Hotelicopter - World's First Flying Hotel ever!

Poonam Sahu

Wow!! The World's first flying hotel which is the largest helicopter in the world too.

Cool! The Hotelicopter is modeled on the Soviet-made Mil V-12, of which there were only two prototypes ever made. The Hotelicopter Company purchased one of these prototypes from the Mikhail Leontyevich Mil helicopter plant in Panki-Tomilino, Russia in 2004 and have been engineering the world's first flying hotel ever since. "The Hotelicopter features 18 luxuriously-appointed rooms for adrenaline junkies seeking a truly unique and memorable travel experience. Each soundproofed room is equipped with a queen-sized bed, fine linens, a mini-bar, coffee machine, wireless internet access, and all the luxurious appointments you'd expect from a 5 star hotel.
Room service is available one hour after liftoff and prior to landing." The Hotelicopter is due to fly maiden journey this summer(June 26th, 2009) with an undisclosed price...

There is three fly tours.

• Inaugural Summer Tour -

14 days (Friday, June 26th, 2009 - Friday, July 10th, 2009)

• California Tour -

14 days (Friday, July 14th, 2009 to Friday, July 28th, 2009) Bay/Jamaica,

• European Tour -

16 days (Friday, July 31st, 2009 to Sunday, August 16th, 2009)

Dimensions of this machine are:

Length: 42 m (137 ft), Height: 28m (91 ft), Maximum Takeoff Weight: 105850 kg (232,870 lb), Maximum speed: 255 km/h (137 kt) (158 miles/h), Cruising speed: 237 km/h (127 kt) (147 miles/h), Original Mi Range: 515 km (320 mi), and last but not the least the Augmented Mi Range - 1,296 km (700 mi) .

So, lets see when we can try for a ride in this Hotelicopter.

VISITE TO HORSE FAIR (WOMBWELL)

By Mohammad Khan

THE GARDEN OF NORFOLK..

By Debjani Basu

Perhaps it was the garden of wonderland where I stepped in.

No...There were no lawns, no precious statues on the terrace,

But the glory of the garden lied in more than what met the eye.

A mammoth guitar was lying there with some broken strings,

And some unwanted weeds grew over it to hide it from me.

Me stooping to unveil it, touched those weeds and heard,

"Touch me not unless you earn the treasure hidden here"

Staring at those I asked, "What treasure are you talking about?"

Again silence, no reply I got.

Apples, both red and green all filled that garden’s space.

Fiddling with those I thought, there must be some secret vault.

Among them a red one asked, "Want to taste our sweetest flesh?"

After several hesitating moves, I bit off more than it’s half.

The rest half I couldn’t chew, since it fell down…phew!!

Strangely after weeping for long that half-apple told,

"Place me over the guitar, then you’ll get the gold".

Pausing for a while I hummed,

"How can I climb up over the mammoth's top?"

The weeds turned themselves into ladders to provide me the prop moving upstairs,

I placed that half-apple over its roof.

And a canvas appeared there with a beaming glow.

And the chords amazingly started to play a sonata in harmonious flow.
Alas I reached the mammoth’s top.

These were the words which came out of me after I visited the Norfolk heritage park in Sheffield. Sitting on the grass, the barrenness and silence of the trees taught me that individuals must have their own direction. All artists know that they must explore different styles to reach their destinations; they do not allow others to choose if it right for them. Similarly, surrounded only by mountaintops, sky, and silence, I recognized the need to remain individually focused on my life's goal of understanding nature to be able to capture it.

THE LAST FIGHT

By Debjani Basu

Jade Cerisa Lorraine goody, the famous English media personality who sold the media rights to document her terminal illness, died in her sleep after a severe battle with cervical cancer.

Her career in media started with the 3rd series of the Channel 4 reality TV show ‘Big Brother’ in 2002. She published her autobiography in 2006 called ‘My Autobiography’ and also launched her own fragrance ‘Shh ... Jade Goody’. Then she again grabbed the spotlight in 2007 when she was accused of racist bullying against Indian actress Shilpa Shetty in the same show. This affected her lucrative career adversely and ruined it partially.

In 2008 she again appeared on the Indian version of ‘Big Brother’, ‘Big Boss’ and withdrew early after being diagnosed of cervical cancer. She decided she would fight her battle with the disease publicly. As the disease quickly took hold and spread to her liver, groin and bowel, it became clear goody was not to recover. She was also keen to raise public awareness of the disease and prevent other women from suffering her fate.

She was always praised for her strength and determination in whatever she did. In her last days she fought like a true fighter against the painful disease and showed the world her courage. It goes unsaid that dying before ones children is the most painful thing that can happen. It takes strength of character and real effort to protect ones children from what is really happening. Her love and concern for her children was an example set before every mother. She left 2 million pounds each for her son’s Bobby and Freddie. She was a fighter and she died like a fighter.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “She was a courageous woman both in life and death and the whole country has admired her determination to provide a bright future for her children.”

SWINE FLU IN MEXICO

By Debjani Basu

An epidemic of a swine flu never identified before has broken out in Mexico City killing at least 16 people so far and raising fears of a pandemic.

As researchers braced for the toll to grow, Mexico’s government cancelled school for 7 million children, shuttered museums and theatres, banned public events and urged the sick not to travel – especially by plane.

The number of cases in San Diego County is almost certain to rise as detection efforts ramp up at doctors' offices, clinics and hospital emergency rooms, the region's infectious-disease experts said.

Despite efforts to forestall panic, the quickly expanding disease is causing global alarm after infecting more than 1,000 people in Mexico. The World Health Organization is helping local health experts track cases and pursue the outbreak's origins. Its officials yesterday confirmed that 20 of the dead had swine flu, and they're investigating about 50 other cases. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Saturday it will hold an emergency meeting to discuss about the deadly swine flu strain outbreak in Mexico and the United States.

President Barack Obama was briefed on the swine flu's spread , and his health advisers are tracking the situation.

Epidemiologists said people should take common-sense steps to avoid spreading influenza, such as washing their hands and covering their mouths when they sneeze. They also asked residents to refrain from shaking hands or giving the common Mexican greeting to a woman of a kiss on the right cheek. Public health leaders asked people to remain patient and not panic. They urged patients with flu symptoms to consult their physicians and avoid public places.

County officials also are working to make sure they have enough lab supplies to handle a major rise in demand for testing specimens from patients with flu symptoms.

IPL FEVER ..

By Debjani Basu

IPL or Indian Premier League is the latest craze in cricket. It is a Twenty20 cricket competition created by the BCCI and is now the most watched domestic Twenty20 competition in the world. All the 59 matches of the second season of IPL is running this year in South Africa. The Twenty20 league is set to debut in April 2008, with eight teams comprising a minimum of 16 players each.

The IPL works on a franchise-system based on the American style of hiring players and transfers. These franchises were put for auction, where the highest bidder won the rights to own the team, representing each city.

The auction for the same took place on January 24, 2008 and the total base price for the auction was $400 million. The auction went on to fetch $723.59 million.
The Mumbai franchise owned by Mukesh Ambani’s reliance industries limited was the most expensive franchise - fetching $111.9 million closely followed by Vijay Mallya’s united breweries which paid $111.6 million for the Bangalore franchise.

Bollywood also made its presence felt with two of its leading stars bagging the ownership of their respective teams - Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla’s Red Chillies Entertainment buying out Kolkata for $75.09, while Preity Zinta and her beau Ness Wadia bought the Mohali team for $76 million.

I feel on the face of it, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has already been a huge hit, attracting millions of dollars in bids from the country’s biggest industrialists and Bollywood stars for franchisee ownership and for television rights.

But, the much hyped cricket league, which has already started, has surprisingly stumbled in its attempt to find new advertisers willing to sign up for all the available sponsorship slots. Less than few hours from the coin toss of the first match, the board of control for cricket in India (BCCI), promoters of IPL, are still hunting for ground sponsors. This could give wrong signals on how IPL 2009 will fare, so still we have to wait n watch whether it will able to catch similar kind of eyeballs or not like it did in IPL 2008.

Love Humanity

By Mohammad Khan

11/04/09

I am a Human Being,
Wanting song of Love to sing.
Who is stopping ME to do?
Me and Me the only BOO!

Different lands and different plants,
Birds are different, different chants.
Some are pray to have them all,
Weak are down and down they fall.
Eat and drink and go to sleep,
Mind and Heart in slumber deep.

Different Me and different THEY,
Body, Soul and Nature say.
Ocean deep the feelings are,
Thoughts are high than any star,
All is ME if weak are best,
North and South or East and West.

Why instinctive as they are?
Why the MIND and HEART at war?
Why the castes and colours bar?
Why the sects and schisms are?
Why the high and low We think?
Why the deep and low We sink?

Bring the Feelings, Mind at Peace,
Justice, Love the only fees,
Nothing out but all in Peace,
Peace at concrete, abstract Peace,
Peace is starting End is Peace.

NANO- A gift or curse?

Poonam Sahu

What is it? Is it Nano which is music gadget? NO I am not talking about anything like that. But it is something else? Guess............

Yes, it’s a car.

Can you ever imagine that there can ever exist, World’s cheapest car which cost
1,00,000 INR; 1,350 GBP; 1,980 US$? I even had never thought in my dreams that it could be a car.
A car made by Tata Motors in India. It is the smallest, lightest and the cheapest car in the whole World. It doesn’t have any comparison, yet.

Reports from BBC say that, “Mr Ratan Tata (The Chairman of Tata Motors) said the car would be the greenest in India.

The 3 metres long, four-door, five-seater Nano has a 624cc engine at the rear, which delivers 23.6km per litre, and has a CO2 emissions rating of 101 g/km (grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre driven).

It is India first success after Maruti Suzuki. It is also said by Mr Tata that after it reaches its target sale in India Nano will be exported to richer nations like UK, US, etc..

But it is being doubted that as India is the most populated country of the World, and has also showed an increase in motor consumption. It has been estimated that Nano would create havoc in India.

As there will be the cheapest car, most of the middle class people can afford to have a car. Every house will have a car, and roads will be blocked with traffic.

Day by day it is being difficult and time consuming to travel from one part of the city to the other. Hope this smallest and cheapest car would make Mr Ratan Tata feel proud, not guilty.

Sheffield's Digital switchover by 2010

By Mohammad Khan
26/03/09


Sheffield city council’s cabinet has approved plans to provide new digital aerials to 13000 council properties and 903 leasehold properties.

It also includes provision of satellite dishes where blocks have, or will have external cladding fitted as part of Decent Homes programme.

It has been decided in view of the government plans to switch off the analogue TV signal to Yorkshire and Humber region in 2011and replace it with a new digital TV signal.

Existing analogue communal TV aerial serving the residents require replacement to ensure that the residents can continue to receive a good quality TV signal before switch over to a digital signal.

The project will cost £2m. The government has not provided any funds to councils to meet the costs of switchover process. Therefore, it will be met from the existing resources with in the council.

Currently the TV signal is provided via a communal aerial and over 7000 properties receive their TV signal through equipment leased from Blick Ltd at a cost of £77000 a year. The new project will save the annual lease cost of the equipment.

Switchover will not provide all residents with access to community language channels. Residents might obtain permission for a separate satellite dish to be erected.

Cllr Bob McCann, Housing and sustainable, safer communities member while answering public questions said, “Community Language channels scheme was introduced in 1999-2000.If we work to provide all blocks it will cost more than £6m to make sure all people see community channels’’

“We had to strike a compromise that enough money is left for other works as well.”

Director of housing Carl Tom said, “It will be responsibility of each resident to provide their own set top box or new television in order to receive digital TV.”

The project will be carried out by a specialist contractor in accordance with the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006.And it will be in place by the end of December 2010.

【Feature】Travelling of Fresh International Students

By Anli Hung

Seizing the chance in the UK , apart from studying, travelling is one of the motive force for me to sustain. However, in less money to live a plentiful life style is always my main belief.

In the last few weeks, I travelled to Scotland ( Newcastle , Edinburgh and Glasgow ) for five days and spent only 140 pounds,eating, housing, transportation, shopping and visiting all inclusive.

As for transportation, please link to Transportation, that I have mentioned.

One should do some homework before departing, such as reading travel book. My own experience is; I usually highlight some scenic spots and plan in an efficient way. Google Map is a useful tool for planning the line, which can help save time. Travel information office, where I could get free local map or relative information, is always the first place I visite.

In housing aspect, B&B, which means beds and breakfast, is suitable for students or lone-travelers. There is no B&B in Taiwan but it has been very popular in Europe . At average, it cost about 15 pounds and it would be a shared room and bathroom with others. It depends on the price. The much more price you pay, the much more private space you will have. It is a good opportunity to communicate with other countries’ people and share the culture or travelling experience.

As for eating, my trip plan often to depart early in the morning. I would depart after having full breakfast, make lunch by myself and tak it on my way.

B&B provide breakfast so I would try my best to eat full to burst. Some B&B even offer breakfast all day so I would also not miss the chance.

In this summer, I travelled a lot and ate in Subway several times because they have specific discount subway each day, which just cost about 3 pounds and it could deal with two meals.

I rarely eat fast food but when in need, I might choose McDonald’s. Compare to McDonald’s in Taiwan , it is probably more expensive. But not many international students know that if you order a meal and show your student card, they will give you an extra hamburger.

I have always found a half price roasted chicken (￡1.5) in supermarket just because it was broken but not lack a leg or a wing.

Most of people think that travel must cost a lot, especially visiting museum or art gallery. Newcastle is famous for bridges, which is free. I took metro to suburb, where it was not only beautiful but the souvenirs were cheaper than city centre.

Edinburgh is famous for castles, which played a main part in my cost list but it was worthy.

Glasgow is an art city so many museums and art galleries locate there. However, most of museums are free for visitors. I especially recommend Kelvingrove Art Gallery , which display animal’s specimens.