Not Quite Up In the Air.. ...

After people around the world reacted strongly to American low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines giving director Kevin Smith the boot because he was 'too fat to fly', it has now emerged that Air Canada Jazz deplaned a passenger earlier this month for being 'too smelly'. The flight was waiting for takeoff when some passengers complained about the odour. Efforts were made to isolate the man from other passengers, but flight officials eventually decided to ask him to get off the plane. The man in question apparently lost his stink overnight and was allowed to fly the next morning.

So are airlines correct in refusing passengers who in their view cause inconvenience to fellow travelers? Opinion seems to be divided. Some sympathise with the deplaned passengers. They feel they don't deserve to be humiliated in such a manner. After all, economy seats in most airlines are barely big enough to comfortably seat someone who weighs 60 kgs. So isn't it then the airlines' onus to provide decently sized seating options to all passengers? Echoing this one Facebook status message says that 'Airlines need to make seats that will fit at least 85% of the population.'

On the 'smelly' passenger matter, some netizens feel that if the person concerned had a medical issue, then the treatment meted out by airline staff was definitely too harsh. On the other hand, some believe that well-being of the group is always more important than that of an individual, and that if the passenger actually smelt that bad then the action taken by the authorities was correct.

What do you think? What should Airline policy be towards passengers like Smith or the Air Canada Jazz passenger?

Renault's New Concept Car Unveiled.. ..

• Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday inaugurated the Twizy Z.E. Concept, a new electric car from the stables of Renault, which will be out on Indian roads by 2011.This blue and white coloured car is a two-seater car, which works on the green technology principle.

Welcoming Renault's new car with enthusiasm, Dikshit said that Delhi roads would be much better off with electric cars as this."They are developing this new technology; Renault is introducing this at the automobile exhibition.They are still developing it. It is very beautiful to look at and they are saying it will take them one or one and a half year more to come out, then we will give as many incentives as we can to such cars to run on Delhi roads which do not contribute to the pollution." said Dikshit.

The twizy is classified as a quadracycle and does not need to comply with the full panoply of safety regulations. Since the car does not have doors it minuses the need of an air conditioner. The twizy is a rear wheel drive and weighs 420kg.

It is powered by a 15kW engine that Renault claim produces 20PS of power. The electric motor has range of 100kmph with a top speed of 75kmph. The four wheeled scooter is due for production in late 2011.

The model of the Renault's Twizy Z.E. Concept will be displayed at the 10th edition of the Auto Expo

Sky Gazers in for Celestial Treat.. ..

Sky gazers can look forward to an exhibition of celestial fireworks as the night sky will be lit up by Geminid meteor showers that are expected to peak Monday.
A rare celestial event, the Geminid meteor shower will be visible across most of India and people can see over 100 shooting stars every hour for the next couple of nights with the largest number early on Monday.
'People can watch out for the meteor showers from late Sunday to dawn on Monday morning. There will be fireballs in the sky,' said N. Rathnashree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.
Explaining the method to observe the meteorites, Rathnashree said: 'Look up at the sky between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. and you could see beautiful fireworks in the sky as the new moon is providing ideally dark viewing conditions.
'You need a simple telescope to watch the meteor showers. People in the capital should move to the outskirts to have a clear look as the morning skies these days are covered with fog,' she said.
A meteor shower occurs when the earth passes through debris left behind by a passing comet or asteroid. In the present case, it's an asteroid named 3200 Phaethon.
As the earth moves around the sun, the debris gets pulled by the earth's gravitational force and falls with its long bright tails visible to the naked eye.
The celestial movement is called Geminid showers, as they will seem to emanate from the Gemini constellation.

Cause of Air France Crash May Remain Mystery - Sources.. ..

French investigators are unlikely to establish the exact cause of a fatal Atlantic plane crash in a report this week but may recommend ways to help locate black boxes more easily, sources familiar with the incident said.
France's BEA accident investigation authority is due on Thursday to issue its final report into the Air France crash in which 228 people died.
Flight AF 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed into the Atlantic on June 1 after flying into stormy weather.
The 'black box' flight recorders remain missing and only small parts of the wreckage have been found of the Airbus A330.
"I don't expect much new concrete information on the cause of the crash," a source familiar with the investigation said.
A second source familiar with the incident concurred, saying the report would add little to an inconclusive preliminary report issued in July.
The new report's conclusions are currently being finalised, the sources added.
The BEA declined to comment.
The July report identified problems in handing responsibility for the aircraft between controllers but said it was too early to say what caused the plane to hit the ocean.
Speculation has focused on possible icing of the aircraft's speed sensors, which appeared to give inconsistent readings and may have disrupted other systems.
Safety authorities ordered checks on the sensors known as 'pitot probes' and restricted the use of the type installed on the plane, made by France's Thales.
But investigators are not expected to pin the blame on any one issue, one source close to the investigation said.
Instead, the BEA is expected to make at least three recommendations on general aircraft safety, this source said.
These include extending the life of locator beacons attached to the flight recorders to 90 days from 30 days.
Regulators could also be asked to consider ordering further beacons to be attached to important parts of the aircraft structure to assist in locating wreckage in the event of a crash. Such beacons would need to be active for 30 days.
Plane makers may also be asked to study the feasibility of installing monitoring systems that send information on basic parameters such as position, course and altitude back to an airline's maintenance base even when operations are normal.
The few clues available on the cause of the crash include fragments of error messages sent out by the aircraft.
The crash fuelled a debate in the aviation industry over whether more data should be streamed via satellite but the cost of communications has so far been deemed prohibitive.
Some safety officials are meanwhile calling for scientific research to be carried out into weather conditions at high altitudes in turbulent zones such as the equator.

Boeing says Dreamliner could Fly on Dec 15.. ..

Boeing Co said on Thursday it has opened the flight-test window for its 787 Dreamliner starting Dec. 15, allaying concerns that the hotly anticipated aircraft -- already two years behind schedule -- will miss its latest target of taking to the skies before year end.
A test-flight date marks a huge step in the development of the revolutionary airplane, whose promise of increased fuel efficiency and comfort has attracted a record number of orders for a plane still in development.
"Following the successful completion of static testing to validate the side-of-body modification, we have been working through a number of key preflight tests," Boeing said in a letter late on Thursday. "With high-speed taxi testing scheduled in the coming days, we're on track for first flight soon thereafter."
The company said the date depends on "final internal reviews, taxi test, and receiving the final experimental ticket from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration."
In the last two years, Boeing has announced five embarrassing test-flight delays that resulted in delays to the delivery schedule as well.
The program suffered problems with suppliers, a 2008 labor strike and structural issues. In June, Boeing announced a test flight delay after it discovered a design flaw that required a side-of-body repair.
The flight from Paine Field to Boeing Field -- both in the Seattle area -- will take about three hours. The company has not disclosed who will be on hand to witness the event.
The Dreamliner concept is based on the use of composite materials, which make up 50 percent of the primary structure. The materials are much lighter than aluminum, which makes the skin of traditional commercial airplanes.
The lighter structure allows the plane to consume 20 percent less fuel than comparable aircraft. Fuel efficiency has great appeal to airlines, which have been battered in recent years by the volatile expense.
Additionally, composite materials do not fatigue and therefore require fewer maintenance checks, Boeing says. The company claims that a 787 costs 30 percent less to maintain than competing aircraft.
There are three versions of the plane with varying capacities and ranges in the Dreamliner family: the 787-8, 787-9, and the 787-3. The planes, which have been in development since the first part of the decade, have list prices between $105 million and $205.5 million.

Telangana Revives Demand for Bodo, Dimasa & Karbi States..

With the Centre deciding to initiate the process for a separate Telengana, Bodos, Dimasas and Karbis have revived their long-standing demand for separate states carved out of Assam.
The demand for a separate Bodo state was raised in the Assam assembly by Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), the coalition partner of the ruling Congress on Friday.
Transport Minister Chandan Brahma, who belongs to the BPF, told the house that the creation of a Bodo state was possible and the matter should be considered by the government.
''Our demand for a state was much older than that of Telangana ... If Telangana could be created, there is no reason why the Bodos cannot have their own state. We had accepted the Bodoland Territorial Council under the Sixth Schedule as the then NDA government at the Centre had said there was no policy for creation of another state,'' he said.
BPF president Hagram Mohilary said, ''We are happy for the people of Telangana and now that the Centre has approved the creation of Telangana state, a separate Bodoland state should also be created.''
The Nunisa faction of Dimasa Halam Daoga (DHD) and United Peoples' Democratic Solidarity said they would revive their demand for separate Dimasa and Karbi states respectively.

The Devil & the Duck ....

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.









He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his Sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the dishes' But Sally said, 'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.' Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?' So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, 'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.' Sally just smiled and said, 'well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help? She whispered again, 'Remember the duck?' So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know.. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.'

Thought for the day and every day thereafter: Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You need to know that: God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

He has seen your whole life.... He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember: God is at the window! When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!