HABITAT

A lunar base with an inflatable module.
Conceptual drawing. There have been numerous proposals regarding habitat modules. The designs have evolved throughout the years as mankind's knowledge about the Moon has grown, and as the technological possibilities have changed. The proposed habitats range from the actual spacecraft landers or their used fuel tanks, to inflatable modules of various shapes. Early on, some hazards of the lunar environment such as sharp temperature shifts, lack of atmosphere or magnetic field (which means higher levels of radiation and micrometeoroids) and long nights, were recognized and taken into consideration. Some suggest building the lunar colony underground, which would give protection from radiation and micrometeoroids. This is not the only advantage to this option. The average temperature on the moon is about −5 °C. The day period (two weeks) has an average temperature of about 107 °C (225 F), although it can rise as high as 123 °C (253 F). The night period (also two weeks) has an average temperature of about −153 °C (−243 F). [41] Underground, both periods would be around 24 °C (75 F), and humans could install ordinary air conditioners. [42] The construction of such a base would probably be more complex; one of the first machines from Earth might be a remote controlled boring machine to excavate living quarters. Once created, some sort of hardening would be necessary to avoid collapse, possibly a spray-on concrete-like substance made from available materials.[43] A more porous insulating material also made in situ could then be applied. Inflatable self-sealing fabric habitats might then be put in place to retain air. As an alternative to excavating, it is possible that large underground extinct lava tubes might exist on the Moon.[44] A possibly easier solution would be to build the lunar base on the surface, and cover the modules with lunar soil. The lunar regolith is comprised of a unique blend of silica and iron-containing compounds that may be fused into a glass-like solid using microwave energy. [45] This may allow for the use of "lunar bricks" in structural designs, or the "glassing" of loose dirt to form a hard, ceramic crust. Others have put forward the idea that the lunar base could be built on the surface and protected by other means, such as improved radiation and micrometeoroid shielding. Artificial magnetic fields have been proposed as a means to provide radiation shielding for long range deep space manned missions, and it might be possible to use similar technology on a lunar colony. Some regions on the Moon possess strong local magnetic fields that might partially mitigate against exposure to charged solar and galactic particles.[46]

St. Valentine's Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.
Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!
Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favorite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.
One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.
I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

Hon. Jugonnath "Nana" Sunkersett

Hon. Jugonnath "Nana" Sunkersett

Esq. (also spelled Jagannath Shankarsheth [1] and Jagannath Shankarshet) (10 October 1800 – 31 July 1865), was an Indian philanthropist and educationalist. He was born in 1800 in the wealthy Murkute family of the Daivadnya Brahmin caste in Mumbai (Bombay). Some people say that he was born in Murbad in Thane district. Unlike his forefathers, he engaged in commerce and soon developed a reputation as a very reliable businessman. So high was his credit that Arabs, Afghans and other foreign merchants chose to place their treasures in his custody rather than with banks. He soon acquired a large fortune, much of which he donated to the public. Sunkersett became an active leader in many arenas of Bombay life. Foreseeing the need for improvements in education, he became one of the founders of the School Society and the Native School of Mumbai, the first of its kind in Western India. The school went through a series of name changes: in 1824, it became the Bombay Native Institution, in 1840, the Board of Education and in 1856 the name which continues to this day, the Elphinstone Educational Institution. When the Students' Literary and Scientific Society first opened their girls' schools, Jugonnath Sunkersett contributed much of the necessary funds, despite strong opposition of some members of the Hindu community. Other educational projects he began include the English School, the Sanskrit Seminary, and the Sanskrit Library, all of which are located in Girgaum, South Mumbai. In 1845, along with Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, he formed the Indian Railway Association. Eventually, the association was incorporated into the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, and Jeejeebhoy and Sunkersett became the only two Indians among the ten directors of the GIP railways. As a director, Sunkersett participated in the very first train journey in India between Bombay and Thane, which took approximately 45 minutes. Jugonnath Sunkersett, Sir George Birdwood and Dr Bhau Daji were instrumental in the some of the major reconstruction efforts of the city, beginning 1857. The three gradually changed a town made up of a close network of streets into a spacious and airy city, adorned with fine avenues and splendid buildings. He became the first Indian to be nominated to the Legislative Council of Bombay under the XXTY 26 Act of 1861, and became a member of the Bombay Board of Education. He also was the first Indian member of the Asiatic Society of Bombay, and is known to have endowed a school and donated land in Grant Road for a theatre. His influence was used by Sir John Malcolm to induce the Hindus to acquiesce in the suppression of suttee or widow-burning, and his efforts also paid off after the Hindu community was granted a cremation ground at Sonapur (now Marine Lines). He is known to have donated generously to Hindu temples. During the First War of Independence of 1857, the British suspected his involvement, but were acquitted due to lack of evidence. He died in Bombay on the 31 July, 1865. A year after his death a marble statue was erected at the Asiatic Society of Bombay. A road and chowk (Nana Chowk) are named after him in South Mumbai. Jagannath's ancestor Babulshet Ganbashet migrated to Bombay in the mid-1700s. His son Shankarshet Babulshet was a prominent businessman of South Bombay in the late-1700s. Gunbow Street (now called Rustom Sidhwa Marg) in the Fort business district of present-day Mumbai is named after Ganbashet, and not, as many people assume, a British colonial name. The Bhavani-Shankar Mandir and The Ram Mandir near Nana Chowk were built by Shankarshet Babulshet, in the early-1800s and are currently in possession of the Sunkersett family