Eyecatchers-121: "What is happening in Sri Lanka?"

I came across an open letter from Mr.Douglas Devananda, Secretary, People’s Democratic Party of Eelam, in the Tamil daily, ‘Dinamalar’(Madurai, November 16, 2008 – prominently published in the second page). It makes one wonder what is really going on in Sri Lanka. I am furnishing below some excerpts from that open letter.

1. 95% of the Sri Lankan Tamils live in the area under the control of the Sri Lankan government; only 5% of Sri Lankan Tamils are living in the area which is under the control of LTTE. Even most of these people would like to get out of the clutches of LTTE but they are restrained forcibly. The LTTE is using them as a shield to protect itself.

2. It is the habit of LTTE to seek peace when its position is weak to buy time to re-equip itself for war again.

3. Even Hitler, who is considered to be the worst dictator the world has ever seen, did not kill his own people. But LTTE has killed and has been killing its own people.

4. LTTE has no faith in democracy.

5. Gandhiji chose the path of non-violence to fight the British and Subhas Chandra Bose the path of arms. Yet Bose never thought of murdering Gandhiji. LTTE supremo Prabhakaran is not like that. LTTE has systematically eliminated other Tamil leaders who fought for the Tamils either through the democratic path of non-violence or the path of violence like the LTTE. Thus it has killed thousands of elder Tamil statesmen, experienced Tamil politicians and fellow-fighters.

6. Intelligentsia who disagree with LTTE, people who question their path, people refuse to pay the tax imposed by LTTE and persons who refuse to take up arms to fight for them meet with violent end.

7. Even the LTTE cadres who question the measures adopted by LTTE are destroyed.

8. LTTE has forcibly abducted Tamil youth from their homes and trained them to fight the war.

9. Tamils issue and LTTE issue are two different issues.

If the above are true, then the people of Tamil Nadu are being taken for a ride by the Tamil Nadu politicians. Why there is so much hue and cry? Are the Tamil Nadu politicians using the Sri Lankan Tamil issue for their own selfish ends and to divert the attention of people from real burning problems like rampant corruption, spiralling price rise, alarming power cut leading to closure of many factories and rendering thousands of workers jobless, student unrest and caste violence?

Eyecatchers-120: "Mars Lander dies in Arctic Dust Storm"

NASA has lost contact with the Mars Lander, bringing an end to the Phoenix mission five months after the spacecraft became the first to land in Mars’ arctic plains and sample water on another planet.

A raging dust storm has blocked sunlight from reaching its solar panels. The craft’s demise was not unexpected. With sunlight waning and winter encroaching the arctic plains, scientists had said that it was a matter of time before Phoenix would freeze to death.

Since its landing in May, Phoenix has sent back a bonanza of scientific discoveries, such as the confirmation of ice on Mars. -

Excerpt from the article, “Mars Lander ‘dies’ in Arctic Storm” – The Daily Telegraph” from The New Indian Express, Tiruchy, November 12, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on “Phoenix” with color photos:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(spacecraft)

Grateful thanks to The Daily Telegraph, The New Indian Express and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-119: "Wedding in the Sky!"

‘Jumping’ into Marriage
Couple wed in first ‘Bungee Ceremony’ in the World!

A couple married 150 feet in the air before celebrating with a kiss at the end of a bungee jump. Sandra Eens and Jeroen Kippers, both 25, became the first people in the world to marry suspended high above the ground in a specially converted cradle. They were watched by 10 close friends and relatives as they took their vows in front of a minister before going over the side and locking lips upside down. Directly below them was the marquee where the party then enjoyed a wedding reception. The pair paid over ₤7,000 for the privilege of being the first customers of new company, Weddings in the Sky.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Tiruchy, November 12, 2008 (“Vignettes”)

Detailed Wikipedia article on “BUNGEE JUMPING”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungee_jump

Grateful thanks to The New Indian Express and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-118: "Section 304-A, IPC"

During my last visit, I was travelling in a car on the GST Road. My daughter pointed out to me white circles with 304-A on the road. She explained that it means there was a fatal accident. During our half-an-hour, I could see a lot of white circles with 304-A inside. It was very painful.

Then I looked up with the help of Google to know what exactly 304-A means. At Vakil No.1.com I found the rule. Section 304-A, Indian Penal Code – Causing death by negligence, reads: “Whoever causes the death of any person by any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both”.

I do not know how to drive gear vehicles. I have only an without gear moped. I have never bothered to learn driving gear vehicles. Whenever I ride on the pillion with somebody in Chennai, I keep praying all the time. The journey seems so hazardous. So I try to avoid travelling by two-wheelers in Chennai. But the Chennaiaites don’t seem to worry. Men, women and children they drive two-wheelers and four-wheelers casually and nobody seems worried. They overtake on the left and the right. I have seen two-wheelers threading their way between buses and lorries without a care. God protect them!

When I read about fatal accidents, especially those involving youngsters, it pains me greatly. All joy and promise nipped in the bud. I just can’t even imagine the agony of the parents who lose their beloved children in such accidents.

I could see girls driving two-wheelers at breakneck speed with gay abandon. In one way, I am happy. They are so fearless and bold. Kudos to them. Probably if you are born and brought up in Chennai and not a rural pumpkin like me, you get it easily and naturally.

However, one thing is clear. Our roads, especially city roads, are totally inadequate to cope with the alarming traffic congestion and exponential increase of traffic; they need to be widened, rules strictly enforced and offenders punished. More flyovers, more subways, more one-way roads and above all educating the public about road safety measures are needed.

“DRIVING OUR YOUTH SAFELY INTO THE FUTURE” from YoungDriverAwareness.com:

http://www.youngdriverawareness.com/

Detailed Wikipedia articles on “ROAD TRAFFIC SAFETY”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_traffic_safety

Detailed Wikipedia articles on ‘ROAD ACCIDENTS”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_accidents

“HIGHWAY RESCUE PROJECT” from Lifeline Foundation:

http://www.highwayrescue.org/concept.htm

“PROGRESS IN ROAD SAFETY SLOWING DOWN” from IRTAD portal (International Road Safety Data and Analysis Group”:

http://www.cemt.org/irtad/IRTADPublic/trends/pressrelease_2008.pdf

“BASIC ROAD STATISTICS” from the Dept of Road Transport & Highways, Govt of India:

http://morth.nic.in/index2.asp?sublinkid=157&langid=2

“TRANSPORT IN INDIA” from International Transport Statistics Database under the iRAP (International Road Assessment Program) funded by the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society:

http://www.iraptranstats.net/in

ASIRT (Association for Safe International Road Travel’s) portal:

http://www.asirt.org/

“ACTING TOGETHER FOR SAFER ROADS” from UNECE (United Nations Economic Commssion for Europe):

http://www.unece.org/trans/roadsafe/rsabout.html

“TRAFFIC SAFETY CENTER” of the University of California, Berkeley:

http://www.tsc.berkeley.edu/

Grateful thanks to Vakil No.1.com, YoungDriverAwarreness.com, Lifeline Foundation, IRTAD, Dept of Road Transport & Highways, Govt of India; FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society; ASIRT, UNECE, University of California and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-117: "GPS could save Airlines Fuel"

Chicago: A Second World War-era air traffic network that often forces planes to take longer, zigzagging routes is costing airlines billions of dollars in wasted fuel while an upgrade to a satellite-based system has languished in the planning stages for more than a decade.

The $35-billion plan would replace the current radar system with the kind of global positioning system (GPS) technology that has become commonplace in cars and cell phones. Supporters say it would triple air traffic capacity, reduce delays by at least half, improve safety and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

An analysis of industry data found that if the system were already in place, US airlines alone could have saved more than $5 billion in fuel this year alone.

But funding delays and the complexities of the switchover have kept the project grounded. The government does not expect to have it up and running until the early 2020s. – AP.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.15, 2008.

Wikipedia article on “GPS (GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-116: "Software that tells Age just by looking at Face"

University of Illinois has developed a software that reveals a person’s age just by looking at his or her face.

Excerpt from “Software that tells age just by looking at face” from The Times of India, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to The Times of India, Chennai.

Eyecatchers-115: "Coca-Cola’s Net Income up by 14%"

Coca-Cola Co posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on strong international demand that offset a drop in volume at home. Coke’s net income rose 14% to $1.89 billion in the third quarter ended on September 26 from $1.65 billion a year earlier.

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Deccan Chronicle, Chennai.

Eyecatchers-114: "Rs.12 crore Unclaimed Deposits!"

Throughout the country about Rs.1200 crores remain unclaimed in various bank deposits. This information was furnished by the Reserve Bank of India in reply to a petition by Mr.Siddharth Mishra of Orissa under Right to Information Act.

Courtesy: ‘Dinamalar’, Tamil daily, Madurai, Sep.14, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Dinamalar.

Eyecatchers-113: "Nobel Peace Prize for Martti Ahtisaari"

Finland’s former President, Martti Ahtisaari, won the 2008 Noble Peace Prize for a long career of peacemaking around the world from Namibia to Kosovo.

Detailed Wikipedia article on “MARTTI AHTISAARI“:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martti_Ahtisaari

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.11, 2008.

Eyecatchers-112: "e-Cigarettes, Alternative to Smoking and Quit-Smoking"

I read this interesting piece of news in SiliconIndia. Now that the Govt of India has banned public smoking, e-cigarettes or just e-cig have come into the market. e-Cigarettes cost about Rs.1000/- and there are about 35 manufacturers of e-cigarettes. But let me make it clear. I am anti-cigarette and anti-tobacco and never shall I recommend cigarette or e-cig for that matter to anybody.

For the full article on e-Cigarette from SiliconIndia, just click:

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/47284

Detailed Wikipedia article on “e-CIGARETTE”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-cigarette

Grateful thanks to SiliconIndia and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-111: "Mittal suffers £16.6 billion loss"

NRI steel tycoon Lakhsmi Mittal has lost £16.6 billion in the global credit crunch owing to plummeting stock markets in the last four months, media reports said.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.6,2008 (“Snapshots”)

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Eyecatchers-110: "Govt of India bans Smoking in Public Places!"

If Gandhi Jayanthi 2007 was observed as the first International Day of Non-Violence, Gandhi Jayanthi 2008 is another great day; the Govt of India has banned smoking in public places and violation of the ban attracts a fine of Rs.200/-. This is a great achievement; for, the Tobacco Lobby and some votebank-politicians have been blocking it. Union Health Minister, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss deserves special appreciation for almost single-handedly fighting the above forces and imposing the ban under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003.

Smoking affects not only the health of the smoker, but also that of other people who are exposed to it; for Passive Smoking also kills. So banning smoking in public places is a right step and deserves appreciation. The dangers of Passive Smoking can be perused in the Wikipedia article (link provided).

Wikipedia articles on “SMOKING BAN” and “PASSIVE SMOKING KILLS”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_ban

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_smoking_kills

Grateful thanks to Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-109: "International Day of Non-violence"

The United Nations General Assembly decided on June 15, 2007 to observe October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, as International Day of Non-Violence. Kudos to the UN; it is a fitting tribute to the Mahatma. Let us pledge that we will do our best to promote non-violence and spread love and fellow-feeling among people.

Wikipedia article on “INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENCE”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Non-Violence

Article from UN News Service:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22926&Cr=non&Cr1=violence

Grateful thanks to UN News Service and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-108: "Apple Sells Unlocked iPhones"

Apple has started selling unlocked models of its popular iPhone 3G in Hong Kong which allow users the freedom to select the telecom provider of their choice.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, September 28, 2008

Detailed Wikipedia article on “iPhone”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhones

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-107: "Cows and Horses Freely Roaming in Texas!"

In parts of Texas hit by Hurricane Ike, an estimated 20,000 cows and horses roamed free. Four thousand cows had been found dead, and officials thought that many more would never be found. “They are being eaten,” said Texas AgriLife Extension Service spokeswoman, Kathleen Phillips, “by alligators”.

Courtesy: Sam Stark, Harper’s Weekly, Sep.23, 2008.

Wikipedia article on “HURRICANE IKE”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ike

Grateful thanks to Sam Stark, Harper’s Weekly and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-106: "Spilling 3.7 million nickels!"

A truck carrying 20 tons of money from the Philadelphia Mint to the U.S.Treasury in Miami crashed, killing one passenger and spilling 3.7 million nickels onto I-95.

Courtesy: Sam Stark, Harper’s Weekly, September 23, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Sam Stark and Harper’s Weekly.

Eyecatchers-105: "Global Financial Crisis!"

American financial institutions faced the worst credit crisis since the Great Depression. Global stock markets lost $3.1 trillion in four days. American International Group (AIG), the world’s biggest insurance company and a leader in the $62 trillion credit-default swap market, was nearly bankrupted. The US Federal Reserve loaned AIG $85 billion at 11% interest and took control of the company, which was founded in China in 1919 and driven out thirty years later by Mao. AIG was replaced in the Dow Jones Industrial Average by Kraft, the makers of Cheez Whiz. Central banks poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the market, and the Securities and Exchange Commission temporarily banned the short-selling of 799 financial-institution stocks.

Excerpt from “Harper’s Weekly”, September 23, 2008 (“Sam Stark”)

Wikipedia article on “FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2007-2008″:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_crisis_of_2007-2008

Grateful thanks to Sam Stark, Harper’s Weekly and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-104: "Man donates blood 150 times!"

Suresh Kamdas broke the myth that donating blood frequently lowers a person’s immunity, making him prone to infections.

The 75-year-old, who first donated blood in 1962, is part of a select club of centurion donors. He has donated blood over 150 times. And now he has taken on the task of propagating the benefits of frequent voluntary blood donation.

Excerpt from “Man donates blood 150 times and breaks a myth” by Kounteya Sinha/TNN.
The Times of India, Chennai, June 14, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Kounteya Sinha, TNN and The Times of India.

Eyecatchers-103: "Laptops in Space Infected"

NASA confirmed that laptops in space had been infected with the virus Gammima.AG.

Courtesy: Harper’s Weekly, Sep 2, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Harper’s Weekly.

Eyecatchers-102: "Who is calling?"

“Do not use mobile phones while driving; the caller could be Yama, the King of Death” – Advertisement from the local traffic police.

Eyecatchers-101: "Ankle Alerts"

Convicted South Korean sexual offenders are required to wear electronic tracking devices around their ankles from September 1, 2008.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Chennai, August 29, 2008.

Wikipedia article on “SEXUAL ABUSE”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuser

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia.

Eyecatchers-100: "800 Terrorist Outfits functioning in India!"

“800 Terrorist Outfits are functioning in India with the support of other countries” – Mr.Narayanan, National Security Adviser, Govt of India.

Courtesy: ‘Ananda Vikatan’, Tamil weekly, August 27, 2008.

Wikipedia article on “Terrorism in India”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_India

Grateful thanks to Ananda Vikatan and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-99: Ashwin Sundar creates a Record!

17-year-old Indian race-car driver, Ashwin Sundar, has created a record. As brand ambassador of Volkswagen, he gets Rs.6 crores.

Courtesy: ‘Ananda Vikatan’, Tamil weekly, August 6, 2008.
Article from The Hindu: “Ashwin Sundar Excels”:
http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/18/stories/2006091809181800.htm

Grateful thanks to Ananda Vikatan and The Hindu.

Eyecatchers-98: "Solzhenitsyn is dead"

Solzhenitzyn is dead!
By Vladimir Radyuhin

Nobel prize-winning Russian author and thinker, Alexander Solzhenitsyn died on Sunday (August 3, 2008), ending a bitter and illustrious life journey that reflected Russia’s tumultuous history through the 20th century.

Aged 89, Solzhenitsyn died of heart arrest close to midnight at his home on the outskirts of Moscow. His family said he worked till the last minute and died a happy man.

Excerpt from The Hindu, Madurai, August 5, 2008.

For the full article from The Hindu.com:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/05/stories/2008080551292000.htm

For the BBC News article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7540038.stm

For the CNN.com article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/03/solzhenitsyn.dead/

Wikipedia article on “Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn

For the New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Obit-Solzhenistyn.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Grateful thanks to Vladimir Radyuhin, The Hindu, BBC News, CNN.com, New York Times and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-97: “Drought Deaths”

2,80,000 deaths occurred in the world due to drought during 1991-2000.

Courtesy; The Week, July 3, 3005.

Wikipedia articles on:

“Drought”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought

“Natural Disaster”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Disasters#Droughts

“List of Famines”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines

Grateful thanks to The Week and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-96: IIT-Madras Celebrates Golden Jubilee!

The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, is planning to have year-long celebrations in commemoration of its Golden Jubilee.

IIT-M, as it is popularly known, was established in July 1959 under Indo-German Cooperation.

Its Alumni of nearly 32,000 spread all over the world are occupying top positions in industry and academia.

Source: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.

Wikipedia article on IIT-Madras:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institute_of_Technology_Madras

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-95: "Man Booker Prize for this year"

Two first-time novelists from the subcontinent – Aravind Adiga, an Indian journalist, and Mohammed Hanif, a London-based Pakistani broadcaster – will compete with Salman Rushdie and Amitav Ghosh for this year’s Man Booker Prize, giving it a heavy India-Pakistan flavour.

Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger’ takes a hard look at the underbelly of India’s economic boom. Hanif’s blistering political satire, ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ is about the mysterious air crash that killed Zia-ul-Haq. They are up against Rushdie’s ‘The Enchantress of Florence’ and Ghosh’s ‘Sea of Poppies’.

The 13-strong longlist, picked from among 112 entries, will be whittled down to six. These finalists’ names will be announced in September. The winner of the £50,000 prize will be declared in October.

Excerpt from “Subcontinent looms over Man Booker longlist” by Hasan Suroor in The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.

Wikipedia article on “Man Booker Prize”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Booker_Prize

Grateful thanks to Hasan Suroor, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-94: "22nd World Congress on Philosophy"

Thousands of philosophers from around the globe gathered at Seoul on Wednesday (July 30, 2008) for their first world congress to be held in Asia, to discuss ways to enhance dialogue between different countries.

The 22nd World Congress on Philosophy, being held under the theme of “Rethinking Philosophy Today”, has drawn more than 3000 prominent philosophers from some 150 countries – AFP.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008.

Wikipedia article on “World Congress on Philosophy”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Congress_of_Philosophy

Grateful thanks to AFP, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-93: "Ban on Fastfood"

Los Angeles officials have approved a one-year ban on fast-food chains opening in a poor neighborhood of the city battling higher-than-average obesity.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 31, 2008(“Newscape”).

Wikipedia article on “Childhood Obesity” and “Fastfood”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_obesity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastfood

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-92: "CFL Bulbs Mandatory"

The UP government has made it mantory for government institutions and organisations to use CFL bulbs instead of incandescent ones for lighting.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, July 22, 2008 (Newscape).

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.