Sunday, July 31, 2005
Jeevan finished 20 and entering 21
Today I celebrate by birthday, I finished my age 20 and entering 21. I celebrate with my family. My mom, dad grandpa, grandma, aunty, my brother’s, sister uncles have blessed me. At 4.00 we went to kabalishwara nagar beach, Nelankarai, and spent some times and we went to our aunty house in tambaram, for leave my aunty and her children’s at there home.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
War of the Iraq
New analysis of civilian casualties in Iraq: Report unveils comprehensive details
"A Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003-2005" is the first detailed account of all non-combatants reported killed or wounded during the first two years of the continuing conflict. The report, published by Iraq Body Count in association with Oxford Research Group, is based on comprehensive analysis of over 10,000 media reports published between March 2003 and March 2005.
Findings include:
Who was killed?
· 24,865 civilians were reported killed in the first two years.
· Of those killed, 82% were adult males and 18% were women and children.
· Baghdad alone recorded almost half of all deaths (11,264).
· Fallujah recoded 1,874
· Nasiriyah recorded 984
· Kabala recorded 929
· Najaf recorded 784
· Mosul recorded 735
· Basra recorded 704
· Kirkuk recorded 613
· Hilla recorded 456
· Tikrit recorded 312
· Baqouba recorded 304
· Samarra recorded 255
When did they die?
· 30% of civilian deaths occurred during the invasion phase before 1 May 2003.
· Post-invasion, the number of civilians killed was almost twice as high in year two (11,351) as in year one (6,215).
Who did the killing?
· US-led forces killed 37% of civilian victims.
· Anti-occupation forces/insurgents killed 9% of civilian victims.
· Post-invasion criminal violence accounted for 36% of all deaths.
· Killings by anti-occupation forces, crime and unknown agents have shown a steady rise over the entire period.
What was the most lethal weaponry?
· Over half (53%) of all civilian deaths involved explosive devices.
· Air strikes caused most (64%) of the explosives deaths.
· Children were disproportionately affected by all explosive devices but most severely by air strikes and unexploded ordnance (including cluster bomblets).
How many were injured?
· At least 42,500 civilians were reported wounded.
· The invasion phase caused 41% of all reported injuries.
· Explosive weaponry caused a higher ratio of injuries to deaths than small arms.
· The highest wounded-to-death ratio incidents occurred during the invasion phase.
Who provided the information?
· Mortuary officials and medics were the most frequently cited witnesses.
· Three press agencies provided over one third of the reports used.
· Iraqi journalists are increasingly central to the reporting work.
Speaking today at the launch of the report in London, Professor John Sloboda, FBA, one of the report's authors said: "The ever-mounting Iraqi death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to go to war in Iraq. On average, 34 ordinary Iraqis have met violent deaths every day since the invasion of March 2003. Our data show that no sector of Iraqi society has escaped. We sincerely hope that this research will help to inform decision-makers around the world about the real needs of the Iraqi people as they struggle to rebuild their country. It remains a matter of the gravest concern that, nearly two and half years on, neither the US nor the UK governments have begun to systematically measure the impact of their actions in terms of human lives destroyed."
When the war come to end? children's life is in? When Iraq will be free from terrorist and U.S. army? God only know it.
what we can do is pray for our people, that only we can do.
"A Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003-2005" is the first detailed account of all non-combatants reported killed or wounded during the first two years of the continuing conflict. The report, published by Iraq Body Count in association with Oxford Research Group, is based on comprehensive analysis of over 10,000 media reports published between March 2003 and March 2005.
Findings include:
Who was killed?
· 24,865 civilians were reported killed in the first two years.
· Of those killed, 82% were adult males and 18% were women and children.
· Baghdad alone recorded almost half of all deaths (11,264).
· Fallujah recoded 1,874
· Nasiriyah recorded 984
· Kabala recorded 929
· Najaf recorded 784
· Mosul recorded 735
· Basra recorded 704
· Kirkuk recorded 613
· Hilla recorded 456
· Tikrit recorded 312
· Baqouba recorded 304
· Samarra recorded 255
When did they die?
· 30% of civilian deaths occurred during the invasion phase before 1 May 2003.
· Post-invasion, the number of civilians killed was almost twice as high in year two (11,351) as in year one (6,215).
Who did the killing?
· US-led forces killed 37% of civilian victims.
· Anti-occupation forces/insurgents killed 9% of civilian victims.
· Post-invasion criminal violence accounted for 36% of all deaths.
· Killings by anti-occupation forces, crime and unknown agents have shown a steady rise over the entire period.
What was the most lethal weaponry?
· Over half (53%) of all civilian deaths involved explosive devices.
· Air strikes caused most (64%) of the explosives deaths.
· Children were disproportionately affected by all explosive devices but most severely by air strikes and unexploded ordnance (including cluster bomblets).
How many were injured?
· At least 42,500 civilians were reported wounded.
· The invasion phase caused 41% of all reported injuries.
· Explosive weaponry caused a higher ratio of injuries to deaths than small arms.
· The highest wounded-to-death ratio incidents occurred during the invasion phase.
Who provided the information?
· Mortuary officials and medics were the most frequently cited witnesses.
· Three press agencies provided over one third of the reports used.
· Iraqi journalists are increasingly central to the reporting work.
Speaking today at the launch of the report in London, Professor John Sloboda, FBA, one of the report's authors said: "The ever-mounting Iraqi death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to go to war in Iraq. On average, 34 ordinary Iraqis have met violent deaths every day since the invasion of March 2003. Our data show that no sector of Iraqi society has escaped. We sincerely hope that this research will help to inform decision-makers around the world about the real needs of the Iraqi people as they struggle to rebuild their country. It remains a matter of the gravest concern that, nearly two and half years on, neither the US nor the UK governments have begun to systematically measure the impact of their actions in terms of human lives destroyed."
When the war come to end? children's life is in? When Iraq will be free from terrorist and U.S. army? God only know it.
what we can do is pray for our people, that only we can do.
Friday, July 29, 2005
President Kalam’s dream
Twenty-five years ago, on July 18, 1980, India joined the space club with the successful flight of the 22-meter-tall, 17-tonne Satellite Launch Vehicle – 3. In an interview, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who was the SLV-3 project director, look back at the successes of India’s space programme and presents a wish-list for the future.
Some years ago, at a meeting of the Madras Institute of Technology Alumni Association, you said that as an engineering student there it was a joy to study the structure of an aircraft. How did you get interested in aircraft and rocketry?
It all started when I was a 10-year-old boy. I was studying in the 5th class at the Rameswaram Panchayat Elementary School. We had a teacher. His name was Sivasubramania Iyer. He used to teach geography, science and hygiene. One day, he was teaching us how birds flew. He drew a diagram on the blackboard, depicting the wings, the tail and the body structure with the head. He explained how birds created the lift and flew. He also explained to us how birds changed direction while flying. Many of us did not understand it. I said I did not.
Our teacher said he would take all of us to the seashore. That evening, the whole class was at the seashore at Rameswaram. He showed how the seabirds flew, how the seagulls flew. He indicated to us what the birds did to flap their wings and what their tails did. He explained to us all those things. The way Siavasubramania Iyer explained, I understood it. But the important thing was from that day he injected into me the dream of something to do with flight. I did not know flight science. But he definitely injected into me how to dream, to have a dream, to fly high, and secondly, to do something later with the science of flight… the seeding. That is how it started.
Like this, anybody has dreams like fly high?
(Continue on August 5th )
Some years ago, at a meeting of the Madras Institute of Technology Alumni Association, you said that as an engineering student there it was a joy to study the structure of an aircraft. How did you get interested in aircraft and rocketry?
It all started when I was a 10-year-old boy. I was studying in the 5th class at the Rameswaram Panchayat Elementary School. We had a teacher. His name was Sivasubramania Iyer. He used to teach geography, science and hygiene. One day, he was teaching us how birds flew. He drew a diagram on the blackboard, depicting the wings, the tail and the body structure with the head. He explained how birds created the lift and flew. He also explained to us how birds changed direction while flying. Many of us did not understand it. I said I did not.
Our teacher said he would take all of us to the seashore. That evening, the whole class was at the seashore at Rameswaram. He showed how the seabirds flew, how the seagulls flew. He indicated to us what the birds did to flap their wings and what their tails did. He explained to us all those things. The way Siavasubramania Iyer explained, I understood it. But the important thing was from that day he injected into me the dream of something to do with flight. I did not know flight science. But he definitely injected into me how to dream, to have a dream, to fly high, and secondly, to do something later with the science of flight… the seeding. That is how it started.
Like this, anybody has dreams like fly high?
(Continue on August 5th )
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Top 10 hospitals (2005)
In Chennai chief minister Jayalalathiaa has open the twin tower of government general hospital on July 1, 2005 it has all facilities at world levels. Now chennai is becoming a model metro for health facilities, corner to corner have health clinic. Next to kerala chennai is have many ayurvada clinics. Chennai has treatment for all diseases.
Top 10 hospitals (2005)
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, (Delhi)
2. Apollo Hospitals, (Chennai)
3. Post Graduate Institutes of Medical Education & Research, (Chandigarh)
4. Christian Medical College, (Vellore)
5. Sankara Nethralaya, (Chennai)
6. Bombay Hospital, (Mumbai)
7. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, (Bangalore)
8. Jaslok Hospital, (Mumbai)
8. Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, (Lucknow)
9. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, (Pondicherry)
10. Tata Memorial Hospital, (Mumbai)
CHENNAI top3 hospital
Apollo Hospitals
Vijaya Hospital
Govt General Hospital,
Park Town
Top 10 hospitals (2005)
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, (Delhi)
2. Apollo Hospitals, (Chennai)
3. Post Graduate Institutes of Medical Education & Research, (Chandigarh)
4. Christian Medical College, (Vellore)
5. Sankara Nethralaya, (Chennai)
6. Bombay Hospital, (Mumbai)
7. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, (Bangalore)
8. Jaslok Hospital, (Mumbai)
8. Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, (Lucknow)
9. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, (Pondicherry)
10. Tata Memorial Hospital, (Mumbai)
CHENNAI top3 hospital
Apollo Hospitals
Vijaya Hospital
Govt General Hospital,
Park Town
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Maharashtra received heavy rain after 100 years
Heavy rains in Maharashtra have completely disrupted normal life across the state with Mumbai being severely hit. However in the western part of the city from Mahim to Bandra till Santacruz and Goregaon the traffic is blocked.
Buses submerged in 10-feet water. In the last 24 hours, Colaba has recorded 57.1 MM of rainfall while Santacruz has received 896 MM. This is the highest ever amount of rain recorded in both the areas. Mumbai received a heavy rainfall after 100 years
Mumbai airport was closed for the second consecutive day today as the runway was waterlogged due to incessant rains. Many international flights have been diverted to other destinations.
Many suburban areas remained without power as water entered ground floor flats, forcing power supply to be shut off. Even mobile and landline phone services have been affected.
The state government has declared a public holiday today.
However, several outbound long-distance trains have been cancelled and many incoming trains have been diverted. The Pune-Western Express Highway has been closed and all trains to Pune have been cancelled as railway tracks were submerged.
Nearly 200 people are reported to be missing after landslides in the Konkan area.
The heavy rainfall, which attacked mumbai. Imagine that rain in chennai how that will be?
Buses submerged in 10-feet water. In the last 24 hours, Colaba has recorded 57.1 MM of rainfall while Santacruz has received 896 MM. This is the highest ever amount of rain recorded in both the areas. Mumbai received a heavy rainfall after 100 years
Mumbai airport was closed for the second consecutive day today as the runway was waterlogged due to incessant rains. Many international flights have been diverted to other destinations.
Many suburban areas remained without power as water entered ground floor flats, forcing power supply to be shut off. Even mobile and landline phone services have been affected.
The state government has declared a public holiday today.
However, several outbound long-distance trains have been cancelled and many incoming trains have been diverted. The Pune-Western Express Highway has been closed and all trains to Pune have been cancelled as railway tracks were submerged.
Nearly 200 people are reported to be missing after landslides in the Konkan area.
The heavy rainfall, which attacked mumbai. Imagine that rain in chennai how that will be?
London blast 7/7, The lads who shook London
Investigators have pieced together the sequence of events of the bombings
They fanned out north and south, east and west, hoping to draw a burning cross across London on July 7. After synchronizing their watches at King’s Cross station, the four young men took different trains on the Underground. On their back each of them carried rucksacks, loaded with ten pounds of high-grade military explosives. They looked like four lads on a hiking holiday. Closed-circuit television cameras even caught them laughing together. But they were about to strike terror into the heart of London by becoming the first suicide bombers to attack mainland Europe.
Shehzad Tanweer, 22, boarded an eastbound Circle Line train to Aldgate. Only the night before, Khaka, as friends called him, had been playing cricket in Leeds in North Yorkshire, 280km north of London. Born in nearby Bradford, he was a keen cricketer, intelligent, a joker and described as a sweet lad.
His father, Mohammed, had come from Pakistan 30 years earlier, building up a fish and chip business from nothing. At 8.50a.m., Tanweer detonated his lethal luggage, killing himself and six other people, as well as destroying his family’s life forever.
Meanwhile, Mahammed Sadiyue Khan, 30 the oldest of the four, was heading in the opposite direction on a westbound Circle Line train. Khan was married to the girl he fell in love with a Leeds University and had a young child. He wasn’t keen on wearing traditional Muslim clothes or growing a bread, and was generally known as a nice guy. He worked at a primary school, teaching four-year-olds, a job he apparently loved so much that he was often late for prayer meeting at his local mosque.
A few seconds after Tanweer’s operation, just outside Edgware Road station Khan detonated his explosives, also killing himself and six other people.
Not much is known about the third bomber, partly because so little of his body has been found. He is though to be Eliaz Fiaz, also known as Jacksy. He blew himself up a few moments after Tanweer, just as his southbound Picadilly Line train was approaching Russell Square. It was at one of the deepest points on the network, more than 100 feet down in a single bore tunnel. There was barely six inches between the train and the walls, which compounded the impacts of the explosion. Including Fiaz, 25 people died, but the figure might still rise.
The fourth bomber, Hasib Hussain, possibly the youngest of the team, had tried to get on a northbound Northern Line service after leaving his friends, but was thwarted by a defective train. At this point, it seems that the 19-year-old panicked. He headed out of the station and boarded a crowded, double-decker bus, Number30, along with many other commuters who were unable to use the underground network, now almost at a standstill. At 9.45 a.m., he started to rummage around frantically in his luggage.
There was standing room only. You can imagine the crush, said Richard Jones, a passenger standing near the back of the bus. This chap kept dipping down into his bag. He was fiddling away and he kept getting annoyed with something. He kept bumping into me. It was getting on my nerves.
Realizing that the bus was being diverted into Tavistock Square, Jones asked the driver to be let out. As he walked away, he heard an awful scream. John Falding heard it too. He was at home, talking to his girlfriend, Anat Rosenburg, who was on the bus. I told her there has been an incident at Liverpool Street and Edgware Road, Falding said. Just then, I heard a scream in the background. It was ghastly, not of this world. It was high-pitched and I think it might have been a man.
And the phone went dead. At 9.47 a.m., Hussain, the fourth bomber, had killed himself and 12 others, most probably in a state of abject terror, unable to defuse the bomb that has been ticking in his rusksack.
The explosion blew the top of the bus off and tore limb from limb. Ironically, it was after the gruesome discovery of Hussain’s head, a telltale sign of a bomber, that the security services worst fears began to be realized. Suicide bombing had come to Britain and, worse still, it was homegrown, making it harder to detect. All four of the bombers were clean skins – no police or M15 records had been kept on any of them.
The investigation moved very quickly once DNA testing has matched head tissue with Hussain’s personal effect found in Tavistock Square. The police had also recived a call, late on the day of the bombing, from Hussain’s anxious Pakistani parents, who had heard of the bombing and were worried about their son’s whereabouts. After they reported him missing, his name was logged. When it matched the personal effect and DNA, police swooped on their house in a rundown suburb of Leeds. Five other local properties were found, following by the discovery of more explosive in a car at Luton station.
There are two worries now: was there a Mr Big behind the scenes who flew in from abroad, made the bombs and flew out again? And what will happen to community relations in Leeds, where there is already some hostility towards the Muslim community? Religious leaders of all denominations have called for calm. Politicians, too, are urging restraint. Some of the greatest anger, though, has come from Muslims themselves.
The first British-born Muslim MP, Shaid Malik, whose constituency includes two of the raided houses, said: Some very religious people have been on the phone to me and said, These evil f******, we don’t care, we cannot tolerate this. This is from the Muslim community saying whoever the combers are, wherever they are, they will find them.
Certainly, there is much soul-searching in the Muslim community, as its leaders and British try to establish why these young British people turned to hate. Is opposition to Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War the sole reason, as an al Queda-linked Web site claimed? Or is it down to something more sinister?
Shehzad Tanweer’s uncle said he blamed the radicalization of his clam, loving, normal boy on extremists he met while on a study trip to Lahore. He went to study with clerics in Pakistan from December to January this year. He must have come into contact with radicals there. He never talked about politics, although he had been religious for a couple of years. I know he must have been a part of this terrible thing but I am sure the plan was not his doing. There is definitely somebody evil behind it. While the search continues, London tries to return to normal, but the capital, once famed for its multi-cultural mix, will never be the same again.
They fanned out north and south, east and west, hoping to draw a burning cross across London on July 7. After synchronizing their watches at King’s Cross station, the four young men took different trains on the Underground. On their back each of them carried rucksacks, loaded with ten pounds of high-grade military explosives. They looked like four lads on a hiking holiday. Closed-circuit television cameras even caught them laughing together. But they were about to strike terror into the heart of London by becoming the first suicide bombers to attack mainland Europe.
Shehzad Tanweer, 22, boarded an eastbound Circle Line train to Aldgate. Only the night before, Khaka, as friends called him, had been playing cricket in Leeds in North Yorkshire, 280km north of London. Born in nearby Bradford, he was a keen cricketer, intelligent, a joker and described as a sweet lad.
His father, Mohammed, had come from Pakistan 30 years earlier, building up a fish and chip business from nothing. At 8.50a.m., Tanweer detonated his lethal luggage, killing himself and six other people, as well as destroying his family’s life forever.
Meanwhile, Mahammed Sadiyue Khan, 30 the oldest of the four, was heading in the opposite direction on a westbound Circle Line train. Khan was married to the girl he fell in love with a Leeds University and had a young child. He wasn’t keen on wearing traditional Muslim clothes or growing a bread, and was generally known as a nice guy. He worked at a primary school, teaching four-year-olds, a job he apparently loved so much that he was often late for prayer meeting at his local mosque.
A few seconds after Tanweer’s operation, just outside Edgware Road station Khan detonated his explosives, also killing himself and six other people.
Not much is known about the third bomber, partly because so little of his body has been found. He is though to be Eliaz Fiaz, also known as Jacksy. He blew himself up a few moments after Tanweer, just as his southbound Picadilly Line train was approaching Russell Square. It was at one of the deepest points on the network, more than 100 feet down in a single bore tunnel. There was barely six inches between the train and the walls, which compounded the impacts of the explosion. Including Fiaz, 25 people died, but the figure might still rise.
The fourth bomber, Hasib Hussain, possibly the youngest of the team, had tried to get on a northbound Northern Line service after leaving his friends, but was thwarted by a defective train. At this point, it seems that the 19-year-old panicked. He headed out of the station and boarded a crowded, double-decker bus, Number30, along with many other commuters who were unable to use the underground network, now almost at a standstill. At 9.45 a.m., he started to rummage around frantically in his luggage.
There was standing room only. You can imagine the crush, said Richard Jones, a passenger standing near the back of the bus. This chap kept dipping down into his bag. He was fiddling away and he kept getting annoyed with something. He kept bumping into me. It was getting on my nerves.
Realizing that the bus was being diverted into Tavistock Square, Jones asked the driver to be let out. As he walked away, he heard an awful scream. John Falding heard it too. He was at home, talking to his girlfriend, Anat Rosenburg, who was on the bus. I told her there has been an incident at Liverpool Street and Edgware Road, Falding said. Just then, I heard a scream in the background. It was ghastly, not of this world. It was high-pitched and I think it might have been a man.
And the phone went dead. At 9.47 a.m., Hussain, the fourth bomber, had killed himself and 12 others, most probably in a state of abject terror, unable to defuse the bomb that has been ticking in his rusksack.
The explosion blew the top of the bus off and tore limb from limb. Ironically, it was after the gruesome discovery of Hussain’s head, a telltale sign of a bomber, that the security services worst fears began to be realized. Suicide bombing had come to Britain and, worse still, it was homegrown, making it harder to detect. All four of the bombers were clean skins – no police or M15 records had been kept on any of them.
The investigation moved very quickly once DNA testing has matched head tissue with Hussain’s personal effect found in Tavistock Square. The police had also recived a call, late on the day of the bombing, from Hussain’s anxious Pakistani parents, who had heard of the bombing and were worried about their son’s whereabouts. After they reported him missing, his name was logged. When it matched the personal effect and DNA, police swooped on their house in a rundown suburb of Leeds. Five other local properties were found, following by the discovery of more explosive in a car at Luton station.
There are two worries now: was there a Mr Big behind the scenes who flew in from abroad, made the bombs and flew out again? And what will happen to community relations in Leeds, where there is already some hostility towards the Muslim community? Religious leaders of all denominations have called for calm. Politicians, too, are urging restraint. Some of the greatest anger, though, has come from Muslims themselves.
The first British-born Muslim MP, Shaid Malik, whose constituency includes two of the raided houses, said: Some very religious people have been on the phone to me and said, These evil f******, we don’t care, we cannot tolerate this. This is from the Muslim community saying whoever the combers are, wherever they are, they will find them.
Certainly, there is much soul-searching in the Muslim community, as its leaders and British try to establish why these young British people turned to hate. Is opposition to Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War the sole reason, as an al Queda-linked Web site claimed? Or is it down to something more sinister?
Shehzad Tanweer’s uncle said he blamed the radicalization of his clam, loving, normal boy on extremists he met while on a study trip to Lahore. He went to study with clerics in Pakistan from December to January this year. He must have come into contact with radicals there. He never talked about politics, although he had been religious for a couple of years. I know he must have been a part of this terrible thing but I am sure the plan was not his doing. There is definitely somebody evil behind it. While the search continues, London tries to return to normal, but the capital, once famed for its multi-cultural mix, will never be the same again.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Mice threat to rare birds
Supersize mice, which are eating chicks alive, are threatening the world’s most important seabird colony, on the U.K. overseas territory of Gaugh Island in the South Atlantic. An estimated 700,000 mice working in teams attack defenceless albatross chicks 300 times their size, gnawing away at them from below until they die of wounds. About a million petrel, shearwater and albatross chicks are thought to have been killed this year by a breed of mouse mush smaller that the birds it devours. Gough Island is part of the Tristan da Cunha group of island and a world heritage site with a population of 10 million birds. The mice are believed to have arrived on the boats of whalers or pirates and learned their carnivorous behaviour.
Newscape
For the fastest
Japan has plans to start building a supercomputer next year that can operate 73 times faster that the world’s fastest supercomputer, the Japan government said on Monday.
Precious patch
An eyepatch wore by Israeli chief of staff and statesman, Moshe Dayan, is being offered for a staggering $75,000 on Internet auction site eBay.
Japan has plans to start building a supercomputer next year that can operate 73 times faster that the world’s fastest supercomputer, the Japan government said on Monday.
Precious patch
An eyepatch wore by Israeli chief of staff and statesman, Moshe Dayan, is being offered for a staggering $75,000 on Internet auction site eBay.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Keep your trees happy
They're big and tall and strong. Sometimes we forget they need special care during dry seasons like this one.
We’re talking about trees. There are some simple ways you can keep the trees growing in your garden happy, despite the drought.
"It's relatively easy to replace your lawn, but the trees have been in there for tens of years," said Tim Johnson of Chicago Botanic Garden.
Losing a tree would be like losing an old friend. During the drought, you want to take steps to ease that old friend’s pain.
First and foremost, water is key.
"One thorough soaking every couple of weeks, water it down about a foot,” Johnson said. “You want to apply water deeply, at least a couple of hours with a sprinkler.”
And there are other ways to keep trees from being thirsty – a “gator bag.”
"It's a plastic bag you fill with water and put around the base of a tree. It's got emitters on it so it slowly releases the water and soaks in deeply. Fill the bag and walk away,” Johnson said.
You can also create a variation on your regular garden hose with a “leaky hose.”
"This will emit water all around. Just clamp it to your garden hose, put on the water and walk away," Johnson said.
Mulch is a great way to conserve water in the soil but don’t over to it.
"It's kinda like laundry detergent, more is not necessarily better. For trees and shrubs mulch about two inches away from the base," Johnson said.
Finally, do not get discouraged.
"The time you spend watering... will pay off as things change,” he said. “The weather will change. This is Chicagoland.”
Johnson says if you have evergreen trees, make sure you water at the base of the trees, where the roots are; that is the only way to make sure the tree will benefit from the moisture.
We’re talking about trees. There are some simple ways you can keep the trees growing in your garden happy, despite the drought.
"It's relatively easy to replace your lawn, but the trees have been in there for tens of years," said Tim Johnson of Chicago Botanic Garden.
Losing a tree would be like losing an old friend. During the drought, you want to take steps to ease that old friend’s pain.
First and foremost, water is key.
"One thorough soaking every couple of weeks, water it down about a foot,” Johnson said. “You want to apply water deeply, at least a couple of hours with a sprinkler.”
And there are other ways to keep trees from being thirsty – a “gator bag.”
"It's a plastic bag you fill with water and put around the base of a tree. It's got emitters on it so it slowly releases the water and soaks in deeply. Fill the bag and walk away,” Johnson said.
You can also create a variation on your regular garden hose with a “leaky hose.”
"This will emit water all around. Just clamp it to your garden hose, put on the water and walk away," Johnson said.
Mulch is a great way to conserve water in the soil but don’t over to it.
"It's kinda like laundry detergent, more is not necessarily better. For trees and shrubs mulch about two inches away from the base," Johnson said.
Finally, do not get discouraged.
"The time you spend watering... will pay off as things change,” he said. “The weather will change. This is Chicagoland.”
Johnson says if you have evergreen trees, make sure you water at the base of the trees, where the roots are; that is the only way to make sure the tree will benefit from the moisture.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Air pollution: role of nitrogen oxides emission from soil underestimated
Soil emissions occur primarily occur in equatorial Africa at the beginning of the rainy season and in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere during summer
Nitrogen oxides produce ozone smog, contribute to acid rain and play a role in global climate change
NITROGEN OXIDES produced by huge fires and fossil fuel combustion are a major component of air pollution.
They are the primary ingredients in ground-level ozone, a pollutant harmful to human health and vegetation.
But new research led by a University of Washington atmospheric scientist shows that, in some regions, nitrogen oxides emitted by the soil are much greater than expected and could play a substantially larger role in seasonal air pollution than previously believed.
Details (click heading)
Nitrogen oxides produce ozone smog, contribute to acid rain and play a role in global climate change
NITROGEN OXIDES produced by huge fires and fossil fuel combustion are a major component of air pollution.
They are the primary ingredients in ground-level ozone, a pollutant harmful to human health and vegetation.
But new research led by a University of Washington atmospheric scientist shows that, in some regions, nitrogen oxides emitted by the soil are much greater than expected and could play a substantially larger role in seasonal air pollution than previously believed.
Details (click heading)
Friday, July 22, 2005
Disabled girl barred from theme park rides
The 8-year-old athlete was denied access to even kiddy rides at Busch Gardens.
TAMPA - Jessica Rogers plunged into an Olympic-sized pool and swam the 25-meter breast stroke this week at the National Junior Disability Championships in Tampa.
But Monday afternoon, the 8-year-old athlete was denied access to three Busch Gardens rides, including the 6-inch-deep kiddy water rapids.
Ride attendants took one look at the little girl with no legs, called their managers and turned her away, not wanting to be responsible.
"You got to be kidding," said her mother, Phyllis Rogers. "This kid jumps off diving boards."
When Jessica returned to the games Tuesday, her wheelchair carried a sign asking fellow athletes to boycott Busch Gardens.
"Everybody else got to ride, but I couldn't just because I don't have legs," she said. "I couldn't even get on a kiddy ride."
Jessica, from Springfield, Va., was born with lumbosacral agenesis, a rare condition that stunted the growth of her spinal cord and left her with undeveloped legs, later amputated.
The games, now in their 22nd year, draw athletes ages 7 to 21 from across the United States with physical disabilities, including spina bifida, cerebral palsy, amputations, visual impairments and brittle bones. They compete at track and field, pentathlon, swimming, archery, table tennis, basketball and weight lifting.
The competition travels to a new city each year. This year, it's based at the University of South Florida and the New Tampa YMCA.
In Tampa with four of her seven adopted children, all of whom have disabilities, Phyllis Rogers, a single mother, hoped to turn the trip into a vacation, including the visit to Busch Gardens. The other three children with her are hearing-impaired; only Jessica uses a wheelchair.
Jessica first tried to board the Riffle Rapids, a gentle, circular water ride for very young children in the Land of Dragons and was turned away. She got the same response at the Stanley Falls Log Flume and then at the Congo River Rapids.
The final straw came when her family tried to board an amusement park train. They walked to an area designated for riders in wheelchairs.
"The attendant said he wasn't loading from that end and that we had to go to the other side," Phyllis Rogers said. "By that time, I was like, I'm done. I had walked around the park for hours in the heat, the kids had not rode anything."
Rogers took her family and left the park.
She spoke with Busch Gardens officials, who refunded all ticket costs.
"You do things spontaneously as a family, and things usually work out," said Rogers. "But this time, it was like a full slap in the face because in spite of how unlimitless she is, she encounters the limitations that others impose on her and sometimes there's just no getting around it."
Gerard Hoeppner, Busch Gardens' communications director, said it was a matter of safety.
Jessica was denied access, he said, because makers of the Riffle Rapids and the Stanley Falls Log Flume recommend that riders have at least one bracing lower extremity. The Congo River Rapids maker recommends three bracing extremities, including arms.
Prosthetics can be considered bracing extremities, but Jessica had left her artificial legs at home.
"If the manufacturer's guideline states that a functioning bracing leg be required, we follow that," Hoeppner said. "We do follow their guidelines because they designed them (the rides) for the human body to ride them."
Height restrictions also apply on the Log Flume and Congo River Rapids, but not with an accompanying adult.
"Our goal is to allow our guest to enjoy the park to the maximum extent possible," Hoeppner said. "We try to practice a ride of admission, not the ride of restriction mind-set."
Fellow athlete Doug Forbis, 18, was surprised at the reaction that Jessica received at Busch Gardens. The sophomore at the University of Illinois has the same condition and visits theme parks often, he said.
"I went to Universal (Studios) last December and there was only one ride that I couldn't do, and that was because my wheelchair is custom-made," said Forbis, who hopes to race the 100 meters in the 2008 Paralympic Games.
"I understand the roller coasters, but when you can't ride a kiddy ride that only has six inches of water, that's kind of stupid. The girl is an athlete and a swimmer. The kiddy ride, that was a bit much."
He recalls having similar problems at Jessica's age.
"My parents tried to take me to Dollywood and they told me that I couldn't ride anything," Forbis said.
At Universal Orlando, workers assess double amputees on a case-by-case basis, depending whether a sufficient portion of the lower body is present to make the guest safe on the ride, said spokeswoman Cindy Gordon.
The Busch Gardens experience reminds Phyllis Rogers to plan ahead.
On Tuesday, she checked out Adventure Island and said she was assured that her daughter would face no roadblocks.
So, on Thursday, Jessica will use her hands to walk up the steps at Adventure Island. At times, her mother might carry her.
Jessica is excited at the prospect of jumping off a rock cliff.
"She's an 8-year-old," Rogers said. "She can do almost everything that any other 8-year-old does.
"I don't think of Jessica as being limited."
Times staff writers Graham Brink and Stephanie Hayes contributed to this report.
TAMPA - Jessica Rogers plunged into an Olympic-sized pool and swam the 25-meter breast stroke this week at the National Junior Disability Championships in Tampa.
But Monday afternoon, the 8-year-old athlete was denied access to three Busch Gardens rides, including the 6-inch-deep kiddy water rapids.
Ride attendants took one look at the little girl with no legs, called their managers and turned her away, not wanting to be responsible.
"You got to be kidding," said her mother, Phyllis Rogers. "This kid jumps off diving boards."
When Jessica returned to the games Tuesday, her wheelchair carried a sign asking fellow athletes to boycott Busch Gardens.
"Everybody else got to ride, but I couldn't just because I don't have legs," she said. "I couldn't even get on a kiddy ride."
Jessica, from Springfield, Va., was born with lumbosacral agenesis, a rare condition that stunted the growth of her spinal cord and left her with undeveloped legs, later amputated.
The games, now in their 22nd year, draw athletes ages 7 to 21 from across the United States with physical disabilities, including spina bifida, cerebral palsy, amputations, visual impairments and brittle bones. They compete at track and field, pentathlon, swimming, archery, table tennis, basketball and weight lifting.
The competition travels to a new city each year. This year, it's based at the University of South Florida and the New Tampa YMCA.
In Tampa with four of her seven adopted children, all of whom have disabilities, Phyllis Rogers, a single mother, hoped to turn the trip into a vacation, including the visit to Busch Gardens. The other three children with her are hearing-impaired; only Jessica uses a wheelchair.
Jessica first tried to board the Riffle Rapids, a gentle, circular water ride for very young children in the Land of Dragons and was turned away. She got the same response at the Stanley Falls Log Flume and then at the Congo River Rapids.
The final straw came when her family tried to board an amusement park train. They walked to an area designated for riders in wheelchairs.
"The attendant said he wasn't loading from that end and that we had to go to the other side," Phyllis Rogers said. "By that time, I was like, I'm done. I had walked around the park for hours in the heat, the kids had not rode anything."
Rogers took her family and left the park.
She spoke with Busch Gardens officials, who refunded all ticket costs.
"You do things spontaneously as a family, and things usually work out," said Rogers. "But this time, it was like a full slap in the face because in spite of how unlimitless she is, she encounters the limitations that others impose on her and sometimes there's just no getting around it."
Gerard Hoeppner, Busch Gardens' communications director, said it was a matter of safety.
Jessica was denied access, he said, because makers of the Riffle Rapids and the Stanley Falls Log Flume recommend that riders have at least one bracing lower extremity. The Congo River Rapids maker recommends three bracing extremities, including arms.
Prosthetics can be considered bracing extremities, but Jessica had left her artificial legs at home.
"If the manufacturer's guideline states that a functioning bracing leg be required, we follow that," Hoeppner said. "We do follow their guidelines because they designed them (the rides) for the human body to ride them."
Height restrictions also apply on the Log Flume and Congo River Rapids, but not with an accompanying adult.
"Our goal is to allow our guest to enjoy the park to the maximum extent possible," Hoeppner said. "We try to practice a ride of admission, not the ride of restriction mind-set."
Fellow athlete Doug Forbis, 18, was surprised at the reaction that Jessica received at Busch Gardens. The sophomore at the University of Illinois has the same condition and visits theme parks often, he said.
"I went to Universal (Studios) last December and there was only one ride that I couldn't do, and that was because my wheelchair is custom-made," said Forbis, who hopes to race the 100 meters in the 2008 Paralympic Games.
"I understand the roller coasters, but when you can't ride a kiddy ride that only has six inches of water, that's kind of stupid. The girl is an athlete and a swimmer. The kiddy ride, that was a bit much."
He recalls having similar problems at Jessica's age.
"My parents tried to take me to Dollywood and they told me that I couldn't ride anything," Forbis said.
At Universal Orlando, workers assess double amputees on a case-by-case basis, depending whether a sufficient portion of the lower body is present to make the guest safe on the ride, said spokeswoman Cindy Gordon.
The Busch Gardens experience reminds Phyllis Rogers to plan ahead.
On Tuesday, she checked out Adventure Island and said she was assured that her daughter would face no roadblocks.
So, on Thursday, Jessica will use her hands to walk up the steps at Adventure Island. At times, her mother might carry her.
Jessica is excited at the prospect of jumping off a rock cliff.
"She's an 8-year-old," Rogers said. "She can do almost everything that any other 8-year-old does.
"I don't think of Jessica as being limited."
Times staff writers Graham Brink and Stephanie Hayes contributed to this report.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
EVERYONE NEEDS THE LIST TO LIVE BY ….
The most destructive habit: Worry
The greatest joy: Giving
The greatest loss: Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work: Helping others
The ugliest personality trait: Selfishness
The most endangered species: Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource: Our youth
The greatest ‘shot in the arm’: Encouragement
The most effective sleeping pull: Peace of mind
The most crippling disease: Excuses
The most powerful force in life: Love
The most dangerous person: A gossiper
The world’s most incredible computer: The brain
The worst things to be without: Hope
The deadliest weapon: The tongue
The two most power-filled words: “I can”
The greatest asset: Faith
The most worthless emotion: self-pity
The most beautiful attire: Smile!
The most prized possession: Integrity
The most powerful channel of communication: Prayer
The most contagious spirit: Enthusiasm
The greatest joy: Giving
The greatest loss: Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work: Helping others
The ugliest personality trait: Selfishness
The most endangered species: Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource: Our youth
The greatest ‘shot in the arm’: Encouragement
The most effective sleeping pull: Peace of mind
The most crippling disease: Excuses
The most powerful force in life: Love
The most dangerous person: A gossiper
The world’s most incredible computer: The brain
The worst things to be without: Hope
The deadliest weapon: The tongue
The two most power-filled words: “I can”
The greatest asset: Faith
The most worthless emotion: self-pity
The most beautiful attire: Smile!
The most prized possession: Integrity
The most powerful channel of communication: Prayer
The most contagious spirit: Enthusiasm
US President Bush & PM Manmohan Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush told India's prime minister on Monday he wants to expand economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries but was expected to pledge only token help for India's nuclear energy technology.
At a formal arrival ceremony for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bush said U.S.-Indian relations have already been "transformed." Calling India an "emerging economic power," Bush said the United States would push to expand economic cooperation, though he offered no specifics.
Bush is eager to improve ties with the world's largest democracy, attracted by its booming technology expertise, growing commercial market and strategic importance as a counterweight to China both militarily and economically.
Touting what he called the "vast potential" of India-U.S. relations, Singh hoped to persuade Bush to increase nuclear energy cooperation with India.
But Washington has so far balked at the long-standing request because of India's status as nuclear power that has refused to sign the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which was designed to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.
Officials said Bush is likely to offer to step up discussions with India about ways to increase cooperation on nuclear safety and civilian nuclear issues.
But an official said ahead of Bush's talks with Singh, "It would be premature at this stage to comment on where this dialogue may take us."
Congressional aides said that Washington could move to ease restrictions once India has tough export controls in place and agrees to put some of its civilian reactors under international safeguards.
John Pike, a national security expert with GlobalSecurity.org, said the administration's hands are tied for now because India has not signed the NPT.
But Pike said the United States will eventually find a way around the restrictions on nuclear cooperation because of the economic and strategic benefits.
"I think that they (the administration) will take the position that India is an exception ... because they are emerging as one of our leading strategic partners, and we're prepared to make exceptions in the case of countries that we need," Pike said.
The Bush administration has already said it will ease restrictions in order to allow American defense contractors to enter the bidding to sell new combat planes to India.
Bush's push to help India increase its coal and nuclear power generating capacity is being driven at least in part to give New Delhi an alternative to a proposed $4 billion gas pipeline deal with Tehran, which Washington accuses of trying to secretly develop nuclear weapons.
So far, India has shrugged off U.S. concerns over the pipeline despite objections raised by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other senior American officials.
Administration officials say increasing U.S. cooperation with India on nuclear power would not conflict with Bush's broader non-proliferation goals.
In February 2004, Bush promised to crack down on countries that refuse to sign new nuclear non-proliferation safeguards.
Highlights
· Sanctity of LoC must be maintained: Bush
· U.S. to encourage resolution of Kashmir dispute
· India, U.S. to work toward common security objectives
At a formal arrival ceremony for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bush said U.S.-Indian relations have already been "transformed." Calling India an "emerging economic power," Bush said the United States would push to expand economic cooperation, though he offered no specifics.
Bush is eager to improve ties with the world's largest democracy, attracted by its booming technology expertise, growing commercial market and strategic importance as a counterweight to China both militarily and economically.
Touting what he called the "vast potential" of India-U.S. relations, Singh hoped to persuade Bush to increase nuclear energy cooperation with India.
But Washington has so far balked at the long-standing request because of India's status as nuclear power that has refused to sign the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which was designed to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.
Officials said Bush is likely to offer to step up discussions with India about ways to increase cooperation on nuclear safety and civilian nuclear issues.
But an official said ahead of Bush's talks with Singh, "It would be premature at this stage to comment on where this dialogue may take us."
Congressional aides said that Washington could move to ease restrictions once India has tough export controls in place and agrees to put some of its civilian reactors under international safeguards.
John Pike, a national security expert with GlobalSecurity.org, said the administration's hands are tied for now because India has not signed the NPT.
But Pike said the United States will eventually find a way around the restrictions on nuclear cooperation because of the economic and strategic benefits.
"I think that they (the administration) will take the position that India is an exception ... because they are emerging as one of our leading strategic partners, and we're prepared to make exceptions in the case of countries that we need," Pike said.
The Bush administration has already said it will ease restrictions in order to allow American defense contractors to enter the bidding to sell new combat planes to India.
Bush's push to help India increase its coal and nuclear power generating capacity is being driven at least in part to give New Delhi an alternative to a proposed $4 billion gas pipeline deal with Tehran, which Washington accuses of trying to secretly develop nuclear weapons.
So far, India has shrugged off U.S. concerns over the pipeline despite objections raised by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other senior American officials.
Administration officials say increasing U.S. cooperation with India on nuclear power would not conflict with Bush's broader non-proliferation goals.
In February 2004, Bush promised to crack down on countries that refuse to sign new nuclear non-proliferation safeguards.
Highlights
· Sanctity of LoC must be maintained: Bush
· U.S. to encourage resolution of Kashmir dispute
· India, U.S. to work toward common security objectives
Thursday, July 14, 2005
LOVE IS…
LOVE – A BEAUTY
Love is patient and kind
Love is not jealous or boastful
Love is not arrogant or rude
Love does not insist on its own way
Love is not irritable or resentful
Love does not rejoice at wrong
But rejoices in the right
Love bears all the things
Love endures all things Love never ends…
LOVE IS…
To love is “Something”
To be loved is “Nothing”
To love and to be loved is “Everything”
Love is patient and kind
Love is not jealous or boastful
Love is not arrogant or rude
Love does not insist on its own way
Love is not irritable or resentful
Love does not rejoice at wrong
But rejoices in the right
Love bears all the things
Love endures all things Love never ends…
LOVE IS…
To love is “Something”
To be loved is “Nothing”
To love and to be loved is “Everything”
Friday, July 08, 2005
Discoveries of my birth month July
July 1, 1796: Physician Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox vaccine. Another lifesaving medical feat was performed this month: the first successful rabies immunization on July 6, 1885. The first respirator, the iron lung was installed on July 29, 1927.
July 5, 1995, saw the birth of Dolly, a cloned sheep, born at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh. July 25, 1978, was Louise Joy Brown’s birthday. Never heard of her? She was the first test tube baby. The Philips-head screw and screwdriver were patented on July 7, 1936. The first typewriter, called the typographer, was patented by William Burt, July 23, 1829. The rotary type printing press was patented by Richard M.Hoe on July 24,1947.
The steamboat took its first shortest trip in France on July 15,1973. The first turbine propelled ship, the Chester, was launched on July 26, 1907. And the Panama Canal was formally inaugurated on July 12, 1920.
Remember the articles about dams? The Aswan High Dam was completed in Egypt on
July 21, 1970. Another desert also had a large water supply project opened this month: The Yarkon Water Project, supplying water to Israel’s Negev desert.
Space first for July include the first walk on the moon, taken by Neil Armstring and Buss Aldrin on July 20, 1969, and the launching of the Telestar communications satellite, on July 10, 1962. The first “round the world” airplane fight was completed by Wiley Post on
July 22, 1933.
The machine gun was patented by C.E. Barnes on July 8, 1865. The destructive abilities of dynamite were demonstrated for the first time on the July 14, 1867, by Alfred Nobel, who went on to establish the Nobel Prize.
July 5, 1995, saw the birth of Dolly, a cloned sheep, born at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh. July 25, 1978, was Louise Joy Brown’s birthday. Never heard of her? She was the first test tube baby. The Philips-head screw and screwdriver were patented on July 7, 1936. The first typewriter, called the typographer, was patented by William Burt, July 23, 1829. The rotary type printing press was patented by Richard M.Hoe on July 24,1947.
The steamboat took its first shortest trip in France on July 15,1973. The first turbine propelled ship, the Chester, was launched on July 26, 1907. And the Panama Canal was formally inaugurated on July 12, 1920.
Remember the articles about dams? The Aswan High Dam was completed in Egypt on
July 21, 1970. Another desert also had a large water supply project opened this month: The Yarkon Water Project, supplying water to Israel’s Negev desert.
Space first for July include the first walk on the moon, taken by Neil Armstring and Buss Aldrin on July 20, 1969, and the launching of the Telestar communications satellite, on July 10, 1962. The first “round the world” airplane fight was completed by Wiley Post on
July 22, 1933.
The machine gun was patented by C.E. Barnes on July 8, 1865. The destructive abilities of dynamite were demonstrated for the first time on the July 14, 1867, by Alfred Nobel, who went on to establish the Nobel Prize.