Steps to Lead a Holy Life

 

We are in a world of evil influence. In the beginning, it was not like that. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden to rule and rain. Then Satan came and he told that "your eyes will be opened and know good and evil". It means that Satan already had his eyes opened. From that time onwards he started to affect Adam and Eve and their offsprings through negative thoughts.  

That is what is happening even today. But Jesus came to liberate us from his evil schemes. Jesus opened a way for forgiveness of Sin and live a victorious life.

When a man sees a woman, he may start to think of her body which brings some impulses and chemical reactions in his body which are orchestrated by Satan or his evil spirits.  We should not react to that thought or impulses. Drive out them immediately. If we entertain such thoughts and impulses, it may lead us to sin. That is why Jesus said do not look at a woman lustfully. You are sinning in your heart. Some words of songs that we sing may bring some evil thoughts into our minds.  

We must be careful about what we sing or speak. Do not sit with evildoers or enjoy their company. Separate yourself and keep your mind on the things above. In this way, we can be clean and focus on our Lord and lead a holy life.  

When we hear bad words of accusations, evil spirits bring thoughts to retaliate with such people. We must be careful on such occasions to avoid sinning. They try to make us angry and say something evil against others. Satan who tempted Adam and Eve is around us. Always tempting one or other way to commit us to sin.

Do not wear dresses that project our body parts. Prefer a loose dress over skin fit dress. We are not in the market for selling our bodies. So we must dress modestly.  Always put God in your daily life in front of everything else. Feel the presence of God in every moment of your life.  

Practice Pitman Shorthand

 

Giving below a passage and its outline for the students of shorthand. Practicing these outlines will help you to improve your speed and accuracy.

If it is helpful to you, please comment in the comment box, so that more exercises can be added for practice.

Exercise 1

It is evident that we shall hardly succeed in our business relations unless we understand something of the law that guards and guarantees our legal rights, and in the last resort enforces the performance of bargains.

We must in our duties as ordinary citizens have some degree of knowledge in the laws in order that we may protect ourselves against the felonious acts of felons or would be felons.

In matters of business we need to have a keener appreciation of our rights and obligations, or we shall probably fall into serious mistakes and possibly, lose our whole fortune.

Certainly we are not to suppose that men act honorably in business merely because they are constrained by the law.

Merchants, factors, agents and owners of factories perform their contracts without thinking about the possibility of a law suit.

Even as they respect the property of their neighbors from other motives than a dread of punishment for thieving.

Confidence in the honesty of others there must be, or business would be impossible. Contracts were performed long before there was a law of contracts; and numberless bargains are effected that the law would not think of enforcing. Much of our mercantile law is in fact simply the custom of merchants made authoritative and applicable to all grades of business.

What men have found convenient to do, what has conduced to the smooth working of buying and selling, has been adopted and made effective, and few seek to avoid their obligations. The merchants enjoyed special privileges and were subject to special duties; and their usages were binding only upon them. These usages were a body of customs by which trade was facilitated and they were more firmly established as time passed.

Recognized as binding by the merchants this body of customs was gradually incorporated into the law that everyone, whether merchant or farmer, factor or agent is constrained to observe.

Such law is, as was declared by a judge of a case in 1875, “neither more nor less than the usages of merchants and traders. They have been ratified by the decision of courts of law, which upon such usage being proved before them, have adopted them as settled law”.

In the present tendency to consolidate the law, most of the usages are contained in the sales of Goods act of 1893.

Shorthand Outline of the above exercise

Pitman Shorthand Exercise

Pitman Shorthand Speed Exercise 2

The view taken of the very diverse changes and chances of life varies with different people, and with the same people at different times. Some there-are who would perform the same journey, work at the same desk, have lunch at the same table day after day, year in and year out. They are, apparently, merely mechanical agents, and nothing short of sickness, culminating in chronic disease, would alter their habits. They cultivate a disinclination to exercise their undoubted right to change.

They prefer routine to risk, and are appalled when they consider the uncertainties that dog their paths from one cause or another. They carry on, accordingly, in the same way, year after year, until their decease. Our modern trade facilities have, indeed, removed from tolerably civilized societies many of the risks of famine or scarcity or sudden death or ruin that men ran in ruder times. We have a security of person and property such as was not enjoyed in the best days of the Roman peace; and the cheapness and ease of transport enable the surplus of one area to supply the deficiency of another.

Modern conditions have created a different atmosphere, and we are, in a sense, very different creatures. We are freed from the drawback of which Mill speaks: “In poor and backward societies, as in the East, and in Europe during the Middle Ages, extraordinary differences in the price of the same commodity might exist in places not very distant from each other, because the want of roads and canals, the imperfection of marine navigation, and the insecurity of communications generally, prevented things from being transported from the places where they were cheap to those where they were dear.

The things most liable to fluctuations in value, those directly influenced by the seasons, were seldom carried to any great distances. Each locality depended, as a general rule, on its own produce and that of its immediate neighborhood. In most years, accordingly, there was, in some part or other of any large country, a real dearth.... In modern times there is only dearth where there formerly would ave been famine, and sufficiency everywhere when anciently there would have been scarcity in some places and superfluity in others.”

Shorthand outline of the above passage

Pitman Shorthand Outline

My favourite Teacher

 Teachers can influence their students in a positive way

There were many teachers who did teach me. I love them all and remember them all. But two teachers are outstanding. They were not ordinary teachers. They showed extraordinary kindness to me. So I remember them very often. Even after a couple of decades have already passed, I still remember their love and care. Whenever I remember them, I used to pray for them. I pray to God to give them all the success and happiness in their life.

One was the Mathematics teacher. When I was studying at the 8th standard, we got a new Mathematics teacher. She was young and energetic. Always smiles. She came to our school as part of her regular transfer. At that time, after 3 years in a particular school, the management used to transfer the staff. She was living far away and had to travel 2 hours to reach our school every day. For your information, traveling 20 km by boat, it would take 2 hours at that time. Every now and then the boat had to stop to get passengers. It was around a couple of decades back and there was no road transport available in our village at that time. Now we have road connectivity in our village after building many bridges over rivers which prevent us from connecting to other parts of the country.

She is the one I always remember with gratitude. She was very kind and made sure that we understand the subject very well. She told us that we have to understand and believe that Mathematics is an easy subject. That changed our attitude towards the subject considerably. Earlier we were in the belief that it is a tough subject and we repeatedly say to each other that Mathematics is a tough subject. She taught us that Mathematics is the only subject which can get maximum marks. If the steps, equations and answers are right, there is no chance of deduction in marks compared to other subjects where spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes influence your overall performance.

She taught us such a way that we understand Mathematics. She was the one who made us realize, learning the subject is fun. She appreciated our understanding of the subject very often. She always made sure that all students in the class understood the lesson thoroughly. After every lesson, she tests our understanding. And we all loved her classes.

Whenever there is a free period, due to the absence of another teacher, we will check whether our math teacher is free or not. If she is free, we ask her to come to our class and teach us. She was always willing to teach us.

Due to the love of our teacher, our class was doing excellent in mathematics. She showed us unusual kindness. There was no distance between the teacher and the students. We were so close and had a better teacher-student relationship. Earlier Mathematics was a very tough subject for me. But after the first year of her teaching, I started to love mathematics. In my 10th standard, I got the highest marks in mathematics than any other subjects. I still love mathematics. Her occasional comments on the neatness of my book, my writings etc were very encouraging and it made me keep my exercise book neat and clean and study the subject every day. I didn't want to fail her expectations. So I did whatever I can do to be a good student in her class.

I remember her face, her laugh etc. even today. When we were at 10th Standard, she got married. After a few months of her marriage, she got another transfer and left for a new school. It was a great loss for our class and for me personally. Since then I do not have any information about her. I loved her so much. My prayer is that May God bless her abundantly. That is the only one thing that I can do now. I pray for her and wish her all the best in her life. And I wish her all the goodness and happiness that a woman can get from the depth of my heart, I wish her all success and happiness in her life.

My Chemistry teacher

​When I entered the 11th standard due to the pressure from my brothers and relatives, I took a science subject. I wanted to take maths, but due to the pressure, I opt for science.

The second teacher I remember was the Chemistry teacher at my 11th standard. I was very bad at remembering equations of chemistry. But one day she called me and told me that my record book is neater and clean than any other student in the class. She checked record books of other students and found many spelling mistakes but in my book, she couldn't find many spelling mistakes.

That comment was very encouraging. Since then I took extra efforts to study chemistry. Often she said encouraging words to improve my studies. She showed extraordinary kindness to me. It boosts my confidence and I studied well. The final outcome was that I scored more marks in Chemistry than any other subjects.

I still remember her encouraging words. I pray for her whenever I remember her. They are the people who know how to teach. They took extra efforts to encourage students. I think that is the way to teach students.

When I look back, there are many people who showed extraordinary kindness to me. It is not possible to list all of them here. But when I remember them, my heart fills with gratitude. I cherish spending time while having a feeling of gratitude. Thank you all for your kindness. May God richly bless you and reward you for your kindness. That is my prayer.

Understanding the Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)

Different types of CFL Lamps

CFL's comes with different shapes and sizes

What are the basic principles for making lamps?

Lamps (Light Source) are produced by using two principles, one by converting heat into light and second by discharging the mixture of material and gases. It could be described as under:

(1) Incandescent Lamp: Is the first produced light source invented by the great scientist, Mr. Thomas Alva Edison in the year 1879. These lamps work on the principle of heat. When the electricity is passed through inside the glass hallow, the tungsten filament gets heated and starts emitting light. But 80% of the energy is wasted in generating heat and only 20% is used for giving light. In the era of highly priced Electricity Power, these are now known as power hungry lamps. Due to their lower price, they are frequently used all over. These include GLS lamps (bulbs), halogen lamps etc.

(2) Discharge Lamp: The discharge lamp operates on discharge technology to give high luminous efficacy and long life. Here electrical discharges between the electrodes cause the filler materials and gases in the pre-coated tube to emit light. A suitable control gear is invariably used to limit the current and to ensure the light-up of the lamp. It comprises of low pressure and high-pressure type, based on various applications. These include Fluorescent Tube Lamps (Tube Light/FTL), Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL), Mercury Vapor Lamps, Sodium Vapor Lamp, Metal Halide Lamp etc.

(3) The light sources using the laser beam technology is said to be under development.

CFL

Why CFL is the best replacement for GLS lamp?

The construction of CFL being compact in size and comparable with GLS lamp hence is considered to be the best replacement for GLS lamp. Normal tube lights (FTLs) being longer (4 Ft.) in size and larger in dia (38 mm) are thus not worth comparing with CFL (12.3 mm dia).

It is therefore advised that CFL must be discussed at all times in reference to GLS lamp only. It will generate a good amount of confidence and interest with the prospects.

What is photometric?

Photometric is the testing measurement involving distance and direction of light by using sophisticated equipment by mounting lamp at an adjustable and measurable distance from the photometer head. It includes measurement of the intensity of light, luminance, color temperature, color rendering index etc. For measurement, accuracy a globe shape halo sphere is invariably used, which is pre-coated with barium sulfate suspension.

What is the thumb rule for replacing a GLS lamp?

The thumb rule is that a CFL replaces 5 times more wattage GLS lamp to the nearest of standard rating available in the market in terms of light output. It means that a similar amount of light output of 100W GLS lamp can be obtained by replacing it with a 20W EL lamp (20W i.e. 1/5th of 100W).

Important: The other thumb rule is neither try nor advise to replace FTL with CFL. CFL is the best replacement for GLS lamp as explained earlier.

Why there are the different base for different CFL lamps?

These are as per the international design primarily to ensure that lamp concerned is used with the matching fixture including ballast.

What is the CFL?

The CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) is a vacuum discharge lamp and the latest in the line of revolution in the lighting arena. As the name suggests, the CFL is quite a bit like the normal fluorescent lamp, popularly known as tube lights; but necessarily compact in size. Apart from the size, the other major difference is the lesser amount of energy consumed by CFL. That’s why it’s truly called the Power Saver lamp, essential for all. In fact, the small size of CFLs makes it more versatile, usable and acceptable over the traditional lamps.

CFLs are the state-of-the-art energy saver lamps available in two versions: Core and Electronics. They save 80% energy, have a long life and come in a wide choice of colors and have high esthetics.

What is the construction of CFL?

The CFL consists of two parts, (1) a gas-filled coated tube(s) and (2) a magnetic or electronic ballast. The gas in the tube glows with ultraviolet light when electricity flows therein through the ballast. This in turns excites the triband phosphor coating walls inside of the tube, which emits visible light throughout the surface of the tube. CFLs are state-of-the-art energy saver lamps who come in two versions (1) Core/ PL/ Non-Retrofit / Non-Integrated Lamps, and (2) Self-Ballasted/ Electronic / Retrofit/ Integrated Lamps.

What is triband phosphor?

Triband phosphor is the mixture of various fluorescent elements called activators, essential for the development of luminescence. It helps convert short-wave length ultra-violet radiation into light.

Triband phosphor is the most superior quality phosphor, capable of emitting red, green and blue wavelengths as against the ‘halophosphor’ with red and blue properties, which is used for ordinary fluorescent lamps (FTLs). Given the small dia tubes of CFL (12.28 mm) in comparison to FTL (38 mm), the use of triband phosphor ensures better and uniform light output throughout the life of the CFL. Triband phosphor is 10 times costlier than the halophosphor. The sub-standard spurious CFLs available in the market are largely made of using halophosphor and thus are cheaper in price.

What are the characteristics of 4 Pin CFL?

4 Pin CFL is specially designed for electronic operation to offer the possibility of controllable light output (dimming ), HF (High Frequency) and DC (Direct Current) supply; and a wide range of supply voltages when operated in conjunction with electronic gear. Electronic gear enables better control of lamp starting characteristics, allowing for an instant start which results in longer lamp life. In view of its favorable color rendering properties, the 4 Pin lamp is very suitable for use wherever light contributes to the creation of a flicker-free and pleasant atmosphere such as in hotels, restaurants, at homes, offices and so on.


What precautions are suggested for the best results from CFL?

Do not use in enclosed fittings.
Do not use in dimming circuits electronic switches.
Run on stable voltage.
Fragile-Handle with care.
Do not expose to water.
Do not hold from the glass.

MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF COMPACT FLUORESCENT LAMPS (CFLs)

Low electricity bills: CFL produces 90% less heat and hence gives more light per watt. It cuts electricity bills by almost 80% in comparison to the traditional incandescent lamp ( Popularly known as bulb or GLS lamp), which is considered to be power hungry light source. Whereas CFL is the most energy efficient light source.

Higher luminous efficacy: Gives more light output per watt of electricity consumed in comparison to the GLS lamp. An 11W CFL produces around 540-580 lumens compared to 710 lumens by a 60W GLS lamp. So it is 49 for CFL against 12 of GLS.

Long life: CFLs are available in a wide life range of 3000 hours to 12000 hours as compared to GLS lamp’s standard life range of 960 hours to 1200 hours only.

Available in different color temperatures: To suit various ambiance needs, these are ready, available in Warm White (2700°K) close to GLS lamp, Cool White (4300°K) and Cool Day White (6500°K) similar to tube light.

Enhances color rendering: The objects are seen in their true and natural colors under CFL lights. Color Rendering Index (CRI) is exceeding 80.

Lower installation cost: As most of the CFLs are worthy to fit or making it easily fit in the existing installation itself.

Lower replacement cost: Longer life reduces the frequency of replacement and thus keeps the replacement cost low especially, for installation put up at abnormal heights in the hotels, auditoriums and in developed countries where labor overhead expenses are innumerous.

Less heat dissipation: Unlike the GLS lamps, the CFLs by turning more energy into light than heat helps save on room cooling cost, such as air conditioner, refrigerators etc.

Universal burning position: More versatile lamp than many others having this constraint like metal halide lamp.

Enhances esthetics of the installation: Being trendy and compact.

Slim and compact design: makes it suitable for creative luminaires.

Wide range to suit all requirements: Available in 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, & 26W as compared to restricted usable range of 15, 25, 40, 60, 75, & 100W in GLS lamps.

Demand-side reduction for power: The use of CFLs reduces energy consumption by 80% and thus helps in better demand-side management for power. The calculation shows that the mere replacement of 100W GLS lamp by 20W CFL generates saving of approximate 800 KW Hrs over CFL lamp’s average life.

Most advantageous for DG set operations: As CFL consumes the lowest wattage per lamp.

Economical storage and distribution cost: Due to their compact size.

Environment-friendly: Power saved is power generated and helps in preventing a great deal of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide coming from the power generating thermal plants otherwise. Ultimately, enhances the quality of human life and nature around us.