Milky Way, Andromeda collided 10bn yrs ago?

New Theory Signals We May Be Wrong About Gravity

London: Our Milky Way smashed into its neighbouring Andromeda galaxy around 10 billion years ago, European astronomers suggest. 

    Previous studies have suggested that our galaxy is set to crash into Andromeda in 3-4 billion years, and that this will be the first time such a collision has taken place. 

    However, now a European team of astronomers led by Hongsheng Zhao of the University of St Andrews propose that the two star systems collided some 10 billion years ago and that our understanding of gravity is fundamentally wrong. 

    This would neatly explain the observed structure of the two galaxies and their satellites, something that has been difficult to account for until now, researchers said. The Milky Way, made up of about 200 billion stars, is part of a group of galaxies called the Local Group. Astrophysicists often theorize that most of the mass of the Local Group is invisible, made of socalled dark matter. 

    Zhao and his team argue that at present the only way to successfully predict the total gravitational pull of any galaxy or small galaxy group, before measuring the motion of stars and gas in it, is to make use of a model first proposed by Professor Mordehai Milgrom of the Weizmann Institute in Israel in 1983. This modified gravity theory (Modified Newtonian Dynamics or MOND) describes how gravity behaves differently on the largest scales, diverging from the predictions made by Newton and Einstein, researchers said. 

    Zhao and his colleagues have for the first time used this theory to calculate the motion of Local Group galaxies. Their work suggests that the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies had a close encounter about 10 billion years ago. 

    If gravity conforms to the conventional model on the largest scales then taking into account the supposed additional pull of dark matter, the two galaxies would have merged. 

    “Dark matter would work like honey: in a close encounter, the Milky Way and Andromeda would get stuck together, figuratively speaking,” said team member Pavel Kroupa from Bonn University. 

    “But if Milgrom’s theory is right, then there are no dark particles and the two large galaxies could have simply passed each other thereby drawing matter from each other into long thin tidal arms,” said Dr Benoit Famaey from Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg. "New little galaxies would then form in these arms, a process often observed in the present-day universe," added team member Fabian Lueghausen, also from Bonn. 

    “The only way to explain how the two galaxies could come close to each other without merging is if dark matter isn't there. Observational evidence for a past close encounter would then strongly support the Milgromian theory of gravity,” Zhao said. PTI

CLOSE ENCOUNTER: Andromeda galaxy

Two days on, hurt elephant collapses again in Mulund

Bijlee Had Been Working Non-Stop For 51 Years

Vijay Singh TNN 

Mumbai: An injured elephant, Bijlee, which had collapsed on Tuesday near Wockhardt hospital in Mulund, collapsed once again on Thursday. Animal rights activists have found out that Bijlee had been continuously working for her owner for the last 51 years without any break. She is 54 years old and ailing. 

    Since her collapse on Tuesday, when Bijlee had to be lifted with a crane, the elephant was undergoing treatment for a serious maggot injury and fatigue. 

    “Bijlee’s case is typical of what other elephants in the city face. They are forced to beg, work at weddings and other religious ceremonies by their masters. And when they become too old to carry on, they collapse like this,’’ said activist Ganesh Nayak of the NGO Animals Matter To Me (AMTM). 

    AMTM has now taken a written undertaking from Bijlee’s owner that for the next four months, the elephant will be under the NGO’s care so that she can regain her health. 

    The elephant had first collapsed on Tuesday due to the maggot injury in the hind leg. Even as she was being treated and fed fruits like bananas, she once again collapsed on Thursday. A crane had to be arranged to lift up Bijlee. “Despite being a Schedule 1 protected species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, elephants are often ill-treated and made to beg in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. The authorities must ensure that this does not happen,” said Nayak. He added that the official permit and related documents for Bijlee’s ownership had expired five years ago. 

    AMTM is spending around Rs 1,500 per day for the elephant’s medical care and food. “There is a Bombay high court order that restricts the entry of elephants into Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. But mahouts openly flout this order. We appeal to the state forest department to come up with a fool-proof plan to stop this cruel exploitation,” said AMTM veterinarian, Dr Ankita Pathak. 

    Atent has been put up in Mulund to house the elephant in order to carry out her medical treatment.

The 54-year-old elephant is being treated for maggot injuries on her leg and fatigue

Why you can never find garbage in Sweden

    Even as Indian cities like Bangalore slowly transform into one huge garbage dump thanks to faulty civic planning, Sweden finds itself with a unique problem on its hands: there’s no garbage left in the country. The Scandinavian nation has been ‘importing’ trash from neighbouring Norway to feed its waste-to-energy programme that provides, through incineration, heat and electricity to thousands of households in the country with a population of 9.5 million.

    The story first broke on the American public radio organization Public Radio International and has since been picked up by a number of green blogs and websites. Sweden’s superefficient waste segregation and recycling systems have made sure only about 4% of the country’s waste ends up in landfills.
 

    So how did Sweden get so good at waste management, and what can other countries learn from it? Firstly, Sweden started putting effective systems in place from the early 1990s and took a holistic approach, through policy changes, engagement with industry and awareness programmes, to reach out to all stakeholders of Swedish society. Producers were made responsible for dealing with several categories of waste. Landfill bans and taxes were introduced, and targets set set for increased recycling. More than 90% of household waste in Sweden is recycled, reused or recovered.
 

    By law, companies are responsible for collecting the entire waste-stream stemming from their products, either on their own or through public or private contractors, writes Magnus Schönning in the Toronto Star. There is a strong economic incentive for companies to produce less waste from products and product packaging. Sweden has encouraged heavy recycling by combining economic incentives, such as garbage collection fees, with easy access to recycling stations and public awareness campaigns, says the Toronto Star report. In 2005, Sweden made it illegal to landfill organic waste. Instead, the waste is biologically treated to make compost, biogas and fertilizer.
 

    However, the bulk of the waste is converted into energy through processes that have been refined over the years to be as clean and environmentally sustainable as possible. In fact, Sweden claims that the damage to the environment caused by the release of dioxins, harmful chemicals released when waste is incinerated, is less than the damage caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
 

    Thanks to these proactive measures, landfilling of household waste fell from 1,380,000 tonnes in 1994 to 380,000 tonnes in 2004. Around 1.3 million tonnes of materials and 5.7 TWh (terawatt hour) of energy in the form of heat and electricity were recovered from household waste in 2004: an increase of 140% and 70%, respectively, since 1994. Surely, Sweden is showing Asia's growing cities how to make a clean sweep.
 

    For more: pri.org; naturvardsverket.se 

 

TALKING TRASH: Sweden generated 118 million tonnes of waste in 2010

‘Ekla cholo re’, free India’s 1st voter tells HP

Rohan Dua TNN

Kalpa (Kinnaur): When a 90-year-old will complete a twokm barefoot walk in the hills at 10,000 feet here on Sunday, it would be a giant leap for Indian democracy. For, he is independent India’s first voter. And, he says it would be Gandhi’s Dandi March and Tagore’s ‘ekla cholo re’ that would inspire him to take those steps to exercise his franchise in yet another election since his first vote way back in 1951.
    

Shyam Saran Negi, during his conversation with TOI, says: “Jaise Gandhiji chale thhe Dandi par. Aur jaise Tagore ne likha tha ‘ekla chalo re’. Vote daalenge apne wajood se, nange paaon chalke. Yeh virodh bhi hai aur adhikar bhi.”
 

    On October 3, when the EC declared polls, TOI had met Shyam Saran to kick off its Dance of Democracy coverage. “India is no longer the democracy it was in 1951 when I and the rest of Kinnaur voted. Corruption, scandals and money laundering have shaken my faith. Freedom has a reduced meaning now,” he had told TOI then. The same day the chief election commissioner had announced him as the first voter of India who had exercised his franchise on October 25, 1951.
 

    On Saturday, a few hours before he was to cast his vote for the 27th time in an election — both general and Vidhan Sabha — Shyam Saran was as emotional and involved about India’s future as earlier.
 

    “Public speeches in 1951 were focused on India’s development in agriculture, education, science and health. Now the focus is on unemployment and price rise. Why? Because politicians could not drive our economy,” said Saran.
 

    Last month’s bitter and foul exchange among visiting leaders in his state has only left Saran further disenchanted. “Did Modi, Sonia or Advani meet anyone? Did they inquire if people have adequate rations at home? They merely stood at a distance and traded charges. This country needs more of Gandhis and Hazares,” he said.
 

    Saran was surprised when he was approached on October 5 by both the BJP and the Congress. “After media reports, I got calls by several political leaders. But I said a big no. Yeh zameer bikega nahi kabhi. I will vote for the candidate not the party,” he said angrily.

SHOWING THE WAY: Shyam Saran Negi says he’ll vote for the candidate not for the party

Roads that glow, charge cars

‘Smart Highways’ Will Have Power-Saving Lights, Special Lanes For Recharge

London: Roads that glow in the dark and could one day even charge electric cars are set be introduced in the Netherlands soon. 

    ‘Smart Highways’ unveiled last week at Dutch Design Week will use the latest technologies in roads which their designers claim will be ‘more sustainable, safe and intuitive’, the Daily Mail reported recently. The companies behind the project said their goal is to turn around the usual route of transport innovation by focusing on the highway rather than the vehicles which use it.
 
    Among the most ambitious of the ideas for the future of road travel are special lanes which will allow drivers of electric cars to recharge their vehicles as they travel along them. Another plan is to fit the roads with power-saving lights which will gradually brighten as vehicles approach and then switch themselves off after they pass.
 
    Those ideas are still some years off, but from next year Dutch roads will be painted with lines made from a photoluminescent powder that charges in sunlight to illuminate the road for up to 10 hours overnight. Another technology aimed for implementation next year is temperature-responsive dynamic paint which will make ice-crystals visible to drivers when cold weather makes the road surfaces slippery.
 
    The ideas — developed by Dutch firms Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure — have already been hailed as the ‘Best Future Concept’ at the Dutch Design Awards. However, there is no information yet on how lanes which recharge electric cars travelling among them might work.
 
    “Innovative designs such as the Glow-in-the-Dark Road, Dynamic Paint, Interactive Light, Induction Priority Lane and Wind Light will be realised within the following five years,” the Studio Roosegarde said. “The goal is to make roads that are more sustainable and interactive by using interactive lights, smart energy and road signs that adapt to specific traffic situations,” it said. PTI

BRIGHT FUTURE

Cornered in the class

Have students gained an irreversible upper hand in conflicts with teachers?

Shobha John | TNN

We Need to Talk About Kevin, an Oscar-nominated film this year, is the chilling story of a child on a murder spree. The dark bit of news that recently came from one of our own schools, in Chennai, and the events that followed, have also mostly spoken about a student who knifed his Hindi teacher to death.

From the pressure of performance — the Chennai class IX student of St Mary’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, had two sisters who were apparently bright kids — to his being the quiet one and thus, not naturally capable of killing someone, everything was emphasized to tone down the enormity of the crime. He finally went to an observation home taking with him everyone’s sympathies. What many glossed over in this tale of classroom horror was that Uma Maheswari, a wife and mother, a teacher just doing her job, had died.

Are we missing something here? We need to talk about Uma. Gagged by rules, some of them unwritten and bordering on the ridiculous, and straining under the demands of a management that doesn’t want to lose moneyed students to competition, is it the teacher who is being cornered? And that too by aggressive pupils who know they can fall back on a clutch of “enablers” to bully the ones with chalk and duster? Are they the unarmed in the battleground that today’s classrooms have become? Even as we write this, reports have come in of two groups of students in an Amritsar school going at each other with pistols and hockey sticks. And will someone tell them how to deal with the stress?

“Teaching was something we enjoyed,” says Radha Gupta, a teacher who taught for two decades in a reputed Delhi school. “Not any more.” Esther Stanley, who teaches in Chennai, once rapped on the desk with a ruler while calling for silence. A student promptly got up and said, “Ma’am, you can’t use the ruler.” Stunned for a minute, Stanley blurted out something like: “Yes, I can. The ruler can be used on the desk.” She laughs over a welcome she got when she once joined a new school. A student cheekily asked her if she was the new biology teacher. “Because if you are not, you are lucky. All our biology teachers left within a month.” Thankfully, she was given English.

At Chennai’s St Mary’s, teachers try many theories to rationalize the animosity articulated by their students. One reason, they say, is the kids being hooked to social networking sites and lacking real friends. “Earlier, their aggression would be expended on the playing field,” explains one of the teachers as another admits becoming a “soft target” for students.

Many teachers, clearly on the retreat, also say that the B Ed course doesn’t equip them for challenges students throw at them. Moreover, each child has unique problems and teachers have to tend to them accordingly, but it becomes difficult, bogged down as they are with the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation System, which has increased work 10-fold, and other “clerical” jobs. “We are constantly battling deadlines with assignments, projects and tests,” says Alice Koshy, a retired teacher from General Education Academy, Chembur. Managements ask teachers to take out time for the kids. “But how,” asks Gupta.

There is another sword of Damocles hanging over their heads — the strict code of conduct drawn up by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Though the idea and aim are noble — teachers can’t call a child names on the basis of skin colour, gender, religion and caste as this will invite disciplinary action, even sacking — some say it will be easy for students to twist even harmless things around and there will be no one to hear the teachers’ side out. However, Prof Anita Rampal, head of the Central Institute of Education, Delhi University, says these guidelines are important as teachers routinely and across the board verbally abuse students. But not all agree (see ‘Stop making teachers whipping boys of society’).

In these circumstances, teachers often adopt a hands-off policy. A St Mary’s teacher said, “After the ghastly killing, I find it difficult to even raise my voice at students. But if school grades fall, we will be the ones promptly blamed by the management.” Teachers aren’t allowed to check students’ bags even if there is a theft in class lest they feel hurt and take an extreme step. Students, naturally, have a merry time and come with cellphones wrapped in plastic, either in their lunch boxes, socks or other private places, admit teachers.

Then, there are parents ever ready to blame the teacher for the misdemeanors of their child or their bad grades. “Parents throw their clout at us and say they’re the ones paying the fees. The guru-shishya role has become that of a seller-consumer,” rues Gupta. Managements of schools, too, are hard on teachers. “Post-graduate teachers are arbitrarily demoted to lower classes. Our children aren’t even guaranteed admission. The management is too busy being one-up on other schools. Who has time for us? Trust has eroded,” says Gupta.

But some schools have shown the way forward. A Delhi school gives teachers a day off when their own children have board exams, while another has energizing workshops for them — vital concerns if they are to percolate to the students and for a greater common good.
With inputs from Daniel P George from Chennai

HAPPY HOURS OVER? After the murder of a Chennai teacher, many say they are afraid to reprimand students for any wrong

Educationists stress on univ bifurcation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: A two-day conference at National College, organized by Maharashtra State Federation of College Principals that started on Saturday, saw participation of more than 500 principals and educationists.

Bhalchandra Mungekar, Rajya Sabha member and former vice-chancellor of Mumbai University, said, “Universities that have more than 300 affiliated colleges should go in for bifurcation.” Mungrekar said he would try to bring Kapil Sibal to Mumbai and give a platform to teachers to air their grievances. He also stressed on involving entrepreneurs in formulating universities’ curricula.

Topics such as increasing number of self-financed courses resulting in decreasing value of traditional courses, colleges being denied grants for professional courses, difficulties of principals in coping with the commercialized approach of modern managements of educational institutes and so on were discussed by representatives of the federation.

Principal Nandkumar Nikam, chairman of the federation, also stressed on the fact that higher education does not seem to be the priority of the state.