Lord Jeffrey Archer’s Kane and Abel

The book Kane and Abel is first published in 1979 sold over 33 million copies worldwide and now in 84^th print. Jeffrey Archer has re-crafted his 1979 bestseller. The book is out now in the UK in paperback and a special commemorative hardback edition, and it will be released as a paperback in the US on 3 November 2009.

About the book Kane and Abel

Born on the same day near the turn of the century on opposite sides of the world, both men Kane and Abel are brought together by fate and the quest of a dream. These two men -- ambitious, powerful, ruthless -- are locked in a relentless struggle to build an empire, fuelled by their all-consuming hatred. Over 60 years and three generations, through war, marriage, fortune, and disaster, Kane and Abel battle for the success and triumph that only one man can have.

For the first time in Hyderabad, Lord Jeffrey Archer introduces the 30^th anniversary edition of his classic master piece Kane and Abel to appear in Hyderabad this weekend. He will be taking part in a reading and signing event on Sunday 8 November at 6.30pm at Landmark’s new flagship bookstore in Banjara Hills. Then, on Monday 9 November at 5.30pm, Jeffrey will be signing copies of the book at Landmark, Somajiguda.

With the publication of his first novel in 1976, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, Jeffrey Archer established himself as a consummate storyteller. He has produced over 25 published titles and sold more than 130 million copies around the world.

The Washington Post hailed him as "A storyteller in the class of Alexandre Dumas".

The Mail on Sunday acclaimed him as "probably the greatest storyteller of our age".

It is great opportunity for people of Hyderabad and book lovers of Jeffrey Archer to meet the master story teller and share the experiences of Jeffrey Archer

The Landmark-Tata, Hyderabad and the British Library, Hyderabad are organising the event.

Kalam asks youth to plant trees to check pollution

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam asked the youth of the country to contribute in checking pollution by planting trees.

"The nation has 300 million youth. If each one could plant five saplings, the country can easily have 1.5 billion trees. Assuming that about half-a-billion saplings goes, still we can have one million trees. A great achievement," he said while interacting with students of Mount Carmel College,Bangalore.

WATER WATER EVERY WHERE……

Water, water, every where,
but not a drop to drink.

The quote is from the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner traveling in sea. Basically the men on a ship would start to run out of water during their long sea voyages. Yet they would be surrounded by sea water.

Water constitutes about three fourths of the earth’s surface, but only less than one percent of it can be used by its inhabitants. Most of it is salt water oceans (about 97%) and 2% of it is contained in glaciers. With every country seeking to satisfy its ever increasing water needs from shrinking and limited water resources, there could be a future of conflict. As the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon remarked recently that “water scarcity is the potential fuel for wars and conflict. But cooperation, not conflict should guide us in our quest for a solution to this crisis.” In 1992, the UN General Assembly designated March 22, as the World Water Day (WWD) to draw international attention to the critical lack of clean, safe drinking water worldwide.

Ground water depletion is a major environmental concern in our country and calls for an immediate and effective agenda in ground water management.Unsustainable use of water in India's northern states threatens farm output and can fuel the spectre of a major water crisis, distressing 114 million people living there, warns a new study. Human activity like irrigation has pushed groundwater levels in India's north down by as much as one foot per year over the past seven years, says the study by scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Changes in underground water mass affect gravity enough to provide a signal that can be measured by the Grace spacecraft. After accounting for other variations, such changes in gravity are translated into an equivalent change in water.

More than 26 cubic miles of groundwater vanished from aquifers in the states of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and the National Capital Territory of Delhi since 2002, says the study that has used NASA's satellite data. The team of hydrologists found that the underground water supply was being pumped and consumed by human activities such as irrigating cropland and was draining the aquifers faster than natural processes can replenish them.

The finding is based on data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) twin satellites, which sense changes in the distribution of Earth's mass and gravity field distribution, including water masses stored above or below the surface. The region has become dependent on irrigation to maximize farm output. If measures are not taken to ensure sustainable groundwater usage, the consequences for the 114 million residents of the region may include a collapse of agricultural output and severe shortages of potable water.

What are solutions?

• If farmers could shift away from water-intensive crops, such as rice, and implement more efficient irrigation methods, that would help
• In India, much of the rain water is not tapped. Rain water is flooded into seas. Rain water harvesting is one solution for replenishing the ground water.
• There was a proposal for linking of all major rivers of the country, “garland canal” connecting all parts of India, east, west, north and south. This will help to use rain water properly.
• With climate change fast approaching there is change in rain fall pattern in the country, which will further increase water crisis in the country, for mitigating climate change awareness programmes like plantation programmes, energy savings, using of alternative energies etc is essential.

NATURAL HERB TULSI TO FIGHT SWINE FLU

Most Hindu homes have a Tulsi plant in the courtyard of their homes, and it’s venerated in the morning and at night. There are 2 typesof tulsi the light-leaved one called the Rama Tulsi and the dark-leaved type known as the Krishna or Shyama Tulsi. It’s the second type that’s mostly used in medicines. The Queen of Herbs" - is the most sacred herb of India.

Tulsi (scientific name: Ocimum sanctum), although also known as Holy Basil, is a different plant from the pesto variety of Basil (scientific name: Ocimum basilicum) Tulsi has been revered in India for over five thousand years, as a healing balm for body, mind and spirit, and is known to bestow an amazing num. Considered as an 'Elixir of Life', this wonder herb has now been claimed to keep the deadly swine flu at bay and help fast recovery in afflicted persons.

The symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with novel H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

Ayurveda, the traditional 'science of life', has a remedy for diseases when every other stream of medicine fails. Now, at a time when swine flu is spreading like wildfire across the world, Ayurveda has the remedy in the form of the miraculous herb, the basil leaves commonly known as Tulsi. The anti-flu property of Tulsi has been discovered by medical experts across the world quite recently. Tulsi improves the body's overall defence mechanism including its ability to fight viral diseases. It was successfully used in combating Japanese Encephalitis and the same theory applies to swine flu. Apart from acting as a preventive medicine in case of swine flu, Tulsi can help the patient recover faster.

According to Ayurvedic doctors Tulsi can control swine flu and it should be taken in fresh form. Juice or paste of at least 20-25 medium sized leaves should be consumed twice a day on an empty stomach. This increases the resistance of the body and, thereby, reduces the chances of inviting swine flu.