Why Mumbai? And why so often? Who hates us that much? And WHY?



Are we an easy target? Is that because we are peaceful and don't interfere with others? Is someone trying to get cash for another major hate filled project? After all one of the three simultaneous blasts was in the gold market - Zaveri Bazaar.



And another thought that comes to mind - Will we ever come to know answers to any of the above? Or not? Will we ever know the truth?



On a personal level, everyone must hope family living in Mumbai is okay. 21 lives gone for no fault of their own. What a needless loss. Whose God allows such a crime? Some terrorists say they don't care if they die - life is expendable. Then why do they ensure their families are well looked after when they are gone? Why do the ones who preach them that life is expendable, reassure them thus? Is their family the exception to that concocted-for-convenience belief? Why don't they let their family join them in heaven? Why ensure their well being on earth? I think suicide bombers are as trapped by their circumstances as we are by the desire of those who want (and wish for) a different world order where they are in power and who enlist these bombers.



Before this becomes a rant, I know it isn't suicide bombers this time. This time the bombs were planted. Three in all. Simultaneous explosions as in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. As usual, the public rallied around to help the injured. Handcarts, trucks, motorcycles, whatever was at hand was used to transport the injured to hospitals.



Is there anything the public can do before such an event? Some say it was a tiffin box lying about that concealed the bomb; others say it was in a car. Mumbai is chaotic. Too easy to leave something somewhere with no one paying attention. Terrorists love chaos and thrive in it.



Perhaps only if we wring order from chaos will we be able to see things clearer. What can we do to prevent packages from being left about?  Be trained through television to be more vigilant? Perhaps drop written complaints or suspicions into boxes? A direct phone line? I think it all sounds like a logistical nightmare with millions of real or imagined suspicions and sightings daily.



What should we do about vendors or the homeless - arriving into Mumbai in their droves everyday because there is no infrastructure in their towns and villages - clogging our footpaths. Do we turn them away? Mumbai never has. We feel helpless. Perhaps the government should stop collecting tax payer money for their individual Swiss accounts and start on infrastructure for our towns and villages.



Somethimes I wonder if Swiss accounts were stopped, poverty would be wiped out. But that is another thought for another day.



How else can we make our beautiful, coastal city less chaotic? How else do we make it difficult for terrorists to stop hurting us? Hope, for starters, the ones who set off these bombs are caught and severely punished. Hope their leaders are exposed and swiftly brought to justice. Hope we can do something to ensure there are no more bombs in Mumbai. Hope we know what that "something" is.



India Today's link to today's (yesterday's) blasts: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/mumbai-blast-three-blasts-in-mumbai/1/144704.html







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I have mentioned before that countries that come up with innovations to mop up poisonous, polluting gases from our atmosphere, our waters and soil, will be wealthy. Very wealthy.



Well, what do you know? New Zealand's  Lanzatech has come up with affordable technology to mop up carbon monoxide from the atmosphere and produce ethanol. Who wants this technology? India, China and the US of A for starters! They have already signed deals with the company.



Why are such huge volumes of carbon monoxide (and carbon dioxide) spewed into our atmosphere in the first place? They are the end product of human activities like transportation, oil refining, chemical production and manufacturing industries. Our mountains of garbage also release these gases. (links to why these gases are poisonous for our health are at the end of this article.)  That is why mopping them up from the atmosphere is of the utmost importance. 

Morning Glory

Countries the world over have strict regualtions about the quantities of carbon monoxide allowed into the atmosphere. They are aware of how poisonous it is to anything living (like human beings or this beautiful flower, Morning Glory by Netalloy downloaded from open clipart) and of the need for these regulations. Companies have had to take that one extra step of converting carbon monoxide their factories spew out into something less harmful. Yet others, although environmental laws are in place, have simply continued spewing carbon monoxide into the atmosphere as the enforcement of these laws in their countries have been lax.



Many companies convert carbon monoxide into ethanol. Ethanol is a reusable and clean end product that doesn't poison our atmosphere. It has many uses. If used as fuel in transportation, for example, it wouldn't release carbon monoxide as its end product. The Americans already sell cars that use either petrol or a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol   



The technology for converting these poisonous gases into ethanol has been available for years. Put simply, this is what happens.



Carbon monoxide with the formula CO has no hydrogen (H) in it.

Ethanol (C2H5OH) has a total of 6H



Hydrogen would have to be added to carbon monoxide to form ethanol.



In many industries the unwanted end products are hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other gases. In steel mills the end product is carbon monoxide but no hydrogen. Many steel companies to date have converted carbon monoxide from steel mills to ethanol by adding hydrogen. Lanzatech has developed a microbe that can circumvent this step of introducing hydrogen altogether. Its microbe can actually produce the hydrogen required by using the carbon from carbon monoxide and the hydrogen from water. The process is so efficient that a lot of the water they use is returned to the reactor for reuse. Whatever the industry, whatever the proportion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the Lanzatech microbe can convert it to ethanol. Also, the process is tolerant to any number of contaminents present in the reactor.



The production of ethanol thanks to the L-microbe (whatever Lanzatech decides to call it) will now be commercially viable, extremely affordable, socially and environmentally sound. 



There's an American company, Qteros, that even uses a microbe to convert animal and human waste in our sewage to ethanol. It has joined forces with an Israeli company, Applied Clean Tech (ACT), that converts waste water solids to "recycllose". Recycllose is then converted by the microbe to ethanol. The company found this microbe after years of scouting countries like Brazil, Hawaii, France. They finally discovered it in Massachusetts. I only hope if this or any similar microbe is introduced to various parts of the world, it doesn't start attacking live humans!



But where Lanzatech promises to be different is that its microbe is as harmless as brewers yeast. I have no doubts that the three countries that have signed up with Lanzatech - India, USA and China - would have done their due diligence because not only are they all astute and business savvy, they have scientists equal to the best in the world.





To conclude I'd have to say - 

Thumbs up by Balex, open clipart

Go Lanzatech!

















See how carbon monoxide poisons our health here. 

How do we reduce garbage? http://www.nevermindyaar.com/reduce-garbage/ 

The seven secrets of good composting are a must read if you don't want a goey mess when you compost: http://www.nevermindyaar.com/7-secrets-of-good-composting/







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Today we had some people over who had to bring their dog along because he had nowhere else to go. I anticipated all kinds of trouble because their dog is the size of a pony and ours can just about pull rank over a chihuahua. I was distinctly nervous.



"Worse comes to worse," I informed our friends by email, "we'll put one dog in the front yard and one in the back. "Don't worry" said the hubby, "It will be alright" - his idea of a solution. "If our dog gives your dog trouble," said our guest, "we'll put him in the car." That sounds like a solution, thought I, relaxing. "I'm sure it will be fine," I wrote back graciously with hubby looking over my shoulder, distinctly amused.



When I received a call from my daughter - she has started calling pretty regularly much to my delight. The first time she called I squeaked out my delight and she, dry as ever, said with a little laugh, you sound surprised - well, when she called this time, I told her a little boy (as our guests have a 2 year old son) was coming to play with our dog.



"Oh that's lovely", said my daughter, thrilled for our dog.



"..and," I continued, "our friends are bringing their big dog as well."



"Oh, I hope A... will be alright with that," said my daughter. "She is scared of big dogs."



"Not to worry," I reassured her, "we have plans if the two dogs don't get along."



Soon our friends were outside our gate. It was lovely to see them. Their dog on a leash they walked in. A... saw the giant and started barking. But I noticed she took two steps back. The giant ambled in and jumped on to a comfortable looking place. A's favourite seat. She went wild, jumping off all fours as she barked her protest.



She barked when he was offered a toy to chew on, her toy. She barked when we fed him in her bowl and when he drank from her water bowl; She protested when he was allowed indoors for a little while and when we stroked him for being such a gentle giant. When she momentarily forgot the big dog invading her territory, our little vixen in disguise adored the cuddles that came her way too . I think, given time, the two could be good friends!



The little boy was a darling. Ate mince and potato cutlets and roti dipped in gravy like a seasoned Indian, played with the hose, with the dogs, with half a dozen balls and then at the park kept his mum and my hubby on their toes as he discovered the swing, the adventure gym, the slides. His dad looked after their dog and I looked after ours. The adults had lots of opportunity to chat in between minding all our kids - human and canine.



It is really good to have company from time to time.









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This was sent to me by my sister. I normally try and post my own original content. But couldn't resist this. I tried looking for the original author so I could acknowledge him or her. But all 985,000 results - well at least the first two pages said the author was unknown. If anyone knows do let me know.



And now the poem











The computer swallowed grandma.

Yes, honestly its  true!

She pressed 'control' and 'enter'

And disappeared from view.

 



It  devoured her completely,

The thought just makes me squirm.

She must have  caught a virus

Or been eaten by a worm.

I've  searched through the  recycle bin

And  files of every kind;

I've even used the  Internet,

But nothing did I find.

In desperation, I asked Google

My  searches to refine.

The reply from him was negative,

Not a thing was  found 'online.'  

 

So, if inside your 'Inbox,'

My  Grandma you should see,

Please 'Copy,''Scan' and 'Paste' her

And send  her back to me.









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