk profile and a high CIBIL score means a low risk profile.
A financial institution when lending money does it with an understanding that it will get the money (principal and interest) back and ideally get it back on time. This they judge by looking at the CIBIL score which is an indicator of the risk profile of an applicant.
A high risk profile indicates that the chance of the customer defaulting or delaying payments is substantial; the lender may choose to reject such an application or charge a higher interest if sanctioning a loan.
Personality traits
Apart from the financial habits of a person the CIBIL score can also reveal a few traits about an individual’s personality. This is maybe one of the reason employers may want to have a look at it apart from the potential hazards (litigation, fraud) of hiring a person who is debt ridden or in poor financial health.
a. Planning and organisation
A CIBIL score indicates whether a person is organised and plans ahead or not. Financial health is a result of good financial planning and organisation too. Not planning your finances, taking a car loan without figuring out whether you can pay the EMIs or not; not being organised enough to check about a bank’s policies for sanctioning a loan and randomly applying to it are few actions that affect your CIBIL Score.
Careful planning ahead ensures that you are in a position to meet your financial obligations monthly and loan applications (which result in hard credit enquiries) are not rejected.
b. Discipline
Paying EMIs or credit card bills on time is the simplest thing to do in case you have planned your finances well. However not paying on time frequently is a sure indicator of lack of discipline; you are simply forgetful or not disciplined enough to follow the plan. Similarly swiping the credit card without bothering about the payment that needs to be made at the end of the month also reflects lack of restraint and discipline. All organisation and planning can go for a toss if one is not disciplined enough to follow it through.
c. Integrity
Defaulting on loans or credit card payments can also reflect lack of integrity in the person sometimes. It may be the case that the person does not simply intend to pay; s/he does not have the integrity to honor her/his commitment. There are enough cases of wilful defaults especially on credit card payments and personal loans simply because the bank has nothing the repossess.
The CIBIL score is an indicator of a person’s financial robustness, it is indicative of behavioural pattern to some extent and also tells about the risk potential the individual poses.
The author is a credit expert with 10 years of experience in personal finance and consumer banking industry and another 7 years in credit bureau sector. Rajiv was instrumental in setting up India’s first credit bureau, Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited (CIBIL).
You may have immense faith in God. But from time to time, the power of Maya may undermine this faith. So be vigilant. In Mahabharata even staunch devotees of Krishna like Dharmaraja and Arjuna displayed hesitancy in following the advice of Krishna and had to be reminded of their duty through Bhishma and Draupadi respectively. Faith in God should never waver. In no circumstance should anyone go against the injunctions of the Divine. Whatever worship one may offer, however intensely one may meditate, if one transgresses the commands of the Lord, these devotional practices become futile. The reason is that the Lord has no selfish objectives or goals. It is out of small-minded, narrow and selfish motives that people choose to act against the sacred and noble commandments of the Lord. Even small acts of transgression may in due course assume dangerous proportions.
On Sept. 17, 2015, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly captured images and video from the International Space Station during an early morning flyover of the United States. Sharing with his social media followers, Kelly wrote, “Clear skies over much of the USA today. #GoodMorning from @Space_Station! #YearInSpace.”
Tuesday, Sept. 15 marked the midpoint of the one-year mission to the space station for Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. The average International Space Station expedition lasts four to six months. Research enabled by the one-year mission will help scientists better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to long-duration spaceflight. This knowledge is critical as NASA looks toward human missions deeper into the solar system, including to and from Mars, which could last 500 days or longer.
Who wants to ride through 17 cities, over 3000 kms, in 2 weeks over bumpy roads in a flimsy vehicle? Only crazy extreme-adventure-sport-loving foreigners, right? Wrong! There’s one daring 29-year-old from Mumbai who also decided to take on the challenge. Meet Rutavi Mehta, just back from her maiden auto rickshaw race, which she finished in only 12 days.
In April, 2015, about 250 people from over 50 countries came down to India to be part of a very unique adventure sport – an auto rickshaw run. The challenge was to drive an auto rickshaw for about 3,000 kms, from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to Shillong in Meghalaya, covering the breadth of the country in just two weeks — that’s six states and 17 cities. This feat, considered one of the most dangerous adventure sports in the world, had to be accomplished without any backup teams of mechanics, no guidance in terms of directions or any other help, in barely roadworthy vehicles that are certainly not meant to be driven long distance.
Among these 250 people, there was just one Indian participant – Rutavi Mehta.
Rutavi and her team at the finish line
“I had known about this adventure sport since a long time,” says Rutavi, a travel consultant by profession. “It was in 2007, when a couple of rickshaws had come down to the hotel where I was working as a marketing head earlier…that’s when I came to know about the run.”
At that time though, she hadn’t even dreamt that she would herself participate in the run one day.
Rutavi is from the hospitality industry and has backpacked through Europe in the past. As a travel consultant today, she runs her own company called Photokatha – a place where various travelers from across the country share their travel experiences. She also runs various campaigns with tourism boards of different states as a consultant. Recently, she got a chance to design and head a Kerala Blog Express campaign where 27 international bloggers traveled in different parts of Kerala to experience the culture of the state.
The Rickshaw Run is organized by a UK-based group known as ‘The Adventurists.’ The first run took place in 2006, when the contestants covered the route from Kochi in Kerala to Darjeeling in West Bengal. Since then, the sport is organized with a different route in India every six months, and there has never been a single run in which all the participants have reached the finish line.
There is no prize for winning this difficult race, which is more about giving than getting. –
The only necessary requirement for competing is that every team (usually 3 people) should raise a minimum amount of £1000 (USD 1550) for organizations that are working towards the protection of the environment. The two organizations they donated to were Cool Earth and Planeterra. Cool Earth is an environmental charity group working for the protection of rainforests and the local communities living in those areas. Planeterra is also a non-profit organization that helps empower local people to develop their communities and conserve their environment.
Rutavi was very unsure about participating in the race at first.
“A couple of my friends from the travel blogger industry were coming to India and they wanted to be a part of the run. They had already registered for it, but I was not sure,” she remembers.
Being a woman and travelling pan-India was a scary thought to begin with. Moreover, she did not know how to drive a rickshaw. But the sense of adventure, the spirit of charity, and the motivation of friends added up and she got herself registered. “I went out, borrowed a rickshaw and learned how to ride it in a few days.”
Every team in the run has a maximum of three members. Rutavi participated with her friends Derek Freal and Ryan Brown who are travel bloggers from USA — they called themselves Teen Romanchaak Yaar (three adventurous friends). The teams are required to cover a distance of 300 km each day, with one person driving for 100 km at a stretch. –
“In a rickshaw, 300 km is like 600 km by car, since the maximum speed is only 55 km/hr, and you don’t have any cushions to support you during the bumpy ride,” says Rutavi.
The race is an expensive one, says Rutavi. The registration fee itself is £2500, a part of which goes directly for charity. In return for the registration amount, they only get the rickshaw. Her team decided to crowd fund this fee, and with the help of friends, family, some corporate organizations and the travelling network created by all three of them, they raised enough for registration as well as for the cause even before the race had started. As for their accommodation, they partnered with different organizations and individuals.
“Since we are travel bloggers, many companies supported us. Zostel (a chain of backpackers’ hostels) came on board as the hospitality partner. In most of the cities we stayed in Zostel and we partnered with similar organizations for our stay and food in other parts,” says Rutavi.
Mountainous terrain, broken roads, unknown paths, and rivers to cross – Rutavi saw it all during the journey.
“I met people from so many countries and got a chance to learn about their cultures. People from Norway, Canada, some countries that I had never even heard about – I learnt how they live, about their culture, food, music, and so much more. There was also a lot of creativity going on around us. Rickshaws were decorated in many unique and brilliant ways,” she says.
But there were some very difficult spots as well. The rickshaw run is considered to be one of the most dangerous adventurous sports by many.
This is because the difficult roads have to be covered on a three wheeler seven horsepower rickshaw, without any support or knowledge about the way, without any back-up or a set route. Rutavi’s team survived two accidents also. One was in Allahabad and the other one in Guwahati, just 150 km before the final destination. But she did not give up and made it to the finish line in spite of some bad injuries.
The one thing that she realised with this journey is that no matter which part of India you are in, people are very helpful. She was amazed to see how the local people turned up to help every time they needed something. If the rickshaw broke down, mechanics would help them without taking any money in return, and people would also offer food at many places. All because they were happy to see a very simple vehicle being used for a charitable cause!
Rutavi says she has travelled to 1500 destinations around the world so far. This enthusiastic wayfarer has spent months exploring Lakshadweep all on her own. She also goes to Ladakh for two months every year where she teaches kids.
Rutavi says that besides getting the thrill of adventure from her rickshaw run, she had one more motive for doing it:
“To empower Indian women with a ‘women can do, and will do’ attitude. People keep saying India is not safe. The aim was to show that women can travel fearlessly in India. It all starts with the realization that they can overcome any fear,” she says.
“My attitude towards rickshaw rides has also changed. Whenever I travel by rickshaws now, I talk to the drivers and tell them about my experience. Many of them can’t believe that I rode a rickshaw for such a long time,” she concludes laughing.
Festivals indeed occupy an important place in our lives and they bring our family and friends together. But aren’t we supposed to spread happiness and share our joy with the world too?
This year, from Spiderman to Bahubali, we stumbled upon some of the most innovative designs of Ganesha idols.
But, this wonder woman, Rintu Kalyani Rathod, chose to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in a totally different way.
She has her own bakery, ‘Rini Bakes – Bake my Dreams’ in Mumbai. Apparently, this wonder woman made a 38 inches tall chocolate Ganesha with 35 kg of chocolate in 50 hours.
After 5 days, she has planned to immerse Ganesha in milk, feed the chocolate Ganesha to hundreds of underprivileged kids and spread happiness in the lives of those kids.
This is what this amazing lady said on her Facebook post:
“It pains me tremendously to see the way our environment is exploited in the name of devotion. I just couldn’t bare the sight on the beach after the visarjan. Drunk people dancing on the streets on vulgar film songs blaring from loud speakers is not devotion.
I am a commercial designer turned designer baker. I decided to make my idol from chocolate last year. We immersed the idol in milk and distributed the chocolate milk among the underprivileged kids prasad. 1100 people took the prasad last year. It was a 28 kg, 32 inches tall idol. Real visarjan is done by bringing smiles on the faces of little kids not by polluting our waters.
This year my idol is 35 kg and 38 inches tall. It took me 50 hours to make it. Hope to distribute prasad to many more people this time, so bappa can stay in them forever. After all, bappa’s favourite place to reside is inside us, nowhere else.”
Isn’t this the perfect way to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi? After all, happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.
If you really believe in God, then do your bit. Be a better person and celebrate the spirit of mankind.
News Source: Facebook andShuvro Ghoshal in www.storypick.com
Take off with Natarajan 