Value

- unknown author

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in life, you are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions you make and the circumstances that come in yout way. But just remember that - No matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your "value."

The Window

- author unknown

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their familes, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.

The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed - It faced a blank wall.

Moral of the story:

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. Our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.

The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.

Its time to say goodbye !

Its time to say goodbye to Maldives
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When a tsunami rolled over the Maldives on Dec. 26, 2004, the tiny island nation didn't just experience a freak, one-time event; it got a glimpse of the future.

"The Indian Ocean tsunami is a preview of what will happen if we continue business as usual," says Ahmed Jameel, environmental assessment director for the Maldives government. "The waves only lasted for five minutes (and) washed away 20 years of development."

Global warming is a direct threat to the survival of the Maldives, 80% of which sits less than 3 feet above sea level and is vulnerable to rising waters as polar ice melts. "A catastrophe in the making," the Maldives government said in a 2003 report on the impact of climate change.

Its time to say goodbye to Artic Sea Ice
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In less than 100 years, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer, which would allow ships to take the polar route from Europe to Asia, say the Canadian Ice Service and the U.S. Navy. At current rates, 75% of glaciers in the Swiss Alps and two-thirds of those in China will melt by 2050, according to separate studies by the European Environment Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"You can call the Arctic a barometer of global warming," says Svein Tveitdal, an adviser to the UNEP on polar issues. According to the intergovernmental Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, every year the world is losing enough sea ice to cover Texas and Arizona combined. Some models show the "near-complete disappearance of summer sea ice" by the end of the century.

Hurricanes, typhoons and windstorms, which draw energy from warmer ocean waters, are likely to increase in intensity, saddling the insurance industry with $27 billion a year in annual losses by the 2080s. That's an increase of nearly 70%, the Association of British Insurers reported last year.

Its time to say goodbye to the massive ice sheet on Greenlands
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Greenland is melting at a rate of 52 cubic miles per year—much faster than once predicted. If Greenland’s entire 2.5 million cubic kilometers of ice were to melt, it would lead to a global sea level rise of 7.2 meters, or more than 23 feet. Greenland's massive ice sheet could disappear over the next millennium, which would raise worldwide sea levels by 23 feet and inundate low-lying places such as Bangladesh, according to a 2004 report in the journal Nature.

one more team of scientists reported that in a single year Greenland witnessed 32 glacial earthquakes between 4.6 and 5.1 on the Richter scale.

Its time to say goodbye to Polar bears
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Polar bears, dependent on ice floes to pursue seals and other prey, are going hungry, losing weight and having trouble reproducing as their hunting grounds disappear, Tveitdal says. The World Conservation Union predicted this month that the world's polar bear population will drop by 30% over the next 45 years. The Gland — a Swiss-based coalition of government agencies, environmental activists and scientists — called the animals "one of the most notable casualties of global warming.

Its time to say goodbye to Gray Whales
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Global warming is thwarting majestic gray whales’ struggle to recover from their endangered status. In recent years, more gray whales have been washing up on beaches after starving to death. Culprit: Rising ocean temps, which are killing off their food supply.

Its time to say goodbye to Penguins
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Scientists blame global warming for the declining penguin population, as warmer waters and smaller ice floes force the birds to travel further to find food. “Emperor penguins ... have dropped from 300 breeding pairs to just nine in the western Antarctic Peninsula.”

Its time to say goodbye to Frogs
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An estimated two-thirds of the 110 known species of harlequin frog in Central and South America have vanished since the 1980s due to the outbreak of a deadly frog fungus ... brought on by global warming. Scientist J. Allen Pound: "Disease is the bullet killing frogs, but climate change is pulling the trigger.”

Its time to say goodbye to Arctic Fox
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The White Arctic Fox used to rule the colder climes, but as temperatures warm up, its more aggressive cousin, the Red Fox, is moving North and taking over.

Its time to say goodbye to Walrus
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Walrus pups rest on sea ice while their mothers hunt for food. A new study shows more and more abandoned pups are being stranded on floating islands as ice islands melt. Also, sadly, mother walruses are abandoning them to follow the ice further north.

Its time to say goodbye to Cute Koala Bears
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Australia’s Climate Action Network reports that higher temperatures are killing off eucalyptus trees while higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are decreasing the nutritional value of the eucalyptus leaves Koala bears eat. They warn that the cute furry creatures could become extinct in the next few decades.

Its time to say goodbye to Snails
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The Aldabra banded snail is officially extinct. Existing only on an atoll 426 kilometers northwest of the northern tip of Madagascar, the snail died out after warmer weather cut the rainfall in its habitat.

It took barely 30 minutes to make this list... & i was wondering the amount it might reach if spend few more hours searching. Every time we say goodbye... just remember - "a day will come for all of us to say Goodbye to this planet". By allowing global warming, we are leading human & other species to premature death.

The activities of man has lead to an increase in the so called greenhouse gases which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide etc. the gases have created an effect of green house on the earths surface which prevents the reflection of the rays from sun and thus causes the increase in temperature. Carbon dioxide concentration in the air has increased due to the emissions from cars, airplanes, power plants, industries etc. Another reason for it is the deforestation. Forests have been cut down paying way for agriculture, industries and cities. The trees were natural regulators of carbon dioxide which used to control its level’s in the atmosphere.

Though our activities remains the root cause of preventable extinction of species on earth... we are still behaving ignorant.

Its like smoking... though we know its aftereffects, our species are addicted and are reluctant to change. If we don't change... its not only that we are moving towards death... but we are killing a lot many groups too !

So what can WE do to reduce global warming?
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Here are 10 simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming.

1) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

2) Use Less Air Conditioning
Turn down the cooler while you're sleeping at night or away from the room, and try keeping temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

3) Change a Light Bulb
Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.

It is estimated that if every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

4) Drive Less and Drive Smart
Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise.

When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5) Buy Energy-Efficient Products
When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.

Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

6) Use Less Hot Water
Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households in UK.

7) Let the clothes air-dry
Use the energy-saving settings on your washing machine and let the clothes air-dry whenever possible.

8) Use the "Off" Switch
Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.

It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

9)Plant a Tree
If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

10) Encourage Others to Conserve
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.

Global warming: A Letter Written In 2070

Global Warming

Industrial revolution: Great for humans... Worst for our planet !

State of the Earth..... A warming planet

Lead India....

Real spirit..... Real Heros !

Passion...... Everyday !

No matter what... A nice song!

Famous Failures

If you never failed...... You never lived !

When the going gets tough... tough get going !

Stand up for what we believe and Never give up

This video was taken by international media on 5 June, 1989 of an unknown rebel student who stopped advancement of Chinese tanks by standing in front of them. People across the world have given this person nick name of “TankMan”. This is a rare kind of popularity gained by this unknown person who may not have survived Chinese army crackdown as numbers of rebel students died in this struggle.

Get back Up !

An Inspirational Video

A good Inspirational clip..