2050 and The New Blogger

Dear All,

The 2050 blog is using the New Blogger now. All the members and anyone who wants to be a member has to switch to the New Blogger to continue posting here. If the switch function is not yet activated in your blogs, please be patient. It will appear very soon.

For the ones who has switched, welcome to the New Blogger and hope you make your stay worthwhile. Please do post often. I have set up labels to categorize the posts. If you are a frequent blogger and wants to be a moderator here, please buzz me.

There will be new goals for this blog very soon. We will be focusing more of the coming years and the evolution of humanity, earth and the Internet as said before. Hence I have separated the goals section into decades to better chart the changes happening around us.

Thank you,
Gp

Rita Levi Montalcini's discovery won the world's highest scientific honour.

Rita Levi Montalcini was the last of four children born to the electrical engineer Levi and the painter Montalcini. Her father, though loving, believed that a career for women would interfere with family life and a career should never take first place. Rita convinced her father to allow her to become a doctor, and graduated summa cum laude in 1936. Shortly thereafter, Europe was plunged into World War II, and Mussolini and his Fascist supporters wrote decrees that curtailed the freedom of the Jewish people. Rita and her family went underground. For sometime, Rita tried to continue her research in a makeshift laboratory. When Germany invaded Italy, Rita and her family lived in fear until the Allies finally liberated Italy. Rita worked as a doctor to aid allied troops, before immigrating to the U.S. where she began to focus again on physiological research. She received the Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine about a decade later, after she became an American citizen..

Rita's story is one of adventure and triumph, in terms of science and human spirit. It was in her secret laboratory, that she conducted her research on the growth of nerve fibres that led to her discovery of what scientists now call the trophic Factor. By studying chicken embryos, she determined the effect that limb amputation has on the nervous system. In 1946, she accepted an invitation to continue her research at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, where her work lead to the discovery of nerve growth factor or NGF a substance found in malignant tumors that affect the growth of nerve fibres. In the face of Fascist oppression, this remarkable scientist began a journey of discovery that culminated in her winning the world's highest scientific honor in 1986.

JOVE

The YOutube for Science is here!

JOVE : Journal of Visualized Experiments

The Future Of Global Media

The previous century is the war century, forever changing the political and socioeconomics scenario of the world. For better or worst, war has shaped our lives in ways never before thought. One pivotal tool of war would be the media; if the world wars were covered extensively by the print media, but only influencing from a minority role, the gulf wars and the current terror wars are heavily shaped by the satellite media. As we explore the roles of the big media corps such as CNN and BBC, and if we take a none biased looks, they are playing the cards of their masters. The big corps especially American media is still twisted by their political masters, more evident than ever since the Watergate scandal. While we hunger for the truth, the truth itself is fake these days.

Hence, the future of media must and if we want it such, be free of any political elements, offer an unabridged and non biased look at the matters unraveling around the world thats both can satisfy the individual need and offer a strong cultural significance.

Two new news channels were launched in this past week to offer an alternative view of the world. Al Jazeera , which has already been on air for 10 years launched worldwide this week while France 24 is a brand new satellite channel backed by France airing in English and French to the world.

[-] It's been more than a year since 2050 were formed. From now onwards, we will continue to chart the future and document the evolution of the Internet, Humanity and Earth by looking into the future and providing solutions. If you have any ideas to contribute that will make this journey into the future a more exciting one, please do drop us a comment, email us or just become a member.

Amazing idea!

http://www.subservientprogrammer.com/main.aspx - something interesting!!

Quick talent and intelligent answers

At what point is a person dead? And how does a perm work? You may need to talk your way out of questions like these to get into Britain's elite universities, a survey of applicants has revealed. They were some of the more curious questions recently pitched by interviewers at Oxford and Cambridge looking to find the very best among the thousands of students trying to get on courses at the prestige institutions. The survey of around 1200 students by Oxbridge Applications, which advises applicants, showed the interview process was living up to its reputation for being notoriously tough.

Among the questions reported by students included: Here is a piece of bark, please talk about it. (Biological Sciences, Oxford) Are you cool? (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Oxford) At what point is a person "dead"? (Medicine, Cambridge) Put a monetary value on this teapot. (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Cambridge) Other questions, though it was not clear who asked them, included: What percentage of the world's water is contained in a cow; of all 19th-century politicians, who was most like Tony Blair? Jessica Elsom, of Oxbridge Applications, said the interview process was notoriously eccentric as the universities try to recruit the sharpest-witted among youngsters with flawless British school-leaving exam results.

With the increase in the numbers of students excelling at A-level, the Oxbridge interviews are one way of finding out who really cuts the mustard. The Times Higher Educational Supplement's World University Rankings, published earlier this month, ranked Cambridge as the second best, followed by Oxford in third place. Harvard University in the U.S. topped the list.

Yahoo! Time Capsule.. Contribute your Stuff fast!!

Hey all!!!

Just a little under 10 days to contribute to Y! Time Capsule, to contribute your part to History..
Maybe this could make things easier for Anthropologists of tommorrow to know more about us..
The downside is that not all your stuff is going to be put in. it is being edited.. so a lot depends on what the editor feels about your stuff..
anyway.. worth a try...
to submit your stuff, go to http://timecapsule.yahoo.com


Jaleel Mohammed Jalaludeen
http://jusjal.blogspot.com

Table Tennis...

till the last effort...!!

A woman established a new science.

Rachel Carson was born at a time when the study of the environment was not a separate science. She was trained as a biologist, but made her mark by establishing a new field in Chemistry, an area that was not her expertise. She is the mother of environmental chemistry, a woman who inadvertently established a new science. In 1929, just as the Great Depression hit the U.S., Rachel started graduate school at Johns Hopkins University. At that time, biology was a male-dominated discipline. She graduated in 1932 with a master's degree in marine zoology, but there were hardly any jobs available, especially for a female scientist.

Rachel's era was a time of change, a time when women were fighting for equal rights. Franklin Roosevelt came to power and appointed a woman as secretary of labor the first time a woman was granted such a post. Around that time, Rachel began her career as a science writer. A trained scientist who was always meticulous about the accuracy of her research, she was also a highly skilled writer. After earning the highest score that anyone had ever obtained at the civil service examination, Rachel became the second woman to be hired by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. As junior aquatic biologist, this job allowed her to study the sea and write. It was a dream job. Rachel's first book, Under the Sea Wind, was a landmark in the history of science writing. Her honest depiction paved the way for modern science writing. Unfortunately, the book did not sell well, because the U.S. entered World War II. During the war, Carson's work as a scientist was greatly valued, as she could provide information on ocean currents and waves and help prepare accurate ocean charts.

Can know more about her here

MURATA BOY

Another breakthrough from the world of Robotics.

Meet Murata Boy
[+] Do watch the videos from the site. Murataboy can reverse the bike while riding, stop dead in the track and even take corners. A companion to ASIMO?

First professional astronomer in the U.S.

Is the continue of Some Interestion on Science..........

Maria Mitchell lived during the mid-1800s: a turbulent time when women were thought to be unworthy of higher education. Raised on Nantucket, in a broad-minded Quaker family, Maria rose above the prejudices that ruled her day to become the US's first professional astronomer.

Few girls of the time were lucky enough to have a father as broad-minded as William Mitchell. He taught her how to use a telescope, how to calibrate a chronometer, and encouraged her talent for science and mathematics. One of her earliest accomplishments was calibrating a chronometer (an instrument on which the safety of the crew depended) for Captain Chadwick, when her father was away. Unlike the other Mitchell children who found astronomy tedious, Maria quickly grasped mathematical principles and loved doing complicated calculations. At 16, Maria became a teaching assistant to a schoolmaster. The doors of the best colleges in the US were closed to her as a woman, and she could not immediately consider a professional career in astronomy. She later became a librarian and devoted her evenings to the study of the stars. Her position as a librarian also allowed her to continue her self-study of astronomy.

William Mitchell was loaned a telescope to conduct observations for the US Coast Survey, and Maria began to assist him. In 1847, Maria discovered a comet using their rooftop telescope. For this discovery, the King of Denmark gave her a medal. Her discovery also made her a celebrity and allowed her to travel widely through the U.S. and Europe. Maria set up an observatory behind the schoolhouse in Nantucket. She studied sunspots and double stars and wrote papers about astronomical events.

Some Interesting on Science……

Men, in India and elsewhere around the world, have largely dominated the world of science and mathematics. But is this due to nature or nurture? Is there something biological that predisposes men to science and drives women away from it?

There is a growing body of research that proves otherwise. Societal values have long been forcibly imposed on female scientists, mathematicians and engineers, forcing them into second place. Despite subtle and overt expressions of oppression, however, there have been women who have excelled and become leaders in these fields.
Unfortunately, their contributions are often not given the recognition they deserve.

Everyone has heard of Einstein, but how many have heard of Emmy Noether, the mathematician whose work was invaluable to him, and whom he described as the greatest mathematical genius of all time? Many people attribute the discovery of the planet Uranus to William Herschel; yet few know that his sister toiled beside him, completed all the complicated mathematical calculations and countless minutiae that helped him in his research.

It would be impossible to chronicle the lives and contributions of the many women whose names are not as famous as they should be. Many died before their contributions were recognized, and thus their lives were not well documented. Let we explore the world of women scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians, and some females who made vital contributions to their fields in coming days.

Backspace { FLOAT }

An amazing shortfilm.

What We Are

What we are

Hero Steve Irwin died:(

Steve Irwin famously known as The Crocodile Hunter have been killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest, while swimming to film a documentary. more here....

Steve Irwin is a super hero of catching Crocodile. He makes documentary films with Crocodile and Reptiles for the televisions he hosted with his American Wife Terri Steve. Its been long I watched his shows in Discovery and Animal Planet. I love his shows and wonder of his brave act, it was very shocking to know about his death. We missed a real hero, his praise will be every where in this world, his memorise are undestroyed for his fans.

God beless his soul and my heart fell solace for every one who miss him, esp. for his cute Baby Robert known as Lil' Croc hunter.

Steve Irwin, Wife Terri and Little Hunter Robert

Diamond In the Sky

Via Yahoo!

We are One!

[ 44 more to go...]

Not mindless mimics

The image of parrots as mindless mimics has been challenged by a 30-year study that has found they can add, recognise shapes and colours and identify up to 100 different objects. The scientist publishing the research says that parrots, whose brains are almost the size of walnuts, compare with chimpanzees and dolphins in having a level of intelligence similar to that of small children. Their communication skills are similar to those of a two-year-old child, but their adding and ability with colours and shapes are more like a five or six-year-old, said Irene Pepperberg, associate professor of psychology at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S.

She carried out her research with African grey parrots. Although her work was ridiculed at first, the depth of research has gained the respect of other scientists, who increasingly accept her arguments. Professor Pepperberg will publish her latest results in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Alex, the most accomplished of her birds, is able to name seven colours and five shapes and count or add up to six. He can identify, request and refuse about 100 different objects and uses phrases such as come here and wanna go. He can also understand concepts such as zero, objects being bigger and smaller than one another, and the same or different. In one experiment, Alex was presented with collections of four, five and six blocks of three different colours and was able to provide the correct answer: Four blue.

Multiple Intelligences

I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or for ill. (Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181)

[Continue reading the full article]

[VIA The CosmicCode Institute]

Sleeping away their blues

Humans are not the only creatures who love their sleep. Animals too love tosleep, though their sleeping routine follows a strange pattern. We know that bears, ground hogs and opossums sleep all through winter. Though once in a while they do wake up. Can you believe that there are a few animals that sleep or hibernate right into spring without opening their eyes even once? These great sleepers are woodchucks and ground squirrels, their body temperatures dropping to near freezing point while they hibernate. Though a woodchuck may be the longest sleeper in the animal kingdom, they are in no way the strangest. The extremely naughty and playful sea otter takes his much needed sleep floating on its back in the water. The sea otter anchors itself to a piece of seaweed so that it will not drift off while sleeping. The otter's fine fur keeps the animal warm and cosy during its watery nap.

Bats sleep while hanging upside down and their favourite places are caves. Fish sleep with their eyes wide open, because the poor creatures have no eyelids to shut. But there is a particular type of fish that does not sleep at all. You guessed it, it is the shark.

The Alaskan blackfish takes the prize for being the strangest sleeper. When the cold Arctic winter comes, the waters, which are home to the blackfish, freeze. The black fish too freezes. Most people would assume that the black fish is dead. But the blackfish does not die but is in a state of suspended animation. Because a few months later with the arrival of spring the ice starts to melt and the black fish comes back to life. The walrus, like the whales and seals, enjoys travelling solo in the sea. But when it is time to snooze they all group together. They use their tusks to pull themselves up onto ice floes and lie down for a snooze, sometimes several hundred of them on one floe! All through the night members of the group take turns watching for attacking polar bears and killer whales. If one is spotted the guard flops over his friends and dives into the water, followed by his sleepy companions.

Would you Sing ... for me?

visit www.crysocal.org/cryidol for details

The Voices of Freedom

The Indian Government has taken a harsh decision by banning blogs hosted on Blogger.com and Typepad.com.

Various Indian bloggers are voicing their opinion and documenting the unraveling events at;
[Bloggers Against Censorship].

Please support them in this fight to redeem their blogging freedom. It might and can happen anywhere in the world.

[+] Bloggers Against Censorship
[+] Press Coverage of the Ban
[+] Global Voices Online

Stay healthy - Eating and Drinking Cancer away

Cancer is as common as Fever now a day. What is cancer: It is a group of diseases in which abnormal cells accumulate more than normal and can spread to other parts of the body
Let help ourselves from now on at least in things that we know can produce cancer. Cancer happens when we have wrong inputs to our body. Our body is Gods temple and we need to take care of it……….well. God did not create the human body to suffer from cancer, heart attacks, or strokes, can we try to return the body to its original state
We know that a good, balanced diet helps to maintain health. But how our bodies react to food when it reaches the bacteria of our digestive system remains a great mystery. Doctors claims there are more bacteria in and around us than there are cells in our body. It is a new area of science with enormous potential for significant advances in health promotion.
Lets see how mandatory and useful these tips are to be healthy.

1) Do not use plastics in the Freezer at all. It will be much cheaper to buy containers that are made of glass than to pay for in Hospitals. At freezing temperatures plastic produces substance (called dioxines) which is not good for our health and is cancerous. Some food comes with a thin plastic wrapper on it. Never keep that plastic wrapper at on the food in the refrigerator. Remove it and keep the food.
2) Do not heat or cook in Microwave using plastic container at all even if they are compatible. Use glass or porcelain instead. Plastic produces the same substance called dioxins, as in Freezer, in Microwave temperatures which are cancerous. Also they have an influence in the development of the fetus and our children endocrine balance.
3) Do not use mobile for longer durations to speak. 15 min should be the maximum. If we know that it will take more then 15 min. then let’s use Land phone or talk later. It is said that it is better if we use the mobile on the left ear rather than the right ear since it affects the brain directly. Your tariff rates could be much cheaper like the current Re1. Per Minute etc. Do not fall for it.
4) Do not keep on using the empty plastic bottles of distilled water for our daily use at home. Do not use it for more than one or two weeks.
5) Water, while not listed in the food guide pyramid it is quite possibly the most significant nutrient we as humans require. We are made up of about 60% water (H20), somewhere around 84% of our blood is water, 22% of our bone and 75% of our muscles are water.
6) Drink lot of water each day. Make it a habit to take a glass of water in empty stomach in the morning itself.
7) Water comes in different flavors: natural mineral water, pure water, distilled water, filtered water and on and on. Some have natural carbonation and some have it added prior to bottling. carbonized water which contained benzene are Poisonous . Benzene is a poison known to cause cancer and was found in rather high levels as a contaminant of water as a consequence of their carbonation process.
8) If you store water in Plastic container clean and disinfect his or her container regularly at least once in a month or two using your hand. Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens (cancer-causing chemical agents) can leach into the water that YOU are drinking. Many are unaware of poisoning caused by re-using plastic bottles. Some of you may be in the habit of using and re-using your disposable mineral water bottles (eg. Evian, Aqua, Ice Mountain, Vita, etc), keeping them in your car or at work. Not a good idea. In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate or PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element (something called diethylhydroxylamine or DEHA). The bottles are safe for one-time use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days, a week max, and keep them away from heat as well. Better to invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple uses. This is not something we should be scrimping on.

9) Some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons. But I have seen people having food in news papers too. The printing ink contains lots of unhealthy compounds which are really bad for our health.

10) Before we go in detail, an: Eating Guide line – “Eat Breakfast like a King and Lunch like a Noble man and dinner like a beggar”. Meaning have good solid breakfast and sufficient Lunch and less of dinner. Morning Breakfast should give us the strength to work for the day and lighter dinner means we do not need extra calories to sleep. But I have generally seen that the eating habits are the reverse order.

11) Eat food with lot of fiber. Good sources of fiber are found in Fruits and vegetables. The low level of fiber prevents the colon in our body from cleaning itself. This results in a buildup of toxic matter in the colon. The buildup of toxic matter in the colon can lead to many health problems, the most serious of which is colon cancer. A toxic body also means a weakened immune system and the body's inability to fight disease and illness.
12) General Health : Felicia Cosman, M.D., clinical director of the Foundation, reported recently on a study that confirmed that on a long run women who sit more than nine hours a day were reported to be 50 percent more likely to suffer a hip fracture than those who sit fewer than six hours a day. Get our joints moving! Power walking is an important exercise.
13) Having a full-term pregnancy before age 30 may decrease the risk for developing breast cancer.
14) Breast-feeding may decrease the risk of breast cancer. The benefit appears to be greatest in women who have breast-fed for longer than 12 months or who breast-fed several children.
15) No alcohols or consume less and No smoking (“Give up now and greatly reduce your risk of cancer”). Alcohols and smoking are cancerous especially for women. It is said that it increases the chances of breast cancer. But Red grape wine is good for preventing Cancer
16) Grapes and button mushrooms are good to prevent Cancers. We need to wash them properly due to pesticides that we apply on them. Eating grapes and mushrooms jam-packs us with nutrients, vitamins, and anti-oxidants that help combat infections, prostate cancer, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. Green onions, celery, bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli proved themselves as essential ingredients to a vitamin-filled diet but they do not help preventing cancer.
17) All cooking oils are bad for health but it’s good to use Olive oils at least 10 days out of 30 days. Olives are good brain food, Some other brain food are Walnuts, Raisons,Badam, Poppy seeds(less qty only), fig etc

18) Protect yourself in the sun and take care not to burn. Skin cancer is a largely preventable disease, but the number of cases has more than doubled so Protect yourself from the sun and harmful UV (esp 11:00 A.M to 3:00 P.M remember to take extra care with children) but research suggests that fifteen minutes a day of direct exposure to sunshine may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of many forms of cancer. Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin”, our skin absorbs the rays and produces vitamin D.

19) If you snack, choose a healthy option such as fresh fruit or low calorie yogurts instead of chocolate or crisps.

20) Talking about fresh foods, oranges, peas, and cauliflower contain a very high capacity of antioxidant. One of the ways of preventing cancer is by taking antioxidant. Our body naturally produces chemical elements (reactive molecules) called free radicals. They can cause permanent damage to our cells. Cancer, aging, and cardiovascular disease are the causes of this damage. To protect us from these diseases, antioxidant plays a great role. What you might not know is that antioxidant may prevent prostate cancer, which is mostly found in men. Antioxidant protects body cells from the bad impacts of free radicals, such as pollution, exhaust fumes, radiation, certain drugs, chemical exposure, and even processed food

21) Don’t heap food on your plate (except vegetables). Think twice before having second helpings. It good to stop eating when you burp.

A portion of Healthy Food. This is roughly equal to:
an apple, orange, banana, or similarly-sized fruit
two plums, nectarines or similarly-sized fruit
a handful or grapes or berries
a slice of melon, pineapple or large fruit
one tablespoon of raisins or other dried fruit
two serving spoons of cooked vegetables, e.g. broccoli or carrots
a dessert bowl of salad
two serving spoons of beans and pulses (only one portion per day)
a 150ml glass of fresh fruit juice or smoothie (only one portion per day)
Beans, pulses can only count towards one portion a day. This is because they are high in fiber but don’t contain the same balance of nutrients as other fruit and vegetables.
Fruit juice can also only count towards one portion a day. This is because they are high in nutrients but low in fiber. And extracting the juice releases sugars which are bad for your teeth.
Mushrooms can also count towards your portions. But try not to fry them in lots of oil as they will readily soak it up.
22 ) If we eat foods that are as close to the state nature produces them we are most likely to get the nutrients we need together with all the other factors our bodies need to use them. This is crucial to any cancer diet.i.e Do NOT OVER COOK.
Ex. A shining example is iron. Our bodies need Vitamin C in order to assimilate iron. However, there are still iron supplements on the market that do not have Vitamin C included in their mix. Now, parsley is a very rich source of iron and, you guessed it, is also full of Vitamin C. To further complicate matters, Vitamin C is heat affected and water soluble, so cooking, particularly in liquids destroys it - hence my assertion that eating foods - in this case parsley - in their natural state is best. Of course this won't work for all foods - potatoes for example - but it is a good strategy to keep in mind when trying to maximize nutrition.
The other reason for eating foods in as near natural state as possible, is that cooking destroys the natural enzymes. Enzymes not only play a crucial role in digestion, and therefore influence the quality of the nutrients we get from our food, but some enzymes, particularly pancreatic enzymes, play a direct role in the fight against cancer.
23) Have no meal without SALADS. The answer to point No. 20. is salads. Using as wide a variety of salad vegetables and incorporating as many different colored salad veggies, is an excellent way to increase your intake of live enzymes But even with hot meals, many raw veggies can be added as a garnish, i.e. parsley chopped up over scrambled eggs. Herbs stirred in a casserole after the heat is turned off. A couple of rings of capsicum on top of cooked fish. Use fruits to dress up a steak or a roast. Even curry leaves can be mixed in low heat. broccoli and cauliflower, celery and carrots in raw form with cottage cheese are good for health. Raw foods into your daily diet, give yourself and your loved ones an edge in the cancer fighting stakes.
24) Phytochemicals are chemicals found in plants that protect plants against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Eating large amounts of brightly colored fruits and vegetables (yellow, orange, red, green, white, blue, purple), whole grains/cereals, and beans containing phytochemicals may decrease the risk of developing certain cancers as well as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The action of phytochemicals varies by color and type of the food. They may act as antioxidants or nutrient protectors, or prevent carcinogens (cancer causing agents) from forming.
The list below is a partial list of phytochemicals found in foods:
Allicin is found in onions and garlic. Allicin blocks or eliminates certain toxins from bacteria and viruses.
Anthocyanins are found in red and blue fruits (such as raspberries and blueberries) and vegetables. They help to slow the aging process, protect against heart disease and tumors, prevent blood clots, and fight inflammation and allergies.
Biflavonoids are found in citrus fruits.
Carotenoids are found in dark yellow, orange, and deep green fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, parsley, oranges, pink grapefruit, and spinach.
Flavonoids are found in fruits, vegetables, wine, green tea, onions, apples, kale, and beans.
Indoles are found in broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, kale, Brussel sprouts, and turnips (also known as “cruciferous” vegetables). They contain sulfur and activate agents that destroy cancer-causing chemicals.
Isoflavones are found in soybeans and soybean products.
Lignins are found in flaxseed and whole grain products.
Lutein is found in leafy green vegetables. It may prevent macular degeneration and cataracts as well as reduce the risk of heart disease and breast cancer.
Lycopene is found primarily in tomato products. When cooked, it appears to reduce the risk for cancer and heart attacks.
Phenolics are found in citrus fruits, fruit juices, cereals, legumes, and oilseeds. It is thought to be extremely powerful, and is studied for a variety of health benefits including slowing the aging process, protecting against heart disease and tumors, and fighting inflammation, allergies, and blood clots.
Phytochemicals cannot be found in supplements and are only present in food. Foods high in phytochemicals include the following:
broccoli
berries
soynuts
pears
turnips
celery
carrots
spinach
olives
tomatoes
lentils
cantaloupe
garlic
apricots
onions
seeds
soybeans
green tea
apples
cabbage
Brussels sprouts
bok choy
kale
red wine
25) vitamin C (ascorbic acid)According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), vitamin C may protect against cancer of the oral cavity, stomach, and esophagus and may also reduce the risk of developing cancers of the rectum, pancreas, and cervix. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C may provide protection against breast and lung cancer.
the following foods are good sources of vitamin C:
one medium orange - 69 mg
1 cup orange juice - 124 mg
1 medium raw green pepper - 106 mg
1 cup raw strawberries - 81 mg
1 cup cubed papaya - 86 mg
1 medium raw red pepper - 226 mg
1/2 cup cooked broccoli - 58 mg
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C has recently been increased to 75 milligrams per day for women and 90 milligrams per day for men. Safe upper limit = 2.000mg. If on high doses of chemo or nephrotoxins, upper limit = 500mg.
26) Beta caroteneBeta carotene, also known as provitamin A, may help decrease the risk of developing cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, this nutrient may prevent certain cancers by enhancing the white blood cells in your immune system. White blood cells work to block cell-damaging free radicals.
Good sources of beta carotene are dark green leafy and yellow-orange fruits and vegetables. In the body, beta carotene is converted to vitamin A. Eating foods rich in beta carotene is recommended to possibly decrease the risk of developing stomach, lung, prostate, breast, and head and neck cancer. However, more research is needed before a definite recommendation on beta carotene consumption can be made. Overdosing on beta carotene is not recommended. Large doses can cause the skin to turn a yellow-orange color, a condition called carotenosis. High intakes of beta carotene in supplement form may actually cause lung cancer in people at risk, such as smokers, and it is not recommended.While there is a recommended dietary allowance for vitamin A (safe upper limit = 25,000IU or 15mg), there is not one for beta carotene. Examples of some foods high in beta carotene include the following:
carrots
squash
collards
spinach
sweet potatoes
27) Vitamin EVitamin E is essential for our bodies to work properly. Vitamin E helps to build normal and red blood cells, as well as working as an antioxidant. Research is finding evidence that vitamin E may protect against prostate and colorectal cancer. The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin E is 15 milligrams per day. The adult upper limit for vitamin E is 1,000 milligrams per day. Good sources of vitamin E (and the amount each serving contains) include the following:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil - 6.9 mg
1 ounce sunflower seeds - 14 mg
1 ounce almonds - 7.4 mg
1 ounce hazelnuts - 4.3 mg
1 ounce peanuts - 2.1 mg
3/4 cup bran cereal - 5.1 mg
1 slice whole wheat bread - .23 mg
1 ounce wheat germ - 5.1 mg
Since some sources of vitamin E are high in fat. A synthetic form of a vitamin E is available as a supplement. Vitamin E supplementation is probably not needed for most individuals because vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and is stored in our bodies. Very high doses of vitamin E can also interfere with the way other fat-soluble vitamins work. Also, large doses of vitamin E from supplements are not recommended for people taking blood thinners and some other medications, as the vitamin can interfere with the action of the medication. To make sure you are meeting your needs, eat a varied diet that includes whole-wheat breads and cereals.
There is no recommended dietary allowance for antioxidants. Eat a variety of foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, to ensure you are getting adequate amounts in your diet.
28) omega-3 fatty acids
Researchers are studying the effects omega-3 fatty acids have on delaying or reducing tumor development in breast and prostate cancer. Since our bodies cannot make omega-3 fatty acids, we must get them from food or supplements. The omega-3 fatty acids include:
alpha-linolenic acid
eicosapentaenoic acid
docosahexaenoic acid
Sources and recommended servings of foods high in omega-3 fatty acids include:
seafood, especially cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, halibut, stripped bass, tuna, and lake trout (aim for three to four servings of these fish every week)
flaxseed oil and beans such as kidney, great northern, navy, and soybeans
The American Cancer Society recommends avoiding omega-3 fatty acid supplements in the following situations:
if you take anticoagulant medications or aspirin, as omega-3 fatty acid supplements may increase the risk of excessive bleeding
if you are menstruating, as omega-3 fatty acid supplements may increase the tendency of developing anemia.
if you have elevated cholesterol levels, as omega-3 fatty acid supplements may continue to increase your cholesterol levels
if you are pregnant or breastfeeding (Women should talk to their physicians before taking omega-3 supplements or any dietary supplements.)
29) Eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of cancer. But it will also help to protect against other conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes, as well as improve your overall health and wellbeing.
30) Nobel laureate, Dr. Otto Warburg of Germany, won his Nobel Prize for his discovery of oxygen deficiency in the CANCER growth process. When pH is off and our bodies are running more acidic, our cells are getting less oxygen. Cancer thrives under an acid tissue pH/oxygen deficient environment. Is it any wonder today that cancer rates are up? Human blood stays in a very narrow pH range right around 7.3. Below or above this range means symptoms and disease. Total healing of chronic illness takes place only when and if the blood is restored to a normal,
slightly alkaline pH.

To keep the pH mineral and Vitamens are required. over-acidic food consumption can change the pH. Cigarette smoke is rich in cadmium (the blue color in the smoke). Cadmium is the most neurotoxic substance known to human beings. A low zinc/high cadmium ratio is implicated in learning disabilities. Smoking changes the body pH.

31) Stem cell preservation: Umbilical cord blood is an irreplaceable source of stem cells, like those found in bone marrow, which cannot be duplicates or created by artificial means. Cord blood contains the most potent supply of these life giving stem cells and may be used by your family to fight a host of deadly diseases. While most children will live long and healthy lives, the birth of the child is the only opportunity, your only chance, to possibly protect that child, or a sibling, or other family member against life threatening diseases far into the future. Make the decision to give the gift of cord blood banking to your family member or loved one.
While important advances are being made in cancer therapy, treatments for cancer are a miserable experience and do not always succeed, even when the cancer is detected early. When it comes to cancer, nothing beats prevention. Eat healthy to avoid Chemotherapy.

AMD 50*15, World Internet Usage

[+] Real time World Internet Usage.

[+] AMD 50*15

The "Fairer" Sex

My dear blogbuds and readers,
As I was checking my mail today, I came across this forward. No no .. this is not one of those chain forwards or friendship forwards. Here's an excerpt of what I got -
"An incident took place in Pune - a young girl was raped by a man posing as a plain clothes officer; he asked her to come to the police station when she and her male friend didn't have a driver's license to show. He sent the boy off to get his license and asked the girl to accompany him to the police station. Took her instead to an isolated area where the horrendous crime was committed. The law [which most are not aware of] clearly states that between 6 pm and 6 am, a woman has the right to REFUSE to go to the Police Station, even if an arrest warrant has been issued against her. It is a procedural issue that a woman can be arrested between 6 pm and 6 am, ONLY if she is arrested by a woman officer and taken to an ALL WOMEN Police station. "


Saturday, January 7, 2006 (Noida):

A school girl has reportedly been raped in Delhi's satellite town of Noida.
The 16-year-old was returning from her aunt's home when she was allegedly gangraped on January 5 in Sector 24 of the area.

Monday, January 9, 2006 (New Delhi):

A study indicates that up to 10 million female foetuses may have been aborted in India over the past two decades following prenatal gender checks.Fewer daughters have been born to couples who have not yet had a boy, according to the report published in Britain's leading medical journal Lancet.The journal said researchers studied data on female fertility from a continuing Indian national survey of six million people in 1.1 million households.Analysing information about 133,738 births, the researchers found couples were less likely to have a girl as a second child if their first child was a girl.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006 (New Delhi):

The murder of a call centre employee in Bangalore last month has sparked discussions on improving the safety of women working in late night shifts.
The National Commission for Women is leading the initiative for a safer work place.
The Commission has pointed out that women constitute 40 per cent of the BPO industry's workforce, making a case for the BPOs to overhaul the way it treats female employees.
"We should sensitise male co-workers and empower the women, and provide them self-defence training," said Girija Vyas, Chairperson of the Commission.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 (Jaipur):

The alleged gangrape of an Anganwadi worker in Rajasthan by two government employees of the Woman And Child Welfare Department has shaken the administration. Lacho Devi, a tribal woman from Karauli district, was allegedly raped by senior officials while she was attending a 10-day programme for Anganwadi workers in Karauli on December 30, 2005. But it is only now that a case has been registered after pressure from social activists and women's groups.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 (Auraiya):

A sixteen-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Auraiya district paid a heavy price when she resisted a rape attempt, as the attackers chopped her hands off. Anju Gupta was returning home from a local market in her village when three men forced her into a nearby field and tried to rape her. They cut her hands off when she resisted them violently.But that was not the end of trauma for Anju, as the local police refused to register an FIR against one of the attackers, Viresh, whom she recognised as being from her village.
It was only after the intervention of the DIG in Kanpur that the case was registered.
However, the police claim their investigations revealed that Anju had tried to commit suicide when her affair with Viresh became public, and that is how she lost her hand.
Anju and her family can now only hope that her case doesn't become another statistic in the worsening law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 (New Delhi):

A 22-year old woman was allegedly molested inside the secretariat of Delhi government on Monday. Manju, a resident of Ghaziabad, has accused a supervisor in the maintenance department of molesting her. She had gone there looking for a job. Manju claims that when she reached the secretariat, Ranbeer Singh Negi molested her. What is shocking is that her claims that the incident took place very close to the chief minister's office.

News Courtesy: NDTV.com

Here's some more information, courtesy : Amnesty

• Every two seconds somewhere in the world, a woman is subjected to violence
• At least one in three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime.
• In Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua Mexico, over 400 women and girls have been killed or disappeared in the past thirteen years.
• An alarming number of these cases remain unsolved...
• Federal authorities acknowledge that 177 state officials had acted negligently. Not one of them has been brought to justice

So is women's liberation a far fetched fantasy? Why is everyone so callous and indifferent to the woman? Why is she not respected? Why is she being objectified like this? Is a woman nothing but a toy to a man to satisfy all his needs?

Would you be this indifferent if any of the women mentioned above were anyone you knew or cared for? I always wanted to write on this topic. And thanks to NDTV, I was able to give you a 3 month history of some of the snippets relevant to this issue.

These are some horror stories that actually made it to the news.
God only knows how many are suffering in silence, tolerating all atrocites and taking all kinds of abuse. My silent prayers go to them.
I had put up this post on Mar 11th, 2006. To check it out in ma blog, u can click here.

Space Girl

She went where only one man had ever been before and he was Russian too! Valentina Tereshkova became the first women to go into space on June 16th in1963. She blasted off in a Vostok 6 spacecraft and made 48 orbit of Earth, spending three days in space.

Valentina was trained in parachute jumping and this was the main reason she was chosen form among more than 400 applicants for the mission. After her return form space, she married another cosmonaut. Andrian Nikolayev. Their daughter Elena interested scientists as the first child born to parents who were both space travelers. It was only 19 year later in 1982 that a second woman was sent into space. She was another Russian. Svetiana Savytskaya.

CNN Future Summit

[+] How will the world be like in 2035? Visit the CNN Future Summit site.
[+] Take the CNN Future Summit Challenge.

The Beautiful Game!

The 2006 Fifa World Cup starts today!!!
[Soccernet]
[WorldCup2006]
[BBC-WC]
[WorldCupBlog]

Egypt cracks down on bloggers

Egypt government detained and beaten six bloggers for their anti-regime movement and protests through their blogs. Few bloggers were sexually assaulted too. You can read the full story here. The Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdel continues to blog from prison, his blog here.  Any action against bloggers for expressing their opinions is condemnable. This is not the first time the bureaucrats and corporate honchos taking actions against bloggers. Earlier in India, the blogger vs IIPM fight raised the same question on our freedom of speech. Egypt government's action, IIPM controversy shows the decreasing trend in patience and accepting criticisms in this fast-paced world. Mr.Statesman, suing or arresting those who fielded views against you is utterly unproductive.

 

Blogging is an expression of freedom of speech, given to each and every citizen in a democratic country. However I analyse, I end up seeing the blog world is full of pros rather than cons. On technology front, blogging is the pinnacle of Web 2.0, which was conceptualized around user generated content. The old internet was based on providing information to users in a static and non-interactive way. The new Web 2.0 business model revolves around creating avenues and solutions for people to fill their content in web, which has proven to be highly successful. On creative aspect, Bloggers are multi-faceted personalities and blogging gives an avenue for them to exhibit their creativity. Lot of construction actions are happening in blogworld. In someways, the blogs listed as technorati's top 100 blogs seed a paradigm change in this world.

 

World has started listening to blog world discussions to understand the true mind of common people. Be it a controversy or appreciation, bloggers views are frequently quoted in all magazines. (Ex, DNA newspaper aggregation on blog views on hot topics). While listing a company profile, Google finance lists recent blog posts on those corporates too. Blog based business models and advertisement ideas are the talk of the wall street now. Metroblogging brings the bloggers in a city to a common platform and metbloggers differ from regular journalists and newspapers in reporting events happening in a city. Metblogs also serves as the original source of breaking news in cities. Wiki article on metblogs here.

 

Within short span of time, this little world has grown as a fifth pillar of democracy and it can be termed as true voice of common man in a country. With the expressed opinions and feelings in media, Statesmen should listen to criticisms and correct the mistakes in the system. Any kind of oppression on the freedom of speech (like egypt's ) should be condemned to the core.

 

CRY IDOL 2006 ... Agla Kaun ??!!

CRY (Child Relief and You) America Inc.
Southern California Action Center

presents

THE CRY IDOL 2006
Here's your chance to participate and enjoy the shows
and support the cause of Child Rights all at the same time!

July 8th 2006:

Audition for CRY IDOL 2006A Song and Dance Competition you don't wanna miss!! Audition finalists will contest at the Grand Finale in August 2006.Registration ends June 30 2006. Hurry register today!Log on to http://www.crysocal.org/ for details.

Also... don't miss your chance to Laugh your heart out!...

June 10th 2006:
"Laugh for CRY" Comedy show at the Acme Theatre, Los Angeles.
Life, Love, Laughter...what priceless gifts to give our children
Limited Seats! Buy tickets online at http://www.crysocal.org/

The Power Of Dreams

The future, today.


[+] ASIMO

[+] Honda Message to the World; [Global Ads]

Laugh For CRY!

Laugh for CRY!

If you live in Southern California,

It's that easy to support the cause of Child Rights!

Enjoy a Comedy Show on June 10th 2006 at

the Acme Theatre in Los Angeles.

Please go to www.crysocal.org NOW to buy your tickets.

CRY America is a 501c3 registered non-profit organization and all donations to CRY America are tax-exempt.

Issues (2050)

Dear members,

As I have reminded everyone before this, we are in a one year trial period regarding the group postings, policies and the general setup. While there is absolute freedom on what the members may post, generally it would be best to stay away from purely political posts. I have taken the liberty of deleting both the reservation posts, posted recently because it seems to be going in an unfavorable direction. While we can actively debate human rights and student rights issue, this Reservation issue is bordering on racial sentiments as well. Many countries in the world practice reservation, in some it works perfectly and in some it actually marginalize the minorities. This issues can be resolved peacefully, and in an intelligent manner if done at the right places, and I believe the general visitors will be somewhat disoriented in the direction this group is going. Sorry if it hurts the members whose posts are deleted, but I have decided against political matters that have no clear solution. We don't even know if it will benefit or not if it doesn't materialize first. And certainly the 2050 group doesn't want to debate something that not absolutely concrete. ( IF the members feel that we should leave the post as it is, please leave a comment and we shall work this out; the posts are is in the draft mode).

The one year anniversary of the 2050 Group Blog will take place in August. By then I will create a clear direction for the group, the objectives and such. The original goals are in the first posts (refer the sidebar). The main aim of the blog would be to take it to the year 2050 while charting the changes we experience around the world. Issues such as technology, entertainment, science, education, culture, language and the general socio-economic evolution of the world would be the forefront of our movement. We can make critical suggestions and changes if we really work together.

When the group was launched, we had many members who wanted to share this dream, I really appreciate everyone who is part of this enigmatic group and still supports and believes in this cause. There are over 50 members here. We will make this a grand effort. Come August, all the changes will be in place, the categorization of topics, the general layout and also the weekly or monthly report. I hope the members are also aware that the report for each post can be received in your mailboxes using the feedblitz function bar at the sidebar. Just enter your email and create an account and you will rreceive all the post updates.

Thank you for your patience, and all your efforts for this blog and also the entire blogging revolution. If any members have any ideas regarding this blog, suggestions and also comments please email [earth2050@gmail.com] or leave a comment here.

Thank you.

Truth? (2)

ROMANIA VIOLATES RIGHTS OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

MDRI investigators found emaciated children, starving and near death, at the adult psychiatric facility in Braila. Several teenagers weighed less than 30 lbs. (photo by MDRI)

Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI), has found children with disabilities hidden and wasting away, near death, in Romania's adult psychiatric facilities. A report released by MDRI, Hidden Suffering: Romania's Segregation and Abuse of Infants and Children with Disabilities, describes teenagers weighing no more than 27 pounds. Some children are tied down with bedsheets, their arms and legs twisted and left to atrophy. [continue reading...]

[+] MDRI

Trust?

This is disturbing and it's not the first time it's happening...

Peacekeepers, teachers prey on Liberia girls: report

By Alphonso Toweh Mon May 8, 1:10 PM ET

MONROVIA (Reuters) - UN peacekeepers, aid workers and teachers are having sex with Liberian girls as young as 8 in return for money, food or favors, threatening efforts to rebuild a nation wrecked by war, a report said on Monday.

Save the Children UK said an alarming number of girls were being sexually exploited by men in authority in refugee camps and in the wider community, sometimes for as little as a bottle of beer, a ride in an aid vehicle or watching a film. [continue reading...]

Several thing that might or may not happen by 2050

Things that Probably will happen:
1)The end of the world
2)We will run out of oil
3)Cheaper, better, cleaner fuel sources
4)Humanity will invent cures for several diseases
5)Nano technology will modify our current thinking of everyday life
6)Several better telescopes to replace Hubble

Things that Probably will not happen:
1)The end of the world
2)Meeting of extra terrestrials
3)Cure for cancer/aids
4)End of global poverty/hunger
5)Extensive exploration of space.

Here just a quick things I could come up with before going to class. Please, feel free to add and modify as much as possible.

Say no to Mandal 2

The proposed increase in OBC reservation from 22.5% to 27% in premier educational institutes in India has created the big students' uprising here. (The photo is from AFP taken  during the students' uprising against reservation). The proposal seems to be politically motivated to garner up the vote share for congress in the election period.

 

It's government duty to provide equal oppurtunities for all its citizens to lead a normal life. A child from economically backward class has to face lot of challenges in family. When comes to competing with peer group in getting a good education, he/she stands in a disadvantage position. Historically reservation started to supplement this difference. Few percent of seats in educational institution are reserved in quotas for different segment of the people.

 

Mind my words usage when describing, it is economically backward class and it's not caste. This is the place where politics has enter into reservation policy. Linking caste with class is the historical blunder. It's like generalising people based on their sun signs- say Taureans are soft hearted people, lets reserve 15% of management seats for them. Funny, isn't it? Giving reservations based on the caste itself is a joke, besides that these stupid politicians keeps on increasing the quota.

 

The creamy layer idealogy essentially means there are different segments of people in same caste in different economic classes. When you prefer caste based reservation system, the whole idea of supplementing those disadvantaged people in their challenges gets defeated. So, what can be the possible solution?

 

Lets take the good points in arguments of those for and against the reservation. Lets develop a situation where consensus in a good reservation policy be arrived at. My take would be - lets categorise people based on their economy and livelihood. Propose reservation based on economic classes. Update people's status based on constant feedback and update their status. It's not that impossible. Indian census does this segregation and lets improve on the system. We have the all the essential system in place, refining the system based on consensus is what is needed.

 

Polluted water bodies

According to Wikipedia, Water (from the Old English waeter; German Wasser), in its pure form, is a tasteless, odourless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is known also as the most universal solvent. It appears colourless to the naked eye in small quantities, though it can be seen to be blue in large quantities or with scientific instruments.

This natural resource is becoming more scarce in certain places, and its availability is a major social and economic concern.

Currently, about one billion people around the world routinely drink unhealthy water. Poor water quality and bad sanitation are killers; some five million deaths a year are caused by polluted drinking water.

Hardly surprising, since in the developing world, 90 per cent of all wastewater still goes untreated into local rivers and streams. Some 50 countries, with roughly a third of the world's population, also suffer from medium or high water stress, and 17 of these extract more water annually than is recharged through their natural water cycles. The strain affects surface freshwater bodies like rivers and lakes, and also degrades groundwater resources.

Remembrance of Times Past

OpinionJournal - From WSJ.com BY GEORGE MELLOAN : In 1990 the world was full of promise. How does it look today?

"Russian imperialism is again on the march, under the leadership of a KGB clique in the Kremlin who never quite lost their taste for authoritarianism.

The Israel-Arab relationship is worse than in 1990, at least in political terms. Bill Clinton and Yitzhak Rabin of Israel made a colossal mistake in 1994 of granting a lifelong terrorist, Yasser Arafat, power over Gaza and West Bank Arabs. His Oslo Treaty pledge to recognize Israel's right to exist was pure fakery, and today Palestinian terrorists are still striving to drive Israel into the sea.

Europe in 1990 was trying with mixed success to stabilize monetary exchange rates and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was about to make a costly mistake in granting newly liberated East Germans a monetary regime that would effectively price their broken-down industries out of competition with the rest of Europe. But despite the huge bills the Germans footed after putting the east on the dole, Continental Europe finally solved the exchange-rate problem in 2002 by adopting a single currency, the euro.

Europe's major achievements since 1990 have been the single currency, further progress toward a single market, and a more than doubling of European Union membership to 25 states with a combined population of 460 million and economic output roughly equivalent to the U.S. But "Old Europe" still labors with high unemployment and sluggish economic growth, in part because its elaborate welfare benefits subsidize idleness. The frictions between native peoples and immigrants have become more acute. Europe is no longer as reliable a U.S. North Atlantic partner as it was in 1990."

Hubble Space Telescope's 16th Anniversary

The Hubble Space Telescope, the most successful space telescope ever, that paved the way for a deeper understanding of the universe and unraveled the mysteries of the cosmos, celebrates it's 16th anniversary today.

Read more on it at;
[HubbleSite]
[Hubble-Wiki]
[Hubble-BABlog]
[SavetheHubble.Com]

Barefoot Summer; Lost Voice(s)

A sad loss of life.

(Photo taken from Nanyaar)

Read about it here;[JusticeProtest1];[Farewell];[Justice3].

On April 20th, 2006, an Indian student, Prashant Anchalia fell to his death at the University of Yereven, Armenia. Due to severe negligence in the part of Armenian medical authorities and the university itself, the still conscious student passed away.

The Indians students of University of Armenia is requesting help in highlighting the issue and addressing possible solutions to prevent such incident in the future. I request anyone who has the slightest concern towards the great injustice done, to address this issue in your blogs and website and please spread the word to make sure the death of Prashant doesn't go unnoticed.

The core of the issue lies in the fact that millions of foreign students around the world does not have proper protection by the laws of the countries they study in. Basically, they are all considered foreigners with the same rules and regulation as workers who migrate. And this death is not the first and it will not be the last unless we act today. Please take steps to convey your support to the students in Yereven and also lets take action today ensure that the lives of the millions are not in danger.

There are many horror stories from universities around the world, particularly from third world country universities of harassment, rapes and murder of foreign students whose truth remain hidden in the dustbins of politicians. The home countries protecting their economic and political interests often turn a deaf ear towards such incidents and the students themselves who try to raise a concern are subjected to political harassment. As we speak and convey this issue, there are still students in countries like Russia and Ukraine who are beaten up and robbed.

Students should and must have special rights in any country. Students are in the forefront of the next generation and carry the dreams and hopes of parents and their home country. As much as we strive for the freedom of internet and human rights, we must also stand up to speak of the rights of students of all age. Beyond borders, colors and religion, the same tragedy can happen to anyone.

Understanding the pain and struggles of these students who take to the streets to fight for justice, and understanding the pain that the parents of Prashant is going through, lets come together and voice out for justice. There are several organizations that you can contact to convey your feelings and highlight the issue. Send a message to the International Secretariat of Amnesty International;[VoiceOut], the Human Rights Watch;[HRW] and United Nations;[UN].

If everyone thinks that students around the world, be it at their home countries or foreign students should have their own human rights watch, declaration and justice, then let us gather our might and voices to fight for our fellow friends. If anyone wants to start a blog, website for the truth to be heard, and justice to prevail do let us know. Lets speak for peace together.

Everyone should know of their rights as the citizen of earth;United Nations Human Rights Charter.

Rest in Peace Prashant Anchalia.
May God bless the souls who left early on an uncharted journey.
Your voices and life will be redeemed.

April 23 is World Book and Copyright Day

Have you ever opened a book, begun reading and then instantly disappeared into the pages? If you haven't then you have missed the best adventures in life. Every book has a story to tell. It could be historical, geographical, literary, poetry almost anything. The book will take you to places you have never been to and sometimes can never even dream to be in. Reading a story set in history will take you back to an age you have not experienced. You can imagine the people of that time, their concerns, their achievements, the kind of houses they lived in, the kind of food they ate. In your mind's eye you visualize the life of people you have never seen. It is the same with any other kind of book. You are immediately transported into another world, and in doing so you experience the magic of the unknown

It is to celebrate the joy of reading that UNESCO has set aside April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day. So how did they fix the date? April 23 happens to be the day (in 1616) when three great writers Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilasco de la Vega died. It is also the date of birth and death of the other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, Halldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. So, on April 23 UNESCO encourages people the world over to appreciate the power of the written word and also remember those who have made exceptional contributions to Literature. April 23 is also World Copyright Day. According to there website: UNESCO's commitment to copyright dates from as far back as 1952, when the Universal Copyright Convention was adopted.

The advance in technology has many benefits but there is also a downside to it. For example while people queued up outside bookstores to collect their first copy of the highly priced Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the piracy market was already at work and very soon cheaper books were sold on pavements and even on the roads at traffic lights! It is to prevent this kind of thing that UNESCO finds the need for awareness campaigns to raise the level of protection and also to act as a deterrent to piracy. Every time you buy a book that has been printed in violation of the Copyright Act you are aiding in piracy and violating the Copyright policy. So on April 23 let us all make a promise to read and also support the need for copyright to be protected.

Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated every year on the 22nd of April to commemorate our struggles and effort to safeguard the diversity and importance of our planets flora and fauna. In essence, the day appreciates nature and encourages it's protection and continuation. Google once again had a nice google logo for the occasion.

More info;
[Wiki-ED]
[Wiki-ED Links]
[Google-ED]

Joan Miró

Google celebrates Joan Miro's anniversay with this special Google logo today. Joan Miro is a Spanish artist specializing in Surrealism art and lived between 1893 to 1983.

Read more here;
[Miro]
[Surrealism]
[Miro-Gallery]

Hillsborough Disaster Remembrance

17 years ago, the greatest football tragedy in English history happened at the Hillsborough Stadium during the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. 96 innocent lives were lost and the history of English football will change forever.

The Hillborough disaster remembrance is held every year on the 15th of April, the day of the tragedy.

Read more about it;
[Wiki] [LFC-Memorial] [LFC'06]

Extreme Engineering

Fancy a mile high skyscraper? Or a Transatlantic underwater tunnel? Discovery Channels Extreme Engineering series highlighted some of the most ambitious structures planned today. View the interactive archives here;[DEE-Amazing].

The list of all the projects covered in the series;[Wiki-EXtreme]

A similar program's in the National Geographics Channel;[Wiki-Mega]

The Sway of Bollywood

With a sprinkling of fairy dust, Bollywood transforms the world into a dream riddled with fun in the form of music, dance and colorful beauty, where most people live comfortably and very few need worry about survival. This, of course, is in sharp contrast to the life lived by the target audience of the average Bollywood film and I suppose that would be the whole point...
Whilst most in India struggle to find work, make ends meet, enjoy life and marry in the name of love instead of family ordained suitability; those on the silver screen live the highly sought after, but rarely attained, notion of the good life, where you work for fun and your sole responsibility towards others is to show that throughout all the insignificant trials and tribulations of an altogether undifficult life, love will always triumph.
I apologise in advance for being negative about a genre cherished by so many, (be advised that my scepticism will wane later on ) but Bollywood is positively unrealistic. In most circumstances, it just influences the audience to think that what they have is not enough to be happy with and if they could simply work and struggle and push their children hard enough to be wealthy, georgeous and enviable, they could also happily live the glamourous, carefree, love-filled and largely unattainable lives lived by those seen in the films.
To those working in the industry, I would say that your influence on people is not particularly admirable. When you could be pushing for people to be more charitable and good towards an in-need of help Mother India, you prefer to use the money, talent and famous faces you have to reaffirm the importance of wealth, fun and love: things that are sometimes out of one's reach.
But the greatest hypocrisy of all in Bollywood and the pinnacle of unrealism is yet to be reached. This, of course, happens when the films shoot overseas (thereby supporting already-rich foreign economies) so as to quench the audience's desire to see more of the well-to-do and their lives and less of the Indian reality which includes a hardly ever shown in films side to India where there simply is not enough for everybody when a few players decide to hold all the cards for wealth, government, status, education and employment. What deliberate ignorance to worship the unreal.
On a lighter and chirpier note, I must admit, unrealism in film has its benefits though for good old India. All you have to do to see manifestations of India's wealth is look at the level of creative flow coursing through a popular Bollywood film. Nothing even comes near to the level of art coming out of India these days in these films in the form of a visual feast with music and dance from the likes of directors such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali, musical maestros such as AR Rahman and Anu Malik and dance masters such as Shiamak Davar, Vaibhavi Merchant and Saroj Khan.
All you need to do, to feel that there is still true patronage of grace, in art, alive and well in the world today, is look at a well-backed Hindi film. There is nothing an audience could love better than a good Bollywood song and dance number with one Bollywood beauty opposite one Bollywood cutie who together keep the passions running high throughout the film. I guess it's this unending lineup of beauties and cuties that keep you rivetted to the screen in spite of all that poor acting, corniness to the extreme and utter lack of plot driving the narrative. This together with the poetry of words coming from the Hindi and Urdu languages would manage to keep most audiences mesmerised in spite of everything.
So if you were to ask me for examples of Hindi movies worth watching for the music, dance, poetry and, of course, beauties including Aishwarya Rai (a former Miss World), Kajol and Rani Mukherjee and cuties like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, I would give you the names of a few films of interest including Taal (musically divine), Dil To Pagal Hai (dance spectacular), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (romantic saga) , Bombay (moving) , Dil Se (great music and issues), Lagaan (Oscar nominee) , Devdas ( grandeur unparalleled), 1947 Earth (a movie with actual substance), Bunty Aur Bubli (funny), Monsoon Wedding (includes the real India that sometimes make you squirm in discomfort), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (stunning visually), Saathiya (inspired by the Tamil film Alaipaiyuthey) , Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (crowd pleaser) and Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham (winner of the popularity contest and also with some great comedy and heartfelt moments)
All these movies are great to watch for their entertainment value but perhaps not all what they could be intellectually. What I sometimes feel is holding the entire industry back from world domination is the almost complete and total lack of substantial content, complex characters or admirable plot in any movie that has garnered popularity in the last few years. If just one famous actor or director could find themselves a decent story to get involved with, we'd all be saved.
I'd actually be able to sit through a Hindi movie without guiltily thinking that I was lowly enough to be watching the equivalent of a tv soapie or a Mills & Boon novel (so unchallenging that you would expect a person to be ashamed of reading them). Bollywood tries so hard to evade making the audience think, question or enter a state of turmoil that, as a member of the audience, you almost feel as if you are the lesser being.
Ten years ago, I would have said that North India just had to look to the South and be smart enough to be able to recognise a plot when it sees one. But now South India seems to be going by the popularity of Bollywood films and copying the lack of substance of all thing's North. Ten years ago I was proud of South Indian movies, especially those in Malayalam. They may not have been hip or glamourous but they had a level of intellectual credibility that had arthouse written all over it and the actors, like Mohanlal, could actually act. Movies such as Manichitratazhu, Devaragam, Desadanam and Aaran Thampuran had enough art, plots and real-life complications to make them memorable.
So, what I'm basically saying is, to anyone listening out there who has any connections to Bollywood, ask someone who holds some sway over the film industry to have the gall to do a remake of a movie like Manichitrathazhu, Bollywood style. The way I see it, that kind of a movie could actually contain enough Bollywood as well as intellectual elements to sustain any audience's appetite and then we would all have a truly applaudable blockbuster Indian movie to watch, proudly.
Don't get me wrong after seeing me critique the genre, I see that Bollywood has the potential to outdo every other film industry in the world and become the greatest source of inspiration for generations to come, I just want to see it reach that altitude soon so that I get to see films on a regular basis that make me think whilst enjoying a combination of high art with entertainment.