The mystery of Sonia Gandhi’s illness

Why isn't anyone telling us what's wrong with Sonia Gandhi? That's the question an opinion piece in The Hindu is asking after India's most powerful politician returned from a US cancer hospital.
Nirupama Subramaniam writes: "That the Congress should be secretive about Ms Gandhi's health is not surprising. What is surprising, though, is the omertà being observed by the news media, usually described by international writers as feisty and raucous. On this particular issue, reverential is the more fitting description. Barring editorials in the Business Standard and MailToday, no other media organisation has thought it fit to question the secrecy surrounding the health of the government's de facto Number One."
Omerta refers to a 'code of silence', when people in the know conspiratorially refuse to discuss a matter of importance in public.
The Telegraph, UK, quoted sources as saying Sonia had been suffering from cancer for eight months. There is no official word on it yet, and a reclusive Sonia has been busy mediating between Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram on the 2G note controversy.
The law frowns on the unauthorised disclosure of medical details, so why should anyone be curious? Nirupama Subramaniam argues citizens should know, since Sonia's health determines the fortunes of the nation. She writes: "True, politicians are entitled to privacy in matters of health. But this right to privacy cannot hold if it impacts on their work. Ms Gandhi has led the Congress for more than a decade; her party's election victories are credited to her leadership. The argument that Ms Gandhi does not hold high office, is not the head of the government, and therefore her illness is not a matter of public importance, hardly holds. Since 2004, she has been seen universally as the main power centre in the UPA. Clearly, several matters of national importance ride on her health, including her ability to lead the party into the next election, and the issue of succession in the Congress leadership, should this become necessary. These are not private matters."
In the absence of an aggressive tabloid culture, details of politicians' illnesses don't quickly make it to the headlines in India. But many celebrities use their situation to draw attention to a disease, and canvass for research. After a horseriding accident that left him confined to a wheelchair, actor Christopher Reeve campaigned on behalf of people with spinal cord injuries.
NewsX reported Sonia has a benign skin cancer, and no dire illness. Squamous skin cancer, a doctor who came on the show said, is common in the West, and is handled easily. Manmohan Singh, Vajpayee and other leaders have also benefited, says The Hindu, from the omerta of the press.
In India, several politicians have thrived even when they were in physical distress. Jayaprakash Narayan inspired the movement against the Emergency from a hospital bed, while M G Ramachandran and M Karunanidhi, both crippled by severe diseases, have ruled Tamil Nadu well into their late years. Rajinikanth recently came back from Singapore, and his problem remains undisclosed to this day, but his fans remain steadfast.
The question of whether it is ethical to publish details of a newsmaker's illnesses remains, but the illness itself is no big deal in India. Politicians have such tenacity that they can swing things in the world out there even when they lie motionless in hospital beds or sit breathless in wheelchairs.
While the media in India may hush up problems afflicting our leaders, The Telegraph, UK, shows no confusion when it comes to medical stories. Late last week, it published this story with a heading guaranteed to startle those used to the feeble medical coverage in the Indian papers: Shoaib Akhtar's genital warts keep him out of Pakistan's World Twenty20 squad.

Mopeds and Scooterettes

If the metal bodied scooters have fallen out of the consumers' choice, scooterettes have been climbing up the popularity charts lately. These set of two wheelers are a hit among people over the age group of 45, women and the young adults. These two wheelers are lighter which makes them easier to handle, they come with a digital ignition system to do away with the inconvenience of the kick start.

They also have smaller wheels for better balance and maneuverability. They cater to the load carrying and personal transport requirement of most urban two wheeler user.scooterettes and moped segment amount for a quarter of the two wheeler market share in India and about 8% of all the exports which takes place from the country. One company which has remained in the forefront of scooterettes and mopeds manufacturing in the country is TV Sundram Iyengar and Sons Limited (TVS), they were the first to launch an indigenous scooterettes in the Sub 100 cc category in the year 1984. Incidentally the company had also launched a two-seater 50 cc moped in the year 1980.

HondaMotorcycle and scooter India Limited

However it was not until the entry of HondaMotorcycle and scooter India Limited in the late 90s which revolutionized the un-geared scooter market in the country. The entry of HondaActiva brought about a much needed change in the scooterettes and moped market in the country though the latter can't strictly be included in this category. The market then had not seen any significant change for about 10 years till the time Hondahad come in with its' set of two wheelers.

Now most of the two wheeler companies like Bajaj Auto, Hondamotors, Kinetic motors have their presence in the scooterettes segment.

Mopeds were first manufactured in the country by automobile Products of India in the year 1955. Nearly three decades later the first indigenous two-seater moped was rolled out of the TVS factory in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. mopeds have also seen a downward trend in sales in the recent years. It's because the boys prefer motorcycles to mopeds and girls usually go for a scooterette rather that these metal bodied two-wheelers.

Mopeds are mainly used for commuting by the lower middle class; it is also used as utility vehicle in the rural areas. The looks hardly matter for these less than 100cc set of two wheels; it's the economy factor which comes to the forefront.

Here are the list of some moped manufacturers and their products.

Kinetic Motor

Kinetic V2 range which includes Kinetic V2 XL and Kinetic V2 80
Kinetic King 100 and Kinetic King Dlx
Kinetic Luna Super
Kinetic Luna TFR

TVS Motor

TVS XL which includes TVS XL Super and TVS XL Super Heavy Duty
With the motorcycles becoming more fuel efficient with every passing day the moped might see a further dip in the sales in the days to come.

Michelle Obama's 'just relax' tips for to-be diners with hubby Barack

 Michelle Obama has tipped to-be diners with husband Barack 'to relax' and enjoy the occasion.

The US President is holding fundraisers besides mailing his supporters to contribute at least three dollars each in a bid to reach a financial goal for the third quarter.

"Not everyone knows how to prepare for a dinner like this. As someone who's eaten countless meals with my husband, I want to tell you the one thing to do if you're selected to join him..." Politico quoted her as saying.

"Just relax. Barack wants this dinner to be fun, and he really loves getting to know supporters like you.

"I hope you'll take him up on it before Friday's (Sept 30) deadline.

"Will you donate 3 dollars or more today and be entered to have dinner with Barack?" she said.

She also admitted that the dinner would be special to the President too, as he'll get to interact with the people who are helping the campaign turn successful.

"These dinners mean a lot to Barack. They're a chance for him to talk with a few of the people who are driving the campaign - and a chance for him to say thank you," she added.

World War II shipwreck full of silver discovered

When the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat, it took its huge silver cargo to a watery grave. Seventy years later, US divers said they are working to recover what may well be the biggest shipwreck haul ever.

• The SS Gairsoppa had emergency stern steering which included a stern compass on the top of the poop deck. The binnacle housing the stern compass of the SS Gairsoppa shines in the lights of Odyssey’s Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) during a visual inspection of the site approximately 4,700 meters deep.
• The SS Gairsoppa was sunk by torpedo from a German U-boat U-101 in 1941 during World War II. Odyssey’s ROV inspection of the wreck site revealed the torpedo hole in the area in which the U-boat Captain’s log reported the ship was struck.

Some examples of how nanotechnology impacts our lives now

A plastic nanocomposite is being used for "step assists" in the GM Safari and Astro Vans. It is scratch-resistant, light-weight, and rust-proof, and generates improvements in strength and reductions in weight, which lead to fuel savings and increased longevity. And in 2001, Toyota started using nanocomposites in a bumper that makes it 60% lighter and twice as resistant to denting and scratching.
Impact: Will likely be used on other GM and Toyota models soon, and in other areas of their vehicles, as well as the other auto manufactures, lowering weight, increasing milage, and creating longer-lasting autos. Likely to impact repair shops (fewer repairs needed) and auto insurance companies (fewer claims). Will also likely soon be seen everywhere weight, weather-proofing, durability, and strength are important factors. Expect NASA, the ESA, and other space-faring organizations to take a serious look, soon, which will eventually result in lower lift costs, which will result in more material being lifted into space. 
Strong and light sounds like the perfect recipe for a golf club, of course, which is why so many golf club manufacturers are now devoting big bucks to nano R&D. Thus far, the only company among the big boys to convert research into tangible products is Wilson, which offers three drivers, a fairway wood, four balls and even a golf bag made using nano-materials. 

Nanocrystals

Examples: "Metal nanocrystals might be incorporated into car bumpers, making the parts stronger, or into aluminum, making it more wear resistant. Metal nanocrystals might be used to produce bearings that last longer than their conventional counterparts, new types of sensors and components for computers and electronic hardware.

Nanocrystals of various metals have been shown to be 100 percent, 200 percent and even as much as 300 percent harder than the same materials in bulk form. Because wear resistance often is dictated by the hardness of a metal, parts made from nanocrystals might last significantly longer than conventional parts." 

Nanocrystals absorb then re-emit the light in a different color -- the size of the nanocrystal (in the Angstrom scale) determines the color.

Six different quantum dot solutions are shown, excited with a long-wave UV lamp.

Quantum dots are molecular-scale optical beacons. Qdot™ nanocrystals behave like molecular LEDs (light emitting diodes) by "lighting up" biological binding events with a broad palette of applied colors. 

Nanostructured Materials

     Example:

 Nanodyne makes a tungsten-carbide-cobalt composite powder (grain size less than 15nm) that is used to make a sintered alloy as hard as diamond, which is in turn used to make cutting tools, drill bits, armor plate, and jet engine parts.
Impact: Every industry that makes parts or components whose properties must include hardness and durability. 

Nanoclays and Nanocomposites

     Example:

 Used in packaging, like beer bottles, as a barrier, allowing for thinner material, with a subsequently lighter weight, and greater shelf-life.
Impact: $480B packaging and $300B plastics industries. Reduced weight means transportation costs decline. Changing from glass and aluminum - think beer and soda bottles - to plastic reduces production costs. Nanoclays help to hold the pressure and carbonation inside the bottle, increasing shelf life. It is estimated that beer in these containers will gain an extra 60 days (from 120 to 180) of shelf life, reducing spoilage, and decreasing overall costs to the end user. Nanocor is one company producing nanoclays and nanocomposites, for a variety of uses, including flame retardants, barrier film (as in juice containers), and bottle barrier (as shown above). "They are not only used to improve existing products, but also are extending their reach into areas formerly dominated by metal, glass and wood."

Nanocatalysts

     Examples:

 China's largest coal company (Shenhua Group) has licensed technology from Hydrocarbon Technologies that will enable it to liquify coal and turn it into gas. The process uses a gel-based nanoscale catalyst, which improves the efficiency and reduces the cost.
Impact: "If the technology lives up to its promise and can economically transform coal into diesel fuel and gasoline, coal-rich countries such as the U.S., China and Germany could depend far less on imported oil. At the same time, acid-rain pollution would be reduced because the liquefaction strips coal of harmful sulfur."

What English Do I Need?

Various traditions of education have always placed an importance on the learning of other languages, though the motives have often varied. Knowing a second or third language was supposed to round out an individual’s personal education, just as knowledge of science or the arts did.  Regardless of any theoretical value, however, there are many practical reasons students of any nation should learn foreign languages. The knowledge of even one more language has distinct effects on an individual.

More than 350 million people speak English as their first language:

That means English is the world's number two language after Chinese (with about one billion speakers).  But English is also the ‘second language’ of perhaps 400 million more people in countries such as Nigeria and Pakistan.  More than sixty countries have English as one of their official languages.  The government, business and universities use it (India).  In total, almost 1,500,000,000 people have some knowledge of English.

Certainly English is the worldwide language of technology and communication.  The majority of the world’s mail is addressed in English.  English is the language of international air controllers, and English is the medium of eighty percent of the information stored in computers around the world.  Scholars from every nation publish in English in order to reach the widest possible audience.

These are the reasons why everyone needs to know English. And we need not only Standard English, but also Conversational English and Internet English.

A standard language is a variety of a language that is socially and culturally predominant and is generally accepted as the most proper form of that language (Millward, 1987).

Standard English is the kind of English that is, on the whole, used by people of education and standing in the community; and it is standard simply because such people use it. We will get along much faster if we can manage to get rid of the mysterious idea of “perfect English.” There isn’t any such thing.

Standard English is generally used in the news media and literature; described in dictionaries and grammars; taught in schools; and taught to non-native speakers.

English is one of the hardest languages, because of the spelling.  People say that the spelling of English is not easy because many English words do not have the same number of sounds and letters. For example, house has four sounds and five letters, different has seven or eight sounds and nine letters, and enough has four sounds and six letters.

George Bernard Shaw thought that it was terrible. He asked what English word could the letters ghoti spell. Answering his own questions, he said that these letters could spell the word fish. How? Sometimes the letters ghare used for an f sound (in words like cough and enough), the letter o for an (i) sound (in a word like women), and the letters ti for the sh sound (in words like nation and station). Ghoti is not a real English word, of course. Shaw created it to show the problems of English spelling (Saitz & Stieglitz, 1997:6).

Another difficult aspect of the language is its punctuation.  

An English professor wrote the words  “Woman without her man is nothing" on the blackboard and directed his students to punctuate it correctly.

The men wrote: “Woman, without her man, is nothing." 

The women wrote: “Woman! Without her, man is nothing."

And the professor (a man) marked all the women's answers wrong.  He claimed that the instructions were to punctuate this sentence (singular).  He refused to acknowledge he had not said that - even when someone played back a tape of the class (Author unknown).

Here is an adapted version of Richard Lederer's introduction to his book "Crazy English: the Ultimate Joy Ride Through Our Language." (Pocket Books, 1989):

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant 

or ham in hamburger;

neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.

So we can come to the conclusion that if you want to be able to know English well, you should learn Standard English.

What the Internet has done is to create a space for language that runs and slips over the boundary of public and private language. The Internet is a giant context that invites informal communication, and there is lots of experimentation going on.  

Then there is the fluency in the chat room, where written and spoken language slur together. Here a correctly spelled word is a sign of the inarticulate, and a clever abbreviation is prized above all else. The basic principles governing the abbreviations are quite simple. Certain words or syllables can be represented by letters or numbers that sound the same but take up less space.

For example, look below. Do you understand what the words in capitals mean? 

WERV U BIN? 

PPL R starting to use SMS abbreviations all the time, OTOH not everyone understands what     BCNU means.

The decoded phrases look like this:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? 

PEOPLE ARE starting to use SMS abbreviations all the time.  ON THE OTHER HAND, not everyone understands what 'BE SEEING YOU' means.

Many of those abbreviations are rapidly attaining the status of accepted conventions familiar to most users of the ‘language’. It is a method of communication that can be endlessly exploited and developed by individuals or small groups to create a kind of personal language that will remain opaque to the uninitiated.  This will doubtless serve to increase its popularity.

When you are writing an E-mail, all too often you need some sort of trick to eliminate ambiguity. This usually happens in phrases that can be misunderstood or the tone of the conversation you are trying to drive. In usual face-to-face language, these ambiguities are clarified by facial expression: the same word may be an insult or a compliment depending upon whether you say it with a disdainful look or a friendly smile on your face.

To work around this problem, network users have derived a collection of "symbols" that reflect in some way body language.  These symbols, called emoticons, are built using common letters and orthographic signs so that they pass as text through any computer system. To interpret them you must look at them as faces drawn horizontally: for example [ :-) ] would be a smiley face, with the [ : ] being the eyes, the [ - ] the nose and the [ ) ] the smiling mouth.

References 

Farrell, M. (1996), The World of English. Longman. 

Millward, C. (1987) A Biography of the English Language. Thompson International. 

Oreström, B. (1983), Turn-taking in English Conversation. Doctoral Dissertation. Lund University: Sweden.

Saitz R.L. & F.B. Stieglitz (1997), Workout in English. A Reader-Workbook.  Pearson ESL.

Sakamoto N.M. Masterson (1995), 'Conversational Ballgames'. In:  Smalley, R.L. & M.K. Ruetten, Refining Composition Skills: Rhetoric and Grammar for ESL Students, pp181. Heinle.

Xanth, P. (1993), Night Mare. Ballantine Books: New York.

smoking kills

Why quit smoking?

Most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer, but it can also cause many other cancers and illnesses.

Smoking kills around 114,000 people in the UK each year.

Of these deaths, about 42,800 are from smoking-related cancers, 30,600 from cardiovascular disease and 29,100 die slowly from emphysemaand other chronic lung diseases.

How do cigarettes damage health?

Cigarettes contain more than 4000 chemical compounds and at least 400 toxic substances.

When you inhale, a cigarette burns at 700°C at the tip and around 60°C in the core. This heat breaks down the tobacco to produce various toxins.

As a cigarette burns, the residues are concentrated towards the butt.

The products that are most damaging are:

• tar, a carcinogen (substance that causes cancer)
• nicotine is addictive and increases cholesterol levels in your body
• carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in the body
• components of the gas and particulate phases cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

The damage caused by smoking is influenced by:

• the number of cigarettes smoked
• whether the cigarette has a filter
• how the tobacco has been prepared.

Major diseases caused by smoking

Cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death due to smoking.

Hardening of the arteries is a process that develops over years, when cholesterol and other fats deposit in the arteries, leaving them narrow, blocked or rigid. When the arteries narrow , blood clots are likely to form.

Smoking accelerates the hardening and narrowing process in your arteries: it starts earlier and blood clots are two to four times more likely.

Cardiovasular disease can take many forms depending on which blood vessels are involved, and all of them are more common in people who smoke.

• Coronary thrombosis: a blood clot in the arteries supplying the heart, which can lead to a heart attack. Around 30 per cent are caused by smoking.
• Cerebral thrombosis: the vessels to the brain can become blocked, which can lead to collapse, stroke andparalysis.
• If the kidney arteries are affected, then high blood pressure or kidney failure results.
• Blockage to the vascular supply to the legs may lead to gangrene andamputation.

Smokers tend to develop coronary thrombosis 10 years earlier than non-smokers, and make up 9 out of 10 heart bypass patients.

Cancer

Smokers are more likely to get cancer than non-smokers. This is particularly true of lung cancer, throat cancer and mouth cancer, which hardly ever affect non-smokers.

The link between smoking and lung cancer is clear.

• Ninety percent of lung cancer cases are due to smoking.
• If no-one smoked, lung cancer would be a rare diagnosis - only 0.5 per cent of people who've never touched a cigarette develop lung cancer.
• One in ten moderate smokers and almost one in five heavy smokers (more than 15 cigarettes a day) will die of lung cancer.

The more cigarettes you smoke in a day, and the longer you've smoked, the higher your risk of lung cancer. Similarly, the risk rises the deeper you inhale and the earlier in life you started smoking.

For ex-smokers, it takes approximately 15 years before the risk of lung cancer drops to the same as that of a non-smoker.

If you smoke, the risk of contracting mouth cancer is four times higher than for a non-smoker. Cancer can start in many areas of the mouth, with the most common being on or underneath the tongue, or on the lips.

Alternative Therapies

It is necessary to control your thirst for smoking and keeping yourself relaxed during the process of quitting smoking. Alternative therapies are used to take care of the withdrawal symptoms, and thus eventually you will quit smoking at the end. Meditation, Acupuncture, and Aromatherapy are the famous therapies used to solve withdrawal symptoms.

Counselling

Counselling is usually conducted to boost your will power and give you motivation on what you are trying to do, help you in finding the ways to quit smoking. Counselling might be one on one or group counselling based on your interest and comfort. Many Charitable like Christian rehab, Government, and Private Companies offer such counselling services on smoking, drug rehab and alcohol rehabilitation.Counselling does not stop the smoking habit abruptly but they work on the slowdown of chain smoking of electronic cigarette smoking, normal leave smoking and other such forms into mini e-cig and then cuts off the cravings for cig.

Hypnotherapy

The alternative successful way after smoking aids is hypnotherapy to help quitting smoke. As per all the reports, hypnotherapy is the effective way to help reduce the hunger for cigars. Hypnotherapy deals with eliminating the thoughts about the bad habit completely from the subconscious source of mind and thus you will eventually stop smoking.

Prescription Only Medicine

The medicines that you get from your doctor that helps quit smoking are called prescriptions. You will have to get appointments, make frequent visits, talk about your requirements to your doctor and collect the required medicines. Medicines like herbs are found to effective remedies in quitting fags.

Stop Smoking Aids

There are certain smoking aids like gum, nasal sprays, lozenges, inhalers and nicotine patches that would help you to lessen your hunger or thirst for nicotine. For instance: consider nicotine patch are made to release minute amount of medically approved nicotine on to your bloodstream and thus easing out the nicotine thirst, without having to intake the poisonous gases and harmful tars normally released from cigars. This is one of the simpler way to aid you quit smoking.

Willpower

The state of mind is often referred to as will power and it is always easy to say rather than doing it. By taking an oath to stop smoking you will be taking the first step in giving up smoking. It is necessary that you have faith on yourself and travel along the right path to stop smoking. Will power and Determination is necessary for you to reach the final stage of quit smoking.