Good Morning friends.  It’s a pleasure to know that India will join rich nations’ group to protect forests.  We all know that some forest had been forgotten to protect.  Many will say that forest has no use in our daily life.  Literally yes, but our forest has a big role in nature.  Trees that grew there more than a 100 years helps us when there will be a disaster, like flood.

India, along with five other developing countries, has joined a group of five rich nations to work on a Rs 1,600-crore project to fight climate change through forest management.

The six developing countries — Brazil, Congo, Morocco, Nepal and Romania — have joined the group comprising US, Australia, Britain, Denmark and Norway under the governing body of the Forest Investment Programme (FIP).

This signals the commitment of these countries to a unique partnership to combat climate change through forest management, the World Bank said.

“This new programme will provide much-needed upfront investment to developing countries and forest-dependent communities to help them prepare for and benefit from financial flows for the sustainable management of forests,” said Eduardo Saboia, who represented Brazil in the series of FIP design meetings. The FIP Trust Fund Sub-Committee will meet in Washington for the first time on October 29 to begin implementation of the programme. It will also work on criteria for selecting pilot countries and regions. The FIP governance structure is among the first in a new generation of partnerships among developing and developed countries and other stakeholders which takes account of the need for a level playing field in addressing climate action, the bank said.

“These should lead to replicable models resulting in effective forest management, improved forest governance and information systems, restoration and sustainable management of degraded forests,” it said. Pilot programmes will be chosen by taking into account country distribution across regions.

“Rampant, large scale deforestation produces more carbon emissions than the entire world’s planes, ships and cars combined,” said Douglas Alexander, secretary of state for International Development for UK, which has pledged up to £100 million (Rs 772 crore) for the FIP. – AhmedabadMirror

Good morning friends.  I’m sure some of you will laugh at the words of Coach Gary Kirsten.  At first a smiled at it, then after reading it, I believe in him.  Some coach seriously gives instructions to their players, but with Coach Kirsten he is cool.  I like his way too.

India’s first match at the Champions Trophy on Saturday is also the biggest, at least as far as the fans are concerned. It’s Pakistan versus India, after all.

So Coach Gary Kirsten has given the Indians some basic self-help instructions. Julia Roberts is in Pataudi shooting Eat, Pray, Love – a movie based on the best-selling book of the same name. Gary Kirsten’s version for India’s Men in Blue: Eat, Play, Love.

Players have been asked to eat well, because the Coach says acid in the body can lead to fatigue, irritability and over sexuality. The Indians have also been asked to love themselves, quite literally. Coach Kirsten says going without sex can lead to a significant drop in testosterone levels, and that means reduced aggression and competitiveness. So sex is a must, even if it means going solo.

More instructions on self-reliance: the team has been told to take responsibility for its performance, and to stop blaming others.

The captain of the English cricket team says his team’s strategy for success doesn’t resemble India’s. At a press conference in South Africa, Andrew Strauss laughed, “With regards to sexual habits, I don’t think that’s come up in any of our dossiers! And I don’t think it’s likely to! I don’t know, I am not sure..”

Not everyone’s coach thinks Eat, Play, Love apparently. – NDTV Cricket

Indian_Flag

Today, Saturday, August 15, 2009.  India, the world’s biggest democracy, celebrates its 63rd Independence Day reminding the masses of an end to British rule on August 15, 1947. 

 I am Proud to be an Indian.

Good morning friends.  The government of India will assist the Pacific Island State to deal with the climate changes.  India will join together to create new synergies as Pacific Island countries are rich in natural resources and there is a huge potential for cooperation in diverse spheres.

India said it is ready to engage ‘constructively and productively’ with the global community to combat climate change and underlined that its greenhouse gas emissions are among the lowest in per capita terms.

‘We recognize our responsibility as a developing country and wish to engage constructively and productively with the international community and to add weight to global efforts to protect the environment,’ External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said at the post-forum dialogue of Pacific Island Forum here.

Krishna also underlined that the international community should make special efforts to help Small Island Developing States, which are most vulnerable to climate change, deal with global warming and the process of adaptation.

India’s greenhouse gas emissions are amongst the lowest in per capita terms, he stressed.

Adaptation remains the key for developing countries and it needs to be adequately resourced without detracting funds for development, which in any case, is the best form of adaptation, said Krishna, who is on a five-day visit to Australia.

Good morning friends.  It seems for me that if you donate blood for others, it is so holy in the eyes of God.  It’s like we are giving life or adding life to someone who needs a blood.  With this kind of doings, many will benefit with that.  So I’m calling to many that we donate blood for the life of others. 

For years, apnu Amdavad has shown how big its heart is, as it remained on top in the country, clocking the highest blood donor to population ratio. Now, this philanthropic heart has a mascot — Sherdil — that will help carry forward the city’s spirit of giving.

On June 14, World Blood Donors’ Day, Sherdil will be unveiled in a bid to exhort people to donate more blood.

Statistics show Ahmedabad has the highest blood donor to population ratio (BDPR) in India, at 3.5 per cent. Globally, this ratio comes behind averages of only four countries — US, Switzerland, Japan and Germany. “The lion not only symbolizes Gujarati pride but also Amdavadi philanthropy. When we talk of a generous person, we call him lion-hearted. From this thought emerged Sherdil. And, he comes with an appeal: Yeh Sherdil manage more,” says Mukesh Patel, president of Ahmedabad Red Cross Society and a centurion blood donor himself.

It is only in Ahmedabad that events like weddings and birthdays and even death anniversaries are often marked by blood donation.

The city has a centurion blood donors’ club, a women’s blood donors’ club and one by physically disabled.

With 1.58 lakh donors annually, the city sees one donation every three minutes. It also has a record number of 58 centurion blood donors.

But, it’s not just about statistics. For Meera Naik, 25, a thallasaemia major patient, who needs one bottle of blood every fortnight since she was just three, it has meant a steady supply through the Red Cross. “I owe my life to the generosity of the city,” says Meera.

Nagendra Purohit, father of Maitreyi, 18, another thallasaemia victim, who needs three bottles of blood a month, says, “I have never had a problem getting blood for my daughter whenever she needed it.” – The Times of India

Good morning friends.  As I was working here on my table, just taking my eyes to relax, I came across with the news about the missile. 

India on Sunday test fired supersonic surface to surface ‘BrahMos’ missile.  Test of supersonic cruise missile was conducted in Pokharan in Rajasthan and it successfully hit its target near Ajasar.

India Successfully Test Fired BrahMos cruise missile

This was the third test-firing of the latest Block II version of the missile.

Earlier, two tests were held on January 20 and March 4.

Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor and several high officials and DRDO scientists were present.

BrahMos cruise missile with a striking range of 290 km, can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land.

The ship-launched and land-based missiles can carry a 200-kg warhead, whereas the aircraft-launched variant can carry a 300-kg warhead.

BrahMos missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra River in India and Moscow River in Russia.

Reference:  news.xinhuanet

Good morning friends.  We have again to cheer for the winning.   With reference to NDTV Cricket, India made it again.  India  covered up New Zealand’s in its second inning on 279 with the hosts giving a 38-run lead in the 1st Test.   They overpowered New Zealand by 10 wickets in the 1^st Test to take 1-0 lead. 

Zaheer Khan initiated the proceedings with the new ball and lanky Ishant Sharma joined him in. Daniel Flynn looked alert since morning and cautiously raised his third fifty of his Test career to take New Zealand past 100-run mark.

But Flynn-Taylor partnership could only add up 35 odd runs to the scoreboard as the latter gave away his wicket to Patel for mere 4 runs. Sehwag took a neat catch to give early breakthrough to the visitors. Jesse Ryder stepped in next when New Zealand struggled on 110 for 4.

Ryder was expected of some consistency with his form but failed to live up to the hopes and added just 21 runs to the board before he fell to India ace spinner Harbhajan Singh. He caught him plumb before the wickets. James Franklin then joined Flynn who looked set in the middle.

Flynn and Franklin were careful enough to push New Zealand past 150-run mark. At the stroke of lunch, the hosts managed 146 runs at the loss of five wickets. First session saw 71 runs being added to the scoreboard at the cost of two wickets.

Harbhajan Singh continued with his spell and signaled danger for the depleted Kiwi batting line-up. Franklin (14) was his next victim, who gave an easy catch to Munaf at point.

Good morning friends.  We did it once more.  Sachin Tendulkar’s classic 160 runs and three New Zealand wickets in the second innings have put India in the driver’s seat.

It make me and my country proud of Sachin.  Sachin raised a well-crafted hundred.  Tendulkar led Indian batting’s motivated performance.

He is a cricket bestman who is having a World Record.  This is his 42nd Test Centure.  “SACHIN, WE ARE ALL PROUD OF YOU.” – NDTV cricket

(Reuters Photo)

Good morning friends.  I have great news for you all.  You will be proud again with our people.  By winning here,  India have formed history by winning back-to-back ODI series.  Let’s all cheer  and be proud of them. 

Team India trounced Sri Lanka in the third ODI by 147 runs at Colombo to lead five-match series 3-0. Stylish batsman Yuvraj Singh was adjudged Man of the Match for his blazing 117 runs.

India spinner Pragyan Ojha took four wickets – Muralitharan (0), Sangakkara (83), Kapugedera (2) and Maharoof (22) to leave Lanka depleted.

Sri Lanka was not left with much of options to turn the tables. Chasing a mammoth 364-run target, Sri Lanka’s fight back was not very impressive as they lost nine wickets with less than 200 runs on the board.

For India, Zaheer Khan led the bowling attack and the batting side expected big knocks from their openers – Sanath Jayasuriya and Tilakratne Dilshan. Without much of delay, Indian pace duo of Zaheer and Praveen bowled Jayasuriya for a duck and Dilshan for mere 30 runs to shatter Lankan hopes.

Chasing 364-run target, wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara and skipper Mahela Jayawardene played patient knocks to register 100 runs on the board. Sangakkara soon completed 46th ODI half-century of his career but Praveen Kumar interrupted the rosy picture to make Jayawardene surrender at 30. In-form Thilan Kandamby came in next to partner Sangakkara.

Part-time spinner Virender Sehwag struck with the ball too and spun away the new man, Kandamby (10), in no time. And then Pragyan Ojha’s skills came in handy to send the other new batsman Chamara Kapugedera just for two runs.

Ferveez Maharoof came in next to uplift the Lankan innings but Ojha restricted him to 22 runs with the help of Gambhir at first slip. Nuwan Kulasekara replaced him when hosts looked in trouble at 184 runs at the loss of 6 wickets.

Reference:  NDTV Cricket

Good Morning friends,

This is one thread that binds the Japanese and Gujaratis – the tie and dye technique of fabric printing. The shibori art dating back to the eight century uses the same resist techniques used by the bandhani artistes in Kutch and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat.

“The sanskrit word banda to tie’, is the root of bandhani while shibori uses the stitching’ technique of resisting,” says Samarth Firdaus, a shibori expert at the National Institute of Design (NID). If in bandhani, the artisan ties the portion of the cloth which is not to be dyed with a wax thread before dipping it in dye, the resisted portion is stitched and then pulled to make gathers in shibori, says Firdaus. Mainly used in kimonos, the shibori cloth is bound, resisted, wrapped and gathered by hand and this step is repeated for each colour dye it is dipped in. It is said that one kimono could take a year to make.

Angira Shah, who has trained Gujarati women in the traditional art of shibori, based in Ahmedabad says bandhani is older than shibori and was exported from India to Japan which mastered production, techniques in layout and design.

“Stitching in any case, came later,” says Firdaus. In 1997, NID hosted the second World Shibori Network conference here where it brought together artistes using both techniques and held demonstrations. Shibori experts from Nagoya in Japan too attended this conference.

The motifs in shibori are mostly based on nature, like birds and flowers, says Firdaus. “Now they have started using polyester mixed cotton to make the crush on the fabric permanent,” he says. Besides, the colours in bandhani are rich and bright while shibori uses subtle shades, he says.

Bandhani patterns are usually geometric clusters, but they also use traditional motifs, which also makes shibori more costly than bandhani..

“Nowadays, we can find shibori easily in Gujarat but they are crude versions. The Japanese went far ahead of us in this art and mastered it. In ancient times, our work was more meticulous and sharp,” says Shah.

According to her, Arimatsu village in Japan is known as shibori village which also has a museum. Even today, Arimatsu and Narumi in Nagoya prefecture remain the only main production centres in Japan, where over 100 varieties of shibori is practised.

News from times of india