I thought girls hate cockroaches. They generally emit funny noises when they see one. So, would I have believed that few girls are willing to pay $80 to allow a cockroach crawl up their shoulders and circumambulate their necks? And no ordinary cockroach, mind you, but a Madagascar hissing cockroach. If the name alone does not disgust you, then please note that it is one of the largest cockroaches in the world, and grows upto 3 inches.
But there's a catch here. This particular bug is studded with jewelry. It comes with a pin attached and can be worn as a necklace or a bracelet. As you move along the hoi polloi, the poor creature would just roam around your body, twitching its antennae. You can be sure that everybody in the party notices what you are wearing.
Remember, its not that girls hate bugs less, but they love diamonds more. So, the next time your wife tells you she can do anything for a diamond ring, you better believe her.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Global warming Part I
Nobody seems to be concerned about global warming. Nobody influential that is.
The data on global warming is extremely alarming. "Doomsday" could be just around the corner. Of course, human beings would continue to survive, even if there is another ice age resulting from the sudden alteration of ocean currents or a prolonged heat wave. In the initial stages, it is the impact on the global economic scenario which would be most devastating. Apart from that, a significant number of world's population would perish because of food shortage.
The most alarming fact is that the effect of global warming is like a snowball rolling down a slope. As time passes, it starts getting bigger and bigger. This leads to increased velocity and a vicious cycle steps in.
Consider the latest shock called methane trapped in permafrost. The amount trapped in permafrost is estimated to be around 100 times the annual emission caused by burning of fossil fuels. As these gases are released into the atmosphere, it would cause further rise in temperatures, leading to a vicious cycle where the permafrost would eventually melt completely. The horror is that according to some scientists, we have already crossed the tipping point. If that is true, maybe we shall meet the fate of Venus - which probably experienced rapid global warming. Consider this:
Venus is a near twin of Earth in size and mass but is completely enveloped by thick clouds of concentrated sulfuric acid droplets. Its surface gravity is about 90% that of Earth. Its atmosphere is over 96% carbon dioxide, with a pressure about 95 times Earth's. The dense atmosphere and thick cloud layers trap incoming solar energy so efficiently that Venus has the highest surface temperature of any of the Sun's planets, more than 860 °F (460 °C). Radar imaging indicates that the surface is dry and rocky, consisting mostly of gently rolling plains, broad depressions, and two large elevated regions analogous to continents on Earth; The interior is thought to be similar to that of Earth.
It is not an impossibility that the atmosphere of Venus was similar to Earth millions of years ago. Now it is just a huge oven.
I feel that there is still hope - and the onus on saving the earth lies with the US. But that shall be known only after the next Presidential elections. In the time being, we can just wait and hope.
The data on global warming is extremely alarming. "Doomsday" could be just around the corner. Of course, human beings would continue to survive, even if there is another ice age resulting from the sudden alteration of ocean currents or a prolonged heat wave. In the initial stages, it is the impact on the global economic scenario which would be most devastating. Apart from that, a significant number of world's population would perish because of food shortage.
The most alarming fact is that the effect of global warming is like a snowball rolling down a slope. As time passes, it starts getting bigger and bigger. This leads to increased velocity and a vicious cycle steps in.
Consider the latest shock called methane trapped in permafrost. The amount trapped in permafrost is estimated to be around 100 times the annual emission caused by burning of fossil fuels. As these gases are released into the atmosphere, it would cause further rise in temperatures, leading to a vicious cycle where the permafrost would eventually melt completely. The horror is that according to some scientists, we have already crossed the tipping point. If that is true, maybe we shall meet the fate of Venus - which probably experienced rapid global warming. Consider this:
Venus is a near twin of Earth in size and mass but is completely enveloped by thick clouds of concentrated sulfuric acid droplets. Its surface gravity is about 90% that of Earth. Its atmosphere is over 96% carbon dioxide, with a pressure about 95 times Earth's. The dense atmosphere and thick cloud layers trap incoming solar energy so efficiently that Venus has the highest surface temperature of any of the Sun's planets, more than 860 °F (460 °C). Radar imaging indicates that the surface is dry and rocky, consisting mostly of gently rolling plains, broad depressions, and two large elevated regions analogous to continents on Earth; The interior is thought to be similar to that of Earth.
It is not an impossibility that the atmosphere of Venus was similar to Earth millions of years ago. Now it is just a huge oven.
I feel that there is still hope - and the onus on saving the earth lies with the US. But that shall be known only after the next Presidential elections. In the time being, we can just wait and hope.
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