he Kaj Schmidt Memorial

A memorial at the Elliot’s Beach that one can’t miss in Chennai is the The Kaj Schmidt Memorial. Located closer to the Besant Nagar the memorial is a piece of architecture and also a landmark for the region. A plaque on the memorial states that it was built to commemorate the gallantry of Schmidt, an European sailor, who had drowned near the spot trying to save the lives of others on December 30, 1930! Unfortunately today it is now in a derelict state and needs an urgent attention for the protection of the same.

The Future of Food

We used to be a nation of farmers, but now it's increasingly becoming lesser and lesser in India. So a lot of us don't know a lot about what it takes to grow food.

There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables around the world-- a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that are quietly filling the grocery store shelves.

This film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalisation are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply.

Shot in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today.

This is a film that every GMO-Food foes must turn to. This stylish film is not just for food faddists and nutritionists. It is a look at something we might not want to see: how GM seeds, collectively are wreaking havoc on agriculture around the world. In the end, this documentary is a eloquent call to action.
The Future of Food provides an excellent overview of the key questions raised by consumers as they become aware of GM foods... It draws questions to critical attention about food production that need more public debate.

In short, "If you eat food, you need to see “The Future of Food!”
The narration and the audio of the video is in English (subtitles are in a different language, though). Even though this is a long video, see atleast the first 30 mins, you will know what is happening in the agricultural world with the introduction of Gene Revolution.

How The World Changes...

I am sure you all will find the following clock very interesting and get it forwarding to others. Very interesting Clock. Tells how the world changes every minute... Gives the Global Warming statistics, the Earth Temperature, Oil Pumped, Cars Produced, Forest Lost……. and much much more...

Zero Visibility in Chennai Roads in May

The picture on the side is of the Velachery Main Road, where the visibility is reduced to near zero for motorists taking the stretch, thanks to the non-stop burning of waste at the garbage dumping yard of the Alandur municipality. This is an everyday affair and all pollution control laws [Section 3, 6 and 25 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986)] flouted!

Close to 110 tonnes of garbage are deposited at the nine-acre (36420.0 sq.m) land-filling site located adjacent to the road by the Alandur and Ullagaram Municipalities.

The smoke emanating from the yard has not only brought down visibility levels for motorists, it has also been causing breathing problems and acute irritation in the eyes for residents, particularly those living in nearby slum pockets.

Officials of the Municipal Administration attribute the cause of fire in the yard, to the scorching heat of the summer and the inflammable materials dumped in the garbage had sparked the fire. It’s a surprise as over 50% of the domestic wastes in India are wet wastes, comprising of vegetables, food etc., which will not easily catch fire. And the surprising act is the fire catches only in the nights/ early mornings and not in the evenings or afternoons!

This is also slowly degrading the Pallikaranai wetland on the opposite side of the road, and eutrophication is setting in!

An article appeared recently in the Hindu on this very menace, with my name quoted in! You could look up the following link if you so desire!

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/16/stories/2008051659100400.htm

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Killer Presentation Skills

J. Douglas Jefferys brings twenty-five years of corporate training experience to his role as a principal of PublicSpeakingSkills.com. Mr. Jefferys has personally trained over 15,000 business presenters in his firm's unique presentation design and delivery skills; He is the author of “And Your Point Is?, A primer on proper presentation design, as well as two full-length videos on designing and delivering presentations that are at once compelling and yet easy on both audience and presenter.

Forget everything you've heard about eye-contact, body language, and voice - it's likely either old-school, or just plain wrong. In this very entertaining, knowledge-packed video, you will see and hear for yourself what has been imprisoning the excellent presenter inside you. The video, filmed before a live audience of 200 and enhanced with studio-overlaid visuals of the relevant slides, you will be privy to the most important presentation delivery skills that has heretofore only shared with private corporate clients.