Do you have a minute…..? Support the campaign to save human race…

Dear supporter

It's been a tragic year for Sri Lankans inside and outside the country, and one year after the end of the conflict, tens of thousands of innocent civilians are still suffering.

- 82,000 people - children, women, the elderly - are languishing in squalid camps
- many of those who have 'returned home' came back to rubble and poverty
- while the shelling has stopped, attacks on lawyers, journalists and aid workers haven't
- more than 10,000 alleged insurgents, including former child soldiers are held in camps where torture has been documented
- and despite its claims and commissions, the ruling regime has done nothing to bring about justice for victims or promote reconciliation

Act now! Sign our new urgent action petition to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
www.srilankacampaign.org/takeaction.htm

We are asking all Campaign supporters to help us push for a credible, independent and effective war crimes investigation.

The Government of Sri Lanka is keen to pacify the international community by setting up its own 'Commission into Lessons Learnt'. Let's remind Mr Ban that no Sri Lankan inquiry has ever yielded results and that gross human rights abuses still occur every day.

Once you've signed, please forward the link to others by email or share through your Facebook page.

There can be no lasting peace without justice.
The Sri Lanka Campaign team

The Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace & Justice is a global non-partisan movement calling for justice, rights and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

While the situation remains desperate, the Campaign has made progress on specific goals, such as giving a voice to human rights defenders in Sri Lanka and lobbying for suspension of the EU's preferential trade agreement with the country.

We are now gearing up to re-launch the Campaign as a long-term initiative. For this, we need your ongoing support!

To find out more, visit www.srilankacampaign.org

U.S.A. - Terror Policy

U.S. approves killing of American cleric

N.M.-born extremist is believed to be recruiting terrorists in Yemen

Radical cleric 'talking a lot' with bombing suspect
Jan. 1: Radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who grew up in the United States, has become increasingly active in orchestrating terrorist plots.

updated 3:38 a.m. ET April 7, 2010

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has taken the extraordinary step of authorizing the targeted killing of an American citizen, the radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have shifted from encouraging attacks on the United States to directly participating in them, intelligence and counterterrorism officials said Tuesday.

Mr. Awlaki, who was born in New Mexico and spent years in the United States as an imam, is in hiding in Yemen. He has been the focus of intense scrutiny since he was linked to Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Tex., in November, and then to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Dec. 25.

American counterterrorism officials say Mr. Awlaki is an operative of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the affiliate of the terror network in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They say they believe that he has become a recruiter for the terrorist network, feeding prospects into plots aimed at the United States and at Americans abroad, the officials said.

It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for an American to be approved for targeted killing, officials said. A former senior legal official in the administration of George W. Bush said he did not know of any American who was approved for targeted killing under the former president.

'Direct actions'
But the director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, told a House hearing in February that such a step was possible. “We take direct actions against terrorists in the intelligence community,” he said. “If we think that direct action will involve killing an American, we get specific permission to do that.” He did not name Mr. Awlaki as a target.

The step taken against Mr. Awlaki, which occurred earlier this year, is a vivid illustration of his rise to prominence in the constellation of terrorist leaders. But his popularity as a cleric, whose lectures on Islamic scripture have a large following among English-speaking Muslims, means any action against him could rebound against the United States in the larger ideological campaign against Al Qaeda.

The possibility that Mr. Awlaki might be added to the target list was reported by The Los Angeles Times in January, and Reuters reported on Tuesday that he was approved for capture or killing.

“The danger Awlaki poses to this country is no longer confined to words,” said an American official, who like other current and former officials interviewed for this article spoke of the classified counterterrorism measures on the condition of anonymity. “He’s gotten involved in plots.”

The official added: “The United States works, exactly as the American people expect, to overcome threats to their security, and this individual — through his own actions — has become one. Awlaki knows what he’s done, and he knows he won’t be met with handshakes and flowers. None of this should surprise anyone.”

Newsweek: A new counterterrorism catchphrase

As a general principle, international law permits the use of lethal force against individuals and groups that pose an imminent threat to a country, and officials said that was the standard used in adding names to the list of targets. In addition, Congress approved the use of military force against Al Qaeda after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. People on the target list are considered to be military enemies of the United States and therefore not subject to the ban on political assassination first approved by President Gerald R. Ford.

Both the C.I.A. and the military maintain lists of terrorists linked to Al Qaeda and its affiliates who are approved for capture or killing, former officials said. But because Mr. Awlaki is an American, his inclusion on those lists had to be approved by the National Security Council, the officials said.

At a panel discussion in Washington on Tuesday, Representative Jane Harman, Democrat of California and chairwoman of a House subcommittee on homeland security, called Mr. Awlaki “probably the person, the terrorist, who would be terrorist No. 1 in terms of threat against us.”

This story, "U.S. Approves Targeted Killing of U.S. Cleric," originally appeared in The New York Times.

It is one of the bold statement which will surely have an positive impact on WAR ON TERROR.

Hope:

The same yardstick to be used elsewhere in PAK, AFGHAN, SRILANKA & IRAQ

Dream to become true

Cooling the Air… Naturally.. An Idea.

Link:

http://samuraiosho.blogspot.com/2009/06/cooling-air-naturally-idea.html

This idea was posted by me on 26th June, 2009. I am anxious that may turn to be true. Read the article published on 23rd March 2010 in the Times of India News Paper

What the article says….

Finding water in thin air - M Ramya | TNN

Chennai: Going by the rate at which we are depleting our resources, some climate scientists predict that we will soon be left with nothing but thin air. But that’s no cause for panic. Enter atmospheric water extractor, which can not only get water out of air but also help you live in a natural air-conditioner.
    With statistics that say only 3% of all the water available can be put to use, researchers say it’s time mankind looked at the only perennial source of water on earth–the atmosphere. SS Sivakumar, inventor of the Akash Ganga, the country’s first indigenous atmospheric water extractor (AWE), says, “The roots of the technology were made available even 30 years ago.” So he started thinking up a solution to man’s water problems in February 2004 and came up with Akash Ganga, an AWE that follows nature’s principles.
    The AWE draws air from the atmosphere into a cold space, where the vapour is transformed into water through heat exchange, just as in natural rainfall. Compressant refrigerant gas moves through the condenser and looses both pressure and heat.
    It then passes through copper pipes and capillaries, into the evaporator, where it chills the fans. Fresh air is induced through the air filter into the evaporator by a fan. In the chilled ambience of the evaporator it loses moisture. This pure water is collected in a stainless steel container and then transferred through stainless steel pipes to a container where it is filtered and stored.
    AWEs like the Akash Ganga Water Creators work most effectively in regions that are warm and have high humidity levels, making them an ideal experiment in Indian coastal cities like Chennai. “So far 150 to 200 AWEs have been successfully set up in homes and offices in and around the city, including the Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai. In such a product the challenge lies in maintenance. We have put in place a service network that regularly cleans the filters and replaces parts,” said one of the directors of Akash Ganga TM Shyam Sundar.
    “As it apes the natural condensation process it sounds like a good option, but we have to look at the economic viability and manufacturing costs of such potable water,” said K Karunakaran, director of the Centre for Water Resources in Anna University. Sivakumar says that by producing 1 litre of water with .46 Kwh the AWE can compete with industry standards in viability and that the purity levels are well within the permissible limits .
    The advantages of the AWE over reverse osmosis treatment, which is gaining a rapid following in drinking water starved Chennai, is that there is no effluent unlike the reverse osmosis process which releases effluents and where the effluent ratio is likely to keep rising as groundwater level is depleted. Studies have shown that the rate of recharge of groundwater is 60% of the rate of extraction, which means the earth requires three years of good rainfall to make up for one year of water extraction.
    “The market is ripe. We are poised to sell 2,600 water creators this year with a projected turnover of Rs 13.6 crore,” enthuses Shyam Sundar. With all these arguments to back it up the AWE technology seems an idea whose time has come.

MAKING THE MOST OF IT………
The AWE draws air from the atmosphere into a cold space, where the vapour is transformed into water through heat exchange, just as in rain
Compressant refrigerant gas moves through the condenser and looses both pressure and heat
AWEs like the Akash Ganga Water Creators work most effectively in regions that are warm and have high humidity

Do you accept I am a foreteller…….

PONGAL – A TRADITION – NEW BEGINNING

Pongal is traditionally celebrated at harvest time, it's a celebration of the prosperity associated with the harvest by thanking the sun god, rain and the farm animals that have helped in the harvest. In short thanking and pricing the “Nature’s Gift”. In villages, new clothes are worn and people owning cows find this festival important.

Pongal is celebrated by the Indian state of Tamilnadu as well as Tamils worldwide, including those in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, USA, Canada and Singapore. The festival is at least 1000 years old although some believe that the festival is more than 2000 years old. As per historical evidence, it used to be celebrated as Puthiyeedu during Chola Empire days. It is thought that Puthiyeedu meant the first harvest of the year. 

Tamils refer to Pongal as "Tamizhar Thirunal" (meaning "the festival of Tamils"). This festival originated in Tamil Nadu. The saying "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum" (தை பிறந்தால் வழி பிறக்கும்) meaning "the birth of the month of Thai will pave the way for new opportunities" is often quoted regarding the Pongal festival.

Usually, the festival takes place January 12 — 15. The festival is celebrated four days from the last day of the Tamil month “Maargazhi” (December — January) to the third day of Tamil month “Thai” (January — February).

BHOGI

The first day, Bhogi, is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials, by setting them on fire, marking the end of the old (sufferings, misdeeds, difficulties) and the emergence of the new (prosperity, happiness, joy).

PONGAL

The second day, Pongal, is the main day, falling on the first day of the Tamil month Thai (January 14-15). Also known as Sarkarai Pongal or Veetu Pongal, it is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and Jaggery in new pots, which are later topped with brown sugar, cashew nuts and raisins early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel placed center of the Kolam in front of the house main entrance. The boiled rice and the mixture overflows and the traditional expectation is that the flow should start from east from where sun rises. This tradition gives Pongal its name.

The moment the rice boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, the tradition is to shout of "Ponggalo Ponggal!" and blowing the sangu (a conch), a custom practiced during the festival to announce it was going to be a year blessed with good tidings. For Tamils, it is considered a good sign to watch it boil over, since it means that good luck and prosperity is forthcoming. Then New boiled rice is offered to the sun god during sunrise, a gesture which symbolises thanks to the sun and nature for providing prosperity. It is later served to the people present in the house for the ceremony. People also prepare savories and sweets such as vadai (a lentil/cereal based salty & bit spicy snack), murukuu (a rice/cereal based salty and crispy snack),payasam (a sweet dessert) and visit each other and exchange greetings.

MATTU PONGAL

The third day, Maattu Pongal, is for offering thanks to cattle, as they help farmer in different ways for agriculture. On this day the cattle are decorated with paint, flowers and bells. They are allowed to roam free and fed sweet rice and sugar cane. Some people decorate the horns with gold or other metallic covers. In some places, Jallikattu, or taming the wild bull contest, is the main event of this day and this is mostly seen in the villages. It was once upon a time showed the valor of the men and who were preferred compared to others as the bridegroom – A strong man

KAANUM PONGAL

During the final day, Kaanum Pongal (the word kaanum means "to view") people visit their relatives, friends to enjoy the festive season or have a day out with their families. They also chew sugar cane and decorate their houses, streets, pathways with kolam. This day is a day to thank relatives and friends for their support in the harvest.

Although it started as a farmers festival, today it has become a national festival for all Tamils irrespective of their origins, caste or even religion. It is as popular in urban areas as is in rural areas.

TAMIL NEW YEAR

With the recent announcement in line with the historical data, Thai 1 – Thiruvalluvar Calendar (14 January) is the Tamil New Year.

Wish you a Happy Pongal and Prosperous Tamil New Year