Health News: "Childhood Obesity"

Children who skip breakfast each day are twice as likely to be obse, a new study has shown. It is the opposite for kids who eat breakfast daily, experts say.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.20, 2008 ("Newscape")

Detailed Wikipedia article on "CHILDHOOD OBESITY":

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

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Facts & Figures-53: "Food Crisis will Deepen"

Even as the United Nations warned further escalation of food prices, the Food and Agricultural Organisation in its newly-released report has asked governments to go slow on a biofuel policy as it might have a negative impact on food security.

On the occasion of World Food Day on October 16, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon issued a statement which said 800 million people across the globe were going to sleep hungry every night even before the price rise.

Expressing concerns about surging food crisis, he described it as a  "colossal human tragedy".

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008 ("UN Chief says Food Crisis will deepen")


Detailed Wikipedia article on  "FOOD  CRISIS/SECURITY":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Crisis

Grateful thanks to the Correspondent who authored the above; Deccan Chronicle, Chennai and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Letters-46: "Freedom of Speech: Drawing a Line"

Freedom of speech is prized by democracies because only in a climate of free speech can the people remain informed on issues that affect their society and thus make an informed choice of government to reflect their best interests.  Yet nobody in most free societies can have a platform to incite violence, murder, sexual abuse, racial abuse or any other activity deemed repugnant by the vast majority of people.  Random House's decision to bow down to a hypothetical threat is surely a good decision.

There is a clear demarcation between intellectual discourse and subjecting a group of people to crass verbal abuse.  Every society permits their citizens to express themselves within its legal limits.  People should always know what constitutes hate or where to draw the line on free speech and it is not a license to target vulnerable groups. -  Dr.T.Marx, Lecturer, Dept of English, Pondicherry University, Puducherry.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Sunday Magazine, Oct.19,2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on  "FREEDOM  OF  SPEECH":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Of_Speech

Grateful thanks to Dr Marx, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

My Photo Album-27: "Parents with some of their grandchildren"

Parents with some of their grandchildren. I don't remember the occasion. Obviously, it is old, maybe around ten years. The children are all grown up now. Photo taken at the open terrace of my residence at that time by my friend, Annamalai or his brother.

Self-Improvement-37: "Dream, Dream, Dream!"

"SHOUT, we will win and avoid despondency," Former President of India, Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam advised secondary school children on a visit to the Nation Agro Foundation (NAF) for rural development in Illedu, Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu.

Celebrating his 77th birthday with them after cutting his birthday cake, he told them, "Dream, dream, dream.... Dreams will transform into thoughts which will result in action and progress."

Interacting with them, Dr.Kalam explained, "Night and day are experienced through the interaction of sun and earth which man cannot control. But we can control the days and hours at our disposal. We must make each day productive and resolve to make it useful for ourselves and our country."

Later, while talking to farmers, self-help group members and primary agricultural cooperative bank employees, he asked them to use genetically modified seeds to improve agricultural productivity. He pointed out that farmers were not able to get remunerative prices in the market. Hence, they needed to adopt the cooperative approach in farming and marketing of agricultural produce. Farmers needed to pool their inputs, cultivation practices and technology so that they had a better clout while going to market to enable them to get a fair price.

Earlier, Dr.Kalam inspected the agricultural, cattle and social production at various villages in Kancheepuram district. These included the total sanitation and adult literacy programme at Puthirankottai, the watershed project at Kumili and farmers club at Manappakkam.

Currently, NAF has enabled drop-out school children of Classes X, XI and XII to educate about 4200 village members through the adult literacy pro9gramme. This enables them to read and write Tamil and read the newspapers. However, 10,000 are still left to be educated.

At Puthirankottai, every household has received government subsidy of Rs.1200 and a bank loan of Rs.2500 to build a toilet under the total sanitation programme of NAF.

The NAF was founded by C.Subramaniam, the architect of India's first Green Revolution.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to ENS Economic Bureau and The New Indian Express.

Eyecatchers-117: "GPS could save Airlines Fuel"

Chicago: A Second World War-era air traffic network that often forces planes to take longer, zigzagging routes is costing airlines billions of dollars in wasted fuel while an upgrade to a satellite-based system has languished in the planning stages for more than a decade.

The $35-billion plan would replace the current radar system with the kind of global positioning system (GPS) technology that has become commonplace in cars and cell phones. Supporters say it would triple air traffic capacity, reduce delays by at least half, improve safety and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

An analysis of industry data found that if the system were already in place, US airlines alone could have saved more than $5 billion in fuel this year alone.

But funding delays and the complexities of the switchover have kept the project grounded. The government does not expect to have it up and running until the early 2020s. - AP.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.15, 2008.

Wikipedia article on "GPS (GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM):

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

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Health Facts-8: "Vitamin D and Calcium"

Vitamin D controls your body's use of calcium. About 15 minutes of sunlight on your skin each day normally produces all the vitamin D you need.

Excerpt from "Health Facts", Chennai Times, Supplement to The Times of India, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Wikipedia articles on "VITAMIN D" and 'CALCIUM":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium

Grateful thanks to The Times of India and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A Thought for Today-146:

Grateful thanks to Vinod for the photo - clicked by him with his Nokia N70M

The world is too dangerous for anything but truth, and too small for anything but love - Chennai Times, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Chennai Times.

Health News: "CLEAN HANDS"

Daisy, Gulshan and Yamuna, three-year-olds enrolled in a balwadi in Chintadripet, were excited about the soap suds that bubbled up when their teacher asked them to wash their hands before a meal.

The children were part of the Global Handwashing Day awareness programme organised by UNICEF. Little Gulshan did not understand much about germs and diseases, but she got her basics right. "I must clean my hands before eating," she said.

The awareness programme held at Chennai Corporation High School at Chintadripet reached out to students from pre-kinder-garten to Standard X. The children were given a demonstration on how to wash their hands thoroughly with soap, especially after using the toilet. Deputy Mayor R.Sathyabhama told students that they must also use footwear to keep their feet clean. UNICEF education specialist Aruna Rathnam said parents sent small children to school without footwear fearing that the children would lose them. She suggested that the children be allowed to keep their footwear on rather than leave them outside class so that they would not lose them.

Corporation schools, at present, do not provide soaps for children to wash hands. However, Corporation Deputy Commissioner (Education) Anu George said the idea would be considered. Students also took out a short rally holding placards on sanitation.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Chennai.

Wikipedia article on "GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY":

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

Grateful thanks to the Staff Reporter who wrote the above article, The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Letters-45: "Ethics are needed in Business"

This refers to the editorial 'No Half Measures' (The Times of India, Chennai, Oct.13, 2008). I agree with your views. However, business ethics are also important and need to be inculcated in our business practices. The lack of such ethics has led to the financial catastrophe confronting us today. Rather than honestly analysing a particular business practice, we opted for unrealistic assessments. These wrong practices not only weakened us from within but also created the bubble that caused so much trouble when it finally burst. - Rochak Aggarwal, Gurgaon.

Courtesy: The Times of India, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008 (Edit Page: Mail Box : My Times, My Voice).

Wikipedia article on "BUSINESS ETHICS":

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

Grateful thanks to Rochak Aggarwal and The Times of India, Chennai and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Facts & Figures-52: "33 Nations Face Grave Food Crisis"

Thirtythree countries, chiefly in Africa and Asia, are experiencing "very serious" to "grave" food supply problems, two food assistance groups have said.

Presenting the annual Global Hunger Index (GHI) for 2008, the German food relief group Welthungerhilfe and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) warned against neglecting the fate of starving people amidst the current financial crisis. "Nearly one billion starving people are a scandal for humanity," Welthungerhilfe head Mr.Ingeborg Schaeuble said. "In contrast to the banks, they are not to blame for their misery." In order to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals, an annual additional spending of up to $13.6 billion is necessary, he added - DPA.

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to DPA and Deccan Chronicle.

Eyecatchers-116: "Software that tells Age just by looking at Face"

University of Illinois has developed a software that reveals a person's age just by looking at his or her face.

Excerpt from "Software that tells age just by looking at face" from The Times of India, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to The Times of India, Chennai.

Eyecatchers-115: "Coca-Cola's Net Income up by 14%"

Coca-Cola Co posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on strong international demand that offset a drop in volume at home. Coke's net income rose 14% to $1.89 billion in the third quarter ended on September 26 from $1.65 billion a year earlier.

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Deccan Chronicle, Chennai.

Letters-44: "Unkept Promise"

Sir, With reference to the report Parliament ambushed (Deccan Chronicle, Oct.15, 2008), when even the President of the US had taken his people's representatives into confidence, the Prime Minister of world's largest democracy did not keep his promise to Parliament by skipping the traditional monsoon session. While the nuclear deal may be Dr.Manmohan Singh's prestige issue, the nation has lost its prestige by succumbing to such desperation that the US has exploited. - Letter from K.S.Nagarajan, Porur, Chennai to the Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai.

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Deccan Chronicle, Chennai.

S&T Watch-33: "Treating Type-I Diabetes without Insulin"

Type-I diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and kills insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. About 10% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. The only treatment for Type-I diabetes hitherto has been intramuscular administration of insulin. But soon a new line of treatment may be available using the hormone leptin. Recent studies with rodents suggest that a little extra production of leptin through gene therapy can bring terminally ill rodents with Type-I diabetes back from the brink of death (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 August 2008).

Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells and plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure. It also helps control eating behaviour. A new study suggests that it can also treat diabetes , the first demonstration that the disease can be treated without replacing insulin.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre at Dallas, USA, used adenovirus to insert extra copies of the leptin gene in diabetic mice and rats. The rodents recovered from the most severe side-effects of diabetes, even though they were not given insulin. The terminally ill diabetic rodents making extra leptin recovered with no trace in their bodies, and leptin produced more sustained health improvements than insulin injections did. These included normalising blood sugar for up to 80 days without insulin, stopping the overproduction of glucose by the liver, improving sugar use in the muscles, and allowing the animals to gain weight. The gene therapy also corrected ketosis - a process characteristic of diabetes in which the body burns fat, producing sweet-smelling chemicals called ketones.

According to the researchers, excess leptin probably blocks the action of glucagon, a hormone that works as a counterpoint to insulin, which helps cells use glucose for energy. Glucagon signals the liver to produce glucose from fats and other non-carbohydrate sources. In diabetics, high glucagon levels just raise blood sugar levels even higher and lead to other side-effects.

The researchers are not sure whether injections of leptin will work as well as making extra leptin through gene therapy does. But it is known that persons given injections of leptin for other reasons do show some improvement in blood sugar levels.

Courtesy: 'DREAM 2047', October 2008 ("Recent Development in Science and Technology" by Biman Basu - Email: bimanbasu@gmail.com).

Grateful thanks to Mr.Biman Basu and Dream 2047.

Eyecatchers-114: "Rs.12 crore Unclaimed Deposits!"

Throughout the country about Rs.1200 crores remain unclaimed in various bank deposits. This information was furnished by the Reserve Bank of India in reply to a petition by Mr.Siddharth Mishra of Orissa under Right to Information Act.

Courtesy: 'Dinamalar', Tamil daily, Madurai, Sep.14, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Dinamalar.

Facts & Figures-51: "World Standards Day"

World Standards Day is celebrated today. It aims to create an awareness about the importance of standardization. For more details:

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

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

S&T Watch-32: "Mars Project"

NASA has decided to proceed with plans to launch a new big rover to Mars in 2009, despite concerns about the Mars Science Laboratory's budget.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.12, 2008.

Wikipedia articles on "MARS" and "NASA":

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

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

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Open Access-5: "Open Access Day"

Today is Open Access Day. Enthusiasts of OA world over have planned various events to celebrate the occasion. It looks very good and encouraging.

For details:

http://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/Events_celebrating_Open_Access_Day

Environment-13: "Green Roof Movement"

Have heard about the Green Roof Movement? I came to know about it only very recently through an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune. The article was titled, "CINCINNATI WANTS TO LEAD GREEN ROOF MOVEMENT IN U.S." and was authored by Terry Kinney of Associated Press.

It says that the City Council of Cincinnati plans to support residents and business houses to replace tar and shingles with vegetation by channeling grants and loans.

Originally European-born, this Green Roof Movement, is spreading to many cities of USA.

Green roofs are not only aesthetically pleasing but also helpful in many ways like reduction of stormwater runoff, filtering of pollutants and reduction in heating and cooling costs.

After reading the article, naturally I went to Wikipedia, the free encylopedia for more information. From Wikipedia, I went on to other sites and got plenty of lovable information which I would like to share with you.

Wikipedia article on: "GREEN ROOF":

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

Article entitled, "May Your Roof Be Green" from Al-Ahram, Weekly Online, June 2-8, 2005:http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/745/en2.htm

Article entitled, "PLANT A GREEN ROOF" by Katherine Noyes, Senior Editor, "Animal Welfare" in Charity Guide:

http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fewhours/green-roof.htm

Grateful thanks to Terry Kinney, San Diego Union-Tribune, Amany Abdel-Moneim, Al-Ahram, Katherine Noyes, Charity Guide.org and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.