Animals leave on land

Cat

The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or housecat^[5] to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small furry domesticated carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests. Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years,^[6] and are currently the most popular pet in the world.^[7] Owing to their close association with humans, cats are now found almost everywhere on Earth.

Tiger

The tiger (Panthera tigris), a member of the Felidae family, is the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera.^[4] Native to much of eastern and southern Asia, the tiger is an apex predator and an obligate carnivore. Reaching up to 3.3 metres (11 ft) in total length, weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds), and having canines up to 4 inches long,^[5] the larger tiger subspecies are comparable in size to the biggest extinct felids.^[6][7] Aside from their great bulk and power, their most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes that overlays near-white to reddish-orange fur, with lighter underparts. The most numerous tiger subspecies is the Bengal tiger while the largest is the Siberian tiger.

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals in two genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta. Three species of elephant are living today: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant (also known as the Indian elephant). All other species and genera of Elephantidae are extinct, some since the last ice age although dwarf forms of mammoths may have survived as late as 2,000 BC.^[1] Elephants and other Elephantidae were once classified with other thick-skinned animals in a now invalid order, Pachydermata.

Say No! - to Plastic Bags

Say No! - to Plastic Bags


WHAT ARE PLASTICS?

Plastics are synthetic substances produced by chemical reactions. Almost all plastics are made from petroleum, except a few experimental resins derived from corn and other organic substances.













"Plastics" derived their name from their properties to be molded, cast, extruded or processed into a variety of forms, including solid objects, films and filaments. These properties arise from their molecular structure. Plastics are polymers, very long chain molecules that consist of subunits (monomers) linked together by chemical bonds. The monomers of petrochemical plastics are inorganic materials (such as styrene) and are not biodegradable.

Plastic has many properties which has made it a raw material of choice for Manufactures of plastic Bags and packing materials. Cost of production, light

weight, strength, easy process of manufacture, and availability are few of the properties. There is nothing wrong with plastic as a material. Man has simply not put the plastic to the right use/ or using it without taking proper care of other related norms of usage.

PLASTIC AS PACKING MATERIAL

Plastic has replaced the traditional material ( paper/cloth etc) as packing and carry bags because of cost and convenience which is possibly a wrong choice of material for such use. Even though plastic bags can preserve food and can be used for growing vegetables in a controlled environment, their method of disposal has creates unprecedented pollution problem.

Plastic has many more uses other than Plastic Bags and Packing material. It is used for manufacturing of protective covers and parts for many machines, which should be the preferred utility for plastic.

SHOPPING CULTURE IN EARLIER DAYS ( Pre Plastic age 1970 + )




















Before the advent of poly-bags, people did shop, buy things, bring eatables from the market, and did the same marketing as is done now. How did they did it? The raw material for the bag was decided by its usage. Cloth bags for lighter items, Gunny bags/Jute bags for voluminous and heavier goods. The cost did not justify use and discard attitude. These bags were washable and reusable lasting for six months to a year.

PLASTIC HAZARDS

The hazards plastics pose are numerous. The land gets littered by plastic bag garbage presenting an ugly and unhygienic seen. The "Throw away culture" results in these bags finding their way in to the city drainage system, the resulting blockage cases inconvenience, difficult in maintaining the drainage with increased cost, creates unhygienic environment resulting in health hazard and spreading of water borne diseases. This littering also reduces rate of rain water percolating, resulting in lowering of already low water levels in our cities. The soil fertility deteriorates as the plastic bags form part of manure remain in the soil for years.



















It has been observed that the animals eating the bags sometimes die. Plastic goes into the ocean which is already a plastic infested body of water. Fish and other marine species in the water ways, misunderstanding plastic garbage as food items swallow them and die.

SHOULD PLASTIC BE TOTALLY BANNED?

Many household utility items like needle, scissors, blades can heart if not handled properly. Children need to be trained in their proper handling. These utility items are not banned. But because of throw away culture and no objection from passer by, the advise on sensible disposal of plastic bags are not heeded by general public forcing the government to consider banning of plastic bags all together.

"Should plastic carry bags and bottles be banned in totality?" - is a heated issue today. Average Indian uses one kilogram (kg) of plastics per year, the world annual average is a alarming 18 kg. But too many do it as our cities have huge population. The country yet to take a serious view of the issue and have a uniform nation-wide law for indiscreet disposals of plastic bags. People should be educated on the proper ways of plastic bag usage and the disposal. The teaching should start right from the primary schools.

"Plastic is an eco-friendly material. The real problem is littering", some claim. But there is hardly anybody who agrees with such viewpoint.

Thinking rationally, the whole idea of educating people about plastic bags, although very ambitious, and it is as difficult as banning smoking The conventional older and tested alternatives offers an easy, if not fully equitable and practical solution.

And all the hype that poly-bags pollute is not totally false. It is not that poly-bags are responsible for the ills, of course not, it is the humans. It is ignorance ( or who cares attitude). We have not banned sewing needles they pierce through the skin. It's a stupid idea. Whether it is the common citizen, the government official or the hard-hit plastic bag manufacturer, all of them agree on one point - firm steps are required to be taken against littering of plastic bags and bottles all around.

THE GLOBAL DIMENSION

More than a 100 million tonnes of plastic is produced world-wide each year. Though plastics have opened the way for a plethora of new inventions and devices it has also ended up clogging the drains and becoming a health hazard. Many countries, including India, are trying to increase the amount of plastic that is recycled. But commercial interests create hindrance for effective legislation to remove plastics from goods where they can threaten public health. Also there is a clear trend of shipping off the plastic waste of developed countries to under developed and developing countries. India imported 7,841.8 metric tonnes of plastic waste from the US in the first half of 1994. India is the fourth highest Asian importer of plastic waste behind Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia.

FUTURE ALTERNATIVE - ECO-FRIENDLY PLASTICS
















However newer technology is also being developed in this regard. This entails the use of DEGRADABLE PLASTICS. The principal is to incorporate into the plastic some chemical that is photodegradable/biodegradable or chemically treatable.

By adding starch, biodegradable plastics are generally made. On burial such plastics are attacked by bacteria feeding on starch, which breaks these down into tiny particles that disappear harmlessly into the soil. Some common examples of biodegradable plastics are the use of "non-removable" suture materials in surgery or capsules for drugs, which dissolve slowly in body fluids.

Chemically degradable plastics can be broken up by spraying them with a solution that causes them to dissolve. For example such material can be used as a protective wax covering for new cars, that washes off at the dealer's garage by a specially formulated spray. This spray reacts with one of the components of the plastic and causes it to dissolve into harmless materials which can be flushed down the drain.

Photo-degradable plastics contain chemicals that slowly disintegrate when exposed to light. In France, strips of photo-degradable plastic about 3 ft (1mtr) wide are used to retain heat in the soil and produce early crops. They last for about 1 to 3 years before rotting into the soil. But they have to be used in places with consistent amount of sunshine so that they decay at a predictable rate. In the USA, about one quarter of the plastic yokes that link beer cans in a six pack are made of plastic called Ecolyte, which is photo-degradable. But to stop them decaying too early, they must be stored away from direct sunlight, which can be of some inconvenience to the retailer.

However degradable plastic can have a few other problems. For example, it cannot be recycled because there is no easy way to measure it's remaining life span. The biggest drawback is the cost of it's production. Japanese scientists however claim that they will soon be able to produce much cheaper multipurpose biodegradable plastic. In order to obviate the disposal problems and to prevent

Environmental pollution caused by routinely used polythene packaging materials, it would be prudent , for the present, to use eco-friendly paper packaging. The manufacturers of plastic packaging like soft drink bottles/mineral water bottles etc must come forward and develop appropriate methods of disposal/own responsibility for disposal.

A ban on plastic bags (below 20 microns) has already been imposed by various states and also in a few towns and districts in India. It is going to extend this to other parts of the country also.

Plastic bags are so light and strong that they can carry normal weight, cheap and is used in all types of shops in our daily life. For example: bakeries, medical shops, grocery stores, hotels, etc. People are so accustomed to it, that they find it very difficult to part with it. Plastic bags have made it possible for people to go without bags to market or work place as these bags are availably for asking and can be thrown without a second thought.
















People who go on picnics, visiting historic places, hill stations etc., to enjoy their holidays or just for a change carry with them eatables in containers, plastic bags, mineral water bottles (plastic), plastic plates and plastic cups and generally leave it in the open air after consuming the contents. One can find this in tourist centres scattered all over. Road-side vendors also use plastic cups to serve coffee or tea. The customers throw these cups on foot paths or near drains after consuming the contents.

These plastic materials are so light that they are carried away by the speed of the moving vehicle, wind etc., scattered all over, making the surroundings look ugly. There are instances wherein these materials have clogged the underground drains. People are in the habit of throwing things they don't need wherever they like irrespective of the final result. People should be specially educated regarding the use of plastic in our daily life, as it is environment unfriendly. Boys and girls, men and women with bags on their backs and a stick in one hand walking long distances, picking up plastic waste, paper, bottles etc., from dust bins, road sides, is a common sight in Bangalore. These rag pickers sell the waste collected, to the collection centre to earn their livelihood. These materials are recycled. Bangalorians must be grateful to them, as they dispose off a part of non-degradable waste material, 'plastic', in particular. The BMP has given on contract basis, the cleaning of roads in residential areas and other parts of the city.

The waste materials collected are of all types including plastic materials, such as plastic bags, plastic cups, plastic bottles etc. Instead of carrying these wastes away, they are burnt on the road side polluting the area with thick smoke which produce toxic gases (because of burning of plastic material) posing a health hazard. Inhaling of such gases causes lung diseases and even cancer. They resort to burning of waste material with the main intention of reducing the number of trips a lorry has to take. Burning of waste material in public is a serious offence and violation of Corporation bylaws.

This should be properly monitored by the Health Department of the BMP and immediate action taken on violators. Arrangements must be made to segregate recycling items such as plastic, paper, glass etc. Leaves and other degradable waste can be converted into manure. While traveling in trains, we generally find coffee and tea being served in plastic cups (use and throw) which the traveling public after consuming it throw them away in village fields and field channels on the way. There is the likelihood of this collecting near the outlet of the channel obstructing the free flow of water into the fields. Plastic being non-degradable, when buried under the ground, arrest the percolation of water into the ground. Animals grazing in the field consuming this plastic waste along with grass cannot be ruled out. Now-a-days, in almost all functions, it has become a practice to use thin plastic sheets to cover the dining tables to give it a good look and also so that it is easy to clean the table, as left over can be removed by rolling the sheet at a stretch. These are thrown near the dust bin.

Besides this, thin plastic cups are also used for drinking water, which also finds a place in the dust bin. One can find near the dust bin, waiting slum children, crows, stray cows, dogs to share the leftovers. In this process, they fight amongst themselves and stray cows in majority of cases have consumed thin plastic sheets along with left over, leading to untold sufferings and also found dead on many occasions. It is therefore, suggested that a ban be placed on the use of plastic sheets, plastic cups, along with plastic bags. Plastic industries manufacturing plastic bags (below 20 microns) thin sheets, thin cups and thin bottles, should be informed about its ill-effects on the environment and advised not to manufacture such items.

If the industry is located in a residential area, action should be taken to shift it immediately. The factory management should take all measures to control the pollution created, within the stipulated norms by the KSPB and the pollution board should monitor it regularly. The public should be educated regarding littering dumping and unnecessary burning of wastes. The Health Department of the BMP, municipalities of cities and towns, Karnataka Pollution Board has a greater role to play in making Karnataka eco-friendly and a place to live in safely for the future generation.

THE SOLUTION

The solution lies in finding

1. alternative suitable for making Bags and packing material at competitive rate and convenience without having any negative aspect.
2. R&d to make plastic more environment friendly.
3. Educate users to the right disposal methods.
4. Reduce the no of users by reducing the population in the long run.
5. Process vegetable. etc to higher density so as to reduce the no of bags required to pack and carry. 6. Encourage reusable bags from traditional materials by suitable advertisements to make it fashionable. ( this may be the overwhelming factor in favour of traditional material). ( Ladies use bags made of snake skin/ rabbit skin/lion skin etc only for fashion and looks )
7. Cost of mfg bags with traditional material can be subsidized by printing advertisement on the bags.

In recent times due to widespread awareness drive by NGOS and government and to lesser extent by educational institutions has resulted in increasing the consciousness among few shopkeepers they have shifted back to the old system of wrapping up goods in paper bags or newspapers, Some people are slowly getting habituated to going to the market with cloth bags. Besides a few NGOs, even school students have come forward to take up a promotion campaign for the use of paper or cloth bags.

It has also been suggested "Rather than spending money on anti-plastic campaign, the authorities should gear up its machinery for effective waste management and disposal of plastic".

Unfortunately, many states do not have units to recycle the plastic while the plastic manufacturers are not prepared to take it up as a social responsibility.

The plastics industry is jumping on the "green" bandwagon with a new line of "environmentally safe" products. In reality, these products are no friend of the environment.

Each year, as industry produces more and more nonessential products individually and excessively packaged, we throw away more and more trash. To a large extent, our garbage problem is a result of a corporate ethic that puts profits before people -- and the environment. Industry is pushing disposability because it pays. Plastic razors can only be used a few times before disposal, then more must be bought, making the plastic and razor industries rich and happy. Appliances designed to become obsolete guarantee you'll have to buy new ones next year.

Over 84 percent (by weight) of municipal solid waste could be reused, recycled or composted instead of being buried or burned. An exception is plastic, which comprises about 7 percent by weight or 20 percent by volume of municipal solid waste. Due to technical and financial limitations, less than ten percent of plastic is currently "recycled." Furthermore, "plastic recycling" only defers the plastic disposal problem, since most plastic items can only be manufactured from virgin plastic. Recycled polystyrene foam (also known by the brand name Styrofoam) can be used to build marine docks but not to make a new polystyrene foam cup. New plastic will have to be produced from non-renewable oil stocks to make those cups, and eventually all the plastic will have to be disposed of.

The Plastic Panacea

In 1989, the U.S. used over twelve billion pounds of plastic for packaging designed to be thrown away as soon as the package is opened. In the 1990s, this figure doubled. Fortunately, more and more people are becoming aware of the damage plastic does to the environment. They are speaking out against it, protesting irresponsible industries and getting laws passed banning polystyrene and other plastics.

However, the plastic itself, which generally comprises over 90 percent of the material, is not biodegradable. Although so-called "biodegradable" plastic products typically contain chemicals that help them fragment, the additives do not render the plastic biodegradable.

The second technique is simply bad science. Manufacturers conclude from poorly designed tests that the actual plastic in a "degradable" plastic product is converted to fragments that can be consumed by microorganisms. Having examined data from actual tests of biodegradability, we only find evidence that plastics are not fully metabolized by microorganisms. Therefore they are not legitimately entitled to the term "biodegradable" and may leave behind harmful fragments of plastic and plastic additives.

Plastic Production: Environmental Nightmare

While the plastic industry promotes its new "environmentally friendly" products, they deliberately ignore the highly toxic nature of plastic production, whether the product is called "degradable," "recyclable" or any other "green marketing" catchword.

Among the 47 chemical plants ranked highest in carcinogenic emissions by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 35 are involved in plastic production. Certain plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), used for indoor and outdoor plumbing, electrical cables and countless other products, are potential sources of highly toxic dioxins when burned in municipal incinerators or in accidental fires. Polystyrene foam products are often made with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), both of which are ozone-destroying chemicals.

In sum, there is no good evidence that "degradable" plastics actually eliminate the environmental hazards associated with ordinary plastics. But there is good evidence that the real purpose of marketing these products is not so much environmental improvement as it is to cash in on the American public's desire for environmental improvement.

"[Degradable bags] are not the answer to landfill crowding or littering . . . Degradability is just a marketing tool. We're talking out of both sides of our mouths because we want to sell bags. I don't think the average consumer even knows what degradability means. Customers don't care if it even solves the solid-waste problem. It makes them feel good." -- Mobil Chemical Company spokesperson.

Educated choices by both producers and consumers, followed by efficient recycling, can drastically reduce worldwide pollution. Right now we are recycling only one percent nationwide, although some communities do far better than that, recycling 50 percent or more of their solid waste. Every year, we throw out enough aluminum to quadruple the size of our air fleet, enough steel to literally rebuild Manhattan and enough wood and paper to heat 5 million homes for 200 years.

With current technology we can recycle newspaper, office paper, cardboard, glass bottles, aluminum cans, scrap metals, large appliances, automobile tires and motor oil.

Paper bags: expensive but biodegradable

A CASE STUDY -

POLYTHENE BABA: BABA WHO MAKES PLASTICS DISAPPEAR !!

Prabhat K Upreti, a college, lecturer lovingly called the "polythene baba" after his successful campaign against polythene bags in the Pithoragarh valley in Uttar Pradesh. Prabhat K Upreti, along with seven other residents of Pithoragarh have proved that where there is a will there is a way, even without the help from the local administration. They have also shown that sustainable campaigns can be successful even with meager funds.

Pithoragarh is around 215 kilometres from Kathgodam. When Upreti, a lecturer, was transferred to the Government Post Graduate College in Pithoragarh, he found that the Chandrabhaga river, which flows nearby, was clogged with plastic bags. Upreti then approached the municipal corporation but it did not respond.

Therefore, he decided to take help from the local people and slowly started cleaning drive which gained momentum with time. His colleagues as well as people from all walks of life teachers, journalists, ex-army officers, doctors, shopkeepers and school children all joined his drive against the menace of plastic bags. After a report on Upretis campaign was published in Amar Ujala, a local newspaper, and its internet edition he received numerous letters and phone calls supporting the campaign.

"We targeted the shopkeepers first, especially the wholesalers of plastic bags," says C S Negi, one of the members of Upreti's anti-plastic campaign group. The wholesalers understanding the gravity of the problem stopped supplying plastic bags in Pithoragarh.

"Every Sunday we would go to various residential areas and pick up plastic bags from the roads and clear clogged drains with our own hands. At first the residents were a little amused but once the area was cleaned they understood the importance of our work and started joining the movement. Our belief was that we have to show the way and then only people will listen to our message," reminisces Negi. The team with the help of schoolchildren also painted posters, distributed leaflets and organized meetings to sensitize people about the harmful effects of plastic. The members paid all expenses from their own pocket.

They also took the anti-polythene message to the neighboring areas like Munshiyari, Julaghat, Chandag and Champawat. The message spread to Almora, Haldwani and Nainital as well.

This is not the first campaign that Upreti has been a part of. Earlier he had campaigned against plastics in Gopeshwar in 1998. "I saw the ponds in Gopeshwar littered with plastic bags. Several cows were found dead with bloated stomachs full of polythene bags," he says.

"I met a farmer in Gopeshwar who told me that birds were destroying their crops because they could not eat garbage, since everything was being packed in a polythene bag before being thrown," he added.

However, at Gopeshwar shopkeepers were not enthusiastic about Upretis campaign. "The then district magistrate Uma Kant Pawar helped me a lot and he imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on anyone found dumping plastic bags. After the fine was announced people started listening," he said.

But for now, Upreti is happy. After seven months of hard work Pithoragarh is polythene free except for some stray cases. "Paper bags are more expensive, but since the customers have said an emphatic no to them we have to abide by their wish," says a shopkeeper. For some the cause was more important than their business interests. Mahesh Joshi, a printing press owner is one of them. "I get a lot of orders to print logos on plastic bags but I refuse to do it. Of course this means loosing a lot of money but as it is for a good cause, I do not mind," says Joshi.

The movement has also created job opportunities for many poor families, as they are able to make paper bags and sell them. However, the activists are sad that the local administration has not done much about their cause. Upreti fears that in the coming days things might change if the campaign is not sustained.

Biodegradable Plastic

Once upon a time, household plastic products stayed unchanged in landfills, in forests, in oceans and along the side of the road for hundreds of years, creating environmental issues throughout the world. Finally, the technology is available to put this problem to rest.

Recycling is beneficial when natural resources are truly saved. However, in many cases the recycling of products such as trash bags and food packaging consumes more natural resources than simply throwing the products away and making new.

ECM Bio-Films, Inc., located in Painesville, Ohio, produces an additive that enables common plastics to naturally biodegrade. Since very small amounts of the additive are needed during manufacturing, the physical properties, functionality and appearance of the finished products remain the same.

This biodegradation process can take place aerobically and an aerobically. It can take place with or without the presence of light. These factors allow for biodegradation even in landfill conditions that are normally not conducive to any degradation.

@@Aaj Kahi Likhate-Likhte Shaam.......

a dost tum jab chand ko dekho tau

yaad kerna mujhe

ye soch ker nahi ki khubsurat hai

wo sitaron mein

ye sochker ki meri trha akela hai

wo bhi hazaron mein

 

 

Bebasi Ka Izhaar Na Kar Tu Ashiqe
Kismat To Likhi Jaachuki Hai
Mohabbat Me Di Hai Rab Ne Itni Taqat
Ke Badal Jaye Taqdeer Bhi
Tu Dua K Liye Hath Utha K To Dekh

 

           

Tamam Umr Kati Hai Yehi Dua Karte Huye,

Khuda Kare Ki Tujhe Meri Bad'dua Na Lage...

 

 

rote kyu ho pyare, kiske liye rote ho,
kya laye the jo kya yaha khote ho,
pyar karo khudse,
kyonki tabi tum sab kuch paate ho!!!!

socho socho

thnx tc...

is matlab ki duniya me koi kisika nahi hai,
saccha pyar koi nahi karta,
kyonki, jab koi dil deta hai,
to badale me dil leta hai,,,,,

saccha pyar wo hai, jo sirf dene ki soche,
aur marne ke bad bhi aakhe khuli rakhake intejar kare!!!!!!

 

Kya likhun tere naam sajan

Ek roz juda ho jaon gi
Na jane kahan kho jaon gi
Tum lakh pukaro
gay muj ko
Par lot k main na aaungi
Jab ghar say bahar galion k
Kono
pe tanha behto ge
Jab aate jaate chehron main
Tum chehra mera dhundoge
Thak har k din k kamo se
Jab rat ko sony jaao ge
Dekho gy jab phone
ko
Pegham mara na paao ge
Tab yaad tumhain main aaungi
Par lot k main na
aaungi
Ek roz ye rishta chhootega
Dil itna zayada tootega
Phir koi na
ham se roothe ga
Main na fir ankhein kholungi
Tum se fir kbi na bolungi
Akhir
us din tm ro do ge
Jab tum mujhko kho do ge!

           

Tamam Umr Kati Hai Yehi Dua Karte Huye,

Khuda Kare Ki Tujhe Meri Bad'dua Na Lage...

2010/11/11 ~~***ABB@S***~~ <azainab_97@yahoo.com>

 

 

Kya likhun tere naam sajan
Tujhe sochon subha shaam sajan

Tum neeli jheel ka pani ho

Mohobat ki ek kahani ho

Tum pyar k meethe bol Sajan

Tum hr ek se anmol Sajan

Tum asman ka badal ho

Tum meri ankh ka kajal ho

Tum mere man ki jeet sajan

Mere labon ka geet sajan

Tum chaman me khilta gulab ho
Chahat se likhi kitab ho

Tum mere liye ho mere sanam
Jo toot na sake wo ho kasam

Kya likhun tere nam sajan

Tumhe sochun subha sham sajan..

 

Thulasi the Healer

1. Thulasi,when taken along with pepper in the evenings for three days consecutively, treats cold, cough and fever.

2. Irritation in the urinary tract is healed when the juice of Thulasi and cow's buttermilk mixed together are taken thrice a day.

3. When the juice of Thulasi with salt is consumed in an empty stomach for forty eight days, epilepsy gets cured.

4. Chest pain is alleviated when Thulasi's juice is taken along with honey thrice a day.....

We are all Hindus now." -- Douglas Todd

'We are all Hindus now."

That was the headline of a noted essay that appeared in 2009 in Time magazine, and it's well worth reflecting on as Canadians of all backgrounds are increasingly drawn to the annual South Asian festival of Diwali.

North Americans have not, we know, openly converted en masse to Hinduism -- even if Elizabeth Gilbert's book about exploring Indian mysticism, Eat, Pray, Love, has become a hugely popular movie, and the lead actress, Julia Roberts, declared this fall she is Hindu.

But it is remarkable how Hindu beliefs, metaphysics and practices have quietly and thoroughly become integrated into North American culture in the past couple of decades, almost as if by stealth. Or osmosis.

For instance, Canada, especially the West Coast, has witnessed the rise of hundreds, if not thousands, of yoga studios, meditation centres, vegetarian restaurants and Ayurvedic health spas, all of which could be said to have roots in Hinduism.

The key Hindu teaching about reincarnation, as well, is accepted now by 30 per cent of all Canadians, including 37 per cent of Canadian women, according to a recent Leger poll.

Hindu meditation philosophy has also gone mainstream through best-selling spiritual teachers like Deepak Chopra and Vancouver's Eckhart Tolle, the author of The Power of Now.

In addition, a Pew Forum poll found that two out of three Americans now reject the theologically conservative Christian teaching that there is only one way to heaven, or salvation.

Most North Americans, even while declaring themselves "Christian" or "Jewish" or "secular," are signing onto the long-held Hindu attitude there are many authentic roads to spiritual truth.

It can't be claimed that Diwali, the autumn "festival of lights" that officially kicks off Friday at temples, is the main vehicle by which Hindu ideas and practices are becoming assimilated across North America.

Still, Diwali's growing acceptance among non-South Asian Canadians, especially among schoolchildren in urban centres such as Toronto and Vancouver, may have contributed to the quiet trend.

As most Canadians know, Diwali is celebrated not only by Hindus, but in different ways by Sikhs and Jains of South Asian heritage.

One of the many reasons Hinduism tends to be overshadowed in B.C. is that the province has four times more Sikhs than Hindus. Yet, across Canada, there are slightly more Hindus (roughly 360,000) than Sikhs (about 340,000).

Hinduism's unusually low profile in Canada is furthered by the fact Sikhs share many teachings with Hindus: Both promote reincarnation, karma, cremation and the belief that time is cyclical rather than linear.

Both teach the soul is continually reborn in different bodies.

Yet, compared to Sikhism, Hinduism is a much older, much larger and much more geographically and philosophically diverse religion. Compared to Sikhism, Hinduism has had a much wider impact on the planet (including by indirectly giving birth to Buddhism).

What is the biggest reason most North Americans fail to recognize there is truth in the provocative statement: "We're all Hindus now"?

It's simple: The religion is often not given credit where it is due. To put it another way, Hinduism is being plagiarized.

The co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation, Suhag Shukla, is among those miffed that many promoters of yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic health and Indian philosophy often go out of their way to avoid using the word "Hindu."

Shukla charges that most North Americans stereotype Hinduism as being about "caste, cows and curry." As a result, he maintains everyone from Eckhart Tolle to fitness teachers routinely act as if things like yoga and reincarnation have next to nothing to do with Hinduism.

How exactly does this intellectual theft occur? Many North Americans who market or teach what are in essence Hindu beliefs or practices often call them something else, such as "ancient Indian," "Vedic," "yogic" or even "universal."

Shukla says none of these euphemistic labels for describing Hindu-based practices are exactly wrong, but they're still misleading.

"Without a nod to their Hindu origins, this de-linking disenfranchises admitted Hindus of recognition and appreciation for the breadth and depth of their faith," Shukla writes.

He has a point. It's time to give proper credit as South Asian Hindus continue to take a larger role in everyday Canadian life, as Diwali becomes mainstream in Metro Vancouver, as yoga and meditation become firmly established and as more North Americans begin to concur with the foundational teaching of Hinduism's Rig Veda:

"Truth is One, but the sages speak of it by many names."

dtodd@vancouversun.com Read Douglas Todd's blog at www.vancouversun.com/thesearch

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Diwali+festival+good+time+Hindus/3774655/story.html

PIO team turns skin to blood cells

PIO team turns skin to blood cells

 

Toronto, Nov. 8 2010: In a major breakthrough in medical sciences, an Indo-Canadian researcher and his team successfully transformed human skin into various blood cells.

The breakthrough is likely to pave the way for revolution in the treatment of patients needing blood transfusions and those suffering from blood disorders.

Mr Mike Bhatia said he and his team at Canada’s McMaster University at Hamilton have successfully used human skin to produce red bloods cells, two kinds of immune cells and the cells that produce platelets needed in clotting.

Mr Bhatia, who heads McMaster University’s Stem Cell and cancer Research Institute, told the Canadian Press, “We know how it works and believe we can even improve on the process.” It will also pave the way to produce transplant tissues without ever making the controversial embryonic stem cells first.

The breakthrough will also cheer cancer patients whose blood systems (blood cells) are badly affected by chemotherapy.

It also throws up the exciting possibility of brain neurons being harvested in lab from a mere patch of one’s own skin to repair damage to brain caused by accidents or diseases.

The new technique will one day lessen the burden on blood banks as this process can reportedly create enough blood from one’s own skin for transfusions.

Though blood cells can be derived from embryonic stem cells and what are known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, this process is far more complicated and time-consuming; the Canadian Press quoted Mr Bhatia as saying. Moreover, blood cells derived from embryonic cells and iPS cells can be foetal — not mature adult cells — with properties that make them unsuitable for transfusion, said Mr Bhatia.

But the new skin-to-blood cell technique will carry no such dangers, he explained.

Study - Women sense only bliss.

Fazal Afif

 

Orgasm makes women sense only bliss

 

London, Nov 08 2010: Scientists hope to map what typically happens inside a woman’s brain when she has an orgasm.

 

Scientists claim to have finally revealed what goes on inside a woman’s brain when she has an orgasm — sexual arousal numbs female nervous system to such an extent that she doesn’t feel as much pain, only pleasure.

Using a scan, an international team, led by Rutgers University, has also found that the orgasm affects up to 30 different parts of the brain including those responsible for emotion, touch, joy, satisfaction and memory.

The scientists hope to be able to map what typically happens inside a woman’s brain when she has an orgasm — this could enable them to pinpoint what is going wrong among those with problems of sexual dysfunction or low libido.

For their research, the scientists asked eight women to stimulate themselves while

lying under a blanket inside an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner often used to detect brain tumours. Most women took less than five minutes to reach an orgasm while some took as long as 20; the MRI scanner took images of their brain every two seconds.

The scientists found that two minutes before the orgasm, the brain’s reward centers become active, the areas usually activated when eating food and drink.

Soon before they reached the peak, other areas of the brain became affected such as the sensory cortex, which receives “touch” messages from parts of the body and the thalamus, which relays signals to other parts of the body.

 

Once the orgasm has started other parts of the brain are activated such as those responsible for emotion.

 

The final part of the brain to be activated is the hypothalamus, which regulates temperature, hunger, thirst and tiredness. — PTI

 

Significance of animal-human relationship in Indian culture

For those who have had pets you all know how communicative animals can be.
Animals are today widely used in healing, from dolphins to reassure
expecting mothers to trained cats and dogs helping the disabled and
traumatised. Recently I saw in the Discovery channel a giant whale being
freed from the nets of a fishing trawler. The five men worked in great awe
and fear as the huge being remained motionless, the eyes watching every
move. After the whale was free it swam around and playfully nudged all the
five in its own way of saying thanks. What a great event, like finding an
alien in outer space !!

My parents tell me of a toddler pursuing a cobra with a stick. The snake
protested by occasionally standing tall but did not chase, hiss or bite.
Similarly I have seen a small child find itself right in front of a huge
galloping cow. Even as the mother screamed in terror, the cow stopped and
playfully toyed with the child by placing it inbetween its huge horns before
sauntering away. My uncle had a pet poodle which seemed to understand every
word of what we said. When we commented it was listening it would sheepishly
slink away.

In India animals have religious significance. Near a temple devoted to Lord
Shiva you would find bulls and snakes, the official animals of the Lord.
Near places where Lord Rama or Hanuman is worshipped you would find monkeys
in plenty. There is a temple devoted to rats in northern India. People offer
food to the millions of teeming rats and eat the leftovers. Despite the rat
population the area has never seen a plague. In southern India is a spot
called Pakshiteertha, meaning religious place of the birds. Every evening
two pigeons hone in on the temple, stay awhile and then fly away. This has
been happening for centuries. Near temples of Goddesses where tantra is
performed you would invariably notice dogs.

In Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, was a majestic bull which refused to
accept any food that was not offered to the Lord. I myself, like all other
devotees, use to touch the forehead of the bull as a mark of respect and it
used to nod sagely in return. After the bull passed away, the
locals cremated it as they would a devotee. In my own town lives a bull
which attends religious discourses. At first the people used to shoo it away
but later they realised the bull meant no harm and only wished to listen to
the name of the Lord. Now discourses in the area do not begin until the bull
appears.

Again in the temple of Lord Jagannath, a secret tantric ritual is performed
where fish is offered to the Goddess Vimala. The fish is then disposed off
outside the temple. A fierce black dog then appears out of nowhere to eat
the fish preparation. No other dog dares to challenge it. This too has been
happening for centuries. In the nearby town of Jajpur used to live a monkey
which used to bathe in the temple tank every morning and sit in front of the
deity. It was offered fruits by the devotees which it used to keep aside. It
used to eat only after the deity was offered food. Needless to say, this
monkey too received a decent cremation.

Snakes appearing during temple inauguration ceremonies and staying the whole
period are not rare in this part of the world. Nearby a pigeon appeared
during the inauguration of a Jagannath temple by an Iskcon devotee which
stayed in the sanctum sanctorum the full night.

In Cuttack there is a Vaishnav ashram. The monk in charge used to treat a
dog like an inmate. It was the last birth of a sinful person in a past life,
he used to say. When the dog died, he arranged for the funeral and then
invited the brahmins in the customary 12th day feast. The brahmins were
furious and felt insulted. None came. But the feast went ahead regardless
and hundreds of dogs attended. After the feast they just melted away. This
incident is inscribed in all vaishnav temples as a miracle.

It is said that domesticated animals are rewarded with a human birth in its
next life. It is also said that there are highly intelligent Godly animals
who lead the animal world. We all know the various animal births of the
Buddha.

In Ramakrishna circles the animals Swami Vivekananda loved and spent his
last days with and the dog Kalia, a favourite of Swami Sivananda are legion.
If you have visited the bael tree where Sri Ramakrishna practiced tantric
rites under the watchful eyes of Bhairavi Brahmani, you cannot but notice
the mongrels sitting around. Try fondling them, they will not shy away or
snarl. You will notice devotees offering them biscuits.

In Joyrambati we have the rolly polly cats, favourites of the Holy Mother.
They will sit up and yawn when you finish your food, and after the pranam
mantra will calmly and majestically walk towards the plates to finish the
leftovers. You should also see the dogs as they come running when the monks
call for them by name, food in hand. I wonder what happened to the fish
which pecked at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna during a flood and which he
rescued and set free. And what about the horses which pulled his carriage
when he decided to meet the devotees?

For Afghan Wives, a Desperate, Fiery Way Out

HERAT, Afghanistan — Even the poorest families in Afghanistan have matches and cooking fuel. The combination usually sustains life. But it also can be the makings of a horrifying escape: from poverty, from forced marriages, from the abuse and despondency that can be the fate of Afghan women.
The night before she burned herself, Gul Zada took her children to her sister’s for a family party. All seemed well. Later it emerged that she had not brought a present, and a relative had chided her for it, said her son Juma Gul.
This small thing apparently broke her. Ms. Zada, who was 45, the mother of six children and who earned pitiably little cleaning houses, ended up with burns on nearly 60 percent of her body at the Herat burn hospital. Survival is difficult even at 40 percent.
“She was burned from head to toe,” her son remembers.
The hospital here is the only medical center in Afghanistan that specifically treats victims of burning, a common form of suicide in this region, partly because the tools to do it are so readily available. Through early October, 75 women arrived with burns — most self-inflicted, others only made to look that way. That is up nearly 30 percent from last year.
But the numbers say less than the stories of the patients.
It is shameful here to admit to troubles at home, and mental illness often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Ms. Zada, the hospital staff said, probably suffered from depression. The choices for Afghan women are extraordinarily restricted: Their family is their fate. There is little chance for education, little choice about whom a woman marries, no choice at all about her role in her own house. Her primary job is to serve her husband’s family. Outside that world, she is an outcast.
“If you run away from home, you may be raped or put in jail and then sent home and then what will happen to you?” asked Rachel Reid, a researcher for Human Rights Watch who tracks violence against women.
Returned runaways are often shot or stabbed in honor killings because the families fear they have spent time unchaperoned with a man. Women and girls are still stoned to death. Those who burn themselves but survive are often relegated to grinding Cinderella existences while their husbands marry other, untainted women.
“Violence in the lives of Afghanistan’s women comes from everywhere: from her father or brother, from her husband, from her father-in-law, from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law,” said Dr. Shafiqa Eanin, a plastic surgeon at the burn hospital, which usually has at least 10 female self-immolation cases at any one time.
The most sinister burn cases are actually homicides masquerading as suicides, said doctors, nurses and human rights workers.
“We have two women here right now who were burned by their mothers-in-law and husbands,” said Dr. Arif Jalali, the hospital’s senior surgeon.
Doctors cited two recent cases where women were beaten by their husbands or in-laws, lost consciousness and awoke in the hospital to find themselves burned because they had been shoved in an oven or set on fire.
For a very few of the women who survive burnings, whether self-inflicted or done by relatives, the experience is a kind of Rubicon that helps them change their lives. Some work with lawyers who are recommended by the hospital and request a divorce. Most do not.
Defiant and Depressed
Engaged at 8 and married at 12, Farzana resorted to setting herself on fire when her father-in-law belittled her, saying she was not brave enough to do so. She was 17 and had endured years of beatings and abuse from her husband and his family.
Defiant and depressed, she went into the yard. She handed her husband their 9-month-old daughter so the baby would not see her mother burning. Then she poured cooking fuel on herself.
“I felt so sad and such pain in my heart and I felt very angry at my husband and my father- and mother-in-law, and then I took the matches and lit myself,” she said.
Farzana’s story is about desperation and the extremes that in-laws often inflict on their son’s wives. United Nations statistics indicate that at least 45 percent of Afghan women marry before they are 18; a large percentage before they are 16. Many girls are still given as payment for debts, which sentences them to a life of servitude and, almost always, abuse.
A bright child whose favorite subjects were Dari language and poetry, Farzana dreamed of becoming a teacher. But she had been promised in marriage to the son of the family that was providing a wife for her brother, and when she turned 12, her in-laws insisted it was time to marry. Her future husband had just turned 14.
“On the marriage day, he beat me when I woke up and shouted at me,” she said. “He was always favoring his mother and using bad words about me.”
The beatings went on for four years. Then Farzana’s brother took a second wife, an insult to Farzana’s in-laws. Her mistreatment worsened. They refused to allow her to see her mother, and her husband beat her more often.
“I thought of running away from that house, but then I thought: what will happen to the name of my family?” she said. “No one in our family has asked for divorce. So how can I be the first?”
Doctors and nurses say that especially in cases involving younger women, fury at their situation, a sense of being trapped and a desire to shame their husbands into caring for them all come together.
This was true of Farzana.
“The thing that forced me to set myself on fire was when my father-in-law said: ‘You are not able to set yourself on fire,’ ” she recalled.
But she did, and when the flames were out, 58 percent of her body was burnt. As a relative bundled her raw body into a car for the hospital, her husband whispered: “If anybody asks you, don’t tell them my name; don’t say I had anything to do with it.’ ”
After 57 days in the hospital and multiple skin grafts, she is home with her mother and torn between family traditions and an inchoate sense that a new way of thinking is needed.
Farzana’s daughter is being brought up by her husband’s family, and mother and daughter are not allowed to see each other. Despite that, she says that she cannot go back to her husband’s house.
“Five years I spent in his house with those people,” she said. “My marriage was for other people. They should never have given me in a child marriage.”
A Common Option
Why do women burn themselves rather than choose another form of suicide?
Poverty is one reason, said Dr. Jalali. Many women mistakenly think death will be instant. Halima, 20, a patient in the hospital in August, said she considered jumping from a roof but worried she would only break her leg. If she set herself on fire, she said, “It would all be over.”
Self-immolation is more common in Herat and western Afghanistan than other parts of the country. The area’s closeness to Iran may partly explain why; Iran shares in the culture of suicide by burning.
Unlike many women admitted to the burn hospital, Ms. Zada showed no outward signs of distress before she set herself on fire. Her life, though, was hard. Her husband is a sharecropper. She cleaned houses and at night stayed up to clean her own home — a nearly impossible task in the family’s squalid earthen and brick two-room house buffeted by the Herati winds that sweep in a layer of dust each time the door opens.
To her family, she was a constant provider. “Before I thought of wanting something, she provided me with it,” said Juma Gul, 32, her eldest son, a laborer who earns about $140 a month. “She would embroider our clothes so that we wouldn’t feel we had less than other people.”
As he spoke, his 10-year-old twin sisters sat near him holding hands and a picture of their mother.
In the hospital, Ms. Zada rallied at first, and Juma Gul was encouraged, unaware of how hard it is to survive such extensive burns. That is especially true in the developing world, said Dr. Robert Sheridan, chief of surgery at the Shriners Burn Hospital in Boston and a trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The greatest risk is sepsis, a deadly infection that generally starts in the second week after a burn and is hard to stop, Dr. Sheridan said. Even badly burned and infected patients can speak almost up to the hour of their death, often giving families false hopes.
“She was getting better,” her son insisted.
But infection had, in fact, set in, and the family did not have the money for powerful antibiotics that could give her whatever small chance there was to survive. Juma Gul eventually managed to beg and borrow the money, but not before the infection spread.
Two weeks after his mother set herself on fire, he stood by her bed as she stopped breathing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/world/asia/08burn.html?_r=1