Sri Lankan Olympian Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam On His Hopes For Reconciliation – Video
September 22, 2013
Diaspora communities can inspire peace in their country of origin, according to US citizen Dr Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam, a former Olympian of Tamil heritage who coaches young athletes in Sri Lanka. Though he is sceptical of the government’s reconciliation programme, he says sport can help heal the scars of the country’s long conflict and provide hope to the young. Film-maker Kannan Arunasalam met him in his native city of Jaffna last year as part of International Alert’s Diaspora Diaries film series.
*Kannan Arunasalam, Source: International Alert, Length: 4min 56sec, theguardian.com , Saturday 21 September 2013
Technology Simplified For The Layman
Prof Kumar David
Technology simplified for the layman:Too much wind and solar!
We have been brought up to believe that renewable or green energy, such as wind and solar generated electricity, is more expensive than natural gas, coal power or nuclear power, but it is good for the environment, and reduces health concerns and fears of catastrophic nuclear accidents. This is broadly true with some caveats that I will touch on anon, and this is why the Dutch, Danes, Germans and other rich countries are willing to pay more for electricity so that the wind generated component in their energy mix can be increased. However, except for the technical cognoscenti, few are aware that the electricity supply system itself could encounter hiccups if the amount of wind and solar energy incorporated therein became large; for example if it exceeded 20%. There are two types of concerns and I will touch on, both in language that a layman can follow.
It is important to appreciate that there is nothing in technology that is so complex that the elements essential for the public to make informed decisions have to be excluded; I refer to matters that have policy implications. As one of my friends put it, “make the political and administrative system people cantered and participatory”. One does not need to be acquainted with cutting-edge medical science to understand the choice between treatment options if the implications are clearly explained by an able physician. Similarly, one does not need to be able to solve hard equations or write avant-garde software to get a grip on what I will explain here.
This topic was thrown into the limelight by a story in the Island (9 September) that upset many people; the headline alone was traumatising, “CEB blocks clean energy generation”! The gist of the matter was contained in a few sentences:- Read More
