N-Curbs on India

The US House of Representatives has approved the Indo-US nuclear deal by an overwhelming majority, but there are reservations about the bill in India, particularly among the CPI(M) and other Left parties, which feel that it contains “some major departures” from the N-deal signed by the US President, Mr George Bush and the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. Indeed, the bill seeks to subject India’s foreign policy to US strategic requirements. It also seeks to monitor India’s nuclear development through inspections by the US and the IAEA. Many, including the Left, had objected to the inclusion of the monitoring clause in the Indo-US N-deal of July 18, 2005. Dr Manmohan Singh argued that there was no departure from the country’s stated position on the nuclear policy, and if there was any, he would inform the Parliament. But now it appears that diplomatic efforts to amend this clause have not succeeded.


Yet another clause which is the major source of concern is that India cannot approach other sources in the Nuclear Suppliers Group if the US did not supply it N-fuel. The US has assignment to itself the right to influence others to stop fuel supply. Earlier India was free to approach any other country, and in fact a couple of months back Russia had agreed to supply fuel for Tarapur reactor. The bill also makes it clear that relaxation of non-proliferation barriers is only with respect to nuclear fuel and reactors, but the sanctions on fuel reprocessing, enrichment and production of heavy water for equipment and technologies remain.

The supporters of the Indo-US nuclear deal do not find any fault with these clauses and argue that the Bush administration has to include these conditions only for the sake of convincing the members of the houses and getting their support. But what is the guarantee that the US will not impose these conditions once India asserts its right or violates any of these conditions? If Mr Bush is bound by US Congress on how to proceed with the Indo-US deal, what is the harm in placing these facts on the table of Parliament by the government of India for defining the parameters and letting nuclear development remain in our hands?

Let the Parliament set the parameters, come out with the guidelines and define the limits to which it can proceed in this regard. It is amazing the Congress leadership and the UPA government are scared of the Left parties’ move to bring a “Sense of Parliament” resolution in Parliament. No doubt on earlier occasions the Prime Minister had spoken on it before the Parliament. But the latest move would make a difference. Earlier the government had informed the members and country through the Parliament. But this time it would seek its mandate.


It is worth recalling that during his visit to Russia to participate in the G8 meeting, the Prime Minister had conveyed his apprehensions to Mr Bush. If at all there are some anomalies which are detrimental to the interest of the country, it is not too late to pull out of the deal at this stage as the final agreement would take shape only after the legislation is approved by the US Congress. The government of India must keep up the pressure on US.

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India's Moon Mission

We are all proud of Chandrayaan-–1, India'’s first moon mission in 2008 for which the memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA. But how have the Leftists who are the controllers of the UPA Govt. responded to this Indo-American joint mission. Congenitally anti-American, they would predictably be indifferent, if not openly opposed to it. The question likely to come up before long is whether this project was included in the Common Minimum Programme. If the Leftists had their way they would prefer dumping the money needed for it in the bottomless pit of Employment Guarantee Scheme. The other question relates to reservation for OBC in ISRO, particularly in the team of scientists and engineers working on this project. Let Arjun Singh raise this issue. Let him also get a commitment from Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi that in future when the first manned spacecraft would be launched for landing on the moon half the number of astronauts would be OBC and SC&ST. It should not matter if they do not return back to earth and get lost in outer space.

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The Matrix is already here

Popular part time jobs for American girl students

Image via Wikipedia

Part-time jobs for American students are very popular but usually begin during their high school days. Besides working in fast food restaurants and small cafeterias, there are few popular jobs for teenager in America.

One that has its greatest demand among teenage girls is baby sitting. A good baby sitter can earn quite a bit if she is dependable, responsible and mature. It is not necessarily an easy job and requires both social and general life skills A good baby sitter should know how to change diapers and earn the respect of the children she is watching. She must be able to get the children ready for bed and keep an eye on them even while they are sleeping. In addition, she should be able to handle any unexpected emergency with common sense and be calm at all times. She should know the emergency numbers of the hospital and police for situations which require assistance. Once the children are asleep the baby sitter is free to watch TV or listen to music. If she is really conscientious about her studies, she may spend the time doing homework but should not tie up the phone with personal calls just in case the parents want to be in contact with her. Such a job often involves working on Friday and Saturday nights when many married couples like to spend the night going to a movie or the theater. On such occasions they will leave their children in the care of a dependable baby-sitter.

Other part-time jobs which are popular especially among young boys is managing a paper route or mowing the lawns of people in one's neighborhood. These jobs also requires maturity and responsibility and can be a source of good income for a high school student. Young boys who run paper routes are required to get up early in the morning to deliver the daily news regardless of the weather. This job has no holidays and requires the newspaper to be delivered every day without exception. In America there are no newspaper holidays. If they choose to mow lawns, part of the job responsibilities may require that they also periodically rid it of weeds and occasionally re-seed areas which have been burned by the sun or thinned or thinned out by wear. During the winter a snowstorm can become another source of income for the teenager. The young boys make their rounds through their neighborhood equipped with a shovel and offer to clear sidewalks or stoops in front of homes or to dig out a car buried in a meter of snow. These jobs, dependent on the weather, require energy, carefulness, order and creativity.

While part-time jobs for high schools students may not be allowed in Japan, in American they are often seen as an opportunity to teach young people about work responsibility and respect for others. The young people learn how to become part of the adult world and to share in the making of society

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Moveable and transporter bridges

The moveable and transporter bridges are two of the oldest types of bridges known to humankind. The bascule or draw span was developed by Europeans during the middle Ages. Revival of construction of moveable bridges started during the late 19th century. Reliable electric motors and techniques for counterbalancing the massive weights of the bascule lift, or swing spans marked the beginning of modern moveable-bridge construction.

The Lacey V Murrow Bridge

Completion of Tower Bridge over the Thames in London (1894), a 260ft (79m) roller-bearing trunnion bascule and the best known bascule bridge in the world, and Van Buren Street Bridge in Chicago, the first rolling lift bridge in the USA, marks the efficient solution to problems of lifting and locking mechanisms. In 1914, the world's largest double-leaf bascule was completed, spanning 336ft (102m). The Saint Charles Airline Railway Bridge (1919) in Chicago was at 260ft (79m) the longest single-leaf bascule when it was completed. In 1927, the world's longest single-span swing bridge, 525ft (160m) was built, over the Mississippi. One of the most interesting and unusual moveable bridges is the Lacey V Murrow Bridge (1940), whose design reached back to the pontoons built by Roman legions.

The tower bridge

The depth and breadth of the lake precluded the construction of conventional piers on pilings, cantilever, or suspension spans, so bridge engineers designed a floating bridge supported by hollow concrete pontoons to connect Seattle and Mercer Island. Equally unique was the retractable floating draw span for ocean-going ships in the lake.

Finally, bridges have been widely used since ancient times and have evolved through the years. They started as simple tree trunks laid across streams. Stone slabs were used and eventually wooden frames and finally steel and concrete. Bridges were first constructed based on experience and trial and error, but as engineer's understanding of the forces acting on beams grew, they formed new and accurate methods of calculation. Bridges today are all designed by computers with architectural software before the first stone is laid. As time goes on and technology progresses construction techniques will improve. New materials will replace the old ones and bridge construction will continue developing.

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