An e-mail from a friend

WE MUST BE THE CHANGE WE WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
-Mahatma Gandhi

Dear Somayya Kasani,

I always enjoy your lovely messages.

New York is a very interesting place. Have you been there? The people are quite vibrant and animated; very much how they are often depicted in films. It is a very crowed place but like Japan, they know how to get around each other. I spent all of the time in Manhattan but I would have liked to visit Brooklyn and the Bronx. Perhaps another time. I was there for the Guild of Book Workers conference. I make books as well as read them. :-)

The highlight was a visit to the Museum of Biblical Art where the actual pages from the hand lettered Saint Johns Bible were on exhibit. I also do calligraphy so I was very excited to see the lettering and illumination on the pages. It took my breath away!

Thank you so much for the list of books you are reading. I will add them to my ever growing list. A couple of them sound intriguing.

I have just finished Francine Prose's READ LIKE A WRITER. It is a fabulous book about the art of writing and what it involves. I read it to enhance my reading skills and to help me understand why I like certain books. I recommend it highly. I also read a wonderful book called IN PRAISE OF SLOWNESS, written by a Canadian journalist who lives in London. You would enjoy that one as well. I am currently reading Haruki Murakami's new collection of short stories, BLIND WILLOW, WEEPING WOMAN. It is not as satisfying as his novels but I shall finish them and move on to Something else. Perhaps one of your recommendations.

I so appreciate our correspondence Somayya. I hope it continues for a long time.

With love and gratitude,
Lillian Dabney

Thought For The Day

"Courage is the greatest of all the virtues. Because if we haven't courage, we may not have an opportunity to use any of the others.

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

With Love,
Amma-Naana

Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada's provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.

Alberta is located in western Canada. It is bounded by the provinces of British Columbia on the west and Saskatchewan on the east, Northwest Territories on the north, and by the U.S. State of Montana on the south.

Alberta is one of two provinces (the other being New Brunswick) to border a single U.S. state.

The capital city of Alberta is Edmonton, located just south of the centre of the province. Calgary is a major distribution and transportation hub as well as being one of Canada's major commerce centers.

Edmonton is the primary supply and service hub for Canada's oil sands and other northern resource industries.

According to recent population estimates, these two metropolitan areas have now both exceeded 1 million people, Calgary being slightly more populous than Edmonton.

Other major but much smaller municipalities include Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Camrose, Lloydminster, Wetaskiwin, Banff, and Jasper.



Flower: Wild rose
Tree: Lodgepole Pine
Bird: Great Horned Owl
Capital: Edmonton
Largest city: Calgary
Motto: Strong and Free
Flag :

Good Morning

"The Soulful morning smile is a treasure Of the mind and heart alike. Each morning is the birth of a new opportunity."

Hyderabad vs Bangalore: Who'll make IT? - From News Paper

"The real estate market and its artificial price rise is discouraging many investors," Chandrababu Naidu, President, Telugu Desam Party, said.

Hyderabad: From being a relatively low-profile state on the country's InfoTech map, Andhra Pradesh has gradually come into the limelight with the IT boom. So much so, that it’s being seen as the next IT destination after Bangalore. But with an ambition to match strides with India's IT hotspot, Hyderabad will sure have to take a gigantic leap to fulfill its hi-tech dreams. With big names like Infosys, IBM, Wipro and Satyam looking at expansion plans in Andhra, Hyderabad could well become the next tech hub of South India. But does the city really have what it takes to crack Bangalore's InfoTech domination?" There is no denying that Bangalore is way ahead, but we are certainly trying," Secretary, IT and Communications, K Ratna Prabha said.

Figures show that Hyderabad is still lagging far behind as far as numbers are concerned. Export earnings of Andhra Pradesh are at Rs 12,500 crore while Karnataka leads with Rs 80,000 crore. The total number of employees in the IT sector in Hyderabad is 1.5 lakh while Bangalore has as many as 4 lakh.

Despite the state government's incentives to attract IT investors through Infotech Special Economic Zones, experts say it's the growing real estate prices and infrastructural facilities that is forcing many multinationals to stay back.

"There's only so much that a city can handle. It’s saturated and rising real estate rates are now forcing many IT companies to move to smaller cities," Prof P J Narayanan, Dean (Research), Indian Institute of Information Technology, said.

After two decades of low literacy rates and little exposure to information technology, Hyderabad is trying hard to come up and compete with Silicon Valley's favourite – Bangalore. "The real estate market and its artificial price rise is discouraging many investors," Chandrababu Naidu, President, Telugu Desam Party, said. For Hyderabad to get a larger share in the InfoTech pie, the state government will have to provide better infrastructure and more incentives for those looking to set up IT companies in the Pearl City.

Take the First Step

Take the first step.
The first step is always perfect
as long as we are ready
to take the step that follows it.
Only by taking the first step we can find the step that follows it.

In this life we find our way
by following each step with another.
Take step and follow it.
Follow your own footprints.
Your path will create itself.

WITH LOVE,
AMMA - NAANA