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CityBlog is back with all fresh local news, views, opinions, jobs, food and entertainment. Do send us your blog contributions to us for publishing at cityblogpuneonline@gmail.com

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Cityblog Feature Nayakgiri : Take Highway Exit No 18


As we buy planners, calendars and resolve to be resolute on resolutions, there is a sense and sound of a busy highway with endless variety of vehicles running at break neck speed to an observant listener   nearby. Each one has his/her own vehicle trying to reach the destination earlier than others throughout the year. Holiday Season is a small detour to take an exit on this Highway of life, to sit back for few precious moments. It’s the time to refresh with the stimulants, relieve all the pressure and join the fun, observing the endless movement of life. Happy Holidays and 2019. 

Pls visit  http://nayakgiri.blogspot.com

Cityblog Feature: Fitcon Tips from Fitcon


Cityblog Feature: PJ of the Day


Why couldn’t the teddy bear finish his piece of birthday cake?
He was stuffed.



Cityblog Feature: MPC News

Cityblog User: Raigad Thru Helicopter

Cityblog User: Treacherous Tracks

Cityblog User: Circular Runway

Cityblog Special: Kishore's Tribute to S D Burman


Friday, December 28, 2018

Cityblog Special: Meghalaya


Cityblog: From Past Shaheed Udham Singh

77 years ago  , Shaheed Udham Singh was hanged in London for avenging the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
Shaheed Udham Singh should be known and celebrated by India. He assassinated Sir Michael O'Dwyer in vengeance for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar. O'Dwyer, then the Lt. Governor of Punjab, said the action of General Dyer had been correct, and was believed to have been ultimately responsible as he was trying to crush the rising Freedom wave in Punjab with violence. Udham Singh pursued O'Dwyer for 21 years, and ultimately shot him dead in London. Udham Singh made no attempt to escape. At his trial in London he said:
"I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. He was the real culprit. He wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I have crushed him. For full 21 years, I have been trying to wreak vengeance. I am happy that I have done the job. I am not scared of death. I am dying for my country. I have seen my people starving in India under the British rule. I have protested against this, it was my duty. What a greater honour could be bestowed on me than death for the sake of my motherland?"
He was convicted and hanged.
Mahatma Gandhi said about Udham Singh's action, "The outrage has caused me deep pain. I regard it as an act of insanity...I hope this will not be allowed to affect political judgement."
The Indian National Congress made sure that Udham Singh almost never appeared in the freedom struggle history syllabi we all were taught, and India forgot Udham Singh.
It's time to remember and celebrate him.

Cityblog Feature: PJ of the Day

What do they call Miley Cyrus in Europe? Kilometry Cyprus.

Cityblog Special: Great Ad


Cityblog Feature: MPC News

Cityblog User: Himachal

Cityblog User: Innovative AC

Cityblog User: Moringa

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Indian Artist AKoustic Soul Bags Global VIMA Nomination For Best Pop Song Out Of 1500 Entries From 40 Countries


Pune based guitarist/singer-songwriter Amit Khadikar, aka AKoustic Soul, has bagged a nomination for his single, "Home," in the Best Pop Song category at the prestigious Global VIMA Music Awards. This song has been selected out of 1500+ entries submitted from across 40 countries! 

An ambient acoustic number with a simple message that "home is where your heart is," has resonated with listeners universally, and is currently airing on Songdew TV.

"'Home' is one of the first songs I composed when I was starting to learn the guitar, but the arrangement only took shape recently and found its expression as AKoustic Soul," said Amit. "VIMA gave artists the flexibility to simply submit tracks and let their team decide the category if it is deemed worthy of a nomination. For 'Home' to get selected and also be nominated in a mainstream category like 'Best Pop Song' is a huge honor," he added.

Cityblog Special: Holiday Special: Reindeers with Aurora


Cityblog Feature: PJ of the Day

What do you call Santa’s helpers? Subordinate clauses.

Cityblog Special Pizza


Cityblog Feature; MPC News

Cityblog User: Sigiriya

Cityblog User: Amazing Teacher

Cityblog User: Dance

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays


Cityblog Feature: Fitness Tips from Fitcon


Cityblog Feature: Animal Signs



Cityblog Feature: MPC News

Cityblog Feature: P J of the Day


How would you calculate the volume of a person who has lost his memory completely???
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Simple…
Its 1/3 (pi*r*r*h)
Its because he repeatedly keeps on saying,
“Mai CONE hoon”

Cityblog Special; Birding


Cityblog User: Hyperlooping India

Cityblog User: Kundapura

Monday, December 24, 2018

Cityblog Feature : Nayakgiri: Fiction: Brothers in Arms: Tale of Two Soldiers


Brothers in Arms

It was my first month in this new continent. Thankfully it was summertime helping me cope up with the climate which is very much different from India.  Having moved to this city suburb, it was time to search and fix everything starting with a house, vehicle, furniture, electronics and whatever it takes to satisfy the comforts of modern life I was used to in India. One can manage everything except warmth and familiarity of home and of course domestic support. The summer days are really long when sun gods bid you an adieu only after 9 pm primetime slot that too after the display of variety of the shades of illumination reflecting your own shades of emotions as the day progresses.  The day was hectic starting with working on three time zones  ahead at work , followed by synchronizing with existing time-zone followed by ticking off other household list after the working hours. Life without Car in an American suburb is same as life without a two wheeler in Pune both of which are worse than being without a camel in a desert or without a boat in an Ocean. I had gone to a car dealership owned by a contact in distant suburb in the opposite direction of my house to explore some options. Thanks to some work in the office and missed bus timings, I was delayed for more than an hour. I ended my work at the dealership and rushed towards the bus stop which was at 15 minutes’ walk from the dealership to catch the bus which was the last bus of the day at 9 pm having missed 8 pm bus planned.   The walk was a pleasant one as sun was still shining on Uncle Sam’s Empire. The best part about New England suburb towns is the nature and elegant houses which can be very pleasant to the eyes. The locality was deserted especial one of the roads which was wooded with no houses lining it. As I was walking, a SUV going in same direction of my walk, zoomed past and braked to engage me in a conversation.  This does not happen here. I was alarmed. There was a couple who shocked me by asking if I wanted to buy a camera. I found it strange and obviously ignored. They followed me mentioning that they were pickpocketed and needed some money for food. They were not beggars so wanted trade their camera for cash they needed. I told I did not need Camera. Suddenly the male half of the couple got out of the SUV and threatened me with a knife asking me to give me whatever money I had. I was scared and thought about reaching my cell for emergency call. But the lady in car pointed a gun asking me not to do anything silly. I requested them not to do anything as I value my life more than dollars I had. But somehow out of nowhere a car zoomed in from the other direction. The driver of that car assessed the situation immediately and put his car between both of us (guy and me) on pavement and the lady in the SUV and in such a way that the SUV could not move without reversing. I realized that the lady’s gun was out of equation and I could run. I ran a distance to realize the good guy in the car and had neutralized the bad guy in SUV by hitting him on the knife holding hand in such a way that the knife was dropped. The bad guy ran to his SUV, Backed and zoom passed the other car. The good guy noted down SUV number.  He approached me asking me if I were ok. I thanked him for his timely intervention. The guy was 6 ft 3 inch tall, wearing glasses, extremely fit and dressed in black T-shirt and Jeans, handsome just like any hero out of a Hollywood Movie in his late thirties. After taking necessary actions to report to the authorities,  we came out of the Police Headquarters of that suburban Town. He volunteered to drop me off to my house as there was no public transport available by then. While driving he introduces himself as Aaron Albert Ambrose a   Veteran ex-Army Man and an Industrial Contractor. As we started our one   hour journey, he said “Gun Control is the biggest Challenge in this country”.  Was it a Déjà vu?                     ‘’ Corruption Control is the biggest challenge in this country” said Cap SS Sharma to me in the higher reaches of Himalayas five years back. 

Cityblog Feature PJ of the Day

I don't trust stairs. They're always up to something

Cityblog Special Acronym


Cityblog Events: Clash of Tigers


Cityblog Special; Water


Cityblog Feature: MPC News

Cityblog User: Daya Ghana by Rahul Deshpande

Cityblog User: Elon Musk

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Cityblog Feature: Ashish Joshi's Wildlife Photography



Bar Headed Goose


These winter migrants fly over Himalayas reaching and altitude greater than Mt. Everest to reach India.

With oxygen levels so less at such high altitude, sometimes I wonder how these beautiful specie has adapted self to make this migration possible.

Cityblog Special Acronym



Cityblog Feature: PJ of the Day

What do they call Miley Cyrus in Europe? 

Cityblog Events Corner


Cityblog Special: Grit and Determination P V Sindhu


Cityblog Feature: MPC News

Cityblog User: Traffic in Ethiopia (or is it our city)

Cityblog User: Six Year Travel

Friday, December 21, 2018

Cityblog Special Acronym


Mysterious Light Trail in Californian Sky


A mysterious light trail in the sky was spotted across California Wednesday night.
The streak was seen around the same time of the scheduled launch of the Delta IV Heavy rocket, which was scrubbed moments before liftoff around 5:45 p.m.
KCAL9’s Evelyn Taft reports the light is believed to have been ice crystals that formed when a meteor hit the Earth’s atmosphere.
But the trail, which was reportedly seen from the Los Angeles region to the San Francisco area, had imaginations in overdrive. People posted on social media about the fiery-looking squiggle.
Griffith Observatory Curator Dr. Laura Danly believed there a perfectly logical explanation for the streak.
“There was a huge, bright shooting star. We call it a bolide, which is when it’s really big and bright and it’s a big chunk of something burning up in the atmosphere,” Danly said.

Cityblog Feature: PJ of the Day

I prefer cold weather…
But only to a certain degree

Cityblog Feature: Fitness Tips from Fitcon


Cityblog Special: Jagjit and Chitra Singh


Cityblog Feature MPC News

Cityblog User: Home Alone with Google Home

Cityblog User: Turning Empty Land into Forests

Thursday, December 20, 2018

The Technology That Could End Traffic Jam


We’ve all been there. Stuck at traffic lights that never seem to change to green. Sitting in queues of cars that stretch on for miles or delayed by a glut of slow traffic that suddenly disappears. Traffic jams are a blight on our modern, fast moving lives. And we have been dealing with them in a very unmodern way.
We don’t move about and travel in the same way that we used to, yet our traffic management systems have struggled to keep pace with the relentless onslaught of vehicles they have to deal with now. Jam-busting measures are often slow to react to changes in road or weather conditions and many traffic lights still work on timers that are often out of synchronisation, preventing vehicles from flowing freely.

In 2015 there were an estimated 1.3 billion motor vehicles on the world’s roads and with growing affluence in developing economies that number is expected to soar to over 2 billion by 2040. Even with new roads and bypasses, this ever increasing level of traffic could quickly outstrip the ability of our road networks to cope in many busy areas, such as cities.
But by combining new communications technology with the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to crunch vast amounts of data in real time it may be possible to ease our clogged roads so they can cope with the growing number of cars.

Cityblog Feature PJ of Day


I asked a friend of mine what he is doing. He told me, he is working on, "Aqua-thermal treatment of ceramics, aluminum and steel under a constrained environment".
I was impressed! On further asking, I learnt that he was washing dishes with hot water... under his wife's supervision!

Citblog Special Invitation


Cityblog Special: Acronyms


Cityblog Special; Indian Soldier


Martyr Capt Vinayak Gore's mother at Pune. Her 3 minutes speech is worth, not only  listening,  but also spreading further, especially her very last sentence....





Cityblog Feature: MPC News

Cityblog User: Haunted Toaster

Cityblog User: Create your Music


एक अप्रतिम साईट आहे ही
साईट ओपन करा. एक तंतुवाद्य समोर येईल. त्याच्या तारांना बोटांनी हळुवार स्पर्श कराआणि अनुभवा. 👌🏻

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Ke Main Ek Badal Awara

Rajesh Sonak

Stock market woes raise a nagging fear: Is a recession near?

Fears of a recession have been mounting with the U.S. stock market appearing to be headed for its worst December since 1931 — during the Great Depression.

Wall Street's sustained slump has been fueled by investor concerns about lower corporate profits, higher corporate debt, a festering trade war between the United States and China and a broader global slowdown.
So is a U.S. recession imminent?
Not necessarily.
Plenty of economic gauges suggest that far from being derailed by a stock market that's set to suffer its first annual loss in a decade, the $20 trillion U.S. economy is barreling forward. Employers are hiring, consumers are spending ahead of the holidays and economic growth has been brisk, thanks in part to President Donald Trump's deficit-financed tax cuts.

Cityblog Feature : PJ of the Day


They’re building a restaurant on Mars now. They say the food will be great, but they’re worried about a lack of atmosphere.

Cityblog Feature: Fitness Tips from Fitcon


Cityblog Special: Acronyms


Cityblog Special: Laughing Buddha


Cityblog Feature: MPC News

Cityblog User: Amazing Talent

Cityblog User: Wait for it

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Google Plans $1 Billion Investment to Build New York Campus

Google parent Alphabet Inc.   said Monday that it will invest more than $1 billion to build a new campus in the Hudson Square area of New York that will be its primary global business hub.

Google said the campus will include office space at 315 and 345 Hudson Street in Lower Manhattan, as well as a new property at 550 Washington Street. The investment follows Google's $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market earlier this year as well as plans to lease additional space at Pier 57.