Tradition of Jaffna

Here I have shared some photographs, which are reflecting the tradition of the Jaffna Peninsula. Jaffna located north part of Ceylon. 

Transparent Concrete

Made of fine concrete embedded with 4% by weight of optical glass fibers

New Architecture in Concrete... ... from translucent blocks and photo-engraved building fronts to revolutionary materials that promise to change the rules of construction as we know them today. We all know that concrete can be concocted to look like many things, but who would have thought that the rock-solid substance could be a substitute for a window? As it turns out, a handful of academic and commercial researchers are not just dreaming of this, they are busy making it happen. 

Make your air conditioning dollars go farther

When temperatures rise outside, it's natural to seek cool shelter indoors. For many people, that means flipping on the air conditioning unit and taking it easy. Keeping the air cool is more than a luxury for some families; elderly parents and young children cannot tolerate excessively high temperatures. However, the need for air conditioning puts many families at financial risk. A pricey combination of rising fuel costs and high electrical demand make summertime electric bills hard to manage.

According to Energy Star, the American family pays nearly $1,000 a year on heating and cooling their homes; that figure is above other electrical costs! You don't have to risk exposing your loved ones to brutal heat to save money.

Take advantage of some money-saving tips and beat the summer heat.

Help circulate cool air through the home by placing an oscillating fan in family rooms, like a living room or dining room.

Keep the temperature at constant temperature and avoid dropping the thermostat too low. Lowering the temperature costs you money and won't cool the home any faster.

Raise the thermostat 2 to 3 degrees before you leave for work if no one will be home. The energy experts at APS say that moving the temperature up 5 degrees for eight hours a day can save you $3 to $5 a month.

Install a whole house fan system. Whole house fans pull the hot attic air out of the home and keeps the air circulating, giving your home a cooling effect. This move could chill your home by a few degrees.

Replace old air conditioning units. If your window unit is a decade old, it needs to be replaced with an energy efficient unit. If your home has central AC, have the thermostat calibrated and the system charged yearly.

APS says homeowners should replace their older SEER units (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) to save energy bucks. Replacing a unit with a SEER rating of 10 with one that has an 18 SEER rating you could save up to 50% on your AC costs annually.

 Change the air conditioning filters regularly; once a month is suitable. Good air flow across the filter will cut down on cooling costs and stop allergens from floating around your home. FPL Energy Services say that air filters cost between $10 and $25 a piece, but replacing them can save you 5 to 15 percent on your monthly bill.

Hang insulated curtains in your windows. Sheer curtains look nice, but they don't provide any barrier between you and the outdoor heat. Keep windows covered during hot afternoons.

Also, do a walk through of your home while the air is on. Check for leaks around windows and doors. Sometimes your energy dollars simply float out the window!

Largest earthquakes since 1900

http://www.reuters.com

REUTERS - Here is a factbox showing the 10 strongest earthquakes recorded since 1900.

May 22, 1960 - Chile - An earthquake of magnitude 9.5 struck Santiago and Concepcion, triggering tidal waves and volcanic eruptions. Some 5,000 people were killed and 2 million made homeless.

March 28, 1964 - Alaska - An earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed 125 people and caused about $310 million in property loss. The magnitude 9.2 quake buffeted a large area of Alaska and parts of western Yukon Territory and British Columbia in Canada.

 December 26, 2004 - Indonesia - A magnitude 9.1 quake struck off the coast of Aceh province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, setting off a tsunami that killed more than 226,000 people in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, India and nine other countries.

 November 4, 1952 - Russia - An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 g e nerated a tsunami that reached the Hawaiian islands. No lives were lost.

 March 11, 2011 - An 9.0 magnitude quake struck Japan, the strongest on record in the country, and a big tsunami followed, triggering the worst nuclear crisis in 25 years since Chernobyl in Ukraine. More than 15,000 people died from the combination of the earthquake and tsunami.

 The U.S. Geological Survey placed the quake at a depth of 15.1 miles and 81 miles east of Sendai, on the main island of Honshu.

 February 27, 2010 - Chile - An 8.8 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami in Chile killed more than 500 people and caused some $30 billion in damage, wrecking hundreds of thousands of homes and mangling highways and bridges.

January 31, 1906 - Ecuador - An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, generating a tsunami that killed up to 1,000. It was felt along the coast of Central America and as far north as San Francisco and west to Japan.

February 4, 1965 - Alaska - An earthquake of magnitude 8.7 generated a tsunami reported to be about 35 feet (10.7 metres) high on Shemya Island.

April 11, 2012 - A quake with a magnitude of 8.6 struck Indonesia's Aceh province 308 miles southwest of the province's capital Banda Aceh. The quake was felt as far away as Singapore, Thailand and India.

March 28, 2005 - A magnitude 8.6 quake off Sumatra was estimated to have killed 1,300 people, many on Nias island off Sumatra's west coast.

 Source: Reuters/U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Web site - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ (Reporting by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Ron Popeski; david.cutler@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 7968; Reuters; Messaging: david.cutler.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)

World's 10 costliest cities

World's 10 costliest cities to live in Western Europe still accounts for 24 of the most expensive cities in the top 50, with 14 hailing from Asia, according to the latest Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) Survey conducted by the Economic Intelligence Unit.
1-For the first time in at least two decades of reporting the worldwide cost of living survey Zurich sits atop the ranking as the world’s most expensive city. An index swing of 34 percentage points pushed the Swiss city up 4 places compared to last year. European cities dominate the top rankings in the latest Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) Survey conducted by the prestigious Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU).

2 & 3-Geneva (pictured), the other Swiss city surveyed saw a 30 percentage point rise in the cost of living to move up six places into joint third alongside Osaka Kobe. Both have scored 157 on the Index.

4 & 5-Both Japan (Osaka Kobe – pictured left) and Switzerland have seen strong currency movements over the last few years which year, where investors looking for a haven currency outside the beleaguered Eurozone have invested heavily in the Swiss Franc, prompting an unprecedented move by the Swiss government to peg the Swiss Franc to the Euro to keep the currency competitive.

6-Paris (Index score 150) is the world’s sixth most expensive city to live in, according to the EIU survey. The Worldwide Cost of Living is a bi-annual (twice yearly) Economist Intelligence Unit survey that compares more than 400 individual prices across 160 products and services. They include food, drink, clothing, household supplies and personal care items, home rents, transport, utility bills, private schools, domestic help and recreational costs.

7-Local inflation in mature markets always has far less influence on the relative cost of living than the currency movements of the countries in question. This also explains the recent presence of Australian cities like Sydney (Score: 147/ Rank: 7) and Melbourne (Score: 145/ Rank: 8) in the ten most expensive locations as last year saw the Australian dollar pass parity with the US dollar from holding half that value a decade ago.

8-With a score of 145, Melbourne is ranked at No.8.

9-Singapore’s presence in the top ten highlights a shift away from Western Europe towards Asian hubs. Cities from the Asia Pacific region (including Australasia) now make up half the ten most expensive. Singapore, with an Index score of 142 points, is the

world’s ninth most-expensive city to live in.

 10-The German city of Frankfurt is the world's tenth most expensive city to live in, according to the latest Worldwide Cost of Living Survey (WCOL) conducted by the prestigious Economic Intelligence Unit. Frankfurt has a score of 137 on the index.

More than 50,000 individual prices are collected in each survey, conducted each March and September and published in June and December. EIU researchers survey a range of stores: supermarkets, midpriced stores and higher priced specialty outlets. Prices reflect costs for more than 160 items in each city. These are not recommended retail prices or manufacturers’ costs; they are what the paying customer is charged.

Prices gathered are then converted into a central currency (US dollars) using a prevailing exchange rate and weighted in order to achieve comparative indices. The cost-of-living index uses an identical set of weights that is internationally based and not geared toward the spending pattern of any specific nationality. Items are individually weighted across a range of categories and a comparative index is product using the relative difference by weighted item.

The survey itself is a purpose-built internet tool designed to calculate cost-of-living allowances and build compensation packages for expatriates and business travelers. The survey incorporates easy-to-understand comparative cost of living indices between cities. The survey allows for city to city comparisons, but for the purpose of this report all cities are compared to a base city of New York, which has an index set at 100. The survey has been carried out for more than 30 years.

Warning Message regarding to Laptop

Don’t keep your Laptop near to easily flammable material while using

A couple lost their 25 year old son in a fire at home on June 4th. The son who had graduated with MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison two weeks earlier had come home for a while. He had lunch with his dad at home and decided to go back to clean up his hostel room. His father told him to wait, to meet his mother, before he went back for a few days. He decided to take a nap while waiting for his mom to come back home from work. Sometime later their neighbors called 911 when they saw black smoke coming out of the house.

Unfortunately, the 25 years old died in the three year old house. It took several days of investigation to find out the cause of the fire. It was determined that the fire was caused by the laptop resting on the bed. When the laptop was on the bed cooling fan did not get the air to cool the computer and that is what caused the fire. He did not even wake up to get out of the bed because he died of breathing in carbon monoxide.

The reason I am writing this to all of you is that I have seen many of us and also our sons & daughters using the laptop while in bed. Let us all decide and make it a practice not to do that. The risk is real. Let us make it a rule not to use the laptop on bed with blankets and pillows around. Please educate as many people as you can.

"Please pass to everyone you know, you might save one's life

 (Thanks for Zia Hussian. The above message forwarded by him)

Cooler Pad

The Laptop Cooling Stand prevents your laptop from overheating. The unique patented wave design uses natural convection to enhance fan cooling. This stand has low power consumption via your laptop’s USB port with no bulky power adapters.

You know all about heat. Because today’s notebooks rely on fast processors to do the job, they generate a lot of heat, with much of it landing directly in your lap. Some laptops can have a “normal” operating temperature as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit! Not only is that unsafe and uncomfortable, it can also wear your laptop down, cause it to crash unexpectedly, and reduce its overall life expectancy.

Workplace Decorum

While many of us find comic relief in Dilbert’s workplace sufferings, unfortunately in the real world these stresses decrease employee satisfaction and workplace productivity. Creating an atmosphere of respect and consideration is absolutely essential to foster a healthy positive environment and to ensure that work not only gets done, but gets done well.

Workplace decorum is not about strict rules, but rather behavioral guild liens employees are expected to follow in order to convey respect towards others and the organization. It is professional as well as courteous to speak at an appropriate volume, neither too loud too soft using the right vocabulary. Desks must be kept clean and neat at all times. It is advisable to avoid displaying fancy stationery items or other decorative pieces. This not only obstructs the work area but also lends a very unprofessional perception to customers.


Avoid eating at your desk. If you must eat at your desk, avoid eating foods with strong aromas, hot food, or those that require direct contract with fingers. Also ensure that the food is not placed directly in front of you but rather on the side. There’s nothing worse than an unexpected visitors to see a desk topped with food, dirty tissues and oil-tainted documents or enter an office that smells like a restaurant. This creates a bad impression and reduces professional’s credibility. Keep your cell phone on vibrate mode or set the tone to a low level as the ring can be disturbing not only to colleagues but also to a customer who might be in conversation with you on the telephone.

 It is impolite to barge into a colleague’s office and ask “Busy?” or begin talking without waiting for a response. Instead say, “I would like to tell you about the customer services project whenever you can make ten minutes for it today.” This shows consideration and respect for your colleague’s time and work. It is discourteous to peer at the computer screen of a colleague or browser any document on his or her desk. If a colleague is on the phone, it is polite to come back again in a few minutes or leave a note saying “need to talk” rather than hover around his or her desk or stand and wait for the conversation to finish. If you overhear a conversation, practices selective listening and do not chime in.

If a printer stalls or jams in the middle of your job, do take time to fix it or alert someone who can attend to it rather than just re-sending the job to another printer. If you use the last pins in a borrowed stapler, be sure to replenish it or notify the lender of the same. Always ask permission before using a colleague’s stationery is poor manners and annoying. Ensure you have your own supply. Sheared areas such as kitchens and washrooms must be considerately.

If supplies such as tissues, water or soap are low or running out, if the washroom is occupied, it is courteous to notify the attend immediately. Using a cellphone in the washroom is serious etiquette faux pas! Also, if the wash room is occupied, it is courteous to return again or seek other options, rather than stand wait for the door to open. Proper etiquette in the workplace helps eliminate distractions and creates a positive environment in which employees can achieve their full potential. Buy Carolynn Philips/The author is consultant and behavioral skills coach. She is also a member of the International Association of protocol Consultants® & Officers.

This article was released on “Times of Oman- THURSDAY- July 8-14, 2010

WHO: Iran, South Asia worst for city air pollution

GENEVA (AP) — Cities in Iran, India, Pakistan and the capital of Mongolia rank among the worst on the planet for air pollution, while those in the U.S. and Canada are among the best, according to the first global survey by the World Health Organization.

The southwest Iranian city of Ahvaz walked away with the unfortunate distinction of having the highest measured level of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers.
WHO released the list Monday to highlight the need to reduce outdoor air pollution, which is estimated to cause 1.34 million premature deaths each year. The global body said investments to lower pollution levels quickly pay off due to lower disease rates and, therefore, lower healthcare costs.

The list, which relies on country-reported data over the past several years, measures the levels of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers — so-called PM10s — for almost 1,100 cities.


WHO recommends an upper limit of 20 micrograms for PM10s, which can cause serious respiratory problems in humans. They are mostly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from power plants, auto exhausts and industry.

Ahvaz's annual average of PM10s was 372 micrograms per cubic meter. Heavy industry and low-quality vehicle fuel are the main causes of air pollution in this desert city of 1.3 million.

The study found that the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator had an annual average PM10s density of 279 micrograms per cubic meter, followed by another west Iranian city, Sanandaj, with 254 micrograms.

Cities in Pakistan and India, such as Quetta and Kanpur, as well as Botswana's capital Gaborone, also ranked high on the pollution scale.

Mohammad Hasan, 39, of Karachi, Pakistan, said attempts to improve air quality in the port city of 18 million — such as by replacing heavily polluting buses with vehicles using compressed natural gas — are being undermined by bigger polluters who are "playing havoc with the lives of Karachi populace."

"Industries and factories are emitting thick clouds of smoke, and no government agency is out there to check them or correct them," the bank employee said.

WHO said the reasons for high pollution levels varied, but that often rapid industrialization and the use of poor quality fuels for transportation and electricity generation are to blame.

In India, major metropolitan areas such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have banned the construction of new power plants within city limits, and existing ones are being shut down or relocated.

But at the same time, a lack of public transport has led to an explosion of privately owned cars and SUVs as the economy booms, with the number of heavily polluting diesel vehicles increasing 10-fold as diesel is highly subsidized by the government.

In Ulan Bator, the air pollution is mainly related to the burning of coal, wood and everything else for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. Coal-fired power plants spew smoke over the city, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains that trap and hold the pollution, much like Beijing.

Ulan Bator has also seen a huge influx of former herders and farmers who live in felt tents known as gers or wooden shacks with no heat and little electricity, relying on the burning of coal, wood and dried dung to keep warm and cook meals. Combined with vehicle emissions, that creates a heavy blanket of smog that smothers the city for most of the year and grows especially noxious in winter.

At the other end of the list are cities in Canada and the United States, which benefit from lower population density, favorable climates and stricter air pollution regulation.

Yukon territory's capital Whitehorse had a yearly average of just 3 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter, while Santa Fe, New Mexico, measured 6 micrograms.

"It's absolutely wonderful," said Whitehorse Mayor Bev Buckway. "A lot of people come up north and they smell the air and the say "'Oh wow. Amazing. The air smells so good,'" she said. "And we tend to take it for granted because we just have that all the time."

Santa Fe Mayor David Coss said Monday that he's pleased but not surprised as the city consistently gets high rankings from the American Lung Association.

He said the clean air is one of the things he loves about living in Santa Fe.

Washington, D.C., had a level of 18 micrograms, Tokyo measured 23 micrograms, and Paris had 38 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter.

WHO also released a shorter table comparing levels of even finer dust particles, known as PM2.5s. The level considered harmful there is 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

This list contained no measurements from Asia apart from Ulan Bator, which again ranked worst with 63.0 micrograms.