Monday, July 23, 2012
A Thought for Today-570: Dr Norman Vincent Peale
Do not build up obstacles in your imagination – Dr Norman Vincent Peale
Sunday, July 22, 2012
A Thought for Today-569: Kalidasa
Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope - Kalidasa
Source: Sacred Space, The Times of India
Grateful thanks to The Times of India.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Eyecatchers-160: Suburban (Railway) Network's killer line claims one life every day!
Excerpt from the article, "Suburban Network's Killer Line Claims 1 Life Every Day - 220 killed in last six and a half months on Beach-Guduvanchery stretch; Railway Force launches Awareness Drive to address issue" by D.Madhavan, TNN in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 20, 2012:
I felt sad reading the above news item. Most of those killed are between 18 and 30 years of age. Talking on cellphone while crossing tracks is the main reason for the deaths. Due to lack of sidewalls, trespassing is frequent. Another cause is footboard travel.
People are dying unnecessarily at the prime of their life, making the life of their parents and other relatives miserable and painful. Carelessness (talking on mobiles while crossing tracks), laziness(to use the overbridge) and recklessness(footboard travel) these will be avoided if only one thinks of their loving dear ones waiting for them at home.
Grateful thanks to The Times of India.
Letters-90: Cry, my beloved country!
Excerpt From a Letter from a reader in the Mailbox of The Times of India dated July 17, 2012:
....We live in a country of barbarians who have no fear of law or respect for civility. The culprits are the authorities who are callous and nasty. The recent incident in Assam is said to be of a jilted goon who has the patronage of the powers that be The farce of a few arrests is laughable. It is just a re-enactment of the charades we have witnessed against parents who kill children for honour and members of organisations who strip girls in the open. The latest Taliban-type diktat against women in UP is another case in point. The root cause of the malaise is politicians who do not move even their little finger for fear of antagonising vote banks. - Mukund Kumar, Mumbai
Grateful thanks to Mr.Mukund Kumar and The Times of India.
Eyecatchers-159: HC raps school for retaining certificates of resigned teachers
I came across this news with the above caption in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 20, 2012. A gist of the article:
The Madras High Court came down strongly on a private school for refusing to return the original certificates of three teachers who had resigned and ordered police to initiate criminal action against the management. The management admitted the certificates were in its custody but said that at the time of entering service, it was agreed that any teacher leaving service in the middle of an academic year would have to pay back three months salary to get back original certificates and contended that as such no direction could be issued by the court for filing a case. The court disagreed and said the original certificates were properties that could not be transferred even by means of an agreement and held that the agreement was unlawful.
It is a common practice in many private institutions. I myself know of many instances where private institutions do this sort of thing and blackmail the employees and how agonising it was for the employees; the managements would make the employees cringe before them and beg. It is heartening to see an end to this blackmail and I would like to join the affected parties and thank the court for the verdict.
Grateful thanks to The Times of India.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Eyecatchers-158: SC pulls up Centre, MP on drug trials - Questions Govt's Lethargy in gathering data to act against erring doctors
I came across a news item with the above caption in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 17, 2012. The Supreme Court has pulled up the Centre and the MP Govt for showing lack of sensitivity and urgency in collecting data and responding to a public interest litigation. It gave the Govt and the Medical Council of India eight weeks time to file their reports. The news made a painful reading and exposed the callousness on the part of Govt and some doctors. I also made a search in the Net. The gist of what I gathered:
Unauthorised clinical trials of drugs on humans, unsuspecting poor patients willing to take any sort of treatment, is taking a toll of precious human lives. Most deaths go unnoticed and unreported. Even when the Govt acts, the culprits escape with minor fines. Some statistics provided by The Times of India under the caption, HUMAN GUINEA PIGS:
* Illegal clinical trils of drugs rampant in India.
* 1,514 deaths between 2008 and 2010 in clnical trials across the country.
* Madhya Pradesh govt let go doctors who conducted trias on women, children and mentally retarded by imposing a fine of Rs.500/-
* The Supreme Court expresses concern over the lethargic manner in which the Centre gathers data about clinical drug trials.
A general article on Clinical Trials from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, which clearly indicates the regulations and precautions required:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_trials
12 Bhopal gas tragedy victims die in drug trials:
FAQ on Clinical Trials:
Grateful thanks to The Times of India, IBN Live.com, Progressive Life Sciences.com and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Eyecatchers-157: Groundwater to be made public property
A new item with the above caption in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 18, 2012 caught my eye. The gist of the news is:
Groundwater, a precious natural resource, is for all practical purposes private property in India Anyone can bore and extract water with few rules to restric over-exploitation.
This may soon change. Like oil, gas and minerals, groundwater may also become public property. As 'water' is a state subject under the Constitution, both Centre and States have to enact law to make this happen. Reckless over-exploitation may lead to serious environmental consequences.
If you want to know all about groundwater, the following links may be of help.
For more info on Groundwater from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
An Abstract of the Salient Features of GROUND WATER YEARBOOK OF TAMIL NADU STATE AND PONDICHERRY AND KARAIKAL REGIONS OF UNION TERRITORY OF PONDICHERRY (2005-2006):
GROUND WATER SCENARIO OF TAMIL NADU FROM CENTRAL GROUND WATER BOARD' SITE:
Grateful thanks to The Times of India, The Central Ground Water Board and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
My Photo Album-142: Pravin in Rocky Mountains
Pravin with Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA in the background
A Thought for Today-567: Bernice J Reagon
Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyse you, they are supposed to help you discover who you are – Bernice J Reagon
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Eyecatchers-156: HIV funds diverted for ACs, furniture
I came across an article in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 16, 2012, captioned, "Govt used HIV funds for ACs, furniture? - Purchases worht Rs.5 lakh adorn ADG office; Internal Probe Currently Underway"
Sources in paramilitary forces said the funds were allocated to the MHA under a World Health Organisation program aimed to combat the HIV/AIDS menace among the personnel and officials of the border guarding/paramilitary forces like the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG and the Assam Rifles. (For full article, please try The Times of India online edition).
Grateful thanks to The Times of India.
Eyecatchers-155:Couple with Rs.30 lakhs pay seek free schooling!
The RTE Act provides Quota in private schools for children belonging to disadvantaged groups and weaker sections. A case has come to light where a couple with annual income of Rs.30 lakhs tried to claim free education for their child in Rajaji Vidyashram of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan. Obviously, the school refused and the matter went to Chennai High Court. The court refused to accept the contention of the couple, saying that if that is accepted it will do violence to the object of the RTE Act.
Source: The Times of India, Chennai, July 16, 2012
Self-Improvement-102: Happiness Formula by Deepak Chopra
To know about Dr Deepa Chopra, Indian-born, American physician and world-famous writer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Chopra
Grateful thanks to Dr Deepak Chopra, Choprablog, YouTube and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Picture of the day-375: Sri Thiruvenkadamudaiyan Temple, Ariyakudi
Photo taken by Suri with his Canon Powershot A590 IS digital camera
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