Professional Ethics

Key words: profession, ethics, integrity, training, obligations

Profession is a vocation based upon education and training and professionals are those who have got specialized training and can take decisions of their own and can act accordingly which ordinary persons can’t do. Ethics is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Ethics are values and beliefs of an individual or a society as a whole. Ethical principles  are:  honesty, integrity, being fair and open minded, respect for dignity and accountable for one’s decisions and their consequences.

It is reported that Chanakya wrote “Arthashastra” in fourth century BC during Chandra Gupta Maurya’s rule. It is a treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Professional ethics refer to the ethical obligations to be followed by professionals. Every profession has got its own obligations - Engineers have got their own values and beliefs, doctors have their own, lawyers their own and teachers their own obligations.

The main question that crops at this juncture is who decides what is ethical?  What is good at one point of time need not be good all the times. Each profession has got its own code of ethics. A code of ethics prescribes what a professional should do so that he can  do the best at the minimum cost. It also helps a professional to choose what to do when faced with a problem.  A professional has obligations towards his employer, client/customer   and society.

Ethics plays an important role in the workplace. General public are unlikely to do business with an unethical company. When a company is caught doing something unethical, that company often faces  different problems. Consumers may  boycott their products.  Ethics and work should go hand in hand. Maintaining ethics should be an integral part of the workplace.

 

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       Our Environment

Environment  is  the surroundings in which the organisms live. The environment has two components – abiotic (non living) and biotic (living).

The abiotic environment includes the air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere) and land lithosphere). The biotic environment includes the plants, animals and the microbes.

The basic needs of all living beings are: oxygen, food, clothing and shelter. Man depends on the natural resources for all his needs.  Maintaining the natural resources of the environment and their careful use is very much essential so that the present generation as well as the future generation can live in this world comfortably.

Our earth is getting deteriorated day by day due to a variety of environmental problems like  global warming, air pollution, acid rain, and so on. Population explosion   coupled with major industries contribute a large extent to the environmental pollution. Individuals and governmental agencies have an important role in reducing the after effects of pollution.  Economic use of electricity,  reducing carbon dioxide and managing waste are the important steps to be taken  to create a healthy environment.  The large scale use of vehicles on the road also contributes to a large extent of air pollution.

Polluted waters from industries are directly fed into natural rivers and streams with out proper  treatment causing water pollution. Use of artificial fertilizers for agriculture lead to soil pollution. Thus preventive steps should be taken to reduce pollution in all spheres.

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Web site for a writer

Tags: web site, profile, services offered, comments

Just like email and mobile telephone, now a days website for each individual has become almost a necessity, part and parcel. of present day life.
It depicts the profile of the individual along with the services that he can give. In other words it shows the presence of a person in the cyber world. Just like any other professional, a writer can also  showcase his writing contributions through his personal web site. In other words it serves as an advertising display board.
 The web site helps:
 -        To remain in touch with the readers. The writer can share his views,        stories and articles.
-         It shows the list of  writer’s publications.
-         The readers can give their comments after reading the writings. They can seek further clarifications if required.

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                                         Human Relations                                         

Key words – human relations, work place, productivity, employees

Man, it is told, is a social animal. Man can’t live in this world all alone. He has to maintain relations with his family members, with his colleagues in his work place, with the members of the society with whom he is associated.

In a work place (office) there must be cordial relations between the employees, between the employees and the employer. Also there must be cordial relations  between the employee and his family members. Then only the worker will be able to put all his energies and attention on his job. This is very essential for the overall progress of the company. It is necessary to have a healthy and peaceful environment in the work place. An employee should take interest in the welfare of his colleagues. Egoism should not come in the way. On the other hand the employee should be sympathetic towards his colleagues.

If the relations among employees are not healthy, the employees will like to quit  the job at the earliest opportunity. This is a big loss as far as the management is concerned, because training a new employee is time consuming and expensive. Also the productivity will be hampered which in turn cause great loss to the company.

For enhancing the productivity, employees must be motivated. As such employees must be rewarded for initiating new techniques and also for suggesting improved methods. The management should conduct opinion surveys and get employees reactions and suggestions for increasing productivity.

The following actions will help in maintaining good relations:

-       Be friendly and helpful

-       Take genuine interest in others

-       Have a smile on face and greet others

-       Call people by their names

In short, relationships are the very foundation of our lives. whether personal or professional. The ability to understand others’ feelings and communicate effectively with the people around will  help in mitigating others problems to a large extent.

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Soil Nailing

 

Soil Nailing

Key words: soil nailing, construction of wall, rail road

Soil nailing is a construction technique in which steel bars are inserted in the holes driven on ground slopes. The purpose of  nailing is to stabilize natural slopes, excavated slopes or retaining walls.

 One of the first applications of soil nailing was in 1972 for a railroad widening project near Versailles, France, where an 18 m (59 ft) high cut-slope in sand was stabilized using soil nails (Rabejac and Toudic 1974). Clouterre’s  research program, (Schlosser 1983; Clouterre 1993) is another step in this direction..

 In Germany, the first use of a soil nailing   was for construction of a wall in the year  1975 (Stocker et al. 1979). The first major research program onn soil nail walls was undertaken in Germany from 1975 through 1981 by the University of Karlsruhe and the construction company Bauer. (Gassler and Gudehus 1981; Schlosser and Unterreiner 1991).

  In US, the first FHWA document on soil nailing was issued through FHWA’s Office of Research and Development (Elias and Juran 1991). Updated version of above FHWA soil nailing manual was made public in 2003 (Carlos et al. 2003).

 In India use of soil nailing technology is gradually increasing and guidelines have been made by IRC( Indian Road Congress) with the help of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

 

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Laughter - best medicine

                               Laughter- The Best Medicine

               Tags: laughter, medicine, sorrow, tests

It is recognized all over the world that  laughter  is the best medicine! Researchers have found that  positive  emotions  have a beneficial impact on a person's health. It has been observed  that watching comedy films boosts blood flow to the heart.

It was  found that artery blood flow was reduced after watching movie clips that caused distress; but  was increased  after watching movie clips that elicited laughter. The difference in flow between sad and happy responses exceeded an astonishing 50 percent.

The study was conducted on 20 healthy young adults after asking them to  view 15 to 30 minutes of  tragic / comic films. For the analysis 160 measurements of artery blood flow were taken before and one minute after exposing to phases of laughter or sadness.

Source: British Medical Journal - Specialty Journals / Kate Melville

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Be Young in Old Age

 Quite interesting to hear. But is it possible to remain young in old age? Difficult to believe. Hours roll into months, days into months and months to years. The old saying "Time and tide wait for no man" is perfectly apt. We can't stop time ticking off. As days pass on, we get older. Our thinking changes, our attitude changes and our physical body changes. Ageing is a natural process. We can't completely change the effects of old age; but we can, of course retard the deterioration of the body to a certain extent by leading a healthy and positive life style.

Effects of Aging:

As we get older, changes take place both in the physical and mental levels. Increased blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, diabetes, cholesterol, cancer - are some of the major common problems of old age. The body cells start deteriorating and function less effectively; the skin loses elasticity, tissues break down, muscles weaken, eye sight reduces, hearing becomes weak, decayed teeth, increase in degenerative disease - all manifestations of old age. The absence of care, love and affection from children and other close relatives and friends further add chances for depression and increased mental tension. 

Causes of Ageing 

As discussed earlier, aging is a natural process and we can't completely reverse the process of aging. The main causes of aging are: 

Faulty Life style: 

Improper food, lack of physical exercise, increased mental tension- these all come under the category of faulty life style. 

Heredity 

The genes inherited from parents have got an important effect on aging. However one can't do anything to influence the genes.

Free Radicals

 Free radicals are highly corrosive oxidizing molecules. It is considered that free radicals are the main cause of aging and to a certain extent to cancer. The causes of these free radicals are : poor nutrition, cigarette smoking, strong sun light and air pollution. 

Aging Process

The aging process can be reversed to a certain extent by taking the following steps.

 - Have balanced ,nutritious food - 

- Take anti oxidants : Vitamins A, C & E and the mineral selenium

 - Proper physical exercise

 - Sufficient rest and sleep

 - Avoid mental tension and worry 

- Engage in some sort of mental activity

 - Have a positive attitude

 - Involve in creative social activity 

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Rainy day

It is raining.

Dark clouds in the sky.

Drops of rain water trickling down.

Slippery ground, stagnant water,

Thoughts and thoughts down the lane

Those years spent in Manak Nagar

The days are gone, never to return

Can't help ,Can't help.

 

Back Pain

Back Pain – Its Causes And Remedial Measure

Key words: Back pain, Back pain causes, Chronic back pain

Back pain must have occurred at least once in each and everybody’s life. In one way it is an unavoidable phenomenon. Statistical analysis shows that ladies are less susceptible to this than gents. The pain can be chronic or severe. Discomfort arises out of the pain and one may find it difficult to attend to his normal duties. One can see lot of advertisements about pain killers. The effectiveness of these is doubtful.

Before going into the causes of back pain, one has to know the anatomy of the human back. The back of our body is composed of bony lumbar spine (vertebrae) which consists of discs. The back bone includes bone, muscles and elastic tissues. The spine which is placed at the centre of back has twenty four block bones. It holds the body upright and ensures its mobility. Inter-vertibral discs cushion in between the blocks is to keep the bones separated from rubbing each other.

Symptoms

The basic symptoms of back pain are-

-Pain in the region of middle or lower back.

-Difficulty in bowel /bladder movement

-Pain in the hip/waist region

-Difficulty in movement

Causes

The main back pain causes are-

-Fall or injury

-Obesity

-Sedentary life style

-Old age

-Strenuous work

-Wrong diet

-Smoking

-Depression

-Maintaining wrong posture

-lifting of heavy things

Remedial Measures

The remedial measures can be grouped under two classes-

Temporary

-Use of pain killer medicine

-Ice pack

-Oil massage

Long Term Measures

Do’s

-Maintain proper posture

-Use hard bed

-Regular exercise

-Proper rest and sleep

Don’ts

-Do not use high heeled shoes

-Do not sit continuously in chair

-Avoid carrying heavy things

-Do not stand for long hours

If proper care is taken in day to day activities, back pain can be avoided. However for chronic back pain, a physiotherapist should be consulted.

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Posted by Ramachandran at 8:55 PM 1 comment: 

Sustainable development - the need of the hour

 Sustainable Development - The need of the hour

Development of a nation is a must. There must be all round progress so that people can lead a comfortable life. The basic requirements of a person are food, shelter and clothing. With the increase in population coupled with overall progress in the industrial field, natural resources are getting depleted day by day. Environmental pollution adds to the miseries.

While meeting the demands of the present, there must be sufficient resources so that the future generation can lead a comfortable life. This is called the sustainable development.

The issue of sustainable development was discussed in detail at the Earth Summit held at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 1992. In addition to the increase in production, the protection of environment  and conservation of natural resources are extremely important.

Strategies for sustainable development

The suggested strategies are:

-       Use locally available materials

-       Adopt the 3 R (Reduce, Recyle, Reuse) approach

-       In order to inculcate a sense of awareness, educate the general public

the steps to be followed for a sustainable living

Conservation of Resources

The main natural resources are: Water, Energy and Land.

Water: is a very important natural resource. This is required for humans and animals. Water is required for drinking, cooking, washing, toilets, agriculture and industries. A recent study has revealed that while the rainfall is reducing, the atmospheric temperature is rising. At the same time, the demand is increasing with the increase in population. Steps should be taken to reduce the wastage of water in the domestic and industrial sectors. As far as irrigation of agricultural crops are concerned, drip irrigation should be practiced. The suggested steps for conservation are:

-       Leakage of water should be identified and repaired immediately

-       Taps should be closed when not in use

-       The waste water should be treated and reused for gardening and washing floor.

-       Arrangements should be made for rain water harvesting

-       Losses in irrigation water should be reduced by lining of canals and by adopting drip irrigation

Energy: We can’t imagine a life without energy. It is required for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. The suggested steps for conservation of energy are:

-       Switch off lights and fans when not in use

-       Use CFL lamps and tube lights

-       Use pressure cooker

-       Keep the vessel covered with a lid when cooking

Land: Land is largely covered with forests, wet lands, grass lands, agricultural lands and human settlements. Land gets degraded due to soil erosion, water logging, salinity, desertification and various developmental activities. The suggested steps for soil conservation are:

-       Slow down the movement of water when it flows along a slope

-       Have more vegetation cover

-       Adopt afforestation

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Health is Wealth

Key words: health, wealth, happiness, life style, fate

Health is wealth; no doubt for it! If health is lost, everything is lost. We can’t lead a happy life without proper health. To a certain extent, it is within our hands to take correct steps for maintaining good health.

But certain things are beyond our control. The other day I went to a leading hospital where one of my relatives had been admitted for treatment. She was in the intensive care  unit  under artificial respiration. Her whole body was covered with different tubes and wires.  She was not in a position to talk, drink water or take meals. She has no financial problems. Children  are grown up and employed. Husband is her side throughout the day. About five years back, she had under gone a kidney transplant operation. She is in the mid fiftys.

Here comes the question - what is life? Is it beyond one’s control and leave it to the mercy of God. It is very difficult to give a proper reply. Money is required to lead a comfortable life. But health is a prerequisite for all that. Some diseases are hereditary and perhaps difficult to diagonise and have a proper treatment while some are due to wrong life style of the present day. Improper and unbalanced food, lack of physical exercise, smoking, too much intoxicating drinks, mental tension and worry are some of the factors contributing to life style diseases like diabetes, high bold pressure, cholesterol, obesity etc.

Remember the old adage – “Prevention is better than cure. “ Instead of going for a treatment at a later stage, it is always better to take preventive steps from early child hood itself. Children should be educated in their school days itself the importance of good  life style and the necessary steps to be followed. In addition to the importance of maintaining physical health, it is very essential to have advice on the mental health also.

But unfortunately it is seen that due attention is not paid with regard to mental health. A positive attitude towards  life  devoid of hatred, anger, envy and tension is of utmost importance. A contended life, with a friendly and helping attitude towards fellow members of the society without looking towards religion, cast and  creed is the attitude that is required.

 

Onam -The festival of Kerala

 

Onam – The festival of Kerala

 Malayalees (people of Kerala) through out the world celebrate ‘Thiruvanam’ in the month of Chingam ( August).. The storey behind this festival is as follows. King Mahabali was ruling Kerala at that time. People were extremely happy and were leading a comfortable life – devoid of theft, fight and quarrel. Devas became jealous of Mahbali and requested Mahavishnu to take some effective steps to curb the influence of Mahabali. Vishnu then took  the form of a Brahmin boy (Vamana) and approached King Mahabali. The king enquired as what the Brahmin boy wanted. Vamanan told that he wanted only three feet of land. Vishnu then suddenly grew in size and measured the whole world and heaven in two steps and for the third Mahabali showed his head. Vamanan then pushed Mahabali down to the earth.

As requested by Mahabali , he was granted permission to visit his country men once in a year , on the  Thivonam (onam) day. Keralites all over the wordl celebrate Onam with full of vigour and vitality. They make flower beds (pookkalam)  in front of their houses. Family members assemble in their ancestral houses and will have sumptuous  meals. Different types of games are  played. All wear new dresses.

 

      Mental Tension and Worry- The disease of the modern world

The other day Sindhu, a B Tech final year student told me that she   forgot to write her roll number in the answer book of the examination.

I asked her why?

She answered that she was under  mental tension and as such forgot to write her roll number.

People of all ages starting from a kindergarten student to a senior citizen from all strata of the society -  house wife, engineer, doctor, politician etc  all are under tension in one way or the other.

But is it possible to avoid this mental tension?

Swami Vivekananda says “The calmer we are, the less disturbed our nerves, the more shall we learn, the better our work be”. But seldom we can find a  person leading a calm and peaceful life. Now a days nervous tension has become a regular phenomenon. Some of the stress induced diseases are heart attack and high blood pressure. The degree of tension may differ depending on the place and situation. Some may be undergoing tension in his office , others may suffer in their home and some others may be undergoing both in their office and home as well.

Stress can’t be completely avoided but it can be controlled to a certain extent. Stress can be positive as well as negative. It is the negative stress which causes nerves tension, anger, jealousy and other problems.

If we are able to remain calm under any provocation, to a large extent tension can be minimized. For this we should have strong will power and faith in our self. We should learn to live in the present forgetting the past. By practicing meditation, to a large extent, tranquility can be maintained and also  regular   practice will help in removing negative feelings.

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Happy and Comfortable Life

Key words- Happy life, health, human being, emotions

Everybody in this world  want  to lead a healthy and happy life.  But is it possible to quantify happiness?

Definitely not.  It is a state of mind and depends on the attitude of the person concerned.

The basic requirements of a human being are food, shelter and clothing. One can have a meal of a small quantity of cereal while another can have a five star meal; one can have a small one room hut  for self and family while another can have a multi storey house in a large estate; while one can have a single piece cheap dress while anther can have a gold laced costly three piece suit.

In addition to the basic amenities, one should have good physical and mental health . Then only one should be able to enjoy life to its full extent.

But what is the  state of most of the people of this present day world. From a small baby to a grownup youth to a senior citizen, almost all are under some sort of pressure due to the mental agony ,worry and tension. It can be on the personal account, official account or on social account.

Is there a remedy for all these problems? Yes, it is there; but one has to find the solutions himself and practice accordingly..

If one can control his emotions, his anger, resentment and greediness and then have a positive outlook towards life, one will be able to lead  a happy and joyf

 

Environment and Value Education

Key words: environment, value ,education, natural resources

Education can be through formal and informal channels. Value education with respect to environment should help  to bring  a new sustainable way of life. The environmental value education should inculcate   natural and cultural values, social justice, human heritage, equitable use of resources, managing common property resources in the minds of all persons.

In the present day world we are giving importance to development only with out understanding thee problems caused due to destruction of our environment. Our mind set should be changed so that the development should be with due regard to sustainability or equitable use of resources. The unsustainable development leads to economic growth of the rich and powerful while it makes the poor more poorer

Values in general sense deal with ones own principles and standards.

Values in environment education focus on the following aspects- effective utilization of natural resources, keeping the surroundings clean, excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in farms, effective use of water and power etc. All these issues are connected to the quality of human life.  They deal with respect for nature. These  values  will help  in leading a  healthy, productive and happy lives in harmony with nature.

Environmental values are the feelings that help us in preserving nature. Values are not constant. Concepts of what constitutes 'right' and 'wrong' behavior change with time. Once shooting of animals was taken as a sport. But now it is considered as a crime. It indicates that value system changes with time.

We have to develop a sense of values that are linked with a better and more sustainable way of life for all people. The positive feelings that support environment include a value for nature, cultures, heritage, and equity. We must also pay attention to  aspects that have negative impacts on the environment. These include our attitude towards the degradation of the environment, loss of species, pollution, poverty, corruption in environmental management and the rights of future generations.

We need to adopt the values to bring about a better way of life on earth for all people and all living creatures.

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 Brisk Walking – The remedy for all diseases

Key words - Blood pressure, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, Over weight

Everybody in this world want to lead a healthy and comfortable life devoid of diseases. In the present day world, lot of persons are suffering from life style diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight, high cholesterol etc. At the age of seventeen itself  the youngsters are forced to lead the life of   seventy year old persons

Is there a remedy for this? Yes, sure it is there. Brisk walking is a simple and easy exercise to reduce the ill effects of all these life style diseases. It also helps to improve metabolism. Along with exercise, it is very essential to control the diet.

According to the World Health Organisation “ A walker loses weight, ,reduces conditions associated with hypertension, lowers cholesterol, slows ageing and  increases strength ,flexibility and stamina.” Thirty minutes of brisk walking helps to burn off around 200 calories.

There is a saying in China  that “ Old age is inevitable but there is no excuse for senility’. Sedentary living and passive life style lead to weak muscles and reduced stamina. Few minutes of brisk walking every morning will help in reducing the bad effects of ageing. Mental fitness is also very important just like physical fitness.

Walking can help prevent osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), control diabetes and also relieve from back pain.  It will also be having a tranquillising effect on the ill effects of sedentary life as well as that  of the  highly stressed environment .

Walking can be in the morning or in the evening.  An early morning walk warms up body and also mind. Mind will be filled up with positive thoughts. Evening walk is the time for taking stock of one’s day time activities. It will also help in having a good sleep in the night.

A large number of scientific studies have shown that brisk walking develops cardiovascular health and protects against heart diseases.

Walking increases the amount of oxygen supplied to all tissues, increases HDL