Urban Trees and Urban Transportation

The need for a change in thinking.

Coimbatore-Mettupalayam Road, India.
Source of the pic from facebook which shows the actual scenario

I feel so hurt whenever they cut the trees in the name of road widening, to ease the traffic situation, in the name of development, etc,etc. I feel the need to do something, and every time they cut a tree the urge is becoming stronger. Our trees they act as silent saviours to all the attrocities we do in the name of development, but what we do we don respect any of that and cut them off. Due to pollution, health concerns like breathing problems and asthma are a major concern and have become common nowadays. Increase in green house gases and global warming etc etc are major global concerns.

As a person with common sense i know cutting trees in the name of road widening or any other reason is not a solution. And as a planner, i have been taught road widening is in itself not the permanent solution, the vehicle population will keep on growing. In reality, cutting off the trees in the roadside, is only easy solution that has been opted for.

I asked my sir who has a NGO, when they were planning to cut the trees along mettupalayam road for multiple laning. Many NGOs and groups protested against that and got a stay in the court finally after somedays they got a higher court order and finally cut the trees, which were more than 50 years old or may be more than that. Now that road which used to be so shaded is full of dust. This is the case in almost all the places all over India and across the world. Increasingly we are seeing more protests all over.

Is protesting the only solution?? What needs to be done to prevent that(cutting of more trees in the name of development) and create more awareness among the decision makers????

Need ideas and ccomments....As a planner what should i do??? 

Will doing research on the after effects be an alternative??

3D flower pop up Greeting card

Made this card for a friend. My first attempt at a popup card....:-).Here are some clicks of the card.

Instructions on how to make the flower pop up card can be found in the links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUGrIop_pwo

http://extremecards.blogspot.com/2008/05/seven-flower-pop-up-card.html

Abraham Lincoln's Letter to his son's Teacher

Was searching for this letter, which I've read long back in a book, and found a video in Youtube made by sparkling galaxy. Thought I'll share it. 

Abraham Lincoln supposedly wrote this letter to his son's teacher. Its authenticity of authorship is not proven. But the thoughts reflected in the letter are worth a read and what every parent wants their child to learn to survive in this world.

"My son starts school today. It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while and I wish you would treat him gently. It is an adventure that might take him across continents. All adventures that probably include wars, tragedy and sorrow. To live this life will require faith, love and courage. 

So dear Teacher, will you please take him by his hand and teach him things he will have to know, teaching him - but gently, if you can.

He will have to learn, I know,

that all men are not just,

that all men are not true.

But teach him also that

for every scoundrel there is a hero;

that for every selfish Politician,

there is a dedicated leader…

Teach him for every enemy 

there is a friend,

It will take time, I know;

But teach him, if you can,

That a dollar earned...

Is far more vauable than five found.

Teach him to learn to lose gracefully

And also to enjoy winning

when he does win.

Steer him away from envy,

if you can,

Teach him the secret of

quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that

the bullies are the easiest to lick…

Teach him, if you can,

the wonder of books…

But also give him

quiet time to ponder

over the eternal mystery

of birds in the sky,

bees in the sun,

and flowers on a green hillside.

In the school teach him

it is far honourable to fail

than to cheat…

Teach him to have faith

in his own ideas,

even if everyone tells him

they are wrong…

Teach him to be gentle

with gentle people,

and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son the strength

not to follow the crowd

when everyone is getting on the band wagon…

Teach him to listen

to all men…but

teach him also to filter

all he hears

on a screen of truth,

and take only the good

that comes through.

Teach him if you can,

how to laugh when he is sad…

Teach him there is no shame in tears,

Teach him to scoff at cynics

and to beware of too much sweetness…

Teach him to sell his brawn

and brain to the highest bidders

but never to put a price-tag

on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears

to a howling mob

and to stand and fight

if he thinks he’s right.

Treat him gently,

but do not cuddle him,

because only the test

of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage

to be impatient…

let him have the patience to be brave.

Teach him always

to have sublime faith in himself,

because then he will have

sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order,

but see what you can do…

He is such a fine little fellow,

my son!"

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.....

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

From the poem 'Road not Taken' by Robert Frost

Whenever i am at the cross roads, this poem always inspires me.........

The Solutions to Life's 10 Biggest Problems!!!

An interesting article by Dr.Philip E. Humbert. Really inspiring for me.

1. Tunnel Vision : The tendency to focus only on the immediate crisis or sore spot. Under stress, things look worse or more complex than they really are.
The solution - Perspective. Ask if it will matter in 6 months. Ask what else is going on? How did I create this situation and, in an ideal world, what would I like to do about it?

2. Fear : The anxiety or terror that things will go badly, that we will fail or be embarrassed. 

The solution - Humor and Curiosity. Modern life has very few saber-tooth tigers. The situation is rarely life or death. Ask, What's the worst that can happen? What's the best? What can I learn? What would I do if I had no fear?

3. Confusion : The sense of being lost or unclear about our direction. The sense that we don't know our own priorities anymore. 

The solution - Responsible Choices. Choose your values and priorities and set your own path. Your life is yours. Check your moral compass, pick a direction and do something extraordinary!

4. Guilt : The belief that we have hurt or failed or sinned and deserve punishment. Guilt is either accurate, because sometimes we do behave badly, or it is false and simply an illusion. 

The solution - If we have transgressed, we must make restitution, ask forgiveness, learn from our error and move on. If it is false guilt, set it down as an unnecessary and irrational burden.

5. Shame : The belief that we are worth-less than others, that we have a terrible, incurable flaw. It is not that we have done something wrong (guilt), but that we are bad or wrong. 

The solution - Clear, rational thinking. Everyone has behaved badly, but no one was created badly! Any flaws only serve to make you stronger, more heroic or more compassionate toward others.

6. Loneliness : The belief that no one loves us, that no one cares and we must desperately cling to anyone who finds us attractive or acceptable. This creates dependency, not intimacy. 

The solution - Accurate Self-Assessment. Not everyone will love you, but many people will if they meet you, get to know you, and spend time working/playing along side you.

7. Resentment : Holding anger and refusing to move beyond real or imagined mistreatment in the past. Some people spend their whole lives as "victims", nurturing a terrible event in their past.
The solution - Let go! Life is not fair and people do not always behave well or kindly. Use your trauma to make you wise, kind, gentle, and strong. Holding anger will not work.

8. Self-Doubt : The repeated, endless questioning of your own abilities, opinions or actions. The inability to take a stand, to act boldly, or to follow-through.
The solution - Action! Think clearly, then take action and follow-through. Start small, but do it! You are the world's expert on your life! Use your wisdom to live well.

9. Stubbornness : The refusal or inability to re-assess a situation, change your mind, or admit you were wrong.
The solution - Wisdom and Humility. Only a fool stays on a course that is headed for disaster! Search for new and better information, remain flexible, open and creative. When the situation changes, adjust accordingly and set a new course.

10. Addiction : Humans become addicted to drugs, but we also become addicted to our jobs, our opinions or our lifestyle. We can be addicted to people and need them rather than love them.
The solution - Take a vacation! Periodically, walk in someone else's shoes. Break your habits, re-arrange your schedule, delegate those things that only you can do "right". Use habits and traditions to set you free, don't let habits enslave you!

By Phil, Mary, and the Staff at
Resources for Success!™

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr.Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com "

Golden Temple, Amritsar, India

19th January 2009
 I accompanied two of my friends for a leisure trip to Amritsar and the Golden temple.This trip was one of my most memorable trips. It is one of the must see places in India.We have planned for a one day visit to Amritsar from Delhi.,where we have gone for a college trip. The journey started with a scary bus journey from Delhi, but ended with lot of beautiful memories. We had a great time in Amritsar visiting The Golden Temple, Historic Jalliawalabagh and the Wagah border. Here are some clicks from the trip.

Reflections - 1

Our first view of the Golden Temple

Reflections - 2  The Golden Temple

The Entrance

The Golden Temple

Kada

The Sacred Holy Waters

Side view 

Pradakshna (circumambulatory path)

The Holy Shrine

Waiting in queue to the enter the Holy Shrine

Reflections-3 , Gurudwara complex

Reflections-4 , Gurudwara complex

Women and Empowerment - My Thoughts and Views

Women's Empowerment. Everybody starts talking about this term especially when the international women's day nears and, when talking about women's rights and upliftment and according to United Nations, women's empowerment is one of the pathways to achieving Millenium development goals and  Sustainable development. What does this term actually mean? Was thinking about this term and wanted a better understanding, so thinking, and expressing my thoughts regarding it. According to the Oxford dictionary, empower(v) empowerment(n) means give (someone) the authority or power to do something, make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.

So according to the above definition, it means giving someone the authority or power to do something, in this context, women.So does it mean women don't have authority or power to do whatever they want especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights??? The answer is yes in most of the cases. The situation is slowly improving but the reality still hurts. 

It starts from the moment a girl child is born or rather born in the womb. A girl child is considered as a burden to the family mainly because of arranged marriage system and dowry in India. Even if the parents want a girl child and love her and educate her and give her the freedom of choice in all the other things, regarding marriage its not her choice. In many rural areas, for many girls, it is still difficult to finish their primary education or continue with their secondary eduation. In terms of education and employment, nowadays the situation is slowly changing and we are seeing more and more women entering into the domain of men. But still there are many இடர்பாடுகள்.

In majority of cases, after marriage, it is Women, who needs to sacrifice, sacrifice may be a strong word, may be give up, her education and employment and dreams for the sake of the family, in order to make everbody in the family happy, including herself, since her happiness depends on her family. Even if she wants to work and allowed to study and work, she needs to do all the household duties and take care of the child, in addition to that, work or study, where in turn she needs to compete with men. Women are multitaskers by nature, so they carry on with all that without complaining however stressful it might be. Only thing we ask for is allow us to be who we are and allow us to do what we want to do.

Nowadays men are becoming more understanding, and sharing the burden of the household. I am blessed to have a family who gave me the right to do whatever i wanted to do, in terms of education, employment as well as when to marry and the choice of my better half (which is still an issue for many women where they are forced to marry without any consent of theirs). But this is not the case in most of the households. This scenario is slowly changing all over the world and there is more awareness and hope. Let us Hope for the Best.

Nothing is difficult when the Dreams are big and the Aspirations are high. Whatever our mind can conceive and believe it can achieve. Let us make up our mind, Dream big and Work towards Empowering Ourselves.


Cheers to the Power of the Women !!! :-)

Please feel free to add your views and comments. Your views and comments are greatly appreciated.

International Women's Day

First of all A Very Happy International Women's Day to all the Women. It is Our day. Let Us all be Empowered.


A Brief History
International Women's Day is celebrated every year on the 8th of March to celebrate the power of women and their centuries old struggle towards liberty, equality and to be considered on an equal footing with men in the society. Women are continuing to cross all the boundaries but still there are many who suffer, who does not have any alternative but to suffer just because they are women. Let us all stride towards our liberation and empowerment. Listed below is the Chronology of important events.

My First Post

About my Blog
I created this blog for exploring and expressing my creative and idealistic side. Have been thinking about creating a blog for quite a long time. Finally started it. I have divided the blog into different segments according to my interests and in the process of adding them. Please feel free to browse through all the segments. Hope this blog interests you.

About me
"Be the change you want to see in this world" is my favourite quote.
I strongly feel i should do my part to make this world a better place to live in. We cannot expect others unless we do. Still thinking what to do and how to do it. I will definitely do something someday. This blog is the first step forward towards it.
My interests are quite varied. Every new thing interests me. I love to travel, and enjoy reading books. My other interests include Admiring Nature and its creations, Arts and crafts, Painting, Sketching, Origami , Anything to make with paper, Photography(not with a SLR camera),  and it keeps going on and on.....Socialism, Marxism, Universe, Astronomy, Space, Tamil, Spirituality, Ancient  History, Architecture, Planning and Everything related to Sustainability and Green design.