Every day is a new day

No adult eats a dish of caviar with the same relish as that with which a child eats a spoonful of sauce.

Question: How many plants are needed to make enough oxygen for one person for one hour ? We are experimenting with Anacharis plants. Replies: The problem can be solved when broken down into smaller questions: 1. How much oxygen does a person need in an hour? 2. How much oxygen does a plant produce in an hour? 3. Based on the above, how many plants will provide the oxygen needs of the person for the hour? Here is the solution to the first question: A resting, healthy adult on an average, cool day breathes in about 53 liters of oxygen per hour. An average, resting, health adult breathes in about 500 mL of air per breath. This is called the normal tidal volume. Now, 150 mL of this air will go to non- functioning areas of the lung, called the "dead space." The average breath rate for this average person is 12 breaths per minute. So, the amount of air breathed in by the person which is available for use is 12 x (500 mL -150...

How much do YOU think a tree is worth?? And how does one measure the value and then convert the result to monetary terms? Here's one way..... When Sue Rostas, Communications Officer for the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project, received a letter from Carrington Public school student, Michael Wilson, it set her thinking. Michael asked what was the economic value of a tree. He suggested we assume a value of $1 a day for the amount of oxygen that a tree produces. A tree thus produces $365 worth of oxygen per year or a total of $36,500 over 100 years (and that's not allowing for inflation!) Sue wondered how close to the mark was this assumed dollar value. A few phone calls to Assoc. Prof. Tlna Offler, University of Newcastle, and Bill Nethery, State Forests of NSW, plus some library work revealed some startling but often overlooked facts about the true value of trees. Michael's assumption had in fact greatly underestimated the value of trees. The true value (considering on...

Recently I visited Mumbai and got a chance to see the Fort area from a bus. As the bus passed the statue of Lal Bahadur Shastri, I saw BEST buses coming into the square. The sight moved me to tears, because generations of people before me have seen these buses coming into the beautiful square. I cried because after seeing the buses I thought my country has become too old now. Do you also think, the country is too old?

I happen to be vegetarian by choice. I am aware that others around me have their own tastes and preferences. I do not comment on that. However I expect even non - vegetarians to respect animal life, though they may eat things that once moved around on their own. I was having dinner with colleagues once. One of my colleagues launched into a vivid description of marine fauna in cooked form. Another colleague joined the discussion. I got the impression that they were discussing seafood in a manner similar to how people discuss movies. There was a total lack of compassion and a complete ignorance of the fact that animals experience tremendous suffering when they are caught and killed. The occasion is seared into my memory, for the wrong reasons.

Some people look through me so well that I wonder whether I am wearing the suit of invisibility that scientists are trying to invent!

The Hindu : Arts / Magazine : Showcase: Entertainment with a difference

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go to the great singer Gangubai Hangal's home. Smt. Gangubai believed that through music, one can express what cannot be expressed through words. I too believe that is true. I also agree with Smt. Gangubai's assertion that music must be taught in schools. Today, only people who are aware of the benefits of artistic skill, send their children to musicians. I strongly believe that if every child gets the opportunity to learn music in one or the other form, he or she will grow up with a wholesome personality, and become a person who is sensitive to other people's feelings.