Kollkata Standing Tall

Kolkata seems to be raising the bar continuously when it comes to building skyscrapers.

Who would have thought that the city’s tallest building would finally come up on a palace belonging to the erstwhile royal family of Darbhanga and that too on Chowringhee Road in downtown Kolkata?

For years the tallest building in Kolkata was the 20-storyed commercial complex Chatterjee International Centre near Chowringhee Road-Park Street crossing. Everest House was next! Also on Chowringhe Road, but further South. Then came the much-hyped 35-storyed South City on Prince Anwar Shah Road. South City Mall has been thrown open a couple of months ago but the residential complex within South City is still getting finishing touches). And before South City welcomes its residents, at least three new projects have been announced, each claiming to be the tallest at the time of disclosure.

The proposed 54-storey commercial tower on Darbhanga Royal Palace will literally tower over the Chowringhee skyline. It will house 10 levels of car parking at the base and a helipad, 35-36 floors of office space, a food court and convention centre spanning three levels. That's not all. For the first time in the city or possibly in the country, a property of this magnitude will have a floor-to-ceiling height of 4.2m, a grand 42-ft high entrance lobby, a sky garden on the 29th level and three levels of viewing galleries on top of everything, disclosed Amarnath Shroff, director of Diamond Group.

Which boots am I

You Are Rain Boots

You are a very playful and fun loving person. Nothing can slow you down. You are dreamy, and you can find the romance in anything. The littlest things make you smile. You are outgoing and friendly. You always find yourself talking to strangers. You are optimistic about the world. Even when it's raining out, the sun is shining in your heart.

What Kind of Boots Are You?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Litter Facts - unique reasons to recycle

*About 100,000 sea mammals and turtles choke on or get tangled in plastic ocean debris each year.

*Every 12 minutes a fire starts because of litter.

*Litter causes thousands of accidents per year (for example, paper can get caught on your windshield while you're driving), and disease-carrying mosquitoes and rats thrive in it.

*Studies show that people are less likely to litter in clean areas than trashy ones.

Homosexualty

The central government is in a bind over the issue of scrapping of section 377 of Indian Penal Code, which deals with criminalization of homosexuality.The counsel for the government sought more time to convey its stand on a petition challenging the legality of this section. Additional solicitor general P P Malhotra submitted before a division bench of the Delhi high court comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar that the Union Cabinet is trying to reconcile the difference of opinion between the health ministry and home ministry on decriminalization of homosexuality.‘‘It is beyond my hands, the Cabinet is seized of the matter,’’ ASG Malhotra said, while seeking more time. He conceded that the Centre has failed to sort out the differences between the home and health ministries over decriminalization of homosexuality among consenting adults ever since the difference emerged during the earlier hearing on the matter before HC.The high court however refused to adjourn the matter saying the government can file its response during the pendency of the case and said it would like to hear the government’s viewpoint next week. ‘‘Let the Cabinet take the decision. We are not going to pass the order today,’’ the bench said. In their contradictory stand the ministry of home affairs favoured the retention of the penal provision for homosexual acts while the health ministry was against the enforcement of Section 377 in cases involving consenting adults.‘‘Indian society strongly disapproves of homosexuality and disapproval is strong enough to justify it being treated as a criminal offence even where consenting adults indulge in it in private,’’ the home ministry had said in its affidavit. It added: ‘‘Deletion of the Section can open the flood gates of delinquent behaviour and be misconstrued as providing unbridled licence for homosexual acts,’’ and maintained that the section was needed in the IPC to deter sexual abuse and related crimes. The ministry of health, on the other hand, has not favoured the enforcement of the penal provisions against consenting homosexual adults. ‘‘Enforcement of Section 377 can adversely contribute to pushing the persons suffering from HIV underground which would make such risky sexual practises go unnoticed,’’ said an affidavit filed by National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), which comes under the ministry of health. It pitched for legalisation of the section as that would allow better regulation and prevent spread of AIDS. The high court was hearing a public interest petition by Naz Foundation, an NGO seeking abolition of section 377 of IPC. The hearing is expected to continue.

3D Image of the Sun

2010 Olympics

Organizers plan to heat the athlete's village at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, by using the sewer system. 

The sewer-heat system uses exchangers to extract the otherwise waste heat from the city's sewage. The heat can then be used to warm up buildings and provide hot water. Natural gas will be used as a supplemental energy source on exceptionally cold days. 

There are only two similar sewer-heat recovery systems in operation in Norway and one in Japan, but Vancouver's would be the first in North America.

Solar power revolution in Rajasthan

The desert state is on course to become the biggest producer of solar energy in the world with top Indian companies making a beeline for setting up solar power plants.The die has been cast. The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd (RRECL), the state nodal agency for promoting and developing nonconventional energy sources, has received 32 proposals to set up 900MW solar power plants. The rush for setting up solar plants is due to incentives offered by the state as well as central government. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) would set up a 5MW solar power plant at Khinwsar in Nagaur district which would start production by December 2009. The company has signed the power purchase agreement with Jaipur Discom, the state-government-owned power distribution company, to sell power for a 10-year period. Par Solar Ltd, a Mumbai-based company is all set to establish another plant at Jodhpur. According to RRECL, CMD, Rajiv Swaroop, Indiabulls (45MW), Acme Tele Power (100MW), Videocon (5MW), AES Solar (10MW), GVK (100MW) and Essar Power (45MW) are some of the players who have registered with RRECL to set up plants at Jaisalmer, Nagaur, Barmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner districts. Swaroop said that the solar power producers would use the solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technology to produce power from solar energy. Rajasthan has been assured of an investment of Rs 18,000 crore in this environment-friendly power industry. “International experts feel that by the next century, solar energy would become the major source of producing power as all other fossil sources for producing power would either exhaust or deplete. Rajasthan would become the world’s biggest solar power house as it basks in an average of 320 days of sunshine in a year often receiving up to 6.4KW per hour of solar energy per square metre everyday which is the highest in the world. The solar plants would only capture this energy to produce electricity,” said Swaroop. But this solar power would be very expensive to produce because of high cost of technology. But the state and the Union government are encouraging the solar power production by offering incentives. RIL has already assured of getting Rs 15.78 per unit through the sale to the Discom. But this amount would not be borne by Discom alone. The Discom would pay in the first year Rs 3.67 paise per unit only and four paise per unit would be increased each year. The Discom, under the directive of the power regulatory commission, would further pay RIL 78 paise per unit more. Under a scheme of Centre’s Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency, RIL would get Rs 11.33 per unit from this body as incentive for promoting non-conventional energy source. The amount of Rs 11.33 per unit incentive would decrease by four paise per unit each year. According to scientists earth receives 4,000 trillion kilowatt of electromagnetic radiation per hour from the sun which is 100 times the world’s energy consumption needs. Rajasthan Energy Development Agency (REDA) has planned to declare a Solar Energy Enterprise Zone (SEEZ) across a 15,000-km land in Rajasthan. The concept of SEEZ was drawn up on the lines of a zone in Nevada in the US. In the past 12 years, power companies like Amoco Enron, Energen Corp of Sri Lanka, Germany’s Schailac Bergermann and India’s Sun Source made bids to produce power from solar energy. They quoted a price of Rs 2.12 per unit, which would have marginally increased each year. It was estimated that even if 1% of the vast desert stretch was used to install solar collectors, 6,000MW hours of electricity could have been generated. But because of the dearth of proven technology and the high capital cost involved to produce solar energy in large quantity came as a hindrance. However, with the incentives offered on per unit basis there is sudden attraction for this project and the investors are ready to come to the state. In the past Sun Source had to abandon their project at Barmer due to lack of technology. Similarly, Amoco Enron and Schailac Bergermann also withdrew.

New delhi railway station

The New Delhi railway station is getting a sleek new look. From new infrastructure to technological enhancements, the station is on track to reach world-class status by 2010.Other than completion of the mammoth Route Relay Interlocking System (RRI), that came after circuiting an area of about 3.5km using 700km of cables, the station plans to offer a lot more to its passengers by the year-end. A sprawling new building with enhanced passenger amenities, international graphic signs, disabled-friendly platforms, shopping arcade, food court and the list goes on.The completion of the first part of the renovation came at a cost of Rs 71 crore. Apart from the route relay interlocking system that costed Indian Railways Rs 27 crore, the maintenance facility of the station has also been upgraded by the addition of a track. A new track has also been added to remove the bottleneck from the Sadar Bazaar side.‘‘The completion of RRI has made sure that there was no conflicting movement on the tracks. Not just that, the RRI will also drastically reduce the chances of rail traffic congestion,’’ said a Northern railway spokesperson.The entire RRI system is controlled from power cabin where the operators have a layout in front of them indicating the occupied and unoccupied tracks. With RRI capable of handling 1,278 routes, the station has also entered the Guiness Book of World Records. According to a railway official, the transformation of New Delhi Railway Station is not just because of the Commonwealth Games but also to handle 8-12% growth in passenger traffic in last 2-3 years. Northern Railways chief spokesperson, Rajiv Saxena said, “With the increase in passenger rush, its not just the rail traffic that has to be smoothened but facilities for passengers comfort are also to be added. To meet this demand, railways is carrying out the required changes.’’ The station has also added four platforms (two of which are to be completed shortly), which will ease out the problem of trains getting held up because of the unavailability of platforms. Saxena added, ‘‘Going by the fact that the during the peak seasons the station handles more than 4 lakh passengers, the additional platforms will also offer greater passenger space.” The new 80,000-square foot station building at the Ajmeri gate entrance will only make things better. According to a railway official, it will be a state-of-the-art building. Expected to be ready by December-end, it will have a touch-screen enquiry system, plasma TV but also an AC ticketing area. The building will also house both AC and non-AC waiting rooms and dormitories.

Everything you've always wanted to know about Methane, but were afraid to ask

Methane is among the most potent greenhouse gases and scientists say controlling emissions from cows and sheep, rice fields and the oil and gas industry is a major step in limiting climate change. It a major component of natural gas and is 23 times more potent in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide and it lasts about 12 years in the atmosphere before it is oxidized and converted into CO2 and water. About 60 percent of all methane in the atmosphere is believed to be caused by human activities with fossil fuels, cattle and sheep, landfills, rice paddies and forest fires being the main human-related sources.

Garbage - A Serious Issue

About 100,000 sea m.ammals and turtles choke on or get tangled in plastic ocean debris each year

Every 12 minutes a fire starts because of litter.Litter causes thousands of accidents per year (for example, paper can get caught on your windshield while you're driving), and disease-carrying mosquitoes and rats thrive in it

Studies show that people are less likely to litter in clean areas than trashy ones

NOW HOPEFULLY WE WILL ALL THINK TWICE ABOUT OUR FOOTPRINT...

What do you want it to be .......

Indian Airports approved

Employment in India

Well the new fear our Mentor in College is preaching is Recession, Recession, Recession....

This is my feel good sopt where i can proudly say i have a part in the 8.9% in Pune.....

Titled as ‘Tier II and III Cities New Employment Centre’, the study highlights Pune’s top-five employment generating sectors comprising 

1. IT
   
2. ITeS
   
3. banking
   
4. education and 
   
5. automobile.

Its also for the other who are feeling low regarding the RECESSION....

Look at the hope..... :)

The City

I live in a city where playgrounds are built under the summer sun while Banks enjoy the shade.

Where cars are double-lane and a narrow sidewalk for pedestrians.

Where you are a number who pays taxes and a zero when your voice rises.

Where cameras monitor the innocent while criminals manage them.

Where you feel yourself a piece of food digested by the twisted stomach of the streets.

Where the shouts of the street come into your home and the voices of the neighbors whispers in your ear.

I live in a city with so many corrupt politicians that we prefer to believe them honest cause not enough cells could host them.

Where they should dedicate a street to bribery, and an avenue to nepotism.

It lives, in every city, everywhere.

14th Feburary

Myspace Graphics

Advice Borrowed from My Inner Angel

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

Thus Some statements, see i didn`t call them rules so you can follow them (Human Nature to break rules) which if  followed would lead to a much happier World (World Peace even)

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will
compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. 

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

'If God is for us, who can be against us?'

The Week that was....

I am a dreamy sort of person when I`m Bored... (that happens a lot in Class)

Anyway I was at the point where the Golden Skeleton was found by the Dwarfs. when suddenly i hear raised voices in class so I paused it to listen. Apparently Girl A was arguing with Girl B (they used to be friends, now acting like a divoced couple).

At this point since I couldnt really make out any thing specific.. I started to analyse Human behaviour - The Good, The Bad and the Gray.

At one point they took the discuccion outside as it was increasing in volume. Suddenly i hear a girl in class (the girls out number the boys) scream they are figthing.....

I mean our class had lasted almost three year shy of 3 months without as physical fight. And just to show that the fact that the girls out number the boys they had the first Physical fight.

I mean atleast have it for a chivlarious reason or something, but it turned out of later inquiry to have been for a stupid reason... 

The culprit I found to be Girl A. But we all known that the one who crys first wins. Thus Girl A  cried first so won the sympathy and didn`t get any "Talk"

Nothing and no action is stiill been taken. Apparently a girl so keep it all hush hush... Thats the way of the world. It make you partly happy to be a girl and partly saddened..

God, the Devil and Me at New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR...... :) 

I`m am in a good and happy mood and want to start this new year with a new year resolution. I mean that's the fun of it all isn't it. To stay by a belief, a rule an order. Its one of the few things still universal among the Human kind. I mean its one of those things which God loves as well as the Devil. (different reasons of course)

One of things i feel anyone needs to known about me before they read any further is the fact that i am an emotional person. Thus i tend to like as well as dislike people ( a bit quickly at times). Later i Begin to double guess my outbursts. ( making my future decisions with that person cloudy) Thus i have decided to "Love people when they least deserve it, because that`s when they really need it...." 

Don`t you see just reading the above lines makes your mind meddle in ways it shouldn't, image how much more complex it gets in my mind. Thus i can so easily skip all these steps by just loving the person till i`m ready to throw them out of my life. (kind of bypass all the stages). 

Hope i manage to stick by it.  :)

Advanced You Tube

For my project. I needed to download great videos. it was always available at You Tube. but me a poor incompetent computer geek :) could not manage to download them....

Thus went the time where just to taunt me all my searches for videos led me to You Tube. This  really forced and pushed me in a corner and i asked my friend to help (Google itself) 

They gave me a site named ''www.keepvid.com'' . this made and gave You tube a whole new spin. It became the Advanced You Tube which allowed me to download all the videos which earlier used to glare and mock me. :)

Christmas Holidays

Holidays are going on... At least I guess I need to be grateful the college gave us any... But couldn`t they be longer without college projects. (Not that I even bothered to start any)  

Christmas seems different this year. Cousins of mine have come down from Canada, they have snow there (mentioned for the ones weak in Geography) and are finding thing a lot more weird compared to me.

For starters I have a Xmas dress as well as a New year outfit ready (amazing that I`m not going to buy stuff still) and to add to that I have been gifted more dresses adding to my joy and confusion of what to wear ????

Xmas this year has theme in my home "Glass Paintings" (as Its me aided by my sister to decorate). We always had a real tree, decorations, and ooh so many more things. But now Thanks to "Valenkho" I have Pictures which he drew and i copied onto the windows. This is something I`m actually enjoying and is does not feel like a mission which needs to be done by Xmas day. Its a more enjoy the Xmas while decorating.

In a way it has relaxed my mind (lower stress levels) but increased the physical strain. For example on getting up from any sitting positions, a bystander would say i get up like a mix of an old lady and a pregnant lady combined. (the lower back ) But my high spirits cancel it out in a way for me. 

The only hope now that the pain goes before the relaxed spirits....

World Tourism Day

Back again and here to stay...

Well I guess I haven't written for a long time but I have been working like a donkey. Well for one thing, the projects pending are getting out of hand. I mean at first the college told us that this course was a different course and that it would be easy as it was a different marking scheme where we wouldn't have exams and only have projects and stuff. Only they failed to mention that we would have atleast 5 projects per day which have to be completed the next day. None of them actually realize that we have more than one class per day. Anyway I kept putting off writing here as I had no time but I just realized that I haven't blogged for more than a month and this was supposed to be my new 'thing' to do this year. So now I've made a new resolution to blog atleast once a week.

Oh, and in case this gives you the wrong idea; I love my college cos the time spent on the projects isn't so bad when it is group and cos it provides an good source of posts for this blog!

[Now I just need the time to write all those posts...]

2007 Millionaires

2007 - The year that was

This year from the beginning to the end was a memorable year. A great many small and big things happened. At the moment all of them seemed equally important and unforgettable but now thinking back its turned into a fog of what actually happened this year or the last.

Quite unintentionally I landed at my blog again after lengthy arguments with myself to post but not having the required drive to actually jot down my many vast and confused thoughts.

Let me just focus on the end of the year.  (Aaaah.....)

2007, the year that has passed. The focus of the end of the year, I felt, was a tour I went for with my batch mates. We went to the Golden triangle locations. For those who haven`t studied Tourism, it's not a mysterious location or anything with a story, it's a tour to Agra, Delhi and Jaipur. 

It's a time when new things happened all around me, new places, new experiences, new friends, new materialistic items (remembering the Heavy bags people had to carry for me) :) etc....etc... etc....

Thus helping me complete my quota of new things to do and try in a year...  In a way I feel that was my way of ending the year.

But then along came New Year to add to the experiences.... It was the beginning of possibilities...... some noticed by me, some by others and yet others unnoticed (i`m still waiting) 

Well I am tagged by karen to State 9 weird thing about me. (well I recognize the effort to motivate me to continue my blog and keep it alive). But you should Know I have already taken a oath to blog regulary once each week. From the top of my Head I would say

1) As a child I loved eating curry with bread. I don't eat curry any more.

2) I can have ketcup with almost anything.

3) My sister used to feed me biscuits while I was asleep and I'd eat them without waking up.

4) Usually when people call me up and I relalize they have the wrong number.I love to dilly dally with them instead of telling them they have the wrong number.

5) I beat up annoying children in church when their parents aren't looking.

6) I love sleeping and then waking up in the middle of the night to have a bath.

7) At times I attempt to sing even though its a contradiction to my family legacy.

8)At times i zap out of reality which causes me to veiw,support and part take in the weirdest of events which will remain a complete mystry to me.

9)At times i even tend to lead a more active life in la la land then in reality.( but no one except me nows of the happenings except for a few blurry mumblings)

10)And lastly the hight of weirdness as my sister so elequently put it "my existance "

Latest styles....

I`m studying in Don Bosco College and we share the premises with the Don Bosco all boys school. That's why I have lots of time to observe the behaviour of the male animal. They are a mighty weird species when they are young. At times they do grow up to be human, but most grow up with some issue or the other.

Anyway, yesterday I saw a group of boys with their hair oiled till I felt I could see it dripping down.(oh and they try to pass it off as gel). Just add a little heat to their heads and you could very easily be able to fry omelets. Then there is the limp they all seemed to have. (again they try to pass it off as style). I find it hard to believe that all their left legs are shorter than their right (I`m sure that it wasn`t a requirement when they were admitted!)I have this irresistible urge to add a little height to the sole of one of their shoes just to see them topple when they can`t balance.

So you get why I call them animals they can`t walk, dress or even talk properly(these weird noises they use for the english language). Some of them pass this stage if they have any good influence in their life (Now if only they had me) and the others just lead a very sad, pathetic and disillusioned life.

A New Level of Medical Care

Well in today's world there are alot of health conscious people. Even the fly around my house seems to know that its a dangerous world out there. Even it seemed to be taking a keen interest in my health. Cos i most definatly think (???) just yesterday a fly went though my nose and out my mouth just to make sure my airway was clear.

Even he understands the sacrifices that have to be made to led a healthier life. ( he was squashed the moment he completed his check-up )

Don - Back with a bang!

Well as I have resolved I am back to stay, so to speak. I saw DON, the movie yesterday. And I must say Shahrukh Khan is back with a bang. Don't get me wrong, he is one of my favorite Hindi actors but recently the soapy romantic movies he had been making, (where he seemed to overdo almost every scene), were a pain to watch. Well that wasn't as issue here b'cos the DON was supposed to make each scene his own. And it made me realise that it wasn't him I was bored with, it was the romantic films he had been doing consecutively that were irritating me.

I mean a guy like the great Don makes my knees go weak. Just the idea of him knowing everything and making the world his own playground was fascinating to watch.

There was a car chase sequence in some narrow roads which was fantastic. There are loads of movies (both Hindi and English) with car chases on narrow roads but these roads were not just narrow, they were filled with activity and looked like very realistic Goan roads. It made me dream about being able to drive like that (I mean I can always dream right).

That reminds me I must work on my father to get atleast my learners licence. The rest I'll be able to deal with I hope.

Human Retardation

When everybody else has been enjoying the holidays. I have been going for some personality development classes in my college which is part of our lectures.

We usually have to listen to them going on telling us that we should be bold, an extrovert, and basically a snob who should never compromise. Talk about going in the wrong direction and actually receiving classes to be bad :)

Equal Rights v/s Chivalry

Well as u all know i can`t use the car or drive any vehicle of any sort at the moment. So I have have to take the always very crowded bus. Well the conditions are not that bad everyday (that's what I keep repeating to myself). But still there are times when the the public trys to amuse me by displaying their off-key personalities (behavior fit to get them admitted into a mental hospital).

Like today, when we were packed like sardines. Actually even packed sardines I think wud have more room. Well I guess the gods were happy with me today because I was actually sitting when the guy next to me gets up and offers the lady standing, his seat. While she is attemping to sit down, a guy almost pushing her to the ground, (if there was place to fall that is) sits in the seat and smiles broadly at her and seemed definitely very smug and content with himself. Well I said as many evil curses as I knew (but not aloud of course because he did look kinda huge and big).But as they say its the thought that counts.

Anyway I guess the huge and big guy believes in equal rights of both men and women but isn't he taking it a bit too far. It was like actually seeing a chivalrous man of the past first, followed by a sample of life as it is today.

The first day!

The first day of the rest of my life!

Yes, for updates about my fascinating life check this blog.

To start you off...

I'm 18. I figured I needed to mark this year with something memorable. So far my attempts at a driving licence haven't worked out. This blog is a poor second.