Train details at Bronx, New York - kills 4....

Sadly we read about train accidents and loss of lives, too frequently … in mid Nov. 2013, there was the accident at Ghoti near Igatpuri In Nashik when 4 passengers were killed and several injured with ten coaches of Mangla Express derailing.  Following the mishap, rail-traffic on the up side was affected, forcing railway authorities to cancel various trains, including Manmad-Kurla-Godavari Express and Manmad-Mumbai Panchavati Express. The mishap took place at dawn  when 12618 Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Mangala Express train was passing through the Ghoti-Igatpuri section. 

Thousands of miles away runs the Bronx rive, approximately flowing 40 kilo meters through south east New York in the US.  It is named after colonial settler Jonas Bronck. The Bronx River is the only fresh water river in New York City. In the 17th century, the river - called by the natives "Aquehung" - served as a boundary between loosely associated bands under sachems of the informal confederacy of the Weckquaeskeck, Europeanized as the Wappinger. The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with Bronx County, it was the last of the 62counties of New York State to be incorporated. The Bronx is divided by the Bronx River into a hillier section in the west, closer to Manhattan, and the flatter eastern section, closer to Long Island.

Read about Bronx because of a train derailing just yards from the water's edge in New York City killing four people and injuring a further 63. According to reports, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed the death toll after the Metro-North passenger train came off the tracks at 7.20am (11.20pm AEDT) on Sunday near the Spuyten Duyvil station. Speaking at the scene of the crash in the Bronx Gov Cuomo said authorities believed everyone at the site had been accounted for and that the National Transportation Safety Board is en route. He said the train driver was among the injured.

According to the New York Daily News 12 of the injured were in a critical condition. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing passengers being stretchered away from the wreckage.  Footage from the crash site showed eight train cars, six of which had derailed. CNN reported a police source saying that at least two of the dead appeared to have been ejected from the train during the early morning crash. While no cause has been given for the crash the driver told investigators he tried to engage the train's brakes, but it didn't slow down, a law enforcement official on the scene told CNN.

The New York Post reported that a freight train hauling garbage derailed in about the same spot in July. A woman at the scene,  is quoted as saying that  numerous emergency vehicles have responded. The accident happened on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, which is traditionally a popular traveling day in the US with many families returning home from family visits.

Anything on train accident would veer us towards that ghastly accident at Ariyalur, nearer Trichy in 1956.  Lal Bahadur Shastri  identified himself with the Railways so much that he felt he was responsible if anything went wrong in his department.  A honourable person, he took moral responsibility for that accident and a couple of others, was so pained that he submitted his resignation letter to Pandit Nehru. 

With regards – S. Sampthkumar

1st Dec 2o13.

Peter Siddle hungry to leave 'banana skins' on England's path !!!!

There is so much of cloud and hype to the Ashes ~ they keep talking a lot – both on field (sledging) and off field (bragging)…. The scene now shifts to Adelaide, capital of South Australia … where the 2^nd test starts on Dec 5.  ~ and what does these bananas have to do with the challenge in the Test ???

With a charging run-up, powerful delivery, worrying bounce and elongated appeal, Peter Siddle made a lasting mark in 2008-09 as he stepped up from promising domestic bowler to a speedster who could be part of Australia's attack for years. But he soon suffered the fast man's curse and early in 2010 was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back that required a lengthy rehabilitation. The timing was poor, interrupting his career - now with  169  wickets, Peter Siddle is speaking on serving England something (another defeat)……….. and quite an interesting one at that….. Siddle along with fellow quick Ben Hilfenhaus, was forced to sit out the Perth Test against South Africa last summer after a lion-hearted but ultimately vain slog in a drawn Test in Adelaide. 

They had light work at Gabba - Mitchell Johnson bowled 38.1 overs, Ryan Harris 34 and Siddle just 26.4 -  and the score card read : Australia 295 (Haddin 94, Johnson 64, Broad 6-81) and 7 for 401 dec (Warner 124, Clarke 113, Haddin 53) beat England 136 (Johnson 4-61, Harris 3-28) and 173 (Cook 65, Johnson 5-42) by 381 runs….. the bowling attack and fielding pattern summed up Australia's supremacy as they closed in on victory in the first Test at the Gabba.  Now they are mulling James Faulkner as an addition to Australia's bowling attack for Adelaide while George Bailey may be demoted to drinks duty after only one match as the coach Darren Lehmann considers the best way to use his resources in the second Ashes Test without exhausting them before the third.

Stuart Broad described the England squad as "heartbroken" by the loss of Jonathan Trott, but insisted the team can bounce back from crushing defeat in Brisbane. Broad enjoyed a good game personally, but was unable to prevent Australia completing a thumping win by 381 runs. To make matters worse, England were then hit by the news that their highly respected No. 3 batsmen, Jonathan Trott, would miss the rest of the series having decided to return home due to a stress-related illness. David Warner keeps speaking on this which is becoming too irritating for any cricket lover.

Boyd Rankin first came to prominence as part of the Ireland team that progressed to the Super Eight section of the 2007 World Cup. Blessed with great height - Rankin is six feet, seven inches tall - he gained bounce from even the most sluggish of surfaces; he made himself unavailable for Ireland in a bid to play Test cricket with England. The move provoked disquiet in his home country  now he is in  England's Ashes squad and perhaps may get a chance sooner…………. and ‘Go Bananas’ (go mildly crazy) ………..but before he does, “Peter Siddle is hungry to leave some banana skins in England’s path”reports Independent……..  Crazy !!!!!  do read my recent post on Banana peel here….  (and below is the Independent’s report reproduced)

What the modern cricketer eats is beginning to dominate this Ashes series. Following the revelations about England’s exotic dietary demands for their players during the Test series – piri-piri breaded tofu has never been more popular – attention has now shifted to Peter Siddle of Australia.

Siddle is the sort of up-and-at-’em, tearaway fast bowler whom you imagine to train on raw red meat while running over a bed of hot coals. The coals may still be a possibility but it turns out he eats 20 bananas a day and is a vegan. “I live with a plant-based diet now, that’s my lifestyle,” said Siddle, shocking all those who wonder how he can therefore continue to bowl with such venomous fury. “My partner has been a vegan all her life.  “I’ve had a few niggles throughout my career and I did a lot of research about different ways to approaching my cricket and that’s the lifestyle I’ve gone down. I’m feeling fit and strong.”

This is hard to reconcile with Siddle’s background as a hugely promising woodchopper from a family of champion woodchoppers. He takes his bananas in all shapes, sizes and modes and it seems he buys them from the supermarket. He liked the suggestion of having a banana tree in his garden but then realised he was not at home often enough to eat them. Siddle has become a staple in Australia’s attack. His constant effort is admirable, respected and admired by selectors and fast bowlers alike. Siddle is the sort of fast bowler who runs in all day.

He will forever be associated with The Gabba, where he became the first Australian bowler to take a hat-trick on the ground against England three years ago. It put Australia on top in the match and it was impossible to tell then that the series would turn irrevocably England’s way when they made 517 for 1 in their second innings. “It’s a highlight of my career but we play cricket to win Test matches,” Siddle said. Which, as Siddle well knows, is not something Australia have done much of recently, failing to emerge victorious in any of their most recent nine Tests. “I think our team is a lot stronger,” he said. “We learnt things in England from the way we finished off. It was a disappointing result, we didn’t want to lose 3-0, but we know what we can do differently, we know how to approach it. There are a few things we needed to work on but we have them covered.”

Siddle, who took 17 wickets against England last summer, will be as combative and irrepressible as ever in this Ashes. England will always know of his presence and if words are exchanged – as they will be – it is unlikely that they will be swapping notes on diets. But you never know. A man who eats 20 bananas a day must occasionally long for a pumpkin seed and goji berry bar.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

1^st Dec 2013. [the latter part from : http://www.independent.co.uk/]

fire in Simon Bolivar auditorium in Brazil...

Heard of this architect… - Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (1907 – 2012; yes 102 years), known as Oscar Niemeyer  - a Brazilian architect, considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was best known for his design of civic buildings for Brasília, a planned city that became Brazil's capital in 1960, as well as his collaboration with other architects on the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Both lauded and criticized for being a "sculptor of monuments", Niemeyer was hailed as a great artist and one of the greatest architects of his generation by his supporters.

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum focuses on the visual arts, architecture and design. For its magnificence, beauty and for the importance of the collection, it represents a cultural institution of international significance.  This building being the 1^st building designed by Niemeyer in 1967  is a true example of architecture allied with art. The museum features many of Niemeyer's signature elements: bold geometric forms, sculptural curved volumes placed prominently to contrast with rectangular volumes, sinuous ramps for pedestrians, large areas of white painted concrete, and areas with vivid murals or paintings.

The fire department of Brazil's biggest city says a fire swept through a large auditorium in Sao Paulo's Latin America Memorial, a political, cultural and leisure complex designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer. According to reports quoting Fire officials, the 1,600-seat Simon Bolivar auditorium was empty at the time. Two firefighters had to be treated for smoke inhalation. The extent of the damage of the frie was not immediately known. The memorial occupies an area of some 9,000 square feet and was inaugurated in 1989 to promote the cultural, political, social and economic integration of Latin America.

The headquarters of the Latin American Parliament is part of the memorial that hosted the Latin American Parliament from 1992 to 2007. The parliament is now based in Panama. It was not damaged by the fire.

Reports suggest that a  large plume of smoke billowed from the Latin America Memorial, a cultural centre which hosts an art gallery, an auditorium and other facilities. At least 15 firefighters were injured as dozens of crews went to the scene. Fire first swept through the 1,600-seat Simon Bolivar auditorium at the complex at around 15:00 local time (17:00 GMT). While the extent of the damage was unclear, there are fears for some of the art works at the complex. A spokesperson told reporters that a giant tapestry by Brazilian artist Tomie Ohtake may have been partially destroyed.

Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who designed some of the 20th Century's most famous modernist buildings, died just before his 105th birthday. He rose to international fame as the architect of the main government buildings in the futuristic Brazilian capital, Brasilia, inaugurated in 1960. He also worked with Swiss-born modernist architect Le Corbusier on the UN building in New York.

Oscar Niemeyer started his career in the 1930s, when Brazil was still copying neoclassical European architecture and designing ornate palace-like buildings. Life is said to begin at 40. But the fun never died at 98  to world-renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer who took  his secretary - nearly 40 years his junior - up the aisle.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30^th Nov. 2013.

starvation at its height in Syria ... people kill a zoo lion ?!?!?!?

Imagine the height of starvation…. – the pain behind it…

The term Levant, first appeared in English in 1497 and  originally meant the East in general or "Mediterranean lands east of Italy". It is borrowed from the French levant 'rising', that is, the point where the sun rises.  Levant was  also known as  Eastern Mediterranean ~ the Levant of present day consists of Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Israel, part of southern Turkey, and the Aleppo Vilayet.

One of its constituents, Syria, a country in Western Asis bordering Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Israel is in news and for totally wrong reasons.  In the Islamic era, its capital city, Damascus, among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate, and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.

Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient, and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage  and eventually, death. According to the World Health Organization, hunger is the single gravest threat to the world's public health.  The WHO also states that malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality, present in half of all cases. According to estimates by the F&AO, there were 925 million under- or malnourished people in the world in 2010.

The country is in turmoil…. ~ the Syrian civil war,  or the  Syrian uprising is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Ba'ath government and those seeking to oust it. The unrest began on 15 March 2011, ~  part of the wider Middle Eastern protest movement known as the Arab Spring. Protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has held the presidency in Syria since 1971, as well as the end of Ba'ath Party rule, which began in 1963. In April 2011, the Syrian Army was deployed to quell the uprising and soldiers fired on demonstrators across the country.  After months of military sieges, the protests evolved into an armed rebellion.

Now the Western media reports this place of tumult to be in bad shape……. Stories state that people are waiting in the town's long milk line. Everyone there is desperate for milk from the town's only living cow. They try to arrive early, hoping she does not run dry before they get their share.  There is shortage of everything – more importantly food articles.  There have been reported cases of child mortality due to malnutrition too.

Today there is a too disturbing report from Syria as reported in Daily Mail…. – that of starving Syrians butchering  a zoo's lion to eat in worst sign yet of how desperate civilians are for food ~ the graphic photo has been circulating on social media websites stating that the emaciated animal is from the Al-Qarya al-Shama Zoo.  The photograph, which has not been independently verified, shows three men standing around the body of a lion. One of them is holding the lion's head while another appears to be cutting meat from the animal's hind legs. What appears to be a chunk of meat can be seen laying on the ground next to the emaciated looking lion.

Daily Mail further reports that last month a cleric issued a fatwa to allow starving people in the region to eat cats and dogs. According to the Daily Telegraph, the United Nations said today that civilians are going hungry in beseiged areas as they are inaccessible. The UN handed out food to 3.3million people in Syria in October. The World Food Programme added that the nutritional state of those trapped by fighting in parts of Damascus and rural areas has deteriorated significantly in recent months. With the Syrian conflict in its third year, the report of UN  highlights the plight of the children, who are growing up in fractured families, missing out on education and increasingly going out to work to help support extended families in exile. Children and youngsters are worst affected. In Jordan's sprawling Zaatari refugee camp, most of the 680 small shops employ children, the report also said.  Many Syrian refugee children in Lebanon also fall into the hands of criminal gangs specialized in exploiting the most vulnerable victims of the conflict. They are seen begging on the streets of Beirut or more frequently selling flowers and gum for their often abusive patrons.

In every war, it is always the commoners, children and emaciated who bear the brunt of everything and all is not well with Syria.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30th Nov. 2013.