Karnataka: Barack Obama, wife Michelle Obama likely to visit Mandya district soon; Here's why
Mandya, Karnataka is gearing up for a momentous event in November as former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama are set to visit the region to inaugurate a spiritual center. This center has been constructed by the family of U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has served under both Obama and the current President, Joe Biden.
The spiritual center, will be a global symbol, as it aims to connect with people from all corners of the world. The project, situated on a sprawling 12-acre expanse, carries a price tag of Rs 70 crore. The SCOPE Foundation is providing the funding for this innovative endeavor.
One of the center's striking features is an impressive 11-foot tall statue of Mother Earth, sculpted from a single piece of rock. The statue will be adorned with blue granite and whitestone, symbolizing water and waves. Renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj, known for crafting a statue of Subash Chandra Bose, has been chosen by Hallegere Lakshmi Narashima Murthy, Dr. Murthy's father, to bring this vision to life.
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In addition to the Mother Earth statue, the spiritual center will house 64 statues of philosophers spanning from Socrates to Swami Vivekananda. This integration of diverse philosophical voices underlines the center's commitment to fostering spiritual and intellectual growth.
The upcoming Yoga and Meditation Sathwik Centre, an integral part of the spiritual complex, is set to be established on eight acres of land. The foundation is planning to invite the revered Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to lay the foundation stone for this center.
As part of the project's global outreach, a walkathon promoting the concept of the "Mother of Earth" will be launched in Washington DC on September 10. Jill Biden, the U.S. First Lady, and Vice-President Kamala Harris will inaugurate this event. Similar walkathons are scheduled to take place in various cities abroad.
Hallegere Lakshmi Narashima Murthy shared insights into the project's financing, revealing, "Our family has funded several charity activities. Since the whole project needs around Rs 100 crore, we may approach some donors."
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
