Green Somethings: The Blog

Pics From a Recent X-Mas Bazaar

  
 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 

  
 

World Toilet Day! A New Day has Come!

Here's wishing all my readers a happy? safe? relaxing :P ? World Toilet Day! 

Without any jokes, a good toilet is more than just a necessary right for all people. So go on, keep it clean!!

Pics from Our Trip to Amritsar

The Golden Temple

Surrounded by a small lake, the Golden Temple or Temple of God was the meditation site of wandering saints and sages including Lord Buddha and then Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikh religion. The lake that we see surrounding the Golden Temple today was enlarged and structurally contained during the leadership of the fourth Sikh Guru (Ram Dass, 1574-1581), and during the leadership of the fifth Guru (Arjan, 1581-1606), the Hari Mandir, or Temple of God was built.

The temple's architecture draws on both Hindu and Muslim artistic styles yet represents a unique coevolution of the two. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones. Within the sanctuary, on a jewel-studded platform, lies the Adi Grantha, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. This scripture is a collection of devotional poems, prayers, and hymns composed by the ten Sikh gurus and various Muslim and Hindu saints. Beginning early in the morning and lasting until long past sunset, these hymns are chanted to the exquisite accompaniment of flutes, drums, and stringed instruments. Echoing across the serene lake, this enchantingly beautiful music induces a delicate yet powerful state of trance in the pilgrims strolling leisurely around the marble concourse encircling the pool and temple. An underground spring feeds the sacred lake, and throughout the day and night pilgrims immerse themselves in the water, a symbolic cleansing of the soul rather than an actual bathing of the body. Next to the temple complex are enormous pilgrims' dormitories and dining halls where all persons, irrespective of race, religion, or gender, are lodged and fed for free.

 

Lamp Post at the Entrance of the Golden Temple

 

 

I especially found the fans installed at the entry way to the main door of the temple quite thoughtful!

 

 

Beating the Retreat @ Attari-Wagah (Indo-Pak) Border

The Beating Retreat which marks the closure of the border gates and Change of Guard ceremony is conducted each evening at the Attari-Wagah border.

 

Snarling Soldiers (friends at night?)

 

Lowering of the Two Flags

 

 

And finally some fun, me driving an Army jeep...

Pics from our Trip to the Holy City of Hardiwar

Ornamental Brinjals at the Highway Stop (above)

Amazing Chicken (below)

 

 

Wicked!

 

The Ganges...

   

 The pics are not holy in the least..just managed to capture what I found interesting!

The Bigger Picture of Environmental Destruction

The following guest post came in as a request for sharing the message about harmful effects of asbestos and other toxic substances from the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center.

Many of us are now aware of the environmental effects of destructive human behavior. Smog, polluted waters, and to some extent, global warming are all fairly visible signs of the harm humans have inflicted upon their planet. There are however, more far reaching consequences of this behavior which are affecting not only the health of the planet but also that of its inhabitants. What we will see is that not only does our planet benefit from environmentally-friendly policy, but so too does the health of its population.

The burning of fossil fuels and the release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are two environmentally destructive forces that come to mind when discussing more far reaching health effects. The release of CFCs into the atmosphere has been conclusively linked to ozone gas depletion. Depletion in the ozone layer of our atmosphere has allowed harmful UV rays to penetrate. In countries like South Africa and Australia where the ozone is highly depleted, skin cancer rates are higher than elsewhere on the planet because of UV exposure.

The burning of fossil fuels and the dirty oil industry are also destructive to health. Smog as a result of industrial emissions is now being recognized as a cause of higher asthma and breathing difficulty rates in places with high pollution, such as China. However, the oil industry is destructive also to its workers. Toxic exposure among oil refinery workers to substances such as asbestos and benzene has been recognized as the cause of cancers like mesothelioma and other malignancies.

We must recognize these health consequences for they are. They are the price we are paying to contaminate our planet. We must pursue alternative energies rather than propagate our bad habits to our children. Investment in domestic and progressive energy, such as soy and corn fuel will begin to reduce our reliance on the dirty oil and petroleum industry. A reduction of CFC emissions would also prevent further decay of our fragile atmosphere.

We have entered a period of consequences as a result of our dirty industry and need to stop it. Not only will our children thank us for moving on from obsolete and destructive environmental attitudes, but the general condition of our population will improve. This is not an issue for Republicans, Democrats, or other petty ideological differences to decide. It is a human issue and we must recognize that.

Author: James O’Shea (Guest)