Ant- the hard working animal

The ants cut, collect, and scavenge about 200 kg (dry weight) of plant materials each year. Each colony has a foraging range as large as the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.

The ant called 'Atta mexicana', can cut foliage which they take home to feed the fungus which they raise underground as their own food source. Like bees, all ant workers are female.

Did You Know?

The animal with the biggest brain in relation to its body is the ANT

Three Buttered Slices

Three buttered slices
Three buttered slices
See, they are made by mom
See, they are made by mom

She doesn’t care about my rising weight
I am growing fat at lightening rate
Have you ever eaten this heavy meal
As three buttered slices
Three buttered slices

Fishy Fish...

Fishy fish
Fishy fish
Queen of pond
goes swishy swish

I touch her skin
she trembles, oops!
There she goes!
Swishy swish

I fish her out
she dies, oops!
Oh No!My dearest
Fishy fish

Say NO to Drugs.

The United Nations had designated June 26 as ‘International day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’. On this day, governments, organizations and people all over the world rally in one voice to support the anti-drug cause.


It calls on young people to consider the health-related reasons why they should stay away from drugs and stop using them. We must make 'Healthy choices' not only by saying "no" to drugs but also by choosing healthy lifestyles. We can develop diverse interest in activities such as sports, music, theatre, civil service, and other positive activities.

Young people are most likely to use drugs because they are innocent and they do not understand the dangers of drugs. They are misinformed that drugs are magic that can make you feel high. But they are not aware of low moods after-effects. You get lots of negative feeling after taking the drugs such as depression, panic, irregular heartbeat, respiratory problems and even sudden death. Sometimes they make wrong decision under the influence of drugs and may have share needles, thus increase the chances of having dangerous diseases like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, etc.

To have a respectful and healthy life, we must have healthy life styles. We must listen to our parents and teachers who can help us and show us some creative interests like sports. Young boys and girls, who practice sports, learn skills and values, it will stay with them for a lifetime and they will develop self confidence, teamwork and fair play. Through sports, participants are confronted with ethical questions that can guide them in finding the right answers on and off the playing field.

Because once you develop the attachment to drugs, it is very difficult to stay away. Learn to say ‘no to drug’ at the very beginning.

Monsoon Fury

This week-end, everybody decided to spend their time at home because torrential rains on Saturday and Sunday lashed Mumbai, throwing life out of gear.
It has been a wet and miserable weekend for those who have been caught in the deadly mix of heavy rains and floods.


Mumbai and neighboring areas bore the brunt of the monsoon fury that claimed five lives in the last 24 hours and the weather office said "heavy to very heavy" accompanied by gusty winds will continue to hit the metropolis. Several flights from the city were delayed and rail traffic disrupted.

Many streets had fallen trees, some of them falling on the parked cars. A partially demolished building collapsed in the Grant Road area in south Mumbai last evening killing two persons, while three persons died in two incidents of wall collapse on Sunday.

Eleven crew members of a barge carrying sponge iron were reported missing after it sank at the Khanderi island in neighbouring Raigad district, police said.

Since Saturday Mumbai received 279 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, which is about 10 per cent of its annual quota.

In Andhra Pradesh too, several coastal and low-lying villages were cut off as army personnel joined civil authorities in rescuing people from badly-affected Kurnool district where 85,000 people have been evacuated and kept in 51 relief camps.

The death toll in the torrential rains in the state has been put at 37 after 13 persons, who were presumed dead after being washed away in Kundu river near Kurnool, were found alive yesterday.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy undertook an aerial survey of the badly-hit Kurnool district in Rayalaseema region where several villages remained cut-off.

Source: DNA

Day out with mommy and papa....!

Samosas and patties
Sold by a dummy
Malls and multiplex
There are so many
Momma spends too much
Papa is worrying
I ask for ice-cream and
They behaves as if they
Are deaf, deaf , deaf, deaf DEAF!

Mumbai life style

You put your left foot in
Hang your right hand out
Lift yourself close in
And then push around
Do the boogey voogey
In Mumbai trains and grounds
That’s the way
We travel around

Look to left side first
Look to right side next
Then you quickly run
To reach the other side
The cars go boogey voogey
On all Mumbai crowded roads
You can dodge them
All the time

Gene therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease

Have you met somebody, who is having difficulty in taking care of himself and he cannot walk or eat properly? Well, now he can be treated.


A major worldwide breakthrough in gene therapy was signaled last night after injections into the brain were used for the first time to successfully treat a degenerative brain disease.

Parkinson's disease robs sufferers of the ability to walk and even eat, causes long motionless periods known as "freezing" as well as head and limb tremors.

Parkinson's occurs when the brain cells - neurons - that release the messenger chemical known as dopamine die. Protein deposits also form in the brain, and levels of another messenger chemical called GABA - which calms overexcited brain cells - drop.

As the disease progresses, higher doses of drugs are required, leading to side-effects that include involuntary movements.


The 12 patients involved in the study - a world-first human gene therapy trial for a brain disease - all reported a substantial reduction in their symptoms after having a human gene injected.

Within months, their ability to move had improved on average by 30 per cent. Some reported a 65 per cent improvement in their mobility


The study was carried out by a team in the United States. The lead researcher, Dr Michael Kaplitt, said: "We believe this is a milestone - not only for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, but for the use of gene-based therapies against neurological conditions generally."
Dr Kieran Breen, the director of research and development for the UK Parkinson's Disease Society, said: "There are many potential ways to treat or cure Parkinson's, and gene therapy is one potential route holding a lot of promise.
"The results of the study are encouraging in terms of safety and efficacy and we look forward to seeing the results of the larger trial planned for later this year."
The study, begun in 2003, was carried out on 11 men and one woman with an average age of 58, who had all had severe Parkinson's for at least five years and for whom current therapies were no longer effective.

They were given injections of billions of copies of a genetically altered virus into part of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus.

The altered virus carried the human gene for an enzyme, called GAD, which helps to make GABA. Once implanted, brain cells of the patients started to make the GABA chemical, said Prof During.

"This ground-breaking study represents not only an encouraging first step in the development of a promising new approach to Parkinson's disease therapy, but also provides a platform to translate a variety of new gene therapy agents into human clinical trials for many devastating brain disorders," said Paul Greengard, the chairman of the Neurologix Scientific Advisory Board.

Prof Alan Kingsman of Oxford Biomedica, who will soon test his own gene therapy treatment for Parkinson', also lauded the results. "This is very good news for the field of gene therapy for neurological disorders," he said.

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Images: http://stemcells.nih.gov/; http://www.hcnr.med.harvard.edu/; http://images.google.co.in/; http://www.holistic-online.com/

'Hello' in India means 'Namaste'.....

When you meet
a friend in India
you must say
Namaste

When you meet
a friend in India
you can greet
Namaste

When you are walking
down the road
and you meet somebody
whom you know
you just join both your hand
and say
Namaste

Marketting will be cheaper...

The government of India issued a resolution on June 6th, allowing farmers the freedom to sell their produce directly to the private markets.

Farmers can now sell directly to the private markets. Until now, the farmers were only allowed to sell their produce to agricultural Produce Marketing Committee. That means that we will be able to buy fresh vegetables and fruits at lower price because farmers don’t have to pay any extra commission to any agents or middle men.

This new law will welcome healthy competition and customers will get fresh fruits and vegetables at cheaper price. Also farmer will be able to earn more money.

Agricultural marketing minister, Harshavardhan Patil, said that several retail giants like Reliance Fresh, ITC, Aditya Birla group, Pantaloons, and Premium Farm Fresh have set up proposals to set up private markets. He said that the state was expecting an investment of Rs3000 crore by private players. Patil said that government will also allow contract farming.

Under contract farming, the business man can enter into transaction with any farmer for produce of any crop and may even invest money for better produce.

Under this law everybody, the farmer, the customer, the government and the businessman, all will benefit.

Source: Hindustan times.

The peacock is the national bird of India.

A peacock spreads its feathers for an impromptu dance at Prime Minister's residence in New Delhi as the weather took a delightful turn on Sunday, June 17, 2007.


The term "peacock" is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl.

Peacocks are large, colorful pheasants (typically blue and green) known for their iridescent tails. These tail feathers, or coverts, spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird’s total body length and boast colorful "eye" markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. The large train is used in mating rituals and courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird's back and touches the ground on either side. Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains.

The species is found in dry semi-desert grasslands, scrub and deciduous forests. It forages and nests on the ground but roosts on top of trees. It eats mainly seeds, but also some insects, fruits and reptiles.

A male peafowl is one of the largest flying birds when the combined length of its train and its large wingspan are considered.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/

Maharanth,The wonder kid swimmer......

Do you like swimming or are you afraid of water?

In Chennai,( India) a 15-month-old baby, Maharanth, has set a world swimming record by swimming four meters underwater.

This wonder kid is just an application away from an entry in the Guinness Book.
The baby is trained by his uncle, Ashok who himself is a record holder for being the fastest swimmer to cross the Pak Strait.
When they ask the proud mother whether there is some secret to Mahanth’s success and she tells promptly, “He only drinks milk.”

“I am very happy. I have no words to express my joy,” said Maharanth's mother.


Here's some good advice for the pool:• Always have an adult watch you when you are in the pool — even in your own backyard. Never go in the pool if there is no adult around.

• Gates are around pools for a reason — to keep kids away from the water when there isn't a lifeguard or adult around to watch them. Never go through any pool gates when they are closed. Stay safe and stay out!

• Always obey pool rules.

• Swim with a buddy.

• If you're learning to swim, ask your mom or dad to make sure your flotation devices are Coast Guard approved.

• Walk slowly in the pool area. Don't run.

• Swim at a depth that is safe for you. If you're just learning to swim, stay in the shallow end.

• Don't push or jump on others. You could accidentally hurt someone or yourself.

• Toys to help you float come in many shapes and sizes (an inner tube, air mattress, or beach ball, for example). Although they are fun and can help you while you learn to swim, what they can't do is save a life. They're toys that can lose air or float away.

• Don't chew gum or eat while you swim — you could choke.

Here are some other good water safety tips:• Learn to swim. Ask your parents to contact your local community center for information on boating or water safety courses.

• Always put on plenty of sunscreen before you go outside. It's also a good idea to wear sunglasses and a hat to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays.

• Stop swimming or boating as soon as you see or hear a storm. Remember, lightning is electricity — electricity and water are a dangerous combination.

• Don't swim in the dark.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/
http://www.kidshealth.org/

Amul butter is the tastiest butter in India.

It has now become the first Indian co-operative to cross the billion-dollar Rubicon

The Gujarat Co-operative milk marketing federation (GCMMF), the producers of Amul brand products, reported on Friday that its 2006-07 revenues stood at $1.06 million.

Amul was formally registered on December 14, 1946. Fifty years ago farmers income was derived almost entirely from seasonal crops. The income from milk buffaloes was undependable. Milk producers had to travel long distances to deliver milk to the only dairy, the Polson Dairy in Anand – often milk went sour, especially in the summer season, as producers had to physically carry milk in individual containers

Private traders and middlemen controlled the marketing and distribution system for the milk. These middlemen decided the prices and the off-take from the farmers by the season. As milk is perishable, farmers were compelled to sell it for whatever they were offered. Often, they had to sell cream and ghee at throw-away prices. In this situation, the private trader made a killing

India ranked nowhere amongst milk producing countries in the world in 1946. Gradually, the realization dawned on the farmers with inspiration from then nationalist leaders Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (who later became the first Home Minister of free India) and Morarji Desai (who later become the Prime Minister of India) and local farmer, freedom fighter and social worker Tribhuvandas Patel, that the exploitation by the trader could be checked only if they marketed their milk themselves. Amul was the result of the realization that they could pool up their milk and work as a cooperative.

In 1954, Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union built a plant to convert surplus milk produced in the cold seasons into milk powder and butter. In 1973, the milk societies/district level unions decided to set up a marketing agency to market their products. This agency was the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).

GCMMF is India's largest food products marketing organisation. GCMMF chairman Parthibhai Bhatol said, “This is an impressive achievment, considering the ban on export earnings, and the massive losses suffered by the farmers due to floods last year, especially in Surat.”

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amul; http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/

Soon you will see Tiny tomatoes 'the size of berries' in your supermarket.

People around the world love to eat tomatoes especially in their salads and there are many varieties of tomatoes that are sold.

"People are getting more adventurous and want to try different varieties of tomato. They want tomatoes that look unusual and exciting to put in the salad bowl. The strawberry tomato looks fantastic and it also has a great taste - it can be eaten on its own or in salad," said Peter Ireland, a fruit buyer.


‘Strawmato’ looks like a strawberry, tastes sweet and you can even dip it into melted chocolate to relish a great taste of it.

And also ‘Zebra tomatoes’ that is grown from a new seed variety, which is best for roasting and grilling.

‘Mr. Stripey” tomatoes have a marvelously sweet taste, yellow skin dappled with orange streaks, and golden yellow flesh flecked with pinkish streaks. They make a stunning display in salads. ‘Green Zebra’ gets its name from the dark green stripes that streak its greenish-yellow skin. Its deep green flesh is both tart and sweet.

While the "ugly" was a traditional Spanish tomato, normally sliced on to, or rubbed into, bread and served with olive oil and salt, new types and varieties such as plum, cherry or yellow tomatoes now dominate both the growers and supermarket shelves.

And NOW

There is new variety in tomato which is very tiny in size and it is called ‘Tomberries’


These are at around 1cm (0.4in) in length and they are expected to be particularly popular with children, according to the supermarket chain.

The "tomberries" come from a wild strain which has been commercially cultivated in Holland for the first time.

Its spokesman Robert Honeysett said: "You can't resist just popping them in your mouth.

"In fact, I bet it's not just kids who take a liking to these tantalizingly tiny toms - they are very Moorish." He says.

Source: http://dm.anm.co.uk/
http://www.freerepublic.com/

Indian staff strike….

Today, all those who are traveling by Indian Airlines are very angry. They have to stand in long queue and wait for endless hours, because the flights are delayed.


This is because employees of airline Indian have declared an indefinite nationwide strike, disrupting air traffic and throwing flight schedules off gear. An estimated 12,000-strong ground staff – including check-in staff, ticketing staff, baggage handlers, loaders – are demanding promotional parity with their Air India counterparts post merger.

Sources at the Bangalore airport told CNN-IBN that additional staff has been called in to take care of the problem. Only two flights took off since morning as opposed to an average of 19 flights that take off from Bangalore airport daily.

The employees who have gone on strike are also angry because The ACEU, which is spearheading the strike, had held talks with the management of the airliner a few months ago and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had then asked the management to work out a solution.

However, nothing was done and ACEU claims it is still willing to sort is out. "We are open to talks. We are ready for settlement. We are urging the management not to be adamant as we cannot put pressure on passengers. But we also have to find a solution to our problems," Badola was quoted as saying.

The strike did find some supporters in the red brigade with CPIM-M backing the protestors. CPI leader and MP Gurudas Dasgupta alleged that the 'Indian' management has not taken care of the workers' interests.

"I support this strike. The management has been rigorously, outrageously anti-worker. They have not taken care of the interest of the workers," Dasgupta was quoted as saying by PTI.

Source: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/

Today, 12th June, is world day against child labor.

There are some children in the world, who have to earn a living because they are poor. If they don’t work then they do not have enough to eat.
They are not able to go to school, or play with other children because they are busy doing odd jobs. We don’t feel good when these children have to work. Many of these children were rescued from their work-places and sent back home, but they are back to work, because if they don’t work, then they cannot eat.

On world day against child labor, we have to focus on the elimination of child labor. Worldwide, agriculture is the sector where the largest percentage of working children is found - nearly 70 percent. Over 132 million girls and boys aged 5 to 14 years old often work from sun up to sun down on farms and plantations, planting and harvesting crops, spraying pesticides, and tending livestock.

Each year the World Day Against Child Labor has often focused on one of the “Worst Forms of Child labor” listed in Convention No.182, starting with the Unconditional Worst Forms, such as child trafficking. This was then followed by child domestic work and then child labor in mining last year.

The event is aimed at mobilizing people around the world against child labor and its worst forms, reflecting local cultures and customs, while encouraging the participation of authorities, the media, civil society and the public at large.

Source: http://www.hrea.org/
Image: http://www.nepalnews.com.np/

Turtle Turtle

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me, how many eggs you lay
You won’t believe the truth if I say

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me, how many legs you walk on
Double the legs of yours, Come on!

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me, how far in a day’s time you go
Miles and miles, if you care to know

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me, can you climb up a tree
Just watch me on them, fallen free

Turtle, Turtle
How soft and how hard is your shell
Better you keep off the thing, I tell

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me how good you, to a lake or pond
Cleaning all of them, thus I respond

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me when would you stick your neck out
To tell the truth when you leave me- fear, without

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me man’s crimes, you-so nice and neat
They catch and trap and kill me for my meat

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me, what’s the best of God’s grace?
Simple-“Slow but steady win the race”

Turtle, Turtle
Tell me your life’s agenda on hand
Enjoying the sun and basking on sand


Being in the field of wildlife conservation, I know turtles. They are wonderful creatures and scavengers of our lakes and ponds. They cleanse them all-as I said in the poem.
They are facing threats of extinctions because of heavy poaching for their meat, which is a delicacy in many parts of the country, and there is a huge market abroad. Then, our wetlands are fast disappearing which are their home.

The idea of writing this nursery rhyme came sometimes back during a conference on turtles when some one presented me a book, sort of compilation of myths and mythologies, folk tales, sayings, heresies, stories, fables etc prevalent about turtles in different parts of the world.

For example in Malaysia there is a saying that a turtle would lay thousand eggs and no one would know but a hen would lay a single eggs and the whole world knows it. Very interesting, isn’t?

Turtles as such don’t climb the trees but you can see them pretty sitting on the branches of fallen trees or logs on a riverbed.

Lastly, sometimes children are the worst tormentors of turtles, pestering them in all possible ways and deriving their quota of fun and pleasure- in fact we all did this in our times- this rhyme has been written for children to give them pleasure without teasing the turtles.

The rhyme also, in a subtle way explains the biology of the turtles, as well the threats to them. This is an educational work

By Mohammad Ahsan (Rzyer at Caferatti)

Images from: http://www.waynet.org/ and http://images.google.co.in/

G8 Members met in Heiligandamm on June 6-8, 2007

Pooja is very interested in many things. Today, when I spoke to her about ‘Global Warming’ and told her that G8 were also worried about this Global warming, she asks me what is this ‘G8’?


Well, G8 means Group of Eight members of international community. It is the international forum for government of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom and United States of America.

It was created as a Library group by United States in 1974. It is an informal forum where they discuss mutual and Global concerns. The range of topics include health, law enforcement, labour, economic and social development, energy, environment, foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism and trade.

There are also a separate set of meetings known as the "G8+5", attended by finance and energy ministers from all eight member countries in addition to the People's Republic of China, Mexico, India, Brazil, and South Africa. This was first created at Gleneagles, Scotland in 2005.

The group does not have a permanent secretariat, or offices for its members. The presidency of the group rotates annually among the member countries, with each new term beginning on January 1 of the year. The country holding the presidency is responsible for planning and hosting a series of ministerial-level meetings, leading up to a mid-year summit attended by the heads of government.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill
Loved through e-mail
Jack asked for her hand
Through BSNL Broad band !
BSNL failed to send
And it was the affir's end !
(why you could not SMS or call ?)
In poems like this
it is read only
No ask !
Poem by Srinivasan Rangarajan (Ryzer at S&Co)

It is too hot now-a-days.

The climate all over the world is changing and this is because of Global warming.

There is enough scientific evidence now to show that if the rise in global warming is not kept below two degrees Celsius and if a reduction in greenhouse gases doesn’t begin by 2015, we will have catastrophic consequences — floods, droughts, famine, deaths and wars — within the lifetime of the present generation.

This week, the G8 talking heads decided to cut the greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050. But the Greens are not happy. They say the world is running out of time and the rich world must slash emissions at least by 80% in just over four decades to avoid death and destruction in the poor world. They have a point.

But the leaders of the rich club refuse to see these points. They are not ready to spend money on efforts to check global warming. The poor world, including India and China, needs more than $50 billion every year to adapt to climate change. Some 80% of this money has to come from the G8 pockets: 44% from the US, 13% from Japan, 7% from Germany, 5% from the UK, and 4% to 5% each from Italy, France and Canada. But, they seem to be dragging their feet on this issue. Their point is: There is no urgency and there is not enough money to tackle the problem. Is it true?

Not quite. Some 150,000 people are already dying every year as a result of the Earth getting hotter.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
(Image)http://www.gea-consulting.com/

Time for a nursery rhyme.....

Yupeee!
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha!

I find a rupee on the floor
I buy a kilo of grass seeds
Grassy seeds I feed this cow
Cow gives me warm milk
Milk, I give it to my mom
Mommy gives me a pizza
Pizza I share it with a crow
Crow gives me a feather
Feather I give it to a king
King presents me a horse-seat

Gal-lop-ping
Gal-lop-ping
I am going for a riding

Into a deep, dark jungle
Oh! I love this riding!
Through the woods
Through the shrubs
Meeting fairy and pixie
I am reaching in a big
Green world, and
having lots of
Ice-cream

Flying, flying, flying.
Flying, flying, flying
I am flying,
Above the clouds
High up here
I can see the world
Momma looks
so tiny!

Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Thud!
Ooops!

I fell down
Broke my foot
I am trapped
Into a very dark room
Ooh! I am scared!
Many insects, and
Many, many, many
Many tiny pests

Pat, pat, pat,
Pat, pat, pat

I swing my pinky pink racquet
Racquet is charged
I burn them all
Pests and insects
Big and small
Pests went down
Insects are drowned
And all went down
Dead, dead, dead!

Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Sunita Williams is all set to return home on June 19, 2007

Indian American astronaut, Sunita "Suni" Williams, the first woman to be in space for six months, is all set to return home on June 19, 2007 as shuttle Atlantis gears up to fly on Friday ( Saturday in India) on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).



Sunita Williams became the second woman of Indian origin after Kalpana Chawla to blast off on a space mission and spend six months at the International Space Station.

Sunita, who is 41 years old, went up to the space station aboard Discovery, taking German astronaut Thomas Reiter's place as part of the three-person crew at the space lab.


Sunita was expected to take a spacewalk with her Discovery colleague Robert Curbeam to help rewire the ISS space lab and also operate the space station's robotic arm, among other tasks. In two spacewalks the astronauts would rewire the orbiting station, replacing its eight-year-old temporary power cable system with a permanent one, made possible after the previous mission in September installed two huge electricity- generating solar array panels on the ISS.

NASA’s latest shuttle Discovery's seven astronauts were among the most culturally diverse of any space shuttle crew. There were two African-Americans, an astronaut of Indian descent, the soon-to-be first Swede in space, a British-born mission specialist, an Alaskan and a Jersey Boy.

"I am half Indian and I have got, a group of Indian people who are looking forward to seeing this second person of Indian origin, flying up in space," she said in a pre-flight interview released by NASA

A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Sunita has claimed never to have thought about becoming an astronaut till a chance meeting with veteran astronaut John Young made her look to the stars. "I just can't wait to get to my new home," she said. "I have always wanted to fly a long-duration mission," Sunita said. "A long-duration spaceflight will supply answers... to what happens to the human body, how materials work in space."

Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who perished in the Columbia crash, was a friend of Sunita. The two often went bike riding and hiking together, according to Sunita. Unlike Chawla, who was born in Karnal in Haryana, Sunita was born and brought up in the US. Born in Ohio to Deepak Pandya, a physician who migrated to the US and Ursaline Pandya, she grew up in Massachusetts.

Besides the best wishes of Indians across the globe, Sunita had carried samosas with her in a special container

Source: for content and pictures- http://sify.com/

I don’t like cars of black color.

If you were to buy a car, what color would that be? White, Red or black?


According to Australian research released today, black cars are the most likely to be involved in a crash, simply because they are less visible than white vehicles.

The survey found that the lighter the color, the better. White was the safest color while cream, yellow and beige autos are also less likely to be involved in collisions.

The Monash University study found that black cars had a 12 per cent greater risk of crashing than white cars.

"Driving a darker colored car can increase your crash risk, but that is nowhere near as influential a factor as your driving behavior," said Soames Job of the New South Wales Road Transport Authority.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/

Shinchan

I like Shinchan because he is cute and naughty. He sings many songs. He sings “Just chill, chill, just chill, chill’ when Mixie, his mother, gets angry on Shinchan’s music teacher for asking higher school fees.

He has a small dog called Shiro.

Shiro and Shinchen always are doing mischief in the house and at the playground.

His mom, Mixie is always hitting him for making mischief. He calls his mom ‘Kali Buddi aurat’ (black old woman) or sometimes ‘bache churanay walli Kalli Budhiya’ (child-stealing, black old woman)

I liked one episode in which Sinchan drives his toy car on the road. Shinchan’s mom is also learning to drive. He comes and distracts his mom in her driving, by driving his own toy car (in speed) next to his mom, thus causing confusion and his mom meets with an accident. I was amused by the way his mom is angry and run behind him to beat him up.

I also like the episode in which it is a sports day. The children have to hide inside the box and their mothers have to pick up their child from the box and take him to the finish line. Shinchan and his friend, Kazama hide in each other's boxes and Mixie, Shinchan’s mother picks Kazama from the box on her back, whereas Kazama’s mom picks Shinchan on her back. During the race Shinchan tickles Kazama’s mom and she bangs on a pole and falls down. Shinchan quickly gets off from her back and runs to the finish line to win the race. I was very amused to see this race

Ferrari

I love this Ferrari car. I like it because it is stylish and fast. I love the red color. I wish I could buy one day.

Tararumpum the outstanding movie

I loved this movie. It is the best movie that I have seen. I think it is famous all over the world, all the children must have liked it except Siddharth, my brother. I am asking my mom to get me the CD, when it is released because I want to see it many times.

World environment day is celebrated on 5th June, every year.

This year, beginning June 5th, Greenpeace, a global environment activist group, will try to generate environment awareness and enforce the importance of environment protection in our surroundings for next fifteen days.

We will be shown how to plant more trees, take care of plants and maintain cleanliness in our surroundings.

As a part of the campaign, there will be events like tree plantation drives and sapling distributions in Juhu and in all surrounding areas.

The multiplexes will also screen films on topics such as ozone depletion, rain water harvesting and green house effect.

PVR has tied up with National Geographic for screening of these non-commercial films and all the school will be invited to participate in these events.

Deepa Menon, who heads the corporate social responsibility department at PVR, feels that working towards a greener world is every body’s responsibility and dedicating a single day to environment conservation is not enough. “These efforts should be sustainable in the long term and should be adopted as daily practices,” she says, adding that her company tries to improve the quality of life in the areas where it operates. “We are working together with NGOs, government bodies and the community for better social conditions.”

Source:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1101016

Regular use of laptops is not good for health

More and more people are using laptops.

Everybody likes to work on a computer, but we must be careful. We must not work for too many hours on a computer.

Regular use of laptop could damage your health and may cause problems in your spine, neck, shoulders and other serious orthopedic pain because of poor posture, warns British scientists.

A common problem is of keeping a laptop on the legs because then the users stare down at the screen and strain their necks, spines and legs.

Girls as young as 12 are being diagnosed with nerve damage caused by slouching over screens, a group of leading chiropractors said.

Health experts are worried because booming laptop sales have led to a surge in the number of computer users with back and muscle problems, reported online edition of BBC News.

“While working on laptops, people should take a break every 20 to 25 minutes otherwise muscle ligaments and joints could be damaged” says Dr. Vikas Gupta, an orthopedic surgeon at New Delhi's Fortis Hospital

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1100492

New International Airport at Navi Mumbai

In Mumbai, we have domestic airport at Santa Cruz. From a domestic airport, we can go to all places in India. If we want to go to Delhi, or Chennai, Or Bangalore, or any other city in India, we have to go to Santa Cruz airport to take a flight.

However, if we want to travel to places out of India, then we have to take an international flight from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Andheri.

Since we have many airplanes coming to Mumbai and the air traffic will increase in future, the present international airport will get fully saturated by 2013.

To meet the increasing air traffic demand, it has been proposed to build one more airport in Navi Mumbai.

The Maharastra government had proposed a site in Navi Mumbai for the second airport because of the available infrastructure, power, water supply, road and communication amenities.

The union Cabinet in New Delhi has approved the establishment of a new international airport in Mumbai through public-private partnership at the cost of roughly Rs9,970 crore.