Top 20 Largest Dams in The World - 2

12. Gardiner Dam:



The Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan is the third largest embankment dam in Canada and one of the largest embankment dams in the world. Construction on Gardiner Dam and the smaller Qu'Appelle River Dam was started in 1959 and completed in 1967, creating Lake Diefenbaker upstream and diverting a considerable portion of the South Saskatchewan's flow into the Qu'Appelle River. The dam rises 64 metres in height, is almost 5 km long and has a width of 1.5 km at its base with a volume of 65,000,000 cubic meters. More details





12. Oroville Dam:

Oroville Dam is an earthfill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville, California in the United States. At 770 feet (230 m) high, it is the tallest dam in the U.S. and serves mainly for water supply, hydroelectricity generation and flood control. The dam impounds Lake Oroville, the second largest man-made lake in the state of California, capable of storing more than 3.5 million acre-feet (4.4 km3), and is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of the Sacramento Valley. More details

13. San Luis Dam:

San Luis Dam is a dam that creates San Luis Reservoir, which serves as an off-stream reservoir for the California State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. It is also known as the B.F. Sisk Dam, after Bernie Sisk. The earth-fill gravity embankment dam is 305 feet (93 m) tall and was completed in 1967. It is located between Los Banos, California and Gilroy, California, United States along Pacheco Pass. The plant's eight Francis turbines produce a combined 424 MW. More details

14. Nurek Dam:

The Nurek Dam is an earth fill embankment dam on the Vakhsh River in the central Asian nation of Tajikistan. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1980, when Tajikistan was still a republic within the Soviet Union. At 300 m (984 ft) it is currently the tallest man-made dam in the world. A total of nine hydroelectric Francis turbines are installed in the Nurek Dam. Originally having a generating capacity of 305 megawatts each (2.745 gigawatts total), they have since been redesigned and retrofitted such that they now combine to produce 3.015 gigawatts. More details

15. Samara / Zhiguli Dam:

Samara Dam is a large dam and hydroelectric station on the Volga River, located near Zhigulyovsk  and Tolyatti  in Samara Oblast of Russia. It is the sixth stage of the Volga-Kama Cascade of dams, and the second of them by installed power. The dam is 2800 m long, 750 m wide and 52 m high and the installed power is 2315 MW. More details

16. Garrison Dam:

Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota. At over two miles (3 km) in length, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947-53. The reservoir impounded by the dam is Lake Sakakawea, which extends to Williston and the confluence with the Yellowstone River, near the Montana border. Hydropower turbines at Garrison Dam have an electric power generating nameplate capacity of 583.3 megawatts. Average production of 240 megawatts serves several hundred thousand customers. More details

17. Cochiti Dam:

The Cochiti Dam is an earthen fill dam located on the Rio Grande in Sandoval County, New Mexico. Cochiti Dam is one of the four United States Army Corps of Engineers projects for flood and sediment control on the Rio Grande system, operating in conjunction with Abiquiu Dam, Galisteo Dam and Jemez Canyon Dam. Cochiti Dam is primarily a flood control dam built to ameliorate the effects of heavy run off. The dam and the resultant lake also had the secondary purposes of creating recreational and wildlife habitat resources. The outlet works of the dam are capable of 14,790 feet3/s (418.8 m3/s) of outflow. More details

18. Aswan High Dam:

Aswan High Dam is an embankment dam situated across the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt. Since the 1950s, the name commonly refers to the High Dam. Construction of the High Dam became a key objective of the Egyptian Government following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, as the ability to control floods, provide water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity were seen as pivotal to Egypt's industrialization. The High Dam was constructed between 1960 and 1970, and had a significant impact on the economy and culture of Egypt. More details

19. W.A.C. Bennett Dam:

The W. A. C. Bennett Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in northern British Columbia, Canada. At 183 m (660 ft) high, it is one of the world’s highest earth fill dams. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and culminated in 1968. At the dam, the Finlay, the Parsnip and the Peace Rivers feed into Williston Lake, also referred to as Williston Reservoir. It is the third largest artificial lake in North America (after the Smallwood Reservoir and Manicouagan) as well as the largest body of fresh water in British Columbia. Williston Lake runs 250 kilometers north-south and 150 kilometers east-west. More details

20. Afsluitdijk Dam:

The Afsluitdijk Dam is a major causeway in the Netherlands, constructed between 1927 and 1933 and running from Den Oever on Wieringen in North Holland province, to the village of Zurich in Friesland province, over a length of 32 kilometres and a width of 90 m, at an initial height of 7.25 m above sea-level. More details

Top 20 Largest Dams in The World - 1

1. Three Gorges Dam:

The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China. The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW). Except for a ship lift, the dam project was completed and fully functional as of July 4, 2012, when the last of the main turbines in the underground plant began production. Each main turbine has a capacity of 700 MW. The dam body was completed in 2006. Coupling the dam's 32 main turbines with two smaller generators (50 MW each) to power the plant itself, the total electric generating capacity of the dam is 22,500 MW. As well as producing electricity, the dam is intended to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduce the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space. The Chinese government regards the project as a historic engineering, social and economic success, with the design of state-of-the-art large turbines, and a move toward limiting greenhouse gas emissions. More details

2. Itaipu Dam:

The Itaipu Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The dam is the largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual energy generation, generating 98.3 TWh in 2012 and 98.6 TWh in 2013. It is a binational undertaking run by Brazil and Paraguay at the Paraná River on the border section between the two countries, 15 km (9.3 mi) north of the Friendship Bridge. The installed generation capacity of the plant is 14 GW, with 20 generating units providing 700 MW each with a hydraulic design head of 118 m. In 2008 the plant generated a record 94.68 TWh, supplying 90% of the electricity consumed by Paraguay and 19% of that consumed by Brazil. Of the twenty generator units currently installed, ten generate at 50 Hz for Paraguay and ten generate at 60 Hz for Brazil. Since the output capacity of the Paraguayan generators far exceeds the load in Paraguay, most of their production is exported directly to the Brazilian side. More details

3. Tucurui Dam:

The Tucuruí Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Tocantins River located on the Tucuruí County in the State of Pará, Brazil. The main purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production and navigation. It is the first large-scale hydroelectric project in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The installed capacity of the 25-unit plant is 8,370 MW. Phase I construction began in 1975 and ended in 1984 while Phase II began in 1998 and ended in late 2010s. More details

4. Guri Dam:



The Guri Dam is a concrete gravity and embankment dam in Bolívar State, Venezuela on the Caroni River. It is 7,426 meters long and 162 m high. Construction began in 1963; the first part concluded in 1978 and the second in 1986. The Hydroelectric Power station Guri was constructed in the Necuima Canyon, 100 kilometers waters above of the mouth of the Caroní River in the Orinoco. There are two machine rooms with ten generators each, producing a total of 87 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. As of 2009, the hydroelectric plant is the third-largest in the world, with 10,200 MW capacity. More details

5. Fort Peck Dam:

The Fort Peck Dam is the highest of six major dams along the Missouri River, located in northeast Montana in the United States. At 6,409 m in length and over 76 m in height, it is the largest hydraulically filled dam in the United States, and creates Fort Peck Lake, the fifth largest man-made lake in the U.S., more than 210 km long, 200 61 m deep. The dam and 216 km long lake exist for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation, flood control, and water quality management. More details

6. Tarbela Dam:

Tarbela Dam on the Indus River in Pakistan is the largest earth filled dam in the world and second largest by structural volume. It is located in Haripur District, Hazara Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northwest of Islamabad. The dam is 485 feet (148 m) high above the riverbed. The dam forms the Tarbela Reservoir, with a surface area of approximately 250-square-kilometre (97 sq mi). The dam was completed in 1974 and was designed to store water from the Indus River for irrigation, flood control, and the generation of hydroelectric power. More details

7. Atatürk Dam:



The Atatürk Dam originally the Karababa Dam, is a zoned rock-fill dam in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Built both to generate electricity and to irrigate the plains in the region, it was renamed in honour of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938), the founder of the Turkish Republic. The construction began in 1983 and was completed in 1990. The dam and the hydroelectric power plant, which went into service after the upfilling of the reservoir was completed in 1992, are operated by the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ). The reservoir created behind the dam, called Lake Atatürk Dam is the third largest in Turkey. More details 

8. Grand Coulee Dam:

Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy production. It is the largest electric power-producing facility in the United States. More details

9. Oahe Dam:

The Oahe Dam is a large dam along the Missouri River, just north of Pierre, South Dakota in the United States. It creates Lake Oahe, the fourth largest artificial reservoir  in the United States, which stretches 231 miles (372 km) up the course of the Missouri to Bismarck, North Dakota. The dam’s powerplant provides electricity for much of the north-central United States. It is named for the Oahe Indian Mission established among the Lakota Sioux in 1874. The project provides flood control, electric power, irrigation, and navigation benefits, estimated by the Corps of Engineers at $150,000,000 per year. More details

10. Mangla Dam:

Mangla Dam was constructed from 1961 to 1967 across the Jhelum River, about 67 miles (108 km) south-east of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad in Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The main structures of the dam include 4 embankment dams, 2 spillways, 5 power-cum-irrigation tunnels and a 1,000 MW power station. The power station of Mangla dam consists of 10 units each having capacity of 100 MW. More details



Continued ... Top 20 Largest Dams in The World - 2

15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO ALWAYS BE RIGHT

 There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. GIVE UP YOUR NEED FOR CONTROL

 Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel. 

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. GIVE UP ON BLAME

 Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. GIVE UP YOUR SELF-DEFEATING SELF-TALK

Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. GIVE UP YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS

about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. GIVE UP COMPLAINING

 Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. GIVE UP THE LUXURY OF CRITICISM

Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO IMPRESS OTHERS

Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. GIVE UP YOUR RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

 Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. GIVE UP LABELS

 Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. GIVE UP ON YOUR FEARS

Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. GIVE UP YOUR EXCUSES

Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. GIVE UP THE PAST

I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. GIVE UP ATTACHMENT

This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. GIVE UP LIVING YOUR LIFE TO OTHER PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

SOURCE : http://www.facebookquotes4u.com/2013/06/15-things-you-should-give-up-to-be-happy.html

50 Sweet Birthday Messages for your Girlfriend

Making your girlfriend’s birthday special can be challenging but if you organize it thoughtfully, you can emerge a winner! Girls love being pampered and if you do that well, half the battle is won. Chocolates, cakes and cards do the trick but when they are accompanied with a sweet message, they can make her go weak in the knees. Reading it out loud when you are with her is a sure way to see that smile on her face. Get inspired!

1. Your birthday is as special for me as it is for you because I have the honor of spending it with you.
2. Someone up there loves you and someone down here cares for you. Have a Happy Birthday!
3. To have you in my life is a special gift; I hope we can treasure each other forever. Enjoy your day!
4. Your smile entices me, your warmth caresses me, you are the reason I see things positively. Happy Birthday!
5. I may be far from you, but every time I close my eyes, I see you standing right beside me.
6. I hope you enjoy your birthday.You may never know how much you mean to me unless we switch places and you stand where I do.
7. Happy birthday to you!Your birthday comes once a year and I want to make it special for you. I hope you like what is in store for you. 
8. You rock my world, Happy Birthday!
9. If I could exchange all those moments I spent with you for a tonne of gold, I would. Buying you presents with that gold would make these days even better.
10. This is your special day and I hope I can make it better for you. Meet me, I love you.
11. To wish you a Happy Birthday is not the only thing I can do for you. Come home and I’ll show you!
12. With these presents come my wishes for you to be successful in everything you do.
13. For my girl, who helped me define my life, your birthday is an exclusive day for me to let you know that I love you.
14. Happy birthday, sweetheart. I hope we stay together, forever!
15. Your birthday calls for special words but nothing new can compete with the traditional ‘I love you.’
16. You and I may be far apart, but my wishes are with you on your birthday.
17. The distance between us grows but so does our love for each other. Happy Birthday.
18. To see you happy on your birthday is all I desire. I hope you get whatever you wish for.
19. With each gift that you open today, I hope your happiness multiplies. May you get success in all you do.
20. I want to wish you Happy Birthday in a special way. You and I should be together.
21. I hope you know I cherish you and out times together. There is no better day to let you know than on your birthday.
22. May your birthday be filled with love laughter and happiness. God bless you on this special day.
23. You may be older than yesterday, but you’re younger than tomorrow. Happy birthday.
24. While many people may be thinking of you on your birthday, I want you to know I’m first on that list!
25. To wish you success is all I desire. I hope you have a blast on your birthday and cherish it forever!
26. You deserve a happy day and what better day than your birthday? Celebrate like there is no tomorrow.
27. You may be working on your special day, but your night will be as hectic as your day. Be ready for celebrations tonight.
28. Here’s wishing you a prosperous, bright, fun-filled birthday.
29. It takes two to create magic. I hope you and your birthday cake have a great time together. Loves.
30. I wish you miles of smiles for this year and for others to come on your birthday.
31. If on your birthday, I could make your dreams come true, I would. But for now, I’ll make mine true by being with you!
32. To wish for you a day that is filled with joy and success is the least I can do, for someone as special as you.
33. You may not want presents this year, but I can’t lose this opportunity to give you my heart and say I love you.
34. If I could give you the world, I would. But make do with these presents for now; everything else is on its way.
35. A birthday full of surprises was what I planned for you. With every year it’s going to get better.
36. I hope you get all that you desire on this day, you deserve all the happiness in the world.
37. My love for you grows with each day. Have a great day today, happy birthday.
38. You may be older by a year today, but you are as beautiful as you were yesterday.
39. This day has a lot in store for you. Keep a lookout for your surprises!
40. May your day overflow with excitement, success and happiness.
41. Your best years lie ahead of you. Make the most of today and tomorrow. Have a great birthday.
42. Hoping that your birthday is as awesome as you are!
43. The heavens cried the day you were born, they still do on losing an angel like you.
44. May your birthday remind you of yesterday’s stories, today’s fortune and tomorrow’s dreams.
45. Your birthday epitomizes you.
46. Gift are many but so are the wishes, have a wonderful day.
47. I may not be able to give you a gift, but I will gift you my wishes.
48. On this special day, I raise a toast to you and your life.
49. Birthdays are incomplete without wishes and mine come to you today for a long life and successful career!
50. You are my sunshine, happy birthday!

These messages are sure to get a smile on your girlfriend’s face. Use them to create magic!

Courtesy: http://www.futurescopes.com/romantic-ideas/892/50-sweet-birthday-messages-your-girlfriend

Maruti to launch Ertiga in March - Part 2 of 2

The key styling of the Ertiga revolves around the basic elements of Passenger car characteristics, Ertiga's powerful road presence with an assurance of safety that complements Suzuki's strong Identity. The Ertiga is distinguished by its compact dimensions (overall length: 4265mm, overall width: 1695mm, overall height: 1685mm).

The bold and aggressive stance complemented by the 2740 mm wheel base along with 15 inch alloy wheels combined with a strong shoulder thick section gives Ertiga an absolute power of presence.

The plush and premium interiors of Ertiga exude confidence, elegance, class, versatile character and agility.

The interiors offer a host of new features such as a 3-spoke, tilt adjustable electric steering, twin AC, audio system (USB Compatible, 4+2 speakers), steering mounted audio controls, central door locking and keyless entry, multi information display, power windows with auto down and electrically adjustable mirror. The feature rich Ertiga is sure to delight the customer looking for rich features in the MPV.

The Utility Vehicle (UV) segment accounts for around 14 per cent of the Indian automobile industry, a 66 per cent (two third) of these are Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV), the segment where Ertiga is positioned.

In the Indian automobile industry, the MPV is the fastest growing sub-segment amongst UVs showing a growth of around 15 per cent in the last four years.

At the same time Utility Vehicles segment (MPV + SUV) have shown a growth rate of over 12 per cent in the last four years.