Education – Page 35 – Take off with Natarajan

India-born judge Srikanth Srinivasan favourite for elevation as Judge Supreme Court USA…

February 14, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

In this September 27, 2013 photo, Sri Srinivasan takes oath as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

PTI

In this September 27, 2013 photo, Sri Srinivasan takes oath as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

U.S. Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan is pictured in this undated file photo courtesy of the United States Department of Justice. Srinivasan is among President Barack Obama’s likely options as he looks for a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Saturday.

He was Mr. Obama’s principal deputy solicitor general, most notably working on the successful fight against the Defence of Marriage Act.

Death of a serving judge of the U.S. Supreme Court has set off acrimonious exchanges between the Democrats and the Republicans on whether President Barack Obama should nominate a new judge in the last year of his presidency. Mr Obama has declared that he would nominate a replacement for Antonin Scalia who died on Saturday at 79, ending a controversial tenure through which he steered the court towards right with a series of pronouncements.

India-born Srikanth Srinivasan whose family came to the U.S from a village in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu figures as the most probable choice to succeed Scalia, according to media reports. Forty-nine year old Srinivasan is currently U.S. Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which served as a stepping-stone for at least three judges of the SC. Scalia too was in the Court of Appeals for DC before President Ronald Reagan nominated him to the Supreme Court.

Judge Srinivasan’s appointment was confirmed by the Senate unanimously in 2013, a rare event given the Republican majority in the chamber. His bipartisan acceptability is among the reasons cited by a lot of U.S. commentators who believe President Obama could pick him for the post. Judge Srinivasan graduated from Stanford University in 1989 and Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995. From 2011 to until his judicial appointment, Judge Srinivasan served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States. He has also taught at Harvard Law School.

U.S. Supreme Court has eight judges other than the chief justice and on several sensitive issues the judges have split 5-4, with conservative views maintaining a lead of one vote. For instance, the Supreme Court, through a 5-4 vote settled in 2010 a judgment that allowed unlimited spending by corporations in election campaigns. Campaign financing is a hot topic of debate in the current election season. With the passing of Scalia, the U.S. Supreme Court is evenly split and the stakes are high for both the conservative and progressive camps, in selecting the next judge. Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed for their lifetime. The President nominates the judges and the Senate must confirm them.

Two of the remaining eight judges are in their late seventies and one is 82. The fact that the next President may likely nominate several Supreme Court judges has been a recurring talking point on both sides of the American political divide. The sudden death of Scalia allows Mr. Obama the opportunity to nominate one more before his term ends. He has nominated two already.

“I plan to fulfill my Constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor (to Scalia) in due time….There will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote,” Mr. Obama said.

But the Republican presidential candidates and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared that they would not cooperate with the President. “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President,” Mr. McConnell said. Senator Ted Cruz said during the Republican presidential debate on Saturday that the President should not be allowed to nominate a liberal to the Supreme Court. “The Senate should not abdicate its constitutional responsibilities for partisan political reasons,” said Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

Pointing out that the Supreme Court has before it cases affecting women’s health, immigration, workers’ rights, and other important issues, Neera Tanden, president of the Centre for American Progress, said the President and the Senate must move forward without delay, “to ensure a full court makes these critical decisions.” “Seventeen Supreme Court justices have been confirmed during presidential election years,” she said.

Keywords: Indian-American, Sri Srinivasan, Barack Obama, “Supreme Court nominee in waiting”, Justice Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court

Source……..Varghese K.George in http://www.the hindu.com

natarajan

Two School Students Help Hundreds of Indian Grandparents Fight Loneliness with Technology !!!

February 14, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

These high school students are introducing technology to senior citizens in an effort to help them overcome loneliness and social isolation – all because of respect and love for their grandparents, who they consider their superheroes.

The 2001 census of India showed that the population of senior citizens in India has crossed 100 million. Today, India is home to one out of every 10 senior citizens in the world. Yet, very few in the country are looking into the problems faced by this ageing section of our society.

An emotional and psychological problem tormenting elders in our country is loneliness.

A student helps a senior citizen learn how to use a computer.

This is due to the growing ‘empty nest syndrome.’ Children go away to far-off countries in search of economic betterment. Even if they live within the country, due to the spread of western ideas such as ‘space, privacy, individualism and non-interference,’ nuclear families are becoming the norm even in villages.

Poor social interaction with family and friends, poor social networks, and lack of family support are some of the difficulties faced by senior citizens. At the other extreme is the young generation today, highly dependent on social networking to stay connected with family and friends and build connections. Two high school students from Delhi are helping bridge the gap between the two generations.

Vibhor Rohatgi and Suyesha Dutta were in their 11th grade in Shri Ram School Mouslari, Gurgaon, which follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) board.

Suyesha (on extreme left) and Vibhor (second from right) with their teacher

Creativity, activity, service (CAS) are the three essential elements of a CAS project that every student must complete as part of the Diploma Programme (DP) in the IB board internationally. For many students, these projects provide experiences that are profound and fulfilling.

Vibhor and Suyesha decided to take up a CAS project that would prove to be not only life changing for them but also for a much ignored segment of our society –senior citizens.

“When CAS is discussed in school, most students think of helping the underprivileged, the needy or the slum kids. We have this belief that only those who are deprived of money need help. But there are people who have it all but still feel emotionally empty. We wanted to help them – our grandparents,” says Suyesha.

Bridging the generation gap – senior citizens with students.

Suyesha, who had spent a lot of time with her grandparents till she was in her teens, lost her grandfather three years ago. She saw her grandmother spending most of her days alone after that. So she decided to connect her to technology to help her overcome her loneliness. Once she saw how successful that experiment was, she wanted to gift technology not just to her own grandmother but to as many other grandparents as she could as a tribute to her grandfather.

Suyesha and her friend Vibhor are great fans of the comic superhero Silver Surfer, a humanoid with metallic skin who can travel space with the aid of his surfboard-like craft. Since this superman is an icon of technology himself, they decided to name their initiative the Silver Surfer Programme.

“The Silver Surfer Programme (SSP), a social initiative started by us, is the epitome of the maxim ‘age is just a number.’ Age is a measure of experience, inefficiently gauged by how many candles one blows out every year. To this plenitude of experiences, we, looking to bring about a social change in society, decided to add one more…the experience known as technology,” says Vibhor

“We called it the Silver Surfer Programme because Silver Surfer is a superhero and we consider our grandparents to be superheroes. His senses enable him to detect objects and energies light years away. Similarly, grandparents have strong intuition and can detect any problem or trouble in their children’s and grandchildren’s lives. He has even proven capable of time travel on occasions, just like our grandparents take us back to their times by narrating stories from their childhood,” adds Suyesha

The Silver Surfer Programme is an effort to better acquaint grandparents with the delights of modern day technology.

SSP aims to make the lives of grandparents simpler, faster and efficient. The programme includes two hour modules on three Saturdays every month for the grandparents. The programme, which began in May 2015, includes the following learning sessions:

Introduction to the programme and its aim.

Introduction to email – how to write an email.

Introduction to Facebook and Twitter – how to open and set up an account, send requests, etc.

Familiarization with smart phones and tablets and an introduction to WhatsApp – how to set up an account, send and receive messages, etc.

Introduction and use of specialist apps, such as, Grofers, Flipkart, BookMyShow, News InShorts/ Times of India, Ola and Meru Cabs, etc.

Net banking through HDFC, SBI, etc.

Paying utility bills such as electricity, phone bills, etc.

The programme, which started with the help of a few volunteers and their teacher Amrita Sai Marla, became so close to their hearts that they decided to continue it even after the CAS project was over.

The classes were conducted in the computer hall of their school, so they took special permission to continue with the classes. Now, as they have graduated from school, they plan to hand it over to their juniors.

Suyesha and Vibhor do not want to stop getting the blessings of grandparents even after they bid farewell to school. They are now planning to take the initiative forward by going to old age homes and teaching the grandparents who are staying there.

“We raise concerns over environmental degradation or the lack of education of the underprivileged, but seldom have we ever touched upon the most experienced in our society, the grandparents. As we feel that grandparents are the cornerstones of our lives, this is how we’ve decided to do something for them, show them our love and support. We work really hard towards our modules, undertake new challenges and come up with some interesting and essential things for the grandparents to learn, while constantly keeping them engaged. The blessings that the grandparents shower upon us make us feel accomplished and we don’t want to miss a single chance to keep those jubilant smiles on their faces,” says Suyesha

One of the defining moments of the Silver Surfer Programme came when a grandmother from a foreign country came to learn about Facebook from them.

Grandparents are overjoyed at connecting with old friends through Facebook.

Now in her 70s, this grandmother had not seen her friends ever since she was in her 20s and had to leave her country due to political instability. The prospect of even getting a glimpse of her school friends made her so eager to learn that within minutes Vibhor and Suyesha helped her set up her very own Facebook account. After intensive searching for an hour, they finally found her old friends.

“Never did a click ever make someone this happy. Overflowing with emotion she was as she got to speak to her friends, her smile radiating light on a cloudy, rainy day. It is for moments such as this that we had started this initiative,” says Vibhor.

“The journey of the Silver Surfer Programme has instilled in me vital life lessons that have helped me develop and grow as a person. For instance, I have learned that learning, in its candid, most humble form, is not bound by time but that it is in fact imperishable. Learning is a well-oiled machine that never stops, a beating heart that gives life. I have learned that there is no ‘right’ age and it is never ‘too late’ to learn,” adds Vibhor.

Suyesha narrates another happy moment when one of the grandmothers came to her after the class and requested that she teach her how to download songs. Initially, Suyesha was reluctant to do so. She explained to her how it would be an act of piracy. However, the grandmother insisted by saying that it was her favorite song and no one was helping her download it, even though she saw her grandchildren doing it all the time.

“It was an Atif Aslam song, Jiya re Jiya re! I can’t describe the glow in her eyes after it downloaded. She left me with numerous blessings that day,” says Suyesha

The Silver Surfer Programme has now evolved to also start providing the benefits of technology to workers and guards of their school. Their next series of modules is aimed at computer literacy, wherein they will teach the guards and workers everything about the basics of using computers – using the mouse, keyboard, internet, etc.

Source….Manabi Katoch in http://www.the betterindia.com

……About the author: A mechanical engineer, Manabi Katoch has been brought up listening to Tagore’s poems and stories, so she is kind of an emotional person within. She loves writing poems and stories on social and political issues. Few of her poems can be viewed on http://www.poemocean.com and satires on http://www.mindthenews.com. She has worked with Wipro, Frankfinn and Educomp in the past.

Waste to Valuable: Used Flowers in Religious Shrines Are given a New Life by These 2 Friends…

February 14, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Two friends in Kanpur were shocked by the amount of flowers that are dumped into the Ganges every single day, choking the river with pesticides and chemical fertilisers. They started collecting the flowers from temples and mosques in the city, and turned them into some brilliant eco-friendly products.

Enter a temple, mosque, gurudwara or church in India and the first thing you’ll probably notice is the abundance of flowers at the place of worship. There are flower sellers at the entrance, flowers strewn all over the shrine’s floor, devotees receiving flowers in the form of blessings – there seems to be no limit. Ever wonder what happens to those sacred flowers once we are done with our prayers?

According to many religious beliefs, flowers that are offered during prayers are sacrosanct and cannot be dumped into the garbage once they’ve wilted. This is one of the reasons why people prefer to discard them in rivers, lakes and other water bodies. But not many of us think about the fertilizers and pesticides that might have been used to grow these flowers, which then mix with the water and pollute it.

Ankit Agrawal and Karan Rastogi, two friends from Kanpur, had often thought of this issue. While growing up, the river Ganges had been an important part of their lives and it pained them to see it become increasingly polluted as the years went by.

Karan and Ankit

“Karan and I have been friends since childhood and some of our friends live abroad as well. Whenever all of us meet in Kanpur, there isn’t much to show them in the city. And when our friends see the river, their first reaction always has to do with how polluted it is. That was the starting point for our idea. Karan used to go to the temple every day and he would see the waste flowers being collected to be dumped in the river. So we thought of doing something to treat these flowers,” says 27-year-old Ankit.

According to him, every year, approximately 80, 00,000 tons of waste flowers are dumped into Indian rivers.

So, Ankit and Karan started thinking of a way to convert these flowers into an eco-friendly business venture. They started research in 2012 and a brilliant idea had taken shape by 2014 after several experiments. In May 2015, they founded Helpusgreen with the aim of utilizing the disposed flowers and turning them into bio-fertilisers and lifestyle products.

The duo picks up flowers from different places of worship every day – approximately 500 kg of them. Since they don’t have a factory, they divide the amount equally between themselves and take the flowers to their respective homes.

The flowers are then mixed with organic cow dung and treated with about 17 natural components like coffee residue, corn cobs, etc. These help increase the nitrogen content in the end-product. After a few days, earthworms are added to the mix. These worms consume the mixture and lead to the formation of vermicompost after 60 days. In this process, earthworms ingest the organic waste and then excrete it in a digested form. The excreta, called worm cast, is a dark, odourless and nutrient rich material that works as a great soil conditioner. Worm casts or vermicompost is a ready-to-use fertilizer.

Karan and Ankit have named this product Mitti and it helps improve soil texture for the better growth of plants.\

Helpusgreen product range

While 80% of the flowers are used to make vermicompost, the rest are crushed and made into incense sticks andyajna/havan items.

For manufacturing these items, the duo has employed 85 women from different self-help groups in villages around Kanpur, thus providing them with a source of income.

Women from self-help groups

“The women take the flower dough home and work for about four hours a day. We don’t use any chemical fragrances to make these products. Everything is natural,” says Ankit.

Most temples and mosques in Kanpur have management committees that collect the flowers inside the shrines and put them in bins. From here they are sent to be thrown into the river. Helpusgreen collects the flowers directly from the places of worship. According to Ankit, 2400 kg flowers are discarded in Kanpur on a daily basis. But Helpusgreen is only in a position to treat about 500 kg flowers a day, collected from 13 temples and three mosques.

Another great feature of Helpusgreen products is that they use recycled packaging, made from discarded cartons from a liquor factory in Kanpur.

Additionally, because they know people usually don’t throw away packets that have pictures of gods and goddesses on them, Ankit and Karan pack the havan/yajna items in seed paper that is embedded with tulsi seeds.

The discarded packets will grow into beautiful plants when they come into contact with soil.

Currently, they are exporting most of their products to Switzerland and Germany. And they are also making them available on e-commerce websites like Amazon, Flipkart, etc.

“We have produced 1.5 lakh kg flower compost till now. My mom was the target customer for us in the beginning. We had decided to keep working on the products till she approved of them. And the best feedback came from her. She loves it,” says Ankit laughing.

While most of us leave it to the gods to take care of the flowers we offer up in places of worship, kudos to Ankit and Karan for turning at least a part of the offerings into such amazing and environment-friendly products.

Visit here to know more about Helpusgreen. You can purchase these products here and here. Contact the founders at hola@helpusgreen.com.

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

Natarajan

” What is the Value of Life ….” ?

February 14, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

A man went to God and asked, “What’s the value of life?”

God gave him one stone and said, “Find out the value of this stone, but don’t sell it.”

The man took the stone to an Orange Seller and asked him what its cost would be.

The Orange Seller saw the shiny stone and said, “You can take 12 oranges and give me the stone.”

The man apologized and said that the God has asked him not to sell it.

He went ahead and found a vegetable seller. “What could be the value of this stone?”

he asked the vegetable seller.

The seller saw the shiny stone and said, “Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone.”

The man again apologized and said he can’t sell it.

Further ahead, he went into a jewellery shop and asked the value of the stone.

The jeweler saw the stone under a lens and said, “I’ll give you 50 Lakhs for this stone.”

When the man shook his head, the jeweler said, “Alright, alright, take 2 crores, but give me the stone.”

The man explained that he can’t sell the stone. Further ahead, the man saw a precious stones shop

and asked the seller the value of this stone.

When the precious stone seller saw the big ruby, he lay down a red cloth and put the ruby on it.

Then he walked in circles around the ruby and bent down and touched his head in front of the ruby.

“From where did you bring this priceless ruby from?” he asked. “Even if I sell the whole world, and

my life, I won’t be able to purchase this priceless stone.

Stunned and confused, the man returned to the God and told him what had happened. “Now tell me

what is the value of life, God?

God said, “The answers you got from the Orange Seller, the Vegetable Seller, the Jeweler and the

Precious Stone’s Seller explain the value of our life… You may be a precious stone, even priceless,

but people may value you based on their level of information, their belief in you, their motive behind

entertaining you, their ambition, and their risk taking ability. But don’t fear, you will surely find someone

who will discern your true value.”

In the eyes of God you are very very precious. Respect yourself. You are Unique. No one can Replace you!

Source…..unknown….input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

This Man Sold Oranges to Build a School in His Village…

February 14, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

An orange seller in Mangaluru built a school for the poor children in his village. Society has repaid the favour by giving him the most beautiful gift.

In the dusty village of New Papdu in Harekala, around 25 km from Mangaluru, lives a saint. For his almost miraculous contribution to society, the people of the land have bestowed the title of ‘Akshara Santa’ or Saint of Letters on Harekala Hajabba.

Growing up as a boy in a very poor family, Hajabba always nurtured the dream of rolling beedis in the city.

However, life took another turn and forced him to sell oranges instead.

Photo source: Facebook

“I have never been to school. At a young age, poverty pushed me into taking up a job selling oranges. One day, I encountered two foreigners who wanted to buy a few oranges from me. They started speaking to me in English and asked about the price of the oranges. But I was unable to converse with them and they left. I felt humiliated after this incident and was ashamed that the language barrier made them walk away,” he says.

Not wanting anyone else to go through what he had experienced, his life’s mission suddenly became clear to him. From that day onwards, Hajabba worked towards setting up a school so that the poor children in his village had access to education.

His wife Maimoona would often complain, saying he was giving away money meant for their own three children. Later, she too realised the importance of his cause.

Hajabba’s dream slowly took shape in 1999, in the form of a school attached to a madrasa in his village. When it started, there were only 28 students. However, as the number of students grew, Hajabba knew he would have to shift the school to a bigger facility. So he continued to accumulate every rupee he earned towards building a proper school and ensuring the education of future generations.

In 2004, Hajabba bought 50 cents of land. However, he realised that his savings would not be enough to build a school. So Hajabba started approaching people for money. From politicians to organisations to rich individuals, he went knocking on every door.

“I once went to a very rich person’s house to seek funds for the school. But what happened was that instead of giving me money he set his dogs on me,” Hajabba says.

The unwillingness of some people to support him didn’t come in the way of his dream.

Slowly, Hajabba gathered enough money and constructed a small primary school on the land.

Photo source: Facebook

Around this time, the media began to take notice of him too. Hosa Digantha, a Kannada newspaper, was the first to run a story on Hajabba. Soon after that, CNN IBN nominated him for its ‘Real Heroes’ award. Hajabba used his cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh towards building the school.

This was just the beginning.

Soon, recognition began pouring in from every corner. And with the recognition came the donations. Today, the school stands proudly on 1.5 acres of land in the village and has as many as 150 children studying there. From being a primary school, it has now become a secondary school.

“My duty was to only construct the school. I gave it to the government and now the government runs it. It is not only a school for Muslims. Poor children from every religion study in the school,” he says.

Hajabba has truly earned the respect of the people in his village and around the country. Many say they look up to him because the recognition and awards haven’t gone to his head. Nor have they deterred him from his real purpose — he remains humble to date. When the school was constructed, there was a proposal to name it after him. But Hajabba declined, saying he didn’t want to be in the limelight.

Hajabba is often invited to speak at various events. Universities in the region encourage him to share his story in an attempt to inspire students. In 2014, the United Christian Association decided to invite Hajabba to speak at a Christmas programme. To invite Hajabba for the event, Alban Menezes, the founder of the organisation, tried calling him multiple times.

“Finally, his son picked the phone and told me that he was admitted to Yenepoya Hospital in the city and was in critical condition. I rushed to the hospital and this is when the doctors told me there was something troubling Hajabba that was making his health worse,” says Alban.

After a lot of coaxing, Hajabba broke down in front of Alban. He told him that he was worried about not having a proper roof over his head. Hajabba, who had spent all his money for the cause of education, didn’t have any left to repair his dilapidated house.

Alban was deeply saddened by this and decided to construct a house for the man who had done so much for society.

In September 2015, Alban started constructing a house for Hajabba and it was completed in a record four months at a cost of Rs. 15 lakh.

Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath

While his organisation was able to raise Rs. 1.5 lakh, Alban chipped in the rest of the money from his own resources.

“I am truly overwhelmed. I am an ordinary man you see. I’m not even worth 15 rupees and these people have actually built a house for me. I have no words to express my gratitude,” says Hajabba.

This 760 sq. ft. house has two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a special enclosure for all of Hajabba’s awards and trophies.

Photo source: Facebook

The housewarming ceremony was a special one. This communally-sensitive region witnessed a Hindu priest, a Muslim mullah and a Catholic priest conducting prayers at the ceremony. MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and Karnataka’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare, U.T. Khader, also attended the event.

“The district authorities have been very helpful. I’ve never had a gas stove in my house. The District Commissioner ensured I got a gas connection and a stove. This was sanctioned from some special fund. I feel I’ve been truly blessed,” says Hajabba.

This, however, is not the end of Hajabba’s story. He now plans to construct a Government Pre-University College in his village and has already started working towards the goal. And if his past is any indication, Hajabba will not rest till this dream is fulfilled too.

Source…..Meryl Garcia in www. the betterindia.com

Natarajan

” Have a Cheerful Day ….” !!!

February 14, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

A beautiful little story about what it really takes to attain true peace of mind. This story seems simple at first, but provokes thought and contemplation with its enlightening message.

This Simple Tale Hides an Ocean of Meaning...

Source……www.ba-bamail.com

natarajan

Message for the Day…….” Distinction between the ordinary Person and Spiritual aspirant…”

February 10, 2016February 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

Spiritual aspirants must carefully understand the distinction between the conduct of the ordinary (sahaja) person and spiritual aspirant. The ordinary person has no fortitude (sahana), is conceited (ahamkara), and is full of desires related to the world, through which the person is trying to have a contented existence. Aspirants engaged in contemplation of the Lord (Sarveswara-chinthana) as ceaselessly as the waves of the sea, accumulate the wealth of equality and equal love to all, and are content in the thought that all is the Lord’s and nothing is theirs. Unlike the ordinary person, the spiritual seeker won’t easily bend before grief, loss, anger or hatred or selfishness, hunger, thirst or fickleness. Aspirants should master all good things as much as possible and journey through life in fortitude, courage, joy, peace, charity, and humility. Realise that tending the body is not all-important, and bear even hunger and thirst patiently and engage uninterruptedly in contemplation of the Lord.

The Stopping of Niagara Falls in 1969…!!!

February 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Endeavor to change the course of history, has always been a primary motive of human civilization, through several centuries. It has been observed throughout history, that several times people have tried to undertake a feat which brings them in direct face-off with nature. May it be the intent to master the air by inventing airplanes, building mega-structures such as pyramids, or even stopping the flow of one of the world’s largest water resources, “The Niagara Falls”.

Niagara Falls consists of Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. Due to several years of rocks falling in, between the year 1931 and 1954, the American Falls faced erosion, which if not prevented would have resulted in the permanent extinction of the American Falls. With resulting public outcry and protests to save the American Falls, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Buffalo district was encumbered with the immense responsibility of dewatering the American Falls for repairs. Taking up this historic challenge, a cofferdam was constructed, that took 3 days after working in two 11-hour shifts, resulting in cutting off of the flow of the Falls from 60,000 gallons per second to one-fourth of its capacity of 15,000 gallons per second.

Photo credit: Russ Glasson/Flickr

This gigantic effort, comprising 1,264 truck loads, carrying 27,800 tons of sand and earth, was carried out to fill the cofferdam. Another minor discovery, which emerged from the De-watering Project, was that of a dead-body of a woman, which would never have been possible if the American Falls had been in full-flow. The woman was wearing a gold band, with the tragic inscription ‘forget me not’ on the inside.

Rochester Shale, a type of rock, which started crumbling due to the de-watering project, was a major concern for the geologists who wanted to carry out tests. Pipes totaling 800 feet of length and approximately six inch diameter were laid to moisten the shale.

The motive behind the endeavor to pull off such a huge feat was to conduct tests to prevent further erosion and test the structural integrity of the American Falls. Having planned through all the tests, and having implemented their staggering efforts, USACE estimated that the work will be completed by 1972. A battery of tests consisting of chemical analysis of the rocks, microscopic inspections, and several other tests were conducted accumulating large amounts of engineering, geological, and other data.

After an effort of more than 5 years, the International Joint Commission in 1975 concluded that 385,000 tons of Talus had accumulated at the base of American Falls, and had resulted in reduction of waterfall from 100 feet to 45 feet, while the depth of the Talus ranged from 25 feet to 50 feet.

As per the consensus taken from the public, there was to be no noticeable change in the appearance of American falls. But, it was accepted that there would always be some risk involved in the viewing of falls owing to continued erosion around the Falls.

The important lesson that the effort taught the engineers, and which is also a lesson for all humanity, is that everything has a life span and nothing escapes mortality. May it be flesh and blood humans, or even a stupendous spectacle for humanity such as the Niagara Falls. As is well said, that change is inevitable, and so is the mere existence of everything. It is an important question to be asked that whether something is too big to fall such as the American Falls, or something is too small to rise, like the Talus which over the years caused near extinction of American falls. The dewatering of Niagara Falls in 1969 is abject lesson in the Power of Human effort as compared to the might of Powerful Nature.

Photo credit: Russ Glasson/Flickr

Photo credit: unknown

Photo credit: Russ Glasson/Flickr

Source………www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

Zika Virus – All You Need to Know…

February 9, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

The ongoing Zika virus outbreak has created fear and uncertainty throughout the world because no-one knows how to contain it or cure it as yet. With that being said, I figured that the best way to protect myself from infection was to inform myself. Here are the five W’s of the Zika virus, and how to protect yourself from contracting it:

Who discovered the Zika virus?

Image Source

Zika was first discovered by scientists in 1947, when a rhesus monkey (pictured) living in Uganda’s Zika forest developed an unknown febrile illness. They were able to isolate a new transmissible agent from the sick monkey, and, in 1952, named it Zika after the forest in which it was discovered.

The first recording of human infection was also made in 1954 after a serological (the study of bodily fluids) survey was conducted on people in Uganda and neighboring Nigeria. Some 50 out of 84 people tested were found to have developed antibodies.

Another study conducted in India around the same time showed that a significant number of the people tested had developed Zika-specific antibodies, indicating the likelihood that the virus has long been present in various human populations.

What is the Zika virus?

The Zika virus is a virus that’s spread by daytime-active mosquitoes that are part of the Aedes genus. They originated in tropical and subtropical zones, however they have now spread around the world. The only place they cannot be found is in Antarctica. Human activity has been in part to blame for the spread of Aedes mosquitoes. An example of this can be seen in how the Asian tiger mosquito made it to the Americas thanks to the used tire trade.

Some 1 in 5 people that are infected with the Zika virus through a mosquito bite actually become ill, and the symptoms they exhibit include fevers, rashes, joint pains, conjunctivitis (redness in the eye), muscle pain and headaches.

The incubation period for the virus is unknown, however it is believed to range from a few days to one week. Its symptoms usually last for the same period. People do not usually get sick enough to go to hospital if infected with the Zika virus, and it is very rare to hear of a death from the virus too.

Zika is related to dengue and yellow fevers, as well as the Japanese encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and West Nile viruses. It is diagnosed with a specialized blood test, however there is no known cure or vaccine. There have been some media reports of the virus being transmitted sexually, however more evidence is needed to confirm whether this is a cause for widespread concern. Even if it is, the likelihood of this taking place remains very low.

Where did the current Zika virus outbreak start?

While Zika spread through equatorial Africa and Asia between 1951 and 1981, a bona-fide Zika outbreak wasn’t reported until 2007. That took place on the Pacific island of Yap, and thus remained relatively contained.

The current Zika outbreak first began last year in Brazil. Researchers suggested that the virus arrived in the country from French Polynesia sometime during 2014. In May 2015, a dengue-like disease outbreak took hold in northern, northeastern and southeastern Brazil. Many patients were exhibiting flu-like symptoms, followed by rashes and joint pain.

The outbreak reached Colombia by October 2015, before reaching other South American countries, as well as the Caribbean in November and December. At the time of writing, there were also confirmed cases in Central America, the United States, Australia and Europe. In fact, the World Health Organization has said that it expects Zika to spread throughout the entire Americas in the coming weeks.

When should you be concerned about the Zika infection?

Zika is said to have the most severe effects on pregnant women and children, however anyone is vulnerable to infection. If you have visited one of the affected countries and are exhibiting any of the symptoms mentioned in this article, see a doctor as soon as possible. He or she may prescribe blood tests to conduct further investigations should there be suspicion of you having contracted the virus.

Why has Zika become an international health concern?

As aforementioned, the ongoing Zika outbreak commenced in Brazil in May 2015. The main cause for concern over the virus is the fact that there has been a huge spike in births of babies with microcephaly in the affected regions of that country. That is why the virus’ movement is being tracked and reported on all over the world.

Microcephaly is a condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected. It occurs because a baby’s brain has not developed properly during pregnancy, or because it stops growing after birth, resulting in a smaller head size. While it can be an isolated birth defect, it can also occur in combination with other major defects, such as developmental delay, intellectual disability and proneness to seizures.

In a nutshell, the World Health Organization is doing what it can to halt Zika’s progress in order to protect unborn children. Currently the biggest fear is that there will be an explosion of microcephaly cases around the world.

How to Protect Yourself From Contracting Zika

– Avoid traveling to countries where the virus has been confirmed.

– If you must, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants.

– Stay somewhere air-conditioned or use windows and door screens to keep any mosquitoes outside.

– Sleep under a mosquito bed net if possible.

– Use insect repellent.

– If you have a child, dress in clothing that covers the arms and legs and use mosquito netting to cover cribs or strollers.

– Treat your clothing with permethrin (a synthetic insecticide), or purchase permethrin-treated items.

– Use protection if you intend to sleep with someone who has just returned from traveling in a Zika-affected region.

Source……….www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

This Solar Powered Marvel of Engineering Lets a Person with Disabilities Earn a Living Anywhere!

February 8, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Sunny Splendor is a great piece of engineering – a solar vehicle that works as a mobile shop for people with disabilities to start up small businesses and earn a living. It was designed by Hari Vasudevan of Ostrich Mobility, and this is how it works.

“I earn more than Rs. 4,000 a day now and can even think of sending my children to a good school,” says Umesh, a street vendor from Bangalore who lost both his legs in a road accident. Umesh used to work as a driver earlier but his life came to a standstill for about five years after the accident. He could not find any suitable source of income and things became increasingly difficult for his family. So he set up a small cart and started selling items like tea, coffee, bread, biscuits, and chocolates. But business was never very lucrative because he couldn’t move around with his cart and had to remain stationary at the same spot all day long.

After struggling for a long time to make ends meet, Umesh received the most amazing gift a few months back. He was introduced to Sunny Splendor – a mobile shop meant for people with disabilities to run petty businesses from wherever they want.

Earning more than double of what he would make earlier, Umesh has now left hard times far behind and is extremely happy with his new shop on wheels.

Umesh at work

Sunny Splendor was developed by Hari Vasudevan, Founder and Managing Director of Ostrich Mobility, a company that excels in manufacturing personal mobility appliances for people with disabilities.

The team at Ostrich Mobility

“Umesh was able to increase his profits only because he got the chance to roam around with his shop. If one place is less crowded he moves on to the next, and keeps moving to the more crowded areas of the city,” says Hari.

For Umesh, the best thing about Sunny Splendor is that it needs zero maintenance and customers are often attracted to his shop just to find out how it works. This adds to his business and he has some very loyal customers who are amazed by his story and keep coming back to his shop.

Hari says he was inspired to design this vehicle in 2013 when K.S. Rajanna, a differently-abled man, was appointed the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in Karnataka.

When Rajanna sir became the commissioner, he visited my office to see the kind of things we manufacture. He asked me a simple question: ‘Why don’t you hire people with physical disabilities?’ I told him that we deal with heavy objects and it would be difficult to find a person with disability who would want to do this kind of work. Moreover, we are not some big corporate firm and it won’t be easy for us to change the complete infrastructure of the office building to make it suitable for differently abled people.”

But the question remained with Hari. He found himself thinking about developing a way to help people with disabilities find a source of income. “And the idea suddenly struck me – I decided to design an electric wheelchair in a way that it would work as a mobile shop to help people run small businesses,” he says.

The mobile shop is called Sunny Splendor because there is a solar panel attached to its roof, which helps charge the batteries it operates on.

Sunny Splendor is basically an electric wheelchair designed like a three-wheeler, with a lot of space to display the items for selling. The wheelchair’s batteries can be charged with the help of electricity as well as solar energy. Eight hours of sunlight are enough to get the vehicle fully charged, and it can run for about 45km at a speed of 15km/hr after one charge. Even those who don’t have access to electricity can use it with the help of solar charging only.

There is a joystick to control the direction in which it moves and disabled people can use the vehicle to sell all kinds of things like magazines, food, toys, vegetables, and more.

Sunny Splendor is available in the market for Rs. 1.5 lakh. But many people who need it the most don’t usually have the required money to make the purchase. So Hari and his team are talking to NGOs and other organizations to make it available to people with disabilities. As of now, two people in Karnataka are using the mobile shops gifted to them by Mahindra & Mahindra (as a part of the organization’s CSR activities). Three other people have received them from the Kerala government.

Hari, who is 44 years old, founded Ostrich Mobility after completing his M.Tech course in product design and manufacturing. Prior to that, he did his BSc in Physics and BE in Mechanical Engineering, followed by seven years of work in the field of manufacturing automobiles.

“Engineering is my passion…I got a chance to meet many kids with disabilities during college because my final year project was related to making a device to help them walk. And after a visit to a school for children with disabilities, I decided that I will do something to help such people with whatever engineering I know. In 2005, I got four orders for wheelchairs from a school, and I decided to continue from there,” he recounts.

In 2007, Hari started Ostrich Mobility with the idea of making electric wheelchairs. Today, the company sells more than 22 products, including various electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters, hospital beds, and more. All the products are designed by Hari.

Hari feels that anyone buying Sunny Splendor is actually buying a business that can grow much beyond the initial investment. However, it is difficult for someone who is poor to make that investment so Hari is looking for micro-financing companies to help people purchase the vehicle.

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

Natarajan