Vol.10 No.04 JULY 2012

Figure 1

FROM THE EDITOR

A number of thought-provoking articles have been appearing in LINEAGE. A few topics demand a frame of mind conducive to increased brain activity and a passion for learning. So the share of light reading material is increased with the number of pages!

Resource mapping is an important aspect of developing a renewable source of Energy. You will see an interesting tail-piece to this valuable article in the news report related to the grid parity cost of solar energy. To mitigate the effect of soaring price of petrol one has to be constantly reminded of the mandatory Car mileage improvement scheme. Transit of Venus was a rare and exquisite spectacle that occurred on June, 06th. Harward University selected young Zacharia to deliver the graduation speech last month. His invigorating views are like fresh wind; they don’t disappoint. Bestia Montes is the fictional beast visualized / created by eleven year old Arjun. Kunhunni mash makes fun of some malayali traits of behavior in his inimitable humorous way.

The rest of the contents, Bringing up children, Code of conduct for Remote, Smart phone glossary etc serve a noble purpose – they enrich your lives and expand the horizon of knowledge.

That is not all. The patent injustice meted out by KSEB to its pensioners moves us to rage that is hard for our language to capture. GHK has made an appeal with great force of conviction to the Senior Engineers to show their mettle and wrest back our due benefits. Act before it is too late!

Enjoy reading! We thank all contributors and readers for their support.

K.E.DAMODARAN NAYANAR

Sustainable Energy for All

The Journey to Renewable Energy Starts with a Map

At the December 2009 Copenhagen climate change conference, Saad Hariri, then Prime Minister of Lebanon, announced his country’s new target for renewable energy: 12% of the national energy mix, to be achieved by 2020. This prompted an intense wind-mapping effort

Never blame anyone in life:

Good people give happiness;

Bad people give experience;

Worst people give a lesson;

Best people give memories

that concluded a year later, with an estimate that Lebanon’s onshore wind power potential is 6.1 gig watts (GW)—more than a third of current consumption.

The Lebanese wind atlas, financed by UNDP and Spain, has identified eight optimal sites for wind farms, of which three will be selected for development. The government commitment to a

target for renewable energy was a “main driver” of the resource mapping that followed.

Given the scale of investments being made in renewable energy—about $260 billion worldwide in 2011—thorough resource-mapping helps energy planners identify the best locations for wind farms, solar facilities and small-hydro sites. With oil and gas, it is obvious that one pumps where the reserve is found. But with renewable energy sources, finding the most abundant sites, where power can be tapped most efficiently, is not so obvious. Combine that with the need to link the resource to the national transmission network, accommodate environmental constraints such as migratory bird corridors, as well as demand centers, and you have a complex mapping challenge. But such a map is a vital tool in crafting a clear renewable energy strategy and plan to guide developers.

Better assessments of renewable energy resources lower the cost of renewable energy. The cost is minimal compared to the investments themselves and mapping can deliver a difference in returns of millions.

The three mapping methodologies are each sciences in themselves. Wind mapping usually starts at the meso-scale, using satellites and ground-based measurements. These cascades down to micro-scale measurement of wind speeds by developers to better assess promising sites.

Solar mapping also starts with satellite data gathered over decade-long periods, which is then combined with year-long ground data to identify specific locations at which light intensity is combined with low cloud cover, taking into account other factors such as dust.

A pioneering effort on solar and wind maps was launched over a decade ago, with UNEP’s Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment, or SWERA. Effective mapping enables informed decisions on the location of solar farm sites, and combined with improved solar technologies, can help developers mount solar energy generation facilities that approach grid parity.

The same kind of mapping is available for hydropower too. The geospatial analysis behind a comprehensive assessment of the hydropower potential of natural streams across the United States, as well as Brazil,are available online. Many other developing countries could use this kind of knowledge to develop mini-hydro to deliver clean electricity at remote locations.

There is a need for added stand-alone efforts to support renewable energy resource mapping. A robust assessment of resources removes uncertainty, and this can be a catalyst for action by governments and developers. ESMAP, a trust fund financed by 13 bilateral donors and managed by staff co-located in the World Bank’s Sustainable Energy Department, plans to mobilize additional support for technical assistance to resource mapping over the next year. Contributed by: Suhair

INBOX

It is really nice piece to receive on June 1st morning. Full of nice stories and informative articles, Lineage gives a pleasure of reading. Only thing, the Roman numeral at the top of Er. KNC Kurup's article is not discernible, because it is much above our normal figure sense. G.H. Krishna Iyer

For the hundred and eighth episode, without missing a single issue, distinctiveness of the numeral can’t be a handicap. KNC deserves a round of special applause for his commitment to our movement. Nayanar

I acknowledge receipt of Lineage - June issue. Contrary to the weather prediction, if some thing is definite to happen on the end of the month, I know, it is the release of Lineage. Keep up the commendable work. Best regards, Suhair

For the lineage June 12 issue I had made a small change in heading adding “Edavappathy” in its name with photo of a Palakad monsoon magic morphed with the picture of Thailand boys borrowed from National Geographic channel. To solve the problem experienced by Er.Ananda Kumar it is necessary to know if this happens for all PDF files other than Lineage and what software he is using to read the PDF file. (Fox it reader, Adobe reader, PDF-Viewer or Sumatra pdf.) In these soft wares there is an option for continuous scrolling or showing one page at a time.

As suggested by Er.Suhair I cut the top and bottom default space 2.54 cm to 0 .15 and side margin 2.54 to 1.27 to reduce the number of pages and for continuletter sizes are increased or decreased to fit the matter correctly. Further the authors have their on styles for writing by selecting fonts like Verdana/Arial etc and these are not changed.

The cover picture change might have been small; the effect is superb.

The sad demise of V. P. Kunhahmmad touched me much. He was a very liberal pious man, withinterest in Business. He was an excellent advisor on land purchase and development and had helped a lot of youngsters to invest wisely. May his soul rest in peace.

Paddy had long heard the stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been able to walk on water on their 18th birththey'd each walked across the lake to the pub on the far So when Paddy's 18th birthday came around, he and his pal Mick, took a boat out to the middle of the lake, Paddy, stepped out of the boat ...andsafety. Furious and confused, Paddy, went to see

'Grandma,' he asked, "It's me 18th birthday, so why can't I walk 'crossfather, and his father before him?"

Granny looked deeply into Paddy's, troubled brown eyes and

"Because ye father, ye grandfather and ye greatlake is frozen, and ye were born in August,

Cost of renewable energy

Saheli Exports, Chenai submitted a Project Report to develop and set up a 1MW roofsmall PV plant at Karaikal and has requested approval for Solaryears. The Electricity Department of Puduchery had signed a Power Purchase Agreemebuy power @ 5.50 per kwH, with 3% per year increase. Indian Renewable Energy development Agency (IREDA) is to reimburse the balance. The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for Goa & UTs has invited suggestions / objections.

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming hfriend I'd like to bring with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him." "There's something you should know," the son continued, "he lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go and I want him to come

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

s suggested by Er.Suhair I cut the top and bottom default space 2.54 cm to 0 .15 and side margin 2.54 to 1.27 to reduce the number of pages and for continuous scrolling and to letter sizes are increased or decreased to fit the matter correctly. Further the authors have their on styles for writing by selecting fonts like Verdana/Arial etc and these are not changed.

ht have been small; the effect is superb. –Editor

The sad demise of V. P. Kunhahmmad touched me much. He was a very liberal pious man, withwas an excellent advisor on land purchase and development and had helped a lot of

youngsters to invest wisely. May his soul rest in peace. Abdul Sathar / Madeena

Walking on Water

heard the stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems that his father, grandfather been able to walk on water on their 18th birth day. On that special day;

they'd each walked across the lake to the pub on the far side for their first legal drink.

So when Paddy's 18th birthday came around, he and his pal Mick, took a boat out to the middle of the Paddy, stepped out of the boat ...and nearly drowned! Mick just barely managed to pull him to

y, went to see his grandmother.

'Grandma,' he asked, "It's me 18th birthday, so why can't I walk 'cross the lake like me father, his

Granny looked deeply into Paddy's, troubled brown eyes and said,

ather, ye grandfather and ye great-grandfather were all born in December, when the lake is frozen, and ye were born in August, ya idiot!"

Cost of renewable energy

submitted a Project Report to develop and set up a 1MW roofsmall PV plant at Karaikal and has requested approval for Solar tariff of years. The Electricity Department of Puduchery had signed a Power Purchase Agreeme

H, with 3% per year increase. Indian Renewable Energy development Agency (IREDA) is to reimburse the balance. The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for Goa &

objections.

Unconditional Love

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've got a favor to ask. I have a

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him." "There's something you should know," the son continued, "he lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go and I want him to come

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere

with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on

s suggested by Er.Suhair I cut the top and bottom default space 2.54 cm to 0 .15 and side margin and to reduce the size. The

letter sizes are increased or decreased to fit the matter correctly. Further the authors have their on styles for writing by selecting fonts like Verdana/Arial etc and these are not changed. Kunhiraman.M

Editor

The sad demise of V. P. Kunhahmmad touched me much. He was a very liberal pious man, with very special was an excellent advisor on land purchase and development and had helped a lot of

Abdul Sathar / Madeena.

heard the stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems that his father, grandfather day. On that special day;

or their first legal drink.

So when Paddy's 18th birthday came around, he and his pal Mick, took a boat out to the middle of the nearly drowned! Mick just barely managed to pull him to

the lake like me father, his

born in December, when the G.H.Krishna Iyer

submitted a Project Report to develop and set up a 1MW roof-top PV and 20.50 per kwH for 25

years. The Electricity Department of Puduchery had signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to H, with 3% per year increase. Indian Renewable Energy development

Agency (IREDA) is to reimburse the balance. The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for Goa & HINDU

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called ome, but I've got a favor to ask. I have a

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him." "There's something you should know," the son continued, "he lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go and I want him to come live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere

with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was a suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know. Their son had only one arm and one leg. The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how me Suhair

A Guide to Deciphering the Language of Smartphones

By ROY FURCHGOTT NEW YORK TIMES

BUYING a smartphone, whether for yourself or as a gift, is a harrowing process made all the more

mystifying by the language the marketers use. Every year they add new lingo and ever trickier claims

— all networks can’t be the fastest, can they?

Here is a glossary to help decipher what the ads and sales representatives are talking about. Some of the terms are very familiar, others arcane.

3G, 4G, WIMAX, HSPA+ These may be the most confusing

terms because there is a lot of marketing mystery around them. The

G stands for generation. The higher the number next to the G, the

newer, and presume ably faster, is the network the device is using.

(To make things even more confusing, when Apple calls a product 4G, that means it is the

fourth generation of that device, but not necessarily that it works on a 4G network, although

sometimes it does.)

Not all 4G is created equal. Different carriers use different kinds of 4G. If you are looking for

speed (and who isn’t?), the technologies, rated from fastest to slowest, are LTE, WiMax and

HSPA+. After that come EVDO and EDGE, which are 3G.

But there are big caveats. One is, not every city has 4G from every carrier. Another is that you

need a phone that receives the 4G network, and not all do. But most of all, the speed of a

network doesn’t matter if you can’t get a signal. First, find which carrier has the strongest

signal where you use your phone most. Choose the fastest network with good reception in

your price range.

TIERED PLAN Carriers talk about “tiers of service,” which are packages with varying

amounts of minutes, instant messages and data. The more time and data you buy, the more

you pay. Many people overpay.

With unlimited plans disappearing, many people buy a top tier for peace of mind — that way,

they know they will not run over and incur expensive penalties. But paying for minutes and

data that aren’t used may be more expensive than the occasional penalty. The trick is to buy

only what you use, with a minimal cushion, which requires an accurate accounting of what

you use. There is a Web site that analyzes a current bill and makes a recom mendation on

what plan to buy!

CDMA VS. GSM These are different wireless standards: think of them as being like AM and

FM on radios. Of the large carriers, Verizon and Sprint are on CDMA. AT&T and T-Mobile

(and its resellers) are on GSM. This matters mostly to international travelers: GSM is the

standard in most of the world, so a GSM phone may be used in more places overseas. Another

difference, less important to most people, is that a GSM phone keeps its identity and data, like

contact lists, on a removable SIM card, which makes it easy to switch to a new phone. CDMA

phones hold the phone’s identity on the network, so the information may have to be sent over

the network to a new phone, which is a bit more complex.

WI-FI This provides the ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network using a phone.

Why would you want to? There is no charge for data transmitted by Wi-Fi. As data limits

become smaller (and data charges rise), that’s a very good thing. If downloading two HD

movies might eat up your monthly data limit, you could load them over Wi-Fi and leave

the limit intact.

APPS Apps is short for applications, another word for software or simple computer

programs. Apps add functions to a phone, like maps that give audible directions, a stock

ticker or a game like Angry Birds. Even for those phones with the fewest number of apps,

thousands will be available.

OS OS stands for operating system, the underlying software that runs the phone. The OS

you get determines, among other things, the features of the phone and which apps it will

run. In the US, Google (Android), Apple (iOS), Research in Motion (BlackBerry) and

Microsoft (Windows) are leading brands.

Apple iOS has the greatest number of apps available. Often cited for its ease of use, it

works easily across Apple products, and nearly does so with Windows computers as well.

Android is almost as easy to use as iOS, but because there are many differ- ent versions, it

doesn’t work the same way with every Android phone. That means that not all phones can

run all Android apps. If you want a specific app, check to see if it works on a prospective

phone before you buy. Another difference from Apple is that with Android, extra software

might be needed to connect a phone to a computer for sharing a contacts list or music.

The Windows OS has come a long way, with engaging “live tiles”: animated square icons

that show updates, like the number of messages waiting, or the latest posts from social

networks. A nice feature is that messages are threaded — strung together for continuity —

even when they come from different sources. So a conversation begun on Facebook can

continue by text and appear in one string.

The BlackBerry still has the security features that make it beloved of corporate I.T.

departments, but it has fallen from the top of the heap in consumer popularity. It has two

primary features that help distinguish it from other phones. One is that most BlackBerrys

still have physical keyboards, as opposed to touch screens. The other is BlackBerry

Messenger, an app that allows free instant chatting between BlackBerrys anywhere in the

world. BBM, as it’s known, also allows the sending of pictures, videos and voice notes.

First, Some Rules By JESSE McKINLEY NEW YORK TIMES

As the source of numerous marital skirmishes and intrafamily feuds, the battle for control of the

remote is an undeniable irritant in many homes. But for all that, little has been written about the

etiquette of using the clicker.

The remote control is among the current crop of devices that aim to simplify the work of entertainment.

“It’s a very big issue, Probably the biggest one in the living room.”

Men, in particular, are prone to tormenting their loved ones in front of the

television. Etiquette experts identified types of male offenders (the speed

clicker, the flip-flopper, the R-rated ogler) and solutions, most of which

involve elements common to any marriage: communication, compromise

and, occasionally, the very real possibility of loss.

“Once in a while, what’s really worth doing is turning and saying, ‘Why don’t

you take the remote?’” they said. “But you do risk the person saying, ‘Oh,

thanks,’ and actually taking it.” Oh, the humanity!

Winning, however, doesn’t mean you get to gloat. “Being the keeper of the remote is a bit like

carrying the picnic basket: it’s a position of honor and responsibility, but it doesn’t give you permission

to eat all the deviled eggs,” said the author of “How Rude! The Teenager’s Guide to Good Manners.”

A 2004 list compiled by the BBC, which is British and thus very pro-etiquette, offered 10 rules for

using the remote, including no hiding the device, an old trick for those who need a trip to the

bathroom but are unwilling to cede control. It also suggested that if someone in the room is actually

on TV — “a performer, politician, quiz show contestant or felon” — he should be allowed to watch

himself. (“Look, Ma, I’m heading to jail!”)

Other ways of avoiding conflict include voting, switching off nights for having control and even using

executive fiat.

Then there is the Zen-like mental adjustment: using the remote as a tool to travel to a channel, rather

than as a tool to find one.

“Decide together what to watch. And then use the remote to go there.”

Don't judge people before you truly know them

A 24 year old boy seeing out from the train's window shouted: "Dad, look the trees are going behind!"

Dad smiled & a young couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24 year old's childish behaviour with pity,

suddenly he again exclaimed: "Dad, look the clouds are running with us!" The couple couldn't resist &

said to the old man:

"Why don't you take your son to a good doctor?" The old man smiled & said: "I did & we are just

coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today."

Every single person on the planet has a story. Don' t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you!! - Suhair

TRANSIT OF VENUS ������������������������������������ June 6, 2012

Venus begins to cross the Sun's face during the transit of

Venus as seen from the west side of Manhattan in New York.

VENUS slides between us and the Sun today, an exceedingly rare

spectacle that scientists hope will expand their understanding of

our solar system and refine their inquiries about distant planets.

A transit of Venus has been recorded just six times before; one

will not recur until 2117. Each time, astronomers understand it

far better than they did the last time; when it is over, our curiosity only grows. Each time, too, it stirs

our imaginations. The 1882 transit inspired Edmond-Louis Dupain to paint, on a ceiling at the Paris

Observatory, a near-nude Venus, goddess of love, floating across the path of the sun god Helios in his

chariot in the sky.

People on Earth saw with their own eyes the beauty spot — as beautiful as Marilyn Monroe’s —

bestowed by Venus on the Sun. It is also a chance to appreciate the dividends we earn from our

investments in space research, and the opportunities the universe throws our way to unlock its

secrets. Guardian/New York Times

LAUGHS

Climate Change According to a news story, if global warming continues, in 20 years the only chance we'll have to see a polar bear is in a zoo. So in other words, nothing is going to change. Other emergency

Our family took shelter in the basement after hearing a tornado warning. My husband told everyone to stay put while he got his cell phone out of the car, in case the lines went dead.

He didn’t return for the longest time, so I went looking for him. I was upstairs calling his name, when I heard our phone machine click on.

"Hi," a voice said. "This is Dad. I’m locked out of the house."

Mixed up Nursery Rhyme

Learning to use a voice-recognition computer program, I was excited about the prospect of finally being able to write more accuraabout an hour to train it to my voice, then I opened a clean page and dictated a nursery rhyme to see the magic.

The computer recorded: "Murry fed a little clam, its fleas was bright and slow."

How to improve fuel efficiency of your carNamrata Dadwal,

The government loves to jolt us out of our complacency and offer us a brutal reminder about

environmental concerns. The most recent censure

hike. The rise of 7.54, of course, created frenzy among car buyers and car owners yet again. Will

a diesel car be a better buy? Is installing an

the CNG variant? Here are some answers that may help you arrive at a decision.

If you're in the market for a new car, low running cost will be your top priority. The first thing you need to consider is the size of the four-wheeler you want. If you're a part of a nuclear family, a small car will be more cost-effective. It will not only bkm a year, a hatchback, with an 18 kmpl mileage, will save you about a fuel-guzzling bigger car that has a mileage of 12 kmpl.

The second consideration is the type of fuel the car consumes. Though diesel is cheaper than petrol, diesel cars cost more than their petrol cousins. This reduces the costThe extra cost also means that if you take a loan, you will have to pay a higher increase the running cost. Even the registration cost, insurance premium and maintenance costs will be more. Even CNG and LPG variants are costly. But these options might be more financially prudent than buying a diesel car.

If you already own a car, you could install a CNG or LPG kit. you'll be able to recoup it within a year or two. The major disadvantages are that the extra weight of the kit may lower the performance of the car and fuelling staticlogged due to long queues.

The Do’s and Don’ts listed are valid in any circumstance:

Don't be aggressive: Rapid acceleration followed by sudden braking can lower the mileage by 10%.

Follow the speed limit outlined in your

Driving at 70 km an hour, rather than 90, will help you reduce fuel consumption by 10%. On the

highway, reducing your speed to 100

per litre.

Don't idle: Idling a 1,200 cc engine consumes about one litre

stop for more than a minute, shut off the engine. However, don't opt for this if the stoppage time is

lesser since it requires more fuel to restart the engine.

Check the oil: Only use the recommended

increase fuel consumption by 2%. Also, premium fuels don't enhance the performance or mileage of

the car, so stay away from these.

recognition computer program, I was excited about the prospect of finally being able to write more accurately than I type. First I read out loud to the computer for about an hour to train it to my voice, then I opened a clean page and dictated a nursery rhyme

"Murry fed a little clam, its fleas was bright and slow."

How to improve fuel efficiency of your car

The government loves to jolt us out of our complacency and offer us a brutal reminder about

environmental concerns. The most recent censure came in the form of a whopping 11.5% petrol price

7.54, of course, created frenzy among car buyers and car owners yet again. Will

car be a better buy? Is installing an LPG kit beneficial? Will it be cost

variant? Here are some answers that may help you arrive at a decision.

you're in the market for a new car, low running cost will be your top priority. The first thing you need wheeler you want. If you're a part of a nuclear family, a small car will

effective. It will not only be cheaper but also more fuel-efficient. Atkm a year, a hatchback, with an 18 kmpl mileage, will save you about 30,000 a year compared with

guzzling bigger car that has a mileage of 12 kmpl.

type of fuel the car consumes. Though diesel is cheaper than petrol, diesel cars cost more than their petrol cousins. This reduces the cost-effectiveness of diesel vehicles. The extra cost also means that if you take a loan, you will have to pay a higher increase the running cost. Even the registration cost, insurance premium and maintenance costs will

Even CNG and LPG variants are costly. But these options might be more financially prudent

ould install a CNG or LPG kit. Though the initial cost seems prohibitive, you'll be able to recoup it within a year or two. The major disadvantages are that the extra weight of the kit may lower the performance of the car and fuelling stations for these are few and usually

The Do’s and Don’ts listed are valid in any circumstance:

Rapid acceleration followed by sudden braking can lower the mileage by 10%.

Follow the speed limit outlined in your car's manual as this will provide you the optimum mileage.

Driving at 70 km an hour, rather than 90, will help you reduce fuel consumption by 10%. On the

highway, reducing your speed to 100-110 kmph from 120-130 kmph will help you gain an extra 2 km

Idling a 1,200 cc engine consumes about one litre of petrol an hour. So, if you need to

stop for more than a minute, shut off the engine. However, don't opt for this if the stoppage time is

lesser since it requires more fuel to restart the engine.

Only use the recommended viscosity of engine oil as oil that is more viscous can

increase fuel consumption by 2%. Also, premium fuels don't enhance the performance or mileage of

recognition computer program, I was excited about the prospect of tely than I type. First I read out loud to the computer for

about an hour to train it to my voice, then I opened a clean page and dictated a nursery rhyme

"Murry fed a little clam, its fleas was bright and slow."

How to improve fuel efficiency of your car

The government loves to jolt us out of our complacency and offer us a brutal reminder about

in the form of a whopping 11.5% petrol price

7.54, of course, created frenzy among car buyers and car owners yet again. Will

kit beneficial? Will it be cost-effective to buy

variant? Here are some answers that may help you arrive at a decision.

you're in the market for a new car, low running cost will be your top priority. The first thing you need wheeler you want. If you're a part of a nuclear family, a small car will

efficient. At 75 a litre and 15,000 30,000 a year compared with

type of fuel the car consumes. Though diesel is cheaper than petrol, ffectiveness of diesel vehicles.

The extra cost also means that if you take a loan, you will have to pay a higher EMI, which will increase the running cost. Even the registration cost, insurance premium and maintenance costs will

Even CNG and LPG variants are costly. But these options might be more financially prudent

Though the initial cost seems prohibitive, you'll be able to recoup it within a year or two. The major disadvantages are that the extra weight of

ons for these are few and usually

Rapid acceleration followed by sudden braking can lower the mileage by 10%.

car's manual as this will provide you the optimum mileage.

Driving at 70 km an hour, rather than 90, will help you reduce fuel consumption by 10%. On the

130 kmph will help you gain an extra 2 km

of petrol an hour. So, if you need to

stop for more than a minute, shut off the engine. However, don't opt for this if the stoppage time is

viscosity of engine oil as oil that is more viscous can

increase fuel consumption by 2%. Also, premium fuels don't enhance the performance or mileage of

Inflate tyres: Keep your tyres properly inflated since one psi drop in pressure in all four tyres can

increase fuel consumption by 0.3%.

Clean the air filter regularly: Clogged air filters reduce fuel efficiency by 3-5%, while spark plugs in

a poor condition reduce the mileage by up to 3%.

Use only when needed: If you keep your foot pressed to the clutch pedal while driving, you'll

consume 4-5% more fuel. Switch on the air conditioner only when you require it since this increases

fuel consumption by about 20%. However, this holds true for city driving. On the highway, it's better to

roll up the windows as this reduces aerodynamic drag on the car, lowering fuel consumption by 5%.

Remove clutter: Getting rid of 50 kg of junk can save up to 2% of fuel. The extra weight is calculated in relation to the weight of the car, so this is more relevant for hatchbacks rather than for sedans or SUVs. Which is cheaper? The upfront cost of petrol may seem more, but a petrol car is still a more cost-effective option than a diesel one in the medium term. However, a CNG or LPG variant may help you recoup the extra cost sooner. Economic Times

Live Large

A Texan farmer goes to Australia for a vacation. He meets an Aussie farmer and they strike up a conversation. The Aussie shows off his big wheat field and the Texan says, ‘Oh yeah. We have wheat fields that are at least twice as large.’

Then they walk around the farm a little, and the Aussie shows off his cattle. The Texan immediately says, ‘We have longhorns at least twice as large as your cows.’

Just then a herd of kangaroos hops through the field. The Texan asks, ‘And what are those?’

The Aussie replies with a surprised look, ‘What, you don’t have grasshoppers in Texas?’

Size matters! But not the size of your grasshopper, and certainly not the size of your ego. It’s the size of your character, the depth of your love, the capacity for courage, the reach of your vision, and the breadth of your perspective, that matters. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight that counts. It’s the size of the fight in the dog. Or as Neal Donald Walsh said, the larger your understanding of who you really are, the smaller your ego.

Size matters especially when making big life decisions. The single best piece of advice I have heard, advice that applies to so many situations, comes from a line in a David Whyte poem, Sweet Darkness. He says,

Anyone or anything that does not bring you alive is too small for you.

This holds true for jobs, careers, relationships, religions, gods, beliefs, political parties….. anything.

How do you know when something becomes too small? The same way you know when a sweater or pair of pants has become too small. It doesn’t fit any more. It feels constricting, like you want to burst out of it. When something becomes too small, you become

defensive, protective, fearful and anxious. If you live too long with something too small, it manifests as pain in your body and conflict in your relationships.

You have a right to a life that fits. Choose a life that is larger enough to stretch and sustain you.

Once you make a decision that something has become too small for you, you have two options. You can either move on or you can stay and try and make it larger. Both decisions are valid and possible.

Either way, the solutions need to match the problems, both in size and scope, urgency and intensity. The size of the problems we are facing in the world today demand large solutions, even if the steps on the way are small and measured.

In the 1960’s the phrase became common place, “Think Globally. Act Locally.” This phrase itself has become too small in today’s, post moon landing, world. We now need to “Think Cosmically. Act Globally. And live locally.” I will take a tour through each one in turn.

In preparation, loosen the belt on your consciousness. You don’t need to suck it up, stifle under the weight of old drama and suffer any longer. Put the old sweater in a box marked, “Things that used to fit until my life and vision grew larger.” Put on a new mindset, but wear it only loosely for eventually you will outgrow this perspective too. Leave plenty of space for growth, for new opportunities and for the incredible adventure of being alive.

Take the advice of a Polar Bear,

Live Large. Sniff out opportunities. Learn some good icebreakers. Be thick-skinned. Be fearless. Appreciate long winter nights. Keep it cool! - Ian Lawton (Retold by Suhair)

Faith and Work There was an old man who operated a rowboat for ferrying passengers between an island and the mainland. One day a passenger noticed that he had painted on one oar the word "Work", and on the other oar the word "Faith". Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this. The old man replied, "I will show you," dropping one oar, rowing only with the oar named "Work". Of course, the boat just went around in circles. Then he switched oars, picking up "Faith" and dropping “Work". And the little rowboat went around in circles again... this time in the opposite direction. After this demonstration, the old man picked up both oars "Faith" and ”Work", and rowing with both oars together swiftly coursed over the water. He looked at the passenger and said, "You see, that is the way it is in life as well as in rowing a boat. You got to keep both oars in the water; otherwise, you'll just go in circles." ~ Author Unknown -retold by Suhair Japanese Attitude to work : If one can do it, I can do it.If one can not do it,I must do it.

Arabic Attitude to work : If one can do it, wallahi, let him do it. If one can not do it, ya habibi, how can I do it? (wallahi-By God, ya habibi-oh my dear)

Suhair

'We live in an age of progress' Harvard's 361st Commencement address by Fareed Zakaria on May 24, 2012

Thank you so much, President Faust, Fellows of the Corporation, Overseers, Ladies and Gentlemen, and graduates.

To the graduates in particular, I have to tell you, you’re way ahead of me already. I never made it to my commencement, either from college or graduate school. I went to college south of here, in a small town called New Haven, Connecticut. And, well, I celebrated a bit the night before the ceremony. The honest truth is, I slept through much of my commencement. Then, after I had finally made it to Harvard for graduate school, I took a job before I had finished my Ph.D., and wrote the final

chapters while working in New York. I couldn’t get away from work for Commencement, and I got my degree in the mail. So, 19 years later, it is a great honor to receive, in person, a Harvard degree.

Harvard was, for me, a revelation. Contrary to the conventional wisdom on this campus, it is possible to receive a fine education at Yale, and I did. But Harvard’s great graduate programs have an ambition, energy, and range that, for me, made it a dazzling, electric experience. Getting a Ph.D. involves many hours of grueling work, but, if you do it right, also many hours of goofing off with friends, acquiring new hobbies and interests, and working your way through the great resources here — from the libraries to cafes. I fully availed myself of these opportunities, and the time spent not working (in a formal sense) was as valuable as the hours in seminar rooms. I learned from students, faculty, and visitors. Harvard is really where I learned to think, and I owe this University a deep debt of gratitude, as most of you do as well — something the University will remind you of from time to time.

I have always been wary of making commencement speeches because I don’t think of myself as old enough to have any real wisdom to impart on such an august occasion. I’d like to think I’m still vaguely post-graduate. But there’s nothing like having kids to remind me of how deeply uncool I am. So I accept this task, with some trepidation.

The best commencement speech I ever read was by the humorist Art Buchwald. He was brief, saying simply, “Remember, we are leaving you a perfect world. Don’t screw it up.”

You are not going to hear that message much these days. Instead, you’re likely to hear that we are living through grim economic times, that the graduates are entering the slowest recovery since the Great Depression. The worries are not just economic. Ever since 9/11, we have lived in an age of terror, and our lives remain altered by the fears of future attacks and a future of new threats and dangers. Then there are larger concerns that you hear about: The Earth is warming; we’re running out of water and other vital resources; we have a billion people on the globe trapped in terrible poverty.

So, I want to sketch out for you, perhaps with a little bit of historical context, the world as I see it.

The world we live in is, first of all, at peace — profoundly at peace. The richest countries of the world are not in geopolitical competition with one another, fighting wars, proxy wars, or even engaging in arms races or “cold wars.” This is a historical rarity. You would have to go back hundreds of years to find a similar period of great power peace. I know that you watch a bomb going off in Afghanistan or hear of a terror plot in this country and think we live in dangerous times. But here is the data. The number of people who have died as a result of war, civil war, and, yes, terrorism, is down 50 percent this decade from the 1990s. It is down 75 percent from the preceding five decades, the decades of the Cold War, and it is, of course, down 99 percent from the decade before that, which is World War II. Steven Pinker says that we are living in the most peaceful times in human history, and he must be right because he is a Harvard professor.

The political stability we have experienced has allowed the creation of a single global economic system, in which countries around the world are participating and flourishing. In 1980, the number of countries that were growing at 4 percent a year — robust growth — was around 60. By 2007, it had doubled. Even now, after the financial crisis, that number is more than 80. Even in the current period of slow growth, keep in mind that the global economy as a whole will grow 10 to 20 percent faster this decade than it did a decade ago, 60 percent faster than it did two decades ago, and five times as fast as it did three decades ago.

The result: The United Nations estimates that poverty has been reduced more in the past 50 years than in the previous 500 years. And much of that reduction has taken place in the last 20 years. The average Chinese

person is 10 times richer than he or she was 50 years ago — and lives for 25 years longer. Life expectancy across the world has risen dramatically. We gain five hours of life expectancy every day — without even exercising! A third of all the babies born in the developed world this year will live to be 100.

All this is because of rising standards of living, hygiene, and, of course, medicine. Atul Gawande, a Harvard professor who is also a practicing surgeon, and who also writes about medicine for The New Yorker, writes about a 19th century operation in which the surgeon was trying to amputate his patient’s leg. He succeeded — at that — but accidentally amputated his assistant’s finger as well. Both died of sepsis, and an onlooker died of shock. It is the only known medical procedure to have a 300 percent fatality rate. We’ve come a long way.

To understand the astonishing age of progress we are living in, you just look at the cell phones in your pockets. (Many of you have them out and were already looking at them. Don’t think I can’t see you.) Your cell phones have more computing power than the Apollo space capsule. That capsule couldn’t even Tweet! So just imagine the opportunities that lie ahead. Moore’s Law — that computing power doubles every 18 months while costs halve — may be slowing down in the world of computers, but it is accelerating in other fields. The human genome is being sequenced at a pace faster than Moore’s Law. A “Third Industrial Revolution,” involving material science and the customization of manufacturing, is yet in its infancy. And all these fields are beginning to intersect and produce new opportunities that we cannot really foresee.

The good news goes on. Look at the number of college graduates globally. It has risen fourfold in the last four decades for men, but it has risen sevenfold for women. I believe that the empowerment of women, whether in a village in Africa or a boardroom in America, is good for the world. If you are wondering whether women are in fact smarter than men, the evidence now is overwhelming: yes. My favorite example of this is a study done over the last 25 years in which it found that female representatives in the House of Congress were able to bring back $49 million more in federal grants than their male counterparts. So it turns out women are better than men even at pork-barrel spending. We can look forward to a world enriched and ennobled by women’s voices.

Now you might listen to me and say “This is all wonderful for the world at large, but what does this mean for America?” Well, for America and for most places, peace and broader prosperity — “the rise of the rest” — means more opportunities. I remind you that this is a country that still has the largest and most dynamic economy in the world, which dominates the age of technology that hosts hundreds of the world’s greatest companies, that houses its largest, deepest capital markets, and that has almost all of the world’s greatest universities. There is no equivalent of Harvard in China or India, nor will there be one for decades, perhaps longer.

The United States is also a vital society. It is the only country in the industrialized world that is demographically vibrant. We add 3,000,000 people to the country every year. That itself is a powerful life force, and it is made stronger by the fact that so many of these people are immigrants. They — I should say we — come to this country with aspirations, with hunger, with drive, with determination, and with a fierce love for America. By 2050, America will have a better demographic profile than China. This country has its problems, but I would rather have America’s problems than most any other place in the world.

When I tell you that we live in an age of progress, I am not urging complacency — far from it. We have had daunting challenges over the last 100 years: a depression, two world wars, a Cold War, 9/11, and global economic crisis. But we have overcome them by our response. Human action and human achievement have managed to tackle terrible problems.

We forget our successes. In 2009, the H1N1 virus broke out in Mexico. Now, if you looked back at the trajectory of these kinds of viruses, it is quite conceivable this one would have spread like the Asian flu in 1957 or 1968, in which 4,000,000 people died. But this time, the Mexican health authorities identified the problem early, shared the information with the WHO, learned best practices fast, tracked down where the outbreak began, quarantined people, and vaccinated others. The country went on a full-scale alert, banning any large gatherings. In a Catholic country, you couldn’t go to church for three Sundays. Perhaps more importantly, you couldn’t go to soccer matches either. The result was that the virus was contained, to the point where, three months later, people wondered what the big fuss was and asked if we had all overreacted. We didn’t overreact; we reacted, we responded, and we solved the problem.

There are other examples. In the 12 months following the economic peak in 2008, industrial production fell by as much as it did in the first year of the depression. Equity prices and global trade fell more. Yet this time, no Great Depression followed. Why? Because of the coordinated actions of governments around the world. 9/11 did not usher in an age of terrorism, with al-Qaida going from strength to strength. Why? Because countries

cooperated in fighting them and other terror groups, with considerable success. When we can come together, when we cooperate, when we put aside petty differences, the results are astounding.

So, when we look at the problems we face — economic crises, terrorism, climate change, resource scarcity — keep in mind that these problems are real, but also that the human reaction and response to them will also be real. We can more easily map out the big problem than the thousands of individual actions governments, firms, organizations, and people will take that will constitute the solution.

In a sense, I’m betting on the graduates in this great audience. I believe that your actions will have consequences. Your efforts will make a difference.

And turning to the graduates, I know I am expected to provide some advice at a commencement. Should you go into nanotechnology or bioengineering? What are the industries of the future? Honestly, I have no idea. But one thing I do know is that human beings will reward and honor those talents of heart and mind they have always honored for thousands of years: intelligence, hard work, discipline, courage, loyalty and, perhaps above all, love and a generosity of spirit. Those are the qualities that, at the end of the day, make you live a great life, one that is rewarded by the outside world, and a good life, one that is rewarded only by those who know you best. These are the virtues that people honor, that they built statues for 5,000 years ago. Well, nobody builds statues anymore. They build weird, modernist sculptures with strange pieces of metal falling off of them, but you get my idea. Trust yourself; you know what you should do. You know the kind of life you should live. You don’t need an ethics course to know what you shouldn’t do. Just trust in your instincts, be true to them, and you will make for yourself a great and a good life. And, in doing so, you will change the world.

I said that at my age I don’t feel competent to give you much advice, but I will give you one last piece of wisdom that comes with age. For all of you who are graduating students or, really, anyone who is still young, trust me. You cannot possibly understand the love that your parents have for you until you have children of your own. Once you have your own kids, their strange behavior will suddenly make sense. But don’t wait that long. On this day of all days, give them a hug, and tell them that you love them.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and to the graduates of Harvard University’s Class of 2012, Godspeed.

Fareed Zacharia is renowned journalist and author and is the son of Rafeeq Zacharia, Indian writer. Fareed was editor of Newsweek International from 2000-2010 and currently editor of the Times Magazine. In this lecture, he paints an optimistic picture of the present world. Suhair

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IMAGES

OLYMPICS2012 THE LOGO,THE MASCOT (Wenlock and Mandeville) AND THE STADIUM

Some people No matter how old they get, Never lose their beauty- They merely move it from their

faces to their hearts.

The Kannur Unit celebrated

the Eightieth birthday of

Er. K.P.Ravindran

Creative Creation

By Arjun Panickssery

My creature is called Bestia Montes which is Latin for “Beast of the Mountains”. Most call it “The flying Yeti”. It came from present day Russia to present day Alaska during the Ice Age. It lives in the mountains of Russia and Alaska, with many living in Denali National Park.

Since the early Ice Age years, the Flying Yeti has evolved and adapted. If you could see them after the Ice Age, you would see a black horse-like omnivore with large white tusks. During the next 150 years, the Yeti faced extinction. Yet they survived and adapted to fly and run much faster. Over hundreds of years, they became grey to camouflage in their white habitats of the present day Russia. If you could see the Bestia Montes again a few million years after the Ice Age, the black horse with tusks would be gone. Instead there would be a light grey horse, with strong horse legs to run at great speeds. It would have a head similar to that of an elephant, with large ears to hear, and tusks to fight, immense eyes to see and intimidate and a short though powerful trunk to lift things. It has small wings mostly to hover. Finally there is a menacing snake; though it can strangle and crush with great power, it is not a snake, despite its looks. Small animals will flee in terror of it, though it cannot bite. It often causes avalanches in the snowy and freezing climates, where it makes its habitat.

The female lays upto seven eggs that emerge as one and a half foot versions of their parents. The young can fly when they are three years old, and reach adulthood at fifteen years, when they are about six feet long, four and a half feet high and half a foot wide. Their life span rarely exceeds 275 years. They communicate with high pitched hoot similar to that of an owl. These creatures are untamable and will attack if threatened. They live in pack of about twenty in cave groups in the mountains and packs are protective of their territory. The female is slightly faster than the male, though the males are stronger and more aggressive. The oldest male in pack is the patriarch and is the leader of the pack. The patriarch also leads the warriors(both male and female) to battle when packs fight. The old female care for the young and no one leaves another for dead.

(Note: Bestia Montes may resemble the griffin or chimera of Greek mythology. The two are species of Bestia Montes which moved westward to Greece. Both are now extinct.)

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UNIT PULSE KOZHIKODE Monthly meeting of Senior Engineers Kozhikode was held on 9th June Saturday, 10.30am at Calicut Towers. Er.A.Chandran presided the meeting. In his presidential address spoke few words about Ers KUNHAMMED Mangalore, and PEER MOHAMMED who left us recently. One minute silence was observed to pay homage to these engineers. Discussions were held about the poor attendance in the meeting, and some methods were streamlined to increase the attendance. Meeting was concluded after lunch at 2pm. M.K.SUDHAKARAN, CLT.

THRISSUR

The seventy fifth meeting of our unit was held at Hotel Mothimahal on 09-06-2012. Er. KV Abdu presided the meeting with a grand participation of 58 members.

The meeting commenced at 10.10 a.m. with a silent prayer. Er. K V Abdu shared the immense pleasure he felt in welcoming all members to the proceedings of the 75th meeting of our forum. Agenda was read out and recorded. Er. Vijayakumar, Secretary presented the report and accounts and was passed.

He explained the contents of the notice released by the President, Kerala Power Workers Unity Centre (NTUI); which says that the pensioners are at loss as per the present pension revision order.

Er MN Ravunni conducted the pranayama & meditation demo and members practiced.

In the Open Forum, Er. PD Francis introduced the Charity Organisation ALPHA PAIN CLINIC –a Paliative Care Centre – with centres at Edamuttom, Thrissur, Palakkad and Kochi. Members requested to have more details about it and Er. PD Francis was asked to arrange a brief talk on it by the office bearers of the organisation in next meeting. Ers. K S Kumaran, K V Ramakrishnan, M Haridas, P Ramachandran, T V Kurian, N S Abdulkhader and V A Shahul Hameed also spoke on various points and presented suggestions for making the meeting live.

Er. P D Jayathilakan spoke about Sankunnykuttan Master renowned scholar in Sanskrit and his valuable contributions to promote the language. He has published many books for this genuine cause.

The discussion on Mullapperiyar Dam agreement and history was commenced with the views of Er. K V Abdu. Ers. KS Kumaran, K Prabhakaran, and PD Jayathilakan participated in the discussions. Er. P.R Vaidyanathan stated that he has never commented it as Mullapperiyar issue; but explained the history of Mullapperiyar dam agreement and its present developments.

Er. V K Karunakaran declared the name of the member who attended the maximum monthly meetings from the inception of Thrissur Unit till March 2012 and gave away the Cash prize Rs.501/- offered by Er. C C Davy. The recipient, Er. Vijayakumar K N donated the price money to the Forum fund.

Election of office bearers followed. The forum unanimously decided to continue the present team of office bearers with a replacement. Er. P Indran Nair, programme committee convener was replaced by Er. M D Porinchu.

Out of the 17 engineers celebrating birthdays in June, Ers. C L Jose, Thomas Antony, P M Balan, TV Madhavan, Syed Anwar and Vincent Antony were present. Senior Engineer N G Karunakaran presented gifts and blessings to the engineers present in the meeting. The forum also showered blessings to other engineers, though absent.

Er MN Chandran offered vote of thanks and the meeting closed at 1.15 pm with a sumptuous lunch. Vijayakumar K N, Secretary.

KANNUR

The meeting commenced at 10.30am at Engineers House Kannur on 12-06-12 with Er.C.Bala- krishnan in

chair. 46 Engineers attended. After silent prayer Er..E.P.Ravindran wel- comed the gathering. One minute

silence was observed to mark respect of Er.V.P.Kunhahamed Dy.Chief Engineer (Rtd) who expired on 24th

May 2012 at Mangalore. Ers Damodaran Nayanar, T.C.Govindan,V.P.Soman, M.Kunhiraman, E.P.Ravindran

,M.V.Gopalakrishnan,A.V.Mohanan Nambiar, C.Sathyanathan, P.U.Bhaskaran Nambiar,C.Balakrishnan and

P.Ramachandran recalled with emotion & affection their association with Er V.P. Kunhahammed. May his soul

Rest in Peace.

In the presidential speech Er.C.Balakrishnan high lighted the need of get together, Pension revision and

Company formation. Er.A.V.Mohanan Nambiar presented the minutes of the last meeting and reported the

follow up actions taken. The minutes were passed as such. Er. M.C.Reghusudhan presented the accounts of

the last month which was approved as such.

The secretary reported that Er.K.P.Ravindran turned 80 years on 18-05-12 and the occasion was celebrated appropriately. The president felicitated Er.K.P.Ravindran by giving a rose bouquet. Er.K.E.Damodaran Nayanar presented a Ponnadai. A memento was also presented. “I¦kf]R¢r j]rv]¤”, ---the

Mangalapathram written by Er.P.Raghavan was recited and presented by the poet. Er.T.C.Govindan rendered a Keerthanam in his honor. Ers. A.V. Mohanan Nambiar, P.K.Chandran, P.T.Jayachandran, P.Ramachandran, K.Sasidharan, M.V.Gopalakrishnan and P.Sreedharan spoke on the occasion and prayed for happy long life.

Rose bouquets were presented to Ers. Damodaran Nayanar, P.K.Chandran, E.P.Bhaskaran Nambiar, E.K.Ganghadharan, C.Balakrishnan, V.P.Soman, M.J.Varghese and K.Sassidharan who have celebrated their birth days since last meeting.

.Charitable assistance to three persons was sanctioned after discussion.

Er.A.V.Mohanan Nambiar recounted the details of the tour to Kashmir conducted on 21st May 2012.General

discussions centred mainly on tour, pension revision and company formation. Ers.M.V.Gopalakrishnan,

E.P.Ravindran C.Sathyanathan and V.P.Soman participated.

Er.K.E.Damodaran Nayanar, the Chief Editor presented the Lineage for the month of June2012.

Er.V.P.Soman proposed vote of thanks to all and meeting came to close by 1.45 pm followed by lunch hosted

by Er..P.Raghavan.. A.V.Mohanan Nambiar/ Secretay

KOLLAM

Kollam Unit Meeting was held on 16th June, 2012 at Kappil Country Hut. The meeting normally held on 2nd Wednesday was postponed due to the Pensioners' march to the Hon.Minister's residence on that day.

Kappil is a very nice place, near Varkala. Here the Sea and the Backwater merge during rainy season and a good sand belt emerge during summer. This year in the absence of monsoon rains, the sand belt was in tact and the country hut is located here. Our meeting was in open air and 28 members were present. Er. Dhananjayan, Chairman of the unit presided. Er. Justin George read out the minutes and accounts, and were passed.

The main topic of discussion was on harnessing Solar energy in the wake of our predicaments in power front. Er. Sivadasan gave a narration on the emerging technologies in the field of Solar Energy and urged that we should go for it without delay. Many members including Er. Radhakrishnan, Retd. Member KSEB participated in the discussions. Though Solar energy can now be easily tapped and used in stand-alone nature or grid connected set up, cost wise it is still unattractive.

If Gujarat Government goes for massive production of energy from solar source, by subsidising, there is justification for it. There the energy produced goes for industrial production and the Government can afford to provide subsidy, from the secondary benefits derived. In our case, it is not to be thought of, because we use electrical energy predominantly in non-productive sectors, and the Government gets no secondary benefit. Pensioners' woe was also discussed in details. Manoharan has done all damage to the pension- ers, and one need not rely too much on our minister now. His proclamation in our AGB meeting may be taken only as a gimmick, because not much is being done when it comes to decision making. Even when the next revision has become due, if the Board and Govt. can act truant, it must be with a purpose. Now all the Unions, Associations in KSEB have joined hands with the Pensioners for fighting for the cause, because they now smell the real danger. However, if the matter is to be represented to the Minister / Chief Minister, only KSEB Engineers Association can do that, because for other Unions and Associations, permission to act is to be obtained from their political bosses. So the importance of our Association is fully justified at this critical time. The current Political situations were also analyzed by our members. Many of the observations were exceptionally appealing, and the hollowness of our politicians in their words and deeds was exposed. There was a good lunch, with the roaring sea in the back drop, and unusually members were reluctant to move out of the serene atmosphere, even at 3.00 PM. The meeting was forced shut down and everybody wished for such nice environment for the meetings in future too. G.H. Krishna Iyer

TIPS ON INVESTMENTS IN SHARES-CIX

The month of June, 2012 witnessed much improvement in the indices. The sensex from a low of 15965 on 1st June gradually rose to 17033 on 21st. The nifty rose from 4842 to 5165 during the same period. Thereafter sensex is hovering around the range 16883 to 16968 and the nifty around 5165 and 5142. On the whole the markets are in an up -trend though the rise is not spectacular.

Lots of good and bad news that can influence the markets happened during the month. The rating agency Fitch cut the outlook on India’s sovereign credit and a bunch of Indian companies. Competition Commission of India slapped a crippling fine on 11 major cement companies. The reserve estimate at the KGD6 gas blocks were found be to 80% less than previous estimates. The inflation rose to 7.55% despite all efforts to contain it by the RBI. The only positive news for the bourses was the decision by the Greek Govt. to remain in the European Union. However the stock markets took this bevy of bad news in their stride.

The FIIs continued their investments to the tune of $117 million during the month. Despite the volatility, both sensex and nifty continue to move above their 50-DMA and 200-DMA (day moving average). This shows positive trend.

The sensex continued its sideways movement with a positive bias, showing a bullish trend. The short term view of sensex remains positive and the next targets are 17343, 17467 and 17780. There is likely to be a strong resistance around 17500 and investors should watch their steps in this region. The short term trend will remain positive as long as the sensex trades above 16550. A breach of this level means that the index can move lower to 16400 and then to 16245.If the index goes below 16200 it will the starting of a down trend and it can pull down the index to even 15135.

Similarly, the nifty is also in a positive trend and the index may move up to 5270 or 5301 in the near term. There is a strong resistance at 5300.If this level breaks it can move to 5406.Only a

move below 5030 will make the trend negative. Subsequent supports will be at 4980 and 4930. If 4930 is breached it will imply that long term down trend has resumed and then the downward targets are 4658 and 4588.

Investors should be cautious and make investments during declines in regions mentioned above. They should track their investments constantly as the markets are remaining volatile. However investments in blue chips will keep the risk to minimum. As this is the time for dividend payments, it will be prudent to invest in high dividend paying companies. All “navaratna” companies make good dividend payments.

Wishing all a very good investment season, KNC