NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 5 APRIL 2009

NUMBER 4

NARA'S NOTEPAD

IS

SUPPORTED

BY

READERS LIKE YOU

LIFE IS A JOURNEY,

NOT A RACE

MEMO FROM NARA

Killing animals by man is called hunting which is being carried out for pleasure and heroism, but man killing men mercilessly is known as terrorism which is performed for the pleasure of certain group of people called terrorists. Today in our civilized society more than hunting, terrorism is going on unabatedly. Hunting of animals is hated by animal lovers and laws are brought to book hunters whereas special laws are passed in parliament to punish the terrorists who have no respect for laws. Terrorists have no heart, no mind and no goal. There are terrorist organizations involved in training young people by brain washing. The tempo of training has improved over time and modern ammunitions and communication technology are being used to mass murder human beings who are innocent. Common people on the street, in hotels, in religious places are the victims for no fault of theirs. When the World Trade Centre at the U. S. was attacked, everyone in the world was shocked to see good numbers of innocent people were killed. Similarly the Mumbai attack on star hotels killed people from abroad as well as the elite group of business men. Very recently in Lahore, Pakistan, Sri Lankan cricket players were targeted and injured by the terrorists killing seven Pakistani security persons. Still world governments do not have a means to put a stop to such atrocities. If we list out the terrorist attacks for the past decade, they are many in number and the number of people got killed and injured run to tens of thousands. It is sad that the hatred in human mind creates such bad activities. Do we have to live with these threats day in and day out? Huge amount of money is spent to control or defend terrorism. In spite of that terrorists are growing in number all over the world. Which religion will teach these people, the moral values and love for fellow humans? Is their any other way to humanize these dreadful people? All we need to do probably is to bring them to a common understanding of love and peace for a better tomorrow.

PROANTHOCYANIDIANS

Proanthocyanidins (PAs), also known as condensed tannins, are polyphenolic secondary metabolites synthesized via the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. They are present in many plants and act in defense against plant diseases and in seed dormancy. Dietary PAs are present in many fruits and plant products, like wine, fruit juices, and teas, and contribute to their taste and health benefits. PAs act as potential dietary antioxidants with beneficial effects for human health, including protection against free radical-mediated injury and cardiovascular disease. The PAs found in grapes (Vitis vinifera) are of special interest because of their importance for the taste and astringency of red and white wine.

JUST TO LAUGH...

Mr. Raju was working as an editor in a daily newspaper. Once he was traveling to Bombay to deliver a speech about railway department improvements. His coach was the last coach in the train. The train was moving very fast and so Raju's coach was jerking heavily. This made him not to prepare for the speech. Annoyed by the event, the next day in the meeting, his first point towards improvement of railway department was: "There should not be last coach in any train."

Once a madman said, "Do you know there is a war going on between India and Bharat?
Another madman said, "Why should we worry, we live in Hindustan."

Doctor to patient: You will die within 2 hours. Do you want to see anyone before you die?
Patient: Yes. A good doctor.

Tourist: Whose skeleton is that?
Guide: Tipu Sultan’s skeleton.
Tourist: Whose that smaller skeleton next to it?
Guide: That was Tipu's skeleton when he was a child.

CEETOL

Ceetol is the short form for Cellulosic ethanol which is obtained from cellulose.

It is chemically identical to ethanol obtained

from sugarcane molasses or starch in maize.

The processing of lignocelluloses (plant biomass) nature’s only renewable material is converted into fuel ethanol which is blended with gasoline.

Canada announced already the first shipment of 100,000 L of ceetol processed from wheat straw to Shell Company.

RULES FOR LIVING

Life has taught me that success, abundance, prosperity, peace, and happiness are all created through exercising a planned routine. To create a happy and prosperous life, we need some instructions, or rules, for living.

Rule 1: Spread love. In order to produce great achievements, we have to take great risks. The greater the required achievement, the greater the personal risk involved. The greater the love we show and give, the greater the vulnerability, but the greater the return.

Rule 2: Learn from life. We have to learn from the lessons in life. When we do lose, as we all will from time to time, we should lose gracefully and learn from the lesson that life has taught us through the experience, turning it into a positive to build on.

Rule 3: Show respect. We need to respect others as we respect ourselves. Above all we should respect ourselves and show that respect. In today's society, there seems to be a great lack of self-respect. Just look at the way people behave and dress.

Rule 4: Be responsible. We need to take full responsibility for all our actions. Always do things for the right reason and from a position of love for your fellow man. Remember that anything done for the greater good will always succeed.

Rule 5: Be ethical. Live a life that is honorable and ethical. Especially in today's world, there seem to be a lot of questions about ethics and deceit. It is very important to stay true and honest to the fundamental rules of ethics and fairness.

Rule 6: Admit fallibility. Remember to take immediate action when you realize you have made a mistake. It is very important that you admit when you have made a mistake and that you take immediate steps to correct the mistake.

Rule 7: Show forgiveness. Do not let little things interfere or destroy a great relationship. Show forgiveness.

Rule 8: Allow change. Be open to change, but do not compromise on your values and ethics. Through change we grow and learn.

Rule 9: Learn to listen. There are times when it is better to be silent than to speak. It is through listening that we learn the other person's point of view and get a better understanding of the situation under consideration.

Rule 10: Create abundance. Create a loving and harmonious atmosphere in the home. When we create an atmosphere of love, we create the foundation for happiness. Remember that it is through giving that we receive the greatest joy and rewards.

Rule 11: Practice quiet reflection. Spend some time alone at least once a day.

Rule 12: Give of yourself. Remember that in any relationship your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

These twelve simple rules, when followed in a consistent manner, will bring you lots of abundance, prosperity, and happiness.

-Andreas Stark

MOOD GENE

People pay less attention to negative things going on around them and focus instead on the happier aspects of life if they posses a particular gene. By doing so, they end up being more sociable and are generally in better shape psychologically. The gene seems to underlie some people’s ability to deal with daily stresses. Those without it are likely to have a gloomier outlook on life and suffer more from mental health problems such as depression. The tendency to ignore negative images and dwell on positive ones is linked to a variation in a gene that controls serotonin, the brain’s main feel-good chemical. Each of us, inherit two versions of the gene, two short ones, two long ones or one of each. People who had two long versions were most likely to focus on the positives. The gene might dampen down activity in part of the brain called the amygdale, which plays a leading role in regulating our emotions. People with two short versions of the gene show more activity in that part of the brain and are more likely to be neurotic and anxious.

ALPHABET MOTIVATION

(Continued from last issue)

Quitters never win and winners never quit.
Read, study and learn about every thing important in your life.
Stop procrastinating.
Take control of your own destiny.
Understand yourself in order to better understand others.
Visualize it.
Want it more than anything.
Xcellerate your effort.
You are unique of all God’s creations nothing can replace you.
Zero in your target and go for it.

FOUR STRANDS OF LEARNING SCIENCE

1. Know, use and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world.
2. Generate and evaluate scientific evidence and explanations.
3. Understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge.
4. Participate productively in scientific practices and discourse.

Only the first strand can be taught using text books. The other three strands require ‘active learning’ by students who should be taught to work as a team to be skeptical and to enquire into the evidence of things.

- From the Report: Taking Science to Schools by the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.)

Beginnings are always messy!
Meet you next month – May, 2009

Prof. A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP
E-mail: arumugakannu@gmail.com
Visit my blogs: http://www.nara2007.blogspot.com/ (NARA’S NOTEPAD)
http://www.nara.tumblr.com/ (NARA’S DIGEST)
http://www.nara1.vox.com/ (NARA’S POSTCARDS)

NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 5

MARCH 2009

NUMBER 3

SUPPORTED

BY

READERS LIKE YOU

BELOW YOU

THERE ARE BILLIONS

MEMO FROM NARA

Success in various fields of science, sports and entertainment brought happiness to all Indians. On the other hand, we faced some unpleasant events too. The war between the LTTE and Sri Lanka Government, terrorist attack on Mumbai, Pakistan’s involvement, Dr.Manmohan Singh’s hospitalization, Satyam fraud, the clash between advocates and the police force in Chennai are some of those problems the State and Central Governments face. They are very sensitive issues. It is not that easy to resolve those unless our country carefully adopts diplomacy. Days, weeks and months have passed. Still the problems persist. In spite of all these unpleasant problems, we are satisfied with the scientific achievement of moon mission of sending Chndrayaan I to the moon. In sports, Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bupathi pair won the mixed doubles tennis championship in Australian Open 2009. In the Junior Championship someone from Uttar Pradesh won the cup in the same match. In entertainment field Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars in which two Indians: A.R. Rahman and Resul Pookutty were included. The same film was already awarded the Golden Globe and the BAFTA awards. Another film: Smile Pinky shot in India with an Indian child actor got the Oscar for the best short documentary film. Indians are second to none in the world. Men and women of India are shining in the world forum in all fields with skill and talents. But still as in other countries, we have also internal problems which have to be solved diplomatically and peacefully. Let us hope that India will come out of all these local problems and win over the world in the near future.

JUST TO LAUGH .......

Boss: Where were you born?
Sardar : Punjab .
Boss : Which part ?
Sardar : Kya which part ? Whole body born in Punjab.

Two Sardars were fixing a bomb in a car.
Sardar 1 : What would you do if the bomb explodes while fixing.
Sardar 2 : Don’t worry, I have one more.

Sardar was busy removing a wheel from his auto.
A man asks sardar why are you removing a wheel from your auto?
Sardar : Cant you read the board. Parking is only for 2 wheeler.

Sardar joined new job. 1st day he worked till late evening on the computer.
Boss was happy and asked what you did till evening.
Sardar : Keyboard alphabets were not in order, so I made it alright.

THEY SAID ...

To write one’s memoirs is to speak ill of everybody except oneself. – Marshal Petain

“Classic” – A book which people praise and don’t read – Mark Twain.

When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom – John Gray

I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel – Maya Angelou

Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die – Malachy McCourt.

DO YOU KNOW?

In the International system of notation for numbers letters ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, and ‘d’ do not appear anywhere in the spelling of 1 to 99.

Letter, ‘d’ comes for the first time in hundred.

Letters ‘a’ ‘b’ and ‘c’ do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999.

‘a’ comes for the first time in thousand.

Letters ‘b’ and ‘c’ do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999,999,999.

Letter ‘b’ comes for the first time in billion.

Letter ‘c’ does not appear in the spelling of any number.

VIVACE

Vivace stands for Vortex Induced Vibrations for Aquatic Clean Energy. Slow-moving ocean and river currents are reliable and affordable alternative energy source. Vivace in a machine that works like a fish to turn potentially destructive vibrations in fluid flows into clean, renewable energy. Michael Bernitsas, Professor in University of Michigan, Dept. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering developed Vivace. Electricity created with Vivace is cheap: 5 cents per kWh compared to wind costing 6.9 cents per kWh, and with nuclear power costing 4.6 cents per kWh. Of all the alternative energy technologies solar is the most expensive: 16 – 48 cents per kWh. According to Benitsas, if we could harness 0.1 per cent of the energy in the ocean, we could support the energy needs of 15 billion people.