Eyecatchers-56: ''Daytime Nap good for Memory"

Concerned that a daytime snooze might ruin a good night’s sleep? Do not fret. A team of researchers in the US has carried out a study and discovered that a brief bout of 45 minutes obtained during a daytime nap does not hamper sleep at night but boosts a person’s declarative memory performance. The results of the study have been published in the Sleep journal.

Courtesy: PTI / The Hindu, Madurai, February 4, 2008

A Thought for Today : February 3, 2008

Every action must be due to one or other of seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reasoning, anger, or appetite – Aristotle

A Thought for Today : February 2, 2008

Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old - Frank Lloyd Wright

Eyecatchers-55: ''For LPG in fiberglass cylinders" by Sujay Mehdudia

Lightweight and transparent composite cylinders for liquefied petroleum gas, termed the 21st century LPG cylinders, are all set to hit the Indian market. Attracted by the expanding Indian market, a Norwegian company, Ragasco, has obtained the approval of the Chief Controller of Explosives to set up business in the country.

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murali Deora, who met a representative of the company during a visit to London, said he had asked the oil-marketing companies to examine the feasibility of introducing the advanced technological innovation in India. Ragasco, the pioneer of this technology, is contemplating setting up a joint venture in the country.

It is learnt that officials of Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum have visited the company’s facility in Norway to have a look at the new technology.

The new fiberglass cylinders are lightweight, easy to handle and safe. They weigh 50% less than the steel cylinders now in use and will not corrode.

The design is stylish and one can even view the level of liquefied gas inside.

Ragasco has marketed 3,00,000 cylinders in European countries including France, Portugal and the UK and has received product approvals in the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.

India has 150 million LPG cylinders and on an average seven million cylinders are circulated in the market every year.

Ragasco manufactures cylinders ranging from 5 kg to 14 kg by weight.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Feb.2, 2008

Facts & Figures-19 : 17,060 Farm Suicides in One Year

17,060 Farm Suicides in One Year :
Upward Trends in major States unchanged, Maharashtra is the worst hit
By P.Sainath

Farm suicides in Maharashtra rose dramatically in 2006, more than in any other part of the country. The state saw 4,453 farmers’ suicides that year, over a quarter of the all-India total of 17,060, according to the National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) in its report, Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2006……

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, January 31, 2008

A Golden Moment

Jnanpith winning Malayalam writer, M.T.Vasudevan Nair, received a special honour recently. The Kerala Sahitya Akademi organized a grand four-day literary festival in Thrissur to celebrate the golden jubilee of his novel Nalukettu, published in 1958. The novel deals with the disintegration of the Nair joint families. Malayalam’s living literary pantheon was present in full strength at the festival to sing paeans to writer who is tipped to be the next Central Sahitya Akademi president.

Courtesy: ‘Indiana’, The Week, February 3, 2008

Eyecatchers-54: ''DELHI BOOK FAIR" by Anita Joshua

The 18th edition of the biennial New Delhi World Book Fair, billed as the world’s second largest such event, will open on Saturday.

Announcing this at a press conference here, National Book Trust (NBT) Director, Nusrat Ahmed, said this time it would be a trade-oriented event and not just a platform for book sales.

A highlight this year will be an international rights exhibition featuring works on and by Mahatma Gandhi, in the 60th year of his martyrdom. Titled, “In Words and In Deeds”, the exhibition will have on display 1000 titles in Indian languages. There will also be some published in French, German, Finnish, Spanish and Brazilian.

NBT has put together an Annotated Rights Catalogue. It features annotations, bibliographic details, information on the availability of translation rights, copyright status, and contact details for rights, permissions and licences. The purpose according to Ms Ahmed, is to have an estimate of the quantum of writings on Gandhiji across the world and facilitate copyright negotiations.

With 2008 being declred the A highlight this year will be an international rights exhibition featuring works on and by Mahatma Gandhi, in the 60th year of his martyrdom. Titled, “In Words and In Deeds”, the exhibition will have on display 1000 titles in Indian languages. There will also be some published in French, German, Finnish, Spanish and Brazilian.

NBT has put together an Annotated Rights Catalogue. It features annotations, bibliographic details, information on the availability of translation rights, copyright status, and contact details for rights, permissions and licences. The purpose according to Ms Ahmed, is to have an estimate of the quantum of writings on Gandhiji across the world and facilitate copyright negotiations.

With 2008 being declared the Year of Russia in India, the Russian Federation will be the Guest of Honour. Housed in a special hall, the Russian pavilion will have over 80 publishers displaying their publications. Russia will host panel discussions, literary programmes and children’s activities.

Anzhelika Zhukova, director general of IMA Dialog which is putting together the Russian component, said 30 writers from Russia would attend. Half of them are part of the official delegation; the rest are coming on their own.

Ahead of the Fair, the Frankfurt Book Fair will host an international conference. NBT is buoyed by this, as it points to India’s emergence as an Asian center of publishing on a par with China.

The NBT Director drew attention to the number of requests that hve come from publishers for visa facilitation. Participation from 23 countries is confirmed.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, January 30, 2008

Eyecatchers-53: 'Kolkata Book Fair'

Kolkata Book Fair – Staff Reporter, The Hindu

“It looks like a war is being waged against books,” West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at a “symbolic” inauguration of the Kolkata Book Fair here on Tuesday.

A Division Bench of the Kolkata High Court ruled in response to a public interest litigation that the Fair, which was supposed to begin from January 29, could not be held at the venue previously decided due to environmental concerns and possible traffic congestion.

“My reason or logic fails to explain as to how books can pollute society”, Mr.Bhattacharjee said. “No civilized society can accept this and together, we must find a way out of the situation.”

American poet, Christopher Meryll, carried out the “symbolic” inauguration by sounding the gong.

American novelist, Paul Theroux said the ‘alternative Book Fair’ was the best that could be managed under the circumstances.

“We are meeting secretly like early Christians because we are all book-lovers and readers,” he said.

Eminent Bengali writer, Sunil Gangopadhyay said the Book Fair was not just an emotional matter but it involved the livelihood of a lot of people, especially the poor.

“But it is unfortunate that we are inaugurating a Book Fair that does not have any books”, he said.

While steps should be taken to make it pollution-free with conditions imposed on the organizers, the Fair itself should be returned to the maidan.

Tridib Chattopadhyaya, General Secretary, Publishers and Book-sellers Guild, who organized the Fair, requested Mr.Bhattacharjee to consider setting up a permanent venue for the Book Fair.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Jan.30, 2008

Eyecatchers-52: 'Walk to India Without Money'

BRITON PLANS TO WALK TO INDIA SANS MONEY

A British man is planning to walk to India without using money. He expects to rely on the goodwill of people along the way or work for bed and board.

Former dotcom businessman Mark Boyle, from Bristol, aims to reach Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace after the 14,500-km trek. He reckons it will take him about two and a half years.

“I have got some sunscreen, a good knife, a spoon, a bandage… no Visa card, no travellers’ cheques, no bank accounts, zero. I won’t actually touch money along the way.” The 28-year-old told BBC radio.

Walking between 25 km to 70 km a day, he plan to work his way through France, Italy, eastern Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan before reaching Porbandar.

On his blog, Mr.Boyle said he was setting off on Wednesday. “I will start writing a new chapter in my life. From this point on I endeavour to never touch money again,” he wrote at www.justfortheloveofit.org/blog.php.

Describing the trip as a “pilgrimage,” he said he aims to demonstrate a “harvest philosophy” in which people can live by sharing skills rather than using cash.

“My mum and dad always speak about a time in Ireland when people came together and took in the harvest together, and no money changed hands,” he said in his soft Irish accent.

“It was your friend John down the street or Mike round the corner and everyone came together and chipped in. But now folks tell me back home that they don’t even know anybody in the street anymore, the door is always locked. My message is, we have got to get back to a time where actually we have got to open those doors and get back to a communal way of living,” added Boyle, who describes himself as a “freeeconomist”.

Having traveled in Asia before, he believes he should be alright there. But he expects the phase of leaving Britain and traveling through Europe to pose problems.

Courtesy: AFP/The Hindu, Madurai, January 31, 2008

A Thought for Today : February 1, 2008

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. –Confucius

Facts & Figures-18 : 11,000 deaths in one year

During 2006, there were 55,145 road accidents in Tamil Nadu, in which 11,009 persons were killed.

Courtesy: Dina Malar (Tamil daily), Madurai, Jan.30, 2008

A Thought for Today : January 31, 2008

Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary - Reinhold Niebuhr

A Thought for Today : January 30, 2008

When we are unable to love and appreciate ourselves and our efforts, we run away from our mistakes and failures, rather than learning from them - Meredith L. Young-Sowers

My Album-14: "Distant View of Pillayarpatti Temple Tower with Tank"

This is another view, a distant view of the Pillayarpatti Temple with its tank. This was also clicked by my son using his Nokia N70m.

My Album-13: "Sri Karpagavinayagar Temple, Pillayarpatti"

This is the main entrance to the famous cave temple of Pillayarpatti, near Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, india. The presiding deity of this temple is Sri Karpagavinayagar. It is one of oldest temples in Tamilnadu. The photo was clicked by my son using his Nokia N70m.

Blogs to Watch-12: Blooming Writer

"Blooming Writer: A ruthlessly eclectic cottage garden of thoughts, tips and occasional tantrums on gardening" The title itself gives a good idea about what to expect from the blog. The blogger is Jodi DeLong, Canning, Nova Scotia, Canada, who is a freelance writer and very compulsive gardener in Nova Scotia.

Her first book, The Atlantic Gardener's Greenbook was published in 2005 by Saltscapes Publishing. She says: "My three bad habits are cats, books and plants; this is a perfect place to frolic and share thoughts about these passions. I hope you enjoy and feel welcome."

Well, I share at least one bad habit with her: BOOKS. Further, I also consider myself as a would-be writer, though not a blooming writer. Colourful and beautiful flowers make me happy. So I enjoyed visiting the blog and reading her posts, with some nice photographs. The flowers and the birds are beautiful. It is one of the best blogs I have seen. I, as one who finds the winter of my place (never less than 23 deg) cold, am really plain curious how places like Nova Scotia would be and how people manage to live there.

Congratulations Ms Jodi DeLong!
http://bloomingwriter.blogspot.com/

A Thought for Today : January 29, 2008

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are - John Wooden

Websites to Watch-6:

The Bhagavad Gita Online website is a real boon to spiritual aspirants and seekers of the ultimate truth. The Gita is the storehouse of the transcendental knowledge of profound spiritual nature and it reveals the goal and purpose of human life.

In this website, one gets the verses and their meaning in audio format as well. Another great attraction of this website is it gives the commentaries of various great seers like Sridhara Swami, Sri Ramanuja, Sri Madhvacharya and others. Further, articles by great souls on the Gita and Reflections by renowned people on the Gita are also given.

http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/

A Thought for Today : January 28, 2008

Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Thought for Today : January 27, 2008

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade? - Benjamin Franklin