NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 3 AUGUST 2007 NUMBER 8

MEMO FROM NARA

On 24 July ’07, someone quit the Rashrrapati Bhavan and on 25 July ’07 a lady entered.

After five years, Dr. Abdul Kalam bid farewell to all of us as the President of India and Mrs. Pratiba Patil entered the Rashtrapati Bhavan as the first woman President of Independent India.

It was a happy occasion for those who voted for her and also to the people of India.

There is no special qualification required for becoming the President of India which is simply an elected post.

The candidate is, in fact, elected by the people’s representatives.

This time a lady born in Jalgaon of Maharashtra could get the opportunity of occupying the post of President of India.

A sudden decision by the ruling parties made Mrs. Patil as the candidate for the post.

We know the ruling party will have the majority legislators who voted and elected her.

The replacement of Dr. Kalam with Mrs. Patil was not very much liked by millions of Indians including the opposition parties.

But still things happened in her favour. Dr. Kalam intelligently declined the second term, knowing well the political situation.

It was really a very good decision and his desire to join as Professor in Anna University, Chennai was welcomed by all.

Let the students, the future scientists of India, get the benefits of Dr. Kalam’s inspiring lectures.

THE VISION

I climbed and climbed,

Where is the peak, my Lord?

I ploughed and ploughed,

Where is the knowledge treasure, my Lord?

I sailed and sailed,

Where is the island of peace, my Lord?

Almighty, bless my nation,

With vision and sweat resulting into happiness.

- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

SHARING OUR FEELINGS

You know, there's often a truth behind those old sayings that we all repeat without thinking -- like "sorrow shared is sorrow halved." And now there's even scientific evidence for the proof that expressing or sharing your feelings is good for you.

I was reading about an experiment conducted by UCLA psychologist Matthew Lieberman. Of course, psychology has long held that talking about your feelings is helpful, but hasn't been able to explain why or how. Well, in the experiment, 30 people were hooked up to machines that scan the brain to show which parts are active or inactive at any given time.

The volunteers were then shown pictures of faces with different emotional expressions. Generally, when an angry or fearful face is shown, there is increased activity in an area of the brain called the amygdala. It serves as an alarm to activate the body in times of danger.

But this time, instead of just a picture of a face, below some of the photos was a selection of words to choose from to describe the emotion shown on the face. When the volunteers were asked to pick the word that described the feeling on the face, there was less response in the amygdala. Instead, there was more activity in an area of the brain that helps to process emotions.

That just goes to show that talking about your feelings does help. So don't hesitate to share your problems with friends and loved ones. And don't forget the other part to that old saying ---- "joy shared is joy doubled"!

- Rochelle Gordon

SURPRISING STATISTICS

112 is the number of tigers in Corbett National Park, the highest density of tigers recorded anywhere in the world.

22 feet is the maximum length to which a Giant South African Earthworm can grow.

4,00,000 pounds is the amount that went into the designing of the logo for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

1,40,000 crore rupees is the amount of India’s crop loss in 2006 - 07, due to insects, pests and weeds.

75 to 250 million people will be affected by acute water shortage by 2020 due to climate change and population growth, says a US State Department report.

IMPROVE SELF - CONFIDENCE

Identify your successes. Everyone is good at something, so discover the things at which you excel, then focus on your talents. Give yourself permission to take pride in them. Give yourself credit for your successes. Inferiority is a state of mind in which you've declared yourself a victim. Do not allow yourself to be victimized.

Look in the mirror and smile. Studies surrounding what's called the "facial feedback theory" suggest that the expressions on your face can actually encourage your brain to register certain emotions. So by looking in the mirror and smiling every day, you might feel happier with yourself and more confident in the long run.

Exercise and eat healthy. Exercise raises adrenaline and makes one feel happier and healthier. It is certainly an easy and effective way to boost your self-confidence.
Turn feelings of envy or jealousy into a desire to achieve. Stop wanting what others have just because they have it; seek things simply because you want them, whether anybody else has them or not.

When you're feeling superbly insecure, write down a list of things that are good about you.

Then read the list back.

You'd be surprised at what you can come up with.

KINGDOMS OF LIFE

Biologists classify all living things into overall groups, called kingdoms. The members of each kingdom are alike in fundamental ways, such as in the nature of their cells or in the way they obtain energy. In the most widely used system of classification there are five kingdoms, of which the animal kingdom is the largest. In recent years, a new classification has been proposed. In this, there three “superkingdoms’: Archaebacteria, the Eubacteria, and Eukaryota. The first and second reflect chemical and physical differences within bacteria. The third contains the living things that unlike bacteria, have complex cells: protests, fungi, plants, and animals.

JUST TO LAUGH...

Two female privates are ordered to paint the general's office.

They are warned not to get paint on their uniforms.

So they lock the door, strip off their clothes and get to work.

An hour later, there's a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" they ask.

"Blind man."

Thinking nothing of it, the privates open up.

"Hi," says the man. "Where do you want the blinds?"

THEY SAID...

Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. – R. L. Stevenson

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. – Anais Nin

The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart. – R. G. Ingersoll

Plant your seeds of success in the garden of your mind.
Meet you next month – SEPTEMBER, 2007

Prof. A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP
# 19, Phase 5, Maharani Avenue, Vadavalli, Coimbatore – 641 041, Tamil Nadu
Telephone: 0422 – 2423017, Mobile: 98422 42301

E-mail: prof_narayanan_a@hotmail.com (or) arumugakannu@gmail.com
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