Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, August 2, 2008 (“Letters to the Editor”)
Happy New Year 2021
WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY, HEALTHY,
PROSPEROUS AND PURPOSEFUL
NEW YEAR 2020
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Letters-32: “Fighting Terror”
There are two modules of terrorism. One that preaches terrorism and another that executes it. Those who preach terrorism are more dangerous than those who act on their hate philosophy. The state should identify them first if terrorism is to be curbed. – K.R.Vimalchand, Chennai.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, August 2, 2008 (“Letters to the Editor”)
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, August 2, 2008 (“Letters to the Editor”)
Wikipedia articles on:
"Terrorism"
"War on Terrorism"
"Terrorism: Opposing Viewpoints"
"What we are fighting for?"
Grateful thanks to Mr.K.R.Vimalchand, Chennai; The Hindu, The Institute for American Values and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
Letters
Friday, August 01, 2008
My Photo Album-48: "Dad, about a year before his demise"
Both my parents are highly independent and they always got what they wanted. However, as the eldest son, I had more influence on them than others. The last few of years of his life, dad spent with one or the other of his children as per his personal choice. Finally, the stay at the Old Age Home was also his choice. He told us that he did not want to be burden on any of us.
This photo was taken at the Old Age Home about a year before his demise. He was convalescing from a viral fever. After this, my brother took him to his home. He lived there for a few months. During the last few months, he wanted to be near me. We have been close to each other, more friends than father and son. So we brought him to our place. However, during the last days, we fell out with each other and I did not see him for nearly a month. When I finally went to him he was unable to recognize me. He passed away at the age of 80.
When I think of it now, I am unable to believe that I actually did it. The guilty feeling and the agony probably I will have to carry with me to my grave. There were so many problems which I had not the courage, strength and wherewithal to face or tackle. It is no use thinking of them now; better let them remain buried. Probably I may have to pay for this towards the end of my life. Let it be so.
Labels:
My Photo Album
My Album-45: "My Grandparents"

I know of my grandparents only through this photo and what all my dad said about them. My dad lost his dad when he was 8 years old and his mother, when he was 9 years old. So what all he remembered was from his childhood days only.
My grandpa, I was told, was a voratious reader and collector of books, good books. But for one compilation, which I still keep, all his books were gone, as nobody took any interest in them.
As far as I know, I inherited at least two things from my grandpa: one is love of books and the other is bronchial asthma. Both seem to be growing with age and I take pride in calling myself a bibliophile - booklover, (no space or no hyphen between 'book' and 'lover', as the separation is painful to me.)
As far my grandma, I was told, that she was very devoted to my grandpa and could not live without him and hence wanted to die to join him "up there". God granted her desire and she joined him within a year of his demise.
As a result, my dad and his younger brother grew up in a rich but childless relative's house.
The only remnant, this photograph, was lying in a quiet corner. Who knows, one day my children may want to know about their great-grandparents. So I post this photo. Let me see whether this post awakens any curiosity in them and they ask any questions about them. In which case, I can also refresh my memory of what dad told about them and pass on that to my children.
Labels:
My Photo Album
Nellaiappan's Column-6: "Thanksgiving"
Thanks GivingI want to thank many people-
A few are not alive today;
Whereabouts of some not known;
Don’t even know the names of one or two.
Some seen only in books;
Many only heard about;
Yet want to thank them all,
For, I am what I am because of them.
Mother, for imbibing gentleness in me;
Father, for imparting the art of reasoning;
Elder brother, for demonstrating ethics and values;
Younger brother, for being my first friend.
Tamil teacher, for inculcating a love for languages;
Sanskrit master, for my English vocabulary;
Lord Alagappa, for my college education;
My old secondhand cycle, for the trips to and fro.
Friend Annamalai -
For introducing Lin Yutang and Dale Carnegie
And for chiseling some thing inside me
Penfriend Sala –
Deserves a handshake
Though faded away now
Like a passing cloud;
For filling a vacuum those days
When the very thought of a friend
in the opposite sex was exciting.
Author Naa.Paa. -
for molding my character;
Kalki -
for the inspiration to write in Tamil;
How one can forget Poorani and Aravindan,
Vanthiathevan challenging Alwarkkadiyan?
Given an opportunity to re-live,
Jeyakanthan’s and Balakumaran’s
Every word I shall read and re-read,
And a red salute to my Vairamuthu.
Who could match Valampuri John?
Voracious reader, Unique orator.
Though political misjudgments
Overshadow his fame;
I bow my head for whatever I learnt from him.
My friends-
Gentle Venkatachalam, busy Chandran,
Innocent Ramanathan and turbulent Mohan
everyone is important in their own way
either one’s company would wipe worries away.
At the career front
Many deserve my thanks -
From some I learnt what to do and how
From some others what not to do and why
Making me a manager and a trainer.
I still keep on learning-
For there is no end to learning;
As Tamil sage-poet would say
What we have learnt is only a handful
And what we have to is like the Universe.
At the home front -
My Kannamma for putting up
With my idiosyncrasies and shortcomings;
My beloved daughters for making
Life meaningful and worth living;
And for all the three of them
For being the driving force behind me.
I surrender at His holy feet
Myself and all that He has given me.
No regrets and no complaints;
I only wonder about His plans for me.
Labels:
Nellaiappan's Column
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Eyecatchers-96: IIT-Madras Celebrates Golden Jubilee!
The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, is planning to have year-long celebrations in commemoration of its Golden Jubilee.
IIT-M, as it is popularly known, was established in July 1959 under Indo-German Cooperation.
Its Alumni of nearly 32,000 spread all over the world are occupying top positions in industry and academia.
Source: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.
Wikipedia article on IIT-Madras:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institute_of_Technology_Madras
Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
IIT-M, as it is popularly known, was established in July 1959 under Indo-German Cooperation.
Its Alumni of nearly 32,000 spread all over the world are occupying top positions in industry and academia.
Source: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.
Wikipedia article on IIT-Madras:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institute_of_Technology_Madras
Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
Eyecatchers
Eyecatchers-95: "Man Booker Prize for this year"
Two first-time novelists from the subcontinent – Aravind Adiga, an Indian journalist, and Mohammed Hanif, a London-based Pakistani broadcaster – will compete with Salman Rushdie and Amitav Ghosh for this year’s Man Booker Prize, giving it a heavy India-Pakistan flavour.
Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger’ takes a hard look at the underbelly of India’s economic boom. Hanif’s blistering political satire, ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ is about the mysterious air crash that killed Zia-ul-Haq. They are up against Rushdie’s ‘The Enchantress of Florence’ and Ghosh’s ‘Sea of Poppies’.
The 13-strong longlist, picked from among 112 entries, will be whittled down to six. These finalists’ names will be announced in September. The winner of the £50,000 prize will be declared in October.
Excerpt from “Subcontinent looms over Man Booker longlist” by Hasan Suroor in The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.
Wikipedia article on “Man Booker Prize”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Booker_Prize
Grateful thanks to Hasan Suroor, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger’ takes a hard look at the underbelly of India’s economic boom. Hanif’s blistering political satire, ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ is about the mysterious air crash that killed Zia-ul-Haq. They are up against Rushdie’s ‘The Enchantress of Florence’ and Ghosh’s ‘Sea of Poppies’.
The 13-strong longlist, picked from among 112 entries, will be whittled down to six. These finalists’ names will be announced in September. The winner of the £50,000 prize will be declared in October.
Excerpt from “Subcontinent looms over Man Booker longlist” by Hasan Suroor in The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.
Wikipedia article on “Man Booker Prize”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Booker_Prize
Grateful thanks to Hasan Suroor, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
Eyecatchers
Eyecatchers-94: "22nd World Congress on Philosophy"
Thousands of philosophers from around the globe gathered at Seoul on Wednesday (July 30, 2008) for their first world congress to be held in Asia, to discuss ways to enhance dialogue between different countries.
The 22nd World Congress on Philosophy, being held under the theme of "Rethinking Philosophy Today", has drawn more than 3000 prominent philosophers from some 150 countries - AFP.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.
Wikipedia article on "World Congress on Philosophy":
Grateful thanks to AFP, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
Eyecatchers
Eyecatchers-93: "Ban on Fastfood"
Los Angeles officials have approved a one-year ban on fast-food chains opening in a poor neighborhood of the city battling higher-than-average obesity.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008(“Newscape”).
Wikipedia article on “Childhood Obesity” and “Fastfood”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_obesity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastfood
Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008(“Newscape”).
Wikipedia article on “Childhood Obesity” and “Fastfood”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_obesity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastfood
Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
Eyecatchers
Facts & Figures-37: "Costliest Street in the UK!"
Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal resides in Britain’s most expensive street – Kensington Palace Gardens – with an average house price £ 41.4 million.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.
Article on “Lakshmi Mittal” from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi_Mittal
Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.
Article on “Lakshmi Mittal” from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi_Mittal
Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
Facts and Figures
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
S&T Watch-19: "Fuel cell cars still 15 years away!”
Los Angeles Times of July 18, 2008 reports quoting Reuters as source that Fuel cell cars are still 15 years away at best.
Excerpts from the news item:
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are still 15 years away from becoming a viable business for automakers even if they overcome remaining technical hurdles and the US govt provides massive subsidies, a government-funded report said Thursday (July 17, 2008).
Under a best-case scenario, automakers will only be able to sell about 2 million electric vehicles powered by fuel cells by 2020, according to the study by the National Research Council. That would mean that less than 1% of the vehicles on US roads by that date would be powered by fuel cells.
Advocates see the still-emerging technology as a way to cut oil use and carbon emissions since fuel cells combined stored hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity. As a result, fuel-cell vehicles emit only water vapor.
Success for fuel-cell technology hinges on building facilities to generate, transport and store hydrogen at filling stations. It will also require automakers to build cheap and durable hydrogen vehicles that consumers want to buy.
For the full article from Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-fuel18-2008jul18,0,2916893.story
Grarteful thanks to Los Angeles Times and Reuters.
Excerpts from the news item:
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are still 15 years away from becoming a viable business for automakers even if they overcome remaining technical hurdles and the US govt provides massive subsidies, a government-funded report said Thursday (July 17, 2008).
Under a best-case scenario, automakers will only be able to sell about 2 million electric vehicles powered by fuel cells by 2020, according to the study by the National Research Council. That would mean that less than 1% of the vehicles on US roads by that date would be powered by fuel cells.
Advocates see the still-emerging technology as a way to cut oil use and carbon emissions since fuel cells combined stored hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity. As a result, fuel-cell vehicles emit only water vapor.
Success for fuel-cell technology hinges on building facilities to generate, transport and store hydrogen at filling stations. It will also require automakers to build cheap and durable hydrogen vehicles that consumers want to buy.
For the full article from Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-fuel18-2008jul18,0,2916893.story
Grarteful thanks to Los Angeles Times and Reuters.
Labels:
S and T Watch
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Nellaiappan's Column-5: "Gettings Things Done"
Getting things done is an art. It is like how a bee extracts honey from a flower. Another way is like crushing sugarcane to extract juice. How do you extract work? Are you a bee or a crusher?When I asked the above question in the training program I got many different answers. I am a bee, said someone. No, I am a crusher, was the second answer. The third man said, “I am a bee most of the time, but occasionally I become a crusher to the same person”.
“It depends on the other man” was the next interesting reply. It depends on whether the other man is a flower or sugarcane- someone elaborated. He further added, “I am a bee to a flower and a crusher to a sugarcane”.
“It not only depends on the other person, but mostly on the situation too. Ya, urgency and precision of work drive us so” was the view of an Engineer.
The Production Manager said, “ I am a flower to my boss and a crusher to my production team”. Amidst waves of laughter the Production Supervisor contradicted his boss by saying, “ No, no. Our boss is always a bee to us”
“You are expected to speak like that, as the annual appraisal is fast approaching” – HR Manager added his share. Roars of laughter filled the air.
Someone seriously interrupted, “Where is the question of flower and sugarcane? I have clay, dry hard clay with me. Even if it is wet clay, I can mould it to the required shape. How to mould dry clay?”
You add water. It is as simple as that. HR man had the readymade answer.
“Why should the HR recruit clay and sugarcanes in the first place instead of flowers?”, argued the Maintenance Manager.
“All were flowers at the beginning and only their long association with you, made them as clay and sugarcane,” retorted the HR Manager.
“We cannot remain as flowers as long as the bosses are not bees,” added the union leader.
“No one is a complete clay, sugarcane or flower. They act differently at different situations and accordingly we have to handle them,” the GM explained with live examples.
He concluded with “Tell people what you want. Never tell them how it should be down. Instead, question them how they are going to do it. Let the other man feel it is his baby. If it is your baby they will kill it, and if it is theirs they will cherish it.
The entire program was full of interaction and GM was praising me (in his cabin) for the bee and sugarcane example. I told him that that was not my original stuff. I read in a book, how a government should collect tax from its people like a bee collecting honey. I only modified it to another situation.
Then I should appreciate you for reading good books, he said. If you want to appreciate someone, you present him or her with good books, I told him. That’s what I suggest you too.
Labels:
Nellaiappan's Column
S&T Watch-18 : "500-metre diameter synchrotron!"
The world's largest scale synchrotron is at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai Research and Development Center. It produces neutrons and neutrionos to be used for research materials and life science.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 24, 2008 ("Snapshots")
For a detailed article on "Synchrotron" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
S and T Watch
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
S&T Watch-17 : "Easterbunny" becomes "Makemake"
"Easterbunny," a red, methane-covered dwarf planet orbiting the sun beyond Neptune, was designated as the third plutoid in our solar system and rechristened "Makemake." - Claire Gutierrez
Courtesy: Harper's Weekly, Weekly News, July 22, 2008.
Courtesy: Harper's Weekly, Weekly News, July 22, 2008.
Article on "Makemake" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Grateful thanks to Claire Gutierrez, Harper's Weekly and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Labels:
S and T Watch
Letters-31: "Alarming Trend"
1. Boozing and drug abuses are common among teenagers in most states ('Folley Valley', The Week, June 22, 2008). It is the parents who are to blame for this. Parents nowadays are so involved in their careers that they ignore their cchildren. By giving their wards pocket money and the latest gizmos, they think that they have done their duty. Little do they realise that they are spoiling the future of their children by not giving them proper care and guidance. - A.Rekha, On email.
2. The country is so obsessed with petty politics and the lousy game of cricket that we miss the real issues. We are too busy to sit down with our children and understand their problems. The difficulties faced by today's youth are different from the previous generation's, because society has changed tremendously in the last few decades. - Janardana Pai, Chennai.
Courtesy: The Week, July 13, 2008 ("Letters").
Grateful thanks to Ms.A.Rekha, Mr.Janardana Pai and The Week.
Labels:
Letters
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