Water Scarcity in Tamilnadu is Scary!

WATER SCARCITY IN TAMIL NADU

Tamil nadu (TN) has less of water and much scarcity of the same.

This will soon lead TN to become a desert if corrective steps are not taken.

These steps are not only the duty on part of the government, but also of every citizen. 

All of us have to be aware of the shortage of water and the corrective steps to avert disaster in TN.

The reasons for shortage of water in TN are many. A few are outlined as below:

• ·         Rainfall Jan to April in Tamil Nadu is only 15.52 percent of the normal.
• ·         So ground water table is reduced to a deficit of 84.48 percent
• ·         Water level in the major reservoirs are drastically reduced
• ·         Storage capacity of water tanks are reduced considerably and should be desilted.
• ·         Systems of water bodies also need major repairs in maintenance.
• ·         Lack of trees and soil erosion are important reasons for water scarcity

The problems of water shortage are many. Some of them are:

• ·         Agriculture is most affected by water scarcity.
• ·         No water and the crops die.
• ·         People cannot and should not rely on rain all the time
• ·         Water in ground level is insufficient for use by people      

Preventive steps to avert disaster in TN at the home level:

·         Water conservation. Use water with caution and don’t squander it

·         ‘Rain water harvesting’ allows rain water to fall directly on the ground

·         Fallen rain water raises ground level water. Every house should do this.

Preventive steps to avert disaster in TN at the government level:

·         Roads and houses not to be elevated more to avoid erosion of water to lower zones

·          Planting of the trees prevent evaporation of water due to sun

·          In flats remove the cement and change it for sand – so the water reaches ground

·          State government should use satellite images to find underground water

·         Celebrate March 22 World Water Day in a big way to create awareness among public

·         University research,competitions,incentives-to use science to prevent water erosion

·         Educate younger generation on prevention,after all they are going to inherit the earth from us.

“A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure”  - Justice Holmes

DILEMMA

Dilemma

Dilemma by definition is 

‘a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially ones that are equally undesirable.’

Though common in adolescence, one often experiences ‘dilemma’ in most phases of life.

It may be a question of  

‘Should I become a business man or a university professor?’

‘Should I marry or remain single in life?’ or

‘Should I change my job or start my own enterprise?’

So, depending on our culture and personality, some remain confused. Some folks ask all around for advice. Some resort to divine intervention by asking religious heads.

Some people take advice from friends, parents and relatives.

The best person to decide is you – as there is no one other than you who knows the whole truth.

Rubber Band Model is useful to decide. What is pulling me to the right  (PROS) and what is pulling me to the left (CONS)?

It is best to put the Pros and Cons on a piece of paper and sleep over it before deciding. 

Sometimes you have to take a quick decision and sometimes a slow one.

“A peacefulness follows any decision, even the wrong one” – Rita Moe Brown

WHERE ARE YOU NOW ?

 WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

‘The old people tell you what they were doing; the young people tell you what they are doing. Only fools tell you what they are going to do.”

As the book of life has unfolded another chapter 2017, it is a sobering thought to be alive and kicking. I remember with gratitude the fellowship of friends, patients well-wishers and relatives who made my life worthwhile.

I am very grateful for the arrival of the new grandson in the family who dictates life at home.

As a child I have always loved the song ‘Que sera sera- Whatever will be will be’  sung by Doris Day. A little girl asking her mother what she will be- and the mother replying that 'whatever will be will be'. The girl then grows up to be a mother and her children ask her the same question!

But when it comes to work situation, we have ups and downs. Many of our work situations involve decisions and these depend on our experiences. Experience is related to knowledge and results of our past actions (good and bad). This is true be it a bus driver, cricketer or surgeon.

Reminiscing in the past – either gloating or regretting varies in different communities, cultures and regions.

How much you are thinking about the past and the future .... affects what you do in the present. Are you concentrating enough at the present on the work at hand ? ….is the main issue.

There are 3 examples of cultural divisions of nostalgic - Europe, dream - driven USA and reality - driven industrious Asia.

Examples also apply to if you wish to live in the past thoughts, live in the dreamy future or live in the reality of the present!

Live in the present and be reality driven

To reminisce in the past

Or live in the dreamy future

“You cannot change the past. But you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.”

A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017 TO YOU!

BEING HAPPY

BEING HAPPY

Everyone wants to be happy.

Maybe your new year 2017 resolution is to be happy ; even if it isn’t, you would still want to be happy!

Many factors making one ‘apparently happy’ are beyond our destiny & control -  such as health, money, power, beauty, status, etc.

But we can control some factors which give us much happiness and satisfaction.

The general principles governing these happy factors are:

• ·        Activity should be of our own choosing
• ·        Activity should not be over-challenging (burnout) or under-challenging (bore)
• ·        Intensely focused activity
• ·        There should be clear aim or objective
• ·        And preferably immediate feedback!

When we think of activities we love, we lose sense of time and ourselves in it. Like musicians practicing a song, like surgeons operating, like sportsmen competing – to name a few.

Activity should not be too challenging ( burnout) ; nor too easy ( boring)!

Also happiness is to enjoy what you do.

Happiness on TVs and advertisements is associated with relaxation on a beach with beer and food - NOT TRUE!

Happiness can be sweating it out on a jog, cycling, mountaineering or trying out some difficult music!

ANALYZING YOUR DECISIONS ! STAY FOCUSED!

ANALYZING YOUR DECISIONS !  STAY FOCUSED!!

“ The things we fear most in organizations are – fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances – which are the primary sources of creativity” Margaret Wheatly.

SWOT ANALYSIS : Strengh, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats

  

Do SWOT analysis in your project. It is based on Stanford University study on Fortune 500 companies.

This showed 35% discrepancies in what the companies’ objectives were and what was actually done.

This study clarifies what you do when you deviate from your aims.

This study helps to maximize your projects personal and in business with equal success.

Stay in focus!

Working Efficiently!

WORKING EFFICIENTLY

‘Most urgent decisions are rarely the most important ones’

'BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

BUT NEVER LATE IS BETTER!!

Whatever workload lands up with you, classify into IMPORTANT (or NOT) / URGENT (or NOT).

US President Dwight D Eisenhower used to follow this model of working efficiently.

Warren Buffet the multimillionaire had a different system of efficiently working.

• He used to make a list of everything to be done. 

• Begin at the top of the list and finish at the bottom! 

• Cross off when you finish each job!
• 
  

Though it is easy to procrastinate,

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

BUT NEVER LATE IS BETTER!!

Exercise and Sudden Death

Exercise and Sudden Death

                  

We exercise to prolong life and to remain fit. Now and then we hear of football players who die on the fields.These are young professionals who train hard and yet they die suddenly on the field.

There is yet another group of middle aged men who train for marathons or lift weights. Frederick Montz, David Nagey, or Jeffrey Williams, three brilliant physicians at Johns Hopkins University who died while running. The oldest of the three was 51.

One of the things on my bucket list was to run a marathon which I trained and did when I was 50 years of age. I ran 2 others before my wife put an end to it by saying it was going to kill me one of these days.

Thomas Bassler, M.D., went so far as to say that anyone who could finish a marathon in less than 4 hours could not have serious heart problems. He conducted a study on 14 marathoners who had died of cardiovascular disease, and concluded that all were malnourished.

Marathon runners are fit guys who have to exercise regularly if they need to complete in 4 hours. But now no one believes that endurance training confers immunity.

"I think the risk is inescapable, and it's bigger than we're letting on," says Paul Thompson, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and a researcher who studies sudden death and exercise.

Dr. Thompson's studies showed that 10 percent of the heart attacks treated were exercise related. "Those heart attacks tend to be in people who aren't fit," he says. "But that doesn't mean that's the only group that gets it, unfortunately. There are these very fit guys who go out for a run and drop dead

According to an often-cited 1982 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine:

·         One death per 17,000 men who exercise vigorously 1 to 19 minutes a week

·         One death per 23,000 men who exercise vigorously 20 to 139 minutes a week

·         One death per 13,000 men who exercise vigorously 140 or more minutes a week

·         Regular exercise reduces the risk of sudden death in persons with latent coronary artery disease; but increases the risk of sudden death during exercise for those with heart disease that predisposes to sudden death

Heart diseases  with exercise associated sudden death are coronary artery disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Less common cardiac disorders leading to sudden death in athletes include anomalous origin of the coronary arteries, aortic rupture associated with Marfan's syndrome, myocarditis, mitral valve prolapse and various arrhythmias.

"The person who's at greatest risk of an exercise death is the person with known or hidden coronary artery disease who is habitually sedentary all year round," says Franklin.

You don't need to turn into a marathoner.But you should work out frequently; many studies have shown that the overall amount of time you spend up and moving matters is worth it.

Some endurance exercise is fine, if you like it. Strength training is probably more than fine ; it specifically prepares your body for the shock of sudden, strenuous exertion which is most likely to kill you if your body isn't ready for it.

But any time you exercise strenuously, on the road or in the squat rack, you're taking on a small risk of a big problem. "It's like investing in the stock market," says Dr. Thompson. "You're putting your money down, looking for a long-term gain. But you could put your money in WorldCom and lose it all. There's a risk to everything."