Source….www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan
Photography
Prague Astronomical Clock: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know…This Historical Clock Turns 605 Today…9 Oct 2015…
She doesn’t look a day over 600, but on October 9, the Prague astronomical clock celebrates its 605th birthday. To celebrate this joyous occasion, Google has put up a very nice Google Doodle.The company writes in the page about the drawing that “Despite over a half a millennium of wear and a brush with disaster in WWII, much of its original machinery remains intact, making it the oldest functioning clock of its kind in the world.” The company adds, “Today’s Doodle honors a magnificent achievement in medieval engineering and a cultural landmark whose symbolism, design, and intermittent repairs are a remarkable catalogue of Europe’s past.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Legend Says That the City of Prague Suffers if the Clock Is Neglected
According to Prague City Line, the entire city will suffer if the 605-year-old clock is ever neglected and falls into disrepair. The clock is located in the city’s famed Old Town Square. One of the clock’s symbols, a skeleton, which represents death, will nod its head when it deems that the device has been neglected and that it’s time for Prague to suffer.
2. The Clock Was Severely Damaged by the Nazis During the Prague Uprising
As the Allies cruised to victory in the final days of World War II in 1945, the Nazis began sabotaging their equipment as well the historical buildings of Prague. As a result, the clock didn’t function until 1948 when it was repaired.
3. You Can View the Inside of the Clock on Google Streetview
Thanks to Google, you don’t have to bring yourself all the way to Prague’s Old Town (but you should, it’s beautiful). You can view the inner workings of the clock on Google Street View.Obviously, you can also check out the outside area, too, and remind yourself why you should go to Prague.
4. One of the Clock’s Designers Was a Catholic Priest & a Scientist
The clock was first constructed in 1410 by two men, Mikulas of Kadan, and Catholic priest and scientist Jan Sindel. He was the astronomer in the duo with Mikulas being the more functional clockmaker. The influence of religion can be observed around the clock, with the 12 apostles, the skeleton representing death, as well as a miser carrying a bag of gold representing the deadly sin of greed.
5. The Clock Is Older Than Joan of Arc
The clock was functioning for two years before Joan of Arc was born. It’s nearly a century older than William Shakespeare. Not only that, but it’s fully 310 years older than the United States of America.
Source….
Here’s what it’s like to live in space….
A $US150-billion contraption floating 270 miles above Earth is one of the most impressive achievements of humankind.
It’s called the International Space Station (ISS), and a rotating astronaut crew has occupied it since 2000. The work of those astronauts has yielded some incredible scientific insights.
Astronaut is not a profession where you get to go home at the end of the day though. One ticket from Earth to the ISS costs about $US70 million, so normally each crew lives and works on the station for a six-month shift.
Right now NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are in the middle of a year-long shift aboard the ISS. They will be the first humans to spend a consecutive year living in space.
But what is it like to actually live on the ISS?
The first step to living in space is getting there. All astronauts hitch a ride to the ISS on board a giant space shuttle that launches from Russia.
NASA
The shuttle takes astronauts all the way up to the ISS, which floats about 250 miles above the planet.
NASA
The station is a system of labs, living quarters, and control rooms, and it spans about the length of a football field. A rotating crew of six astronauts share the space.
NASA
The ISS is hurtling around the Earth at about 17,150 miles per hour. That extreme velocity puts the ISS in a constant free fall around the planet.
So everything on board experiences weightlessness, including the astronauts.
Weightlessness causes a lot of weird problems though — the kind of problems we never experience here on Earth thanks to gravity.
NASA
For example, sweat doesn’t evaporate. Instead, it pools on astronauts’ bodies, so they are constantly toweling off sweat. You can see sweat droplets escape from this astronaut’s towel after he wipes his head.
If objects escape inside the ISS, they can float away, get lodged in equipment, and cause malfunctions.
For example, even small tasks like clipping your nails become a problem. Astronauts clip them near a vent, so that tiny pieces of nail don’t end up floating all over the station.
RAW Embed
Water is also difficult to manage. It likes to stick together in a big blob.
So washing and showering is a challenge. Astronauts squirt a few lines of water on their skin and hair and then use no-rinse soap and shampoo to clean themselves.
The station only gets resupplied every few months, so astronauts have to be mindful of their supplies. Luckily, over 90% of the water on board gets recycled and reused.
That includes everything from dirty wash water, water from astronauts’ breath, and yes, even urine is recycled. It’s all sent through this high-tech water filter on board.
YouTube/Canadian Space Agency
The water is perfectly safe to drink after it’s run through the filter (it’s actually cleaner than the water we drink on Earth), but many astronauts say they try not to think about it too much when they refill their water pouches.
Getting back to that urine thing, ‘How do you go to the bathroom?’ is one of the most common questions astronauts get.
If you’re going number one, it gets sucked into this tube through the yellow nozzle.
YouTube/ESA
Things are little more complicated when you need to go number two. There’s a tiny seat, a container for the waste, and a suction pump.
YouTube/ESA
Once you do your business and suction it away, you have to change out the ‘poop bag’ for the next person.
YouTube/ESA
Still, all the complications that come from weightlessness don’t get in the way of what astronauts are really there for. They spend most of their time working on various research projects and repairing the station.
NASA
Sometimes that even involves venturing out into the dangerous vacuum of space. Trips outside the station are called ‘spacewalks,’ and they take a lot of preparation and safety training.
NASA
One wrong move and an astronaut could just float off into the vacuum of space (like George Clooney in ‘Gravity’). They also have to watch for leaks in the spacesuits that protect them from the bitterly cold temperatures and radiation in space.
NASA
When they aren’t working, astronauts still have to stick to a pretty tight schedule. They have mandatory workouts so they don’t lose too much muscle mass in the weightless environment. (Since they don’t have to fight gravity, they get a lot less exercise while moving around.)
You can easily lift hundreds of pounds in a weightless environment, so astronauts have a cleverly designed machine for weight lifting.
After a good work out, you gonna eat. Space meals are stored in dehydrated packets. Once you add a little water, dinner is served.
And the menu isn’t half bad. Here’s an astronaut enjoying a milkshake.
NASA
After dinner it’s time for bed. The middle section of the station is where most of the crew sleeps. Labs and work spaces make up the rest of the structure, and the giant yellow panels collect sunlight to help power everything.
Each astronaut has their own tiny room that includes a work space and a sleeping bag strapped to the wall. You can see on the screens that it appears astronaut Scott Kelly is chatting on Facebook.
NASA
Sleeping in space is hard to get used to since you don’t feel the sensation of lying down. Astronauts zip themselves into a sleeping bag every night so they don’t float around in their sleep.
And they have to keep careful track of their sleep schedule since days don’t pass the same on the ISS as they do on Earth. The station is whizzing around the planet so quickly that the crew sees about 16 sunrises and sunsets during a 24-hour Earth day.
NASA
When it’s time to return to Earth, a shuttle flies up to the station to pick up the astronauts. Then they parachute back down to Earth in a landing pod.
NASA
Astronauts are a little wobbly on their feet when they first land, but it doesn’t take long to readjust to a weighted environment.
NASA
This is the change London Heathrow Airport has been waiting for…
London’s Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest hubs in the world and serves as a major connecting point for traffic between Asia and Africa with North America.
As Britain’s main international airport, Heathrow has been working hard to upgrade its facilities. In recent years, the airport has opened two brand new terminal buildings and have conducted significant renovations to others.
However, the greatest constraint on the airport has been it’s lack of runways. Although more than 72 million passengers pass through Heathrow every year, the facility still operates using just two runways.
However, if Heathrow’s latest expansion plans are approved, things are about to change for airport.
At first, the airport wasn’t much to look at. Its passenger terminals were just tents.
Heathrow Airport
By the 1960s, the airport’s permanent terminal buildings entered service. Heathrow also abandoned its ‘Star of David’ layout, keeping only the northern and southern runways.
Heathrow development came just in time for the arrival of the jet set! Along with celebrities such as The Beatles and …
Today, the airport is the primary international hub serving London and much of England.
Flickr/Tony Hisgett
The airport is home to Virgin Atlantic Airways and …
Heathrow Airport
… British Airways.
… Terminal 5 facilities
But what hasn’t changed in the last half century are its two runways.
But that may be ready for an update if the Airport’s new expansion proposal is approved this December.
The expansion would include a third runway built at the north of the airport; it would increase Heathrow’s capacity from 470,000 flights a year to 740,000.
The airport also wants to build a new terminal to the west of Terminal 5.
The expansion would also dramatically alter Heathrow’s central terminal area.
The transformed central terminal area will feature new hotels, office buildings and …
… green space for passengers.
The new hotel facilities will be located just a few minutes away from the terminals.
The proposed development plan also calls for improvements to road and rail access to the airport.
The expansion of London Heathrow has been a contentious topic. Although there have been discussions about building a completely new airport for decades, the British government recommended improvements to Heathrow as the preferred way to increase airport capacity.
source….BENJAMIN ZHANG in http://www.businessinsider .com.au
Natarajan
Why 5000 Books Travelled All the Way from USA to Find a Home in a Tiny Police Station in TN …
Ever since the advent of the internet and e-books, printed books are of no value anywhere now.” So thought this US citizen who had books to give away. An ACP in Tirupur, India, disagreed. The books crossed the ocean and found a home in his police station.
Sometime in 2014, an India-born philanthropist from the US visited India, visiting Coimbatore and Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. In a light conversation with the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Tirupur, he mentioned that he wished to donate books for a children’s library in the area. Kids in the United States of America do not read books anymore, he said. They have access to reading material through e-books, which are easily available to them on any electronic device.
“At one time, if a school child wanted to find out information about something for a project, a trip to the central library in town was an essential requirement. Notes were made, rough pictures were drawn and, once home, all this information was put out on charts or on umpteen sheets of paper, which were neatly spiral bound before being submitted in school,” says Mr. Chakravarty, the father of a college-going girl from Coimbartore, who is also a friend of the ACP of Tirupur.
Today, even in developing countries, children have access to all kinds of information on electrical devices. Just having a smart phone is enough to log onto Google from anywhere — and all the data one would want is available online.
However, in the United States and other western countries, in particular, many children have stopped borrowing books from school libraries. There are some people who feel these books may be of use to children in small towns like Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.
It was in this context that the ACP in Tirupur was made the offer of books for a library.
“As soon as this particular philanthropist went back to the US after his Indian sojourn, he transported 5,000 books to Tirupur. Such beautiful books, such a lovely world of information,” says the ACP, who does not wish to be named. “All the policemen in the North Police Station, Tirupur, were spellbound seeing so many books.”
The policemen immediately got down to sorting out the books in various categories. They numbered every one of the books and almost 2,000 of them were donated to the Rotary Club right away.
Picture books were meant for very small children, larger books for older children, children’s novels, novels for adults, reference books on various subjects, some textbooks and even encyclopedias — there were all kinds of books.
These books seemed to have been picked up from the libraries of many American schools and sent to India with the hope that children here would find better use for them. –
Once the books were sorted and numbered, the ACP began looking for a place to set up a library. Unable to find a suitable location, he rearranged the furniture in the large hall in his police station and put shelves filled with books right in the middle of the room.
“Having set up the place, we contacted the principals of the local schools and told them about the library that we have here,” says the ACP. “School children have to bring with them a letter of permission from the principal of the school and we then allow them to borrow books. A register is maintained with information about the child and the books that he/she has borrowed. The borrower is allowed to keep the book for a period of fifteen days,” he adds.
“As soon as the police station opens in the morning, the library too is declared open, and it remains so until the police station closes for the day. Anyone can come and visit the library at any time on a working day,” says one of the constables at the police station.
During the day, when anyone at the police station is bored and find that they have time on their hands, they pick up a book from the library to flip through.
“Most of the constables have very limited knowledge of the English language. They may be able to understand a little, and may even be able to string a few words together to speak a sentence, but their reading and writing skills in English are virtually nil,” continues the constable.
However, flipping through books in any language, especially if they have pictures, is a real pleasure, and most people spend their spare time doing just that, he adds.
“It has been barely three months since the children have been coming here from the school nearby to borrow books,” says the ACP, “and it will take at least a year before we can evaluate how useful it is to have books donated from across the world for the benefit of our children.”
This library, at the Tirupur police station, is an experiment of sorts. If he finds that it is a success, with children gaining from the experience, the ACP proposes connecting with the philanthropist in the US again and getting him to donate some more books to establish other libraries in the state.
Source…..Aparna Menon….www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Ten legendary eateries in Madras you simply cannot miss …
It is Madras Day – the day a city celebrates its birthday. And what is a birthday without a party and great food? So along with a friend and a foodie Vasudevan, I decided to get all nostalgic and celebrate by heading to some of the oldest eateries in the city that we personally like and recommend.
I am not too much of a lunch or a dinner person, but as a kid, it is the tiffin that has always fascinated me. So I decided to stick to just places we would go for breakfast or for a quick evening meal. While I have been to some of these eateries since childhood – food, being a great favourite of both my parents, it is Vasudevan who curated the list.
We just went to two areas mainly – Mylapore and Sowcarpet with a stop over at Triplicane. This is by no means an exhaustive list and we hope to add to it as we go by.
We also looked at eateries which are fairly old and are favourites with almost every citizen of Madras. The only street vendor we include is Amudha’s Bhajji stall in Mylapore. I dont think there is a name for the stall, but Amudha is in demand. She has an entire set up in Mylapore, near Kapaleeshwar temple on the road and she is flocked by people, even before she prepares her dough. I met her during the Myalpore Festival and I decided to feature her here.
Amudha at her bhajji stall
All these eateries mean more to us than just food. They have a story, a memory locked inside them. I am sure that all of you resonate with the thought as well. So let the emotions flow like the sambar as we go on this first food trail of Madras or Chennai as we know it today as we go on this tiffin trail.
Ratna Cafe, Triplicane
Our first stop of the day is to Triplicane, an area that fascinates me immensely for its heritage, its architecture, its melange of cultures and the food. I want to stop at the Parthasarathy temple for a quick darshan and the puliodharai, but we are a bit late. So we say a silent prayer and continue to one of the oldest eateries in Triplicane, a landmark by itself – Ratna Cafe.
Started in 1948 by a man from Mathura, Triloknath Gupta, the family still manage this very popular eatery. –
Idly at Ratna Cafe
If there is one moment that defines our breakfast in Ratna Cafe, it is this – the waiter brings a contraption that looks like a saucepan and he pours the hot red sambar on the fluffy white idlis, until they are soaked in it. We order a plate of idli and vadai and top it with a plate of crispy golden brown ghee roast dosai, on the recommendation of a friend, Giridhar on Twitter.
The menu is packed in the evenings with so many dishes to choose from. A board announces the same right at the entrance.
Rayar’s Mess, Mylapore
Our next halt. One of the oldest and humble abodes which is very popular with most citizens of Madras, the Rayar’s Mess which has been around for more than 75 years in Mylapore. If there is one dish that is the signature dish, it is the kara chutney. Every foodie, including my father and his friends swear by it. Vasudevan specifically likes the over fermented super soft idlis which literally melts in the mouth.
Breakfast at Rayar’s Mess is usually idli, vadai, pongal served with a variety of chutneys, including the famous kara chutney, sambar and molagai podi. Top it up with filter kaapi. This is what I call elaipotta tiffin (tiffin served on a banana leaf).
Rayar Mess Tiffin
The eatery comes alive in the evening with bondas, rava dosai, kal dosai, adai, vadai, a variety of sweets and more dishes.
We speak to Kumar, the third generation owner, whose grandfather Srinivasa Rao started this. They were Kannadigas who had settled in Tamil Nadu ages ago and it reflects in the food – the recipes are probably the best of both worlds.
Karpagambal Mess, Mylapore
It feels like you are entering a temple. Right from the rangoli or the kolam on the steps to the large pictures of Gods and Goddesses on the walls to the various podis (powder) and pickles that is sold, everything about Karpagambal Mess is an ode to tradition.
Keerai Vadai at Karpagambal Mess
My earliest memory to the place was when it I could not say no to a sweet, Vasudevan recommends kasi halwa, but we finally have wheat halwa. There is also rich badam halwa for those who want to binge further. We stop right here as we have another six more eateries to visit.
Mami’s Mess, Mylapore
Next to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mylapore is another famous eatery, popular with old timers and the young alike Mami’s Mess. Vasudevan and another friend on twitter – Degreekaapi recommends that we head there to taste thavala vada. But we are unlucky. However our appetite is satiated with the bhajjis and bondas around. Customers flock to buy Kozhukattai, a sweet dumpling made with rice flour filled with wheat and coconut. Although it was renovated recently it is still more than 50 years old.
Bondas at Maami Mess
The dish according to us, that you must eat here is keerai vadai. Vasudevan is also tempted by the vazhai poo adai served with avial, which is absolutely delicious.
Vasantha Mami apparently came from a small little village called Alvarkurichi in Tirunelveli which is very close to our ancestral village and she started this eatery in Mylapore. Her sons take care of it now.
Jannal Bhajji Kadai, Mylapore
Bhajji Kadai was not open
In a little lane around the Kapaleeshwar temple is a small green grilled window on the wall that serves sinfully delicious bhajjis. You stand here and eat to your heart’s fill, be it bhajjis or upma or idlis. Sadly they were shut as they had a wedding in the family. Vasudevan says the Vazhakkai Bhajji is extremely good and my parents are a bit disappointed that I cannot not buy some bhajjis for home, but then, there is always another time.
Kalathi Stall, Mylapore
All in the same vicinity, it is very easy to miss this little news mart, a small shop hidden by trees. The headlines here scream of Rajinikanth and Sachin Tendulkar but what it does not scream about is the recipe of the rose milk which Mani and his family has safely guarded for over 80 years and sells it here fresh. I gulp glasses while Vasudevan buys the rose essence . A couple of women get off their two wheeler to drink panner soda, another speciality. Mani says celebrities have flocked to his shop.
Rosemilk at Kalathi Stall
Novelty Tea House, Mint Street
It is almost dark when we reach Mint Street and walking down the mini streets of Broadway and Parrys Corner is a delight in itself. As we navigate pedestrians, cows, cycle rickshaws, autos, tempos and cars, we find ourselves wondering if we are in Old Delhi or even Ahmedabad. Sowcarpet is one of the oldest locales in Chennai and my father who used to work here knows almost every eatery in the lanes.
Pudhina Dosa at Novelty
We head to Novelty Tea House at the recommendation of my uncle, Kannan and a mutual friend of Vasudevan and mine on Facebook – Sreemathy Mohan. The pudhina onion dosai is what she recommended and that is what we order. I definitely recommend it as well along with the pav bhajji.
Novelty Tea House started as a tea stall in the late 50s by Chandrakant Moolchand Shah and it is now managed by the third generation. They do have branches everywhere, but do not miss the oldest eatery in Mint Street. The atmosphere is an experience in itself.
Mehta’s Vada Pav, Mint Street
There is a branch near my house near Purasaiwalkam but Vasudevan tells me that the the original should not be missed. So in a little stall, barely enough to house a man and his delicacies, is one of the oldest stalls here which sells vada pav and mirchi bhajji. Bhavin Mehta who has been here for more than 50 years proudly says that his is the best. Vasudevan agrees . And you thought, Madras is all about idli and dosai.
Kachoris at Mehtas
Kakada Ramprasad, Mint Street
I know of them since I was a kid as my father used to bring sweets and savouries home. Yet, when I land there today I am surprised to find a huge building, selling everything from jalebis to fafdas, chaats to badam milk. We decide to try out two of their most famous specialities – the aalu tikki chaat and the hot hot jalebis. I am a loss for words. You just have to eat it, sorry, devour it to experience it.
Aloo Tikki at Kakada Ramprasad
Anmol Lassi, Mint Street
They say eat, drink and be merry. We are eating and we are merry, but the drink is missing. So next door to Kakada Ramprasad, is the a former wrestler who speaks flawless Tamil with a great sense of humour, who came to Chennai from Patiala 27 years ago. The board says “Anmol Mohit Patiala, specialist in Kesar Lassi.” He also serves masala butter milk . He says he stands here everyday from morning till night, except on Sundays. ” My wife will divorce me otherwise, ” he says with a laugh as we gulp down the cold icy lassi down our throats.
Kesar Lassi
And finally the rains tumble down as we want to explore more eateries, but we run for cover and walk down the lanes to digest the entire spread from morning. I probably have to starve for the next couple of days and run miles to burn the calories, but then my love affair with Madras just got deeper. Bon appetite and enjoy the many flavours of the city.
If you have not visited all these stalls, you have not lived Madras yet. -!!!!!!!
This was originally posted here.
Source…..Lakshmi Sharath….www.thenewsminute.com
natarajan
India Shares It’s Border With 7 Nations. Here’s How The Separating Lines Look Like…
When you think of India’s international border with neighbouring countries, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Armed soldiers? Fences? Or maybe barbed wires?
Most of the time when you are in front of our international borders, the only indication that you get is a sign that says ‘Welcome to …’ or ‘Indian territory ends’.
The international border of India is the third largest in the world after China and Russia. Not just that, the borders of India are one of the most sensitive borders of the world along with extreme climatic conditions.
Through this article, I am presenting you some images of Indian borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
1. India-Pakistan International Borders
The border runs from the Line of Control (LoC) in the north to Wagah which partitions the Indian state of Punjab and Punjab province of Pakistan in the east. And in the west, India shares its border in Barmer Border in Rajasthan and Sir Creek Border in Gujarat.
(i) In Jammu & Kashmir, India shares its border with Pakistan in POK and Suchetgarh.
ii) LOC (Line of Control)
(iii) This is the India-Pakistan Rajasthan border in the west.
(iv) Here’s how the Gujarat border of India-Pakistan looks like
(v) The evening flag lowering ceremony at the Wagah border.
vi) One of the very few beautiful international boundaries visible after dark.
(vii) The border, floodlit for surveillance purposes, looks like this at night.
2. India-Myanmar International Borders
Four Northeast Indian states – Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur share their borders with Burma:
(i) Moreh in Manipur…
(ii) This is Champhai in Mizoram.
(iii) The two countries also meet at the hilly untamed region of Nagaland.
3. India-Nepal International Borders
Nepal shares its boundaries with India in Uttarakhand and Sikkim in the north-east. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the other two states where they share their borders.
(i) In Uttarakhand, the border is mainly used for trading and other commercial purposes.
(ii) There is one more border in Bihar.
ii) …and in Uttar Pradesh too.
4. India-Sri Lanka International Borders
India and Sri Lanka form the shortest land border in the world. The length of the border between these two countries is 100 meters. Both the countries are joined by a narrow stretch of Adam’s Bridge.
5. India – China International Borders
India shares some of the most historic and famous borderlines with China which happen to be popular tourist destinations as well.
(i) First China meets India at Chumar, Ladakh.
(ii) ..then in the paradise of Himachal Pradesh.
(iii) Even in Uttarakhand, the two countries share the border area.
(iv) In Sikkim, they meet again at the Nathula Pass.
6. India-Bhutan International Borders
India shares a 699-km long border with one of the happiest countries in the world, Bhutan along Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
(i) First they meet at Sikkim.
(ii) Then at Bumthang, Arunachal Pradesh.
7. India-Bangladesh International Borders
The border between India and Bangladesh (4,096 Km) is the fifth-longest land border in the world. At first India meets Bangladesh at Kishanganj.
(i) After that, they meet at West Bengal.
ii) Also, they share an international border in Meghalaya
(iii) Mizoram.
(iv) …and Tripura.
Source….Shuvro Ghoshal…www.storypick.com
Natarajan
Sikh Group Shows A True Mark Of Humanity. Sets Langar On Syrain Border To Feed Migrants…..
Iraq and Syria have been in a major state of disarray right now. Every day thousands of people of try to flee the horror and every day more migrants lose their life to either man or nature.
Yazidis whose life is commonly at gunpoint of Islamic State Of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) lived in many parts of Syria and Iraq in an attempt to ‘purify’ the non-Islamic influences are counting their days of hunger and starvation.
While most of us sit back and worry about the condition that is worsening every day, a Sikh community has taken up a never before initiative to help them out. They have set up their traditional langar with the name Langar Aid about 10 km from the Syrian border in the Pesh Harbour area.
This group constitutes of many NRI Punjabi Sikhs as well as some European volunteers who have come forward to help the migrants. Instead of a traditional kitchen, they have set up a bakery and are providing fresh bread to nearly 14,000 refugees every day.
The IS were destroying any food that was coming in for the refugees, therefore a UK based NGO Langar Aid took from help from the local government to set this up.
They are also getting some help from Serbia and Greece which are the neighbouring European countries.
The CEO of Khalsa Aid, Ravi Singh told TOI, “Refugees often mistake us for IS because of our appearance. I was there about two months back and it was a very overwhelming experience. It was poignant to meet a family that had fled from their homes with their 10-month old child and they were pleasantly surprised to find aid in the middle of nowhere. Then there was an elderly lady who still wanted to return to her village she had built after years of hard work. The situation will get more challenging as winter sets in.”
A UK based volunteer of Indian origin Indy Hothi said, “We set up a bakery at a refugee camp for Yazidi people to provide a self-sustaining solution. We are also trying to set a school for 5,000 local children on the Lebanon-Syrian border.”
Now that’s a service to God in the true sense. We are so proud of you.
News Source: The Times Of India
Source….Shubhi Dixit….www.storypick.com
Natarajan
Mumbai Airport Recruits Trained Therapy Dogs To Bring A Smile On Passenger’s Face…
Airports are exciting places of activity, but at times they also can be overwhelming for some fliers.
Recently, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport brought in two legitimate, trained therapy dogs to help ease the stress of travelling.
Mumbai airport is possibly the first in the country to employ animals that would help ease travellers’ anxieties about returning to the skies. Earlier, therapy dogs were used to comfort special children and traumatised adults at US airports after the 9/11 attacks.
Goldie and Pepe, trained by the Animal Angels Therapy Centre in Pune, can sense a person’s mood by sniffing them.
Their mission is to put a smile on every passenger’s face they interact with.
This is what a Chicago-bound flier who came to bury his dead mother wrote in the feedback form:
“What an amazing and needed facet of airports. After a long painful day at the Mumbai airport, Goldie and Pepe brought ‘humanity’ into an otherwise dehumanising experience.”
Of course, not everyone is a dog lover. Some people would feel less stressed at an airport if they could cuddle with a cat.
But, let’s admit it, passengers will now have a PAWSitive experience at the Mumbai airport! 🐾
News Source: Hindustan Times
Source….Shuvro Ghoshal …www.storypick.com
natarajan
This tiny country just outlined a plan to completely stop using oil, coal, and gas….
Recently, there seems to be an uptick in small nations or islands setting their sights on becoming increasingly, or completely, powered by non-fossil fuel energy sources, particularly renewables such as solar, wind and hydroelectric power.
This is welcomed news in a world that – despite recent advances in tackling climate change by the US and China – remains relatively paralyzed in its ability to make substantial changes to how it deals with climate change.
Earlier this year, Costa Rica met the entirety of its national power demand using renewable energy for 75 days straight.
Shortly afterwards, the US state of Hawaii passed legislature decreeing that, by 2045, the entire island will be powered by renewable, sustainable energy sources.
Denmark, one spectacularly windy day in July, generated 140% of the nation’s electricity demand through wind power alone, as reported by the Guardian. Remarkably, much of the excess was given to Germany, Norway and Sweden.
Sweden may have taken this to heart, because just last month they announced that they will be spending an extra $546 million (£360 million) on renewable energy and climate change action, beginning with their budget for 2016.
Sweden is on track for becoming a nation powered by sustainable, renewable energy sources alone by the next half-century.
The ultimate aim is as ambitious as it is honorable: They hope to become one of the world’s first nations to end its dependence on fossil fuels. Solar energy, in particular, has seen its budget increase by 800%.
Although this nationwide goal has not got its own timetable yet, the Swedish government has announced that its capital of Stockholm aims to be powered only by sustainable energy sources by 2050.
This announcement couldn’t come soon enough: The United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will be held this year in Paris, is beginning at the end of November. Sweden’s – and Denmark’s – climate change initiatives will hopefully influence the less keen attendees of the conference to begin to adapt their own countries’ energy grids.
The Ecologist reports that Sweden is also closing its nuclear power plants, although this is mainly due to their aging infrastructure. Nevertheless, no replacements are planned, with the government preparing to use only renewable energy sources. It should be pointed out that nuclear power plants are often lumped together with fossil fuel power plants as being just as harmful to the environment. However, in terms of climate change, nuclear power plants have a negligible carbon footprint more in line with renewables, as reported in Nature.
Governments often stop using nuclear power plants in response to political pressure, demonstrated by Germany’s recent move. In this case, the Fukushima crisis in Japan – caused by a once-in-a-lifetime natural disaster – prompted the German government to phase out its nuclear power plants by 2022, according to BBC News.
Germany, of course, is a country that does not suffer from tsunamis or dangerous earthquakes; there is a near-zero risk for any such crisis occurring to any nuclear power plants there.
Despite also eschewing nuclear power, Sweden is on track for becoming a nation powered by sustainable, renewable energy sources alone by the next half-century, which is a remarkable feat. Two-thirds of the country’s electricity is generated from non-fossil fuel energy sources already, mainly through hydroelectric and nuclear power generation.
It will be interesting to see how replacing their nuclear power plants with renewables will hamper or assist them on their path to becoming a fossil fuel-free nation.
Read the original article on IFL Science. Copyright 2015.
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