Why does arctic warm faster

You might be surprised to hear this, but there is now more green cover on earth than it was, 20 years ago. This is according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which says there are now more trees on earth in comparison with two decades ago. The NASA study also shows that it is China and India leading the way, with their ambitious tree plantation projects. On 5 July 2017, India planted as many as 66 million trees in one day, along the Narmada in the state of Madhya Pradesh, creating a new world record in the process. Before that, 800,000 volunteers in the state of Uttar Pradesh planted 50.4 million trees in just 24 hours. “China and India account for one-third of the greening, but contain only 9% of the planet’s land area covered in vegetation – a surprising finding, considering the general notion of land degradation in populous countries from overexploitation,” says Chi Chen of the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University, in Massachusetts, and … [Read more...] about The Earth is Greener Than it Was Two Decades Ago, And it is Because of India And China

Panasonic has long been one of the most notable camera makers in the world. In India, ever since broadcast cameras made way for more versatile DSLRs and mirrorless ones, Panasonic has been a bit-part player at best. Nevertheless, Panasonic’s present crop of cameras make compelling cases for themselves. Take, for instance, their video offerings with the Lumix GH5 – even in a market dominated by Sony, the Lumix GH5 is widely regarded as a great videography mirrorless camera for professionals and advanced casual shooters, alike. On the flipside of the coin, meanwhile, lies the Panasonic Lumix G9 – a flagship mirrorless camera that borrows a lot from the GH5 but focuses more on photography instead. Despite being about two years old, the Panasonic Lumix G9 was launched in India only this May, 2020. It is also a rather unique one – instead of using a full-frame sensor (which the newer Panasonic Lumix S5 now features), the G9 comes with a 20.3-megapixel Live MOS micro four-thirds sensor … [Read more...] about Panasonic Lumix G9 Review: Great Camera for Photos, Also Excels at 10-bit 4K Videos

From Mongolia to southern Brazil, forests big enough to cover France have grown back during the last 20 years, but the gains did not make up for losses elsewhere, a study found on Tuesday. An analysis of satellite data by a team of researchers led by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a conservation group, revealed that almost 59 million hectares (146 million acres) of forests have regenerated since 2000. That much forest has the potential to absorb 5.9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) – more than the annual emissions of the United States, according to the study. “The data show the enormous potential of natural habitats to recover when given the chance to do so,” said John Lotspeich, executive director of Trillion Trees, the coalition of environmental groups behind the study. “But it isn’t an excuse for any of us to wait around for it to happen”. The research looked at forests that have grown back spontaneously or with little human help, such as planting native trees or … [Read more...] about Forests as Big as France Have Grown Back in The Last 20 Years, Research Shows

You can call me mom, mother or mummy-in-chief of my home. Either way you look at it, I begin my day caring for my family and end it in the same way. From making sure everyone has balanced meals to ensuring supplies are always enough to feed my army at home, my day is full of planning, strategy, stocking on essentials and making sure no tummy goes hungry ever! My family’s health and safety begin with me and my lovingly prepared food. Every meal, whether it’s a big breakfast, an office tiffin or a healthy after school snack is accounted for daily. And without the right help, it can be an exhausting task. Yet ever since we made the smart decision of bringing home our newest family member, I am finally at peace. Panasonic’s AI-powered refrigerator is everything you want in a fridge. The brand has more than a 100-year old legacy and is Japan’s No. 1 appliance brand, and the refrigerator packs a host of features that are great for my family’s health and safety. No longer am I … [Read more...] about Save big on electricity bills with AI-Powered Panasonic Refrigerators

The story so far: Assam received 1,891.9 mm of rainfall from March 1 to June 24, just 347.5 mm less than the annual precipitation the State receives. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Assam’s annual normal rainfall between 1961 and 2010 has been 2,239.4 mm. The outcome has been devastating. A total of 117 people have died since April, 17 of them in landslides. An arterial railway track linking southern Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura has been washed away, 55 lakh people have been affected across more than 5,000 villages and a town, Silchar, has been flooded for more than a week. At least 38 people have died in flash floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya since April. Meteorologists and climate change specialists attribute the high pre-monsoon and monsoon rains to several factors. Also Read Explained | Assam’s annual tryst with devastating floods How has the monsoon been so far this year? The country received 2% less … [Read more...] about Explained | What accounts for deficit in some areas and excess rainfall in Assam this monsoon?

Naan nirantharamanavan azhivadillai, Entha nilaiyilum enakku maranam illai... (Oru Koppaiyilae, Rathathilakam ) H ow prophetic! Nearly four decades after his demise, Kannadasan is remembered, for his poetry. Isaikkavi Ramanan, who set the ball rolling that evening, predicted that 50 years from now, history will place the poet among the front-ranking devotees of Krishna. So prolific and poignant is his work, he said. True. If it was love for Kannadasan’s poetry, a fire that has warmed and soothed the heart in sorrow and joy, which drew this writer to the commemorative function, it was also a gesture of respect to the efforts of Kavirimaindhan, who had organised the programme on October 12, at Kaviko Arangam, CIT Colony. Under the banner of Kaviyarasu Kannadasan Tamil Sangam, Pammal, he has been doing this for 28 years. Based in Abu Dhabi does not make his task easy but the man simply worships Kannadasan. It was a death anniversary tribute to the late Poet Laureate of Tamil … [Read more...] about Kannadasan — poet, who transcends time

Boris Johnson has won his coveted majority and, though Brexit was his mantra through the campaign, this parliament has a lot more to deliver than that. The NHS was by some distance the most important election issue after our future relationship with the European Union. Politicians across the spectrum clearly thought it would swing more “undecided” voters than anything else, with representatives of all parties tucking their ties into their shirts to wander round hospitals and promise a better future. For the Conservatives, their promise of 40 new hospitals came under great scrutiny, and professionals and patients alike now expect to see the bricks and mortar to match the press releases and warm words. My colleagues and I, as surgeons, see at first hand what a chronic shortage of capacity in the NHS is doing to the service. When the NHS was first established in 1948, it took on a waiting list of 476,000 patients. No monitoring took place until 1951, when the number had … [Read more...] about Johnson must act quickly to shore up the creaking NHS – and tackle waiting lists first