Just Know It - RaGaVaN

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WHAT IS HAM RADIO?
What is Ham Radio? It is a popular Hams use call signs to identify

hobby in which an individual operates his or her themselves. The sign is a combination of
own radio station. Though no one knows the alphabets and numerals. There are two parts of a
exact origin of the term „ham‟, some believe it is call sign, the prefix and suffix. The prefix
formed from the first letters of radio pioneers identifies the country the ham belongs to and the
Hertz, Ampere and Marconi! An amateur radio suffix identifies the operator. For instance, in the
operator is known as a „ham‟. Hams mainly call sign, VU2HNN, VU stands for India and 2HNN
communicate with other hams around the world is the name of the operator, in this case, Navin.
using international Morse code or voice. The An international call book is available which lists
basic equipment required is a radio transmitter the call signs of hams around the world.
and receiver, antenna and power supply. Many
hams build their own stations because they feel it Hams cannot broadcast tot the public,
is part of the hobby. Others buy or import the that is, transmit music or any other programme.
equipment. Nowadays computers are used to They are most valuable during emergencies
transmit and receive messages in binary code. especially natural disasters like earthquakes,
cyclones and storms. When normal
Anyone aged 12 years and above can communication links between the Andaman and
become a ham. He has to obtain a licence. To Nicobar Islands and mainland India were
obtain a licence hams have to pass the snapped during the disastrous tsunami of
examination conducted by the Wireless Planning December 2004, a ham, Bharati Prasad (vu2RBI)
and Co-ordination Wing of the Indian govt‟s who happened to be in the Andamans at that
Department of Telecommunications. The time played a pivotal role in relaying information
Amateur Station Operator‟s Certificate (ASOC) from Port Blair to the mainland and to other parts
examination has practical and written sections. of the World. [On 26 December at 6.29 am,
The practical exam tests a ham‟s ability to send Bharati Prasad alerted the world with one word,
and receive Morse code at so many words per “Tremors” before her radio went dead]
minute (WPM). The WPM is different for different
grades.
HAM FACTS
☼ First Indian ham: Amarendra Chandra Gooptu who received his licence in 1921
☼ Country with highest number of hams: Japan with more than 1.5 million
☼ Ham radio is the only hobby recognized by the United Nations
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AMAZING LANGUAGE FACTS
☼ There are more than 2,700 languages in the world. In addition, there are more than 7,000 dialects. A
dialect is a regional variety of a language that has a different pronunciation, vocabulary, or meaning.
☼ The most difficult language to learn is Basque, which is spoken in northwestern Spain and southwestern
France. It is not related to any other language in the world. It has an extremely complicated word
structure and vocabulary.
☼ All pilots on international flights identify themselves in English.
☼ Somalia is the only African country in which the entire population speaks the same language, Somali.
☼ The language in which government conducts business is the official language of that country.
☼ More than 1,000 different languages are spoken on the continent of Africa.
☼ The Berbers of North Africa have no written form of their language.
☼ Many languages in Africa include a “click” sound that is pronounced at the same time as other sounds.
You must learn these languages in childhood to do it properly.
Source: THE HINDU, Jan 28, 2005, Fun Track – Page.4.
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☼ At present, out of six crore domain names worldwide, less than 7,000 have „.in‟ suffix. In IT terminology, „.in‟ is
India‟s allocated country code top level domain (ccTLD).
Source: THE HINDU, Oct 29, 2004, Page.7.

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EL NINO CHANGES EARTH‟S SHAPE
The earth‟s shape changes because the Oscillation is a long-term temperature fluctuation
climate events shift where the mass of water is in the Pacific Ocean. Changes in the location of
stored: in oceans, continents and the the cold and warm water masses that also alter
atmosphere. the path of the jet stream, which moves storms
around the world are brought about by the
Significant changes in the shape of the oscillation.
earth in the past 28 years may be linked to
climate events such as the El Nino# weather Resulting in slight but detectable
pattern. changes of the earth‟s gravity field, these
changes redistribute water mass among the
Using nearly 30 years of NASA satellite oceans, and water vapour in the atmosphere,
laser ranging (SLR) data Dr. Minkang Cheng and and in soil on the continents.
Dr. Byron D. Tapley of the University of Texas at
Austin‟s Center for Space Research examined UNRESOLVED MYSTERY
how much the earth flattens at the poles and
widens at the equator. The Texas scientists also found that
another change in mass my have started in late
They looked at events like El Nino – 2002, which coincides with the moderate El Nino
Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal that developed at that time. But the cause of a
Oscillation that affect the amount of water variation in the earth‟s shape over a 21-year
moving in the oceans, atmosphere and period between 1978 and 2001, however, still
continents around the world. Two large variations remains a mystery.
of increases in the earth bulging at the equator
were connected to the strong El Nino – Southern They used the NASA SLR data, which
Oscillation events from 1986 – 1991 and 1996 – measured the distance from ground stations to
2002, the scientists found. satellites by using satellite lasers that are
accurate within a millimeter.
EL NINO EFFECT
The SLR data reflected mass changes as
Although El Nino is normally associated water was redistributed around the world and
with warming of surface waters in the eastern resulted in the changes of earth‟s gravity field.
Pacific Ocean, it also causes changes in weather
patterns and the way the ocean circulates. The long-term history of these range
measurements makes it possible for scientists to
Heavy rains associated with the warmer see how the large-scale mass was redistributed
waters move into the central Pacific Ocean and around the world, and the long-period and
typically cause drought in Australia, and floods in secular changes in the melting of glaciers and
Peru during an El Nino. That is, there is less polar ice sheets and the associated sea level
water in Australia, more water in Peru. change.
Similar to El Nino, but lasting 20 to 30 The study was published in the Journal
years instead of months, the Pacific Decadal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth.
# It is a Spanish word which means that Child Jesus. (THE HINDU, Oct 10, 2004, Page 4.)
Source: THE HINDU, Jan 13, 2005, Page.15.
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☼ The present forest and tree cover in the country according to the State of Forest Report 2001 of the
Forest Survey of India is 23.03 per cent.

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The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is At present, the FCI has been procuring
procuring through the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies paddy with 17% moisture content. Following the
Corporation (TNCSC), which is acting as the FCI‟s rain, the moisture content went up to 22 to 25%.
agent under the decentralized procurement Paddy with high moisture content is rejected at
policy. the Direct Purchase Centers of the TNCSC.

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ABOUT BEETHOVEN – THE GREAT MUSICAL COMPOSER
In Germany, Bonn - which is the as well as the horns he used to put on his ears to
birthplace of Beethoven. In fact they often call try to listen. There is a big piano with all its legs
Bonn the “Beethoven City” (“Beethovenstadt”). cut off. When he was on the verge of total
There is a life-size statue of the composer in the deafness, Beethoven cut its legs off out of
center of the city, just opposite the main post frustration, so that he could kneel down to put
office. Apparently Queen Victoria herself was his ears on the floor to try to hear a bit of sound.
invited to the unveiling ceremony of the statue. It remains a mystery to me how an aurally
challenged person could conjure up the
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in a compositions that have enthralled people for
small, two-storeyed house in the central part of centuries.
the city. Which has now become a museum. One
cannot make out that the house is a few hundred Bonn hosts an annual festival
years old, as it has been maintained very well celebrating the music of Beethoven, where
(unlike the birthplaces of famous figures in our performers and orchestras from all over the
country). The room in which he was born is world come to play his music. The main
empty except for a bust. It is a small room on auditorium in the city, aptly called
the second floor, with tiny windows. The “Beethovenhalle”, is a lovely piece of
museum has a number of things used by architecture, with a large bust in the lawns in
Beethoven, like his shaving kit and his spectacles, front of it.
Source: THE HINDU, Sep 05, 2004, Magazine – Page.7.

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INDIA‟S POPULATION
India‟s population has reached 102.8 The Scheduled Caste population has
crores with 53.2 crore males and 49.6 crore touched 16.6 crores (16.2 per cent) and the
females at an annual growth rate of 1.94. India Scheduled Tribes 8.4 crores (8.2 per cent). The
turned 100 crores in May 2000. The 2001 census child sex ratio (0 - 6) slipped from 945 females
shows Uttar Pradesh to be the most populous per 1000 males in 1991 to 927 in 2001. The
state with a population of 166 million, followed average literacy rate for above seven populations
by Maharashtra (97 million), Bihar (83 million) stood at 64.8 against 52.2 in 1991. The census
and West Bengal (80 million). Lakshadweep has said 75.2 per cent of the male populations
the lowest population of 61,000. against 53.6 per cent of females are literate.
Source: THE HINDU, Jul 11, 2004, Page.1.

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VICTORIA TERMINUS IN BOMBAY
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the started in 1878 and completed in 1888. The
erstwhile Victoria Terminus, in Mumbai, as a building displays an important interplay of
World Heritage Building – F.M. Stevens designed influences from Victorian Italian Gothic revival
the Victorian masterpiece and its construction architecture and the Indian architecture.
Source: THE HINDU, Feb 03, 2005, Page.7.

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☼ December 22 in southern pole the sun does not set but in June 21 the sun does not dawn.
☼ December 22 in northern pole the sun does not dawn but in June 21 the sun does not set.
☼ December 22 is the largest daytime and June 21 is the lowest daytime in our earth.
☼ March 21 and September 23 these two days are equal time in day and night.
Source: DAILY THANTHI, Oct 09, 2004, Elainjar Malar - Page.15.
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☼ UNESCO has declared Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland and venue of UK‟s biggest annual literary
festival, the World‟s first “City of Literature”.
Source: DAILY THANTHI, Oct 09, 2004, Elainjar Malar - Page.15.

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Mahatma Gandhi‟s grandson Arun Gandhi, who runs the Mahatma Gandhi International Peace
Institute in the United States. The former Botswana President, Sir Ketumile Masire, has been honoured with
the Mahatma Gandhi International Peace Award for trying to promote peace and reconciliation in the African
continent. Sir Masire is the second African leader to be bestowed with the Gandhi Peace Award since it was
introduced last year (2003). President Thabo Mbeki received it last year.
Source: THE HINDU, Dec 05, 2004, Page.9.

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Out of 40,000 MW generated through harnessing wind energy globally, Germany alone produces
16,000 MW followed by Spain, which generates 9,000 MW. The US and Denmark respectively produce 7,000
MW and 3,500 MW. India was the fifth largest producer, which generates about 3,000 MW of wind energy.
This amounted to about 2% of total electricity generated in India. Rajasthan was one state, which is doing a
good job in harnessing wind power.

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CAVEAT EMPTOR means „buyers beware‟ (or) when you buy something, it is your responsibility to
ensure that everything is fine.
The mystery of the sea or ocean was that it would never retain any dead bodies or carcasses for
more than 24 hours, and would automatically space them and wash them ashore. And the on-land viruses
and bacteria would not survive in the saline water.
TSUNAMI
The Great Sumatra earthquake was the Makaran region / Gulf of Kutch on ht e northern
second largest quake ever recorded and such an edge of the Arabian Sea.
occurance does not happen frequently.
Unlike the Pacific Ocean region, where
There are only two “tsunamigenic” the occurance of tsunamis is more frequent, the
zones in the Indian Ocean region capable of Indian Ocean region does not have such a track
producing tsunamis the Java – Sumatra region in record. Against 900 tsunamis recorded by the
the eastern part of the Indian Ocean and the former last century, only five or six happened in
the later.
Source: THE HINDU, Mar 16, 2005, Page.1.

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Tsunami (pronounced tsoonahmee) is a Japanese word, which means, “harbour wave”. Tsu means
harbour and nami stands for wave. Tsunamis are large waves that are generated when the sea floor is
deformed by seismic activity, vertically displacing the overlying water in the Ocean. Throughout recorded
history, tsunamis have caused significant damage to coastal communities all over the world.
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John Schwartz points out in The New York Timers, that 75%of tsunami warnings in 56 years have
been wrong. He quotes a NASA website devoted to tsunami as saying “Three out of four tsunami warnings
issued since 1948 have been false”. The January 17, 1995, Kobe earthquake in Japan took 5,500 lives,
injured 26,000 and inflicted damage in excess of $200 billion. That in a country where seismic activity is
massively monitored with advanced technologies. The quake lasted some 20 seconds and measured around
7.0 on the Richter scale. Structures designed for such seismic zones were torn apart like paper. Last week‟s
(26/12/04) quake measured 9.0 which means it was, near Indonesia at least, 1,000 times more powerful
than Kobe. (The Richter scale is a logarithmic one, not a linear scale).

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Studies show that the sudden slip of the The shift of mass and the massive
Indian plate over the Burmese plate created an energy release due to the earthquake of the
upward thrust along the pre-existing fault about magnitude of 9 triggered tsunamis that struck
1,000 km in the north-south direction. The area the coast of 11 countries.
involved in the generation of the tsunami was
2,80,000 – 3,00,000 sqkm of the ocean floor, The total energy released by the recent
extending from 3 – 10 degrees north and 88 – earthquake with the magnitude of 9 is equivalent
100 degrees east. The large-scale displacement to 32,000 Mega tones of trinitrotoluene (TNT).
of submarine seafloor both vertically and Just imagine that the great earthquake of
horizontally was due to the direct impact of the Dec.26, 2004 has released the amount of energy
“great earthquakes”. The maximum rise along equivalent to 24,96,000 Hiroshima bombs. (5
the subduction zone where the Burmese plate Mega tones of TNT is equivalent to 390
moved over the Indian plate was 5 meters. In Hiroshima bombs).
the western edge of the Sumatra, the land
dropped to a maximum of one meter below the Surprisingly, Simeulue, an Island in the
sea level. It has been reported that the greatest eye of the epicenter, escaped the wrath, though
horizontal motion on the ocean floor was 11 the waves traveled 5,000 km and hit the coast of
meters and the coast of Sumatra moved 3 meters Somalia in Africa. This proved the point that
and Simeulue Island, which is very close to the propagation of the tsunami waves was more
epicenter moved 2 meters horizontally. important than the distance.

TO WATCH AND WARN
Most tsunamis occur in the Pacific and savagely chew up the coast. Without
because the Ring of Fire, a long chain of the instrumentation, so little is known about this
earth‟s most seismically active spots, rims the tsunami that researchers must wait for
ocean basin. Marine geologist recently eyewitness accounts to determine its
determined that under certain conditions, the US characteristics.
East Coast and other heavily populated coastlines
also could be vulnerable. In the hours following an earthquake,
tsunamis eventually lose their power to friction
In a tsunami, waves typically radiate out over the rough ocean bottom or simply as the
in directions opposite from the seismic waves spread out over the ocean‟s enormous
disturbance. In the case of the Sumatra quake, surface.
the seismic fault ran north to south beneath the
ocean floor, while the tsunami waves shot out The International Warning System was
west and east. started in 1965, the year after tsunamis
associated with a magnitude 9.2 temblor struck
Tsunamis are distinguished from normal Alaska in 1964. It is administered by the National
coastal surf by their great length and speed. A Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
single wave in a tsunami series might be 160 km
long and race across the ocean at 965 kmph. The warning system analyses
When it approaches a coastline, the wave slows earthquake information from several seismic
dramatically, but it also rises to great heights networks, including the U.S. Geological Survey.
because the enormous volume of water piles up The seismic information is fed into computer
in shallow coastal bays. models that “picture” how and where a tsunami
might form. It dispatches warnings about
And unlike surf, which is generated by imminent tsunami hazards.
wind and the gravitational tug of the moon and
other celestial bodies, tsunamis do not break on Member states include all the major
the coastline every few seconds. Because of their Pacific rim nations in North America, Asia and
size, it might take an hour for another one to South America, was as well as the Pacific islands,
arrive. Australia and New Zealand. It also includes
France, which has sovereignty over some Pacific
Some tsunamis appear as a tide that islands.
does not stop rising, while others are turbulent

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In 1883, August 27, 36,000 people were

killed by tsunamis following the explosion of the Among the deadliest tsunamis was one
volcano Krakatau in the Sunda Strait near Java. that struck Honshu, Japan, in 1896, killing an
Following the 1883 eruption, waves estimated as estimated 27,000.
high as 27 metres slammed ashore on nearby
islands, wiping out coastal communities in what Indonesia has seen more than 50,000
is now Indonesia. They had been the deadliest deaths in more than 30 destructive tsunamis over
tsunamis of modern times until now. the centuries – not including the most recent
disaster (Dec 26 Deadly Tsunami in 2004).
The earliest description of a tsunami-
type wave comes from 479 B.C. in the northern On April 1, 1946, a Pacific wide tsunami
part of the Aegean Sean. Similar waves have was generated by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake
been reported worldwide, though they are more near Unimak Island chain. A huge wave
common in the Pacific, with its earthquake-prone destroyed the US Coast Guard‟s Scotch Cap
perimeter. lighthouse on Unimak, killing all five of its
occupants.
Santorini Eruption
Many historians believe that the The lighthouse was s steel-reinforced
explosive eruption of Santorini in the Aegean Sea concrete structure standing about 27 m above
in 1500 B.C. caused a tsunami that brought sea level. The tsunami reached the Hawaiian
widespread devastation to the eastern Islands about five hours later, obliterating Hilo‟s
Mediterranean and Crete. Thousands of coastal waterfront and killing 159 people.
residents in Spain, Portugal and North Africa
were killed by waves spawned by an earthquake Altogether, 165 people died, including
at Lisbon, Portugal, in 1755. children attending school at Hawaii‟s
Laupahoehoe Point where waves reaching up to
Over the centuries, Japan has been the 7.6 m struck. As a result of this wave, two years
land most plagued by tsunamis, with at least later the US established a Pacific Tsunami
66,000 deaths recorded there since A.D. 684. Warning Centre in Hawaii.
Other Tsunami Hits

Other notable tsunamis have included:
 August 16, 1976: A tsunami generated by a quake on Mindinao in the Phillippines killed between
5,000 and 8,000 people in the Moro Gulf region.
 March 28, 1964: A magnitude 8.4 quake in Alaska generated tsunamis that caused damage in
southeastern Alaska, in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and in the states of Washington,
California and Hawaii. More than 120 died. Hardest hit was Crescent City, California, where waves
reaching as much as 6 m destroyed half of the waterfront business district. Eleven people lost their
lives there. There was extensive damage in San Francisco Bay and at the marinas in Marin County
and at the Noyo, Los Angeles and Long Beach harbours.
 May 22, 1960: The largest earthquake – magnitude 8.6 – of the 20th century occurred off the coast
of south central Chile. It generated a Pacific-wide tsunami, which was destructive locally in chile
and throughout the Pacific Ocean. The tsunami killed an estimated 2,300 people in Chile. Waves
damaged the waterfront in Hilo, Hawaii, and killed 61 people.
 November 4, 1952: A strong earthquake off the coast of Russia‟s Kamchatka Peninsula generated a
great, destructive Pacific-wide tsunami. It waves struck the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands
and other areas of Russia‟s Far East, causing considerable damage and loss of life. There was also
damage in Hawaii, Peru and Chile.
 January 31, 1906: A strong tsunami struck the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, submerging half or
Tumaco, Columbia, and washing away half of a nearby island. The death toll has been estimated at
between 500 and 1,500.
 August 13, 1868: A massive wave struck Chile, carrying ships as far as 4.8 km inland at Arica.
Deaths totaled 25,000 or more.
 April 2, 1868: A locally generated tsunami swept over the tops of palm trees and claimed 81 lives
in Hawaii.

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A table produced by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory suggests that a quake of 9.0 on the
Richter scale has a seismic energy yield roughly equaling 32 billion tons of TNT (Tri Nitro Toluene).
Compare that with the bomb that decimated Hiroshima, whose yield was similar to that from
exploding 15,000 tons of TNT. The Indonesian quake last week (26/12/04), like the Chilean quake of 1960,
unleashed 2.13 million times more energy than the perversely named “Little Boy” did over Hiroshima.

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Dead bodies themselves do not cause disease. Most viruses can only survive at temperatures of
38 C. Within an hour or so of death, there is little danger of infection even if the person has dies of an
infectious disease.
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TSUNAMI – EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE WAS 9.3
The earthquake that caused the deadly vibrations by which the earth rings like a bell (or
tsunami (Dec 26, 2004) was 3 times more more precisely rattles like a garbage can) for
powerful than previously reported, according to days and even weeks after such a gigantic
U.S. Geologist. earthquake.
Latest analysis of seismograms form the U.S. scientists at the Woods Hole
De 26 Sumatra earthquake has led to revision of Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have also
its magnitude to 9.3 from the previously reported revised the quake magnitude upward.
9.0, scientists at Northwestern University
reported. The revised value makes it second only “I think the earthquake rupture zone is
to the 1960 Chile earthquake “and explains in almost certain to be much longer than what was
part why the tsunami was so destructive”, said suggested by the short-period seismogram
Seth Stein and Emile A. Okal of the Department recording”, said Jian Lin, a geophysicist at the
of Geological Sciences. WHOI.
The additional energy released occurred He said the earthquake rupture zone
by slow slip along the 1,200 km long fault consisted of a 450-600 km long southern
delineated by aftershocks, making the rupture segment, which radiated seismic waves that were
zone much larger than previously thought from recorded by seismogram stations worldwide; and
analysis of shorter period waves, they wrote in a northern segment that is just as long as, or
their website. slightly longer than, the southern segment.
Because the entire rupture zone slipped, “This northern segment is associated
strain accumulated from subduction of the Indian with abundant aftershocks, but did not seem to
plate beneath the Burma micro-plate has been have radiated short-period seismic waves as the
released, leaving no immediate danger of a southern segment did. Thus the best explanation
comparable tsunami being generated by an is that this northern segment may have ruptured
earthquake on this segment of the plate as a „slow‟ earthquake”, he added. “If the above
boundary interpretation is correct, the combined
earthquake energy of the Dec 26, 2004
They said these results come from earthquake could be significantly larger than then
analyzing the earth‟s normal modes – ultra long short-period magnitude of 9.0”, he said.
(Because of Tsunami) Aftershocks of reducing intensity can be expected to rattle the Andaman and
Nicobar islands as they fall in the subduction zone. (A subduction zone is the place where one plate dives
below another. In this case, the India plate dived below the Burma micro plate. The trench is the surface
expression of this phenomenon. The subduction zone in this case is nearly 100 km in width and stretches
from Sumatra to the Andaman group of islands.

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TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM

By N. Gopal Raj
A warning of an oncoming tsunami is more than a matter of detecting that an earthquake has
occurred under or near an ocean. The experience in the Pacific Ocean, where most tsunamis happen, is that
a number of complex steps have to be completed rapidly so that people can be evacuated to safer locations.
Yet the system must also be robust enough to avoid false alerts, which would unnecessarily disrupt people‟s
lives, cause substantial financial loss and ultimately lead to a loss of confidence in the system.
Unlike in the Pacific where over 790 tsunamis have been recorded since 1900, Sunday‟s tsunami
(Dec 26, 2004) was just the second to hit India during the same period. The first tsunami to reach the
Indian mainland in the last 100 years was in 1941. Before that, a tsunami was recorded in December 1881.
Moreover, not every earthquake under or near the ocean causes a tsunami. About a dozen
earthquakes of over magnitude 5 on the Richter scale have occurred in the vicinity of the Andaman and
Nicobar islands since 1973, including two greater than magnitude 6. According to officials of the National
Institute of Oceanography in Goa, no tsunamis followed. The magnitude 9 earthquake off Sumatra, which
caused Sunday‟s tsunami, set off several earthquakes in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, including one
that exceeded magnitude 7. None of these later earthquakes is known to have caused tsunamis that
reached the Indian mainland.
In 1965, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), established the International Tsunami
Information Center (ITIC) in Hawaii. Three years later, the IOC formed an International Coordination Group
for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific, with 26 countries in an around the Pacific as its members.
The system issues tsunami information and warnings to over 100 places scattered across the Pacific.
Three distinct but overlapping physical processes have to be modeled accurately in order to
understand whether an earthquake could have set off a tsunami and then to identify the places at risk. At
the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii, computer systems continually monitor data from
seismic stations in the United States and abroad, and alert watch-standers whenever a significant
earthquake has been detected, says Charles McCreery in a recent issue of the Tsunami Newsletter. “If the
earthquake is shallow and is located under or very close to the sea, and if its magnitude exceeds a
predetermined threshold, a warning is issued based on there being the potential that a destructive tsunami
was generated”.
Such computation is based on 30 to 50 independent measurements and, as Dr.McCreery points

out, the PTWC‟s performance improved rapidly as high-quality seismic data from more seismic stations in
the US and other countries became available in real time. The time the PTWC needed to issue a warning fell
from up to 90 minutes six years ago to the present level of 25 minutes or less.
It is reported that there are about 200 seismic observatories in the country under various
organizations. The India Meteorological Department has some 58 seismic stations under it, only 17 of which
are digital and networked. More Indian seismic stations must be networked so that their data immediately
become available for analysis, says Kusala Rajendran of the Centre for Earth Science Studies in
Thiruvananthapuram.
At least 10 parameters about the fracture in the earth‟s crust that caused the earthquake are
needed to predict the tsunami‟s initial height, according to Frank Gonzalez, Tsunami Research Program
Leader at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As only the orientation of the
fracture and the quake‟s location, magnitude and depth can be obtained from the seismic data, all the other
parameters must be estimated, he said in a 1999 article in the Scientific American. Consequently, the
tsunami‟s height can be initially misjudged.
Computer models can then simulate how the tsunami would propogate in the deep ocean, also
taking into account how underwater ridges and mounds would affect the wave. Although the tsunami could
be traveling faster than a passenger jet, the wave may be only a few metres high. As a single wave can be
more than 750 km long, the slope is so gentle that a tsunami can pass by unnoticed in the ocean.
After the first indication that an earthquake may have triggered a tsunami, “it is necessary to wait
until a potential tsunami reaches the nearest sea level gauge to confirm or deny its existence and begin to
evaluate its character”, says Dr. McCreery. There are currently about a hundred such gauges around the
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Pacific, most of which can transmit their data via satellite back to the warning centres. But as these gauges
are typically located in the harbours and protected bays, the characteristics of the tsunami would be greatly
modified by the shallow depth. That severely limits the usefulness of the data from the gauges, according to
Dr. Mc.Creery.
Consequently, the NOAA developed the „Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis‟
(DART) gauge. Each DART gauge has a highly sensitive pressure recorder installed on the ocean floor. From
a depth of 6 km, the recorder is capable of detecting if the height of the ocean above it changes by just one
cm. This data is transmitted acoustically to a surface buoy that then relays it over satellite to the warning
centre. Seven DART gauges have already been deployed, and at least four more are being planned. The
DART gauges are sited in deep water so that they can accurately record the tsunami waves as they pass
unaltered, remarks Dr. McCreery.
As the tsunami approaches the shore and the depth decreases, the waves slow down but become
higher. The last stage of evolution where the tsunami comes ashore as a breaking wave, a wall of water or
a tide-like flood is perhaps the most difficult to model, according to Dr. Gonzalez. Wave heights can reach
tens of metres, although waves two to there metres high are sufficient to cause damage.
The NOAA has developed a suit of computer models, collectively known as the MOST (Method of
Splitting Tsunami), which are capable of simulating the generation of a tsunami, its transoceanic
propagation and inundation of dry land. But the NOAA also points out: “The current state-of-the art in
tsunami modeling still requires considerable quality control, judgment and iterative, exploratory
computations before a scenario is assumed to be reliable. This is why the efficient computation of many
scenarios for the creation of a database of precomputed scenarios that have been carefully analysed and
interpreted by a knowledgeable and experienced tsunami modeler is an essential first step in the
development of a reliable and robust tsunami forecasting and hazard assessment capability”.
In Japan too, “virtual tsunamis” have been pre-calculated for thousands of possible sources for
various magnitudes of earthquake from 6.5 upwards. A supercomputer sorts these “virtual tsunamis” when
an earthquake occurs and makes the extrapolations necessary when it does not correspond precisely to any
one of them.
Issuing a reliable warning is just the first step. It is then up to the civilian authorities to use the
warning for evacuations. Plans have to be made and rehearsed so that all the agencies act quickly and in
concert once an alert is issued. Sunday‟s tsunami (Dec 26, 2004) swept across the ocean and reached India
in just two hours. Countries who currently receive international tsunami warnings have found that they do
not have the emergency response capacity, and the necessary communications infrastructure. Hence even
though a warning may be received, their coastal communities are still extremely vulnerable.
Establishing a reliable and robust tsunami warning system for India is therefore a substantial
undertaking. Many Indian seismic stations probably require upgradation and also need to be networked. The
seismic station at Port Blair in the Andamans is, for instance, said to be of the old analog type. Sea-level
gauges are needed and press reports say that the Government is looking at installing DART-type gauges.
Simulation software that model the evolution of tsunamis from generation to landfall may need to be
modified to suit the Indian situation. Hazard mapping to identify vulnerable areas would also probably be
required. The satellite-based cyclone-warning system can be augmented for disseminating tsunami warning.
Most important of all local-level plans have to be drawn up for evacuating people at short notice. Joining the
international tsunami warning system will help, but even so there will be much that has to be done within
the country.

****
TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM “FEASIBLE”
The tsunami (Dec 26, 2005) was spawned by the most powerful earthquake in 40 years, which
struck off the Indonesian coast an hour before the tsunami made landfall on that day. US officials tried
frantically to warn the deadly wall of water was coming, but there was no official alert system in the region.
Six “tsunametres” along the Pacific coastline, one near Chile and 14 off the Japanese coast now
feed data to the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centres in Hawaii and Alaska. Tsunami typically occur in Indian
Ocean once a century.
10
Japan, for instance, has a network of sensors that record seismic data and feed information to a
national agency able to issue evacuations warnings with in minutes of any quake.
The international warning system was started back in 1965. The system is designed to alert
nations of potentially destructive waves, which may hit coastlines within three to 14 hours. Seismic networks
recorded Sunday‟s quake (Dec 26, 2005) but without wave sensors in the region – India and Sri Lanka are
not members there was no way to determine the tsunami‟s direction.
(If you want more details with chart – refer the Source.)

****
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN has put the tsunami losses in fisheries and
aquaculture at $520 million.
Jeremy Turner, head of the FAO‟s Fishery Technology Service said, “The current estimate for direct
losses in the fisheries sector is now around $520 million. The figures refer to only India, Indonesia,
Maldives, Myanmar, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
As per the FAO‟s estimate, 1,11,073 fishing vessels were destroyed or damaged with an estimated
replacement cost of $161 million; 36,235 engines were lost or damaged beyond repair with replacement
costs projected at $73 million; 1.7 million units of fishing gear (net tackle and similar equipment) were
destroyed with an estimated replacement cost of $86 million and the cost of repairs of other damages to the
fisheries sector, such as to aquaculture operations, fishing industry infrastructure and harbours are
estimated to be in excess of $200 million.

****
Albert Einstein earned a Nobel Prize in 1921 for his work on photoelectric effect. He graduated
from the Polytechnic school in Zurich. And he loved music and cycling. Many of the great breakthroughs of
the past century – quantum theory, the computer revolution, nuclear power, lasers, space travel, and global
positioning systems – can be put down to Einstein‟s genius. In 1933, Einstein escaped the persecution of
Jews by Nazi Germany by accepting a position at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton in the US
where he spent the rest to his life.

☼ Mathew Fontaine Maury – Father of Oceanography
Source: THE HINDU, Nov 20, 2004, Young World - Page.2.

****
☼ Charles Spencer Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin – notorious comedian) born at Walworth in England on Apr.
16, 1889 & he died at Corsier-sur-Vevey in Switzerland on Dec. 25, 1977.
Source: THE HINDU, Nov 20, 2004, Young World – Page.2.
ICF – INTEGRAL COACH FACTORY

ICF, Perambur, the country‟s premier With a modest beginning of producing
railway coach-manufacturing unit, which was 35 shells in the first year, ICF is now capable of
inaugurated on October 2, 1955 by the then rolling out 1200 coaches as against its installed
Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in Collaboration capacity of 1000 per annum. Now it produces
with the Swiss Car and Elevator Manufacturing 200 varieties of coaches ranging from ordinary
Company of Switzerland, has come a long way in second-class coach to the most luxurious tourist
the past 49 years. cars.
Source: THE HINDU, Nov 02, 2004, Page.5.
The most famous pre-human, a skeleton nicknamed „Lucy‟, dates back just about 3 million years.

****
11
According to the Director of National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development,
Adarsh Sharma, Tamil Nadu has a women‟s literacy rate of 65%, which was 10 points higher than the
national average.

****
“Nearly 30% of vegetable production in India goes down the drain every year, owing to poor
storage facilities and the value is estimated to be Rs.27,000 crores and the wasted quantity of vegetables in
India was equal to the annual consumption of the UK”, the Dean of Agricultural College and Research
Institute, N. Kempu Chetty.

****
Ian Wilmut, who led the team that created Dolly (first cloned animal) at Scotland‟s Roslin Institute
in 1996.

****
Nastaq has a total listing of 3296 companies, of which 65 are from the Asia-Pacific region, and 330
are from outside of the US.

****
WORLD POST DAY
October 9, 1874 that the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was founded in Berne. The day was
declared the World Post Day be the UPU Congress held in Tokyo in 1969.
In India, the Department of Posts will begin celebrations for the National Postal Week with the
World Post Day and then the Business Development Day on October 11. Philately Day, Savings Bank Day,
PLI Day and Mail Day will follow this from October 12 to 15.
According to the UPU, five per cent of the populations in developing countries do not have postal
coverage, and Africa is the worst off.

FACTFINDER
What is a blog? sites where you can create your own blog,
A blog is short for an online journal or maintain it and even browse through other blogs.
web log. It‟s an on-line diary where you put
down your thoughts and write about your Each site has its own rules. At some
experiences. You can write about anything you blog sites you are required to pay to create one
want and whenever you want. You can even put however most are free. You have to first create
photographs on the blog. You can choose to an account on the blog site just like you create
keep the diary private, accessible only to you or your email account online and then follow the
to share it with the world at large – make your simple instructions. You will then be asked
life an open book, so to say. whether you want to make your blog public or
private i.e. for your reading only or for others to
How do create a blog? view as well.
Creating a blog is very simple. All you
have to do is log on to google.com and type in It‟s that easy. So register, start a blog
“blogs” or “Weblogs”. You will then get several and see how it feels to write a diary on the World
Wide Web.
Some sites we can make or read a blog on:
http://www.blogit.com/ http://www.joeuser.com/
https://www.typepad.com/ www.elle18.com
http://www.speakpod.com/ www.rediff.com
http://www.tag-board.com/
Source: THE HINDU, Sep 25, 2004, Young World - Page.4.

****
12
150 YEARS OF THE INDIAN POST OFFICE

The Indian Post Office was recognized as a separate organization of national importance and was
placed, for the first time, under the unitary control of a Director General on October 1, 1854.
Today, India has the largest postal network in the world with 1,55,618 post offices ( as on March
2003), of these, 1,39,081 post offices are in rural areas. At the time of Independence, there were 23,344
post offices in India.
A look at how the Indian Postal Network compares with some other countries
Population Area No. of People Service area

Countries (million) (Lakh Post per Post per Post Office
Sq.Km) Offices Office (Sq. Km)
USA 284.8 93.72 38,123 7,471 245.85
UK 59.5 2.44 17,633 3,377 13.84
Germany 82.4 3.57 13,000 6,335 27.46
Brazil 172.4 85.12 12,520 13,769 679.87
South Africa 44.3 12.21 2,650 16,728 460.77
Nigeria 116.9 9.24 4,624 25,288 199.78
China 1284.9 95.96 57,135 22,490 167.97
Australia 19.4 77.13 3,872 5,008 1,992.09
Japan 127.3 3.78 24,760 5,143 15.26
Egypt 67.9 10.01 5,339 12,575 185.49
India 1027.0 32.88 1,55,618 6,602 21.13
Some Landmarks
☼ 1854: Post Office Act XVII introduced ☼ 1935: Indian Postal Order
☼ 1863: Railway Sorting ☼ 1972: PIN introduced
☼ 1873: Embossed envelopes on sale ☼ 1985: Post and Telecom departments
☼ 1876: India joins Universal Postal Union separated
☼ 1877: VPP and Parcel service started ☼ 1986: Speed Post launched
☼ 1879: Postcard introduced ☼ 2004: ePost introduced
☼ 1880: Money Order launched
****
Ms. Wangari Maathai, who is the first African women to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and the 12 th
women since it was first awarded in 1901. The Nobel Prizes are always presented on Oslo, while the other
Nobel Prizes are awarded in the Swadish Capital of Stockholm.

****
SCOUTS AND GUIDES
Founded by Lord Baden Powell, an officer of the British Army, the Scout Movement is an international
student‟s organization. Baden Powell was born on February 22, 1857, and Scouts and Guides the world over
celebrate this day as “Thinking Day”.
The aim of the scout movement is character development and their motto is “Be prepared”, to be achieved
by being physically strong, mentally awake and morally upright. At the time of enrolment every scout takes a pledge
saying, “On my honour, I promise that I will do my best – to do my duty to God and country, to help other people
and to obey scout law”. Scouts are trained in many life-oriented skills and proficiency badges are awarded. They
have examination to pass for which they are awarded the “President‟s Award”.
The headquarters of the Bharat Scouts and Guides Association is at New Delhi. The highest national award
is the “Silver Elephant Award”.
Source: THE HINDU, Mar 04, 2005, Young World - Page.1.

13
ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATION TECHNOLOGY
A technology that can tap waste heat more urgent in developing nations, such as
from electrical power plants as its main source of China, Klausner said.
energy has been developed, an advance that
could significantly reduce the cost of desalination WORLWIDE PROBLEM
in some parts of the world. Desalination is often
touted as one solution to the world‟s water woes, “China has large and growing demand,
but current desalination plants tend to hog Japan has a large demand, the Middle East, Sub-
energy. Saharan Africa – I look at it as a worldwide
problem”, he said.
University of Florida researchers have
developed the technology. “In the future, we Most commercial desalination plants
have to go to desalination, because the now use either distillation or reverse osmosis,
freshwater supply at the moment can just barely Klausner said. Distillation involves boiling and
meet the demands of our growing population”, evaporating salt water and then condensing the
said James Klausner, a UF professor of vapour to produce fresh water. In reverse
mechanical and aerospace engineering. “We osmosis, high-pressure pumps force salt water
think this technology could run off excess heat through fine filters that trap and remove
from utility plants and produce millions of gallons waterborne salts and minerals.
each day”, said Klausner, lead author of an
article on the system that appeared in the Boiling the vast amounts of water
Journal of Energy Resources Technology. He co- needed for the distillation process requires large
invented the technology with fellow UF amounts of energy. Reverse osmosis uses less
mechanical engineering professor Renwei Mei. energy but has other problems, including mineral
build-up clogging the filters. That is the main
LESS COMMON IN U.S. technical issue plaguing the largest desalination
plant in the US, Tampa Bay Water‟s $108 million
More than 7,500 desalination plants plant in Apollo Beach. Although it was supposed
operate worldwide, with two-thirds of them in the to produce 25 million gallons of freshwater each
Middle East, where there often is no other day, the plant, beset by technical and financial
alternative for fresh water, Klausner said. With problems since opening in 1999, currently is shut
plants located mostly in Florida and the down.
Caribbean producing only about 12 percent of
the world‟s total volume of desalinated water, the Klausner‟s technology relies on a
technology is less common in North America, he physical process known as mass diffusion, rather
said. US residents get less than 1 percent of their than heat, to evaporate salt water, employing a
water from desalination plants, he said. major modification to distillation.
However, as the population increases In a nutshell, pumps move salt water

and residents consume more fresh water, the through a heater and spray it into the top of a
need for desalination is likely to grow. In Florida, diffusion tower – a column packed with a
for example, desalination has been touted as one polyethylene matrix that creates a large surface
solution for metropolitan areas where freshwater area for the water to flow across as it falls. Other
resources are becoming ever more scarce. With pumps at the bottom of the tower blow warm dry
more than 97 percent of the earth‟s water supply air up the column in the opposite direction of the
composed of salt water, desalination is even flowing water.
Evaporation occurs as the trickling salt He has successfully tested a small

water meets the warm dry air, evaporation experimental prototype in his lab, producing
occurs. Blowers push the now-saturated air into a about 500 gallons of fresh water daily.
condenser, the first stage in a process that forces
the moisture to condense as fresh water. His calculation show that a larger
version, tapping the waste coolant water from a
KEY FEATURE typically sized 100 megawatt power plant, has
the potential to produce 1.5 million gallons daily.
Klausner said the key feature of his The cost is projected at $2.50 per thousand
system is that it can tap warmed water plants gallons, compared with $10 per thousand gallons
have used to cool their machines to heat the salt for conventional distillation and $3 per thousand
water intended for desalination, turning a waste gallons for reverse osmosis.
product into a useful one.
14
HEAT EXTRACTION expensive in coastal areas where power plants

are located, Klausner said. Presumably a utility
Because the equipment would have to would sell the fresh water it produces, recouping
extract as much heat as possible from the and then profiting from its investment, he said.
coolant water, it would need to be installed when
a plant is built, he said. Klausner, said a miniature version of the
full-scale system could be run using solar or
Another potential caveat is that a full- other forms of heat, which might be useful for
scale version of the mechanism would require a small towns or villages. UF has applied for a
football field-sized plot of land, likely to be patent on the technology.

****
PRIME DISCOVERY
Martin Nowak, a German eye specialist studied them 350 years back. So far only 42 have
has discovered the world‟s largest prime number, been found.
breaking the previous record for a prime number
The eye surgeon is one of thousands of
by half a million digits.
volunteers using software provided by the Great
Prime numbers are divisible only be Internet Mersenne Prime Search (Gimps), a
themselves and 1. While the first prime numbers project to discover the holy grail of prime number
2, 3, 5, and 7, are easy to identify. Dr.Nowak‟s research – a million-digit prime number. His new
monster primes number is more than 7.8 million prime number was indeed bigger than the
digits long and is written as 2 to the 25,964,951st previous biggest prime, discovered by an
power minus 1. American.
The number belongs to a special class of Nowak‟s number has 7,816,230 digits. It
rare prime numbers known as Mersenne primes, can be written out, just in tiny print on a very
names after a 17th century French monk who large wall poster.
Source: THE HINDU, Mar 03, 2005, Page.22.

SUDUKO
Suduko – the Japanese number game. It started as a „magic squares‟ in the 18th century by Leonhard Euler,
a mathematician from Basel, Switzerland. It traveled to Japan only in the 80s with a Japanese publisher, who picked
up a book on it in New York. In Tokyo, he „Japanised‟ it to become Sudoko.
A retired judge from New Zealand, Wayne Gould, had picked up that version from a Tokyo bookstore in
1997. If you think he did it to keep himself occupied in the autumn of his life, you are wrong. Because Gould first
knocked at the door of The Times office with it and is now raking in the moolah through his website sudoku.com.
And if this rage continues in the West, it might soon be difficult to find a man there unaware of it. But for the time
being in India, there are still many so. But sudoku needs no classes. It is for the masses.
Courtesy: The Hindu
Source: MATHEMATICS TODAY, Jul, 2005, Page.70.
DAY OF LOVE
February 14 – Valentine‟s Day – all in the name of St. Valentine.
There are many legends attached to this saint of love. One legend has it that Valentine was a priest who
served during the third Century in Rome. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers. So he
outlawed marriage for young men, who were potential soldiers. Valentine felt this was an unfair decree and
performed marriages for young lovers in secret. His defiance was discovered and Claudius ordered that he be put to
death.
Another legend has it that while Valentine was in prison he sent the first greeting himself. It is believed that
he fell in love with a young girl (may be the jailor‟s daughter) who used to visit him regularly. He is supposed to have
sent the letter before his death and it was signed “From Your Valentine”!
Despite its hazy beginnings, Valentine‟s Day has become popular. It is a day to remember your loved ones
and tell them you love them.
Source: THE HINDU, Feb 11, 2005, Young World - Page.1.

15
BRAHMOS
BrahMos, the anti-ship supersonic cruise submarines, silos on land, vehicles on land and
missile jointly developed by India and Russia. aircraft. Although it is an anti-ship missile, it can
take out targets on the land too.
NPO Mashinostroyenia Aerospace
Company, the Russian partner in the BrahMos The BrahMos is a portmanteau word
joint venture. The Indian partner is the Defence that stands for the rivers Brahmaputra and
Research and Development Organization Moscow, packing in itself the fury and the
(DRDO). destructive power of the Brahmaputra and the
gentleness and grace of the Moscow.
India and Russia are the only countries
in the world to possess a supersonic cruise Its first ground launch was on June 12,
missile. Even the US has only a sub-sonic cruise 2001. The 8th launch, from a Naval ship on
missile called Tomahawk. Russia has another November 3, 2004. It accurately hit the target,
supersonic cruise missile called Moskit but it is which was a decommissioned ship of the Navy,
bulky, has a short range and work on solid which was moving in the waters.
propulsion. The missile has advanced fire-control
systems. Whatever be the movement of the
In comparison, the BrahMos is sleek and target in the sea, the missile will zero it in on it
deadly in its velocity and kill-power. It has 9 and take it out.
times the kill-power of the Tomahawk. The
BrahMos cruises in the atmosphere at 2.8 to 3 The missile is under production in
times the speed of sound (Mach 2.8 to 3). It is Hyderabad. The components and subsystem are
thus 3 times faster than Tomahawk. mostly manufactured in India.
The 8 metres long BrahMos has a range With 8 consecutive successful flights of
of 290 km and weighs 3 tonnes. Two stage BrahMos from the Integrated Test-Range at
vehicle, carrying a conventional warhead of 200 Chandipur-on-sea, Orissa, the production of the
kg. It cannot carry nuclear warheads. It is a missile is fully under way at the massive BrahMos
versatile, universal anti-ship missile that can be Integration Complex, Hyderabad.
launched from a variety of platforms, ships,

****
HOW THE EXPLOSIVES CAN BE USED
HMX: High Melting Explosives and C-4, puttylike military substances that easily
As they are scientifically known, are can be shaped. Libyan terrorists used just 0.45
among the most powerful in use by the world‟s kg of Semtex in 1988 to down Pan Am Flight 103
militaries today. HMX, also known as octogen, is over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 persons.
made from hexamine, ammonium nitrate, nitric
C-4 or its main ingredients were used in
acid and acetic acid. Because it explodes violently
the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in
at high temperatures, it is used in various kinds
Yemen, killing 17 US sailors. Traces of RDX were
of explosives and rocket fuels.
found in an investigation of explosions that
RDX: crippled two heavily fortified Israeli tanks,
Also referred to as cyclonite or hexogen, indicating Palestinian militants have obtained at
RDX is a white crystalline solid usually used in least small quantities of the extremely potent
mixtures with other explosives, oils, or waxes. material. Just 2.25 kg of either plastic explosive
Rarely used alone, it has a high degree of would be enough to blow up a dozen jetliners,
stability in storage and is considered the most experts say.
powerful of the high explosives used by
NUCLEAR USE:
militaries.
Experts say HMX can be used to create
PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES: a highly powerful explosion with enough intensity
Experts say both HMX and RDX are key to ignite the fissile material in an atomic bomb
ingredients in plastic explosives such as Semtex and set off a nuclear chain reaction.

16
MORE IS NOT MERRIER
Nearly 14 years ago on March 1, 1991, nations. Norway‟s per capita gross domestic
India‟s population crossed the billion mark. It was product is nearly 14 times that of an average
officially placed at 1,027,015,247. India has 16.7 Indian who earns $2,670 (this number says
percent of the world‟s population, but only 2.45 nothing about the skewed distribution of income
percent of world‟s resources and 4 percent of the that results in nearly 80 per cent of Indians
world‟s freshwater resources. earning less than an equivalent of $2 a day or
less than $730 a year). But Norway‟s population
An Indian is born every two seconds of 4.5 millions is 0.4 percent that of India‟s. It
and by the end of a day approximately 42,434 has more than seven times the number of
Indians are added to the burgeoning figure. medical doctors for every lakh for population
compared with India and about 20 percent of its
According to official data, global population is less than 15 years of age compared
population has increased threefold during the last with India‟s 33 percent in that category.
century from 2 billion to 6 billion, but India‟s has
increased five times, from 238 million to more Despite being located closer to the
than one billion. Around 3.6 million births a year Arctic Circle (the freezing zone), all Norwagians
are unplanned ones. have access to clean water, whereas 16 percent
in India do not have it. India‟s position may be
Consider the Human Development better than that of the people‟s Democratic
Report 2004 (HDR 2004), Norway leads the pack Republic of Laos or Papua New Guinea, but the
of 177 nations with the highest human fact remains that nearly 50 times the population
development index whereas India ranks 127 in of Norway do not have access to clean water in
the “medium human development” group of India, according to HDR 2004.
SCIENTISTS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
Johann Gutenberg invented the movable in the local Archbishop‟s mint. It was probably
type, which led to a knowledge explosion in the there that Johann learned the art of precision
world. He printed the Bible, which reached all metal work of casting coins.
sections of people since its price was cheap.
Printing was probably the most important His method of preparing types and
development in the history of western civilization. metal combination remained in use for over five
hundred years and this is why Gutenberg is
The Chinese invented paper in the first acclaimed as the inventor of movable type.
century A.D. and printing by ninth century. They
carved complete pages of text on wooden blocks Johann Gutenberg invented printing
and took copies from them on paper. Chinese before the middle of fifteenth century.
paper had spread to Europe by the eleventh Typography is the more correct term for what he
century. The first paper was made in Germany did was to construct the apparatus for making
around 1390 A.D. movable metal letters or type and for using these
to produce many copies, all alike, of a book.
During the early 1450 A.D. with Fust‟s
money and his own hard work, Gutenberg Gutenberg was first credited as “the
perfected his method of casting type and of inventor if printing” in a book published in
casting enough to set about printing his chosen Cologne in 1499. It was his system and his
work, the Bible. equipment that led to the development of
printing in Europe. He was given a pension as a
Gutenberg was born, probably in Mainz distinguished citizen of Mainz in 1465. He died on
in Germany, around 1398 A.D. His father worked February 3, 1468 A.D.

****
Lake dolphins are extremely rare since there are only two places in the world where dolphins live in
a lake. Songkhla Lake in Thailand is the lake where these rare mammals are found and another one is
Chilka Lake in Orissa. These dolphins (Chilka Lake) are called Irrawady Dolphins.

17
HARVESTING PIG HEART VALVES
The Chennai based International Centre for Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Diseases and the Meat
Products of India (MPI) have entered into a partnership to harvest pig heart valves and ureters, which can
be processed and transplanted in place of synthetic valves and blood vessels in human beings.
Pig heart valves were an ideal biological substitute in human beings (because of the artificial heart
valves were more compatible than synthetic ones) because the scaffold of the pig‟s heart valve and the
human valve “are the same”. Also, there was a shortage of donor valves for replacing diseased heart valves
in patients with rheumatic heart diseases or for replacing blood vessels in those with diabetic foot.
In pig hearts, the valves are „de-cellularised‟ so that there are no more pig cells in them and hence
no chances of rejection also.
The pig‟s ureter or the tube connecting the kidneys to the bladder could be processed and used to
replace damaged blood vessels, especially in diabetic patients with foot gangrene.

****
CVR – COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER: BLACK BOX
The “black box” – the Cockpit Voice and a slur on their professionalism. But a study
Recorder (CVR), coloured, in fact, bright orange, of crash CVR tapes by Robert Rudich and the
like all such devices, it was easily spotted in the then director of the US government‟s Bureau of
twisted mass of metal. Every large modern Aviation Safety, Chuck Miller, showed that for
civilian airliner must have two black boxes. The every pilot whose actions were impugned, two
CVR records the last 30 minutes of conversation were absolved of responsibility.
and other sounds in the cockpit. The Flight Data
Recorder (FDR) stores information on the By law, the latest versions of “black
controls, speed, altitude and other data. FDRs boxes” (as the public, but never the
record between five and several thousand professionals, call them) must withstand an
parameters, always retaining the last 25 hours. impact of 3400 times the force of gravity, resist a
fire of 1100 degrees C for 30 minutes and survive
Black boxes are not the be-all and end- immersion to a depth of 6000 metres. To help
all of air accident investigation. Investigators are find them in the sea, they are equipped with
able to deduce a surprising amount of critical “pingers”, smallsonar beacons activated by
information from wreckage, but the black box contact with water, which operate for 30 days.
gives the air crash detective the benefit of a real-
time recording of the event under scrutiny. The With digital technology, the role of the
black box can also contain the most poignant black box is changing fast. On the most modern
secrets. jets, a vast amount of information is held in the
plane‟s own computer and flashed to it by the
The idea of having flight data available airline, air traffic control, navigation satellites or
has been around since the beginning of powered other aircraft. But investigators still need to know
flight. The Wright brothers did it on the first more about what is going on, so international
aeroplane to fly in 1903. Mounted on a strut organizations are looking at installing video
were a clock, a vane measuring air speed, and a recorders in the cockpit as well.
device recording engine revolution. Charles
Lindbergh had a primitive means of recording Aslo produced are easily accessible
data on the first solo transatlantic flight in 1927. black boxes called QARs (for Quick Access
Recorders), which can give the airline vital
As the use of CVRs became widespread, information on how the aircraft is handling. Says
there was a dramatic increase in the number of Paul Hart, business development manager of
occasions for which the sequence of events prior Penny & Giles, a company that makes black
to an accident could be recreated. Still, many boxes: “The FDR says what went wrong. The
pilots saw black boxes as a threat to their privacy QAR says what is going wrong”.
Source: READER‟S DIGEST, Sep, 1998, Pp.56-62.

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18
UNDERSTANDING MUTUAL FUNDS
The key considerations while investing

in a mutual fund are safety, liquidity and return. Mutual funds invest in multiple asset
Safety is assured when investors are able to get classes, enable continuous evaluation and
back their money. Liquidity enables investors exit provide higher flexibility in investment plans.
the fund any time. There are no assured returns After all, diversification is the key to achieving
from mutual funds and they vary with the growth with lower risk.
schemes under each fund. The schemes are
structured to suit the risk bearing capacity of unit Investors in mutual funds have a wide
holders and the nature of deployment of funds by choice from an assorted variety of funds and
the various schemes. schemes with several products on offer.
Competition in the industry has led to innovative
The structure of mutual funds is changes in standard products by fund houses.
governed by the Securities and Exchange Board The product choice enables investors choose
of India under the SEBI (Mutual Fund) options that suit their return requirements and
Regulations 1996. These regulations make it risk appetite. They can combine the options to
mandatory for mutual funds to have a three tier arrive at their own mutual fund portfolios that
structure – a sponsor, a trustee and an asset will fit their financial planning objectives. The
management company (AMC). funds are invested in a portfolio of marketable
securities, reflecting the investment objective.
The sponsor is the promoter of the The value of the portfolio and investor‟s holdings
mutual fund and appoints the trustees. The alter with changes in the market value of
trustees are responsible to the investors in the investments.
mutual fund and appoint the AMC for managing
the investment portfolio. Mutual funds predominantly invest in
The AMC is the business face of the equity shares and debt instruments. Under equity
mutual fund, as it manages all the affairs of the funds, one can invest in diversified equity
mutual fund. The mutual fund and the AMC have schemes, primary market schemes, index-based
to be registered with the SEBI. funds and sectoral funds.
SEBI regulations also provide for who Debt funds invest predominantly in debt
can be a sponsor, trustee and AMC and specify markets. Diversified debt funds, income funds,
the format of agreements between these entities. gilt funds, liquid and money market funds, fixed
These agreements provide for the rights, duties term plans and floating rate funds are among the
and obligations of these three entities. categories of debt funds. While equity funds suit
growth objectives, debt funds fit income
Mutual funds are the preferred route for objectives.
investors, particularly small and retail investors,
who do not have the knowledge or time to Mutual fund houses also offer balanced
directly trade in the equity and debt markets. The funds and money market funds. Balanced funds
funds are managed by qualified investment invest in equity and debt in specified proportions
professionals and other service providers who are while money market funds are preferred by
paid for their services. Portfolio diversification, institutional investors which churn their
professional management and reduced risk are investments depending on the need and view.
among the myriad advantages of mutual funds.

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UNESCO HEADQUARTERS IN PARIS
The French Government and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
signed an agreement in Paris on July 2, 2004 on a 6 mn dollar permanent UNESCO headquarters to be
built in Paris. The new headquarters will be built on a site rented from the French Government for a nominal
sum of 1,000 francs a year. It will have extra territorial rights and its high officials will enjoy diplomatic
immunity. The headquarters will be financed by an interest-free thirty-year loan of 7 mn dollars from the
French Government – 6 mn dollars for equipment.
****
19
MORE ABOUT UNESCO

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee meets in June-July every year to include certain areas to
the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural or natural heritage of such sites. Sometimes, a combination
of the two aspects is also taken into account.
So far, 788 places in the world have been declared heritage sites, of which 611 are of
cultural importance, 154 natural and 23 a mixture of both. Altogether, 26 sites in India have
now made it to the World Heritage List.

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„BIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF TAMIRABARANI WATER WORSENING‟
The presence of coliform in the Tamirabarani is on the rise in the last four years.
The quality of the Tamirabarani water has worsened due to the presence of colifrom bacteriae,
which trigger the outbreak of cholera, gastroenteritis and typhoid.
The Bureau of Indian Standards stipulates that 95 percent of water in the distribution system
should not contain any coliform organism in 100 ml and no organism should be detectable in 100 ml of any
two consecutive water samples. The World Health Organisation norms too demand that no colifrom should
be present in the water for distribution system. But the quality of Tamirabarani water is steadily worsening.
The variation of coliform density in Tamirabarani ranged from a minimum of 32 MPN (Most
Probable Number)/100 ml to a maximum of 171 MPN/100 ml in 2001. The variation of faecal coliform found
in the samples in 2001 raned from 4.87 MPN/100 ml to 15.65 MPN/100 ml.
However, the total coliform count is now ranging from a minimum of 7 MPN/100 ml to a maximum
of 900/100 ml and the count is higher where open defecation is high.
As the river flows towards the sea, the coliform density increases significantly. The river having a
coliform count ranging between 2 and 500 MPN/100 ml at Kokkirakulam, has a count of 7 and 1600
MPN/100 ml at Srivaikundam, the last dam before the estuary at Punnaikaayal.
The presence of faecal coliform clearly indicates that the alarming level of bacterial contamination,
chiefly due to the mixing up of human excreta, may cause the outbreak of water-borne diseases at anytime.

****
PRISTINE PEAK
MEENA MENON
When Kangchenjunga was first climbed on May 25, 1955, its icy peak was left untouched. The
government of Sikkim had objected to any attempt to climb the mountain, whose eastern side is in that
state. Charles Evans, who led the successful British expedition, specially went to Ganktok, the capital of
Sikkim, to meet the ruler, Sir Tashi Namgyal, to promise him that the team would leave the top and its
immediate neighbourhood untouched. And so, George Band and Joe Brown, both British climbers, stopped
short of the summit on that historic day.
Kangchenjunga was believed to the highest mountain in the world till 1852. Now the world‟s third
highest mountain, after Everest and K2, it is located on the Sikkim-Nepal border and have five peaks, of
which the highest is 28,169 feet or 8586 metres. The name Kangchenjunga means “The Five Treasures of
the Great Snow”. The people of Sikkim regard it as a God and a protector.
In 1899, an Italian, Vittorio Sella, and an Englishman, Douglas Freshfield, explored the beautiful
mountain, which is technically demanding to climb.
Kangchenjunga does not have an “easy” route, as the threat of avalanche is high. Since it is in the
eastern Himalayas it receives the brunt of the monsoon moisture.
The Kangenchenjunga Conservation Area hopes to preserve the remarkable bio diverse eco-
system. It covers an area of 2035 sq.km, and includes river valleys of dense sub-tropical and temperate
forests up to alpine tundra, and the crowining heights of the Himalayan ice peaks.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature has identified the Eastern Himalya as one of the “Global 200”
most important eco-systems on earth.
Source: THE HINDU, Young World Feb 18, 2005, Page.1.

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20
NETAJI‟S FAMILY SURPRISED BY TAIWAN‟S DENIAL OF AIR CRASH
A niece (by marriage) of Netaji Subhash gone into sanyas… But at least seven survivors of
Chandra Bose and chairperson of the Netaji the crash have deposed to two previous
Research Bureau, Krishna Bose, is both “intrigued Commissions inquiring into Netaji‟s death stating
and surprised” at the Taiwanese authorities‟ that he was killed in the crash at Taihoku”, Mrs.
ruling out any air crash at Taihoku on August 18, Bose said.
1945, in which Netaji is widely believed to have
PTI reports:
died.
The Taiwan Government has informed
The authorities have reportedly assured
the Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry that
the one-man Netaji commission of Inquiry of
the air crash had never taken place on August
Justice M.K. Mukherjee that proof substantiating
18, 1945.
the claim will be provided. The disclosure is
expected to raise fresh questions about Netaji‟s Mr. Justice Mukherjee told newspersons
death, events leading to which are presently here that the Taiwanese authorities confirmed to
being inquired into by the Commission. him, during his recent visit to that country, that
there was no record of any air crash at Taihoku –
Prof. Rajat Kanta Ray, historian, who
the old name of Taipei – between August 14 and
has studied Netaji‟s life, is skeptical. He said
September 20, 1945.
there was “overwhelming evidence in favour of
Netaji dying in a plane crash in Taihoku. Mr. Justice Mukherjee, who was
speaking to the media after a routine hearing of
Records of the Taiwanese Government
the Commission, said the authorities had
of that period in the Second World War when the
promised to provide documentary proof within 15
Japanese-occupation was collapsing are not
days.
expected to be complete and exhaustive”, he
said. “The easiest way of resolving the matter is They confirmed the genuiness of two e-
to have a DNA test done on his remains” (kept in mails sent by the Taipei Mayor and Minister of
an urn in Renzogi in Tokyo), said Prof. Ray. Transportation and Communication to Anuj Dhar,
a journalist, stating that there was no air crash
Many Stories
during that period. “The Mayor of Taipei and the
“For 60 years and despite some initial External Affairs Ministry of the Taiwan
reluctance on the part of the incredulous we Government confirmed to us the e-mails were
have held on to this theory concerning his genuine”, he said. The message by the Minister
death… 99% sure that the crash had occurred”, of Transportation and Communication, Lin Ling-
said Mrs. Bose. San, stated: “…during the period August 14 to
October 25, 1945, no evidence shows that one
Mrs. Bose, along with her late husband
plane had ever crashed at the old Matsuyama
and nephew of Netaji, Sisir Kumar Bose (driver of
Airport (now Taipei Domestic Airport) carrying
the car in which Netaji escaped from Kolkata and
Mr. Subhash Chandra Bose,”
subsequently the country on January 16 – 17,
1941), has enquired into Netaji,s death over the He said that the Commission would
past few decades. wrap up its findings and finalise its report by May
15, 2005, after cross-examining more witnesses
“Many stories have been floating around
this month.
regarding the death, some saying that he had

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DHANUSKODI
The people of India, particularly those in Tamil Nadu, cannot forget December 23, 1964. It
was on this day, the entire holy town of age old Dhanuskodi was ravaged by the heavy cyclonic storm
with heavy to very heavy rain and tides to a height of a big coconut tree. The entire town and around
16 square km area was eroded by the rough sea.
But, even after the completion of 40 years of the one of the worst cyclones of the South India,
Dhanuskodi, famous pilgrimage centre from the period of Lord Rama, is being sidelined, thanks to
unknown reasons. The remnants of the railway station, temple, church and small settlements are
found as mute witnesses to the devastating cyclone.

****
21
NEED TO ACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Sir David King#
In 2004, scientists published a study in the journal Nature that indicated that many plant and animal
species are unlikely to survive climate change. Their analyses suggest that 15-37 percent of a sample
of 1,103 land plants and animals would eventually become extinct as a result of climate changes
expected by 2050.
And earlier this month (Nov 2004), 300 scientists contributing to the Arctic climate impacts
assessment warned that Arctic temperatures have risen by almost twice the global average over the
past 50 years. This increase looks set to continue, with a further rise of between 4C and 7C possible
by 2100.
The rise in Arctic temperatures is already impacting heavily on people and wildlife. Buildings
from Russia to Canada have collapsed because of subsidence linked to thawing permafrost, and
mammals such as polar bears and seals have been affected.
We know that the global temperature has now risen by between 0.6C and 0.7C over the past
century. Globally, the 1990s were the hottest decade, and 1998 was the hottest year since our
records began in 1861. Moreover the seven hottest years since 1861 all fell in the 1990s.
Around the world, glaciers are thinning and in retreat and sea levels are rising. During the 20 th
century, the sea level rose by 10cm to 20cm, and global snow cover has diminished by 10 percent
since the 1960s.
Carbon dioxide levels are at their highest ever and set to increase. Natural effects alone, such
as El Nino, could not have caused that increase. It is a result of man’s action in burning up reserves of
carbon at a rate that has never been exceeded before. The atmospheric concentration of carbon
dioxide has risen by almost 30 percent since the Industrial Revolution. Both the current concentration
of about 379 parts per million (ppm) – compared with 280 ppm in the pre-industrial era – and the
current rate of increase of approximately 2 ppm annually, are the highest since the last ice age. The
planet has not experienced comparable concentrations for at least 740,000 years – and probably for
many millions of years.
The Greenland ice sheet was retreating at a rate of around one metre a year in 2001,
according to a NASA study. The latest study indicates it is moving back at about 10 metres a year. If
the Greenland ice sheet were to melt, the sea level would rise by between six and seven metres. That
would create a major problem for coastal cities.
More intense rainfall events are expected to be a feature of climate change. In 2002, severe
floods in Europe caused 37 deaths and had an estimated direct cost of $16bn. According to the
Association of British Insurers, 2000 was the wettest UK autumn for almost 300 years, with heavy
rainfall leading to damage to 10,000 properties and nearly £1bn in insurance claims.
During the heat wave of 2003, 14,000 people died in France, while the death toll across
Europe reached 30,000. This was the worst natural disaster in Europe in 50 years. Statistical analyses
show, with 90 percent certainty, that roughly half of the severity of this hot summer can be attributed
to global warming.
(# - Scientific advisor to the U.K. Government)

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
You are what you eat, and that includes your brain. So what is the ultimate mastermind diet? Your brain is
the greediest organ in your body, with some quite specific dietary requirements. So it is hardly surprising that what
you eat can affect now you think. If you believe the dietary supplement industry, you could become the next Einstein
just by popping the right combination of pills. Look closer, however, and it isn‟t that simple. But if it is possible to eat
your way to genius, it must surely be worth a try.
First, go to the top of the class by eating breakfast. The brain is best fuelled by a steady supply of glucose,
and many studies have shown that skipping breakfast reduces people‟s performances at school. But it isn‟t simply a
matter of getting some calories down.
“Junk food is implicated in a slew of serious mental disorders”.
A smart choice for lunch is omelette and salad. Eggs are rich in choline, which your body uses to produce
the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Researchers found that when healthy young adults were given the drug
22
scopolamine, which blocks acetylcholine receptors in the brain, it significantly reduced their ability to remember word
pairs. Low levels of acetylcholine are also associated with Alzheimer‟s disease, and some studies suggest that
boosting dietary intake may slow age-related memory loss.
A salad packed full of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and vitamins C and E, should also help keep an
ageing brain in tiptop condition by helping to mop up damaging free radicals.
Round off lunch with a yogurt dessert, and you should be alert and ready to face the stresses of the
afternoon. That‟s because yogurt contains the amino acid tyrosine, needed for the production of the
neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenalin, among others.
Don‟t forget to snaffle a snack mid-afternoon, to maintain your glucose levels. Just make sure you avoid
junk food, and especially highly processed goodies such as cakes, pastries and biscuits, which contain trans-fatty
acids. Brains are around 60 percent fat, so if trans-fats clog up the system, what should you eat to keep it well oiled?
In other words, your granny was right: fish is the best brain food. Not only will it feed and lubricate a developing
brain, DHA also seems to help stave off dementia.
Finally, you could do worse than finish off your evening meal with strawberries and blueberries. Rats fed on
these fruits have shown improved coordination, concentration and short-term memory. And even if they don‟t work
such wonders in people, they still taste fantastic. So what have you got to lose?
Source: MATHEMATICS TODAY, Jul 2005, Page.6.
STEM CELLS, CLONING, AND ETHICS

By Lewis Wolpert
Stem cells are cells that have the capacity for renewal as well as the capacity to give rise to
specialized cells, such as nerve and muscle and blood cells. We have in our bodies a number of stem cells,
which are present in very small numbers in certain tissues. There are stem cells at the base of our skin
which divide and one of the two daughter cells can differentiate to replace the skin cells that we lose daily,
while the other remains a stem cell. Again, there is a continual loss of cells in our gut, and these are
replaced by dividing stem cells one of whose daughters differentiate into functioning gut cells. In our bone
marrow there are stem cells that give rise to blood cells. These stem cells multiply and replace lost cells
throughout our lives. But in the body their potential to give rise to cells other than those for the renewal of
the local tissue is totally restricted. By contrast, stem cells derived from the early embryo have a much
greater potential.
We all have our origin in the fertilized egg, a single cell. The egg divides to give rise, eventually, to
many billions of cells. At an early stage there are only a few hundred cells. Some of these cells are
pluripotent, which means that they can give rise at later stages to any of the specialized cells of our bodies
such as skin, nerve, blood and muscle cells. It is possible to separate the cells at this stage and place them
in a culture dish where they are very happy, and grow and multiply. Under certain conditions these cells can
be made to differentiate, that is change, into cells of a variety of different types such as muscle, nerve and
skin. Since they can both multiply and give rise to different kinds of cells they are referred to as stem cells,
and since they come from the early embryo they are called embryonic stem cells.
The current excitement about embryonic stem cells is their ability to give rise to different cell types
– this might provide a powerful means to repair damage to tissue in the body such as the heart, brain,
spinal cord or pancreas. It should be possible, it is hoped, to so engineer stem cells that they could replace
damaged cells in the pancreas that normally secrete insulin, and whose damage results in diabetes. Again
could stem cells replace damaged cells in the cells replace damaged cells in the spinal cord that have led to
paralysis? Both pancreatic and nerve cells have been made from stem cells in culture, but making them
functional in the right place in the body is a very difficult problem. One of the major problems in using
embryonic stem cells to cure a patient comes from the body mounting an immune response to the foreign
cells – they were taken from someone else‟s embryo – and so rejecting and destroying the implanted cells.
One solution to this problem is to use therapeutic cloning so the DNA in the transplanted cells comes from
the patient.
Cloning hit the headlines with the sheep Dolly being created from an unfertilized egg whose
nucleus was removed and the nucleus of a cell from a mammary gland culture then injected. It is the
nucleus in the cell that contains the DNA and genes that code for the proteins that determine the bahaviour
of cells. In normal development, the sperm brings in the genes from the father to join with those of the
mother, but a nucleus from some adult cells of the patient might support development of the embryo. Then
embryonic stem cells would be taken from that early embryo and used to treat the patient. And since these
cells have the same genes as the patient, there would be no immune rejection. This therapeutic cloning only
lets the early embryo develop, and is never intended to give rise to a person.
23
Another approach is not to use embryonic stem cells, with their immunological problems, but to try
to use adult stem cells, which may have greater potential than previously thought. A much-investigated
stem cell is that found in the bone marrow; it replaces blood cells continuously. These stem cells from mice
can be grown in culture. There have been reports that when injected into adult mice, they could give rise to
several cell types such as muscle and nerve cells. But later reports questioned this and showed that the
stem cells merely fused with normal cells from those tissues, giving the illusion that they had actually given
rise to either muscle or brain cells. Similarly, reports that stem cells from the nervous system could give rise
to blood cells have been questioned.
In spite of the technical difficulties, there is still great hope that the problems can be overcome, as
more is understood about the nature and behaviours of stem cells. One possible danger is that stem cells
not under proper control could give rise to cancer cells, and this has to be studied with great care. But are
there ethical issues?
In the United States, it is forbidden to use Government funds to make human embryonic stem
cells. The reason given for this is that in order to isolate the stem cells from the early human embryo, the
embryo has to be broken up and effectively destroyed. Since it is believed by several religious groups and
the American Government that the fertilized egg is already a human being, this destruction of the early
embryo is effectively killing a person. But what is the justification for believing that the fertilized egg or the
early embryo is already a human being?
This is a religious belief for which there has never been any justification based on biblical or other
religious writings, and which does not have any scientific justification. For example, one does not know if
the early embryo will develop into one or two persons, as twinning is possible at a larger stage.
There is also a fundamental inconsistency in the reasoning of those who would ban stem cells
being made from early embryos while at the same time supporting assisted reproduction by in vitro
fertilization (IVF). IVF, which is widely used in the U.S., involves the destruction of many early embryos.
There is no moral justification for banning stem cells. On the contrary, it offers great hope to all those
suffering from a wide variety of illnesses. It is necessary to understand stem cells better-the difficulty is that
they are both very complicated and very clever. We must be patient.
But there is another ethical issue related to these new techniques for altering the behaviour of cells
and embryos. Does reproductive cloning really open up slippery slope that could lead us to real dangers?
With reproductive cloning a woman would donate her egg to the person who would want to be cloned,
either a man or a woman. Cells would be taken from one of them put into the egg, which would then have
to be put back into some woman so that it could develop in her womb. If the child developed normally – it
is a very big if – it would effectively be an identical twin of the donor of the nucleus, but clearly many years
younger.
I fail to see what possible ethical issues this raises, as the child will be exposed to a quite different
environment as it grows up compared to its older twin. That the child would grow up to have the identical
personality to the older twin is just nonsense. Claims that there would be excessive pressure on the child to
be like the twin raises no new issue, as there are many different pressures on children. Much more serious
is that all the evidence shows that if the cloned embryo did give rise to a baby, the child would almost
certainly suffer from severe and disabling abnormalities. There is not a single reliable report of any animal
close to humans, like apes, having been cloned. It just does not work, and the embryos fail to develop.
Claims from certain groups that they have actually cloned a human should be dismissed out of hand.
Why the possibility of human reproductive cloning should have raised so much discussion is really
puzzling. Perhaps it is the fear of interfering too much with natural birth. Perhaps, too, it is linked to the
image of Mary Shelley‟s Frankenstein, of creating a monster. But there are humans whose behaviour is
monstrous and has nothing to do with cloning. If cloning could be demonstrated to be safe, in that the child
would be normal, then there are no new ethical issues I can identify.
(The writer is Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Developmental
Biology, University College, London.)

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24
INDIA RANKS 101 ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

India is ranked a disappointing 101st out of 146 countries analysed in the recently released
Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI). Produced by a team of environmental experts from Yale and
Columbia Universities, the 2005 report is the most comprehensive, country-by-country environmental
ranking system to date.
Using 21 indicators and 76 measurements, including natural resource endowments, past and
present pollution levels, and policy efforts, the report creates a „sustainability score‟ for each country, with
higher scores indicating better environmental sustainability.
The 10 most sustainable countries, as ranked by ESI, are dominated by wealthy, sparsely-
populated nations with an abundance of natural resources. Finland has been ranked 1st, with Norway,
Sweden and Iceland all figuring in the top five. 10 are Uruguay and Guyana, both of which have relatively
low population densities and an abundance of natural resources. Conversely, the only densely-populated
countries that have received even above average rankings are Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy,
some of the richest countries on the list.
Environmental Sustainability Index of High Population Density Countries
ESI Rank Country ESI Score
30 Japan 57.3
31 Germany 56.9
41 Netherlands 53.7
69 Italy 50.1
79 Sri Lanka 48.5
85 Nepal 47.7
101 India 45.2
102 Poland 45.0
106 Rwanda 44.8
109 Jamaica 44.7
112 Belgium 44.4
114 Bangladesh 44.1
118 El Salvador 43.8
122 South Korea 43.0
126 Philippines 42.3
129 Lebanon 40.5
130 Burundi 40.0
139 Trinidad & Tobago 36.3
141 Haiti 34.8
145 Taiwan 32.7
146 North Korea 29.2
Source: 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index Report, Yale & Columbia University.
#
This table shows the overall ESI ranks only of countries and territories in which more
than half the land area has a population density above 100 persons/kmsq.

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VALCONIC FURY
Sunday Morning, May 18, 1980, Time: 8.32 a.m.: Mt. St. Helens erupts; Ash and pumice are hurled
out of the volcano. Huge chunks of volcano debris called hummocks fall into the valley below. Clouds of ash
and dust rise 20 miles upwards, darkening the sky and spreading downwind towards Eastern Washington
State, enveloping the entire area in dust. The entire northern flank of the mountain collapses and falls as an
avalanche lowering the height of the mountain by 1,500 feet. This forms the largest landslide in recorded
history. Gas rich magma and heated groundwater from inside the volcano are suddenly released in a
powerful lateral blast. The enormous amount of debris buries the surrounding forests. An area of 230
square miles was flattened in less than three minutes. Fifty-seven people lost their lives. Countless species
of wildlife were scalded to death. The eruption lasted nine hours. At the end of it, the landscape had
changed from lush green forest to an ashen grey wasteland.
Mt. St. Helens situated at a height of 8,364 ft in the state of Washington, US about three hours
and 100 miles south of Seattle.
Source: THE HINDU, Jan 09, 2005, Magazine Page.7.

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25
1. Adis Ababa – is the capital city of Ethiopia

2. Geneva – a cultural and financial centre of Switzerland
3. During th Indus valley civilization period of the dominant number used for weights and measures was 16
4. Which Greek ruler was defeated by Chnadraguptha Maurya – Selecus
5. The capital of Harshavardana‟s kingdom was Kanawj
6. Which Muslim rulers remained in the captivity of his son? – Shah Jahan
7. Who introduced the “Subsidiary Alliance” system? – Wellellesly
8. On which of the following rivers has Hirakud dam been constructed? – Mahanadi
9. Extremist party with in the congress was pioneered by Bal Gangadhar Tilak - Time if Freedom (1915 – 1940)
10. What instrument is used to measure an electric current? – Ammeter
11. Which Italian scientist invented an electric battery in which there are copper and zinc plates? – Volta
12. What instrument is used for measuring air pressure? – Barometer
13. Scientific name of coconut palm is cocos nucifera
14. Which tree is the official of Canada? – Maple Tree
15. Who was the Romanian born gymnast got 10/10 in Olympics? – Nadia Comaneci (1976)
16. Who was the author of Sherlock Holmes? – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
17. Who is a Cowboy? – Horseman skilled at handling cattle in the US west from 1820 Cowboys were
employed in small numbers on Texas
18. Which British Governor General started the modern telecommunication? - Dallhousie
19. Darwin got many clues regarding his theory of revaluation from which island? – Galapagos island
20. Demography – statistical study method of human population
26
BATTLE OF THE BLUE LASERS
Remember the early 1980s – and the battle between the two video recording formats, VHS and
Betamax? For something like four years, both formats slugged it out in the market place. Customers who
bought one type of player, discovered they couldn‟t play the other.
Sixteen years later
The wise ones waited – till 1988 – when VHS won out on sheer numbers, and Sony conceded that
its Betamax format was a flop. But before that slug fest ended, millions of consumers had wasted their
money backing the wrong horse.
Sixteen years later, it is sadly a replay of that sorry episode. The battle lines were drawn last week
in what could well be a new edition of the „DVD Wars‟, as the optical recording industry seems poised to
launch into another needless „winner takes all‟ contest between two different standards for the next
generation of high density-high resolution DVDs.
Currently available recordable and rewritable (that means multiple write/erase operations) Digital
Video (or Versatile) Disks have already witnessed a small conflict that has ended in uneasy stalemate.
This has seen the presence in the market, of two types of read-write DVDs, which come from the
„plus‟ camp and the „dash‟ camp. The plus camp makes recordable DVDs which are called „DVD+R‟ and re-
recordable disks called „DVD+RW‟… The „dash‟ camp calls its offerings DVD-R and DVD-RW.
Incompatibility
„Plus‟ recorders will not work with „dash‟ media and vice versa. Fortunately the customer was not
overly hassled by this lack of standardization because makers of player and recorders quickly adjusted their
technology to accept both types of recording and playing media. Last week LG advertised its „super multi
DVD Re-writer‟ in India, claiming that it was the „world‟s only all-format DVD re-writer‟, which can read and
write all six prevalent formats.
When it comes to tomorrow‟s DVDs the conflict has become sharper. While all current optical disk
technologies (CDs as well as DVDs) use a red laser (of wavelength, 650 nanometres) to read and write
data, the new format uses a blue laser (with a shorter wavelength: 405 nm).
The shorter wavelength makes it possible to focus the laser on a smaller spot, and hence pack in
the data much tighter.
While today‟s DVDs can hold about 4.7 gigabytes of data, the next generation of DVDs based on
the blue laser can be expected to hold at least five times as much: 20 GB – 25 GB.
One group of manufacturers, already gearing to offer these higher density DVDs starting in 2005,
has jointly evolved a joint standard for what will be known as the Blu-Ray dist and has formed the Blu-Ray
Disk Association. Even while using an identical Blue laser at 405 nm, to achieve its higher densities, and the
same size of disk, 120 mm – as the current CDs and DVDs as well as the Blu-Ray DVD – another group of
companies is offering a rival standard called HD-DVD.
The main promoters of this specification are all Japanese companies. The body supporting the HD-
DVD format is known as the DVD Forum. The single layer HD-DVD can hold 15 GB of data, while the single
layer Blu-Ray DVD is promised with 27 GB.
Coating Thickness
Thus they are just as thick as today‟s 4.7 GB DVDs where a 0.6 mm data layer has another 0.6 mm
thick coating on top of it.
The HD-DVD has used the same data and coating thickness as the present generation DVD – that
means 0.6 mm plus 0.6 mm. The Blu-Ray disk‟s data layers are closer to the surface because of the thin
coating; so the laser can read smaller etchings enabling it to accommodate slightly more data.
27
However the point the HD-DVD camp is touting, is the precisely because their product is identical
in thickness of data layer and coating, to today‟s DVDs, it will be cheaper to manufacture: Existing plants
will not need much re-tooling. The message to consumers was clear; “We‟re ready with a drive that will
work with the high density DVDs that you‟ll be using tomorrow to store and view all your movies – but it can
still work with your old CDs and DVDs”.
The unsaid logic
Indeed, the unsaid logic behind going for high density DVDs is the expected boom in film-based
mass consumer application.
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD disks will in all probability, require different types of players and
recorders – at least to start with. Optical media manufacturers are hedging their bets and gearing to deliver
either or both of these next-gen DVDs. I asked Ratul Puri, the Executive Director of Moser Baer India Ltd,
India‟s only optical media maker for his take on the current standards „war‟ and this is his reaction: “As the
third-largest manufacturer of optical storage media in the world, we are actively involved in R&D work on
both formats and standards and are coordinating with most of the leading companies and associations in
the world on the same.
“Unfortunately, from the consumers‟ perspective, there is going to be a bit of confusion over the
two formats and the lack of clarity on any one.
“That‟s because larger companies and production houses are divided in their backing for any one
standard. Also, unlike the case of DVD-R and DVD-R, where the same drive can read both formats, it is not
yet clear whether the same drive can read both formats, it is not yet clear whether HD and Blu-Ray will be
able to be read on the same drive. Therefore, it does appear likely that we are headed for another format
war”.

****
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WORD
Language, like sex and food, is an intensely personal thing; since everyone uses it, everyone has
an opinion about it. Therefore, when the Goethe Institute and the German Language Council announced as
international contest to find the most appearing word in the German language, the question that came to
mind was how many would agree with the verdict.
Clichés and stereotypes
There are clichés about languages, and stereotypes about the speakers of those languages. Sexy,
mellifluous French, the language of love; Italian – vowel-rich, liquid, perfect for singing; English – quirky,
wide-ranging, adaptable. Then there are one‟s own, very personal connections with a language. Many
readers would agree that the language of one‟s childhood, the language that one‟s mother spoke, was the
most beautiful.
The German language was handed an unfair fate. Germans were seen as the villains of the two
world wars, and their language has often been used for the purpose of parodying them. But it is also the
language of Goethe and Schiller, and an apt vehicle for articulating scientific and scholarly thought. Charlie
Chaplin had made fun of Adolph Hitler in his movie “The Great Dictator”, by speaking in a peculiar staccato,
faux-Germany style. That harsh manner of speaking German became a favourite of comedians. Movies
about World War II that Holywood made in the past 60 years not only popularized the caricature all over
the world, but – unjustly – gave non-German speakers the idea that the language could be spoken only that
way. It is plausible to imagine that the contest was also an effort to improve the image of the German
language.
“Habseligkeiten” was selected as the most appealing word in the end, based on the argument:
“The word „Habseligkeiten‟ suggests, not a person‟s property or financial assets, but his or her personal
belongings, and it has a friendly, sympathetic undertone that makes the proprietor of those things seem
rather likeable. A typical owner of „Habseligkeiten‟ is the six year old child who spreads out the contents of
his trouser pockets for the sheer pleasure of basking in the wealth and variety of his collection”.
28
“Geborgenheit” that won the second place was submitted by a contestant from Slovakia with this
explanation: “I love this word. I can think of no other word that expresses so well the sense of being
sheltered, safe and comfortable in a place. In my own country there are simply no words to express those
feelings. That‟s why it is my favourite German word”.
The undisputed favourite among the submissions received from all over the world, the Council‟s
report said, was the word “lieben”, which the jury (comprised of artists, journalists and academics) put in
third place: “The German word for love is the best, because it differes from the word for life – „Lebeb‟ – by
only the one letter “i”. “Aungenblick” came fourth because: “In a subversive way, it is a shade too long ofr
what it actually is. It‟s also so much more sensual than the ordinary word „moment‟”.
Every German-speaker I spoke with about the most beautiful word begged to disagree. Some did
not like the idea that the jury considered the feelings expressed or associated with the terms quoted, rather
that the form of the words themselves. The argument for “lieben” and “Leben”, it was pointed out, could
easily be applied to “love” and “live” in English. Others thought that the jury should have taken into account
the sound of the word and may be even its spelling. The problem, of course, is that the structure and
phonetic practice of German is hostile to the sonority of its abstract expressions, with endings in -keit and –
schaft to be added syncretically and cumulatively to simple basic ideas, so that the reader can find himself
or herself faced with jawbreakers like “windschutzcheibewaschanlage”.
A personal thing
How intensely personal a choice can be was made clear in a comment by a Canadian I came across
in the case of the soc-called jaw-breaker: “When I was a teenager, I was having a conversation with my
father in German about automobiles. I stumbled over the word for „windshield wiper‟.
…[My father] continured, suing the word „windschutzcheibewaschanlage‟. It translates as “the

mechanical assembly that washes the slab or pane that shields from the wind”. Now, this is a mouthful for
anyone, and was for some reason always a tongue twister for my mother. It never failed to elicit a smile
and a laugh from her, even up to the days before her untimely death. In fact, it may not even be the proper
German word for the term and by no stretch could it be considered „beautiful‟… but for the memories of my
mother‟s smile and ready laugh, this ridiculous compound noun will forever be the most beautiful German
word I know.”
Source: THE HINDU, Dec 05, 2004, Literature Review, Magazine - Page.6.
****
INTERNATIONAL INTERNET CALLS EVEN CHEAPER
If you have a PC with speakers and a mike, with an Internet connection, you can go to the World
Phone site (www.worldphone.co.in) and download a free „soft‟ dialpad. Entering the pin code and password
available on the prepaid scratch-card allows you to call any telephone number to call any telephone number
worldwide from your PC. The called party does not need to come online through a PC. You can dial a mobile
or a landline number.
Special handset
The other route for those who plan to do this regularly, is to buy a special VOIP hand set, attach it
to your phone jack, reach your internet account and use it like a normal phone after entering the same PIN
code and password.
Such phones are available in India from makers such as Cisco and D-Link; World Phone is also
selling them at subsidized prices below Rs.5,000 to kickstart its serves. And the quality of phone talk? “This
is as good as it gets”, promised World Phone Chairman Aditya Ahluwalia.
The company – the first Indian provider to be licensed for VOIP after the technology was legalized
by the Government in 2002 – has tied up with Go2Call a leading international player to provide the service
in India.
[The customer can buy the World Phone prepaid card in denominations of Rs.100, Rs.250, Rs.500
or Rs.1000 available at many supermarkets and general stores. Alternatively, the cards (except the Rs.100)
29
can be ordered online for free home delivery from the online shop at www.rediff.com searching under
“telephone and accessories”]
Source: THE HINDU, Oct 04, 2004, Page. 13.
****
WANNA BE CHANGE?
If you want to change Kilometre from Mile => just multiple by 5 then divided by 8
If you want to change Mile from Kilometre => just multiple by 8 then divided by 5
If you want to change Litre from Calone => just multiple by 2 then divided by 9
If you want to change Calone from Litre => just multiple by 9 then divided by 2
If you want to change Kilo from Bound => just multiple by 20 then divided by 9
If you want to change Bound from Kilo => just multiple by 9 then divided by 20
1 Feet – > 30.5 cm; 1 kilo -> 2.205 bounds; 1 acre – 4047 sq.m; 1 hectare -> 2.471 acre

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1

WHAT IS HAM RADIO?

What is Ham Radio? It is a popular Hams use call signs to identify

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 28, 2005, Fun Track – Page.4.

Source: THE HINDU, Oct 29, 2004, Page.7.

Source: THE HINDU, Oct 10, 2004, Page.16.

Source: THE HINDU, Oct 31, 2004, Page.1.

Source: THE HINDU, Sep 05, 2004, Magazine – Page.7.

Source: THE HINDU, Jul 11, 2004, Page.1.

Source: THE HINDU, Feb 03, 2005, Page.7.

Source: DAILY THANTHI, Oct 09, 2004, Elainjar Malar - Page.15.

Source: DAILY THANTHI, Oct 09, 2004, Elainjar Malar - Page.15.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 05, 2004, Page.9.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 16, 2005, Page.1.

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 04, 2005, Page.17.

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 03, 2005, Page.5.

Source: THE HINDU, Mar 16, 2005, Page.1.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 27, 2004, Page.1.

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 01, 2005, Page.12.

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 18, 2005, Page.5.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 28, 2004, Page.22.

In 1883, August 27, 36,000 people were

Other Tsunami Hits

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 30, 2004, Page.22.

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 01, 2005, Page.12.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 31, 2004, Page.14.

Source: THE HINDU, Feb 11, 2005, Page.22.

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 25, 2005, Page.12.

TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM

In 1965, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations

Such computation is based on 30 to 50 independent measurements and, as Dr.McCreery points

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 29, 2004, Page.10.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 29, 2004, Page.13.

Source: THE HINDU, Feb 20, 2005, Page.10.

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 12, 2005, Page.20.

Source: THE HINDU, Nov 20, 2004, Young World - Page.2.

Source: THE HINDU, Nov 20, 2004, Young World – Page.2.

ICF – INTEGRAL COACH FACTORY

Source: THE HINDU, Nov 02, 2004, Page.5.

Source: THE HINDU, Nov 29, 2004, Page.15.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 10, 2004, Page.1.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 10, 2004, Page.3.

Source: THE HINDU, Feb 09, 2005, Page.20.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 10, 2004, Page.17.

Source: THE HINDU, Oct 09, 2004, Page.12.

Source: THE HINDU, Sep 25, 2004, Young World - Page.4.

150 YEARS OF THE INDIAN POST OFFICE

Population Area No. of People Service area

Source: THE HINDU, Oct 01, 2004, Page.13.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 11, 2004, Page.14.

Source: THE HINDU, Mar 04, 2005, Young World - Page.1.

ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATION TECHNOLOGY

However, as the population increases In a nutshell, pumps move salt water

Evaporation occurs as the trickling salt He has successfully tested a small

HEAT EXTRACTION expensive in coastal areas where power plants

Source: THE HINDU, Jan 13, 2005, Page.5.

Source: THE HINDU, Mar 03, 2005, Page.22.

Source: THE HINDU, Feb 11, 2005, Young World - Page.1.

Source: THE HINDU, Dec 05, 2004, Page.10.

Source: THE HINDU, Oct 26, 2004, Page.14.

MORE IS NOT MERRIER

Source: THE HINDU, Feb 13, 2005, Page.18.