The miraculous landing of the aircraft on ‘Hudson River’ by the experienced pilot saved so many lives – we all unconsciously applauded the pilot but watching the clip a few times also gave me a chill running down my spine. It brought to focus that when traveling by air this is indeed a distinct possibility.

Travel the ‘coach class’ (economy) on some of the airlines in India – e.g. Jet Airways and experience the discrimination on safety of passengers. For business class no problem they provide life jackets but if you travel coach class (economy) use your seat as flotation device if the aircraft lands on water. Although no such accidents have taken place in India and we pray nothing like this happens but imagine if it does happen and you are traveling Jet.

How safe are the cushion seats – surely only relatively safe when compared to Life Jackets. Is there a whistle with flotation device – No. With life- jackets you do have one to attract attention. On scale of 10 life jackets will score 10 but the cushion seats only 3 to 5. With the seats you can’t use your hands very much to move – you can only float around – you can’t paddle your way to safety if available unless an expert or if you have practice using it.
So next time you travel such an airline protest or if you are smarter bring a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) against such carriers.

The Oscar for the 39 minutes documentary – ‘Smile Pinki’ was overshadowed by the Oscars awarded to ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ For a second let us presume Slumdog Millionaire was not in reckoning for Oscar and only Smile Pinki had won the Oscars from India – imagine the media publicity and the good it would have done to the children suffering from Cleft Lip or cleft palate or both. Imagine how we would have gone gaga and perhaps the Indian Govt. itself may have got involved in this programme. ‘Smile Pinki’ attempts to throw light on the global problem (more in developing countries) of children suffering from Cleft Lip or cleft palate.

Why there are hardly any children borne with congnital defects in the developed countries – You may wonder why is this. Well the answer is simple – all pregnant women undergo screening ultrasound and if there is any defect found – the fetus is quicklly aborted – no question asked – irrespective of the magnitude of the defect. Nobody wants to raise children with defects in this world of designer babies. So many abortions – the free choice is obviously with parents – to abort or no. Wonder if the Vatican has ever looked at this issue or if there are any international guidelines for parents to follow. In developing world this is not the case – no routine screening ultrasound especially among the poor and hence higher incidence of congenital defects including – cleft lip/ palate etc (especially among the poor).

The stats from Smile Train programme on cleft lip make interesting reading -

• According to Smile Train statistics, greater than 4.7 million children belonging to developing countries live with unrepaired clefts in their upper lip/palate, a condition that is completely treatable

• In India 35,000 children are born each year with a cleft in their upper lip /palate ; more than half of these children do not get treatment simply because they are too poor

• Each of these affected children could be brought back to normal life, Pinki -style, with a simple 45 minutes surgery that would cost as little as Rs. 8000 ( approx. $250).

• Children with these deformities are isolated and traumatized. Many of them do not attend schools;some of them are even killed at birth or , even worse, abandoned

• As adults they fail to get regular jobs and are not in demand in the marriage market

forrest gump does not have autism, he has no problem with empathy. plus IQ and the autistic spectrum are seperate issues.

Name :        Country : United Kingdom

14th February is the Valentine Day and  is a day dedicated to love and friendship. A day to express our love itself. However in India there has recently been talibanization of this day with moral policing and what not.

India traditionally is a country where women have enjoyed equal rights as men and played an important role in the society. There was no discrimination. Look at the images of  khajuraho and Konark, Look at the Ajantha Caves. We were much more advanced in our thinking and our views related to sex and friendship.  Love in our society was always been openly expressed. Kam sutra is a unique text and speaks volumes about our insight into sex. It all changed as we entered the mughal period. The mughals having never seen women in their true form caused devastation in India and this resulted in protecting our women within the four walls of our houses and taking away all their rights. The purdah tradition and hiding our women behind the veil started during that period. With India’s freedom it is time we gave our women equal status as men as we have done traditionally in our culture. There is nothing greatly western about Valentine’s Day. It is now accepted universally and living in this global village – certain things are best accepted with grace rather than fighting it and giving it undue importance that it does not deserve. Medindia received an interesting item from one of its members. We are not sure about who has actually fabricated this piece but all the same it is hilarious and has an India twist to it. The member’s piece ( Chitra) is as follows -

We in India can have a claim on every development. It is St.Valentine! !! day in the west. 

In spite of what you have been told by everyone, the truth is that Valentine’s Day originated hundreds of years ago, in India, and to top it all, in the state of Gujarat !!!
 
It is a well-known fact that Gujarati men, specially the Patels, continually mistreat and disrespect their wives (Patelianis) . One fine day, it happened to be the 14th day of February, one brave Patelani, having had enough “torture” by her husband, finally chose to rebel by beating him up with a Velan or Belan (rolling pin to make chapattis). Yes….the same Velan which she used daily, to make chapattis for him…. only this time, instead of the dough, it was the husband who was flattened.
 
This was a momentous occasion for all Gujarati women and a revolt soon  spread, like wild fire, with thousands of housewives beating up their  husbands with the Velan. There was an outburst of moaning – Chapatti-ed” husbands all over Anand and Amdavad.
 
The Patel men-folk quickly learnt their lesson and started to behave more respectfully with their Patelanis. 

Thereafter, on 14th February every year, the womenfolk of Gujarat would beat up their husbands, to commemorate that eventful day – the wives having the satisfaction of beating up their husbands with the Velan and the men having the supreme joy of submitting to the will of the women they loved.
 
 Soon The Gujju men realized that in order to avoid this ordeal they  need to present gifts to their wives….they brought flowers and  sweets. This is how the tradition – Velan time – began.
 
 As Gujarat fell under the influence of Western culture, the ritual  soon spread to Britain and many other Western countries, specifically,  the catch words ‘Velan time’ !!! In course of time, their foreign  tongues, this got anglicized to ‘Belantime or Velantime’ and then to ‘Valentine’. 
 
And thereafter, 14th of February, came to be known as Valentine’s Day  and now you know the true story of Valentine’s Day.Cheers!

From Chitra We need to change our attitude and this is an interesting quote from — Katharine Hepburn  – “We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the friends, the teachers – but never blame yourself. It’s never your fault. But it’s always your fault, because if you wanted to change you’re the one who has got to change.”

One of Nature’s powerful anti-oxidants immune system boosters, and anti-aging hormones, MELATONIN-a natural substance-has been researched to be safe and free from serious side effects. Not a prescription drug, it is inexpensive and available in most health food stores. The latest medical findings point out the many possibilities in using this amazing hormone:

• Slow down the aging process
• Improve sleep
• Boost our natural defenses against carcinogens, stress and other external toxins
• Relieve depression and other mood disorders

Inhibit the development of cancer and act as an effective cancer treatment

• Reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
  Stem the progress of Alzheimer’s disease

 Watermelons are packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. The fruit is tasty and highly enjoyable on a hot summer afternoon. It can be chopped in smaller pieces and eaten or one can have it as juice. Read some very interesting nutrition facts about the fruit -   

· 1)       They are ideal for health, as they do not contain any fat or cholesterol but are high in fiber content and water. The fiber content in watermelon scrubs out toxins from your system leaving your skin healthy and glowing. It serves as a natural enhancer of the digestion system of the human body. ·   

 2)     Watermelons are rich in a phyto nutrient called Lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable. Lycopene – the red pigment that is also present in tomatoes. Lycopene in the diet neutralizes free radicals in the system and reduces incidence of certain types of cancer especially prostate cancer, breast, lung and cancer of the uterus. Lycopene is also linked with reduced risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack).  

 *3)Oranges are not only the fruit that is rich in Vitamin C but also watermelons that have abundance of vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and fights against sickness and diseases.  Vitamin C in watermelons is also known to alleviate medical conditions like cataract. So go cool, eat watermelons and boost your immune system right away.  Stay away from sickness and disease the cool watermelon way.  It doesn’t matter whether you cut, slice or juice watermelons but when nutrition matters, watermelons are number one. ! 

*4)Watermelon is robust in vitamin A, which fights off infections. Watermelon has a healing effect on inflammatory conditions of asthma, arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes and arteriosclerosis. There is good news for diabetics; you can enjoy watermelons to the core! 

 5)Watermelon contains citrulline, an amino acid compound, which helps flush out the kidneys and serves as an excellent detox agent.

6)Watermelon is a rich source of potassium*, a mineral indispensable for water balance in every cell. Low potassium levels can lead to muscle cramps. The potassium in watermelons help control blood pressure, diminish the risk of developing kidney stones, osteoporosis and also regulates heart beat.

7)The beta-carotene present in watermelon helps keeps your vision sharp, especially at night. Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.   ·           

  NOW, BOOST YOUR ‘HEALTH ESTEEM’ WITH WATER MELONS!

Water Melon Juice

The benefits of using fresh mint leaves in our daily diet is manifold. Here are some of them

• Inhaling fresh mint leaves relieves you from congestion problems, like sinus infections and common cold.

Your teeth becomes white when you chew fresh mint leaves for a while at least once or twice a week.

• Mint leaves eliminate toxins from the body and when included in the diet on a regular basis, eliminates bacteria and fungus  from the body.

Tips to brewing an excellent fresh mint tea

• Drinking herbal mint tea reduces irritated bowel syndromes and cleanses the stomach.

Mint is used in a variety of ways, but the most common is through the brewing of mint tea.Fresh mint tea can be made by pouring hot, but not boiling, water over fresh leaves of mint. When preparing mint tea, it is important that the preparation be covered while it is steeping to prevent the valuable volatile oils from evaporating.
Milk and sweetener can be used optionally.

• The antifungal properties associated with mint help in curing asthma and other allergic conditions.
• Mint helps in getting rid of headaches and migraines.

Mint Leaves