Eyecatchers-72: "My Political Testament" by Hitler

Want to read the Political testament of Adolf Hitler given on 29 April 1945? It is just a click away. It is taken from the United States, Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality, Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, 8 volumes and 2 supplementary volumes (Government Printing Office, Washington, 1946-1948), VI, 259-263, Doc. No. 3569-PS.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/My_Political_Testament

Full Text of Hitler's book, "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle) from MondoPolitico.com:

http://www.mondopolitico.com/library/meinkampf/toc.htm
Grateful thanks to the US Govt, Wikisource and Wikipedia.

Facts & Figures-30: "Copyright Basics" by United States Copyright Office

Contains useful and interesting details like What is Copyright, Who can claim copyright, Its Origin, What works are protected by copyright, What is not protected by copyright, How to secure copyright and facts like that are furnished. Worth reading.

Copyright Basics/July 2006, Click to read entire article from Wikisource:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Copyright_Basics/July_2006

Grateful thanks to United States Copyright Office and Wikisource.

Eyecatchers-71: "9/11 Report from Wikisource"

The 9/11 Commission Report, formally titled Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, is the official report on the events leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was prepared by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States at the request of the President and Congress, and it is available to the public for sale or free download.
— Excerpted from 9/11 Commission Report on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Full Report, Chapter by Chapter:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/9/11_Commission_Report

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia and Wikisource.

Facts & Figures-29 : "23,56.083 articles!"

As of date, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, has 23,56,083 articles in English!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Thank you Wikipedia for your wonderful service!

A Thought for Today : April 9, 2008

'Cactus-208[1]' by Paolo Nao
fromPublic-Domain-Photos.com

(www.public-domain-photos.com)

Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity - Christopher Morley

Grateful thanks to Paolo Nao and the Public-Domain-Photos.com for freely providing the above photograph.

S&T Watch-4: "Changes in DNA discovered"

Scientists have spotted signs of recent evolution in the human genetic code, suggesting that diet and changes in habitat have had a lasting effect on our make-up… Among the most striking changes is the emergence of a gene now found in 90% of Europeans that allows them to digest milk into adulthood, a likely consequence of dairy farming. The gene will probably be found in everyone in a further 1000 years, the researchers say.

Excerpt from “Healthcare Today”, April 2008

More about "DNA" from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA
Grateful thanks to ‘Healthcare Today’ and Wikipedia.

Health Watch-11: '“Carcinogen found in Soft Drinks" – Healthcare Today

Traces of Benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, have been found in British soft drinks. Benzene levels are limited to one part per billion in UK water but have been found at eight times this level in some products.

Wikipedia articles on "Carcinogen" and "Soft Drinks":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_drinks

Courtesy: Healthcare Today, April 2008 and Wikipedia.

Grateful thanks to Healthcare Today and Wikipedia.

A Thought for Today : April 8, 2008

'Cactus-194[1] ' by Paolo Nao

fromPublic-Domain-Photos.com
(www.public-domain-photos.com)

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend - Albert Camus.

Grateful thanks to Paolo Nao and the Public-Domain-Photos.com for freely providing the above photograph.

Health Watch-10: '“Healthcare Today", a monthly magazine from UK

While surfing the Net, by chance came across a website: . Downloaded its publication, ‘Healthcare Today’, a monthly magazine published from UK, with Chris May as its Editor. This April 2008 issue, which is the first issue, has some interesting features and useful info. Furnished below a few ideas about ‘Healthcare Today’ in the words of its Editor:

“…our currently adopted policy at Healthcare Today is to report but not to comment – though we will report on the comments of others. The only exception – in the magazine at least – is this column (Editorial). However, we have found a crafty way round this by including a blog on the website where we can say what we want; it is absolutely free to view and can be found at www.hc2d.co.uk/weblogs. We are also rounding up all the best healthcare-related blogs on the internet and making them accessible from a single page; we will be constantly reviewing this to make sure you always have access to the best blogs the web has to offer.

Similarly, our live news page, www.hc2d.co.uk/livenews brings the very best healthcare news feeds from around the UK and across the globe to a single webpage – again access is completely free.”

Grateful thanks and all the best to Mr. Chris May and ‘Healthcare Today’.

Eyecatchers-70: Consumers' Rights

The Tamil Nadu government has launched a website to create awareness among consumers of their rights. The URL of this website is: www.consumer.tn.gov.in.

There is provision for consumers to lodge their complaints by sending e-mail to: consumer@tn.nic.in.

Also see, Wikipedia article on "Consumer Protection": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_protection
Courtesy: “Malligai Magal”, Tamil Monthly, March 2008 (“Useful News”) and Wikipedia.

A Thought for Today : April 7, 2008

'Cactus' by Paolo Nao
fromPublic-Domain-Photos.com

(www.public-domain-photos.com)

It is more blessed to give than to receive :

Acts 20:35b

Letters-17: "“Dysfunctional System”"

There is no doubt that our judicial system is highly inefficient and ineffective (“Just another day”, The Hindu, April 20, 2008). All of us know it very well, some may have had the unfortunate experience of the bitter truth. But who is willing to bring a change? Sense of responsibility and compassion for fellow citizens are rapidly vanishing from our society. Those in responsible positions seldom feel moved by seeing others in distress or being inconvenienced. Rarely do they feel guilty for having failed, for no external compelling reasons, in fulfilling their duties. Fulfillment of selfish interests of material nature and earning wealth by any means have become the primary objectives of life – Dr.Y.P.Joshi, Varanasi, Letter to the Editor, The Hindu, Sunday Magazine, April 27, 2008.

Also read Wikipedia articles on "Judiciary" and "Separation of Powers": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers
Grateful thanks to Dr.Y.P.Joshi, The Hindu and Wikipedia.

S&T Watch-3: “Chicken descended from Dinosaurs!” - AP

Scientists are fleshing out the proof that today’s chicken is descended from the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.

And, not a surprise, they confirmed a close relationship between mastodons and elephants.

Fossil studies have long suggested that modern birds descended from T.rex, based in similarities in their skeletons. Now, bits of protein obtained from connective tissues in a T.rex fossil shows a relationship to birds including chickens and ostriches, says a report in Friday’s edition of the journal, Science. – AP

Excerpt from “Chicken descended from dinosaurs?” – article published in The Hindu, Madurai, April 26, 2008.

Also read Wikipedia article on "Evolution":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_life
Grateful thanks to AP, The Hindu and Wikipedia.

Health Watch-9: '“India burdened by Heart Disease” – AFP

By 2000, India will carry 60% of the world’s heart disease burden, nearly four times more than its share of the global population, according to a study.

Adding to the burden is a higher incidence of the types of heart disease resulting in serious illness and mortality, and the fact that these conditions strike at an early age, says the study.

Death rates are especially high among the country’s poorest residents, unable to get to hospital quickly in an emergency, or to afford routine treatments and surgery.

Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD), mainly heart attacks and coronary artery disease, is the leading cause of mortality in the world, accounting for 7.1 million deaths in 2001. More than 80% of these were in developing countries.

Researchers have long known that south Asia has the highest level of acute coronary syndromes in the world, but little statistical data were available about treatment and health outcomes. - AFP

Excerpt from The Hindu, Madurai, April 26, 2008

Also read article on "Heart diseases" from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Diseases
Grateful thanks to AFP, The Hindu and Wikipedia.

Eyecatchers-69: Myth about Genetically Modified Crops

“Exposed: the great GM crops myth” by Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor, www.independent.co.uk, Sunday, 20 April 2008

Last week the biggest study of its kind ever conducted - the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development - concluded that GM was not the answer to world hunger.

For the full article:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/exposed-the-great-gm-crops-myth-812179.html
Grateful thanks to Geoffrey Lean and www.independent.co.uk
-----------
Related
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About International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD)
http://www.agassessment.org/index.cfm?Page=About_IAASTD&ItemID=2
IAASTD - Principles & Procedures
http://www.agassessment.org/index.cfm?Page=Principles&ItemID=9
Genetically Modified Food in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food

A Thought for Today : April 6, 2008

'Cactus' by Paolo Nao

fromPublic-Domain-Photos.com
(www.public-domain-photos.com)

Cherish yesterday, dream tomorrow, live like crazy today – Napoleon Hill

Eyecatchers-68: "Silent Tsunami" of Hunger!

Ration cards, genetically modified crops, the of pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap supermarkets – These possible solutions to the first global food crisis since World War II – which the World Food Program says already threatens 20 million of the poorest children – are complex, controversial and may fall far short as demand soars.

The skyrocketing cost of food staples, stoked by soaring fuel prices and demand from India and China, has already sparked sometimes violent protests across the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

Josette Sheeran, the WFP’s executive director, in London for a summit on the crisis, said on Tuesday a “silent tsunami” of hunger is sweeping the world’s most desperate nations.

The price of rice has more than doubled in the last five weeks, she said. The World Bank estimates food prices have risen by 83% in three years.

“What we are seeing now is affecting more people on every continent,” Ms Sheeran told a London news conference.

Malaysia’s embattled Prime Minister is already under pressure over the price hikes and has launched a major rice growing project. Indonesia’s government needed to revise its annual budget to respond.

Unrest over the food crisis has led to deaths in Cameroon and Haiti, cost Haitian Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis his job, and caused hungry textile workers to clash with police in Bangladesh.

At streetside restaurants in Lome, Togo, even the traditional balls of corn meal or corn dough served with vegetable soup are shrinking. Once as big as a boxer’s fist, the dumplings are now the size of a tennis ball – but cost twice as much.

School feeding projects in Kenya and Cambodia have been scaled back and food aid halved in Tajikistan, said Ms.Sheeran.

Yet while angry street protesters call for immediate action – long term solutions are likely to be slow, costly and complicated, experts warn – AP.

Courtesy: AP and The Hindu, Madurai, April 24, 2008 (“Silent Tsunami” of Hunger Warned)

Also read Wikipedia article on "Hunger": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger
Grateful thanks to AP, The Hindu and Wikipedia.

Eyecatchers-67: "Bio-Fencing or Live Fencing"

The word fencing usually brings to mind along cement wall surrounding a plot of land or barbed steel wires attached to granite pillars around the periphery of the land.

For a variety of reasons, a small farm needs to be fenced. A fence marks the boundary of the farm and keeps away stray animals.

The investment for either constructing a wall or putting up steel wires is quite heavy. Small and marginal farmers cannot invest a huge sum for erecting such a fence.

Instead, Dr.G.Nammalvar, organic scientist, suggests that farmers can grow crops around their lands as a live fence.

“People who go for natural way of farming prefer to have a live fence,” he said. Even if it takes two or three years to complete such a task, the monetary investment is less and the fence becomes a long lasting one.

Usually thorny plants are grown to make a live fence. For example, bushes such as agave and cactus, creepers, and small shrubs (perennial bushes) are the most sought after ones. Besides, trees such as subabul and casuarinas can also be planted as a live fence.

But does not a live fence occupy more space and require care?”

“Yes, to an extent, live fence does occupy some more space than concrete structures, but it also gives us wild vegetables which are more nutritious and medicinal than the regular cultivated crops. This cannot be got from steel wires or concrete walls,” explained Dr.Nammalvar. A perennial bio-fencing with a width of 3 to 4 metres will be a boon to a farm. For example, bamboo can be ideally used as live fence material.

After four or five years, bamboo gives us building material for farm requirements and its leave a good fodder for cattle and goat.

“When we choose plants for bio-fencing it would be wise to choose multi purpose plants. Bio-fencing has one more role to play in the farming.

It can act as a wind breaker. During the summer months, it the dry wind enters the farm the soil moisture is carried away.

“A wind breaker breaks the speed of the wind and reduces the heat. Likewise in the winter season, it blocks the cold winds and saves the crop from damage due to frost, and reduces the damage from cyclones. Tree species such as subabul and casuarinas, if closely planted, will form very good wind breakers.

“The best purpose of having a live fence is that it serves as a shelter belt. This provides shelter for wild animals such as squirrels, rats, mongoose, hares, foxes and birds such as sparrow, cuckoo, mina, peacock and wild chicken,” he explained.

These wild animals help the farmer in plant protection by eating the pests on plants and by adding micro nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Also they help in converting organic and inorganic substances into elements needed for the growth of cultivated and uncultivated plants, according to him.

“We should keep in mind that we would not walk into the shelter belt frequently to encourage the wild friends to come and nest inside.

“They will bring seeds of plants from far off places and their excreta brings new kinds of micro organisms to our soil,” said Dr.Nammalvar.

A good example of a live-fence is at Kolunchi, centre for training and research on ecological food production located in Odugampatti village at a distance of 11 kilometers from Keeranur, Pudukkottai district.

It is established and maintained by Kudumbam, a Non-Governmental Organization engaged in LEISA (Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture).

For more information, readers can contact Dr.G.Nammalvar at No.17/9, 5th Cross, Srinivasa Nagar, Thiruvanaikkoil, Tiruchi-620005, Tamil Nadu. Email: nammalvar@gmail.com, mobile: 9442531699.

Courtesy: M.J.Prabhu (‘Role of a live fence in a small farm) and The Hindu, Madurai, April 24, 2008 (Agricutlure).

Also read Wikipedia article on "Fencing": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing
Grateful thanks to Mr.M.J.Prabhu, The Hindu and Wikipedia.

S&T Watch-2: WR104, an unstable binary spiral star system

Astronomer Peter Tuthill warned that the explosion of WR104, an unstable binary spiral star system 8,000 light years away in the Sagittarius constellation, threatens to destroy the planet. A supernova within the system will fire gamma rays along the spiral's polar axis, which, Tuthill discovered, points directly at Earth. "I used to appreciate this spiral just for its beautiful form," he said, "but now I can't help a twinge of feeling that it is uncannily like looking down a rifle barrel."

Courtesy: Christian Lorentzen, Harper’s Weekly Review, March 11, 2008

Also read Wikipedia article on "BINARY STARS":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_stars
Grateful thanks to Mr. Christian Lorentzen, Harper’s Weekly and Wikipedia.

A Thought for Today : April 5, 2008

'Cactus' by Paolo Nao from
Public-Domain-Photos.com

(www.public-domain-photos.com)

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed - Einstein