Legendary Actor Paul Newman Is No More

Legendary Actor Paul Newman Is No More: A Tribute To A Classy Superstar And A True Human Being

Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money", followed by a second act as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario, has died. He was 83.
Newman died Friday at his farmhouse near Westport following a long battle with lung cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

Remembering Paul Newman

In May, Newman dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men" at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse, citing unspecified health issues. The following month, a friend disclosed that he was being treated for cancer and Martha Stewart, also a friend, posted photos on her Web site of Newman looking gaunt at a charity luncheon.

But true to his fiercely private nature, Newman remained cagey about his condition, reacting to reports that he had lung cancer with a statement saying only that he was "doing nicely."

As an actor, Newman got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times, winning one Oscar and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."
"There is a point where feelings go beyond words," Redford said Saturday. "I have lost a real friend. My life, and this country, is better for his being in it."

Hollywood Remembers Paul Newman

Newman sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray.

They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer." Newman also directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. New York Times critic, Caryn James wrote after his turn as the town curmudgeon in 1995's "Nobody's Fool" that "you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."
"Sometimes God makes perfect people," fellow "Absence of Malice" star Sally Field said, "and Paul Newman was one of them."

Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.

A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."
In the earlier film, Newman delivered a magnetic performance as the smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats, played by Jackie Gleason, and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel, directed by Scorsese, "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.

Remembering A Hollywood Legend

He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.

His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)

As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."

But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."

Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture; and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics Circle.

In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1969 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.

Newman later became a car owner and formed a partnership with Carl Haas, starting Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 and joining the CART series. Hiring Mario Andretti as its first driver, the team was an instant success, and throughout the last 26 years, the team — now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan and part of the IndyCar Series — has won 107 races and eight series championships.

"Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and, above all, his generosity," Haas said. "His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him."

Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact and his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator.

Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive. He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.

"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said. In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.

"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person," Robert Forrester, vice chairman of Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.

In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.
He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea. Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte. Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.

"Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special," his daughters said in a written statement. "Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity."

Newman was born in Cleveland, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman. He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged to pursue his interest in arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.

Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions. He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to work in theater and television in New York, where his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio included Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden.

Newman's breakthrough was enabled by tragedy, Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.
Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."

In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age. "I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.

Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.

By Arunava Das

Written while consulting similar news from Times, Reuters

At The Mercy Of A Worm!

Technology has progressed at such a rapid pace that people who were born in the late 70’s and early 80’s are struggling to keep pace with it. Mind boggling gadgets are being invented and mass produced. I find myself on the slower side when it comes to technology. Apart from a 7 year old computer and a 3 year old bike and a 9 year old wrist watch, I have nothing in my personal possession that can be called as “Technology.” No mobile phone, no music player, no iPod, no walkman…..and the list goes on…



So it’s understandable, that when I go around saying that I can survive without technology, people are bewildered. People these days find it impossible to live without their beloved gadgets. When these gadgets stop functioning, their whole life comes to a standstill.



I had seen my friends suffer and I was smirking deep down inside that this would never happen to me. But it happened.



My computer got infected by a worm which has a very silly name. It completely crippled my computer. AVG antivirus was disabled. My computer would reboot every time I tried to access the task manager, folder options and the run command. Unknown programs would run and I couldn’t stop them. I tried everything from scanning in the safe mode to restoring using the system restore. But to no avail.



Finally I turned to the IT department at the company where I work, for help. Got my hard disk scanned using an enterprise grade antivirus solution. It found just 3 copies of the worm on the hard disk. A free online tool known as RRT did the rest removing all the restrictions that the worm had put in place and my computer was up and running.



Worms are nasty things, both the living ones and the ones that lurk in their digital forms. I was brought down to my knees by one called W32.Silly FDC.



One can be carefully only to a point and pray that the free antivirus would do the rest. My friends advised me to try Avast, another free antivirus solution. Meanwhile the IT department advised me to purchase a solution.



I have placed a club next to my computer. I intend to clobber any worm that comes anywhere near it. A firewall…what is that?



Author

Everybody Has A Choice. Destiny Has Got Nothing To With It.

“It's choice--not chance--that determines your destiny” said Harry S Truman.



In a way, it reflected on what I was going through. I always had a choice. I could have said no. But I did not. May be I was being type cast as person who does things differently just to prove a point.



Lots of them were curious to know why I resisted doing things that everyone else would do. Why would I always refuse to go well trodden path and choose the least trodden one?Why can’t you agree? Why do you put such a resistance? Why do you look at things differently? Why? Why?



What happened to all those inspirational mythical tales wherein one gets to shape his own destiny? I guess they are only good enough to be told as bedtime stories for kids. In reality, one has to do what everyone else does. Otherwise, be prepared to be labeled as a rebel. Someone pointed out to me the other day that everyone does the right thing and there is only one way of doing it. I immediately retorted saying that there are a hundred ways of doing the right thing, limited only by one’s imagination and ability.



I have observed that people feel secure, confident, and positive when they set limits to what they do. It’s like building a wall and say that whatever I do within these walls, nothing can go wrong, I can handle it, I am confident.



I have nothing against such people. It’s their choice. But what gets my goat is when they try to build a wall around me. I know my limits. My limits are bound by my imagination and my ability. So if one gives me a job which is beyond ability, I have a choice. I either have to rise above my ability and do the job or simply say no.



I believe there are no walls that can confine one’s imagination and ability. But whether I believe in destiny, I’ll keep it aside to be written about; some other day.



Author

What You See Might Not Be True

By Deeksh

Hi Friends,

Today when I was checking my inbox, I found very interesting mail (rather I call it STRANGE mail). It was about a tree called Nareepol, which is believed to be located at Petchaboon province 500 kms away from Bangkok. The mail had few pics of this tree.

Out of curious I Google’d to see if I get more of info on this, specially pics. Alternatively I wanted to check if this info is updated in Wikipedia.

To my surprise I could see lots of blogs on this with same info, nothing less nor more. Even Wiki dint have info.

As I was reading all those blogs, the bloggers believed the existence of the tree, but I found many comments (who were thinking jus the way I did) which were not in favor.

Almost all image-pages in Google showed same pics. They are of same angle and repeated pics from the same tree.

I am seriously thinking, if it is real, why have I not come across this these many years?

One of the blog said that 100 years old books mention about this tree.. but the blogger failed to mention any of those books name.

When I saw the pics in my mail box, I was not sure of what I was viewing. But now very much.

It is total internet hoax.

I think there is no proper evidence to prove what bloggers are saying. Every blog you visit, have posted same set of pics.

I try to watch Ripley’s Believe It Or Not regularly. Never I have come across abut this tree.

There is no channel or other media which covered this news. Not even in Discovery Channel.

Seeing all this, I remember a post by one of our Crazy Bloggers – on Mass Media.

Usage of Internet. Amazing stuffs were covered in the post. Both pros and cons were discussed.

One such negative usage is such cases.

The tree is well performed hoax by some talented person, I would say extremely talented. The person has made a story, morphed pics and at last publishing it in Mass Media – the Internet.

Why should someone spread rumors?

Most interesting thing that I came across while browsing on this topic was – COMMENTS.

I read lotssssss of stories on this tree.

I appreciate these story owners for being so creative and imaginative. Common let us use this creativity for betterment of man kind.

Before ending this post, all I want to say is – Don’t believe what you listen…many a times even what you see might not be true…

This quote is very true, in life – it is very important to value relations, and we should not be carried away by what we listen or see…..

Always there is a reason for what has happened (not valid too).

I don’t understand the reason behind such rumors. What are they getting in return??

Critics?? Name?? Fame?? Thufffff??

He hee..

Hey, you have viewed the above set of pics which shows human shaped fruits.

Now I have tried to mark the morph spots.

Catastrophic Fall In Numbers Of Migratory Bird Populations Indicates Bird Crisis Throughout The World---- Published in Argentinus la Weeke' and AD

Catastrophic Fall In Numbers Of Migratory Bird Populations Indicates Bird Crisis Throughout The World ----- (Exact Pickup with permission for blog display)

Special contributions by Michael McCarthy (BirdLife World Conservation Conference), Dr. Madhu Srinivasan (University of Kentucky) and Arunava Das (Migrant Watch; UAS, GKVK and EmPower Research)

The birds of the world are in serious trouble, and common species are in now decline all over the globe, a comprehensive new review suggests today.

From the turtle doves of Europe to the vultures of India, from the bobwhite quails of the US to the yellow cardinals of Argentina, from the eagles of Africa to the albatrosses of the Southern Ocean, the numbers of once-familiar birds are tumbling everywhere, according to the study from the conservation partnership BirdLife International.

Their falling populations are compelling evidence of a rapid deterioration in the global environment that is affecting all life on earth – including human life, BirdLife says in its report, State of The World's Birds.

The report, released today with an accompanying website at the BirdLife World Conservation Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, identifies many key global threats, including the intensification of industrial-scale agriculture and fishing, the spread of invasive species, logging, and the replacement of natural forest with monocultural plantations.

It goes on to suggest that in the long term, human-induced climate change may be the most serious stress.

Based in Cambridge, BirdLife International is a global alliance of conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries and territories which is now the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting them.

When brought together, as in its new report, the regional pictures of bird declines combine to present a startling picture of a whole class of living things on a steep downward slope.

A remarkable 45 per cent of common European birds are declining, with the familiar European turtle dove, for example, having lost 62 per cent of its population in the last 25 years, while on the other side of the globe, resident Australian wading birds have seen population losses of 81 per cent in the same period.

Twenty common North American birds have more than halved in number in the last four decades, while in Asia, the millions of white-rumped vultures which once filled the skies have crashed by 99.9 per cent and the species is now critically endangered.

"Many of these birds have been a familiar part of our everyday lives, and people who would not necessarily have noticed other environmental indicators have seen their numbers slipping away, and are wondering why," said Dr Mike Rands, BirdLife's chief executive.

All the world's governments have committed themselves to slowing or halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010, but reluctance to commit what are often trivial sums in terms of national budgets means that this target is almost certain to be missed, according to the report.

"Birds provide an accurate and easy-to-read environmental barometer, allowing us to see clearly the pressures our current way of life are putting on the world's biodiversity," Dr Rands said.

"Because these creatures are found almost everywhere on earth, they can act as our eyes and ears, and what they are telling us is that the deterioration in biodiversity and the environment is accelerating, not slowing.

"Effective biodiversity conservation is easily affordable, requiring relatively trivial sums at the scale of the global economy. For example, to maintain the protected area network which would safeguard 90 percent of Africa's biodiversity would cost less than $1bn a year. Yet in a typical year, the global community provides about $300m.

"The world is failing in its 2010 pledge. The challenge is to harness international biodiversity commitments and ensure that concrete actions are taken now."

The State of the World's Birds report can be found at www.birdlife.org/sowb

Birds in peril

*Europe
The report highlights the decline of common European birds. An analysis of 124 of Europe's common birds over a 26-year period reveals that 56 species (45 per cent) have declined across 20 European countries, with farmland birds badly hit. The familiar common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) has declined by 17 per cent. The European turtle dove(Streptopelia turtur), grey partridge (Perdix perdix) and corn bunting (Miliaria calandra) have dropped 62, 79 and 61 per cent respectively.

*African migrants to Europe
Birds migrating between Europe, the Middle East and Africa have suffered 40 per cent population declines over three decades. "Birds impacted by agricultural intensification in Europe may suffer excessive hunting in the Middle East and desertification of African wintering grounds," warned Dr Rands. "The Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla), northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), and common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) are vanishing."

*Africa
Birds of prey are in widespread decline. In just three decades, 11 eagle species declined by 86-98 per cent in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In addition, six large vulture species – including the once widespread Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) – have suffered very dramatic losses.

*Middle East and Central Asia
Many common species such as the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) are under pressure. "The global population of Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulate) may have fallen 35 per cent in the past 20 years," noted Dr Rands.

*Asia
"Thirty years ago, tens of millions of white-rumped vultures (Gyps bengalensis) were flying the skies of Asia. The species was probably the most abundant large bird of prey in the world: it is now on the brink of extinction," Dr Rands said. Numbers have fallen by 99.9 per cent since 1992. "Migratory shorebirds and the wetland habitats they rely on for their annual journeys, are also under threat," added Dr Rands. Sixty-two percent of migratory waterbird species in Asia are declining or extinct.

*North America
Twenty common species have suffered population declines of over 50 per cent in the last 40 years. "Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), has declined the most dramatically, with population reductions of 82 per cent," noted Dr Rands. Other widespread species suffering include the evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) (78 per cent), northern pintail (Anas acuta) (77 per cent) and boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus) (73 per cent).

*North America to Latin America migrants
"57 per cent of neotropical [Central and South American] migrants monitored at their breeding grounds in the US have suffered declines over the last four decades," warned Dr Rands. "Migratory species such as the Wilson's phalarope (Steganopus tricolor) and semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) are disappearing."

*Latin America
Bird monitoring in El Salvador reports that 25 per cent of common resident species – including the flame-coloured tanager (Piranga bidentata), chestnut-capped brush-finch (Arremon brunneinucha), and collared trogon (Trogon collaris) – have experienced significant declines over the last decade. No monitored species saw their numbers rise. "Formerly widespread species like the yellow cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata), once common in Argentina, are endangered," noted Dr Rands.

*Pacific
"Studies of resident Australian waders reveal that 81 per cent of their populations disappeared in 25 years," said Dr Rands. Seabirds are threatened at a faster rate globally than all other groups. Nineteen of the 22 species of albatross are threatened with extinction, including the critically endangered Chatham albatross (Thalassarche eremite).

Added to these, data and graphs from the Migrant Watch survey clearly suggests an irregularity in bird migration as well as arrival of migratory birds earlier than expected clearly indicates our climate patterns changing.

The effect of Global Warming and Climate change are showing off colors of their own that can produce catastrophic results as far as our ecosystem balance is considered. A study by Dr. Madhu Srinivasan from University of Kentucky and Arunava Das from Dept. of Ecology and Soil Biology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore and EmPower Research Knowledge Services Private Limited, Bangalore at the Avalanche Biosphere Reserve in the south Kundah Forest Reserve (36 km from the city of Udhagamandalam, Queen of Hill Stations) under the realms of Tamil Nadu Forest Department on the invasion of Exotic Species of plants like Black Worttle, Shola and Eucalyptus in the montane grasslands of the Nilgiris also points out to the effect of Climate Change that is harming the faunal population of the Nilgiris that is host to two of the most endemic species of that region, Nilgiri Langurs and Nilgiri Tahrs.

Thus not only the bird population, but also the floral and faunal population are in danger of getting wiped out if climate changes are not curbed.

LIGHTS FROM HEAVEN

I remember almost breaking my nose falling from our giant mango tree. Well, I deserved to fall...coz I was stupid enough to climb tree trunks in the dark. My explanation – chasing fireflies!!! To be frank I wouldn't mind falling all over again if it meant catching hold of one of those beauties. As a kid the fascination I had for fireflies was beyond my fascination for anything I want to acquire today.

The giant mango tree we have in our house used to be a treat for the eyes at night with hundreds of fireflies decorating it. I would chase them till I hurt myself or till my mother hurt me (the latter was more common). On one of the lucky days I would even see them in my room. When I would eventually catch one of them I would close my palms on it and just admire the beauty of God's tiny little creation. As a kid, I always thought that fireflies popped out of heaven...how else would you explain the light??

The other day I was reading an article about fireflies being on the road to extinction, thanks to unfavorable habitat.

The article explained why the mango tree remained dark the last time I looked at it. There I was, standing beneath the massive trunk. My eyes craving for fluorescence, my heart aching for re living memories...re living the Good ole' days...three words that never cease to bring a smile on my face. Alas...All that met my eyes were darkness of the darkest kind...

Thoughts and memories can be reflected in writing...depth of these feelings cannot...intensity of these emotions cannot...

Maybe this is the way of life for our generation...witnessing the loss of everything around us...everything... but us...This isn’t about fireflies...This is about every little thing that is the very essence of life...we lose these... We lose the essence...

I hope to open my eyes one day to the sight of fireflies greeting me...telling me they were not done yet.

Something tells me my hope is in vain...

For now, I can see the day when I’ll tell my kids stories about little flies that glowed with light illuminating everything around them...They would surely ask where the fireflies went..

"Well, they went back to heaven...right where they came from", would be my answer.

Niyad

Renault Yeni

By Deeksh

Hi Friends,

This post is to bring to your notice about the car being launching in India only for Rs 1, 30,000.

Isn’t it Kool!!

It is called Renault Yeni.

It is being launching in India in collaboration with Mahindra.

Call it a budget car or competitor for TATA and FIAT500..

I am sure that we will soon see these cars in action.

Imagine these little beetles stuck in traffic jam.. hE hEE

The Phoenix Rises Again!

I was pleasantly surprised when Lance Armstrong announced his return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. The intensity and passion with which Lance approaches cycling used to give me goose bumps. I am looking forward to experience the same next year when he competes in the Holy Grail of cycling, The Tour De France – 2009.



Vive le tour. Vive le Armstrong.





Author

L.P.M

An illusive Dream,
Transcendental state;
The pleasure of Pain,
Dopamined brain.

The calm breeze,
Tranquility;
Immortality,
And Death.

Pink Floyd,
Adam's steroid;
Devil's win,
Sin?

Feasible Emission Scenarios Identified That Could Keep CO2 Below Climate Threatening Levels

Feasible Emission Scenarios Identified That Could Keep CO₂ Below Climate Threatening Levels

(In response to news published by ANI on September 11, 2008)

NASA researchers have identified feasible emission scenarios that could enable keeping carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels below that considered dangerous for climate by scientists.

When and how global oil production will peak or will decrease has been debated, making it difficult to anticipate emissions from the burning of fuel and to precisely estimate its impact on climate.

To justify how emissions might change in the future, Pushker Kharecha and James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York considered a wide range of fossil fuel consumption scenarios.

For a better understanding of the possible trajectory of future carbon dioxide emissions, Kharecha and Hansen devised five carbon dioxide emission scenarios that span the years 1850-2100. Each scenario reflects a different estimate for the global production peak of fossil fuels, the timing of which depends on reserve size, recoverability and technology.

The first scenario estimates carbon dioxide levels, if emissions from fossil fuels are unconstrained and follow along “business as usual” growing by two percent annually until half of each reservoir has been recovered, after which emissions begin to decline by two percent annually.

The second scenario considers a situation in which emissions from coal are reduced first by developed countries starting in 2013 and then by developing countries a decade later, leading to a global phase out by 2050 of the emissions from burning coal that reach the atmosphere.

The reduction of emissions to the atmosphere in this case can come from reducing coal consumption or from capturing and sequestering the carbon dioxide before it reaches the atmosphere.

The remaining three scenarios include the above-mentioned phase out of coal, but consider different scenarios for oil use and supply.

Next, the team proposes to use a simplified mathematical model, called the Bern Carbon Cycle model, to convert carbon dioxide emissions from each scenario into estimates of future carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.

The unconstrained “business as usual” scenario resulted in a level of atmospheric carbon dioxide that more than doubled the pre-industrial level and from about 2035 onward levels exceed the 450 ppm threshold of this study.

Even when low-end estimates of reserves were assumed, the threshold exceeded from about 2050 onwards.

The other four scenarios, however, resulted in carbon dioxide levels that peaked in various years but all fell below the prescribed cap of 450 ppm by about 2080 at the latest, with levels in two of the scenarios always staying below the threshold.

The researchers suggested that the results illustrated by each scenario have clear implications for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from coal, as well as “unconventional” fuels such as methane hydrates and tar sands, all of which contain much more fossil carbon than conventional oil and gas.

By Arunava Das

Are you "mentally handicapped"?

By Shilz

This post is in response to my earlier blog titled "Splitsvilla: TRP game play – Laying foundation for growing sick trend in media!"

Thanks for all who have joined their hands with me in blogging about such issues. Let it be small, but atleast we have started to write about such sick trends growing in our society, that matters a lot! So I here by thank everyone who are into this...trying to create an awareness among our youngsters regarding this...whether directly or indirectly! It is often cruel, exposing the participants to gross humiliation for amusement of viewers. It is really nonsense to say that broadcasters should not set standards or be obliged to adhere to codes of behaviour, in case of reality shows.Reality TV is debasing and should be strictly controlled, if not banned altogether.

The more harm is that..such shows are impairing the thinking of youngsters. And, not only them even kids.

Once I saw few kids watching TV...looking at those small cute kids..viewing TV most of the time...i felt as if they are becoming "mentally handicapped", yes I use this term for such kids. The harm the TV does on their thinking is beyond one can imagine!

Volkswagen: Das Auto

As usual I stumbled across another interesting piece of news. The headline proclaiming “The World's Most Fuel-Efficient Car” had caught my eye. Temptation and curiosity led me into digging deeper.



“Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH”, founded in 1937, was renamed "Volkswagenwerk GmbH" in 1938. A car designed by Ferdinand Porsche was the first one to go onto production at Volkswagenwerk plant and from then on there was no looking back. Volkswagen went on to break the world car production record with the “Beetle” and rest is history as they say.



I guess the year was 2002 when Volkswagen had come with a concept car that would run a 100 km per liter of fuel consumption. The engine had only one cylinder and weighing at 26 kilograms, displacement of 299cc, a 6 speed gearbox, the concept car can travel at 120km/hr max.



The car is a two seater with the passenger sitting directly behind the driver and looks like a rocket ship from behind. Overall it looks like a futuristic car.



But one thought kept gnawing away in my mind. Though a conventional engine that runs on fossil fuel makes sense in the immediate of things, for a concept car saving on fuel, I was expecting it to be powered by fuel cells or at least a hybrid.



But as they say, necessity is the mother of all inventions. Over to you, Volkswagen.



Image Source: Cars World and Treehugger







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Splitsvilla: TRP game play – Laying foundation for growing sick trend in media!

By Shilz

I’m seriously losing any respect I had for the MTV India crew. Granted roadies was a series of bleeped out sound bytes and mind numbing cat fights with added masala of changing rules and re-entries. However, the challenges were nevertheless good enough for it to be rated a ‘reality adventure show’. But MTV’s Splitsvilla, was the worst show I have ever seen. It was just a shameless skin show being proclaimed as a rocking reality show!

I never thought that people can go to such extent for grabbing TRPs! Yes, this reality show looks like just a package created to grab as many TRPs as possible, and nothing else. Viewers craving for humiliation (of others) and skin show can be happy with such shows and they may criticize my views, but I seriously want to address this sick trend, which is growing! 20 something girls going all the way – from dressing low, wooing the boys, boys figuring who has the “best” and worst” body, belly dancing of gals to bathroom tub caressing – they are letting nothing hold them back.

While watching this show, I recalled my friend, Rocksta’s thoughts about responsibilities of mass media. Please find below an excerpt from his article titled: “Mass Media and its responsibilities”:

“The extent of reach which Mass Media in this digital age commands, is truly amazing and eye opening; both in terms of viewership and the ability to influence a person’s thinking. But why do I get the feeling that Mass Media is misusing this power, misleading people, creating unnecessary hype to increase circulation numbers. With absolute power comes great responsibility. Mass Media has acquired absolute power, but lacking in the responsibility department.”

I really don’t get the fascination (some) youths have developed for this “Splitsvilla” show. In a nutshell Splitsvilla consists of 20 women vying for attention of two young men. The folks behind this reality show would like us to believe that the concept of the show is the search for ‘True Love’. (along with a fetching sum of 5lakhs!) Each week one girl’s fate rests in the hands of the two men, who have the power to vote her out of the show.

In splitsvilla, all the contests (the supposed search for qualities) seem to be aimed at one thing alone. Getting the girls to wear the least possible amount of clothes! Think of it, the best body contest, the dare (sadly didn’t work out as planned I suppose), the sensous dance/ lap dance, the bubble bath, the mud wrestling, the beachwear photo shoot??? and many of their dates are somehow near some water body or other ( the pool, spa jacuzzi, beach, man made lake) just inviting them to don their swimsuits yet again!

I fail to see the point behind a show such as this and that too being heavily promoted by a channel responsible in so many ways for shaping the minds of our youth.

What makes matters worse is the reason behind such crass behavior - two men, worth nothing. And I mean nothing. Thin, squirmy, ugly, all backed by high headiness – that seems to be their only qualification. Frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow it is revealed that the boys belonged to the sponsor’s clan or the production/channel’s household. So here we have two absolute losers tossing girls around as per their whims and fancy.

The show preys on the desire of young girls to make it big in showbiz. There is absolutely no competition, just puppetry and I think it is sending out the wrong signals to a lot of young minds over there.

Every time I watch the girls on Splitsvilla, I really feel bad for those gals, why they are letting themselves to be used like that! Guess this is one instance when a parent would not proudly proclaim “meri beti TV par aa rahi hai!”

These are young beautiful girls, reasonably intelligent and well spoken and obviously from well to do families. They have everything going for them. Why they would opt to do a show of this sort is beyond my reasoning. And if u think the reason is money, judging from their outfits and demeanor, I seriously doubt any of them is in danger of running bankrupt in the near future. Besides weren’t they told about the money only on their first day in the villa!

Which gets me to the most important point - while the channel, viewers and the boys are having a gala time at the expense of the participating girls – is 15 seconds of fame a good enough reason for these contestants to completely demean themselves?

Not looking at it from a feminist view point, as a life lesson I believe nothing is worth more than one’s own self-respect let alone mortifying yourself on national television not once but umpteen number of times. While MTV may call their creation as ‘testing of one’s character’, I simply see it as TRP game play, being done at all costs.

Reference:

Desidabba.org

Global Warming: The Greatest Farce Of This Century And Probably Many More To Come…

Imagine that the sun never played a role in determining our climate. Imagine that the clouds, the oceans and the wind are innocent bystanders of the climate change. Then the rational mind begins to question. What determines the climate? I guess with all the media coverage, the political darling, the “Global Warming” would be the logical choice to put its hand up and say, “I am the one who determines and controls the climate change”.



The media has whipped up such frenzy around this magical term “Global Warming” that people without a scientific bent of a mind tend to ignore the vital role that sun with its sun spots and its solar winds, the cosmic dust and the normal climate mechanism have been playing in determining the climate and consider global warming as the sole factor responsible for the climate change.



When a certain section of scientists tried to point out this huge bias towards global warming, they were either ignored or faced ostracism from their own community of scientists who viewed them as killers of the golden goose. Some even received death threats and were branded as cohorts to the multinational companies that were in the dock for violating / exploiting the environment. Some were simply ignored.



Climate change with respect to global warming is a huge money spinner, attracting billions of dollars in funding. And where the money is, you can bet your life on it that media hype would be there like a shadow. With so many jobs and livelihoods being dependent on this mass hysteria known as “Global Warming”, who would dare to kill the golden goose.



Increase in man made CO2 levels has been termed the main catalyst resulting in global warming. What media and certain scientific community blatantly ignores or fails to highlight is that the composition of CO2 with respect to other gases in the atmosphere is very small to cause / affect a climate change on its own. And moreover, the ratio of CO2 emitted due to human activities against the CO2 emitted naturally is miniscule. But the proponents of global warming have been screaming their voices to hoarse that it’s the man made emissions of CO2 is the one responsible for the drastic climate change.



Scientists have analyzed the ice-cores obtained by drilling into the ice at the poles and have been able to accurately pinpoint the atmospheric composition of the micro-environment that existed a long time ago. They have very clearly said that the levels of CO2 were pretty normal and in no way were responsible or affected the temperature as pointed out by some popular documentaries showing a temperature versus the level of CO2 graph. Instead they have conclusive proof to show the role played by the sun spots and the cosmic dust affecting the temperature, thus being responsible for the climate change.



Proponents of global warming have pointed that change in ocean currents as a direct effect of global warming. What they fail to see or blatantly ignore is that these oceanic systems usually take hundreds of years to change and the changes that we are seeing now is probably due something that happened hundreds of years ago. Hundreds of years ago there was no such thing as global warming!



I can go on ranting against global warming, but people reading this piece of diatribe would lose their interest. Let us believe and reinforce our trust in “Nature” and leave it to her to figure out this climate change. Climate change is not in our hands. That’s the ultimate truth no matter how hollow, bitter or unbelievable it might sound.



Instead, let’s focus on what is in our control. Stop the destruction of rainforests. Prevent the extinction of both animal and plant species. Let’s put technology to good use, prevent further degradation of our environment. Let’s reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and look for feasible alternatives. I would leave it you to fill in the rest.



But most importantly, let us stop pressurizing the under-developed, poor countries to adopt solar and wind as alternative sources of energy. It’s cruel and unfair to expect these countries to build a steel factory that would run on solar or wind energy. It is impossible. Let us offer them the chance to use conventional sources of energy and improve their economy and their standard of living.



Did I forget to mention the numerous carbon offset programmes that have sprouted over the internet? As far as I am concerned this is one among the popular ways to play on human guilt and swindle money. I seriously do not believe in offsetting one’s carbon footprint by donating money to these unscrupulous sites that promise to plant trees on our behalf. Instead, if one is really racked by guilt then I would suggest that person to plant a tree somewhere nearby, nurture it. It would really warm the cockles of that person’s heart to see the sapling grow in front of his eyes and erase any guilt that he has harbored in this heart.



The theory of man made global warming is now so firmly entrenched, the voices of opposition is effectively silenced; it seems invincible, untroubled by any contrary evidence no matter how strong. The global warming alarm is now beyond reason.



A short documentary written and directed by Martin Durkin for Channel 4, A wag TV production gave wings to my beliefs and opened my eyes to the greatest hoax that was ever told: Global Warming.



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