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Waiting in the Library

Here I sit, waiting in the library

Waiting for someone to take me out, for a walk, for a stroll

To breathe in some fresh air, tired as I am of stale and musty air here in the library

But nobody comes

How I used to enjoy the old days

People moving in and out, students bustling about

Each looking for a book, for me or one of my friends

But they don’t come anymore

The nice lady librarian is gone too; leaving us all alone

And alone we are indeed

Its not just the loneliness that bothers me

Its that feeling of uselessness, that feeling of not being wanted anymore

It used to give me great pleasure before, when I could empty out my secrets, my knowledge to the one who borrowed me

But not anymore

And then, finally, after months and months of waiting, someone unlocks the library door

Walks around and past shelves, taking books out and browsing through them

And then it’s my turn

And he decides to borrow me, deciding after all that I have some information that might be useful to him

He takes me out into the big wide world

After such a long time, there is lots to see and stare at

And he reads me carefully, page by page

When he finds something important, he marks it by folding one of my pages

Yes, it is painful; imagine how you would feel if I folded your ear

But its ok

Dog-eared I might be; but I’m not complaining

It feels too good to be out…out of that old library

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A Guest Blog on Beach Pollution by Aniket Lila

Micro plastics, as the name suggests are plastic particles .5-5 mm in size, which have become a paramount issue in the marine environment. The biggest source of micro plastic formation is the fragmentation of larger plastic materials like plastic bottles by mechanical forces like waves and photochemical processes in the marine environment. Heavy media attention has also been given to the direct use of industrial abrasives, exfoliants and cosmetic products as a source of micro plastic. Cosmetic products contain micro beads that reach the sea via sewage. Shedding of synthetic fibers from textiles during domestic washing also contributes as a source of micro plastic in the environment. All in all, it has been found that consumer and industrial manufacture of plastic products have been the main source of micro plastic pollution of the marine environment.

Micro plastics have the potential of endangering the lives of many sea creatures. Assuming them to be food, micro plastics are absorbed by many organisms via the digestive tract. Turtles and sea birds can consume micro plastics as well, mistaking it for food. Furthermore, toxic substances like Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) attach to these small particles and enter the food chain. Successive biological magnification would then ultimately be harmful to seafood eaters and have the potential. Plastics have been hypothesized to release internal toxins and adsorbed POPs when exposed to heat and there is a risk of toxins leaching into the hot sand. As a result, micro plastic pollution of coastlines is likely to not only be an eye sore for the average beach goer but potentially a toxic danger after prolonged heat exposure.

This is where Sea Turtles Forever (STF) (www.seaturtlesforever.com) comes into the picture! Sea Turtles Forever has been working in the field of marine sea turtle conservation along the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Oregon for 11 years. STF has designed an easy to use clean up solution for coastal communities to adopt for their beach remediation efforts cleaning the beach of these harmful particles.

STF Microplastic Filtration System is a carbon neutral, manually operated microplastic filtration system designed to remediate a beach environment to its pristine state.  Each system is operated by three users, one to load the filtration system with polluted sand and two to operate the filter as shown in the pictures above allowing clean pristine sand to pass through the filter.

MBF 2

But the current process is very time consuming and laborious, requiring a lot of manpower. In order to come up with a more efficient solution, a group of students, part of the student organization, Engineers for a Sustainable World at Northwestern University are prototyping machines that could be potentially used for more efficient microplastic filtration.

For any information or questions, feel free to contact Aniket Lila at aniketlila2017@u.northwestern.edu.

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Photographers banned from Goa Beaches

If you have been to a Goa beach, you must have noticed the “freelance” photographers loitering on the beach, taking photographs of the tourists and locals and then trying to sell them back at Rs 50 to Rs 100 per photograph.

Thankfully, these photographers have now been banned by the Goa Tourism Department from disturbing the tourists. If caught, they face a huge penalty of Rs 10,000.

According to the Goa Tourism Department official, “There were lot of complaints against these photographers charging Rs 50-100 per picture. But the basic complaint against them was that they were loitering on the beaches without permission and disturbing the tourists,”.

However, these photographers not only are a nuisance to the tourists and local visitors alike, they are also a danger to the belongings of the tourists which are usually left on the beach while the tourists go into the water. 

It is time that we cleaned up our lovely beaches from illegal hawkers, vendors and photographers so that both the tourist and local visitors can enjoy their time on the beach without being disturbed.

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5 night Goa Honeymoon Package

  • 5 nights Accommodation in our special Honeymoon Suite
  • Complimentary Champagne Breakfast
  • Complimentary Bottle of hand pressed Goan Wine
  • Complimentary Tickets to a Romantic Movie
  • Complimentary Romantic Boat Ride
  • Complimentary Honeymoon Surprise on Arrival
  • Complimentary Late Check Out till 5 pm, subject to availability
  • Complimentary selection of daily Goan Newspapers
  • Complimentary bottled Mineral Water throughout your stay
  • Complimentary Hand made Bath Amenities

5 night Goa Honeymoon Package in a Honeymoon Suite: Rs. 36,000

Honeymoons are special, once in a lifetime experiences and rest assured, we will take special care of you and make your honeymoon something you will remember for the rest of your lives!

Please make your reservations well in advance since we are a small Homestay and are often booked out quite early.

India: +91 94480 87708
Europe: +43 680 2303682

mihirnayak@outlook.com

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Goa Scouts win 2nd Prize

Being a Scout Leader myself, I was very happy to hear that the Goa Scouts won second place at the national level. The award was presented to Goa during the national council meeting of the Bharat Scouts and guides held recently in New Delhi.

The award is in recognition of Goa achieving second position in the overall average percentage increase in the census of the scouts and guides wing for the year 2011-12.

As per the 2009 census, there were around 22,000 scouts and guides in 138 member schools in Goa. This number has swollen to approximately 31,000 scouts and guides in 2012 with 31 new schools joining the association.

“It is for the first time in the history of the movement in Goa that appreciable growth has been achieved. This was possible due to sustained efforts of promotion, visionary planning and unanimous cooperation and support extended by the member schools,” the Goa Bharat scouts and guides association said in a statement.

In todays day and age of television, Facebook and online games, it is nice to see children in Goa taking part in outdoor activities and making real friends. In addition, the values of the Scouts (like “Do a good deed everyday” and “Be Prepared”) will surely come in handy for these children when they grow up!