Dec 4, 2007
Table for two
Welcome to the land of cold and snow. This is the scene on the deck at the back of our home. It has been snowing for the past three days now.
Snow
The snow season has started. Precisely, it started on the last day of November. There were a couple of not so significant snowfalls earlier in November as well.
On Saturday morning our running group met at 7:00AM while the snowfall was still going strong, and with more than three inches of fresh snow on the ground. I had bought a running jacket the previous night anticipating the crappy Saturday morning - so, I ran with the group as well, instead of wussing out. I ran 6 miles. The thick snow under the feet made it feel like running on soft beach sand. The many layers of clothing provided excellent warmth, but the wind was harsh on the face and the heavy snow drastically reduced visibility.
It was a very interesting run. And here it is being recorded for posterity.
This is our backyard now.
On Saturday morning our running group met at 7:00AM while the snowfall was still going strong, and with more than three inches of fresh snow on the ground. I had bought a running jacket the previous night anticipating the crappy Saturday morning - so, I ran with the group as well, instead of wussing out. I ran 6 miles. The thick snow under the feet made it feel like running on soft beach sand. The many layers of clothing provided excellent warmth, but the wind was harsh on the face and the heavy snow drastically reduced visibility.
It was a very interesting run. And here it is being recorded for posterity.
This is our backyard now.
Nov 16, 2007
Opportunity knocks!
There are two new tremendous opportunities to give.
First one: the category five cyclone in Bangladesh has killed more than 400 people, and hundreds of thousands of people have been rendered homeless. (See BBC news story here) Bangladesh, the neighbours in the East to us Indians, has always had it rough - they lost nearly a quarter million people to a cyclone in the early 90's and it is not uncommon at all for the yearly monsoon to wipe away all but a little of their infrastructure repeatedly.
You may give towards this cause via the trusted World Vision organisation.
The second opportunity is the flood ravaged Southern part of Mexico: more than a million people have lost their homes and there is a dire need for essentials as result of the floods earlier this month and the ensuing mudslides. As the wealthy neighbour in the North, Mexico is certainly our neighbour in Jesus-speak. (See the Good Samaritan story)
You may donate for the Mexican cause too via World Vision. World Vision is very well experienced in disaster relief work and they are highly regarded and trusted world-wide.
First one: the category five cyclone in Bangladesh has killed more than 400 people, and hundreds of thousands of people have been rendered homeless. (See BBC news story here) Bangladesh, the neighbours in the East to us Indians, has always had it rough - they lost nearly a quarter million people to a cyclone in the early 90's and it is not uncommon at all for the yearly monsoon to wipe away all but a little of their infrastructure repeatedly.
You may give towards this cause via the trusted World Vision organisation.
The second opportunity is the flood ravaged Southern part of Mexico: more than a million people have lost their homes and there is a dire need for essentials as result of the floods earlier this month and the ensuing mudslides. As the wealthy neighbour in the North, Mexico is certainly our neighbour in Jesus-speak. (See the Good Samaritan story)
You may donate for the Mexican cause too via World Vision. World Vision is very well experienced in disaster relief work and they are highly regarded and trusted world-wide.
Oct 12, 2007
Nobel for Gore
This is a big thing: Al Gore along with a UN Panel (IPCC) has won the Nobel Peace Prize for their initiatives against climate change and global warming. (See news story from BBC here)
While people bicker and moan about a politician being given the Nobel Prize, I am very pleased because this award will likely have some big impacts and implications.
First off, this is a big blow to the naysayers of global warming. That is an enormous thing. There have been reports of the government fudging the climate change reports to soften the effects of global warming, but now we have heard from unbiased third parties. Of course, many are very likely to still ignore this and call it a big conspiracy, but many others will sit up and take notice.
Shall we say that this compels us even more to invest in exploring and researching alternate sources of energy - and push towards less reliance on conventional sources? Perhaps we could start dreaming of less gas-guzzlers on the road and more 40 MPG or greater vehicles?
Now we could also expect more of a collective push from local communities towards going green. Many grass root movements are likely to start in this vein - the power of grass root movements is never to be underestimated.
This is a good day for the earth.
While people bicker and moan about a politician being given the Nobel Prize, I am very pleased because this award will likely have some big impacts and implications.
First off, this is a big blow to the naysayers of global warming. That is an enormous thing. There have been reports of the government fudging the climate change reports to soften the effects of global warming, but now we have heard from unbiased third parties. Of course, many are very likely to still ignore this and call it a big conspiracy, but many others will sit up and take notice.
Shall we say that this compels us even more to invest in exploring and researching alternate sources of energy - and push towards less reliance on conventional sources? Perhaps we could start dreaming of less gas-guzzlers on the road and more 40 MPG or greater vehicles?
Now we could also expect more of a collective push from local communities towards going green. Many grass root movements are likely to start in this vein - the power of grass root movements is never to be underestimated.
This is a good day for the earth.
Sep 26, 2007
Pictures of India - from a kite
The BBC has these series of pictures (click here) of India taken by Nicholas Chorier who specialises in kite photography. Yes, kites. Chorier makes and flies 40-sq-foot kites from which a camera that is remotely controlled (from ground by Chorier) takes pictures. Neat rig, eh?
This is a picture of Jama Masjid, Delhi:
"I have shot thousands of pictures above India. I love India, its sounds, smells, colours, people. Shooting India is so rewarding to my senses," Chorier says.
This is a picture of Jama Masjid, Delhi:
"I have shot thousands of pictures above India. I love India, its sounds, smells, colours, people. Shooting India is so rewarding to my senses," Chorier says.
Sep 24, 2007
Mera Bharat Mahan Hai!
India wins its first major trophy in cricket since 1983 today by beating arch rival Pakistan by 5 runs! Woohoo!
Jai India!
Sep 19, 2007
No Impact Man
This story from BBC lead me to this fellow's blog: click here for the story and here for the blog.
The news story is about a man who describes himself as "a guilty liberal finally snaps, swears off plastic, goes organic, becomes a bicycle nut, turns off his power, composts his poop, and while living in New York City, generally turns into a tree-hugging lunatic who tries to save the polar bears and the rest of the planet from environmental catastrophe while dragging his baby daughter and Prada-wearing, four seasons-loving wife along for the ride".
So this guy talks about using his bicycle for all transportation, not using refrigerator (which he says has forced the family to eat fresh fruit and vegetables everyday), washing machine, or lights - because of no electricity, not using toilet paper, walking nine flight of stairs to avoid using the elevator, etc.. He says he is on this experimental project for a year. His higher goal is to get the message of conservation to the community, the city, the country, and eventually all over the world.
Now, this may seem a bit excessive, but I like a lot of his points. He says that there is more to it than what meets the eye: apparently, this seems to have brought his family together - no TV, their days are spent around the dinner table, so more lively and useful conversation, healthy living, etc..
I have always been a conservationist - saving water and electricity at every possible opportunity, recycling religiously, opting for smaller and more efficient cars, etc. - but this guy Colin Beavan gives me more ideas.
Some of the things that I think would go a long way:
The news story is about a man who describes himself as "a guilty liberal finally snaps, swears off plastic, goes organic, becomes a bicycle nut, turns off his power, composts his poop, and while living in New York City, generally turns into a tree-hugging lunatic who tries to save the polar bears and the rest of the planet from environmental catastrophe while dragging his baby daughter and Prada-wearing, four seasons-loving wife along for the ride".
So this guy talks about using his bicycle for all transportation, not using refrigerator (which he says has forced the family to eat fresh fruit and vegetables everyday), washing machine, or lights - because of no electricity, not using toilet paper, walking nine flight of stairs to avoid using the elevator, etc.. He says he is on this experimental project for a year. His higher goal is to get the message of conservation to the community, the city, the country, and eventually all over the world.
Now, this may seem a bit excessive, but I like a lot of his points. He says that there is more to it than what meets the eye: apparently, this seems to have brought his family together - no TV, their days are spent around the dinner table, so more lively and useful conversation, healthy living, etc..
I have always been a conservationist - saving water and electricity at every possible opportunity, recycling religiously, opting for smaller and more efficient cars, etc. - but this guy Colin Beavan gives me more ideas.
Some of the things that I think would go a long way:
- Cutting down of gasoline consumption - use smaller cars; using bicycles, public transportation, or shared transportation. Also promote green / hybrid cars.
- Recycling. I wish every state and city would take this seriously. New York for example recycles much more than Florida. In Florida, recycling even telephone books was difficult. There are so many things that are difficult to recycle (even in Super New York) - electronic goods, metallic things, hardware, bicycle tyres, etc.. I wish it were easier. Perhaps the government could give tax credits for recycling? And perhaps the government could penalise companies that make products that are packaged in non-recyclable material? I think recycling is key, next to gasoline consumption.
- Use less plastic and paper. I always remind my wife to not be in a haste to print things from the internet so as to not waste paper.
- Smoking. What's stopping us from banning smoking altogether? Another reason I love NY: smoking is prohibited pretty much everywhere - the state has made it difficult for smokers.
- Cutting down on water and electricity consumption. Or perhaps reducing the wastage of water and electricity.
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