A Thought for Today-98: October 1, 2007

Three sentences for getting success: (1) Know more than the other; (2) Work more than the other; and (3) Expect less than the other - William Shakespeare

A Thought for Today-97: September 30, 2007

In a day, when you don't come across any problem, you can be sure that you are travelling on a wrong path - Swami Vivekananda

Eyecatchers-39 : Solar Cells 200 Hundred Times Thinner than Hair - AFP

Scientists have developed solar cells 200 hundred times thinner than a human hair that they believe will power the nanoscale gadgetry of tomorrow.

From customer devices to bioterrorism monitors to in-body diagnostics, this ultra-microscopic technology is poised to take centre stage in less than a decade from now. But finding the sources to power it has become a headache.

Charles Leiber and colleagues at Harvard University said silicon nanowire they devised that can convert light into electrical energy. Virtually invisible to the naked eye, a single strand can crank out up to 200 picowatts.

Two hundred billionth of a watt may not seem much, but at nanoscale it is enough to provide a steady output of electricity to run ultralow power electronics, including some that could be worn on, or even inside the body. It is also clean, highly efficient and renewable.

"An individual nanoelectronic device will indeed consume very little power, but to do something interesting will require many interconnected devices and thus the power requirement, even for nanosystems, can be a challenge," Leiber explained in an email.

Monitoring bioterrorism threats, for example, would require an entire array of nanosensors, nanoprocessors to analyse the signals received, and nano-transmitters to relay information to a centralised facility, he said.

Conventional sources, he added are "bulky, non-renewable and expensive" by comparison - AFP

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Madurai, Oct.18, 2007.

Grateful thanks to AFP and The New Indian Express.

Eyecatchers-38 : Biggest Black Hole

Astronomers have found the biggest stellar black hole so far, a monster with a mass 15.65 times that of our sun, lurking in a nearby spiral-shaped galaxy.

The find, located in a galaxy called Messier 33, has an even bigger companion - a close-orbiting star that is 70 times the mass of the sun, according to an investigation led by Jerome Orosz of San Diego University, California, USA - Agencies

Courtesy: 'World Vignettes', The New Indian Express, Madurai, Oct.18, 2007.

Grateful thanks to The New Indian Express.

Eyecatchers-37 : Anne Enright Wins Man Booker Prize

Rank outsider, Irish author, Anne Enright has won the 50,000 pounds Mann Booker Prize for what the judges called a "powerful, uncomfortable and even at times angry book", The Gathering - PTI.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Madurai, Oct.18, 2007.

Grateful thanks to PTI and The New Indian Express.

Self-Improvement: Who needs PERFECT people? - Uma Venkataraman

Demanding perfection from yourself can be dangerous to your health.

Perfect people, managers or employees exist only in training films and textbooks. It is the struggle towards perfection that counts and your approach towards that should be step by step. There is no other way of achieving your objectives. Set realistic short-term goals and focus on them. It does not matter even if you fail as long as you give it your best shot and stay in the game. If you quit, there is no way of winning. The real winner is the one who stays in the game, learns to play well and knows that perfection is only a fantasy.

Watch a child learning to walk. He stumbles as he tries but he picks himself up and tries again and again till he achieves that final successful step.

Never fear the consequences of missing a shot or a step. Because when you fear failure, you limit your potential. Remember while deciding to do something, it is better to be almost right than totally wrong.

You can still be considered one of the best and a success if you give your best, even though you may not be perfect.

Courtesy: M/s.Covansys, MEPZ, Chennai.

Grateful thanks to M/s.Covansys.

Self-Improvement: Twelve Things to Remember

The Value of Time.

The Success of Perseverance.

The Pleasure of Working.

The Dignity of Simplicity.

The Worth of Character.

The Power of Kindness.

The Influence of Example.

The Wisdom of Economy.

The Virtue of Patience.

The Improvement of Talent.

The Joy of Originating.

Compiled by: Prabhu Dakshina Moorthy

Courtesy: The Mirror, January 1976

Self-Improvement: Small is Beautiful

When we light a small earthen lamp, without a question and with least hesitation it sheds its humble light. It does not look around to watch if any other lamp is shedding its lustre. It is not dismayed also if no other light is burning in the vicinity.

It is content to be given to shed its own little light. It is not worried how much more darkness need to be removed from over the world. Is it a small privilege to be given to remove even a jot of darkness?

The small is beautiful. Have you not seen a tiny grass flower? Nature needed to exercise all its talents to create that tiny flower, complete in its own size of glory. If little things had no meaning they would not be there. Scientists have by now told us how much power, mystery and glory are there in the tiny atom.

Let us not be nervous about our smallness. For, without grains of sands, even the loftiest monuments could not be built. In fact, the ultimate brick of the greatest monuments is the sand particle.

There are people who think too highly of themselves. They have what is called a superiority complex. That abominable thing is too bad for themselves, and not good for others.

There are, again, those who think too lowly of themselves. They have an inferiority complex. This is worse than the superiority complex. They think that they are good for nothing. By continuously thinking that way, they really become so.

Such people can never become good citizens. When we discuss momentous issues concerning mankind, and the responsibility of doing our mite, they throw up their hands and dogmatically declare that small persons like them can do nothing about these great problems.

So they shy away even from discussing these problems. Taking shelter behind their so-called or supposed smallness they take an inverse pride in declaring that they have nothing to do with the ambitious scheme of solving world problems.

We should clearly understand that even a small lamp has the capacity and the privilege to give light. Often enough, these days, thanks to frequent power shortages, we are given the opportunity to appreciate the usefulness of the good old, humble candles. When proud powerhouses fail, humble candles give light. Even today the basic measure of all magnificent light is the candle power!

If thousand suns do not suddenly burst forth in our horizon, there is no reason to be disheartened. In fact, that would be too tragic for our planet. Let us light thousand small lights.

Enlightened citizenship is every individual's responsibility. That is the spirit of the times. That is the basic assumption of democracy. This is also the teaching of the Vedanta. You are, whoever you may be, the centre of light, you are verily that! Tat Tvamasi! True enlightened citizenship cannot be worked for in lesser terms. We can gain nothing by letting go our grip on the highest truth, whereas by remaining anchored in the highest truth we can eventually enlighten ourselves and others.

Swami Vivekananda teaches: "You are part of the Infinite. This is your nature. Hence you are your brother's keeper. Not one can be happy until all are happy. When you hurt anyone, you hurt yourself, for you and your brother are one....Each is responsible for the evil anywhere in the world. He is indeed a yogi who sees himself in the whole universe and the universe within himself.

Enlightened citizenship is very much a homegrown affair, in the sense that your home can become a lighthouse. The light that is within you, when that shines without also, that is enlightened citizenship.

The greatest legacy that Gandhiji has left to mankind is to have shown by his own example that each human being has a direct responsibility to world peace by the progressive day-to-day transformation of the individual soul. In fact, for all practical purposes, enlightened citizenship is a spiritual adventure.

Courtesy: 'ENLIGHTENED CITIZENSHIP', A Ramakrishna Math, Delhi, publication

Self-Improvement: Right Beginnings (from James Allen's 'Byways of Blessedness'

1. Life is full of beginnings. They are presented every day and every hour to every person. Most beginnings are small, and appear trivial and insignificant, but in reality they are the most important things in life.

2. When a man begins the day by rising early, he will find that the silent early hours is conducive to clearness of mind and calmness of thought. It will enable him to meet any and every difficulty with wisdom and calm strength.

3. Begin today aright, and, aided by the accumulated experiences of all your past days, live it better than any of your previous days. The character of the whole day depends upon the way it is begun.

4. Another beginning which is of great importance is the beginning of any particular and responsible undertaking. The right beginning and first essential is a definite mental plan on which to build.

5. Your whole life is a series of effects having their cause in thought - in your own thought. All conduct is made and moulded by thought: all deeds, good or bad, are thoughts made visible.

6. The man who patiently studies have to put into his mind the seeds of wholesome and charitable thoughts, will obtain the best results in life. The greatest blessedness comes to him, who infuses into his mind the purest and noblest thoughts.

Courtesy: Professor S.Raghunathan

Letters-1: Satisfying Success Needed

The hallmark of a sane society is its capacity to view things as a whole, for a number of factors go into the making of a healthy national community. It is not possible to be proud of material prosperity which is more apparent than real. This is so when it goes with lopsided development and the presence of pockets of the depressed areas. More particularly, the disparity between urban and rural areas has to be reckoned with more earnestly.

It is not enough to be motivated with a sense of purpose and progress. What is wanted is not just success but a success that satisfies. This is not possible with inequitable distribution of income and the pronounced existence of a poverty line. The widespread corruption is a telltale sign of unpardonable malaise that goes with it.

Unemployment refers to the divorce of knowledge and the power to do things. Educated youth is an impotent force so long as avenues of employment remain closed. The hierarchical order is a necessary accompaniment of an organized society. But illegal exploitation and misuse of executive power is a rampant evil to be held in check.

This is the need of the hour in India today.

Letter to the Editor, The New Indian Express from Mr.B.Gnanadoss, Madurai.

Grateful thanks to Mr.B.Gnanadoss and The New Indian Express.

A Thought for Today-96: September 29, 2007

By seeking goodness, being good, and affirming good, you see this world as a garden of beauty - Sri Sri Paramahamsa Yogananda, Excerpt from 'The Divine Romance'

Eyecatchers-36 : The Latest French Revolution by Manisha Gutman

After creating the world's fastest mode of transport, the TGV, the French are now returning to something much more simple - the bicycle (velo in French). Only July 15, 2007, ten thousand public bicycles were made available to the residents of Paris, in a new experiment on urban transport.

The basic principle is nobody owns the Velib, but everybody can borrow one. For €29 and a deposit of €150, one can subscribe to a year’s access to the cycles. Velib points have been created outside every metro station in the city. With a magnetic card in hand, one can simply help oneself to a cycle, use it to ride up to one’s destination and park it at the nearest Velib point.

It took three years of negotiations before the experiment was put into place but one week before the launch, nearly 8000 Parisians had signed up for a subscription. The city expects to have nearly 2,00,000 by the end of the year. In the last seven years, Paris has doubled its cycle tracks to 371 km at present.

The emerging new trend has quite a serious impact on urban planning, as rules are changed to suit a growing population of cyclists. Instead of the motorcar, in some places the cyclists have priority, allowing them to use one-way streets and even ignore traffic lights.

Finally, it comes down to a personal choice that the French are making. Cycling is good for one’s health; according to some studies half an hour of cycling per day can significantly elongate one’s lifespan, reducing stress and hypertension. It is also an efficient tool of weight control. On the other hand, a cycle is a non-polluting form of transport, using no fuel and creating no emissions. Until a few years ago, only 1.5 per cent of Parisians used cycles on a regular basis. Now more of urban French population is turning to a mode of transport very common in rural France.

The region of Arcachon, on the southwest coast of France offers several landmarks for tourists but, most of all, it offers an excellent network of cycle routes. These routes, which run along the sea for almost the entire circumference of the basin, originally formed a raid road track used by Germans during World War to transport soldiers and men. However, after the war, the railroad served little purpose and the path was converted into cycle tracks.

The cycle track that circles the basin is inaccessible to any motor vehicle, however small it may be. It covers a length of nearly 75 to 80 km, on a sunny day, one can see people of all ages cycling.

Cycles are available in most towns on rent for as little as €2 an hour. A variety of cycles, tandem bicycles, three-wheelers and cycles with baby carriages, makes it possible for older citizens, mothers with babies and even the physically challenged to cycle. To make it easier for tourists, cycles rented in one town can be returned in another to the same chain of stores.

The enthusiasm to return to the cycle as a form of transport as well as a hobby is not limited to Arcachon, Gironde, the department to which Arcachon belongs, boasts of a network of nearly 600 km of cycle tracks. Bordeaux, the capital of Gironde, is a university town that gives all students free use of bicycles that belong to the town. Further north, Nantes offers free raincoats and backpacks to state employees who cycle to work.

The bicycle is bringing revolutionary change to French society. It represents a growing social consciousness, as well as a willingness to make environmentally and socially sensitive choices.

Excerpt from ‘The Latest French Revolution’ by Manisha Gutman in Magazine, supplement to the Sunday edition of The Hindu of Sep.9, 2007.

Grateful thanks to Ms Manisha Gutman and The Hindu.

Facts and Figures-9: The Week, Oct.7, 2007

The rock band 'Rolling Stones' earned 88 million dollars in 2006-07!

Courtesy: Facts & Figures, The Week, Oct.7, 2007

Eyecatchers-35 : Doris Lessing wins Nobel Prize for Literature - AP

British writer Doris Lessing has won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. Lessing, 87, born to British parents who were living in what is now Iran, made her debut with "The Grass is Singing"(1950). Her other works include the semi-autobiographical "Children of Violence" series, largely set in Africa. Her breakthrough was the 1962 "Golden Notebook". "The burgeoning feminist movement saw it as a pioneering work and it belongs to the handful of books that inform the 20th century view of the male-female relationship," the Swedish Academy said in its citation announcing the prize.

Lessing's other important novels include, "The Summer Before Dark" (1973), "The Fifth Child"(1988), "Mara and Dann(1999), "The Story of General Dann and Mara's Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog(2005).

Lessing is the second British writer to win the Nobel Prize in three years. In 2005, Harold Pinter received the award. (AP)

Excerpt from The New Indian Express, Madurai, October 12, 2007

Further study:

http://www.dorislessing.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Lessing

http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/doris-lessing-book-book-profile/jessica-teisch (Book by Book Profile)

http://wiredforbooks.org/dorislessing/ (Audio Interviews with Doris Lessing)

http://jco.usfca.edu/lessing.html (Joyce Carol Oates on Lessing)

http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth60

A Thought for Today-95: September 28, 2007

He who submits to wrong is also a wrong-doer, for it is he who is the cause of all evil in the world - Rabindranath Tagore

A Thought for Today-94: September 27, 2007

One puts a premium on evil by suffering it without protest. The proper remedy for evil is to fight against it - Rabindranath Tagore

Self-Improvement-1: For Achieving Excellence

* Be systematic.
* Develop the right attitude.
* Be enthusiastic all the time.
* Maintain a diary to note down things to be done to serve as useful reminders.
* Maintain a happy state of mind so that you are positive in your approach and
outlook all the time.
* What you think you become. If you think you are beaten, you are! If you think
you will lose, you have already lost. It is all in the state of mind.
* Never bother about setbacks/threats/short-comings/difficulties in life.
Difficulties sharpen the intellect and strengthen the mind.

Courtesy: Excerpt from 'Achieving Excellence' by N.Ramachandran, Published in IBA Bulletin, Jan.1999.

Grateful thanks to Mr N Ramachandran and IBA Bulletin.

A Thought for Today-93: September 26, 2007

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT wisely and earnestly – Buddha

Facts and Figures-8: India Today, Oct.1, 2007

The number of radio stations All India Radio had in 1947 was six. Now, the number is 223.

$ 38.4 billion was spent on pet animals in the US during 2006.

More than 4 lac students apply to the IITs every year and only 3000 get through.

There are 262 medical colleges in India which produce 29,172 doctors every year.

2.87 million trucks run across Indian roads.

100 crore rupees is the estimated value of India’s current Ayurvedic production.

6 lac villages where nearly two-thirds of the total Indian population lives, form the future market for the telecom industry. The current 150 million subscriber base translates into only 13% penetration.

Rs.16,200 crore is the value of the online tutoring market in the US.

$ 1 trillion is the combined wealth of the 20-million NRI community, which is more than the size of the $850-billion Indian economy.

20% is the rise in people drinking wine in India from 2006.

Courtesy: India Today, Oct.1, 2007.

Grateful thanks to India Today.

A Thought for Today-92: September 25, 2007

It is perhaps safe to say that every man, however brilliant he might be, uses during his life no more than one billionth fraction of the potential of his brain - N.Dubinin ('Realize Your Potential' by V.Pekelis)