FROM THE EDITOR

Leading economists including Nobel Laureates lavished praise on the 42-year old French man Thomas Piketty for his magnum opus lsquoCapital in the 21st Centuryrsquo published in March2014 A few scholars have questioned the data and assumptions That he is a leading expert on income inequality will be conceded and the impact of his book will be deep and long lasting according to the veterans Lineage has just tried to attract the reader to this topic Suhair has contributed an excellent analysis on Edison and his study of three tech-savvy politicians ndash Abdulla Panda and Tharoor ndash is hilarious Automation and robotics in farming cannot be dismissed as just pipe dream the extra mouths crying to be fed in 2050 will be a nightmare The two 2014 AGMs provided an atmosphere of camaraderie and jubilation at the two northern district headquarters We always supported RE and the National Geographic article looks like a basic reader on Tidal energy Sasidharan is an adorable part of Lineage The Winton story is incredible LINEAGE salutes all contributors and readers

KEDamodaran Nayanar

OBITUARY Dear Engineers With heartfelt sorrow I may inform you that Er CP Assainar Deputy Chief Engineer (Retired) Balussery passed away on 23614 He was admitted in hospital Calicut on the previous day following chest pain but could not survive He was an active and sincere member of the Engineersrsquo Association during his official days A soft spoken gentleman Assainar had attended the last Association AGM at Calicut on 01062014 May his soul rest in peace

Ramachandran Kozhikode

TOP

Innovate Systematically-Lessons from Thomas Edison

Successful managers do not merely sit around waiting for brilliant ideas to occur to them they

work methodically Thomas Alva Edison (1847ndash1931) showed us how to innovate systematically

When one of Edisonrsquos assistants went to see him feeling somewhat dejected after numerous

experiments had not produced the desired result the tireless inventor retorted ldquoListen I

conducted 50000 experiments to invent a new battery The fact that those 50000 possibilities do

not work is a great resultrdquo Not without reason is Edison attributed with the insight that ldquoGenius

is 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspirationrdquo

Edison was the archetypal inventor In his lifetime he registered over 1200 patents the first

when just 21 years old and the last at the ripe old age of 81 Edison was self-taught attended

school for only three months and started working when he was 12 During his lifetime he

developed more than 2000 appliances and processes Most people think of Edison as the man who

invented the light bulb but that is not actually the case The light bulb was invented roughly 25

years before Edison popularized it by the precision engineer Heinrich Goebel who had used one

to illuminate his New York workshop since 1854 What Edison invented was city illumination

which is something quite different but definitely more significant bearing in mind the benefits to

its users Edison succeeded in making the breakthrough to mass production That was his

achievement And his systematic approach to innovation was legendary

What can Edison teach us Well innovative managers know that innovation is sparked by an idea

But instead of suppressing ldquocrazyrdquo ideas effective managers ask themselves ldquoWhat would it take

to turn this crazy idea into something sensible something that constitutes an opportunity for usrdquo

So while there is no shortage of ideas the true challenge lies in applying them Most ideas will

turn out not to be worth following up For this reason you and your colleagues and employees

should seriously ask yourselves this question ldquoWhat do we need to find out learn and do before

committing ourselves to putting this idea into practicerdquo In so doing focus your attention on

really essential innovations rather than striving for small changes and minor improvements

Edison carried out 6000 experiments before finding the right filament for his light bulb All the

time what kept him going was a single big idea Remember too that big and small aspects are

not at all mutually exclusive No doubt it was recognition of this fact that prompted Edison to ask

his engineers and scientists ldquoto invent something small every 10 days and something big every 6

monthsrdquo

Even if you reliably spot opportunities for innovation and take excellent steps to make practical

use of them errors of judgment are bound to occur So bear in mind what Edison said in 1926

shortly before one innovation achieved its worldwide breakthrough ldquoI have determined that there

is no market for talking picturesrdquo

(Contributed by A Suhair)

FEEDBACK

Surprised to receive Lineage well in advance this month Cover is graceful and there are a lot of things to read Thanks for the great efforts of the team

Best Suhair

TOP 2

Twitters hilarious trio

ASuhair

The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir A Member of Parliament A former Union Minister - the combined humor of Omar Abdullah Baijayant Jay Panda and Shashi Tharoor on Twitter has countered the dullness that normally besets Indias veteran politicians after years in office

Abdullah 44 is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and was one of Indias youngest Chief Ministers when he was sworn in He has an illustrious background with generations of wizened politicians in his family yet the occasionally acerbic and always straight-shooting Abdullah is often hilarious on Twitter where he has over 500000 followers

On a day his flight was delayed he tweeted Ive stuck my head out of the window and imitated a siren but none of the planes ahead of me seem to get the message I could actually imagine him doing that In a country where politics is defined by seniority politicians who can dare to be seen as goofy to a young upwardly mobile middle class audience online are a rare breed

Abdullah with Tharoor and Panda form a deadly Twitter trio that alternately charms and annoys their followers with one liners insights quips and straight-faced sarcasm often leaving their staid senior colleagues bewildered

On the day Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in and his Cabinet decided Tharoor who is himself a former Minister of State advised the would be MoS Being MoS is like standing in a cemetery -- theres a lot of people under you but no one is listening I believe not many were amused But the articulate Tharoor 58 who was a former Under Secretary General at the United Nations has often rued that his humor falls flat in a space dominated by cronies and paid hate groups He tweeted to a television journalist Most reactions to my attempts at Twitter wit only convince me that most Indians neither have nor appreciate a sense of humor

Abdullah and Panda seem to have no such reservations They bluntly say whats on their minds and express strong opinions on a wide variety of subjects ranging from football to cinema Abdullahs tweets often mock Indias culture of elitism

I even called Air Traffic Control and said tum ko nahin maloom main kaun hoon aur kisko janta hoon even that didnt work -(( fog he tweeted poking fun at Delhis infamous politics of clout

Panda 50 who is a pilot and is fond of adventure sports in addition to being a Member of Parliament from the Biju Janata Dal party from Kendrapara in Odisha boldly goes where most of his colleagues wont - mocking one of his own On the day of swearing in Panda tweeted some at the swearing in had facial expressions like hostages

Abdullah on the other hand is raising important Constitutional policy issues that have the potential to affect the lives of hundreds of lawmakers Why is it the order of things to sit on a chair draped with a towel in Government offices Are the chairs not clean Do the towels hide stains he is asking The tweet came after his brutally honest confession He loves Master Chef Australia

Abdullah Tharoor and Panda who use social media extensively to directly reach a young electorate know its limitations Sometimes their tweets backfire Often they are attacked by users who feel offended by the opinions they express Sometimes they go overboard But they have to be credited with constantly pushing the boundaries of a politician stereotype and countering vitriol with humor

------

TOP 3

LAUGH GENDER RIVALRY

One day Adam is talking to God and he asks God Ive been wondering Why did you make

Eve so pretty

God replies Because I wanted you to like her

Then Adam asks But why did you make her so stupid

God answers Because I wanted her to like you

WHO IS DUMB

A week after I married a young couple at the church the priest received the following thank

you note from the bridegroom Dear Reverend I want to thank you for the beautiful way you

brought my happiness to a conclusion

(Contributed by ASuhair)

More LAUGH - Readers Digest

Springtime smell

I had spent the late winter months waiting impatiently for signs of spring When the first warm sunny day arrived I eagerly unlocked the storm door and stepped on to our patio deck I was pleased by the sight of green sprouts and the sound of singing birds More than anything else I delighted in the sweet aroma of the spring air Knocking on the kitchen window I beckoned to my wife to join me in enjoying the pleasures of the season She quickly brought me back to earth when she reminded me that I was standing over the drying vent inhaling the scent of fabric softener

Paternal payback On the day I received the Learnerrsquos licence my father agreed to take me on a driving lesson With a big grin he hopped behind the driverrsquos seat ldquoWhy arenrsquot you sitting upfront on the passengerrsquos siderdquo I asked lsquoMy dear I have been waiting for this ever since you were a little girlrdquo Dad replied ldquoNow it is my turn to sit here and kick the seatrdquo

Going by the numbers My father was completely lost in the kitchen and never ate unless someone prepared a meal for him When mother was ill however he volunteered to go to the super market for her She sent him off with a carefully numbered list of seven items Dad returned shortly and proceeded to unpack the grocery bags He had one bag of sugar two dozen eggs three hams four boxes of detergent five boxes of crackers six egg plants and seven green peppers

Spring fever One spring day I was taking the roll at the college ldquoCindy wonrsquot be here in the afternoonrdquo I asked ldquoShe went home to lay in the sunrdquo a young girl in the front row answered Trying to correct her grammar without embarrassing her before the class I whispered ldquoLierdquo ldquoOkayrdquo she replied in astonishment ldquoCindy got sick and went homerdquo

TOP 4

INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY ldquoCapital in the 21st Centuryrdquo - a book published by Thomas Piketty created waves among academia media and social activists Economists all over the world were affected by what is described as Pikettymania Piketty is acclaimed as the worldrsquos leading expert on income and wealth inequality He has tried to prove that there is a growing concentration of income in the hands of a small economic elite He argues that we are on the way back to patrimonial capitalism in which the commanding heights of economy are dominated not just by wealth but also by inherited wealth in which birth matters more than effort and talent Only children of richer parents could afford the cost of education in elite Universities Likewise there is also social filtering in the job market

60 of the wealthiest are already heirs - not self-made entrepreneurs Piketty foresees the risk of a drift towards oligarchy lsquoThe history of inequality is shaped by the way economic social and political actors viewed what is just and what is not as well as the relative power of those actions and the collective choices that resultrsquo Earlier the economists argued that there are many automatic stabilizers to correct the growing destabilizing and egalitarian forces Income differences if at all could arise only due to ethnic cultural or skill endowments This faith served as

an anodyne to salvage the conscience of economists and policy makers including those in IMF World Bank It served to ward off criticism against capitalism Piketty proved that the rate of return of capital has been between 4 and 5 while the growth was lower between 1 and 2 Income inequality gets aggravated by the saving and investment habits of the rich They save more they earn more through their capacity to invest by dodging taxes etc ldquoCapital reproduces itself faster than the output increases The past devours the futurerdquo Piketty is highly critical of executive compensation which led to extreme inequality in the recent years especially since 2008 He ridicules the lsquoillusion of marginal productivityrsquo on which huge payments are determined In large corporations it is impossible to assess the contribution of individual executives The managements follow the herd or the ongoing social norms followed in sister (rival) corporations and approve large packets The demand for higher compensation grew louder after tax rates were lowered This is double jeopardy for income distribution The Government favors the interests of rich over those of ordinary families Tax relief went not to high salary earners they were given to large estates A person living solely off inherited wealth would owe no tax at all Wealth has the upper hand over wages and salaries The dominance of income from capital more often inherited over salary- of wealth over work- Piketty calls Patrimonial capitalism The horror that haunts him is that if these trends continue there is a looming prospect of the emergence of ldquoPatrimonial Capitalismrdquo

Where much modern writing about economics is cloaked in impenetrable jargon Piketty is not afraid to

draw on literature and popular culture to make his points Quentin Tarantino gets a mention as does the

film Titanic He likes Balzac and Jane Austen he knows his Elizabeth Bennet from his Lady Mary

That said it is still a book about economics and many readers will find it hard going when they get to the

sections on the Cobb-Douglas production function and the marginal productivity of capital Like Adam

Smiths The Wealth of Nations and Maynard Keyness General Theory it is a tome that will be more

quoted from than read right through

The gist of Pikettys book is simple Returns to capital are rising faster than economies are growing The wealthy are getting wealthier while everybody else is struggling Inequality will widen to the point where it becomes unsustainable ndash both politically and economically ndash unless action is taken to redistribute income and wealth Piketty favours a graduated wealth tax and 80 income tax for those on the highest salaries (Source Krugman New York Times Guardian Subrahmanian Hindu)

TOP 5

Happenings Senior Engineers Kozhikode The monthly meeting of Senior Engineers Kozhikode was held on 140614 1030 am at the Calicut Towers Er AChandran presided over In his presidential remarks he explained the developments in the last month affecting retired Engineers The meeting observed one minute silence in memory of Ers Madhusoodanan Nair (Thiruvananthapuram) and EP Padmanabhan (Kannur) who passed away last week

The Annual General Body of the Engineersrsquo Association was held at Kozhikode on June 1st The

arrangements were extremely good and the meeting congratulated the Calicut unit for the

successfully organizing the meet The Chairman entrusted Er MK Sudhakaran to convey the

pleasure of Senior Engineers to the concerned

Er Krishnanunni explained the news from pensioners meet held at Kannur last month Er

Radhakrishnan then commented on the pathetic condition of Mavoor Road consequent to the laying

of sewage pipe Er AVKrishnanunni read out the Lineage June The meeting ended at 3 pm after

lunch

-Ramachandran

Senior Engineers Kannur The Kannur Unit held their meeting on 10th June Er CBalakrishnan presided The president paid

homage to late Er EP Padmanabhan The assembly observed one-minute silence in honor of the

departed colleague Rich tributes were paid by members who reminisced about their three

decade-long association with a loving friend who cheered everyone with out-spoken comments

intelligent suggestions and voluntary help whenever occasion demanded A condolence

resolution was moved and passed The meeting was dispersed without transacting any other

business

Nayanar

Pensionersrsquo Association

The Annual General body Meeting of KSEB Pensionersrsquo Association was conducted at Kannur

on May 30-31 The organizers had made

elaborate arrangements for a spectacular

show of unity and strength The guests

were literally pampered with all the

comforts possible under the

circumstances The presence or otherwise

of VIPs went unnoticed while the old folks

were busy renewing bonds of relationship

with former service colleagues

The seminar session was remarkable with

eloquence by reputed speakers and

leaders The innocent remark - ldquoour

apprehension remainsrdquo by MKP after the

theme paper was presented sparked off

an excellent 40-minute absorbing and

often funny exposition by Sri

Raghunathan Nair which resonated in the hall and hit listeners with considerable impact

Nayanar

TOP 6

KSEB Engineersrsquo Association It was the turn of Kozhikode to host the Annual General body Meeting on June 01The events were

organized with great care and thought

The presence of the Hon Minister was

reassuring and his words were received

with a measure of cheer

The seminar was noted for a couple of

excellent presentations The Chairman

who delivered the key-note address

chose to highlight the sustainability part

of the theme title and wondered what

the Engineering fraternity could

contribute towards influencing the

Public opinion and making the people

shed the anti-KSEB posture and

assume a pro-KSEB attitude The best

and perhaps the only attempt to explain the limited options and possible road map for sustainability

came from Professor Saji Gopinath It was unfortunate that he had to rush through his erudite paper

due to time constraints as rightly pointed out by the moderator Professor Mohandas

The arrangements at the venue were praiseworthy The part played by the senior Engineers from the

unit in the efforts to make the occasion a memorable one to the delegates was laudable

-Nayanar

Brazil 2014 World Cup

Over the years the Brazilians have given us players that are routinely rated as the best in the world and of course given the game arguably the greatest player ever to have lived Edson Arantes du Nascimento or Pele as we know him best If you look through the annals of Brazilian Internationals it reads like a whorsquos who of footballing greats From Gerson Garrincha Rivelino and Jarzinho in the 50rsquos 60rsquos and 70rsquos to Socrates and Zico in the 80rsquos In more recent times we have enjoyed the skill of Romario Ronaldo Rivaldo and of late Ronaldinho Kaka and Adriano All of these players at their peaks would waltz into a world XI Its not as though theyrsquove had a few stars in the sides over the years but full squads of players that other international coaches would dream of having in their starting elevens

Having great individuals does not always make a great side but the Brazilians have won more World Cups than any other nation They stand at 5 wins with Italy in 2nd place with four But theyrsquove also played in a number of finals where theyrsquove been beaten most recently in 1998 against the host nation France Winning however isnrsquot the only thing itrsquos winning with style that matters to Brazilians The World Cup win in 1994 was a triumph but was not won in Brazilian attacking flair and flamboyance

TOP 7

The 1982 side of Zico and Socrates that were foiled by Italy probably bring more of a misty eyed response than the side that were victorious in the USA

The 2014 finals will be a celebration of football The fans will embrace it and produce a carnival of colour noise and passion that the local people are already world famous for It will be a fantastic world cup to travel to and see how the Brazilians party It will have been 64 years since the last world cup was held in Brazil and those who were alive to see it will hope that it doesnrsquot end the same way The hosts were beaten in the final by South American rivals Uruguay Anything less than a win will send the country into mourning but a victory will spark the biggest party Brazil has ever seen and that in itself would be saying something

SyOcirczU S^-Ls] Wu]acuteV f]q]yumlO vqOETH KqO vŸUacute vŸ]jaOfrac34V Oatilde]frac34]q]pOETH oPETHV

vQEgrave-OacuteLRq WordmO fLa] jqyumlV Avwf SfLETH]umlOETH AvRq WordmSOtildeLyen hp SfLETH] IIacuteL Cv]Ra Wordm]ŸV v]wumlOETHORordmETHV SfLETHOETHO vŸ]curren vETHLcurren vsaeligfOU fqLU WPŸfrac34]curren NkLpU WPa]p vQEgravecent vŸ]curren BeOdegtLRqEuml]sOoOSordmL Csaelig kOrfrac34V SkLp]q]umlOETHO IEuml]curren `degyen vqOETH]saelig vŸUacute vŸ]SsumlV SkLp] RRvWOSETHqU niexclfrac34LvV vETHSOtildeLyen WLq|U kracuteO wq] `Lcent vETH]Rsaelig AvSqLaV vqLcent kqrpP Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] vQEgraveRq WordmO ASCcedilzU vETH]ŸOordmV j]degRt vŸ]SsumlV WPŸ]RWLordmOSkLWLjLeV `Lcent vETHfV vQEgraveq]curren NkLpoOccedilpLyen k racuteO `degyen KETH]yumlV Kq]umlsOU vq]saelig AAcircOfSfrac34LRaLOtildeU yUwpvOU SfLETH]p vŸUacute ARfIacuteL vQEgravecent KqLRt Pordm] kracuteO CpLyen yOgravefrac34V oSatildepLyen v]^-pU `Lcent SyOcirczU `degt]sLqV vqeRoETHV niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV SLh]yumlV vqP AvqfOSkLRs vŸ]curren RETHV Wq|degyen niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV kracuteO ApLyenumlV qyU SfLETH] IIacute]jV yUwp]umleU yOgravefrac34]SjLaV vqLcent krpP yOgravefrac34V vETHLcurren Cj]pOccedil WLsU yOXoLp] ^-v]umlLoSsaeligL nLq| yUacutef]yuml]saelig IIacuteORWLordmV v]^-pRfrac34 v]t]yumlO WPaL ^-v]ffrac34]curren v]^-poLReRsaeligL Bvw|U oOr]pORa orOnLYfrac34]qOETHV oWRpound nLq| CRfsaeligLU egraveEgrave]umlOETHOordmLp]qOETHO Avyen La]RpuOSETHatildeV kracuteO j]degyen qordmO SkSqLaOU Ij]umlV SpL^-]Otilde]saelig SyOcirczSfrac34pLeV v]t]SumlordmfV Cv]aU SyOcirczU RWLordmV j]rpRŸ wq] oqOoWtORa An]NkLpofLReEuml]curren j SkLp] SyOcirczSfrac34LaV vqLcent krpO Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] AvSqLaV SLh]yumlO Cf]sLqLeV SyOcirczU IRpound WPRa Ag]f]pLp] vSETHLtO SyOcirczU AvqORa WPRa kOrROtildeŸO WPŸfrac34]curren oatildeO qordmV SkqOU `Lcent SyOcirczfrac34]SjLaLeV vqLcent kracutefV oatildeV qordmV SkRqIacute]jLeV vqOETHfV NkLpoOccedilpLyen kracuteO yOgravefrac34]SjSpL v]^-pfrac34]SjSpL Bp]qOETHO j]degyen v]t]yuml]qORETHEuml]curren oatildeV qordmV Skiexcl kOrfrac34V j]currenumlOU IETHLcurren SyOcirczU SkLWOETH]afrac34V oatildeV qordmV SkqOU SkLWOU

Iv]Ra SyOcirczoOSordmL Av]Ra yOgravefrac34OU v]^-pvOU WPRapOordmLWOU (yOgraveLhWcent ww] Wsup1Piexcl)

TOP 8

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

Twitters hilarious trio

ASuhair

The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir A Member of Parliament A former Union Minister - the combined humor of Omar Abdullah Baijayant Jay Panda and Shashi Tharoor on Twitter has countered the dullness that normally besets Indias veteran politicians after years in office

Abdullah 44 is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and was one of Indias youngest Chief Ministers when he was sworn in He has an illustrious background with generations of wizened politicians in his family yet the occasionally acerbic and always straight-shooting Abdullah is often hilarious on Twitter where he has over 500000 followers

On a day his flight was delayed he tweeted Ive stuck my head out of the window and imitated a siren but none of the planes ahead of me seem to get the message I could actually imagine him doing that In a country where politics is defined by seniority politicians who can dare to be seen as goofy to a young upwardly mobile middle class audience online are a rare breed

Abdullah with Tharoor and Panda form a deadly Twitter trio that alternately charms and annoys their followers with one liners insights quips and straight-faced sarcasm often leaving their staid senior colleagues bewildered

On the day Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in and his Cabinet decided Tharoor who is himself a former Minister of State advised the would be MoS Being MoS is like standing in a cemetery -- theres a lot of people under you but no one is listening I believe not many were amused But the articulate Tharoor 58 who was a former Under Secretary General at the United Nations has often rued that his humor falls flat in a space dominated by cronies and paid hate groups He tweeted to a television journalist Most reactions to my attempts at Twitter wit only convince me that most Indians neither have nor appreciate a sense of humor

Abdullah and Panda seem to have no such reservations They bluntly say whats on their minds and express strong opinions on a wide variety of subjects ranging from football to cinema Abdullahs tweets often mock Indias culture of elitism

I even called Air Traffic Control and said tum ko nahin maloom main kaun hoon aur kisko janta hoon even that didnt work -(( fog he tweeted poking fun at Delhis infamous politics of clout

Panda 50 who is a pilot and is fond of adventure sports in addition to being a Member of Parliament from the Biju Janata Dal party from Kendrapara in Odisha boldly goes where most of his colleagues wont - mocking one of his own On the day of swearing in Panda tweeted some at the swearing in had facial expressions like hostages

Abdullah on the other hand is raising important Constitutional policy issues that have the potential to affect the lives of hundreds of lawmakers Why is it the order of things to sit on a chair draped with a towel in Government offices Are the chairs not clean Do the towels hide stains he is asking The tweet came after his brutally honest confession He loves Master Chef Australia

Abdullah Tharoor and Panda who use social media extensively to directly reach a young electorate know its limitations Sometimes their tweets backfire Often they are attacked by users who feel offended by the opinions they express Sometimes they go overboard But they have to be credited with constantly pushing the boundaries of a politician stereotype and countering vitriol with humor

------

TOP 3

LAUGH GENDER RIVALRY

One day Adam is talking to God and he asks God Ive been wondering Why did you make

Eve so pretty

God replies Because I wanted you to like her

Then Adam asks But why did you make her so stupid

God answers Because I wanted her to like you

WHO IS DUMB

A week after I married a young couple at the church the priest received the following thank

you note from the bridegroom Dear Reverend I want to thank you for the beautiful way you

brought my happiness to a conclusion

(Contributed by ASuhair)

More LAUGH - Readers Digest

Springtime smell

I had spent the late winter months waiting impatiently for signs of spring When the first warm sunny day arrived I eagerly unlocked the storm door and stepped on to our patio deck I was pleased by the sight of green sprouts and the sound of singing birds More than anything else I delighted in the sweet aroma of the spring air Knocking on the kitchen window I beckoned to my wife to join me in enjoying the pleasures of the season She quickly brought me back to earth when she reminded me that I was standing over the drying vent inhaling the scent of fabric softener

Paternal payback On the day I received the Learnerrsquos licence my father agreed to take me on a driving lesson With a big grin he hopped behind the driverrsquos seat ldquoWhy arenrsquot you sitting upfront on the passengerrsquos siderdquo I asked lsquoMy dear I have been waiting for this ever since you were a little girlrdquo Dad replied ldquoNow it is my turn to sit here and kick the seatrdquo

Going by the numbers My father was completely lost in the kitchen and never ate unless someone prepared a meal for him When mother was ill however he volunteered to go to the super market for her She sent him off with a carefully numbered list of seven items Dad returned shortly and proceeded to unpack the grocery bags He had one bag of sugar two dozen eggs three hams four boxes of detergent five boxes of crackers six egg plants and seven green peppers

Spring fever One spring day I was taking the roll at the college ldquoCindy wonrsquot be here in the afternoonrdquo I asked ldquoShe went home to lay in the sunrdquo a young girl in the front row answered Trying to correct her grammar without embarrassing her before the class I whispered ldquoLierdquo ldquoOkayrdquo she replied in astonishment ldquoCindy got sick and went homerdquo

TOP 4

INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY ldquoCapital in the 21st Centuryrdquo - a book published by Thomas Piketty created waves among academia media and social activists Economists all over the world were affected by what is described as Pikettymania Piketty is acclaimed as the worldrsquos leading expert on income and wealth inequality He has tried to prove that there is a growing concentration of income in the hands of a small economic elite He argues that we are on the way back to patrimonial capitalism in which the commanding heights of economy are dominated not just by wealth but also by inherited wealth in which birth matters more than effort and talent Only children of richer parents could afford the cost of education in elite Universities Likewise there is also social filtering in the job market

60 of the wealthiest are already heirs - not self-made entrepreneurs Piketty foresees the risk of a drift towards oligarchy lsquoThe history of inequality is shaped by the way economic social and political actors viewed what is just and what is not as well as the relative power of those actions and the collective choices that resultrsquo Earlier the economists argued that there are many automatic stabilizers to correct the growing destabilizing and egalitarian forces Income differences if at all could arise only due to ethnic cultural or skill endowments This faith served as

an anodyne to salvage the conscience of economists and policy makers including those in IMF World Bank It served to ward off criticism against capitalism Piketty proved that the rate of return of capital has been between 4 and 5 while the growth was lower between 1 and 2 Income inequality gets aggravated by the saving and investment habits of the rich They save more they earn more through their capacity to invest by dodging taxes etc ldquoCapital reproduces itself faster than the output increases The past devours the futurerdquo Piketty is highly critical of executive compensation which led to extreme inequality in the recent years especially since 2008 He ridicules the lsquoillusion of marginal productivityrsquo on which huge payments are determined In large corporations it is impossible to assess the contribution of individual executives The managements follow the herd or the ongoing social norms followed in sister (rival) corporations and approve large packets The demand for higher compensation grew louder after tax rates were lowered This is double jeopardy for income distribution The Government favors the interests of rich over those of ordinary families Tax relief went not to high salary earners they were given to large estates A person living solely off inherited wealth would owe no tax at all Wealth has the upper hand over wages and salaries The dominance of income from capital more often inherited over salary- of wealth over work- Piketty calls Patrimonial capitalism The horror that haunts him is that if these trends continue there is a looming prospect of the emergence of ldquoPatrimonial Capitalismrdquo

Where much modern writing about economics is cloaked in impenetrable jargon Piketty is not afraid to

draw on literature and popular culture to make his points Quentin Tarantino gets a mention as does the

film Titanic He likes Balzac and Jane Austen he knows his Elizabeth Bennet from his Lady Mary

That said it is still a book about economics and many readers will find it hard going when they get to the

sections on the Cobb-Douglas production function and the marginal productivity of capital Like Adam

Smiths The Wealth of Nations and Maynard Keyness General Theory it is a tome that will be more

quoted from than read right through

The gist of Pikettys book is simple Returns to capital are rising faster than economies are growing The wealthy are getting wealthier while everybody else is struggling Inequality will widen to the point where it becomes unsustainable ndash both politically and economically ndash unless action is taken to redistribute income and wealth Piketty favours a graduated wealth tax and 80 income tax for those on the highest salaries (Source Krugman New York Times Guardian Subrahmanian Hindu)

TOP 5

Happenings Senior Engineers Kozhikode The monthly meeting of Senior Engineers Kozhikode was held on 140614 1030 am at the Calicut Towers Er AChandran presided over In his presidential remarks he explained the developments in the last month affecting retired Engineers The meeting observed one minute silence in memory of Ers Madhusoodanan Nair (Thiruvananthapuram) and EP Padmanabhan (Kannur) who passed away last week

The Annual General Body of the Engineersrsquo Association was held at Kozhikode on June 1st The

arrangements were extremely good and the meeting congratulated the Calicut unit for the

successfully organizing the meet The Chairman entrusted Er MK Sudhakaran to convey the

pleasure of Senior Engineers to the concerned

Er Krishnanunni explained the news from pensioners meet held at Kannur last month Er

Radhakrishnan then commented on the pathetic condition of Mavoor Road consequent to the laying

of sewage pipe Er AVKrishnanunni read out the Lineage June The meeting ended at 3 pm after

lunch

-Ramachandran

Senior Engineers Kannur The Kannur Unit held their meeting on 10th June Er CBalakrishnan presided The president paid

homage to late Er EP Padmanabhan The assembly observed one-minute silence in honor of the

departed colleague Rich tributes were paid by members who reminisced about their three

decade-long association with a loving friend who cheered everyone with out-spoken comments

intelligent suggestions and voluntary help whenever occasion demanded A condolence

resolution was moved and passed The meeting was dispersed without transacting any other

business

Nayanar

Pensionersrsquo Association

The Annual General body Meeting of KSEB Pensionersrsquo Association was conducted at Kannur

on May 30-31 The organizers had made

elaborate arrangements for a spectacular

show of unity and strength The guests

were literally pampered with all the

comforts possible under the

circumstances The presence or otherwise

of VIPs went unnoticed while the old folks

were busy renewing bonds of relationship

with former service colleagues

The seminar session was remarkable with

eloquence by reputed speakers and

leaders The innocent remark - ldquoour

apprehension remainsrdquo by MKP after the

theme paper was presented sparked off

an excellent 40-minute absorbing and

often funny exposition by Sri

Raghunathan Nair which resonated in the hall and hit listeners with considerable impact

Nayanar

TOP 6

KSEB Engineersrsquo Association It was the turn of Kozhikode to host the Annual General body Meeting on June 01The events were

organized with great care and thought

The presence of the Hon Minister was

reassuring and his words were received

with a measure of cheer

The seminar was noted for a couple of

excellent presentations The Chairman

who delivered the key-note address

chose to highlight the sustainability part

of the theme title and wondered what

the Engineering fraternity could

contribute towards influencing the

Public opinion and making the people

shed the anti-KSEB posture and

assume a pro-KSEB attitude The best

and perhaps the only attempt to explain the limited options and possible road map for sustainability

came from Professor Saji Gopinath It was unfortunate that he had to rush through his erudite paper

due to time constraints as rightly pointed out by the moderator Professor Mohandas

The arrangements at the venue were praiseworthy The part played by the senior Engineers from the

unit in the efforts to make the occasion a memorable one to the delegates was laudable

-Nayanar

Brazil 2014 World Cup

Over the years the Brazilians have given us players that are routinely rated as the best in the world and of course given the game arguably the greatest player ever to have lived Edson Arantes du Nascimento or Pele as we know him best If you look through the annals of Brazilian Internationals it reads like a whorsquos who of footballing greats From Gerson Garrincha Rivelino and Jarzinho in the 50rsquos 60rsquos and 70rsquos to Socrates and Zico in the 80rsquos In more recent times we have enjoyed the skill of Romario Ronaldo Rivaldo and of late Ronaldinho Kaka and Adriano All of these players at their peaks would waltz into a world XI Its not as though theyrsquove had a few stars in the sides over the years but full squads of players that other international coaches would dream of having in their starting elevens

Having great individuals does not always make a great side but the Brazilians have won more World Cups than any other nation They stand at 5 wins with Italy in 2nd place with four But theyrsquove also played in a number of finals where theyrsquove been beaten most recently in 1998 against the host nation France Winning however isnrsquot the only thing itrsquos winning with style that matters to Brazilians The World Cup win in 1994 was a triumph but was not won in Brazilian attacking flair and flamboyance

TOP 7

The 1982 side of Zico and Socrates that were foiled by Italy probably bring more of a misty eyed response than the side that were victorious in the USA

The 2014 finals will be a celebration of football The fans will embrace it and produce a carnival of colour noise and passion that the local people are already world famous for It will be a fantastic world cup to travel to and see how the Brazilians party It will have been 64 years since the last world cup was held in Brazil and those who were alive to see it will hope that it doesnrsquot end the same way The hosts were beaten in the final by South American rivals Uruguay Anything less than a win will send the country into mourning but a victory will spark the biggest party Brazil has ever seen and that in itself would be saying something

SyOcirczU S^-Ls] Wu]acuteV f]q]yumlO vqOETH KqO vŸUacute vŸ]jaOfrac34V Oatilde]frac34]q]pOETH oPETHV

vQEgrave-OacuteLRq WordmO fLa] jqyumlV Avwf SfLETH]umlOETH AvRq WordmSOtildeLyen hp SfLETH] IIacuteL Cv]Ra Wordm]ŸV v]wumlOETHORordmETHV SfLETHOETHO vŸ]curren vETHLcurren vsaeligfOU fqLU WPŸfrac34]curren NkLpU WPa]p vQEgravecent vŸ]curren BeOdegtLRqEuml]sOoOSordmL Csaelig kOrfrac34V SkLp]q]umlOETHO IEuml]curren `degyen vqOETH]saelig vŸUacute vŸ]SsumlV SkLp] RRvWOSETHqU niexclfrac34LvV vETHSOtildeLyen WLq|U kracuteO wq] `Lcent vETH]Rsaelig AvSqLaV vqLcent kqrpP Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] vQEgraveRq WordmO ASCcedilzU vETH]ŸOordmV j]degRt vŸ]SsumlV WPŸ]RWLordmOSkLWLjLeV `Lcent vETHfV vQEgraveq]curren NkLpoOccedilpLyen k racuteO `degyen KETH]yumlV Kq]umlsOU vq]saelig AAcircOfSfrac34LRaLOtildeU yUwpvOU SfLETH]p vŸUacute ARfIacuteL vQEgravecent KqLRt Pordm] kracuteO CpLyen yOgravefrac34V oSatildepLyen v]^-pU `Lcent SyOcirczU `degt]sLqV vqeRoETHV niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV SLh]yumlV vqP AvqfOSkLRs vŸ]curren RETHV Wq|degyen niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV kracuteO ApLyenumlV qyU SfLETH] IIacute]jV yUwp]umleU yOgravefrac34]SjLaV vqLcent krpP yOgravefrac34V vETHLcurren Cj]pOccedil WLsU yOXoLp] ^-v]umlLoSsaeligL nLq| yUacutef]yuml]saelig IIacuteORWLordmV v]^-pRfrac34 v]t]yumlO WPaL ^-v]ffrac34]curren v]^-poLReRsaeligL Bvw|U oOr]pORa orOnLYfrac34]qOETHV oWRpound nLq| CRfsaeligLU egraveEgrave]umlOETHOordmLp]qOETHO Avyen La]RpuOSETHatildeV kracuteO j]degyen qordmO SkSqLaOU Ij]umlV SpL^-]Otilde]saelig SyOcirczSfrac34pLeV v]t]SumlordmfV Cv]aU SyOcirczU RWLordmV j]rpRŸ wq] oqOoWtORa An]NkLpofLReEuml]curren j SkLp] SyOcirczSfrac34LaV vqLcent krpO Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] AvSqLaV SLh]yumlO Cf]sLqLeV SyOcirczU IRpound WPRa Ag]f]pLp] vSETHLtO SyOcirczU AvqORa WPRa kOrROtildeŸO WPŸfrac34]curren oatildeO qordmV SkqOU `Lcent SyOcirczfrac34]SjLaLeV vqLcent kracutefV oatildeV qordmV SkRqIacute]jLeV vqOETHfV NkLpoOccedilpLyen kracuteO yOgravefrac34]SjSpL v]^-pfrac34]SjSpL Bp]qOETHO j]degyen v]t]yuml]qORETHEuml]curren oatildeV qordmV Skiexcl kOrfrac34V j]currenumlOU IETHLcurren SyOcirczU SkLWOETH]afrac34V oatildeV qordmV SkqOU SkLWOU

Iv]Ra SyOcirczoOSordmL Av]Ra yOgravefrac34OU v]^-pvOU WPRapOordmLWOU (yOgraveLhWcent ww] Wsup1Piexcl)

TOP 8

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

LAUGH GENDER RIVALRY

One day Adam is talking to God and he asks God Ive been wondering Why did you make

Eve so pretty

God replies Because I wanted you to like her

Then Adam asks But why did you make her so stupid

God answers Because I wanted her to like you

WHO IS DUMB

A week after I married a young couple at the church the priest received the following thank

you note from the bridegroom Dear Reverend I want to thank you for the beautiful way you

brought my happiness to a conclusion

(Contributed by ASuhair)

More LAUGH - Readers Digest

Springtime smell

I had spent the late winter months waiting impatiently for signs of spring When the first warm sunny day arrived I eagerly unlocked the storm door and stepped on to our patio deck I was pleased by the sight of green sprouts and the sound of singing birds More than anything else I delighted in the sweet aroma of the spring air Knocking on the kitchen window I beckoned to my wife to join me in enjoying the pleasures of the season She quickly brought me back to earth when she reminded me that I was standing over the drying vent inhaling the scent of fabric softener

Paternal payback On the day I received the Learnerrsquos licence my father agreed to take me on a driving lesson With a big grin he hopped behind the driverrsquos seat ldquoWhy arenrsquot you sitting upfront on the passengerrsquos siderdquo I asked lsquoMy dear I have been waiting for this ever since you were a little girlrdquo Dad replied ldquoNow it is my turn to sit here and kick the seatrdquo

Going by the numbers My father was completely lost in the kitchen and never ate unless someone prepared a meal for him When mother was ill however he volunteered to go to the super market for her She sent him off with a carefully numbered list of seven items Dad returned shortly and proceeded to unpack the grocery bags He had one bag of sugar two dozen eggs three hams four boxes of detergent five boxes of crackers six egg plants and seven green peppers

Spring fever One spring day I was taking the roll at the college ldquoCindy wonrsquot be here in the afternoonrdquo I asked ldquoShe went home to lay in the sunrdquo a young girl in the front row answered Trying to correct her grammar without embarrassing her before the class I whispered ldquoLierdquo ldquoOkayrdquo she replied in astonishment ldquoCindy got sick and went homerdquo

TOP 4

INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY ldquoCapital in the 21st Centuryrdquo - a book published by Thomas Piketty created waves among academia media and social activists Economists all over the world were affected by what is described as Pikettymania Piketty is acclaimed as the worldrsquos leading expert on income and wealth inequality He has tried to prove that there is a growing concentration of income in the hands of a small economic elite He argues that we are on the way back to patrimonial capitalism in which the commanding heights of economy are dominated not just by wealth but also by inherited wealth in which birth matters more than effort and talent Only children of richer parents could afford the cost of education in elite Universities Likewise there is also social filtering in the job market

60 of the wealthiest are already heirs - not self-made entrepreneurs Piketty foresees the risk of a drift towards oligarchy lsquoThe history of inequality is shaped by the way economic social and political actors viewed what is just and what is not as well as the relative power of those actions and the collective choices that resultrsquo Earlier the economists argued that there are many automatic stabilizers to correct the growing destabilizing and egalitarian forces Income differences if at all could arise only due to ethnic cultural or skill endowments This faith served as

an anodyne to salvage the conscience of economists and policy makers including those in IMF World Bank It served to ward off criticism against capitalism Piketty proved that the rate of return of capital has been between 4 and 5 while the growth was lower between 1 and 2 Income inequality gets aggravated by the saving and investment habits of the rich They save more they earn more through their capacity to invest by dodging taxes etc ldquoCapital reproduces itself faster than the output increases The past devours the futurerdquo Piketty is highly critical of executive compensation which led to extreme inequality in the recent years especially since 2008 He ridicules the lsquoillusion of marginal productivityrsquo on which huge payments are determined In large corporations it is impossible to assess the contribution of individual executives The managements follow the herd or the ongoing social norms followed in sister (rival) corporations and approve large packets The demand for higher compensation grew louder after tax rates were lowered This is double jeopardy for income distribution The Government favors the interests of rich over those of ordinary families Tax relief went not to high salary earners they were given to large estates A person living solely off inherited wealth would owe no tax at all Wealth has the upper hand over wages and salaries The dominance of income from capital more often inherited over salary- of wealth over work- Piketty calls Patrimonial capitalism The horror that haunts him is that if these trends continue there is a looming prospect of the emergence of ldquoPatrimonial Capitalismrdquo

Where much modern writing about economics is cloaked in impenetrable jargon Piketty is not afraid to

draw on literature and popular culture to make his points Quentin Tarantino gets a mention as does the

film Titanic He likes Balzac and Jane Austen he knows his Elizabeth Bennet from his Lady Mary

That said it is still a book about economics and many readers will find it hard going when they get to the

sections on the Cobb-Douglas production function and the marginal productivity of capital Like Adam

Smiths The Wealth of Nations and Maynard Keyness General Theory it is a tome that will be more

quoted from than read right through

The gist of Pikettys book is simple Returns to capital are rising faster than economies are growing The wealthy are getting wealthier while everybody else is struggling Inequality will widen to the point where it becomes unsustainable ndash both politically and economically ndash unless action is taken to redistribute income and wealth Piketty favours a graduated wealth tax and 80 income tax for those on the highest salaries (Source Krugman New York Times Guardian Subrahmanian Hindu)

TOP 5

Happenings Senior Engineers Kozhikode The monthly meeting of Senior Engineers Kozhikode was held on 140614 1030 am at the Calicut Towers Er AChandran presided over In his presidential remarks he explained the developments in the last month affecting retired Engineers The meeting observed one minute silence in memory of Ers Madhusoodanan Nair (Thiruvananthapuram) and EP Padmanabhan (Kannur) who passed away last week

The Annual General Body of the Engineersrsquo Association was held at Kozhikode on June 1st The

arrangements were extremely good and the meeting congratulated the Calicut unit for the

successfully organizing the meet The Chairman entrusted Er MK Sudhakaran to convey the

pleasure of Senior Engineers to the concerned

Er Krishnanunni explained the news from pensioners meet held at Kannur last month Er

Radhakrishnan then commented on the pathetic condition of Mavoor Road consequent to the laying

of sewage pipe Er AVKrishnanunni read out the Lineage June The meeting ended at 3 pm after

lunch

-Ramachandran

Senior Engineers Kannur The Kannur Unit held their meeting on 10th June Er CBalakrishnan presided The president paid

homage to late Er EP Padmanabhan The assembly observed one-minute silence in honor of the

departed colleague Rich tributes were paid by members who reminisced about their three

decade-long association with a loving friend who cheered everyone with out-spoken comments

intelligent suggestions and voluntary help whenever occasion demanded A condolence

resolution was moved and passed The meeting was dispersed without transacting any other

business

Nayanar

Pensionersrsquo Association

The Annual General body Meeting of KSEB Pensionersrsquo Association was conducted at Kannur

on May 30-31 The organizers had made

elaborate arrangements for a spectacular

show of unity and strength The guests

were literally pampered with all the

comforts possible under the

circumstances The presence or otherwise

of VIPs went unnoticed while the old folks

were busy renewing bonds of relationship

with former service colleagues

The seminar session was remarkable with

eloquence by reputed speakers and

leaders The innocent remark - ldquoour

apprehension remainsrdquo by MKP after the

theme paper was presented sparked off

an excellent 40-minute absorbing and

often funny exposition by Sri

Raghunathan Nair which resonated in the hall and hit listeners with considerable impact

Nayanar

TOP 6

KSEB Engineersrsquo Association It was the turn of Kozhikode to host the Annual General body Meeting on June 01The events were

organized with great care and thought

The presence of the Hon Minister was

reassuring and his words were received

with a measure of cheer

The seminar was noted for a couple of

excellent presentations The Chairman

who delivered the key-note address

chose to highlight the sustainability part

of the theme title and wondered what

the Engineering fraternity could

contribute towards influencing the

Public opinion and making the people

shed the anti-KSEB posture and

assume a pro-KSEB attitude The best

and perhaps the only attempt to explain the limited options and possible road map for sustainability

came from Professor Saji Gopinath It was unfortunate that he had to rush through his erudite paper

due to time constraints as rightly pointed out by the moderator Professor Mohandas

The arrangements at the venue were praiseworthy The part played by the senior Engineers from the

unit in the efforts to make the occasion a memorable one to the delegates was laudable

-Nayanar

Brazil 2014 World Cup

Over the years the Brazilians have given us players that are routinely rated as the best in the world and of course given the game arguably the greatest player ever to have lived Edson Arantes du Nascimento or Pele as we know him best If you look through the annals of Brazilian Internationals it reads like a whorsquos who of footballing greats From Gerson Garrincha Rivelino and Jarzinho in the 50rsquos 60rsquos and 70rsquos to Socrates and Zico in the 80rsquos In more recent times we have enjoyed the skill of Romario Ronaldo Rivaldo and of late Ronaldinho Kaka and Adriano All of these players at their peaks would waltz into a world XI Its not as though theyrsquove had a few stars in the sides over the years but full squads of players that other international coaches would dream of having in their starting elevens

Having great individuals does not always make a great side but the Brazilians have won more World Cups than any other nation They stand at 5 wins with Italy in 2nd place with four But theyrsquove also played in a number of finals where theyrsquove been beaten most recently in 1998 against the host nation France Winning however isnrsquot the only thing itrsquos winning with style that matters to Brazilians The World Cup win in 1994 was a triumph but was not won in Brazilian attacking flair and flamboyance

TOP 7

The 1982 side of Zico and Socrates that were foiled by Italy probably bring more of a misty eyed response than the side that were victorious in the USA

The 2014 finals will be a celebration of football The fans will embrace it and produce a carnival of colour noise and passion that the local people are already world famous for It will be a fantastic world cup to travel to and see how the Brazilians party It will have been 64 years since the last world cup was held in Brazil and those who were alive to see it will hope that it doesnrsquot end the same way The hosts were beaten in the final by South American rivals Uruguay Anything less than a win will send the country into mourning but a victory will spark the biggest party Brazil has ever seen and that in itself would be saying something

SyOcirczU S^-Ls] Wu]acuteV f]q]yumlO vqOETH KqO vŸUacute vŸ]jaOfrac34V Oatilde]frac34]q]pOETH oPETHV

vQEgrave-OacuteLRq WordmO fLa] jqyumlV Avwf SfLETH]umlOETH AvRq WordmSOtildeLyen hp SfLETH] IIacuteL Cv]Ra Wordm]ŸV v]wumlOETHORordmETHV SfLETHOETHO vŸ]curren vETHLcurren vsaeligfOU fqLU WPŸfrac34]curren NkLpU WPa]p vQEgravecent vŸ]curren BeOdegtLRqEuml]sOoOSordmL Csaelig kOrfrac34V SkLp]q]umlOETHO IEuml]curren `degyen vqOETH]saelig vŸUacute vŸ]SsumlV SkLp] RRvWOSETHqU niexclfrac34LvV vETHSOtildeLyen WLq|U kracuteO wq] `Lcent vETH]Rsaelig AvSqLaV vqLcent kqrpP Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] vQEgraveRq WordmO ASCcedilzU vETH]ŸOordmV j]degRt vŸ]SsumlV WPŸ]RWLordmOSkLWLjLeV `Lcent vETHfV vQEgraveq]curren NkLpoOccedilpLyen k racuteO `degyen KETH]yumlV Kq]umlsOU vq]saelig AAcircOfSfrac34LRaLOtildeU yUwpvOU SfLETH]p vŸUacute ARfIacuteL vQEgravecent KqLRt Pordm] kracuteO CpLyen yOgravefrac34V oSatildepLyen v]^-pU `Lcent SyOcirczU `degt]sLqV vqeRoETHV niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV SLh]yumlV vqP AvqfOSkLRs vŸ]curren RETHV Wq|degyen niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV kracuteO ApLyenumlV qyU SfLETH] IIacute]jV yUwp]umleU yOgravefrac34]SjLaV vqLcent krpP yOgravefrac34V vETHLcurren Cj]pOccedil WLsU yOXoLp] ^-v]umlLoSsaeligL nLq| yUacutef]yuml]saelig IIacuteORWLordmV v]^-pRfrac34 v]t]yumlO WPaL ^-v]ffrac34]curren v]^-poLReRsaeligL Bvw|U oOr]pORa orOnLYfrac34]qOETHV oWRpound nLq| CRfsaeligLU egraveEgrave]umlOETHOordmLp]qOETHO Avyen La]RpuOSETHatildeV kracuteO j]degyen qordmO SkSqLaOU Ij]umlV SpL^-]Otilde]saelig SyOcirczSfrac34pLeV v]t]SumlordmfV Cv]aU SyOcirczU RWLordmV j]rpRŸ wq] oqOoWtORa An]NkLpofLReEuml]curren j SkLp] SyOcirczSfrac34LaV vqLcent krpO Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] AvSqLaV SLh]yumlO Cf]sLqLeV SyOcirczU IRpound WPRa Ag]f]pLp] vSETHLtO SyOcirczU AvqORa WPRa kOrROtildeŸO WPŸfrac34]curren oatildeO qordmV SkqOU `Lcent SyOcirczfrac34]SjLaLeV vqLcent kracutefV oatildeV qordmV SkRqIacute]jLeV vqOETHfV NkLpoOccedilpLyen kracuteO yOgravefrac34]SjSpL v]^-pfrac34]SjSpL Bp]qOETHO j]degyen v]t]yuml]qORETHEuml]curren oatildeV qordmV Skiexcl kOrfrac34V j]currenumlOU IETHLcurren SyOcirczU SkLWOETH]afrac34V oatildeV qordmV SkqOU SkLWOU

Iv]Ra SyOcirczoOSordmL Av]Ra yOgravefrac34OU v]^-pvOU WPRapOordmLWOU (yOgraveLhWcent ww] Wsup1Piexcl)

TOP 8

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY ldquoCapital in the 21st Centuryrdquo - a book published by Thomas Piketty created waves among academia media and social activists Economists all over the world were affected by what is described as Pikettymania Piketty is acclaimed as the worldrsquos leading expert on income and wealth inequality He has tried to prove that there is a growing concentration of income in the hands of a small economic elite He argues that we are on the way back to patrimonial capitalism in which the commanding heights of economy are dominated not just by wealth but also by inherited wealth in which birth matters more than effort and talent Only children of richer parents could afford the cost of education in elite Universities Likewise there is also social filtering in the job market

60 of the wealthiest are already heirs - not self-made entrepreneurs Piketty foresees the risk of a drift towards oligarchy lsquoThe history of inequality is shaped by the way economic social and political actors viewed what is just and what is not as well as the relative power of those actions and the collective choices that resultrsquo Earlier the economists argued that there are many automatic stabilizers to correct the growing destabilizing and egalitarian forces Income differences if at all could arise only due to ethnic cultural or skill endowments This faith served as

an anodyne to salvage the conscience of economists and policy makers including those in IMF World Bank It served to ward off criticism against capitalism Piketty proved that the rate of return of capital has been between 4 and 5 while the growth was lower between 1 and 2 Income inequality gets aggravated by the saving and investment habits of the rich They save more they earn more through their capacity to invest by dodging taxes etc ldquoCapital reproduces itself faster than the output increases The past devours the futurerdquo Piketty is highly critical of executive compensation which led to extreme inequality in the recent years especially since 2008 He ridicules the lsquoillusion of marginal productivityrsquo on which huge payments are determined In large corporations it is impossible to assess the contribution of individual executives The managements follow the herd or the ongoing social norms followed in sister (rival) corporations and approve large packets The demand for higher compensation grew louder after tax rates were lowered This is double jeopardy for income distribution The Government favors the interests of rich over those of ordinary families Tax relief went not to high salary earners they were given to large estates A person living solely off inherited wealth would owe no tax at all Wealth has the upper hand over wages and salaries The dominance of income from capital more often inherited over salary- of wealth over work- Piketty calls Patrimonial capitalism The horror that haunts him is that if these trends continue there is a looming prospect of the emergence of ldquoPatrimonial Capitalismrdquo

Where much modern writing about economics is cloaked in impenetrable jargon Piketty is not afraid to

draw on literature and popular culture to make his points Quentin Tarantino gets a mention as does the

film Titanic He likes Balzac and Jane Austen he knows his Elizabeth Bennet from his Lady Mary

That said it is still a book about economics and many readers will find it hard going when they get to the

sections on the Cobb-Douglas production function and the marginal productivity of capital Like Adam

Smiths The Wealth of Nations and Maynard Keyness General Theory it is a tome that will be more

quoted from than read right through

The gist of Pikettys book is simple Returns to capital are rising faster than economies are growing The wealthy are getting wealthier while everybody else is struggling Inequality will widen to the point where it becomes unsustainable ndash both politically and economically ndash unless action is taken to redistribute income and wealth Piketty favours a graduated wealth tax and 80 income tax for those on the highest salaries (Source Krugman New York Times Guardian Subrahmanian Hindu)

TOP 5

Happenings Senior Engineers Kozhikode The monthly meeting of Senior Engineers Kozhikode was held on 140614 1030 am at the Calicut Towers Er AChandran presided over In his presidential remarks he explained the developments in the last month affecting retired Engineers The meeting observed one minute silence in memory of Ers Madhusoodanan Nair (Thiruvananthapuram) and EP Padmanabhan (Kannur) who passed away last week

The Annual General Body of the Engineersrsquo Association was held at Kozhikode on June 1st The

arrangements were extremely good and the meeting congratulated the Calicut unit for the

successfully organizing the meet The Chairman entrusted Er MK Sudhakaran to convey the

pleasure of Senior Engineers to the concerned

Er Krishnanunni explained the news from pensioners meet held at Kannur last month Er

Radhakrishnan then commented on the pathetic condition of Mavoor Road consequent to the laying

of sewage pipe Er AVKrishnanunni read out the Lineage June The meeting ended at 3 pm after

lunch

-Ramachandran

Senior Engineers Kannur The Kannur Unit held their meeting on 10th June Er CBalakrishnan presided The president paid

homage to late Er EP Padmanabhan The assembly observed one-minute silence in honor of the

departed colleague Rich tributes were paid by members who reminisced about their three

decade-long association with a loving friend who cheered everyone with out-spoken comments

intelligent suggestions and voluntary help whenever occasion demanded A condolence

resolution was moved and passed The meeting was dispersed without transacting any other

business

Nayanar

Pensionersrsquo Association

The Annual General body Meeting of KSEB Pensionersrsquo Association was conducted at Kannur

on May 30-31 The organizers had made

elaborate arrangements for a spectacular

show of unity and strength The guests

were literally pampered with all the

comforts possible under the

circumstances The presence or otherwise

of VIPs went unnoticed while the old folks

were busy renewing bonds of relationship

with former service colleagues

The seminar session was remarkable with

eloquence by reputed speakers and

leaders The innocent remark - ldquoour

apprehension remainsrdquo by MKP after the

theme paper was presented sparked off

an excellent 40-minute absorbing and

often funny exposition by Sri

Raghunathan Nair which resonated in the hall and hit listeners with considerable impact

Nayanar

TOP 6

KSEB Engineersrsquo Association It was the turn of Kozhikode to host the Annual General body Meeting on June 01The events were

organized with great care and thought

The presence of the Hon Minister was

reassuring and his words were received

with a measure of cheer

The seminar was noted for a couple of

excellent presentations The Chairman

who delivered the key-note address

chose to highlight the sustainability part

of the theme title and wondered what

the Engineering fraternity could

contribute towards influencing the

Public opinion and making the people

shed the anti-KSEB posture and

assume a pro-KSEB attitude The best

and perhaps the only attempt to explain the limited options and possible road map for sustainability

came from Professor Saji Gopinath It was unfortunate that he had to rush through his erudite paper

due to time constraints as rightly pointed out by the moderator Professor Mohandas

The arrangements at the venue were praiseworthy The part played by the senior Engineers from the

unit in the efforts to make the occasion a memorable one to the delegates was laudable

-Nayanar

Brazil 2014 World Cup

Over the years the Brazilians have given us players that are routinely rated as the best in the world and of course given the game arguably the greatest player ever to have lived Edson Arantes du Nascimento or Pele as we know him best If you look through the annals of Brazilian Internationals it reads like a whorsquos who of footballing greats From Gerson Garrincha Rivelino and Jarzinho in the 50rsquos 60rsquos and 70rsquos to Socrates and Zico in the 80rsquos In more recent times we have enjoyed the skill of Romario Ronaldo Rivaldo and of late Ronaldinho Kaka and Adriano All of these players at their peaks would waltz into a world XI Its not as though theyrsquove had a few stars in the sides over the years but full squads of players that other international coaches would dream of having in their starting elevens

Having great individuals does not always make a great side but the Brazilians have won more World Cups than any other nation They stand at 5 wins with Italy in 2nd place with four But theyrsquove also played in a number of finals where theyrsquove been beaten most recently in 1998 against the host nation France Winning however isnrsquot the only thing itrsquos winning with style that matters to Brazilians The World Cup win in 1994 was a triumph but was not won in Brazilian attacking flair and flamboyance

TOP 7

The 1982 side of Zico and Socrates that were foiled by Italy probably bring more of a misty eyed response than the side that were victorious in the USA

The 2014 finals will be a celebration of football The fans will embrace it and produce a carnival of colour noise and passion that the local people are already world famous for It will be a fantastic world cup to travel to and see how the Brazilians party It will have been 64 years since the last world cup was held in Brazil and those who were alive to see it will hope that it doesnrsquot end the same way The hosts were beaten in the final by South American rivals Uruguay Anything less than a win will send the country into mourning but a victory will spark the biggest party Brazil has ever seen and that in itself would be saying something

SyOcirczU S^-Ls] Wu]acuteV f]q]yumlO vqOETH KqO vŸUacute vŸ]jaOfrac34V Oatilde]frac34]q]pOETH oPETHV

vQEgrave-OacuteLRq WordmO fLa] jqyumlV Avwf SfLETH]umlOETH AvRq WordmSOtildeLyen hp SfLETH] IIacuteL Cv]Ra Wordm]ŸV v]wumlOETHORordmETHV SfLETHOETHO vŸ]curren vETHLcurren vsaeligfOU fqLU WPŸfrac34]curren NkLpU WPa]p vQEgravecent vŸ]curren BeOdegtLRqEuml]sOoOSordmL Csaelig kOrfrac34V SkLp]q]umlOETHO IEuml]curren `degyen vqOETH]saelig vŸUacute vŸ]SsumlV SkLp] RRvWOSETHqU niexclfrac34LvV vETHSOtildeLyen WLq|U kracuteO wq] `Lcent vETH]Rsaelig AvSqLaV vqLcent kqrpP Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] vQEgraveRq WordmO ASCcedilzU vETH]ŸOordmV j]degRt vŸ]SsumlV WPŸ]RWLordmOSkLWLjLeV `Lcent vETHfV vQEgraveq]curren NkLpoOccedilpLyen k racuteO `degyen KETH]yumlV Kq]umlsOU vq]saelig AAcircOfSfrac34LRaLOtildeU yUwpvOU SfLETH]p vŸUacute ARfIacuteL vQEgravecent KqLRt Pordm] kracuteO CpLyen yOgravefrac34V oSatildepLyen v]^-pU `Lcent SyOcirczU `degt]sLqV vqeRoETHV niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV SLh]yumlV vqP AvqfOSkLRs vŸ]curren RETHV Wq|degyen niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV kracuteO ApLyenumlV qyU SfLETH] IIacute]jV yUwp]umleU yOgravefrac34]SjLaV vqLcent krpP yOgravefrac34V vETHLcurren Cj]pOccedil WLsU yOXoLp] ^-v]umlLoSsaeligL nLq| yUacutef]yuml]saelig IIacuteORWLordmV v]^-pRfrac34 v]t]yumlO WPaL ^-v]ffrac34]curren v]^-poLReRsaeligL Bvw|U oOr]pORa orOnLYfrac34]qOETHV oWRpound nLq| CRfsaeligLU egraveEgrave]umlOETHOordmLp]qOETHO Avyen La]RpuOSETHatildeV kracuteO j]degyen qordmO SkSqLaOU Ij]umlV SpL^-]Otilde]saelig SyOcirczSfrac34pLeV v]t]SumlordmfV Cv]aU SyOcirczU RWLordmV j]rpRŸ wq] oqOoWtORa An]NkLpofLReEuml]curren j SkLp] SyOcirczSfrac34LaV vqLcent krpO Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] AvSqLaV SLh]yumlO Cf]sLqLeV SyOcirczU IRpound WPRa Ag]f]pLp] vSETHLtO SyOcirczU AvqORa WPRa kOrROtildeŸO WPŸfrac34]curren oatildeO qordmV SkqOU `Lcent SyOcirczfrac34]SjLaLeV vqLcent kracutefV oatildeV qordmV SkRqIacute]jLeV vqOETHfV NkLpoOccedilpLyen kracuteO yOgravefrac34]SjSpL v]^-pfrac34]SjSpL Bp]qOETHO j]degyen v]t]yuml]qORETHEuml]curren oatildeV qordmV Skiexcl kOrfrac34V j]currenumlOU IETHLcurren SyOcirczU SkLWOETH]afrac34V oatildeV qordmV SkqOU SkLWOU

Iv]Ra SyOcirczoOSordmL Av]Ra yOgravefrac34OU v]^-pvOU WPRapOordmLWOU (yOgraveLhWcent ww] Wsup1Piexcl)

TOP 8

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

Happenings Senior Engineers Kozhikode The monthly meeting of Senior Engineers Kozhikode was held on 140614 1030 am at the Calicut Towers Er AChandran presided over In his presidential remarks he explained the developments in the last month affecting retired Engineers The meeting observed one minute silence in memory of Ers Madhusoodanan Nair (Thiruvananthapuram) and EP Padmanabhan (Kannur) who passed away last week

The Annual General Body of the Engineersrsquo Association was held at Kozhikode on June 1st The

arrangements were extremely good and the meeting congratulated the Calicut unit for the

successfully organizing the meet The Chairman entrusted Er MK Sudhakaran to convey the

pleasure of Senior Engineers to the concerned

Er Krishnanunni explained the news from pensioners meet held at Kannur last month Er

Radhakrishnan then commented on the pathetic condition of Mavoor Road consequent to the laying

of sewage pipe Er AVKrishnanunni read out the Lineage June The meeting ended at 3 pm after

lunch

-Ramachandran

Senior Engineers Kannur The Kannur Unit held their meeting on 10th June Er CBalakrishnan presided The president paid

homage to late Er EP Padmanabhan The assembly observed one-minute silence in honor of the

departed colleague Rich tributes were paid by members who reminisced about their three

decade-long association with a loving friend who cheered everyone with out-spoken comments

intelligent suggestions and voluntary help whenever occasion demanded A condolence

resolution was moved and passed The meeting was dispersed without transacting any other

business

Nayanar

Pensionersrsquo Association

The Annual General body Meeting of KSEB Pensionersrsquo Association was conducted at Kannur

on May 30-31 The organizers had made

elaborate arrangements for a spectacular

show of unity and strength The guests

were literally pampered with all the

comforts possible under the

circumstances The presence or otherwise

of VIPs went unnoticed while the old folks

were busy renewing bonds of relationship

with former service colleagues

The seminar session was remarkable with

eloquence by reputed speakers and

leaders The innocent remark - ldquoour

apprehension remainsrdquo by MKP after the

theme paper was presented sparked off

an excellent 40-minute absorbing and

often funny exposition by Sri

Raghunathan Nair which resonated in the hall and hit listeners with considerable impact

Nayanar

TOP 6

KSEB Engineersrsquo Association It was the turn of Kozhikode to host the Annual General body Meeting on June 01The events were

organized with great care and thought

The presence of the Hon Minister was

reassuring and his words were received

with a measure of cheer

The seminar was noted for a couple of

excellent presentations The Chairman

who delivered the key-note address

chose to highlight the sustainability part

of the theme title and wondered what

the Engineering fraternity could

contribute towards influencing the

Public opinion and making the people

shed the anti-KSEB posture and

assume a pro-KSEB attitude The best

and perhaps the only attempt to explain the limited options and possible road map for sustainability

came from Professor Saji Gopinath It was unfortunate that he had to rush through his erudite paper

due to time constraints as rightly pointed out by the moderator Professor Mohandas

The arrangements at the venue were praiseworthy The part played by the senior Engineers from the

unit in the efforts to make the occasion a memorable one to the delegates was laudable

-Nayanar

Brazil 2014 World Cup

Over the years the Brazilians have given us players that are routinely rated as the best in the world and of course given the game arguably the greatest player ever to have lived Edson Arantes du Nascimento or Pele as we know him best If you look through the annals of Brazilian Internationals it reads like a whorsquos who of footballing greats From Gerson Garrincha Rivelino and Jarzinho in the 50rsquos 60rsquos and 70rsquos to Socrates and Zico in the 80rsquos In more recent times we have enjoyed the skill of Romario Ronaldo Rivaldo and of late Ronaldinho Kaka and Adriano All of these players at their peaks would waltz into a world XI Its not as though theyrsquove had a few stars in the sides over the years but full squads of players that other international coaches would dream of having in their starting elevens

Having great individuals does not always make a great side but the Brazilians have won more World Cups than any other nation They stand at 5 wins with Italy in 2nd place with four But theyrsquove also played in a number of finals where theyrsquove been beaten most recently in 1998 against the host nation France Winning however isnrsquot the only thing itrsquos winning with style that matters to Brazilians The World Cup win in 1994 was a triumph but was not won in Brazilian attacking flair and flamboyance

TOP 7

The 1982 side of Zico and Socrates that were foiled by Italy probably bring more of a misty eyed response than the side that were victorious in the USA

The 2014 finals will be a celebration of football The fans will embrace it and produce a carnival of colour noise and passion that the local people are already world famous for It will be a fantastic world cup to travel to and see how the Brazilians party It will have been 64 years since the last world cup was held in Brazil and those who were alive to see it will hope that it doesnrsquot end the same way The hosts were beaten in the final by South American rivals Uruguay Anything less than a win will send the country into mourning but a victory will spark the biggest party Brazil has ever seen and that in itself would be saying something

SyOcirczU S^-Ls] Wu]acuteV f]q]yumlO vqOETH KqO vŸUacute vŸ]jaOfrac34V Oatilde]frac34]q]pOETH oPETHV

vQEgrave-OacuteLRq WordmO fLa] jqyumlV Avwf SfLETH]umlOETH AvRq WordmSOtildeLyen hp SfLETH] IIacuteL Cv]Ra Wordm]ŸV v]wumlOETHORordmETHV SfLETHOETHO vŸ]curren vETHLcurren vsaeligfOU fqLU WPŸfrac34]curren NkLpU WPa]p vQEgravecent vŸ]curren BeOdegtLRqEuml]sOoOSordmL Csaelig kOrfrac34V SkLp]q]umlOETHO IEuml]curren `degyen vqOETH]saelig vŸUacute vŸ]SsumlV SkLp] RRvWOSETHqU niexclfrac34LvV vETHSOtildeLyen WLq|U kracuteO wq] `Lcent vETH]Rsaelig AvSqLaV vqLcent kqrpP Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] vQEgraveRq WordmO ASCcedilzU vETH]ŸOordmV j]degRt vŸ]SsumlV WPŸ]RWLordmOSkLWLjLeV `Lcent vETHfV vQEgraveq]curren NkLpoOccedilpLyen k racuteO `degyen KETH]yumlV Kq]umlsOU vq]saelig AAcircOfSfrac34LRaLOtildeU yUwpvOU SfLETH]p vŸUacute ARfIacuteL vQEgravecent KqLRt Pordm] kracuteO CpLyen yOgravefrac34V oSatildepLyen v]^-pU `Lcent SyOcirczU `degt]sLqV vqeRoETHV niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV SLh]yumlV vqP AvqfOSkLRs vŸ]curren RETHV Wq|degyen niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV kracuteO ApLyenumlV qyU SfLETH] IIacute]jV yUwp]umleU yOgravefrac34]SjLaV vqLcent krpP yOgravefrac34V vETHLcurren Cj]pOccedil WLsU yOXoLp] ^-v]umlLoSsaeligL nLq| yUacutef]yuml]saelig IIacuteORWLordmV v]^-pRfrac34 v]t]yumlO WPaL ^-v]ffrac34]curren v]^-poLReRsaeligL Bvw|U oOr]pORa orOnLYfrac34]qOETHV oWRpound nLq| CRfsaeligLU egraveEgrave]umlOETHOordmLp]qOETHO Avyen La]RpuOSETHatildeV kracuteO j]degyen qordmO SkSqLaOU Ij]umlV SpL^-]Otilde]saelig SyOcirczSfrac34pLeV v]t]SumlordmfV Cv]aU SyOcirczU RWLordmV j]rpRŸ wq] oqOoWtORa An]NkLpofLReEuml]curren j SkLp] SyOcirczSfrac34LaV vqLcent krpO Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] AvSqLaV SLh]yumlO Cf]sLqLeV SyOcirczU IRpound WPRa Ag]f]pLp] vSETHLtO SyOcirczU AvqORa WPRa kOrROtildeŸO WPŸfrac34]curren oatildeO qordmV SkqOU `Lcent SyOcirczfrac34]SjLaLeV vqLcent kracutefV oatildeV qordmV SkRqIacute]jLeV vqOETHfV NkLpoOccedilpLyen kracuteO yOgravefrac34]SjSpL v]^-pfrac34]SjSpL Bp]qOETHO j]degyen v]t]yuml]qORETHEuml]curren oatildeV qordmV Skiexcl kOrfrac34V j]currenumlOU IETHLcurren SyOcirczU SkLWOETH]afrac34V oatildeV qordmV SkqOU SkLWOU

Iv]Ra SyOcirczoOSordmL Av]Ra yOgravefrac34OU v]^-pvOU WPRapOordmLWOU (yOgraveLhWcent ww] Wsup1Piexcl)

TOP 8

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

KSEB Engineersrsquo Association It was the turn of Kozhikode to host the Annual General body Meeting on June 01The events were

organized with great care and thought

The presence of the Hon Minister was

reassuring and his words were received

with a measure of cheer

The seminar was noted for a couple of

excellent presentations The Chairman

who delivered the key-note address

chose to highlight the sustainability part

of the theme title and wondered what

the Engineering fraternity could

contribute towards influencing the

Public opinion and making the people

shed the anti-KSEB posture and

assume a pro-KSEB attitude The best

and perhaps the only attempt to explain the limited options and possible road map for sustainability

came from Professor Saji Gopinath It was unfortunate that he had to rush through his erudite paper

due to time constraints as rightly pointed out by the moderator Professor Mohandas

The arrangements at the venue were praiseworthy The part played by the senior Engineers from the

unit in the efforts to make the occasion a memorable one to the delegates was laudable

-Nayanar

Brazil 2014 World Cup

Over the years the Brazilians have given us players that are routinely rated as the best in the world and of course given the game arguably the greatest player ever to have lived Edson Arantes du Nascimento or Pele as we know him best If you look through the annals of Brazilian Internationals it reads like a whorsquos who of footballing greats From Gerson Garrincha Rivelino and Jarzinho in the 50rsquos 60rsquos and 70rsquos to Socrates and Zico in the 80rsquos In more recent times we have enjoyed the skill of Romario Ronaldo Rivaldo and of late Ronaldinho Kaka and Adriano All of these players at their peaks would waltz into a world XI Its not as though theyrsquove had a few stars in the sides over the years but full squads of players that other international coaches would dream of having in their starting elevens

Having great individuals does not always make a great side but the Brazilians have won more World Cups than any other nation They stand at 5 wins with Italy in 2nd place with four But theyrsquove also played in a number of finals where theyrsquove been beaten most recently in 1998 against the host nation France Winning however isnrsquot the only thing itrsquos winning with style that matters to Brazilians The World Cup win in 1994 was a triumph but was not won in Brazilian attacking flair and flamboyance

TOP 7

The 1982 side of Zico and Socrates that were foiled by Italy probably bring more of a misty eyed response than the side that were victorious in the USA

The 2014 finals will be a celebration of football The fans will embrace it and produce a carnival of colour noise and passion that the local people are already world famous for It will be a fantastic world cup to travel to and see how the Brazilians party It will have been 64 years since the last world cup was held in Brazil and those who were alive to see it will hope that it doesnrsquot end the same way The hosts were beaten in the final by South American rivals Uruguay Anything less than a win will send the country into mourning but a victory will spark the biggest party Brazil has ever seen and that in itself would be saying something

SyOcirczU S^-Ls] Wu]acuteV f]q]yumlO vqOETH KqO vŸUacute vŸ]jaOfrac34V Oatilde]frac34]q]pOETH oPETHV

vQEgrave-OacuteLRq WordmO fLa] jqyumlV Avwf SfLETH]umlOETH AvRq WordmSOtildeLyen hp SfLETH] IIacuteL Cv]Ra Wordm]ŸV v]wumlOETHORordmETHV SfLETHOETHO vŸ]curren vETHLcurren vsaeligfOU fqLU WPŸfrac34]curren NkLpU WPa]p vQEgravecent vŸ]curren BeOdegtLRqEuml]sOoOSordmL Csaelig kOrfrac34V SkLp]q]umlOETHO IEuml]curren `degyen vqOETH]saelig vŸUacute vŸ]SsumlV SkLp] RRvWOSETHqU niexclfrac34LvV vETHSOtildeLyen WLq|U kracuteO wq] `Lcent vETH]Rsaelig AvSqLaV vqLcent kqrpP Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] vQEgraveRq WordmO ASCcedilzU vETH]ŸOordmV j]degRt vŸ]SsumlV WPŸ]RWLordmOSkLWLjLeV `Lcent vETHfV vQEgraveq]curren NkLpoOccedilpLyen k racuteO `degyen KETH]yumlV Kq]umlsOU vq]saelig AAcircOfSfrac34LRaLOtildeU yUwpvOU SfLETH]p vŸUacute ARfIacuteL vQEgravecent KqLRt Pordm] kracuteO CpLyen yOgravefrac34V oSatildepLyen v]^-pU `Lcent SyOcirczU `degt]sLqV vqeRoETHV niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV SLh]yumlV vqP AvqfOSkLRs vŸ]curren RETHV Wq|degyen niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV kracuteO ApLyenumlV qyU SfLETH] IIacute]jV yUwp]umleU yOgravefrac34]SjLaV vqLcent krpP yOgravefrac34V vETHLcurren Cj]pOccedil WLsU yOXoLp] ^-v]umlLoSsaeligL nLq| yUacutef]yuml]saelig IIacuteORWLordmV v]^-pRfrac34 v]t]yumlO WPaL ^-v]ffrac34]curren v]^-poLReRsaeligL Bvw|U oOr]pORa orOnLYfrac34]qOETHV oWRpound nLq| CRfsaeligLU egraveEgrave]umlOETHOordmLp]qOETHO Avyen La]RpuOSETHatildeV kracuteO j]degyen qordmO SkSqLaOU Ij]umlV SpL^-]Otilde]saelig SyOcirczSfrac34pLeV v]t]SumlordmfV Cv]aU SyOcirczU RWLordmV j]rpRŸ wq] oqOoWtORa An]NkLpofLReEuml]curren j SkLp] SyOcirczSfrac34LaV vqLcent krpO Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] AvSqLaV SLh]yumlO Cf]sLqLeV SyOcirczU IRpound WPRa Ag]f]pLp] vSETHLtO SyOcirczU AvqORa WPRa kOrROtildeŸO WPŸfrac34]curren oatildeO qordmV SkqOU `Lcent SyOcirczfrac34]SjLaLeV vqLcent kracutefV oatildeV qordmV SkRqIacute]jLeV vqOETHfV NkLpoOccedilpLyen kracuteO yOgravefrac34]SjSpL v]^-pfrac34]SjSpL Bp]qOETHO j]degyen v]t]yuml]qORETHEuml]curren oatildeV qordmV Skiexcl kOrfrac34V j]currenumlOU IETHLcurren SyOcirczU SkLWOETH]afrac34V oatildeV qordmV SkqOU SkLWOU

Iv]Ra SyOcirczoOSordmL Av]Ra yOgravefrac34OU v]^-pvOU WPRapOordmLWOU (yOgraveLhWcent ww] Wsup1Piexcl)

TOP 8

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

The 1982 side of Zico and Socrates that were foiled by Italy probably bring more of a misty eyed response than the side that were victorious in the USA

The 2014 finals will be a celebration of football The fans will embrace it and produce a carnival of colour noise and passion that the local people are already world famous for It will be a fantastic world cup to travel to and see how the Brazilians party It will have been 64 years since the last world cup was held in Brazil and those who were alive to see it will hope that it doesnrsquot end the same way The hosts were beaten in the final by South American rivals Uruguay Anything less than a win will send the country into mourning but a victory will spark the biggest party Brazil has ever seen and that in itself would be saying something

SyOcirczU S^-Ls] Wu]acuteV f]q]yumlO vqOETH KqO vŸUacute vŸ]jaOfrac34V Oatilde]frac34]q]pOETH oPETHV

vQEgrave-OacuteLRq WordmO fLa] jqyumlV Avwf SfLETH]umlOETH AvRq WordmSOtildeLyen hp SfLETH] IIacuteL Cv]Ra Wordm]ŸV v]wumlOETHORordmETHV SfLETHOETHO vŸ]curren vETHLcurren vsaeligfOU fqLU WPŸfrac34]curren NkLpU WPa]p vQEgravecent vŸ]curren BeOdegtLRqEuml]sOoOSordmL Csaelig kOrfrac34V SkLp]q]umlOETHO IEuml]curren `degyen vqOETH]saelig vŸUacute vŸ]SsumlV SkLp] RRvWOSETHqU niexclfrac34LvV vETHSOtildeLyen WLq|U kracuteO wq] `Lcent vETH]Rsaelig AvSqLaV vqLcent kqrpP Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] vQEgraveRq WordmO ASCcedilzU vETH]ŸOordmV j]degRt vŸ]SsumlV WPŸ]RWLordmOSkLWLjLeV `Lcent vETHfV vQEgraveq]curren NkLpoOccedilpLyen k racuteO `degyen KETH]yumlV Kq]umlsOU vq]saelig AAcircOfSfrac34LRaLOtildeU yUwpvOU SfLETH]p vŸUacute ARfIacuteL vQEgravecent KqLRt Pordm] kracuteO CpLyen yOgravefrac34V oSatildepLyen v]^-pU `Lcent SyOcirczU `degt]sLqV vqeRoETHV niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV SLh]yumlV vqP AvqfOSkLRs vŸ]curren RETHV Wq|degyen niexclfrac34Lv]SjLaV kracuteO ApLyenumlV qyU SfLETH] IIacute]jV yUwp]umleU yOgravefrac34]SjLaV vqLcent krpP yOgravefrac34V vETHLcurren Cj]pOccedil WLsU yOXoLp] ^-v]umlLoSsaeligL nLq| yUacutef]yuml]saelig IIacuteORWLordmV v]^-pRfrac34 v]t]yumlO WPaL ^-v]ffrac34]curren v]^-poLReRsaeligL Bvw|U oOr]pORa orOnLYfrac34]qOETHV oWRpound nLq| CRfsaeligLU egraveEgrave]umlOETHOordmLp]qOETHO Avyen La]RpuOSETHatildeV kracuteO j]degyen qordmO SkSqLaOU Ij]umlV SpL^-]Otilde]saelig SyOcirczSfrac34pLeV v]t]SumlordmfV Cv]aU SyOcirczU RWLordmV j]rpRŸ wq] oqOoWtORa An]NkLpofLReEuml]curren j SkLp] SyOcirczSfrac34LaV vqLcent krpO Aviexcl kOrfrac34V SkLp] AvSqLaV SLh]yumlO Cf]sLqLeV SyOcirczU IRpound WPRa Ag]f]pLp] vSETHLtO SyOcirczU AvqORa WPRa kOrROtildeŸO WPŸfrac34]curren oatildeO qordmV SkqOU `Lcent SyOcirczfrac34]SjLaLeV vqLcent kracutefV oatildeV qordmV SkRqIacute]jLeV vqOETHfV NkLpoOccedilpLyen kracuteO yOgravefrac34]SjSpL v]^-pfrac34]SjSpL Bp]qOETHO j]degyen v]t]yuml]qORETHEuml]curren oatildeV qordmV Skiexcl kOrfrac34V j]currenumlOU IETHLcurren SyOcirczU SkLWOETH]afrac34V oatildeV qordmV SkqOU SkLWOU

Iv]Ra SyOcirczoOSordmL Av]Ra yOgravefrac34OU v]^-pvOU WPRapOordmLWOU (yOgraveLhWcent ww] Wsup1Piexcl)

TOP 8

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

SIR NICHOLAS WINTON

This is the story of an incredible man and his amazing gift to mankind - the English stockbroker - Sir Nicholas Winton On holiday in Prague in 1938 he saw the influx of refugees pouring in after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia He realized the declaration of war was just a matter of time and decided to evacuate the children Drawing up the papers he succeeded in

organizing eight train loads of children Then he helped them find foster homes for those whom he rescued The relatives left behind ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers The courageous rescue of 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps by Nicholas Winton went unrecognized for over half a century He kept it secret and never told anyone about what he had achieved For fifty years most of the children did not know to whom they owed their lives Today there are over 5000 descendants of the Winton children around the world including in the UK Canada Czech Republic and the United States After the war he got involved with the rehabilitation

of Europes refugees and worked for international organizations He retired early and devoted himself to charitable works The story of Nicholas Winton only emerged when his wife Greta came across an old leather briefcase in an attic and found a scrapbook detailing the evacuations with lists of the children and letters from their parents Nicholas Winton hadnt even told her of his role during the war but she persuaded him to have his actions officially documented BBC invited the 90-year old to the studios in 1988 without telling him that he will face an audience comprised of his children It was an emotional moment for Winton family and Nickyrsquos children Since then the story of Winton - today known as the Schindler of Britain - has gone round the world He has been given award after award and on March 11 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II The descendants of the children he rescued - calling themselves lsquoNickyrsquos childrenrsquo ndash celebrated

the 105th birthday of Sir Winton at the Check Embassy in London recently (Hindu)

Jewish refugee children - members of the first

Kindertransport

TOP 9

AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

TOP 10

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

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they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

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AGROBOTS At the beginning man used his hands and hand tools for farming Animal-driven tools and mechanized farming evolved as he progressed Today tractor-driven machinery is common even in our country-side But the scientists are not satisfied Global population which passed 7 billion in 2011 is poised to rise further to 11 billion by 2050 At present 15 of the world population is going hungry every day Arable land size is decreasing due to diversion of farm land for non-farm purposes Climatic changes and frequent draughts take their toll Improving agricultural productivity demands the first priority Mechanized agriculture has matured in developed countries development and production of machines at affordable cost is slow in countries like India Agricultural scientists want to introduce robotic agriculture to replace tractor-driven machinery The available machines in the market are used for land leveling land preparation seeding planting weeding plant protection and harvesting They are general purpose machines and there is always a mismatch between the tasks in hand and the machinersquos limitation in adaptability Versatility dexterity precision and intelligence are desirable in order to achieve a total robotic regime Initially robots find application in labor intensive and repetitive tasks in well-planned large farms with scientifically designed layouts A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials parts

tools or devices through various programed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks Today robots find applications in automobile industry assembly medical laboratories hospitals nuclear reactors space exploration under-water exploration customer service and entertainment A robot has a mobile physical structure an actuator system a sensor system a power

supply and a computer brain Agrobots can be deployed for harvesting planting de-weeding and pest control They will find use in milking cows shearing sheep picking fruits pulling out weeds spraying chemicals and doing any other tasks They will make use of GPS and sensors for navigation The most remarkable use will be in labor-intensive jobs of plant protection and harvesting Greatest challenges will be unpredictable weather difficult terrain light and the variety of shape size and color Robots have many advantages they are not heavy use less power help optimize fertilizer consumption help to avoid labor hassle and their costs Precision farming will help achieve economy by selective harvesting robotic weeding micro-spraying etc By integrating these technologies and networking agrobots more economy and benefits can be achieved

(Source NETWORK INTELLIGENT UNMANNED SYSTEMS Technorama - the IEI Magazine)

A robot being used in vineyards in Chalon-sur-Saocircne France

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tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

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they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

TOP 12

tidal energy National Geographic

Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy During the 20th century engineers developed ways to use tidal movement to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal rangemdashthe difference in area between high tide and low tide All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity Tidal energy production is still in its infancy The amount of power produced so far has been small There are currently two commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world One is located in La Rance France the other is in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia Canada There is a third experimental plant operating in Kislaya Guba Russia The United States has no tidal plants and only a few sites where tidal energy could be produced at a reasonable price France England Canada and Russia have much more potential to use this type of energy In the United States there are legal concerns about underwater land ownership and environmental impact Investors are not enthusiastic about tidal energy because there is not a strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit consumers Engineers are working to improve the technology of tidal energy generators to increase the amount of energy they produce to decrease their impact on the environment and to find a way to earn a profit for energy companies Tidal Energy Generators There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy tidal streams barrages and tidal lagoons Tidal streams For most tidal energy generators turbines are placed in tidal streams A tidal stream is a fast-flowing body of water created by tides A turbine is a machine that takes energy from a flow of fluid That fluid can be air (wind) or liquid (water) Because water is much more dense than air tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy Unlike wind tides are predictable and stable Where tidal generators are used they produce a steady reliable stream of electricity Placing turbines in tidal streams is complex because the machines are large and disrupt the tide

Tide water swirl into the turbine

TOP 11

they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

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they are trying to harness The environmental impact could be severe depending on the size of the turbine and the site of the tidal stream Turbines are most effective in shallow water This produces more energy and allows ships to navigate around the turbines A tidal generators turbine blades also turn slowly which helps marine life avoid getting caught in the system The worlds first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland The turbines are placed in a narrow strait between the Strangford Lough inlet and the Irish Sea The tide can move at 4 meters (13 feet) per second across the strait Barrage Another type of tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage With a barrage water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is low Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers bays and estuaries Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the power of a river The barrage gates are open as the tide rises At high tide the barrage gates close creating a pool or tidal lagoon The water is then released through the barrages turbines creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers The environmental impact of a barrage system can be quite significant The land in the tidal range is completely disrupted The change in water level in the tidal lagoon might harm plant and animal life The salinity inside the tidal lagoon lowers which changes the organisms that are able to live there As with dams across rivers fish are blocked into or out of the tidal lagoon Turbines move quickly in barrages and marine animals can be caught in the blades With their food source limited birds might find different places to migrate A barrage is a much more expensive tidal energy generator than a single turbine Although there are no fuel costs barrages involve more construction and more machines Unlike single turbines barrages also require constant supervision to adjust power output The tidal power plant at the Rance River estuary in Brittany France uses a barrage It was built in 1966 and is still functioning The plant uses two sources of energy tidal energy from the English Channel and river current energy from the Rance River The barrage has led to an increased level of silt in the habitat Native aquatic plants suffocate in silt and a flatfish called plaice is now extinct in the area Other organisms such as cuttlefish a relative of squids now thrive in the Rance estuary Cuttlefish prefer cloudy silty ecosystems Tidal Lagoon The final type of tidal energy generator involves the construction of tidal lagoons A tidal lagoon is a body of ocean water that is partly enclosed by a natural or manmade barrier Tidal lagoons might also be estuaries and have freshwater emptying into them A tidal energy generator using tidal lagoons would function much like a barrage Unlike barrages however tidal lagoons can be constructed along the natural coastline A tidal lagoon power plant could also generate continuous power The turbines work as the lagoon is filling and emptying The environmental impact of tidal lagoons is minimal The lagoons can be constructed with natural materials like rock They would appear as a low breakwater (sea wall) at low tide and be submerged at high tide Animals could swim around the structure and smaller organisms could swim inside it Large predators like sharks would not be able to penetrate the lagoon so smaller fish would probably thrive Birds would likely flock to the area But the energy output from generators using tidal lagoons is likely to be low There are no functioning examples yet China is constructing a tidal lagoon power plant at the Yalu River near its border with North Korea A private company is also planning a small tidal lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Wales

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