Leonardo DiCaprio succeeded in making world leaders worry about global warming

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has succeeded in his mission of making world leaders worry about global warming and take suitable steps to overcome the problem and make the world a better place to live in. Leonardo DiCaprio feels that the debate over climate change is gradually on the way out because world leaders are finally starting to take it more seriously.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 7 January 2016.

Leonardo made these remarks on the red carpet for his new film, "The Revenant". In his opinion, the scientific community has been crying itself hoarse over global warming and majority of them agree that man is contributing to climate changes. The argument is over at last and, anyone who does not believe this does not believe in science.
Incidentally, DiCaprio has, for long, remained an active player for the issue. He had previously addressed the United Nations on climate control. Moreover, he has donated millions of dollars to environmental causes, and has narrated the 2014 short film, "Carbon," which presents ideas for climate change solutions.
He feels that following the U.N. Climate Conference in Paris, which ended last month, world leaders are finally seeing reason and are willing to address the issue more seriously.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Moody gifts his neighbor a turban on his birthday (satire)

Lord Shiva’s solution for global warming – go under water (satire)

Didi discusses industries with Moo Cool and Omit Misra (satire)


Use online honey trappers to test the fidelity of the spouse

NASA developing hopping drones to explore Martian caves for human settlement

Cleanliness drive by Railways - collects Rs 58 lakhs in fine from Delhi Railway station


Kissing scenes in movies – why this fad has never caught on in Bollywood

All female pop-group Moranbong Band cancels China goodwill tour

“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” - Disney’s upcoming television movie


Christmas Day bushfire destroys 100 homes in popular tourist spot of Lorne in Victoria

Migrants ready to pay £1,200 to people smugglers for trip across Channel in UK-registered car

US airdrops 50-tons of ammunition for M-16s and AK-47 to Syrian fighters

Air temperature in Arctic hottest in 115-years: walrus habitats threatened

It is an undisputed fact that the air in the Arctic is heating up, with the temperatures being the hottest in 115 years. As a result, the melting ice is destroying walrus habitat and forcing some fish northward as indicated in a global scientific report. Air temperature anomalies over land were 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.3 Celsius) above average. It was the highest since records began to be kept in 1900 as per the 2015 Arctic Report Card which is an annual peer-reviewed study issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 16 December 2015.

The annual sea ice maximum occurred on February 25, about two weeks earlier than average, and was "the lowest extent recorded since records began in 1979."
The NOAA chief scientist has cautioned that warming is happening more than twice as fast in the Arctic than anywhere else in the world. This is attributed to climate change, and its impacts are creating major challenges for Arctic communities. He added that what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic.
NOAA chief scientist Rick Spinrad made these observations at the annual American Geophysical Union fall meeting in San Francisco.
The average annual air temperature was measured over land between October 2014 and September 2015 and it showed a 5.4 degree Fahrenheit (three degrees Celsius) increase since the beginning of the 20th century. Moreover, the minimum sea ice extent, measured on September 11, 2015, was the fourth lowest in the satellite record since 1979 and the snow cover across the Arctic has also been declining, and is down 18 per cent per decade since 1979. This year, Greenland experienced its first significant melting event since 2012, and lost more than half of its surface area.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Moody and the mystery of Didi in Delhi (satire)

Kartika wants to become a Bollywood hero (satire)

Momo and sushi gear up to dislodge jilebi and pedhas (satire)


Be careful of six things that can reduce your lifespan

Monkey business in Uttarakhand - Uttar Pradesh dumping its monkeys in Uttarakhand

Japan to give India her first Bullet Train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad


Quentin Tarantino wants to do 'Kill Bill 3'

Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila to perform in Kolkata to mark Vijay Diwas

Shah Rukh Khan to address alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore


Two men of Syrian origin caught in Geneva with explosives

President Obama cautions Americans on new type of terror threat

USS Zumwalt, largest destroyer ever built, sets out for sea trials

Odisha to kick-start tourist season with two festivals in December

Odisha is preparing to welcome toutrists in December for two major festivals - the Konark Dance Festival and International Sand Art Festival simultaneously from December 1 to 5 will kick-start the festivities. Odisha expects a huge rush of tourists from around the world on the occasion.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 30 November 2015.

The venue of the dance festival will be an exquisite open-air auditorium with the magnificent Sun Temple forming the backdrop. The sand art festival will be held on the beautiful Chandrabhaga beach, located some 2-Km from Konark.
As informed by the Tourism and culture minister,, the dance festival will showcase Odissi, Manipuri, Satriya, Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam and Kathak. Ten highly acclaimed danseuses have confirmed their participation in the event, and the list includes well-known performers such as Jatin Goswami, Vyjayanthi Kashi, Rajashree Shirke and others.
The sand art festival has created a niche among all such contemporary events across the world and there would be five solo artists, each from the US, Canada, Spain, New Zealand and Ghana, along with Indian artists.
There will be 35 kiosks at the festival and 30 of these will be of Indian artists and there will be different themes on each of the five days. The themes will be global warming, heritage, Swachh Bharat, unity in diversity and world peace.
The Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) will sponsor the stay of the participants.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Lord Shiva learns of Moody’s plans to go to the Moon (satire)

The honey trap of Pat & Jolie (satire)

Baba Someday to use gobar gas and yoga for space flights (satire)


Foreign students for study in India nosedives from 13,961 in 2013 to 3,737 in 2014

Water scarcity in Prime Minister's constituency - blame it on Coca Cola

World Cup cricketer of Vadodara sells moong kachoris to make ends meet


Big B rides a scooter in Kolkata - shooting for another movie

International Jazz Festival at Stone Water Eco Resort in Goa

Ben Affleck talks on 'Batman V Superman'


Russian airstrike in Syrian town of Ariha kills at least 40

Turkey downed two Russian fighter jets - Putin says the US leaked its flight path

Gunman attacks Colorado abortion clinic - leaves 3 dead, 9 wounded

Warning - global warming is continuing and the world is on fire

According to a scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, there are positive signs that the planet is heating up, and even 'on fire.' On his opinion, the global warming 'pause' is now over.
Some people had said that since the temperature of Earth's surface has increased by just 0.06°C in the past 15 years, there was no global warming as such. These figures had been quoted by some groups as evidence that climate change is not happening.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 17 August 2015.

But, the actual picture was different.
In support of his stand, the scientist has argued that natural variability in weather patterns has masked the upward trend in temperatures, and that variability would soon end. The western region of North America is facing prolonged drought and the high temperatures have led to many wildfires.
In the Pacific, there have been hurricanes, typhoons and tropical cyclones that have caused havoc in Japan, China and Taiwan. All over the world, surface temperatures have been setting record high values and in the US, the temperatures this year are well above average.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-

Britain battered by heavy rains - parts of England saw 40mm rain in an hour

Sri Lanka get the better of a star studded India – Rangana Herath wreaks havoc

Controversy around Maggi, the 2-minute noodle: Bombay HC lifts ban, orders fresh tests


60-years of Pather Panchali – the Bengali movie of Satyajit Ray that was a pathbreaker

Spider-Man will be seen in his traditional costume in ‘Captain America: Civil War’

Big-B and Deepika Padukone’s ‘Piku’ gets best movie award at Indian Film Festival, Melbourne


ISIS planned to carry out ‘lone wolf’ terror attacks, target the Queen and the Royal family

Terrorism a family affair in London – 5 of a family arrested by counter-terror police

At least 60 killed in truck bomb explosion by ISIS in a Baghdad food market


Independence Day as I have seen it

The days of mughlai parathas

Khichudi – the favorite monsoon recipe for Bengalis

Study reveals - global warming led to extinction of the Ice Age wooly mammoths

A study conducted by the University of Adelaide in Australia has concluded that it was global warming that led to the extinction of the wooly mammoths of the Ice Age - the mighty megafauna of the last Ice Age that included the woolly mammoths became extinct due to rapid climate-warming events.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 27 July 2015.

The study has found that during the unstable climate of the Late Pleistocene (about 60,000 to 12,000 years ago) there were sudden climate spikes called interstadials and these resulted in increased temperatures between four and 16 degrees Celsius within decades.
Survival was not easy for the large size animals like the woolly mammoths in these hot conditions because of the effects it had on their habitats and prey. As explained by one of the authors of the study - interstadials lead to dramatic shifts in global rainfall and vegetation patterns. The rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the consequential warming effects can have a similar rate of change and could herald in another major phase of large mammal extinctions.
In the opinion of another paleogenetics of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark is that this study can be considered as a wake-up call.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-

CBSE to check cheating in AIPMT exams – examinees can wear only T-shirt and jeans

Mamata’s TMC received hate mail before her tour of UK to woo investors

Vallauris beach closed to tourists because Saudi King Salman will holiday there in private

Good news keep pouring in – major uranium reserve found in Srisailam

Uttar Pradesh repents and repeals ban on screening of films in luxury buses


Britain’s MI6 joins Turkey to fight ISIS

Gang of 80 suspected Boko Haram men attack village in Cameroon and kill 23

Father of two, living in Liverpool, tries to buy deadly ricin powder – then, a pet to test it on


Some live years after retirement, others do not

No escape from the jaws of death

Global warming – snow on the Himalayas is melting too fast due to rise in temperatures

Due to sudden increase in temperatures within the last 72 hours, snow on Himalayas have started to melt rapidly and all snow-fed rivers like Beas, Parvati, Chenab, Satluj, Ravi and water streams are in spate with the level of water rising every day.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 20 June 2015.

With the snow cover in low-lying hills disappearing and water levels rising, warnings have been issued to people. The statewide night temperature has increased by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius in the last 24 hours and the day temperature has risen over 7 degrees Celsius within a week.
AS per Shimla meteorological Centre, Una in Himachal has a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius, the hottest in Himachal. Shimla (26.6), Dharamshala (31.4), Manali (27.8), Kalpa (25.8) and Solan (31.4). Incidentally, while night temperature in Keylong and Bharmaur was below 4 degrees Celsius 10 days ago, it is now above 10.5 degrees Celsius.
The result of the fast flowing waters from the hills is that it is resulting in soil erosion and bringing with it large amount of silt. These are settling down in the reservoirs of hydel projects downstream and also on riverbeds and are not good signs for the environment.
(Image courtesy wikimdiacommons.org)

A few more must reads -
Airbus to showcase its E-Fan 2.0 silent plane in Paris Air Show

Music is a great healer – listen to classical music and lower your blood pressure

Taxi strike in Kolkata opens the doors for Uber and Ola cabs

Pickles and yoghurt help youngsters to tackle social anxiety


MI5 warns – extremists on the prowl in the streets of Britain

ISIS militants ambush and kill Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

British would-be jihadists are making detour to Syria via Canada to avoid detection


How retired persons keep themselves busy

Learn to embrace the mall culture

Time weighs down heavily on retired men

Fast depleting level of groundwater spells trouble for Planet Earth

Water is the elixir of life and our plans to settle on distant planets would depend on availability of water because life minus water is unthinkable. But, here on planet Earth, the warning gong has been sounded because the available groundwater is fast depleting.
Human activity is rapidly draining out about one third of the planet's largest underground water reserves and no one knows just how much water remains in them. This has been revealed by two new studies.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 17 June 2015.

Scientists have taken help of data from NASA satellites to measure groundwater losses by comparing the 37 of Earth's biggest aquifers between 2003 and 2013. The study has labeled eight of these as "overstressed" – this means they were being sucked dry with almost no natural replenishment to offset the usage.
Five other aquifers were determined to be "extremely or highly stressed."
The Arabian Aquifer System that provides water to over 60 million people, is the world's most overstressed source. Ten comes the Indus Basin aquifer of northwestern India and Pakistan followed by the Murzuk-Djado Basin in northern Africa. The drought-striken Central Valley aquifer in California was labeled as "highly stressed."
Scientists have cautioned that the situation would only worsen due to global warming, climate change and population growth. The most overburdened aquifers are in the driest places in the world where there is hardly any natural replenishment of water.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -
Airbus to showcase its E-Fan 2.0 silent plane in Paris Air Show

Music is a great healer – listen to classical music and lower your blood pressure

Taxi strike in Kolkata opens the doors for Uber and Ola cabs

Pickles and yoghurt help youngsters to tackle social anxiety


MI5 warns – extremists on the prowl in the streets of Britain

ISIS militants ambush and kill Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

British would-be jihadists are making detour to Syria via Canada to avoid detection


How retired persons keep themselves busy

Learn to embrace the mall culture

Time weighs down heavily on retired men

2015 Paris Air Show to focus on green issues

#ParisAirShow #ElectricPlane #Boeing #Airbus President Francois Hollande will inaugurate the week-long Paris Air Show and the focus this year would be on green issues. European company Airbus has a whole range of new products to show off. One of these is its prototype all-electric plane, the E-Fan, along with a cleaner, quieter civilian helicopter, the H160.
The show is expected to attract around 315,000 visitors and 2,260 exhibitors from 47 countries.
This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 15 June 2015.

The focus on green innovations is because of the global climate conference which would be hosted in the same venue later this year – the aviation industry has already committed to being carbon-neutral by 2020.
Among the products would be fuel saving devices - rising fuel prices are a big motivator towards this objective.
Boeing has promised that its next mid-range carrier, the 737 MAX, will offer 20-percent fuel savings. It has already managed to bag more than 2,700 orders, even though it has yet to make an appearance.
Similarly, Airbus A320neo, with a 15 percent cut in fuel consumption, has also picked up a record 3,800 pre-orders before the first one has even left the production line.
Obviously, the stress on going green is of paramount importance to not only reduce the global warming but also to increase profits because no airline would want the cost of fuel to erode its profits.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -
Airbus to showcase its E-Fan 2.0 silent plane in Paris Air Show

Music is a great healer – listen to classical music and lower your blood pressure

Taxi strike in Kolkata opens the doors for Uber and Ola cabs

Pickles and yoghurt help youngsters to tackle social anxiety


MI5 warns – extremists on the prowl in the streets of Britain

ISIS militants ambush and kill Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

British would-be jihadists are making detour to Syria via Canada to avoid detection


How retired persons keep themselves busy

Learn to embrace the mall culture

Time weighs down heavily on retired men

Polar bears in the Arctic feed on dolphins – blame it on global warming

Polar bears in the Arctic are known to usually feed on seals but, it has now begun to feed on dolphins as well and, in the opinion of scientists, global warming is to blame.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 12 June 2015.

It is the first time that the polar bears have been seen eating dolphins in the Arctic. The predators feed mainly on seals, but Norwegian Polar Institute has photographed a bear dining on dolphins. The reason could be attributed to climate change which is making new species to find their way up north.
The first incident had been recorded by the Institute in April 2014 when a polar bear was found to be feeding on the carcasses of two white-beaked dolphins.
Incidentally, dolphins are a regular sight in the Norwegian Arctic during summer when the ice melts but has seldom been seen during winter or spring when the sea is usually still covered in sheets of ice.
Following the first documented incident, there have been five more cases of dolphins being stranded or captured and then eaten. This can be explained by the fact that the polar bear is now coming in contact with new species of marine life due to global warming.
(Image courtesy wkimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Kolkata Police to send cake with birthday greetings to 12000 senior citizens of Pronam

Maggi 2-minute noodle – Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachhan and Preity Zinta had endorsed the product

Bogus tour operator charged out-of-towners $200 each way for a trip that is free

WHO says cigarette smuggling into India has increased fourfold

Marvels of technology – robotic cheetah created by MIT, it can jump over obstacles

The power of tulsi leaves – it keeps at bay the pacemaker

US admits - there is no way to monitor online encrypted messages of ISIS

US Police have killed two persons daily in first 5-months of the year

Talks in Peru on global warming facing hurdles

Everyone is aware that global warming is wreaking havoc on planet Earth hence, when a meeting was held by 190 nations to discuss and arrive at a modus operandi to control global warming, it is facing hurdles.
The two-week meeting on global warming was due to close in Lima, Peru, but disputes that arose in the opening days remain unresolved even as the negotiators struggled to come to terms with key issues.
One of the most contentious issues was to take a decision on what information should go into the pledges that governments are supposed to put on the table for a global climate pact expected to be signed at a summit in Paris next year.
While the developed countries want the pledges to focus on greenhouse emissions cuts, the developing nations want to see commitments of financial support to absorb the effects of climate change – this, as per estimates of the UN estimates would be in the region of $200bn annually by the year 2050.
Small island states are at risk of being flooded by rising seas and, they have complained that the draft does not make any mention of any "loss and damage" mechanism that had been agreed on in last year's UN talks in Poland.
Thee needs to be a permanent arrangement to help the poorest of the world, is how the negotiator for the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu has put it.
The rising sea levels, intensifying heat waves and shifts in weather patterns causing floods and droughts are all indicators of global warming and, at present, most CO2 emissions are emanating from developing countries like China as they continue to grow their economies and lift millions of people out of poverty.

UN climate talks in Peru - controlling global warming is the need of the hour

Global warming is a matter of concern and 195 nations have committed to finalizing a new climate pact in Paris by the end of 2015. This is the agenda for the UN climate negotiators who would be assembling in Peru to try to advance talks on a new global agreement.
The process has been boosted by recent developments, including a joint announcement on cutting carbon by the US and China.
The discussions would go on for two weeks and the subject would be the record-breaking global temperatures for the year to date.
As per the data of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the global average temperature over land and ocean from January to October was the hottest since records began in 1880.
Of course, the meeting could witness a heat of another kind because the long standing divisions between rich and poor could, once again, hinder progress. In spite of that, the delegates would put their heads together to try and work out a solution to finalize the key negotiating texts that will form the basis of the Paris deal.
Many countries like Canada, Australia, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia have yet to make any commitment (to cut emissions) and it is not known how robust their commitments are. By the end of March 2015, all countries are expected to announce the level of their efforts to cut carbon as part of the Paris deal.
Impacts of global warming are – Accelerating sea level rise and increased coastal flooding, longer and more damaging wildfire seasons, more frequent and intense heat waves, national landmarks at risk, widespread forest death in the Rocky Mountains, costly and growing health impacts, an increase in extreme weather events, heavier precipitation and flooding, more severe droughts in some areas, growing risks to our electricity supply, changing seasons, melting ice, disruptions to food supplies, destruction of coral reefs and plant and animal range shifts.

Protect the environment, tackle global warming

In the recent past, there is a growing awareness about protecting our environment from harmful effects of mass scale exploitation in the name of development. The reason is that destruction of green gives rise to a phenomenon that goes by the name of global warming which, in turn, gives rise to melting of the ice caps at the Poles and increase in water levels in the oceans.
So far, so good – this much is known to practically everybody. What is not known is that schemes to tackle climate change could become a source of misery and prove disastrous for billions of people. However, our planet wants us to take some bold, strong and decisive steps.
A team of research scientists of three combined research projects, led by teams from the universities of Leeds, Bristol and Oxford, have explored the implications of this phenomenon in more detail. In the opinion of Dr Matt Watson of Bristol University it is difficult to understand the various issues related to geo-engineering, especially, how it might work, the effects it might have and the potential downsides.
It is understood that these studies made use of computer models to simulate the possible implications of different technologies. The major focus was on ideas for making the deserts, seas and clouds more reflective so that incoming solar radiation does not reach the surface.
Problems would be encountered when science intervenes in the climate to bring down temperatures like shading the Earth from the Sun or soaking up carbon dioxide. Like – sending up aircraft to spray out sulphur particles at high altitude in order to recreate the cooling effect of volcanoes or using artificial "trees" to absorb carbon dioxide.
Incidentally, such out-of-the-world ideas to control global warming have begun to come up since efforts to limit carbon emissions have more or less failed to produce the desired results.

save environment - ban pollution

Yes, pollution of the atmosphere is destroying the ecological balance that is so important for survival of all living beings. The picture is more or less the same in any large metropolis – the air is always heavy with the fumes of exhausts mixed with dust particles and other pollutants. Other pollutants could cover waste gases of nearby factories, and during festival times could be a result if burning firecrackers.

Indiscriminate use of petrol and other gaseous products result in the global warming phenomenon that is being discussed at practically every forum. Everyone is trying to find out solutions to contain the bad effects of gaseous pollutants. Keeping a check on the emission factors of vehicles is not given the seriousness that it deserves. On the one hand we suggest traveling to office in car pools – on the other we invite people to buy the latest model car because it has plenty of new gadgets that will set the owner apart from the commoners. Finance is easily available and, when the car is delivered, who would want to be a part of a car pool and not show off his latest acquisition? There is a new model released practically every month and, there are cases when families proudly declare that they own more than one car. Therefore, expecting car pools to operate to the satisfaction of environmentalists is asking for too much. We human beings want to make our presence felt on society and never bother about the serious repercussions of not heeding the warning signs.

Pure and healthy air is what the body requires and properly maintained parks are one means of inhaling fresh air – here again, open space comes at a premium. Specially constructed jogging tracks in natural surroundings are much sought after by the young and the old but, even now, we seldom walk short distances – instead, we rev up the car to go to the barber's or kick the scooter to go round the corner to pick up a friend. We should cultivate the habit of relying more on alternate means of movement rather depend always on a vehicle powered by petrol or diesel.