Eyecatchers-131: "Taiwanese vote for 'chaos' "

"Chaos" has been picked up by the Taiwanese as the character for 2008 after a turbulent year marred by high-profile corruption scandals implicating the former President Chen Shui-bian and top officials.

Among 61,600 people who took part in a telephone poll, nearly 8,000 voted for the Chinese character "luan"(chaos), followed by "pian"(lie) and "tsang"(miserable), said the United Daily News, a co-organiser of the survey.

Also on the list of the top 10 characters were "corrupt", "depressed" and "love" - the only positive word of the year.

"Those grey words were chosen as the year was marked by a shift in political powers, the global financial crisis... and soap opera-like scandals implicating the former first family," the paper said. - AFP.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, December 18, 2008.

Grateful thanks to AFP and The Hindu.

S&T Watch-37: "Tarantula Nebula"

Enormous stars in 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula, are producing intense radiation and searing winds of multimillion-degree gas that carve out gigantic bubbles in the surrounding cooler gas and dust.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, December 18, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "TARANTULA NEBULA":

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

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Health News-10: "150 people can catch cold from one sneeze!"

Researchers in London who undertook a study to learn how cold spreads so easily have come out with some interesting figures. For example, somebody sneezing in a crowded bus or train may result in 150 persons catching cold in the next five minutes! So they have advised people to cover their mouth when they sneeze.

Courtesy: 'Dinakaran', Tamil daily, (Madurai edition), Dec.8, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Dinakaran.

Eyecatchers-130: "R.C.Book for Elephants!"

Just as Registration Certificate (R.C.)books are issued to motor vehicles, the Kerala Govt has decided to issue R.C. to elephants also! The Guruvayur temple alone has more than 50 elephants. It has also decided to issue identity cards to the elephant-keepers. There will also be insurance coverage for people who get killed by elephants to the extent of Rs.2.5 lakhs.

Courtesy: 'Dinakaran', Tamil daily, (Madurai edition), December 8, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Dinakaran.

Facts & Figures-59: "Daily 92 crore people go without food"

A report in the Tamil daily, Dinamalar (Madurai edition) says that daily 92 crore people go to bed without food. World Food Day is observed world over on October 16 from the year 1979. Self-help groups from various countries are demanding that this day be observed as 'World Foodless Day' rather than 'World Food Day'.

Courtesy: 'Dinamalar', Tamil daily (Madurai edition), October 9, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "World Food Day":

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

Grateful thanks to Dinamalar and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Letters-59: Terrorist Strikes in India

1. Apropos "Surviving the siege" and other related articles (The Hindu Weekly Magazine, Dec.7, 2008), the government, the police, the intelligence agencies have failed in preventing the terrorist strikes in India. But we do not need knee-jerk responses to deal with the menace of terrorism. Rather, a visionary leadership and corruption-free administration to strengthen our security, revamp the police, bolster intelligence and coordinate the efforts of various agencies to herald a counter-terrorism operation with strong political willpower and imagination to save the ordinary citizens of India. The electronic media too must show restraint by not sensationalising the news and should be careful in their coverage. They need training in this regard. - Akhil Kumar, Delhi.

2. It is not enough to merely condemn 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai. Terrorists are bent on destroying the rhythm of people's lives. Their aim is to instill fear in people's minds and disturb communal harmony. From the death and suffering of innocent people, and the fire-fighters and police who went to help them, the world needs to learn the lesson that terrorism solves no problems, and that it needs concerted effort by all nations to stamp it out.

It is also time to think whether the underlying reason for the increase in terrorism is economic and cultural, triggered by changes in international economic functioning to which some sections of society are unable or unwilling to adapt. Whether at an individual level or a national level, no amount of physical protection or technical sophistication can be a protection against terrorist attacks. India must revamp its policy and approach to terrorists. Far too long, despite the killing of several people in the terror attacks in major cities, we have not formulated a pro-active policy. We must stand united in this hour of crisis. The government, on its part, should enact tougher laws instead of dealing with terrorism in a reactionary manner. - Dr.T.Marx, Dept of English, Pondicherry University, Puducherry.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Weekly Magazine, Dec.14, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Mr.Akhil Kumar, Dr.T.Marx and The Hindu.

Eyecatchers-129: "Energy Home"

I am a Life Subscriber of 'IYARKAI MARUTHTHUVAM' i.e. 'NATUROPATHY' in Tamil, a Tamil monthly published by the 'Tamil Nadu Iyarkai Maruththuva Sangam' (Tamil Nadu Naturopathy Association), Gandhi Museum, Madurai-625020, Tamil Nadu. The life subscription is only Rs.100/- and you get the 4-page newsletter every month all your life. It contains highly useful and interesting Health News. The editor of the newsletter, Mr.Devadas Gandhi is a true Gandhian. He has chosen the path of celibacy and leads a simple and service-oriented life and resides in the Gandhi Museum complex itself. I find meeting and talking to him a wonderful experience. So whenever I get a chance I go to the Gandhi Museum and meet Mr.Gandhi there.

In the current issue of the newsletter, there was a brief article about 'Energy Home'. I found it very interesting and inspiring and thought I would share it with visitors of this blog. ENERGY HOME is a Natural Health Food Restaurant in Chetty Street of Pondicherry. It serves its customary natural food, not just a few items. About 150 varieties of Vegetable and Fruit Juice! In the mornings, you have 60 types of 'idli', 10 types of 'pongal', 'uppuma', 'kichadi', 'vada' and 'dosa' and 20 types of Herbal Tea! In the afternoon, 100 types of meals! At night you have many types of 'dosa', noodles, 'vada', cutlet and varieties of vegetable salads. All uncooked food!

Further, they totally avoid oil, tamarind, chilly powder, milk, curd and sugar in their preparations. How I wish we have some such Natural Food Establishment at my place, Karaikudi!

You can also get free health tips for your ailments. They say the less acidic food and more alkaline food you take, the more healthy you will be.

I am plain curious to know how they prepare all the above dishes without cooking and without oil and other ingredients. So when I visit Pondicherry next, I intend to go there, meet these interesting people and enjoy the healthy food they offer. If you are also inclined, you can also do the same.

They have their own website, which you visit and see the details for yourself:

http://www.energyhome.in/

My hearty congratulations to Dr S S Manickam and Dr.M Gopinath, Naturopaths, who run 'Energy Home', the Natural Health restaurant and propagate Naturopathy.

Grateful thanks to 'Iyarkai Maruththuvam' , Tamil Naturopathy monthly newsletter and 'Energy Home'.

Eyecatchers-128: "Obamabilia"

Merchandise celebrating Obama is being sold by companies and consumers have already spent perhaps as much as $200 million (Rs.1,002 crore) on Obamabilia, two months before his inauguration as the 44th President of the USA.

Excerpt from "Obamabilia" from The Hindu, December 9, 2008.

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Facts & Figures-58: "Long Live the Mouse!"

Mouse, the pointing device, we use with our computer, is 40 years old today. This tool has been developed by Dr.Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute, USA. It has gone through many advancements, making our life easy. So Happy Birthday, Mouse! and grateful thanks to Anand Parthasarathy for his nice article, "Happy birthday, mighty mouse!" in the Information Technology page of The Hindu, December 7, 2008, but for which I would have missed the news.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "MOUSE":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_(computing)

Grateful thanks to Mr Anand Parthasarathy, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-127: "Online Dictionary of North-East Languages" by Sushanta Talukdar

Are you curious to know what the right word is for 'mother' in some of the major languages spoken in north-east India? If yes, key in the word 'mother' in the search box at http://www.xobdo.net/ and choose the language or dialect you want and you will get the equivalent word.

To help users learn more words in NE languages, the publisher of the first northeast regional languages-English online dictionary, XOBDO (means 'sound' or 'word' in Assamese), is on the lookout for more volunteers in these languages to add to the dictionary's database.

Started as an online Assamese-English dictionary in 2006, XOBDO is the brainchild of Bikram M.Baruah, an engineer of Assam now based in Abu Dhabi.

It is currently run by a team of volunteers.

In 2007, xobdo.net added multiple interfaces to include 16 more languges spoken in the north-east: Khasi, Dimasa, Bodo, Karbi, Nagamese, Garo, Ao, Mizo, Mishing, Tanii(Apatani), Monpa, Meiteilon, Binshnupriya, Chakma, Kok-Borok and Kuki.

Compared to the 19,388 Assamese words, the database of other NE languages is still very small.

Excerpt from The Hindu, Madurai, Dec.7, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "XOBDO.org": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xobdo

Grateful thanks to Sushanta Talukdar and The Hindu.

My Photo Album-31:

Suri (extreme left) with kin

I came across this photograph while I was decluttering my room. This must be about 37 to 38 years old. This was taken in a professional photo studio, Kalpana Studio, Tirunelveli Town, if I remember correct. This was probably a few days after my first sister's marriage. I was in my twenties. Tirunelveli is the place where I did my high-schooling i.e. about 6 years. Now my contact with the place has diminished. Though many of my people are there, I rarely go there. I have lost touch my class-mates. Generally, I avoid all functions. When it becomes unavoidable, I make very brief visits. My visits to Tirunelveli fall under this unavoidable category. My memories of Tirunelveli have not been pleasant, unfortunately. My days there are better forgotten. However, this photograph kindled my memory of the place and people. As I look at this photo, I cannot but feel and realize the fact that time has ravaged my face and my hairs have turned grey. Anyway, this photo may be of interest to my children and hence I am posting it here.

Eyecatchers-126: "Intersex, The Third Gender"

Australia's official human rights watchdog wants a third gender called "intersex" to be created, for use in official documents such as passports and driving licences.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai ("Newscape"), December 7, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia articles on "INTERSEXUALITY" and 'THIRD GENDER":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex

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

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

S&T Watch-40: Stem Cell Niche

Researchers have identified the precise location of bone marrow stem cell, using a new technology termed ex vivo imaging of stem cells.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai ("Newscape"), December 7, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia articles on "STEM CELL" and "STEM CELL NICHE":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell

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

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-125: "Dr Romila Thapar wins Kluge Prize!"

Dr Romila Thapar, Emeritus Professor of History, Jawaharlal Nehru University has been chosen for the Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Study of Humanity instituted by the United States Library of Congress. She will receive the one million dollar prize along with Peter Robert Lamont Brown, Professor of History at Princeton University, in a ceremony on December 10 at the Library of Congress.

Source: The Hindu, Madurai, Dec.5, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia articles on "Kluge Prize" and "Romila Thapar" with her picture:

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

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

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Letters-58: "Platitude or Declaration?"

The headline, 'Manmohan: no terrorist or enemy can destroy India's unity' (The Hindu, Dec.4), illustrates how a Prime Minister can make a self-evident platitude sound like a new declaration of national intent and a call to arms by a patriotic, unifying group of politicians. After the thousands of terrorist attacks and tens of thousands of innocent lives lost, which successive bands of netas have done little about, the one thing every Indian knows without the need for exhortations from anyone is that every such attack has resulted in greater unity. If it had been otherwise, this country would have imploded years ago. Our politicians miss no opportunity to pit the Muslim against the Hindu, and the Hindu against the Christian, one caste against another, tribes against castes, and sons of the soil against 'outsiders'.

The only schism they have left untouched is the poor against the rich. Indian unity is a reality that exists, not because of, but despite their machinations. - Nowroz J.Cama, Chennai.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, December 5, 2008 ("Letters to the Editor").

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

S&T Watch-39: Using Zinc Oxide Wires to Produce Electricity

A new type of power generator produces AC current by cyclical stretching and releasing of zinc oxide wires. GeorgiaTech has used piezoelectric properties of zinc oxide structures to harvest energy from the environment.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, December 4, 2008. ("Snapshots" in the Science & Technology page).

Detailed Wikipedia article on "Piezoelectricity":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Q&A-3: "Does Caste Continbue to Haunt Urban India?"

Yes. Caste divides continue to haunt not only rural but urban India as well. Caste clashes have become commonplace in our country. Loss of lives and property in these clashes are considerable. Women and children are the worst sufferers. Admissions to our educational institutions right from schools to universities are made on caste basis and reservation quotas. The same can be said about employment too. So much so that there are caste-based associations and wings in educational institutions and public offices throughout the country. Parties in the name of castes do much damage to national harmony and peace - T.V.Ramamurthy, Guindy.

Courtesy: The Times of Adyar, November 23, 2008 ("Speak Out Loud")

Grateful thanks to Mr.Ramamurthy and The Times of Adyar.

Eyecatchers-124: "Towards Fuel Efficiency"

I came across this ad from the Petroleum Conservation Research Association, New Delhi and thought it should be seen by all who drive powered-vehicles, or at least the salient points. These tips we could follow easily.

1. Drive your car at 40-50 kmph, optimum fuel-efficient speed to give you maximum mileage. You can save up to 20% of petrol against driving at 70 kmph. (I think it is applicable to two-wheelers also and if you are driving a moped like me, 30-40 kmph may be the optimum speed).
2. Clean your car’s air filter regularly – dust causes rapid erosion of engine components and increases fuel consumption.
3. Always ensure that you drive in correct gear for better fuel efficiency.
4. Car-pooling reduces the number of cars plying on the roads, thereby leading to decongestion of traffic and decreasing pollution. It simultaneously leads to lesser greenhouse gas emissions and cuts traveling costs. The system also tackles the problem of inadequate parking space. Car-pooling eases driving stress and helps broaden your social network, increasing productivity and boosting morale.
5. Switching off engines at red lights for over 15 seconds
6. Using the recommended grade of engine oil
7. Periodically checking tyre pressure
8. Regular maintenance of vehicles is imperative

Use these tips from PCRA to make your contribution towards saving fuel and do your bit to tackle climate change.

A mere 2% saving of petroleum products will translate into saving of Rs.10,000 crores per annum!

Courtesy: The Petroleum Conservation Research Association, New Delhi.

Letters-44: Looking Ahead

As a security consultant who has worked overseas for 25 years, I am stunned at the callous, unprofessional and totally disorganised security response to a situation such as the Mumbai terror attack. I can understand politicians trying to divert public attention by blaming Pakistan, which has never been a friend. It is well known that the Pakistan army will do everything possible to destabilise us. But then, we did not establish institutions at great costs to point a finger at others.

The initial response from the Mumbai police showed they had no idea what the situation was and how to handle it. Proposals such as having NSG contingents in every city are not the solution. The command and control should always be with the local police. They should have the means to respond adequately and promptly and be able to demand help from all sources. - Samuel Martyn James, Chennai.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, December 1, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Mr.Samuel Martyn James and The Hindu.

S&T Watch-38: "New Electric Hybrid Bicycle"

Japan's Sanyo Electric on Monday (December 1, 2008) unveiled a new electric hybrid bicycle that can triple the user's pedal power to make it easier to climb hills. Equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the "eneloop bike" takes the crossover between a normal bicycle and a moped one step further, aiming to tap growing interest in tackling global warming.

The system harnesses energy from braking when the bike goes downhill, and can add extra power equivalent to double the rider's pedal force for going uphill.

The bike can travel 1.8 times faster than conventional bicycles, thanks to the motor powering its front wheel - AFP.

Courtesy: AFP and The Hindu, Madurai, December 2, 2008.
Grateful thanks to AFP and The Hindu.