Electric Boogie @ Club Earth!!

It is heartening to know that we do care for our dear Earth.. And all is not lost for our future generations..

Earth Hour - Mar 28 2009, 8.30pm to 9.30pm

"The world said yes to climate action, now governments must follow," the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said Sunday, a day after hundreds of millions of people worldwide followed its call to turn off lights for a full hour.

For environmental activists, the message was clear: Earth Hour was a huge success.

From an Antarctic research base and the Great Pyramids of Egypt, from the Colosseum in Rome to the Empire State building in New York, illuminated patches of the globe went dark Saturday night to highlight the threat of climate change. Time zone by time zone, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries dimmed nonessential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

WWF called the event, which began in Australia in 2007 and grew last year to 400 cities worldwide, "the world's first-ever global vote about the future of our planet."

The United Nations' top climate official, Yvo de Boer, called the event a clear sign that the world wants negotiators seeking a climate change agreement to set an ambitious course to fight global warming.

...

For the full report, check here!


These three combo photos show Malaysia's landmark Petronas Twin Towers, right, along with other buildings being turned off the lights to mark Earth Hour in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


A combination photo of a night view of the site of the ancient Giza Pyramids before and after switching off the lights for the Earth Hour, in Cairo, Egypt.


The Eiffel Tower is shown just after the 20,000 bulbs illuminating the tower went out Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8.90 p.m for five minutes.


The skyline of Toronto's downtown is dimmed as many of the lights are turned off for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28, 2009

Watch this video..!!

What time is it?

It is the time to move on.. !
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Have been staying at this place in Sunnyvale for an year now.. Nice big 2BR apartment sharing with this friend of mine... But now, I guess it is time to move on to the next level in life... Staying alone!

Looking for nice cozy studios in calm swanky neighborhoods...
Well.. of course, staying alone gives a whole lot of opportunities... to ponder and explore and all the good stuff...;-) And I can get serious about owning a pet rabbit now!

BTW, got my parting gift too... a parking ticket.. within my apt complex..!


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honey bunch and shonu and
and butter cup and sweetie pie
seems a lifetime.. but now
time to say good bye!!

PS: did ya notice the two consecutive 'and's?!

Mr. President

Two Too Much!!

I came across these two articles in the news today... And I wanted to celebrate the irony!!


Why the Pope opposes condoms

{The Pope said the "cruel epidemic" [AIDS] should be tackled through fidelity and abstinence rather than condoms, and that "the traditional teaching of the Church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids". }

{He told African bishops that contraception was among trends leading to a breakdown in sexual morality.}

U.S. births set record; 40% are out of wedlock

{- Increases in unmarried childbearing, termed at “historic levels” in the report: The total number of births, birth rate, and proportion of births to unmarried women all increased 3 percent to 5 percent.}

{In the 1990s when teen birth rates began declining, Santelli says “fewer kids were having sex, having fewer partners and there was an enormous increase in condom use.”}


Both are two different contexts - one, in the fight against AIDS in Africa and another, about child births in the US.

But, clearly, fidelity and abstinence does NOT seem to be too popular in the US!!
And does the Pope imply that infidelity and promiscuous behaviour is prevalent only in Africa??

And the sad part is that the message from the pope seems to be blaming the guys with AIDS instead of giving hope to the afflicted. (Who said that all the folks with AIDS in Africa got it only thru sex and with illegitimate partners??)

For ye have sinned... now, come to Jesus and he will absolve all your sins... but AIDS, we will not take that away... Because it should serve as an example for others.. Only then will they be afraid.. and turn to God... and I can give more such speeches...

Disclaimer: I am an atheist and I am especially against any religion that uses an epidemic to further itself!

Poker Face..

Poker Face - Lady Gaga

I dig this!!

Give it to the Kids!!

Your vote (and those of your friends) could win Pratham $60,000 this year! JP Morgan is donating the money to the charity that wins the most votes in its Give-It-Away campaign. Read India is one of the 10 nominees and currently has a small lead over the competition. Voting ends on May 1, 2009. From what I can understand, voting is open only to university students (though recent graduates might be able to vote as well). To vote, click on jpmorgan.com/giveitaway.

Anything you can do to spread the word (emails to friends, facebook etc) and get out the vote would be much appreciated!

About Pratham and Read India:
100 million children in India - one out of every two - cannot read. Pratham, India's leading non-profit in primary education, aims to dramatically improve literacy levels among children across India through the Read India campaign. The campaign has already reached 21 million children in its first year.

For more information, please visit
http://www.readindia.org/


www.prathamusa.org

Join our Facebook group: Pratham (USA)

Into the Wild

The USP of this movie is that it is based on a real story.. story of a guy who lived in Alaska on his own.. in the wilderness for about 110 days ... and died in the wild tragically - alone and untimely, at the age of 24.

But then, in the relatively short span of life, he had experienced what others did not.. do not.. or even imagine. And lived life on his own terms.

Christopher McCandless grew up a rebel - against what he perceived as materialistic, manipulative and domineering parents. And then embarks on a wonderful journey... after he graduates from Emory University, he gives away all his savings to charity.. He burns and erases his identity - social security card, driver license, all his credit cards... and travels across the country - Atlanta to Colorado and then, kayaks down the colorado river into Mexico and then comes back on freight trains and hitchhiking to Los Angeles.. and finally he reaches Alaska.

He takes up a new identity along the way - Alexander Supertramp.. meets some unique set of people.. And finally in Alaska, he spends some quality alone-time and without any artificial trapments of consumerism. Well.. he lives in an abandoned bus (used by moose hunters in summer) and uses a gun to hunt... but his needs are to the bare minimum... a shelter.. some warmth.. food - small game or fish cooked in the fire, raw plant edible plants etc... some books (that provide him the inspiration, as also the guide to local vegetation.. and his notebook - where he notes down his experiences and learnings...

But, soon the ice melts and the full-blown river restricts his movement... and he eats a poisonous plant (there are various theories) by mistake.. That leads to nausea, weakness, loss of digestive powers and eventually his death due to starvation... The last few days are tragic - he is alone, helpless and slowly treading to his death.. thats when he feels the need for company.

I think he missed most the need to share his happiness and all his unique experiences with someone.. as if all those things in him (acquired and unique) are going to waste with his death... Like a legacy lost.

This movie is a *Must Watch* - but only when you are ready for it. I took my own time, guess about two months since the time I added it to my watchlist on Netflix..

I do not want to live such a life in the wild.. And definitely not the way he did it - without adequate planning, preparation and supplies (I would call it stupid - setting up for disaster in an unforgiving place)... but I sure would like to visit Denali National Park, Alaska sometime.. preferably with another person... not just any other person.. or many... you know what I mean?

It seems the bus can be seen clearly on Google Earth even to this day but is obscured by clouds in Google Maps and most other mapping programs. I did not try it.. but I found this on one of the links on the wiki..

Sweet Dreams..!

Like this song.. love the lyrics..!!
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Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

I wanna use you and abuse you
I wanna know what's inside you
(Whispering) Hold your head up, movin' on
Keep your head up, movin' on
Hold your head up, movin' on
Keep your head up, movin' on
Hold your head up, movin' on
Keep your head up, movin' on
Movin' on!

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

I'm gonna use you and abuse you
I'm gonna know what's inside
Gonna use you and abuse you
I'm gonna know what's inside you

Thriller - ala Indian Michael Jackson!

This is roll-on-the-floor stuff...!! Pay close attention to the audio visual cues...:-)