Friday, May 31, 2013

Extreme road to school

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: K.G. GOPALAKRISHNAN <kgopalakrishnan52@yahoo.in>
Date: Fri, May 31, 2013 at 8:15 AM
Subject: [www.keralites.net] Extreme road to school....
To:

While I believe many of these schools are at the very remote parts of their countries where the population are sparse and scattered but I also noticed that in some cases the government had not done what they are supposed to do for their people like repairing the collapsed suspension bridge at Pintu Gabang Dujiangyan, build another suspension bridge beside the aqueduct and construct a safer "cable car" at Decun.

As for the 5000-strong school in Macheng where the children have to carry their own desks and chairs to school, I find it mind boggling especially with the photo where the mother has a motorbike and yet cannot donate a desk and chair to the school!! The school is in a town with affordable town folks (though not everyone)!! and yet they prefer to ferry the desks and chairs to the school everyday and not donating it to the school!!

TC

Extreme Road To School

Children walk along a narrow mountain road to get to school in Bijie, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Banpo Elementary School is located halfway up a mountain and each day students from the nearby Genguan village have to climb a narrow winding footpath cut into the mountainside...Picture: HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features

The footpath is cut through the cliff face at points. It is less than 0.5 metres wide in places so the children have to walk single file and press themselves into the side of the mountain is someone wants to squeeze past. According to headmaster Xu Liangfan the school has 49 students.Picture: HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features

A boy climbs a wire across a river to get to school in Pintu Gabang, Indonesia. These children have to tightrope walk 30 feet above a flowing river to get to their class on time and then walk a further seven miles through the forest to their school in the town of Padang...Picture: Panjalu Images / Barcroft Media

Each day 20 determined pupils have to cross the local river like circus performers after the suspension bridge collapsed in heavy rain.Picture: Panjalu Images / Barcroft Media

Teacher Li Guilin helps children climb one of five rickety wooden ladders to reach their school on a cliff 2,800m above sea level, in Gangluo County, Sichuan Province, China. The children would spend the week at the school before repeating the dangerous journey in order to get home for the weekend...Picture: Quirky China News / Rex Features

The wooden ladders on the approach to the school have been replaced with a metal staircase that makes the ascent much easier and safer.Picture: Quirky China News / Rex Features

A school child crosses ane aqueduct that separates Suro Village and Plempungan Village in Java, Indonesia.The children decided to use the aqueduct on their journey to school as a shortcut, even though it wasn't made for people to walk on...Picture: Panjalu Images / Barcroft Media

Even though it is dangerous, the children say would rather use it than walk a distance over six kilometers.Picture: Panjalu Images / Barcroft Media

To get to school each day children living in a mountainous village in China have to cross a valley hundreds of metres deep on a rickety, homemade cable car. Villagers who live in Decun village in southwest China's Guizhou Province used to have to make the journey on foot, which took five hours, but in 2002 local man Hui Defang built a simple cableway.Picture: Quirky China News / Rex Features

Gulu Village Primary School pupil Shen Qicai rides a donkey as his his grandfather accompanies him. Gulu is a remote Chinese mountain village located in a national park filled with canyons, sheer precipices and overhanging rocks. The village'?s primary school is probably the most remote in the world. Lying halfway up a mountain, it takes five hours to climb from the base to the school...Picture: Sipa Press / Rex Features

The children who attend the school face a dangerous journey to reach it and must traverse a path that is only 1ft 4ins wide and which has a sheer drop on one side.Picture: Sipa Press / Rex Features

Zhao Jihong and her four-year-old daughter Zi Yi cross a broken bridge in the snow to get to school in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, China. Shawan village's only connection to the outside is a wooden bridge. However, this bridge was damaged by flooding, leaving it extremely precarious and leaning dangerously to one side.Picture: Quirky China News / Rex Features

Children walk to school using a 'bridge' made from stools after fl00ding in Changzhou city, Jiangsu Province, ChinaPicture: Quirky China News / Rex Features

A woman carries a desk while a young girl carries a chair to school in Macheng, Hubei province, China, where primary school pupils have to bring their own desks and chairsPicture: Imaginechina / Rex Features

Five-year-old Lu Siling rides with her desk on the back of her mother's motorbike on the first day of school in Macheng, China. There are 5,000 pupils at the schools in the town, but only about 2,000 desks. So more than 3,000 children have to go to school with desks and chairs, like their parents' generation. Some children even use their parents' old desks.Picture: China Foto Press / Barcroft Media

Students carry their belongings as they trek back to school from home on a rugged mountain path in Dahua Yao Autonomous County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. As the children live in mountains far away from the village school, most of them stay there during the school year and return home for the summer and other holidays.Picture: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA / Rex Features

Children attend class at the Dongzhong (literally means in cave) primary school at a Miao village in Ziyun county, southwest China's Guizhou province. The school is built in a huge, aircraft hanger-sized natural cave, carved.

Thanks & Best Regards,

AIJAZ AHMED

Dammam

Saudi Arabia

www.facebook.com/aijazahmedit

Only in Africa

FORWARDED AS RECEIVED.......................

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peter Hilder <philder@southernphone.com.au>
Date: Thu, May 30, 2013 at 12:17 PM
Subject: [www.keralites.net] Only in Africa!!
To:

Only in Africa!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gives a new meaning to a hot tub! On sunday

Solar Power!

No accidents here!

The true meaning of Horse Power!

Come and have a game of football!

Which reminds me, I need to wáter my garden!

Talk about Hands-Free!

Thanks & Best Regards,

AIJAZ AHMED

Dammam

Saudi Arabia

www.facebook.com/aijazahmedit

Ice Jam In Alaska

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From: Deepak Punjabi <indigoblue2005@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, May 30, 2013 at 12:01 PM
Subject: [FunOnTheNet] Ice Jam In Alaska
To:

Thirty-mile long ice jam causes devastating floods in Alaskan town as hundreds of residents are forced to flee

Ice jam is when water builds up behind ice and then over flows
Most of the chunks of ice have already broken off, giving hope to the hundreds of displaced residents
Alaska National Guard called in to help with evacuations
'I've never seen anything like this before,' one official said. 'And I don't think these people here (have) either. The ice jam is amazing'

By Associated Press Reporter

PUBLISHED: 02:14 GMT, 30 May 2013 | UPDATED: 05:43 GMT, 30 May 2013

A huge 30-mile block of ice his causing chaos in an Alaskan town as water has been flowing onto the land.

The colossal river ice jam, which is when water builds up behind a block of ice, was starting to rotate Wednesday as water finally chewed ice chunks away from the stubborn, frozen mass after most of the residents were forced to flee from the rising water.

An aerial survey Wednesday afternoon revealed chunks of ice have broken off at the front of the 30-mile ice jam on the Yukon River, National Weather Service hydrologist Ed Plumb said.

That means the jam will move soon and waters will begin to recede in the waterlogged town of Galena, 20 miles upriver.

'I've never seen anything like this before,' one official said. 'And I don't think these people here (have) either. The ice jam is amazing.'

The ice jam had begun churning Wednesday as water finally chewed ice chunks away from the river

The flooding lifted homes off foundations and has threatened to break a dike protecting the airport, virtually the only dry spot left in the community of 500 where floodwaters washed out roads and submerged homes. There are no reports of injuries.

The National Guard flew 32 more people and 19 dogs to Fairbanks Tuesday night. Other residents were evacuated earlier.

Kevin Ray, a state worker who moved to Galena four months ago, was among the human evacuees who flew in on a Guard C-130 transport plane to Fairbanks, 270 miles east of Galena. Ray said the flight was noisy, with the constant barking of frightened dogs.

In Galena, Ray's office is gone. His apartment and all his possessions are under water.

'So basically, I'm kind of a homeless guy,' Ray, 65, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday from an American Red Cross shelter set up at a local church. 'I never thought I'd be a victim. But hey, life is life.'

The community of 500 had to evacuate after the floods but there have been no reports of injuries

The flooding lifted homes off foundations and has threatened to break a dike protecting the airport, virtually the only dry spot left

Now that the water is trying to push through the jam, conditions could change quickly. When the jam breaks, the downriver community of Koyukuk will be at risk of flooding.

In an earlier flight Wednesday, Plumb said, the ice was locked firmly in place, despite 80 degree temperatures. The hot weather is expected to last a couple days before cooling slightly.

In Galena, water went over low areas of the dike Tuesday, then the water level fell. With the threat of water topping the dike again, the state took the step of bringing in military aircraft to aid in the evacuations of those who wanted to leave. State emergency spokesman Jeremy Zidek said 76 residents chose to stay in a former Air Force barracks.

The water was rising again Wednesday morning close to the edge of the dike, which protects the runway and some buildings including former barracks, then levels fluctuated without rising more, Plumb said. Outside the dike, everything has been hit by flooding, according to Plumb, who has worked for the weather service for 13 years.

'I've never seen anything like this before,' he said. 'And I don't think these people here (have) either. The ice jam is amazing.'

The water was rising again Wednesday morning close to the edge of the dike, which protects the runway and some buildings including former barracks, then levels fluctuated without rising more

The damage has left the town without power, fresh water and cell phone reception. When the ice jam knocked out the bridge leading to the airport, evacuees had to be taken there by boat or helicopter, according to Ray, who said the flooding began with a trickle Sunday. In a place where spring flooding is nothing new, many homes are built on stilts, but the fast rising water reached them, too.

COLOSSAL ICE JAM FORMATION

An ice jam occurs when water builds up behind a blockage of ice.

That includes a glacier blocking an unfrozen river, as is happening in Alaska, and a thawing river being blocked by a still-frozen section further on.

After the ice dam breaks apart, the sudden surge of water floods areas downstream.

The disaster has left people feeling traumatized and vulnerable, Ray said.

'We didn't have any idea how vast the flood was going to be,' he said.

Zidek said the damage is being assessed and a disaster policy cabinet will forward recommendations to Gov. Sean Parnell, who visited the area Tuesday.

Recommendations are likely to include issuing a disaster declaration.

Parnell surveyed the damage on Tuesday and had the Alaska National Guard help evacuate the estimated 75 residents still in town.

'We expect the flooding to become worse before the waters start to recede,' Parnell said.

'Ensuring the safety of those impacted by the flooding remains my top priority.'

Devastation: Homes in Galena, Alaska were destroyed after a 30-mile ice jam on the Yukon River sent water flowing onto the land

The damage has left the town without power, fresh water and cell phone reception. When the ice jam knocked out the bridge leading to the airport, evacuees had to be taken there by boat or helicopter.

Thanks & Best Regards,

AIJAZ AHMED

Dammam

Saudi Arabia

www.facebook.com/aijazahmedit

Deadly Animals of the World

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Xewin <xewwex@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 29, 2013 at 6:13 PM
Subject: [www.keralites.net] Deadly Animals of the World
To:

Today, animals of all kinds can be considered dangerous. Some on this list have been known to kill a lot of people. Some of them are beautiful animals. However, looks can kill. All animals listed here are deadly, and some of them were only found to be so in the last decade. You're going to be stunned by what some of these animals can do.

1. Boomslang

The Boomslang is a snake that is primarily found in the South African area, but has been known to make its rounds throughout the African continent. It is one of the deadliest snakes in the world for a couple of reasons.

As you can see from the pic above, the fangs on this guy are big, and this is uncommon among the Boomslang's species. The eyes are also interesting. In fact, they have better eyesight than most snakes. Some say its eyesight is as good as a normal human being.

As most people know, snakes don't typically have the best eyesight. The Boomslang breaks that trend in a major way. They have been known to pick birds right out of the air due to their tremendous sight.

A human has no chance of escaping a bite if the Boomslang chooses to attack them. They usually don't go after humans, but will when threatened. Many of them are green and brown, so they blend in well with the wooded environment in which they thrive.

Boomslangs contain a Hemotoxin venom that, when injected, can kill within hours. A person will literally bleed from the inside out. You will bleed from every hole in the body. You'll even bleed from the ears, eyes, and penis/vagina.

The deadliest part of the whole thing is that the only place in South Africa that has the Antivenom is Johannesburg. So, if you're out in the bush when you get attacked, you may not make it to the hospital in time. Obviously, the smaller you are, the quicker it'll kill.

If you don't get treatment quickly, you'll start to wish you did, so don't play around with this. The average time for the poison to kill is a mere two hours. However, the longer you wait, the greater the risk for long term damage.

2. Cone Snail

The Cone Snail is one of those animals that no one thinks about, but it is as deadly as it gets. Usually, one may not even realize they are handling a Cone Snail because the first thing you see is their beautiful shell. The snail underneath is an afterthought, but a deadly one.

Shell collectors end up picking one up and the snail's harpoon will stick into the person. What happens next depends on the Cone Snail. Each one has a different poison. The deadly ones have a Neurotoxin that will temporarily paralyze you. Then your body will start to shut down. You will also develop severe respiratory problems. This could be the worst part of it.

The Cone Snail has something called a Conotoxin.

There is no cure for what the Cone Snail puts in your system. Sometimes full blood transfusions are necessary to get rid of the poison.

The way to survive the attack initially, before help arrives, is to make sure you alert someone as quickly as possible by calling 911. You should also make sure that CPR is performed. If CPR is administered, chances are there will be enough time to save the person's life. If not, they risk dying.

3. Hippopotamus

The Hippo is portrayed in pop culture as a slow, dim-witted animal. They have also been dubbed fun loving and peaceful.

While they are usually peaceful creatures, these 9,000 pound animals are also very territorial. They kill more humans on average each year than all African animals combined. This is a massive statistic when you think about it.

This animal has the potential to kill at any time, and people should take massive notice. The tour guides in the area know the signs of a Hippo that is miffed at them. They will give clues. However, novices won't pick up on them, and those are the people that die.

They are territorial animals that simply want to be left alone and given their space. If you do neither, you will pay with your life. Hippos cannot swim, which is one interesting fact about them. But when they chase you, they will basically run underwater, and they can move around 5 mph. This can be faster than you think. They also don't tire easy, so you better have good cardio to outswim one. When they get you, you will die. There is not even a doubt. It's rare when the Hippo stops early. They make sure you're dead so you don't come back. This is why they are naturally deadly.

The best thing to do is watch the Hippo from a safe distance. In doing so, the Hippo won't see you as an issue. The closer you get, the closer you are to death.

4. Poison Dart Frog

The Poison Dart Frogs are known for their beautiful colors. The Dart Frogs are some of the most beautiful creatures you will ever see, and it's a shame that they are so pretty. People would love to handle them, but should not without proper safety gear.

Dart Frogs have poisonous skin, which can be a big risk. Their secretions are also poisonous. This is how they keep themselves from becoming prey.

The Frog got its name for literal reasons. Tribes have used it to make poison darts/arrows for hundreds of years. It became a household usage, if you will, for tribes in the area.

It's unique in the fact that its skin and secretion is untouchable. However, not all poison dart frogs will kill humans with their poison. Only three are that deadly.

Usually, poison dart frogs won't kill you from a simple touch right away, but you can feel really sick. The poison will mostly cause sickness because it's technically not going into the blood when you touch it, but it is going into the skin.

Your skin acts as a filter between the poison and blood. So obviously some does get in, but not to an extreme level like with an open cut. Some with minor poison won't kill you even if it's shot directly into your bloodstream. But again, you will get quite sick.

The Golden Dart Frog can kill with its version of poison through just about any touch. It happens to be the most poisonous Dart Frog in the world, though. It would be the one to not even bother looking at.

Zoos keep these little guys in their own special cages. If animal experts won't touch them, neither should you. The color is beautiful, but that's your best warning.

5. Yellow Bellied Sea Snake

The Yellow Bellied Sea Snake is one of the most beautiful snakes in the world. However, it is as lethal as many. What makes this one stand out?

First of all, it's normally found in the sea, which is different from most snakes. It hunts at all times of the day, so you'll find it out and about a lot. They usually never attack humans unless you happen to get too close. Now, the coolest part of this snake is what it packs inside.

The poison is obviously lethal, but the way it can kill you is as horrible a way to go as possible. The venom is similar to that of Cobras, but more concentrated and more toxic. It's said that one drop of their venom can kill three grown men.

The toxin basically attacks your system like all other poisonous snakes' venom does. Yet, there is a twist. It attacks the respiratory system, and you can have an issue with paralysis. Worst of all, the venom attacks all the muscles, too. You can barely move, and you're in a ton of pain, as well. You wish you were dead. This part of it does not kick in for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on size. However, it's one of the roughest ways to die imaginable. You will end up experiencing the aches and pains even with the antivenom in your system, no matter how quickly you get it in. It's just your body's way of responding to it.

CPR is essential to even be kept alive until you can get the antivenom injected. If you don't, a person can possibly fade out not only from the pain and shock of it all, but from the issues caused with the lungs. CPR also assists the heart, so the added benefit of keeping the heart and lungs active long enough for help to arrive is essential to keeping someone alive.

Some people have mentioned, even after they were saved from the venom of a sea snake, that they had severe muscle aches. Often, the pain was horrific. People complained about all of this for months afterward, too. OUCH!

6. Blue-Ringed Octopus

The Blue-Ringed Octopus is a gorgeous animal. The average sea diver that looks at these creatures is immediately attracted by the beauty. However, you'll be in trouble if you don't keep a safe distance.

I am not kidding when I say that the venom contains tetrodotoxin, 5-hydroxytryptamine, hyaluronidase, tyramine, histamine, tryptamine, octopamine, taurine, acetylcholine, and dopamine.

You may recognize some of these from medications, like Dopamine. But inside this animal, the effects of all these combined can be vicious. There is no antivenom for this animal, but humans can survive it. How so?

The only way is by instant CPR. You will develop paralysis within 5 minutes. So, that's enough time to yell for help and tell someone to call 911. You can also tell them to deliver CPR. The average person dies from cardiac arrest or a lack of oxygen to the brain, causing suffocation. If CPR is performed immediately, you have a better chance.

You could also suffer permanent blindness or even permanent paralysis if help does not come soon.

As a rule, the most beautiful animals in the world are the ones you don't want to mess with. The Blue-Ringed Octopus makes that statement exponentially true.

7. Hooded Pitohui

One of the only poisonous birds in the animal kingdom, the Pitohui family of birds are, at times, lethal. The Hooded Pitohui typically gets the most press because it's not only seen more often, but its attacks have been reported more than other birds.

Scientists call it "The Flying Venom."

So, what poison does it use?

You read about the Poison Dart Frog earlier, and it's really the same thing. The HP has the exact same effect, as its skin and feathers are the poisonous part of it. The most horrible aspect is that the venom found on these birds is the most harmful venom known to mankind. Yeah, just when you thought it was fine to go outside, right?

A study was done on a mouse by injecting some of the HP's poison into it. Normally it takes a few minutes for poison to enter the animal, and then death will occur within a few minutes, on average. When they tested the HP venom, the mouse was dead within seconds, showing just how lethal it is.

Normally we won't be affected by this animal. Similar to the Poison Dart Frog, the poison has to hit the bloodstream. If it does not, though, a few side effects can still happen, such as numbness (usually where the poison was), tingling, or sneezing.

Paralysis and death can occur if the bird delivers a good portion of poison. Usually, it's rare that it gives out that much, though. Either way, it's a good idea to be careful if you go to Papua, New Guinea, the native area of this bird.

8. Death Stalker Scorpion

The Death Stalker Scorpion is kind of a fun name, right? It seems pretty nice.

If you're like the rest of the world and see that name, it sends instant fear. You'd be right to fear it, too. This creature isn't one to mess with, and it has a severe temper problem.

Many feel that this scorpion was the possible inspiration for the Scorpion character in Mortal Kombat. Many think it looks like a toy because of its beautiful yellow coloring. Therefore, it never really stands out as a big time threat to some children. This can result in a sting. The poison is lethal, as with many other scorpions. Here are same of the after effects of its sting.

Number one, their sting has been known to be incredibly painful. Many say it could be the worst of any sting or animal bite. Some have been known to go into shock as a result.

Also, the poison can cut off airways. It can kill you if the antivenom is not given soon. According to experts, it could take as little as a few hours. People have reported joint pain and severe headaches for a number of months after the sting.

You'll usually find this animal in Israel, but it has been found in other areas, too. This particular scorpion loves the sand, so be extra careful there.

9. Puffer Fish

Little is known about them, but the funny thing is that the Puffer Fish is more deadly after its death than during its life.

The fish is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. However, if it is not prepared correctly by removing the poison, then one can actually die. Usually, the poison that it delivers can cause your airways to shut, which can obviously be an issue.

Its poisons are Saxitoxin and Tetrodotoxin, both of which can be lethal. Tetrodoxin alone can cause rapid heart rate, muscle paralysis, a decrease in blood pressure, numbness, and tingling. Often, the puffer fish's symptoms can go away in a few hours or days, but medical treatment needs to be given soon.

During its life, the Puffer Fish is not really tough for humans to kill. But for other animals, it seems to carry a legend. Normally, even top tier predators like the shark stay away from it. Its barbs make it hard to fight and kill, and the fact that it expands can make the fish tough to eat. In the end, most animals just don't want the hassle. The fact that most know it carries poison could also be something to think about. We can't be the only smart species in the world, right?

All in all, this fish is not cool to mess with. Why people risk eating it is nuts. But hey, that's one guy's opinion, right?

10. Lanomia or "Assassin Caterpillar"

People may be wondering why I saved this little guy for last. Wait until you read about the Assassin Caterpillar. It can be almost impossible to even see this creature because it blends into its natural habitat so well. Therefore, humans can encounter it randomly.

People have known about the creature for some time, but only recently have they known that it was massively poisonous. So far, in the last 20 years it has caused hundreds of deaths.

In just the last few years, there have been around 300 known envenomings, many resulting in death or long term hospitalization. When Brazilian scientists found out about the creature, they quickly prepared the antivenom.

It causes "disseminated intravascular coagulation," which is a fancy way of saying that it makes you bleed and prevents clotting. The caterpillar will give you something called "bruised blood." It's just like being hit in the face or arm and getting a bruise. Your body will swell up due to the blood, among other things. You feel pain there for a while, you're tender, etc. However, imagine this happening to your inner biological makeup, your blood in particular. Your bruised blood cannot function well, causing severe issues.

The poison will also attack human cells. More specifically, it attacks protein cells, causing them to leak and preventing them from clotting. This virtually kills off the platelets.

Due to all of this, you start to bleed internally, which spreads throughout your organs. It will eventually cause compression and eventually brain death. You'll bleed externally, too, just to add more fun to the party.

All of this happens immediately when the poison enters your body. Normally, to do enough damage to kill it would have to sting you 20 to 100 times. The funny thing is that most people who run into these guys end up getting that without even realizing it.

Also, people do it in obvious ways such as stepping on it or putting your hand on a tree where it is hanging around.

Scientists were baffled as to what changed with this animal, since no well-known attacks happened for millennia. However, a large number of attacks have recently occurred in just the Brazilian area. Something has caused this caterpillar to realize its power, and it's quickly becoming one of the deadliest animals in the world.

Several studies continue to be done on the ecosystem in Brazil where these venomous creatures are located. But so far, nothing major has been figured out, at least nothing that we didn't already know.

Thanks & Best Regards,

AIJAZ AHMED

Dammam

Saudi Arabia

www.facebook.com/aijazahmedit

Philosophy of life

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: omchohan <viksudesigns@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 29, 2013 at 5:52 PM
Subject: [www.keralites.net] Must..... Must read.....Philosophy of life
To:

Philosophy of life