Earth – Page 49 – Take off with Natarajan

The Circular Laguna Garzon Bridge in Uruguay……

January 27, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

When building bridges, engineers and architects don’t always look for the shortest possible crossing. The new ring-shaped bridge across Laguna Garzon in Uruguay’s southern coast is such an example.

The concrete structure consist of two semi-circular bridges, joined at either end to create a ring, and was built to replace a raft crossing between the cities of Rocha and Maldonado. On the bridge’s unusual circular design, its architect Rafael Viñoly has a perfectly logical and functional explanation: the curved design will force drivers to slow down the speed of their cars while also prove an opportunity to enjoy the panoramic views of this amazing landscape. The bridge also has a pair of pedestrian walkways.

Before the bridge was built, the raft crossing allowed only two cars to cross at a time. The raft operated only at certain times of the day, and during windy or stormy days it remained closed. The poor connection has kept the region of Rocha away from further developments compared to what Maldonado has been experiencing in the last decades.

The new bridge will allow some 1,000 vehicles to cross the lagoon, and is expected to help drive the development of Rocha’s coastline.

via Dezeen

Source…….www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

Image of the Day….” Star Trails…”

January 26, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Star trails over Forbidden City, Beijing

Below, the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, former home of the Chinese emperor and a center of Chinese government. Above, the Forbidden City’s sky counterpart.

View larger. | Star trails over the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Photo taken January 23, 2015 by Jeff Dai.

View larger. | Star trails over the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Photo taken January 13, 2016 by Jeff Dai. Visit Jeff on Facebook.

Jeff Dai captured these star trails around the north celestial pole and North Star – Polaris – in a time-exposure image capturing the passage of the time above the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

What we in the West know as the Forbidden City is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng, literally Purple Forbidden City. Jeff writes:

The Purple Forbidden City, a world heritage site today, served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government, for almost 500 years.

The Purple Forbidden City is a name with significance in ancient Chinese astronomy. Purple refers to the North Star (pictured in the center of the startrails). In ancient China, it was called the Ziwei Star, and in traditional Chinese astrology was the heavenly abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestial region, the Purple Forbidden Enclosure (pictured below) was considered the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family.

The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart.

Traditional Chinese astronomy has a system of dividing the celestial sphere into asterisms or constellations, known as

View larger. | In traditional Chinese astronomy, a large area in the northern sky was known as the Purple Forbidden Enclosure. It was considered the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family.

Bottom line: A photo shows star trails above the Forbidden City – former residence of the Chinese emperor – in Beijing, China. It’s accompanied by an image showing the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, the celestial counterpart of the Forbidden City.

Source……..www.earthsky.org

natarajan

How This Organisation Became the Backbone of Thousands of Farmers in India…

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

This article is part of a series that covers the finalists of the HCL Grant & made possible by HCL.

The Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals has been working for the empowerment of farmers in India since 2001. It is bridging the gap between rural communities and other stakeholders through innovative use of ICT across the country.

T here’s a farmer in a small village in Bidar, Karnataka, who needs help with setting up a green house. He doesn’t know how to go about it. That’s when his neighbour tells him about a helpline – Kisan Call Centre. The farmer connects with experts. And within no time, he is equipped with all the information he needs.

Kisan Call Centre is one of the many initiatives of ISAP – Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals – an organisation that is engaging more than 150,000 farmers across India.

ISAP, which has been active in the field of agriculture for the last 15 years, is a non-profit organisation working for the empowerment of rural communities by providing them sustainable agriculture solutions.

ISAP was the brainchild of Sunil Khairnar. After extensively working in the agribusiness industry in India, he realised there was so much potential in the field of Indian agriculture that hadn’t been tapped as yet. He wanted to bridge the gap between farmers and experts. Mr. Khairnar also realised the way to fill this gap was by using the power of information. In fact, ISAP’s mantra has been ICT – information and communications technology.

Using ICT, the organisation has been able to reach out to thousands of farmers.

An awareness workshop being conducted in Aurad.

“The organisation, which started out with just a few employees, now has as many as 330 employees,” says Senior Project Manager Gaurav Vats.

What ISAP does

ISAP is currently implementing various projects across India. From an integrated farming system project in Rajasthan to an agriculture extension system project in Karnataka, ISAP is proving to be a backbone to farmers across the country.

The organisation’s targeted interventions ensure economic development in rural India.

“Our processes are very meticulous,” says Karnataka project head, Chandrashekar Maradi.

ISAP organises farmers into groups at various levels. At the grassroots level, the farmers are divided into Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs). At the taluk level, FIGs come together to form Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).

“We believe that there is strength in numbers. When the farmers are organised into groups, they have more bargaining power. For instance, because they purchase seeds as a group, they get them at wholesale prices,” says Mr. Chandrashekar.

The organised groups are also guided on selling their produce. ISAP helps them by providing training on the best harvesting methods, gives them access to warehouses, and so on.

The Agriculture Extension Project was started in 2010 in north Karnataka.

Farmers being taught the dibbling method.

It was launched to improve the production of pulses. In order to achieve this goal, the project stressed on soil and nutrient management. ISAP also helps farmers in marketing their produce.

“We have started Kisan Fresh, a grocery mart, in north Karnataka. Farmers sell fresh vegetables, organic jaggery, pulses, masala powders, and much more,” says Mr. Chandrashekar.

How it’s impacting lives

Gundappa, a farmer in Pattan village, is one of the beneficiaries of the project in north Karnataka. This farmer, who used to only cultivate red gram, was introduced to ISAP’s integrated farming system. Now, he cultivates pulses, grows vegetables, and also raises cattle on his farm.

By expanding his produce, Gundappa has shielded himself from the vagaries of the weather, thereby cushioning himself against disaster in case one crop fails. Gundappa’s success story is an inspiration to many — he is often invited to lecture farmers in his region.

The organisation is also involved in a host of other projects.

For instance, it provides training to rural youth to help them create small and micro enterprises. Together with the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management in Hyderabad, ISAP is running an entrepreneurship development programme for unemployed youth in 12 states. After the training, it helps students set up their own ventures. Under this scheme, ISAP has trained over 4,000 people so far.

ISAP also uses community radio stations to reach out to farmers. It gives out information on agricultural practices, government schemes, etc. Kisan Vani (90.4 FM), at Sironj in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh, was the first agriculture-based community radio station in the state. ISAP now plans to set up more such stations in Rajasthan.

The organisation has provided training to women’s self-help groups (SHGs) in poultry farming, washing power production, vermi-compost, and other relevant businesses. It has also helped SHGs in opening bank accounts through the NABARD-SHG bank linkage programme in Rajasthan. ISAP is funded by various organisations and grants.

It has applied for the HCL Grant and through this grant it wants to set up three skill development community colleges in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Through these colleges, it aims to provide certified skill training and a recognised Bachelor of Vocational Training (B.Voc.) degree to unemployed rural youth. The project aims to directly impact 3,600 beneficiaries from poor households.

To know more about ISAP’s initiatives, contact the team on their website.

About HCL Grant

There are about 3.3 million NGOs in India doing commendable work in various areas aimed at inclusion and development. The HCL Grant has been launched to support the institutionalization of the Fifth Estate comprising individuals and institutions formed and led by the citizens of the country through the creation of strong governance frameworks and management capabilities. An endeavor of the HCL Foundation, HCL Grant envisions to build sustainable communities by supporting NGOs and individuals who are doing path-breaking work towards high impact transformation in rural India. In the first year, HCL Grant has identified the best NGOs in the area of rural education. To know more about the HCL Grant: http://www.hcl.com/hcl-grant

Source……..Meryl Garcia in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

Ladakh’s First and Only All-Women Travel Company and the Woman Who Started it All…

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

How many women does it take to start an all-women travel company, set up a women’s welfare network for women in distress, write tirelessly on social and environmental issues, win a bronze at the National Ice Hockey Championship, and keep training an ever-growing number of women to be professional trekking guides in the harsh terrain of Ladakh? Just one, if that woman happens to be Thinlas Chorol.

Back in 2009, Thinlas Chorol set up the Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company, which has the distinction of being Ladakh’s first travel company completely owned and operated by women. It is also known for promoting ecotourism.

Thinlas’ foray into the mountains began as a five-year-old accompanying her father on long treks through the mountains with their goats and sheep.

Thinlas Chorol

Having lost her mother when she was a baby, her father was all Thinlas had. Scared that “something might happen” to him if he were to venture into the mountains alone, she went with him. Today, as one of Ladakh’s best trekking guides, she looks back on that incomparable training fondly, as “the bliss of my childhood.”

Her Journey

What was far from bliss was the assortment of obstacles Thinlas encountered on her way to becoming the pioneering and inspirational woman she is today. Societal restrictions, taboos and narrow mindsets had to be countered for her to become a professional trekking guide at a time when female trekking guides were unheard of.

Despite her trekking competence, many travel companies refused to hire her as a guide, solely on account of her being a woman.

Most men, on the other hand, were hired as trekking guides even without any professional training or knowledge of trekking routes or awareness of environmental impact. She was repeatedly told that a Ladakhi woman going into the mountains with a group of foreigners would be frowned upon by society. But she didn’t let the rejections and social taboos stop her.

Thinlas had met a few female travellers who had been harassed by their male trekking guides and were keen on trekking with a female guide they could trust. With the encouragement she received at SECMOL (Students Education and Culture Movement of Ladakh, an organization that helps educate children from remote regions of Ladakh) and the support of her American English teacher, Thinlas went on to gain some commendable professional expertise. She attended a mountaineering course at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) and spent a semester at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand, where she picked up wilderness and leadership skills. She even worked as an instructional aide at NOLS and was the first Ladakhi to do so.

Thinlas started the Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company (LWTC) in 2009 at the age of 29.

Trekkers with the Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company

Since then, many Ladakhi women have approached her to train them as trekking guides and, today, the company has 8 guides, 4 trainees and 20 employees in all. It takes a minimum of one year with the company to become a trekking guide. Thinlas also co-founded the Ladakhi Women’s Welfare Network in late 2013, which helps women report crimes against them and works towards their general welfare.

Responsible Travel and Ecotourism

Given Thinlas’ deep sense of connection with the land, responsible travel is a huge part of LWTC’s work. Having seen a lot of garbage dumped on the mountains by irresponsible campers and tourists, the women at LWTC ensure that the ‘leave no trace’ rule is respected on their treks and the environmental impact minimized.

Trekkers make halts at homestays run by rural women and learn from Ladakhis about their way of life. Clients are told to avoid plastic bottles and instead refill water bottles at the homestays. Thinlas says that since homestays are unprofitable for travel agencies many of them don’t offer this option to clients unless the latter specifically insist on them. As LWTC’s website states, homestays help rural women achieve the same status as their men who are out earning for their families. Homestays also encourage people to remain in their villages instead of seeking jobs in cities.

Homestays are the most eco-friendly way to discover Ladakh as they also put minimal pressure on natural resources, unlike camping, which requires ponies and donkeys that deprive the local wildlife of its share of the sparse grass on the mountains.

The women of LWTC are also highly knowledgeable about the local culture, history, flora and fauna and are glad to share that knowledge with the trekkers. A trek with them can give a city dweller an experience of the real Ladakh more than any typical ‘touristy’ visit could.

The Challenges

The main challenge for LWTC is the seasonal nature of their work, with the season being barely four months from June to September. LWTC has to stretch out the income made in these few months for the rest of the year. In the winter, LWTC offers snow leopard treks but, because this is the off-season, there aren’t many takers. The team also looks forward to more people volunteering to teach English to the Ladakhi women training with the company.

The Vision

In empowering herself, Thinlas has empowered a host of other women as well.

In her own words: “Women should think for themselves and not depend on their families. If they believe in themselves, they can achieve what they want. Women should not listen to what society is saying. They should listen to their own ability to work. Then, definitely, they will succeed if they work hard.”

Her vision for LWTC is to see her trekking guides spread their wings across the globe and, in turn, inspire many others to actualize their dreams.

If you’d like to help, please donate to the Ladakhi Women’s Welfare Network (LWWN). It is not affiliated with any religious or political institution and works independently for the welfare of the women of Ladakh.

Source…..Namita Kulkarni in http://www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

நீரிழிவைக் கட்டுப்படுத்தும் பழுப்பக்காய் ….

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

பாகற்காய் உடல்நலனுக்கு நல்லது. நீரிழிவு நோயைக் கட்டுப்படுத்துவதில் முக்கிய பங்கு வகிக்கிறது. அதன் கசப்புத் தன்மை காரணமாக, பலரும் அதை நெருங்க பயப்படுவார்கள். அப்படிக் கசப்புத்தன்மை இல்லாமல், பாகற்காயின் குணநலன்களையும், அதை விஞ்சும் மருத்துவ குணங்களையும் கொண்டது பழுப்பக்காய்.

“கசப்புத் தன்மையில்லாமல், துவர்ப்புத் தன்மை கொண்ட இந்த விநோதமான காயை எங்கள் கிராமத்தில் பன்னெடுங்காலமாக உணவாகப் பயன்படுத்திவருகிறார்கள். மேற்குத் தொடர்ச்சி மலையோர கிராமங்களில் விளையும் இந்த அரிய காயை அக்டோபர், டிசம்பர் பருவத்தில் நூற்றுக்கும் மேற்பட்டவர்கள் சந்தைக்குக் கொண்டுவந்து கிலோ ரூ.100 முதல் ரூ.150 வரை விற்கிறார்கள். அந்தக் காயை தமிழகத்தின் மற்ற மாவட்டங்களில் காண்பதே அரிதாக இருக்கிறது. இதை விவசாய, இயற்கை ஆர்வலர்கள் அனைத்து பகுதிகளுக்கும் கொண்டுபோய் சேர்க்கலாமே?” என்று கேட்கிறார் ஆர்.கணேஷ்குமார்.

துவர்ப்பான பழுப்பக்காய்

இவர், கோவை பீளமேட்டில் உள்ள தனியார் மருந்தியல் கல்லூரியில் 4-ம் ஆண்டு மருந்தியலாளர் படிப்பு படிக்கிறார். இந்தத் தாவரத்தின் மருத்துவப் பலன்கள் குறித்து, கடந்த இரண்டாண்டுகளாக ஆராய்ச்சியிலும் ஈடுபட்டுவருவதாகத் தெரிவிக்கிறார். பழுப்பக்காய் குறித்து அவர் மேலும் பகிர்ந்துகொண்டது:

என்னுடைய சொந்த ஊர் நெல்லை சிவகிரி வட்டத்தைச் சேர்ந்த ஆத்துவழி மலைக்கிராமம். இங்குள்ள தலையணை அருவியின் அடிவாரத்தில் பழுப்பக்காய் நிறைய விளைந்து கிடக்கும். இதை பழுவக்காய் என்றும் சொல்வார்கள். இதோட தாவரவியல் பெயர் ‘மொமோர்டிகா டயோகா’ (Momordica Dioica). படர்கொடி வகையான இந்தத் தாவரம் வெள்ளரிக்காய் குடும்பத்தை சேர்ந்தது. இதில் கார்போஹைட்ரேட் அதிகமுள்ளது. பாகற்காய்க்கு அடுத்தபடியாக மருத்துவ குணம் வாய்ந்த இந்த காய், துவர்ப்பு சுவையுடையதாக இருப்பதால் எளிதாகச் சாப்பிடலாம். பழுப்பக்காயில் துவர்ப்புத் தன்மைக்குக் காரணமாக இருக்கும் வேதிப்பொருள் ஆந்த்ராகுயினோன் கிளைகோசைட்ஸ் (anthraquinone glycosides).

மானாவாரி விளைச்சல்

பாகற்காயில் இரண்டு வகைகள் உண்டு. கரம்பக்காய் என்பது ஒன்று, சராசரியான பாகற்காய் மற்றொன்று. அதில் கரம்பைக்காய் உருண்டையாக இருக்கும். இது சர்க்கரை நோயைக் கட்டுப்படுத்த பயன்படுகிறது. அதே குணநலன்களைக் கொண்டது இது. பொரித்தும், தண்ணீரில் வேகவைத்து வெங்காயம், தேங்காய் போட்டுப் பொரியல் செய்தும் இதைச் சாப்பிடலாம். எவ்வளவு வேண்டுமானாலும் சாப்பிடலாம். விதைகளையும் மென்று சாப்பிடலாம். இலங்கையில் மட்டன், சிக்கன் வறுவல் செய்யும்போது, இந்தக் காயையும் சேர்த்துக்கொள்கிறார்கள்.

மழைக்காலத்தில், எங்கள் ஊரைச் சுற்றி 40 கி.மீ. சுற்றுவட்டாரத்தில் மானாவாரி நிலங்களில் இது அதிகமாக விளைகிறது. குளசேகரப்பேரி கண்மாய்க்கரையோரம் வண்டல் மண்ணில் செழித்து வளருகிறது. இதன் அடிப்பாகத்தில் உள்ள கிழங்கை நட்டு வைத்தால் மூன்று மாதங்களில் கொடிபோல வளர்ந்து காய்த்து, காய்ந்து விடுகிறது. இதன் பூ, பழத்தைப் பயன்படுத்துவது இல்லை. அக்டோபர், டிசம்பர் மாதங்களில் இது காயாக இருக்கும்போது பறித்து வாசுதேவநல்லூர் பேரூராட்சி சந்தையில் நூற்றுக்கு மேற்பட்டோர் விற்பதைக் காணலாம். இதைச் சாப்பிடுபவர்களுக்கு சர்க்கரை நோய் கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்குள் வருகிறது.

பரவலாக வளர்க்கலாம்

ஒரு நாளைக்கு, ஒரு நபர் கால் கிலோவரை சாப்பிடலாம். இதைச் சாப்பிடுபவர்களுக்கு மலச்சிக்கல் அகலும். குடலில் நூல்புழுக்களை அழிக்கிறது.

சிவகிரிக்கு அடுத்தபடியாக இந்தத் தாவரத்தைப் புளியங்குடியில் பார்த்திருக்கிறேன். அசாம், மேற்கு வங்கத்திலும் இந்த பழுப்பக்காய் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது. இதை தமிழகத்தின் அனைத்துப் பகுதிகளிலும் வளர்க்கலாம். குறிப்பாக மேற்குத் தொடர்ச்சி மலையோரக் கிராமங்களில் நன்கு வளரக்கூடியது இந்தத் தாவரம். இதைப் பரவலாக வளர்க்கலாம்” என்கிறார் கணேஷ்குமார்.

பழுப்பக்காய் தொடர்பான இவருடைய ஆராய்ச்சிக்கு மருந்தியல் கல்லூரி ஆசிரியர்கள் சிவக்குமார், சாமுவேல், சியாமளா ஆகியோர் வழிகாட்டிகளாக இருக்கின்றனர். இது குறித்த ஆய்வை தொடர்ந்து மேற்கொண்டுவருகிறார் கணேஷ்குமார்.

ஆர்.கணேஷ்குமார் தொடர்புக்கு: 96595 05947
படங்கள் உதவி: ராஜாஜி.

Source……..கா.சு.வேலாயுதன் in http://www.tamil.the hindu.com

Natarajan

Hearing Impaired and Autistic Persons Can Also Play Music Easily with This Unique ‘Music Chakra’…

January 22, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Ramesh, a graduate of IIT Madras, has designed an innovative Music Chakra to help anyone, with or without music knowledge, to very easily learn and play music – be it Carnatic, Hindustani or Western music.

Listening to music is something almost everyone likes to do, but being able to play a musical instrument is a talent that is inborn or has to be developed. Studies have proved that playing music helps in total brain development.

To simplify the process of learning music, LS Ramesh, after six years of intensive research, came up with the Sri Saraswati Music Chakra.

The unique music chakra.

There are many similarities in the notes played in all forms of classical music around the world. In Indian classical music, a raaga refers to a series of musical notes on which every melody is constructed. Though there are differences in the raagas of the Carnatic style of music and the Hindustani style of music, many musicians have pointed out that some raagas are common to both styles of music and they find similar counterparts in western classical music too.

Carnatic classical music is based on 72 parent (melakarta) raagas. To help simplify the process of understanding the basics of this style of music, Ramesh has developed a chakra chart. There are two circular diagrams on both sides of the chart, with the main keys of 36 raagas marked on each side.

To make it easy on the eyes of the learner, each circular diagram is divided into 12 different segments and 6 different colors are used to highlight the segments.

The music chakra with veteran Carnatic musician Dr. M Balamuralikrishna

With Dr. S. P. Balasubramanyam

Specific keys have to be played for each raaga. Therefore, in the sub segment pertaining to a particular raaga, the specific keys to be played are drawn like how one would see them on a piano – they are marked with dots, making it easy for even a person with no knowledge of music to follow without any difficulty.

“To play music, one must know the basics. The 72 melakarta scheme is the foundation of not only Carnatic music but of any music the world over. The Melakarta Chakra visually helps in laying a strong music foundation. Once introduced to music through the chakra, children generally get over their fear to play music,” says Ramesh.

Ramesh feels that when children learn music following a visual tool they tend to remember more than when they learn music only by listening to tunes.

Ramesh did six years of research before launching the chakra.

When a child follows this chakra, his/her doubts about stringing together the right keys to play the right raaga are allayed and the child becomes confident of not making mistakes.

Ramesh and his wife Sridevi grew up following the Sanskrit saying Manava Seva, Madhava Seva. They have always been involved in being of service to orphans and after marriage it just became easier to do this work as they had the same interests in life.

FACES, an organization to support orphans, was started by them just after they tied the knot. The FACES programme is simple — newspapers are collected from various places and the sale proceeds are used for Food, medical Aid, new Clothes, Education material and Shelter (FACES) for underprivileged children.

They have been supporting a few orphanages in Warangal and Telangana, the place where Sridevi grew up. The Manovikas Kendra in Warangal is an establishment that not only helps orphans but also children with autism, Down’s Syndrome, and speech and hearing challenged children. Ramesh and Sridevi have been involved with this organization for many years now and so it was no surprise that they decided to try the Music Chakra on the children here.

“The Music Chakra is rather interesting. It keeps the children engrossed. With the intervention of music, especially with the ability to play music, maturity levels and confidence levels, especially among the deaf and dumb children, are very visible,” says Mahateja, the music teacher at Manovikas Kendra.

According to Mahateja, when he plays the keys following the chakra, the hearing impaired children watch his fingers intently and when they get a chance to try their hands on the keyboards, they end up playing the right tunes.

The chakra improves the confidence in children to play the musical instrument.

The smiles and applause of the people around make them very happy and make them want to play more music.

Playing music is very therapeutic for persons with autism. Autistic people are very good at visual tasks, especially when they are associated with perception and pattern recognition. Many children with autism respond very well to music, which can be easily used to improve communication skills and helps in dealing with sensory issues too.

“Anxiety is one of the biggest challenges facing individuals in the autistic spectrum. Music helps to calm and relax them. Classical music especially helps to reduce stress, ease frustrations, reduce muscle tension, slow down the heart rate and, in turn, open the mind to learning and communicating with others,” says Ramesh, who has seen how the autistic children at Manovikas Kendra have shown improvement after this unique Music Chakra was introduced for teaching music.

The proceeds from the sale of the Music Chakra are used to fund the FACES initiative, which is very close to the hearts of this couple.

Another very interesting initiative taken on by Ramesh and Sridevi is the 25 year calendar designed on a single sheet of paper. The motto here is: Save a Tree, Help an Orphan.

Ramesh and Sridevi showing the 25-year calender to Kamal Hassan

The couple also donates trees and asks students to plant it to fulfill late Dr. Kalam’s dream.

“Dr Abdul Kalam has given the FACES programme a target of planting at least 10 lakh trees in the country, involving only students. For every 15 kg of newspaper brought in by a class of students to support the FACES program, the calendar is donated to the classroom. This calendar reminds the children to bring in newspapers the following month too. Along with the calendar, a tree sapling also is gifted to the students for them to plant within their school premises,” says Sridevi.

However, they do sell the calendar in many other schools, as well as to corporate houses. With more newspapers being donated to them, more orphanages can be helped, more trees can be saved and more trees will be planted. “The calendar just reminds people about the promise made to Dr Abdul Kalam. Through this method, more people will be involved in making his dream come true,” she concludes.

For more information, log onto www.faces108.com

Source……..Aparna Menon in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

Image of the Day….” Selfie with a Drone …” !!!

January 22, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Selfie with a drone

What do you call a selfie acquired with a drone? A “dronie,” says Manish Mamtani Photography.

View larger. | Photo by Manish Mamtani Photography. Visit Manish on Facebook.

Our friend Manish Mamtani acquired this image this month and posted it to EarthSky Facebook. He called it a drone … a selfie taken with a drone. He wrote:

Enjoying the snow in New Hampshire.

Shot with DJI Phantom 3 Pro.

Source…….www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

Image of the Day….” View from space…”

January 21, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

View from space: Mississippi River flooding

Two satellite images show the contrast between the flooded Mississippi River this month and the same area last year. Check out the difference!

View larger. | January 11, 2016. Image credit: NASA

In early January 2016, communities along the southern reaches of the Mississippi River faced severe flooding from rains that fell weeks earlier and well to the north. These two NASA satellite images show the Mississippi River as it runs through southern Mississippi and Louisiana. The above image was acquired on January 11, 2016. The image below shows the river at a normal level last January (January 24, 2015.)

View larger. | January 24, 2015. Image credit: NASa

Heavy rains in December 2015 drenched parts of Missouri and Illinois, and the pulse of fresh water has finally reached Louisiana and Mississippi. On January 11, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway near New Orleans in preparation for the southward-moving pulse of flood water.

Substantial flooding is unusual on the Mississippi River in winter. As reported by Weather Underground, this event was only the second time that a winter flood has made the top-40 list of flood crests at St. Louis in more than 200 years of records. (The other flood occurred in December 1982 during a major El Niño.)

According to John Kimball, a hydrology, ecology, and remote sensing expert at the University of Montana, the soil within the upper Missouri basin remained largely frozen. There was no rapid thaw or snowmelt that helped raise the river’s level. But elsewhere in the Mississippi Basin, precipitation that might typically fall as snow in December and January instead fell as rain. Kimball said:

There has been much higher than normal rainfall over the southern and central portion of the Mississippi basin this winter, attributed to the strong El Niño. This led to soil saturation and more rapid and abundant runoff than in a normal winter.

The saturated ground set the stage for the central and southern Mississippi basin to feel the effects of the approaching flood water.

Over the course of a few weeks, the excess water (with contributions from the Ohio and Missouri rivers) made its way south. When the top image was acquired on January 11, river gauge observations and forecasts for the Mississippi River in Natchez, Mississippi, showed that the river stood at about 16.5 meters (54 feet)—about 2 meters above flood stage—and still rising.

Farther south in Louisiana, the Bonnet Carré Spillway was opened for the 11th time in its history to reduce pressure on levees in southeast Louisiana. The spillway was erected in 1931 to control flooding in the Lower Mississippi Valley by diverting water to Lake Pontchartrain. According to Richard Kesel of Louisiana State University, the Morganza Spillway to the north had not been opened—indicative that flooding was not anticipated to be a huge problem.

Bottom line: Two satellite images show the contrast between the flooded Mississippi River in January, 2016 and the same area last year, when the river was at a normal level.

Source…….www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

” மனிதநேயத்தை மதிப்பிட எங்களிடம் கருவி இல்லை: ஒரு ஹோட்டல் பில் சொல்லும் செய்தி”

January 21, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

சாப்பிட்ட உணவுக்கான கட்டணத்துடன் கூடுதலாக அந்த வரி இந்த வரி என்று பில் போடும் ஹோட்டல் உரிமையாளர்களிடம் இருந்து மாறுபட்டு மனிதநேயத்தோடு நடந்து கொண்டவருக்கு அதே மனிதநேயத்தைக் காட்டிய கேரள ஹோட்டல் உரிமையாளரைப் பற்றிய செய்தி இது.

கேரள மாநிலம் மலப்புரத்தில் உள்ள ஹோட்டல் ஒன்றுக்குள், பெயர் குறிப்பிடாத ஒரு நபர் நுழைகிறார். அன்றைய நாளின் பணிச் சுமையால் சற்று தளர்வாக ஹோட்டலுக்குள் சென்று சாப்பிட உணவை ஆர்டர் கொடுத்துவிட்டு ஜன்னல் பக்கம் திரும்புகிறார்.

அங்கு இரண்டு சின்னஞ்சிறு குழந்தைகள் ஹோட்டலில் உள்ள மேஜைகள் மீது பரிமாறப்பட்டிருக்கும் உணவுகளை ஏக்கத்தோடு பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருந்ததை கவனித்த அந்த நபர், குழந்தைகளிடம் உங்களுக்கு என்ன வேண்டும் என்று கேட்க, அவர்கள் மேஜை மீதிருக்கும் உணவுகளைச் சுட்டிக்காட்டுகின்றனர்.

அவர்களை உள்ளே அழைத்து, அவர்களுக்கான உணவுகளையும் சேர்த்து ஆர்டர் கொடுத்து, அவர்களை கைகழுவ வைத்து, அவர்களை சாப்பிட வைத்தார். அண்ணன், தங்கைகள் இருவருமே ஒருவரை ஒருவர் பார்த்து புன்னகைத்துவிட்டு சாப்பிட்டு முடித்தனர். ஆனால், தனக்கான உணவை சாப்பிடாமலேயே சாப்பிட்ட முழு திருப்தியை அடைந்த அந்த நபர், உணவுக்கான பில்லைக் கேட்கிறார்.

அந்த பில்லில் 100, 200 என எண்ணிக்கைகள் இல்லாமல், மலையாள எழுத்துக்கள் மணிமணியாக கோர்க்கப்பட்டிருந்தது.

அந்த பில்லில் கூறப்பட்டிருந்தது இதுதான்,”மனிதநேயத்தைக் கணக்கிட எங்களிடம் எந்த கருவியும் இல்லை. ஒரு நல்ல விஷயம் உங்கள் மூலமாக நடந்துள்ளது.”

இந்த தகவல், பில்லின் புகைப்படத்துடன் சமூக வலைதளமான பேஸ்புக்கில் அதிக நபர்களால் பகிரப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Source……..www.dinamani.com

Natarajan

Obama to Present National Medal of Science to Indian-American Scientist… …

January 19, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, an Indian-American professor at Harvard Medical School, will receive the prestigious National Medal of Science from US President Barack Obama, for his remarkable contribution to the field of science. He is one of the 17 scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and innovators who will be awarded by President Obama during a ceremony at the White House on January 22.

The National Medal of Science is awarded every year to recognise individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of science, engineering, and mathematics. The award was created in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation – a United States government agency.

Here are five things to know about Dr. Jain:

1. Dr. Rakesh K. Jain is an IIT-Kanpur alumnus. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1972.

Later, he did his masters and PhD from the University of Delaware.

Source: cbe.buffalo.edu

2. Currently, he is the professor of Tumour Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Harvard Medical School.

He has received more than 75 awards, from engineering and medical professional societies and institutions, for his work in the field of tumour biology.

3. Dr. Jain is considered to be a pioneer in the field of tumour micro-environment.

Source: brain.mgh.harvard.edu

He is working on developing new strategies to control the micro-environment of tumours and use them for early cancer detection, prevention, and treatment. He is recognised for his discoveries in tumour biology, drug delivery, bioengineering, and more. His research includes finding out about the barriers in the delivery of molecular and nano-medicines in tumours, and discovering new ways of overcoming these barriers. He is well known for proposing a new principle for treatment of malignant and non-malignant diseases characterised by abnormal vessels, and his research on improving the effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

4. He is a member of all three branches of the US National Academies – the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Sciences.

He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Source: Wikimedia

5. In 2014, he was chosen as one of the 50 Oncology Luminaries on the 50th anniversary of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In 2015, Jain received honorary doctorates from Duke University, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and IIT-Kanpur.

Source……..Tanaya Singh in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan