Life in Karlsruhe, Germany (Photos)

(Source: From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlsruhe)

Famous people:
It is the birthplace of Karl Benz (1844 - 1929), inventor of the automobile and founder of Benz & Co., now part of DaimlerChrysler (formerly Daimler-Benz), as well as Karl Drais who invented the precursor of the bicycle and other transportation devices.
In the late 1880's, professor Heinrich Rudolf Hertz discovered electromagnetic waves at the University of Karlsruhe; today, a lecture room named after Hertz lies close by the very spot where the discovery was made.
Oliver Kahn, goalkeeper of Bayern Munich and former goalkeeper of the German national football team was also born in this city, in 1969.
Further famous people from Karlsruhe include the philosopher and current president of the State Academy of Design Peter Sloterdijk and the composer Wolfgang Rihm.


The city takes its name from Margrave Karl Wilhelm of Baden-Durlach, who founded the city in 1715 after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, Durlach. Karlsruhe became the capital of Baden-Durlach until 1771, thereafter the capital of Baden until 1945.
The city was planned with the tower of the castle (Schloss) at the center and 32 streets radiating out from it like spokes on a wheel or ribs on a folding fan, so that a nickname for Karlsruhe in Germany is the "fan city" (Fächerstadt). Almost all of these streets survive today.
The city center was the oldest part of town and lies south of the castle in the quadrant defined by nine of the streets. The central part of the castle runs east-west, and there are two wings of the castle, each at a 45° angle to the center, so that they are pointing southeast and southwest (i.e. parallel with streets at the ends of the quadrant defining the city center).
The market place is on the street running south from the castle to Ettlingen. The market place has the town hall (Rathaus) to the west, the main protestant church (Evangelische Stadtkirche) to the east, and the tomb of Margrave Karl Wilhelm in a pyramid in the center. The architect Friedrich Weinbrenner designed many of the most important buildings.
The area north of the castle was and still is a park and forest. East of the castle there originally were gardens and more forest, some of which remain, but the University, Wildparkstadion, and residential areas have since been built there. West of the castle is now mostly residential.

Media's Attention at the real news Pune ... and mail from Chennai

There were news about Pune and mail from Chennai.
-Spy sold sensitive data to Pak -TOI, Pune today (TOI ‘Cyber hunt nets Pak spy’, December 15)
-Parliament adjourned following security alert -TOI, online edition and News Channels.
Among the news the spy story is very much concrete and success of long two years cyber hunt. An ISI agent and has already sent the sensitive data. Now ca we see this coverage on TV ... A big NO ... may be just one liner somewhere. But the mail from Chennai news covered like anything although nothing have happened yet. Why is so? Will the TV Channel bother to cover the national pride news? Or just exploit the media and create the noise all over?

For those who don't know here is the todays story TOI 16th Dec 2005

Spy sold sensitive data to Pak Pune doctor, Jaipur woman in IB eye
By Siddhartha D. Kashyap/TNN

Pune: Alleged Pakistani spy Rishi Mahendra Kumar, who was nabbed in Jodhpur early this week after an online chase for almost two years, has already passed on sensitive military information, including that on troop movement and strategic locations, to his “handler”, identified as Major Zaid Chowdhary of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Intelligence officials said the accused had already passed military information about the army’s newlycreated South-Western Command, besides maps and photographs of military locations of the Southern Command headquarters in Pune and army formations in Jaisalmer (Rajasthan).
During his interrogation, Mahendra is expected to spill more beans about his alleged subversive activities in India. But officials in the intelligence agencies told TOI that a Punebased doctor and a wo m a n f ro m Ja i p u r, identified as Neha, are under the scanner for maint a i n i n g close links with Mahendra.
According to them, Mahendra stayed in a hotel opposite the Pune railway station, and sent an e-mail from a cyber café in Wanowrie to Major Zaid of the ISI. “But before we could lay our hands on him, he left the cyber café,” confirmed one official.
TOI had reported (‘Cyber hunt nets Pak spy’, December 15) how Mahendra (28), an arts graduate, was tracked and finally nabbed. He was given a week’s training in Hyderabad (Sindh) by the ISI and another four weeks in Karachi, before being sent to India in 2003.
But how did the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and military intelligence manage to identify and track down Mahendra, particularly when they had no clue about his identity, appearance and even his location? All that the investigators had was his and the handler’s (recipient) e-mail identities.
Cyber experts from the IB managed to intrude on his handler’s e-mail ID and lured Mahendra to meet them in Jodhpur. He was made to believe that his “handler” in this instance was Major Zaid himself.

Good Move By Nitin Kareer ... Hats Off.

Kareer paves roads to IT parks with more perks
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Pune: Municipal commissioner Nitin Kareer is considering offering a property tax rebate of up to 75 per cent to information technology (IT) companies or developers of IT parks, provided they construct the development plan (DP) roads leading to their parks.
“The administration has worked out details of the proposal, which will soon be tabled for ratification,” Kareer told reporters here on Wednesday.
The proposal will serve two purposes. First, it will speed up infrastructure development without any direct investment by the Pune municipal corporation (PMC). Second, IT companies and developers will get good roads, without having to wait for budget allocations by the PMC.
Moreover, IT companies and developers will be able to recover the funds invested by them. They will get a handsome rebate in property tax, which could go as high as 75 per cent per year, Kareer said.
He, however, stressed that the tax rebate would only be offered for construction of new DP roads, and not for reconstruction, tarring or resurfacing of existing DP roads. Also, the roads to be constructed should be such that they lead to government-notified IT Parks, not IT offices.
Should such a proposal come into effect, it would help speed up the construction of DP roads in Kharadi, Hinjewadi, Magarpatta and in the proposed IT Park at the International convention centre off Senapati Bapat road, Kareer said.
IT companies would also be required to construct the roads as per PMC estimates and specifications. The tax rebate will be offered in accordance with the actual expenses made by the companies and after verification that the road has been constructed as per the specifications laid down by the PMC, Kareer added.
It may be noted that the PMC has already offered octroi exemption of imports made by IT companies and has reduced the property tax slabs.
In addition, it has offered 100 per cent additional floor space index (FSI) — double the normal FSI — for IT constructions.

This is one of the finest attempt to achive what all puneites want for the roads.Also this is good Opportunity to contribute to development of the city for the IT majors … Hope this is well noted by the all the software companies.

Traffic Rules And Rule Keepers In Pune ...

Yesterday I unknowingly crossed the signal and was caught and fined Rs.100.
I admitted and played the fine. This is about 6PM on satara road near panchami restaurant. Here there were 4 police men and an inspector were very busy keeping the law.
I move on to katraj by same road I cross Market Yard Signal -no traffic person around, next I cross araneshwar signal again no traffic men... not even one.As I reached balagi nagar the situation is worst signals are gone and trafic is going for toss ...
Let us take a look at same time i.e.6PM about kamala Nehru park, prabhat road and all nearby roads... all of thse are traffic jamed and nobody is attending ... I mean traffic police.Next you reach karve road to find you have done the biggest mistake to see all of commuters are crossing the road in all possible ways again to remind ... no traffic police around and if some rare times he is present unable to control or busy with some law breaker and settling his daily score.
This is the very normal routine life of this city called Pune and very few from the controlling body of these rule makers/keepers bother to know about such issues.
Again the reason for fine was what if you met with accident with somebody else of jamming the traffic unnecessarily.
I had many questions like...
1. Why only certain spots (or May we say sweet spots...) has the privilege to have many officers?
2. Are all above stated locations full proof of accidents/issues?
3. Why nobody takes actions or fine them for not attending the jammed signals?
Any comments...

Roads and traffic in Pune ...

This is based on personal experience. I do travel daily from katraj to Senapati Bapat Rd. by 2-wheeler or 4-wheeler but I must day it's a nightmare for me.PMC is repairing the roads but not sure how they are doing it. If a 100 feet road is to be repaired they will put patches here and there but won't make a complete 100 feet road free of path holes. Guess this is to make illusion of repair and not actually doing. What is the use of patching if there is ditch next to the patch work? And believe me you will see this all over Pune. If you see roads in Mumbai the way they are built is weather proof and why that can't happen here? PMC can get these good contractors and get the job done if the locals are not capable. One good initiative from PMC was seen of bringing the imported technology to repair the roads in rainy days but to that some pundits from PMC it self were not happy. It was the right move from higher authorities from PMC to show the inability of such pundits.
Add to this is the traffic of Pune. I believe hardly 10% of population is bothered of traffic and its rules. At times this includes me also reason being I have to reach my work place on time. One peculiar thing I have observed is the lights will go off at peak hours and the traffic signals will also go off and the whole drama starts and if one trapped in it god knows when he will reach home. Can’t this be controlled by informing the traffic department for such arrangements because all affected ones are paying bills/taxes at the will of PMC and MSEB so they at least deserve the safe movement on and off the roads? I have been receiving SMS about traffic sense from the traffic control and hope many more peoples must have received it’s a good initiative but how long? Does these traffic polices will remember it till next year ?
I see this as the problem in attitude and the political wills at the top. Only PMC officer at the top can't be held responsible it’s the political will that’s not working in favor of this city. Now a days IT is booming like anything and Pune being the most favored destination we the peoples can't take risk of loosing this conditions. I have seen the changes here for last 15 years and seen how this IT boom has changed this city. It has changed the life of ordinary man also who is sum way is benefited by the way of IT in Pune. These were the long pending thoughts I had... your comments on this are welcome.

Indain stocks:Sensex Beats NASDAQ

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