Worli Seaface high tide

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Tide of the Century

The “Tide of the Century” may hit Mumbai on 24th July 2009.

Mumbai could be facing a re-enactment of the catastrophe that devastated life and property four years ago—perhaps on the very same dates. While the severity of the flooding would probably be unabated, better preparedness and closer co-ordination among government bodies, corporate & general public can help in minimizing its impact.

What caused floods in 2005?

Mumbai is at an average elevation of 10-15 meters above sea level and receives an annual rainfall of 2,200 mm out of which 50% is in the month of July.

On 26 July 2005, Mumbai got a record single day rainfall of 944mm (42% of the city’s annual rainfall). This coupled with a high tide of more than 4.8m, overwhelmed the drain-age systems and flooded the city.

Mumbai lost close to $200 million of revenue and over 1,000 lives. The floods also caused serious damage to property, infrastructure and left serious diseases in its wake. Many were even traumatized.

Mumbai faces a similar situation now!

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has indicated the possibility of a high tide of 5.01m & 5.05m on 23rd and 24th July 2009 respectively.

The South West Monsoon which is expected to hit Mumbai by 10th June could prove disastrous if it rains heavily on any of these two days. Low lying areas could experience flooding even with moderate rains.

While MCGM has apparently undertaken measures to improve the city’s disaster management capabilities, it is imperative for individuals & corporate’s to review their pre-paredness for responding effectively.

Checklist- Preparing for the 'danger days'

Before :

• Restrict all non-essential travel on critical days. Advise inbound travelers as well
• Familiarize yourself & family/colleagues with warning signs, alert systems & designated high land areas
• Be aware of the potential flooding zones and the evacuation routes
• Keep all the emergency contact numbers handy
• Stock food, drinking water and other essential emergency supplies
• Dispose all garbage and inform public authorities of any clogged drainage
• Teach children, how & when to call first responders and train them on flood response drills**

During :

If Indoors:

• Turn off the electric supply
• Using the available source of communication, intimate your family members
• Use battery operated radio to get latest emergency information
• If instructed by authorities to evacuate, do so immediately

If Outdoors:

• If stranded in a vehicle, exit the vehicle and move to a higher land
• Avoid walking / travelling through any flooded routes
• Avoid unnecessary calling on Emergency Contact Numbers
• Rely on authentic information & don’t spread rumours

After :

• Don't return/enter your home until authorities declare it safe`
• Help neighbours who may need assistance
• Watch out for poisonous insects & reptiles
• Beware of loose electrical wires
• Beware of water borne diseases
• Go for Medical checkups if exposed to flood waters
• Discard any food item which has been in contact with the flood water
• Contact your insurance company for claims
• Consult a crisis counsellor in case of post traumatic stress syndrome

Emergency Contact Details

Disaster Help Line 108
Mumbai Police 100
Fire Brigade 101
Central Complaint Registration System 1916
Medical Emergency 101
Local Ward
Office HR
Family Acquaintance
Family Doctor
Insurance Company

* For respective Ward Representative & Emergency Contact Details visit www.mcgm.gov.in

Railway Budget

Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the Railway Budget for 2009-10 in Parliament on Friday.

Here are some highlights of her Railway Budget speech:

* Banerjee says an expert committee will be set up to advise her on implementation of the so-called economically unviable but socially desired projects.
* "My priorities will include better passenger amenities, safety and security and provision of good quality food and drinking water," says Banerjee.
* Railway ministry has plans to develop important stations through private-public partnership. These include CST Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Howrah, Sealdah, Varanasi, New Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Kanpur, Chennai Central, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Secunderabad, Bangalore City, Byappanahalli, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Habibganj, Agra Central, Chandigarh, Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Puri and Kochi.
* Railways to develop multi-functional complexes with shopping malls, food stalls, medicines and variety stores in different parts of the country.
* Infotainment services to be provided in major long-distance trains, Banerjee says.
* Banerjee says an expert committee will be set up to advise her on implementation of the so-called economically unviable but socially desired projects.
* Develop 50 stations as world class stations
* Improvement of trains amenities
* Railways is trying to keep up with change
* Committed to the cause of the underpreviliged.
* India wants better rail connectivity.
* Book stores, PCOs to be set up across stations
* Infotainment services on Rajhandi and Shatabdi trains
* To take the private-public partnership route to develop stations
* Priority for food and water on trains
* Developing multi-functional complexes at stations
* Priority to passenger amenities
* Rail projects shouldn't be gauged by economic viability but governed by social viability: Mamata
* To set up panel for financing unvaiilable rail projects

Where has the Plane gone?

Five days after an Air France plane -- travelling from Brazil to France -- sunk into the Atlantic Ocean (or somewhere else), there is no trace. The wreckage -- initially said to be the Air France debris -- was nothing but sea trash, emerging reports indicate. New reports say there is no evidence of the crashed plane.

That leads to a puzzling and mysterious question: Where has the plane gone?

Indian Student Attacked

A 23-year-old Indian student was beaten up for the second time in a fortnight by a group of youths in Melbourne -- the 11th person from India to be assaulted within one month in Australia .

Kamal Jit was found unconscious and bleeding by another Indian student in western suburb of the city yesterday.

It was the second attack in two weeks on Jit, who was previously pelted with eggs by several masked men after getting off a late night train at St Albans station in western suburb.

"It is very bad because we pay a lot of money and we are living far away from our country and from our families and we are without protection," Jit was quoted as saying in 'The Age' newspaper today.

As he walked home at about 1:40 am yesterday, Jit said, he noticed three men acting suspiciously in a car and he tried to avoid them.

He then saw two men come out of it near a pizza shop, while another waited in a car.

"The two guys pushed me to the ground and I was hit on the head, I think with a steel rod," Jit said.

Who is John Galt

WHO IS JOHN GALT?

THIS WAS THE NEW SLOGAN WITH WHICH AYN RAND REVOLUTIONISED THE MATERIALIST WORLD WITH HER PHILOSOPHY IN THE RECORD BREAKING NOVEL 'THE ATLAS SHRUGGED'. HERE JOHN GALT IS THE PROTAGONIST WHO BELIEVES THAT 'I WORK FOR NOTHING BUT MY OWN PROFIT, WHICH I MAKE BY SELLING SOMETHING TO MEN WHO NEED IT & WHO ARE WILLING & ABLE TO BUY IT. . . . . WE DEAL AS EQUALS BY MUTUAL CONSENT & TO MUTUAL ADVANTAGE & I AM PROUD OF EVERY PENNY I HAVE EARNED IN THIS MANNER'.

AYN RAND'S MASTERPIECE INTEGRATES THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF AN ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY INTO AHIGHLY COMPLEX YET DRAMATICALLY COMPELLING PLOT, SET IN A NEAR FUTURE USA WHOSE ECONOMY IS COLLAPSING AS A RESULT OF THE MYSTERIOUS DISSAPEARANCE OF LEADING INNOVATORS & INDUSTRIALISTS. THE THEME IS THE ROLE OF MIND IN MANS EXISTENCE & ITS SUPREME IMPORTANCE.

IS 'ATLAS SHRUGGED' RELEVANT?

IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES IN SOUTH AMERICA (BOLIVIA , VENEZUALA , ARGENTINA & A FEW OTHER), GOVERNMENTS ARE INSTTUTING POLICIS OF GOODS PRODUCTION CONTROL (ESTABLISHING QUOTAS , DEFINING WHICH PRODUCTS SHOULD BE PRODUCED & BY WHOM) & STATISATION OF COMPANIES, WHILE ESTABLISHING PROGRAMMES OF REDIDTRIBUTION OF WEALTH WHICH INCLUDES FREE SALARIES TO NON WORKERS & TAXES ON EXPORT OF GOODS UPTO 85% ( ON THE PREMISE THAT THEY ARE EXCEPTIONAL EARNINGS). THE MAIN THEME OF THOSE GOVERNMENT DISCOURSES IS 'THOSE THAT CAN PRODUCE SHOULD HELP THOSE THAT NEED MOST'. ALSO THAT 'HUNGER OF THE PEOPLE COMES FROM THE SELFISHNESS OF THE PRODUCERS' WELL ALIGNED WITH THE LOOTERS DISCOURSE IN THE BOOK.IN FACT , THE BOOK IS A GREAT PREDICTOR OF THE MEASURES TAKEN AFTER A GIVEN SITUATION THAT MATCHES A SITUATION IN ATLAS SHRUGGED. AN EXODUS OF INDUSTRIES, INVESTORS & EVEN WORKERS HAS BEEN OBSERVED AS A RESULT, WITH MANY MORE JUST STOOPING WORK AS THE PAYOFF OF GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES TO NON WORKERS IS MUCH BETTER THAT THAT OF PRODUCTION.

A BOOK WRITTEN IN THE 1950'S IS VERY RELEVANT TILL TODAY.

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Sexy!

What exactly do you mean when you say Sexy!!!!!!!!!

Do you really imply that the person in front of you is physically sexy? I have seen a very simple girl called sexy . Sometimes even if you are in front of one of the most sexiest of persons, sexy is the last word which will come to your mind. So the question remains....

What exactly do you mean when you say Sexy!!!!!!!!!

Is the meaning of the word physical or mental?

Or is it similar to 'Beauty is in the art of the beholder'. Something like 'Sexiness is in the eyes of the beholder.

This thought is really intriguing. What do you say guys?

Tata's Nano

Tata calls it the 'People's Car'.

Given the modest price tag -- Rs 100,000 -- and an ambitious roll-out scheme, the Nano could very well become a true car for the common man, ubiquitous on Indian roads and part of the nation's identity.

In that sense, the Nano is just the latest in a long line of affordable, mass-produced automobiles to lay claim to the 'People's Car' title.

One hundred years ago, when Henry Ford launched his Model T in 1908, he is famously said to have declared: "I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one - and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."

At roughly half the price of its competitors, the Model T empowered an entire generation of working-class families to buy vehicles, and is still referred to colloquially as the car that 'put America on wheels'. In the 1930s, in Germany, the Volkswagen (which in German literally means 'People's Car'), became a source of national pride, symbolic of the Third Reich's hyper-patriotism and rush for modernity.

These two iconic automobiles, along with many other 'economy' models released over the past century, have worked to revolutionise the auto industry, by encouraging greater and greater segments of the population to become car owners.

A volcano erupts

Scientists sailed Thursday to inspect an undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga — shooting smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet (meters) into the sky above the South Pacific ocean.

Authorities said Thursday the eruption does not pose any danger to islanders at this stage, and there have been no reports of fish or other animals being affected.

Spectacular columns are spewing out of the sea about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the southwest coast off the main island of Tongatapu — an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered, geologists said.

Trade winds continued to blow gas and steam away from the island Thursday.

Beautiful Scenes

Are boys becoming weaker !

Considering the present situation where the girls are succeeding in every field & wining hands on in every competition leaving the boys far behind, the thought certainly comes to mind " Have the boys become weaker than the girls".

By weaker, I dont mean physically, I mean mentally. Is it just possible that this has happened. Let us for a moment consider this as true, then how has this happened?

The phenomenon starts from the very first day at school. The boys are taught by ladies teachers who do not understand their psychology. The teachers are not wrong, but who is to tell them that boys are by nature boisterous & girls are quiet. This nature of the boys is being stopped at a very young age. Let these kids make a little noise for gods sake. Dont compare them with the quiet girls.

As the boys become older this comparison continuous. At every step they are compared with their girl classmates by their teachers parents, teachers or other elders which again affects them psychologically.Nature has made the two sexes different , so why do we want to mould one like the other.

Dont get me wrong, I am not against the ladies coming up in life. On the contrary their progress is very much needed for the progress of the society. But at what costs? Do we want to become a society with weak men who are unable to take decisions? The day will not be far mind you if this continues.

DONT COMPARE THE BOYS AND GIRLS> THEY AR BY NATURE DIFFERENT, PHYSICALLY & MENTALLY.

More Battered Cricketers

Sri Lankan cricketer Tharanga Paranavitana is carried on a stretcher as he is being taken inside a local hospital in Lahore after a dozen gunmen attacked their bus near the Gadaffi stadium on Tuesday.

Paranavitana, who opened the batting for Sri Lanka in the second Test, had a shrapnel wound to his chest and was out of danger.

Battered Cricketers!

The most seriously injured player was Thilan Samaraweera, who was shot in the leg. Doctors will decide on Wednesday whether to try to remove the bullet.

Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis, who was injured during the attack by gunmen in Lahore on Tuesday, arrives at the Colombo airport early on Wednesday morning.

Cricket tour called off!

The Lahore second Test between Sri Lanka and hosts Pakistan has been called off after a gun attack on the touring team bus injuring players, a Sri Lankan cricket board official said.

"We are trying to bring the team back as quickly as possible. The Test match has been cancelled," the official said on Tuesday.

Six members of Sri Lanka's cricket team were wounded in a shooting attack in Pakistan on Tuesday, and two including an assistant coach were still being treated in hospital, Sri Lanka's sports minister said.

"Six members were injured including assistant coach Paul Farbrace. Four have been treated at hospital, and Thilan Samaraweera and the assistant coach are still being treated," Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said.

Their injuries are not serious and the other players are safe at their hotel, he added.

Cricket Team attacked

Gunmen killed at least four people in an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team's bus on Tuesday as it drove to the Gadaffi stadium in Lahore. Four players received minor injuries in the attack -- Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis , Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavithana.

Pakistan television channels said four people were killed. Two police commandos were killed along with a regular policeman and a traffic warden. The two police commandos had been driving behind the team bus when they were hit.

Pakistan had invited the Sri Lanka team to tour after India's team pulled out with security concerns following the militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai in November.

The incident took place when the Sri Lankan team was attacked by around 10 armed gunmen near the Liberty Chowk which is close to the stadium.

One explosion was also heard at the stadium.

The attackers later escaped in separate groups.

The liaison officer of the Pakistan team said players of the host nation have been sent back to the hotel.

"The Sri Lankan players are presently safe at the Gaddafi stadium and they are getting treatment," one PCB official told PTI.

Sources also claimed that the police had received a threat on Monday that the Sri Lankan team would be attacked so a different route was used to transport the team to the stadium.

"The firing took place from at least four sides and continued for some minutes," one police official said.

"There were 12 masked gunmen," Lahore police chief Habib-ur Rehman told reporters, adding that police battled against the assailants for about 25 minutes.

"They appeared to be well-trained terrorists. They came on rickshaws. They were armed with rockets, hand grenades, Kalashnikovs," he said.

Television channels aired footage of at least two of the gunmen, one of them wearing shalwar kameez and other jeans and a jacket. Both were armed with assault rifles and carrying backpacks.

Police cordoned off the area immediately after the attack and launched a search for the gunmen. The driver of the cricket team's bus drove away from the spot immediately after the firing started.

"We are assessing the situation," Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ejaz Butt said.

"Five policemen who were providing protection to the team sacrificed their lives," he added.

Beautiful scenes

Look Alikes or Twins.

According to the Indian folk lore there are seven people in the world who look exactly like you. I have always been wondering whether this can be true. Many authors have written stories about these look alike, remarkable amongst them being 'Comedy of Errors'.

Is this theory really true? Have any of you really met the person who is your exact look alike but not your twin?

All this is very intriguing & I would really like to hear the stories about these people. Can any body help me solve this mystery because I, have not met a single person in real life who has the remotest resemblance to me.

Osama Hiding in Pakistan???

Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the most wanted terrorist in the world, is likely to be hiding in a walled compound in a Pakistani border town, according to a satellite-aided geographic analysis released Tuesday.

A research team led by geographer Thomas Gillespie of the University of California-Los Angeles used geographic analytical tools that have been successful in locating urban criminals and endangered species.

Basing their conclusion on nighttime satellite images and other techniques, the scientists suggest Osama may well be in one of three compounds in Parachinar, a town 15 km from the Afghan border, the USA Today reported.

Parachinar is the capital of Khurram Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas, of Pakistan. It is about 290 km west of Islamabad and is situated on a neck of Pakistani territory south of Peshawar close to Afghanistan. Parachinar is the closest point in Pakistan to Kabul and borders on the Tora Bora region in Afghanistan.

The research incorporates public reports of Osama's habits and whereabouts since his flight from the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan in 2001.

Osama's, the main accused behind 9/11 attacks in US, whereabouts are considered "one of the most important political questions of our time", the study, reported in the MIT International Review, notes.

The study's real value, Gillespie says, is in combining satellite records of geographic locations, patterns of nighttime electricity use and population-detection methods to produce a technique for locating fugitives.

The study also makes assumptions that Osama might need:

- Medical treatment, requiring electricity in an urban setting

- Security combining a few bodyguards and isolation that requires a walled compound

- Tree cover to shield outdoor activities from aircraft.