Go Bananas for Good Skin

Bananas are so delicious, bright in color, and taste good with a variety of foods! Did you also know bananas are great for your skin? Since ancient times, they have helped cure people of skin-irritating bug bites and are ideal for soothing irritated and rash-like skin. Read on to learn some great things bananas can do for your skin:

Bananas can soothe even the most sensitive skin so as long as you are not allergic to bananas, you are safe!

Bananas are high in potassium, which is beneficial in fighting acne. Mash up a banana and apply directly to your skin. Doing so will suffocate the bacteria in your skin cells, forcing breakouts from acne to heal more quickly.

Bananas have many anti-bacterial properties which can reduce swelling and infections from other skin issues, including Psoriasis, Eczema, and painful bug bites as described earlier.

Use the inside peel of the banana and gently rub on your clean skin as an awesome exfoliating treatment! Doing so will soothe and heal your skin from other irritating skin conditions.

This yummy fruit is packed with nutrients and antioxidants like Vitamin C which when applied to the skin (even the peel), can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Blood flow will circulate better and collagen production will be boosted.

Make sure you eat a banana a day too! Your body will benefit from all the nutrients like Potassium and Vitamin C and your digestive tract will function better.

Who knew bananas could be so good for the skin? Now you do! Throw one in your purse or backpack on your way to school or work and enjoy it as a mid-day snack! Great burst to your energy and your skin will be beautiful too!

Karunanidhi warns of pulling out of UPA over Sri Lanka

DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Friday warned his party will pull out of the UPA government if India does not press for an independent international probe against those responsible for the genocide in Sri Lanka in the US-sponsored resolution in the UNHRC against the island nation.

In a statement issued here late night, Karunanidhi, referring to the US sponsored resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), said: “India should take steps to amend the American resolution to include thatt those war criminals responsible for the genocide in Sri Lanka be identified, hold a free international enquiry against them and take time bound appropriate action.”

“If this request is not heeded, it will be meaningless for the DMK to continue in the central government,” he added.

DMK, with 18 members in the Lok Sabha, is a key constituent in the central United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

IANS

Related articles

• “Take forward resolution against Sri Lanka” (thehindu.com)
• DMK puts UPA on notice on Sri Lanka resolution (thehindu.com)

Six Indian Women Who Dared to Make a Difference

“The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes,” said author C. JoyBell C. This indeed stands true as being a woman is certainly not easy! A woman toils all day long and she is the one who touches the lives of many with her ways. This Women’s Day its time yet again to honor and appreciate the spirit of womanhood. Here are 6 Indian women activists listed by MSN, who have done their little bit to contribute to the society and dared to be different.

Irom Sharmila

Also known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur”, Irom is a civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from Manipur. Irom has been on a hunger strike since 2 November 2000, to demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which she blames for violence in Manipur and other parts of northeast India. She has refused food and water for more than 500 weeks, and has been called “the world’s longest hunger striker”.

Recently she was also charged with Section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of IPC for fasting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The courts have used an absurd law in the case and it only makes the matter more baffling. Appearing before the court she said “I am not committing suicide. This is my way of protest. I am protesting by non-violent means,” reported PTI.

Mallika Sarabhai

Mallika is an activist and Indian classical dancer from Ahmedabad. She is the daughter of classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and renowned space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. She is also a talented Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received many awards, Padma Bhushan being one of them in 2010.

Mallika says women should change but good men should speak up against the violence and make a change in society. She was quoted by the Hindu, saying, “It is because good men have been silent that these other men have not been shamed. The good men should stand up and publicly tell them that their acts of violence are not a sign of manhood but of cowardice.”

Mallika is also known to have protested against Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi during Sadbhavna Mission in September, 2011.  She accused Modi of scampering the petition filed in Supreme Court by her on the 2002 Gujarat violence.

Arundhati Roy

This name needs no introduction. Roy is an Indian author and political activist who also won the 1998 Man Booker Prize for Fiction winning novel ‘The God of Small Things’. She is actively involved in environmental and human rights causes. Roy has also been on numerous lists of the most beautiful women in the world.

Roy is a spokesperson of the anti-globalization/alter-globalization movement and a passionate critic of neo-imperialism and of the global policies of the U.S. She also criticizes India’s nuclear weapons policies and the approach to industrialization and swift development as currently being practiced in India, including the Narmada Dam project and the power company Enron’s activities in India.

Roy was once quoted saying “I say I am letting my fame use me. The space for disagreement, not only in this country, but also abroad, is shrinking. Critics say we are urban elites and so can’t comment on rural problems, as if being urban is a crime. What they really want is that only powerless people in the village should protest, because they know such people can easily be crushed underfoot,” as reported by The Christian Science Monitor.

Vandana Shiva

Vandana is an Indian environmental activist and anti-globalization author. She has authored more than 20 books and was also trained as a physicist and received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 1978 with the doctoral dissertation “Hidden variables and locality in quantum theory.”

Vandana is one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization and a figure of the global solidarity movement known as the alter-globalization movement. She has argued for the wisdom of many conventional practices, as is evident from her interview in the book Vedic Ecology (by Ranchor Prime) that draws upon India’s Vedic heritage.  She is also a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS and the International Organization for a Participatory Society. Shiva was also awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993.

Aruna Roy

Aruna Roy is a political and social activist and founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana. She is best known as an outstanding leader of the Right to Information movement through National Campaign for People’s Right to Information, which led to the enactment of the Right to Information Act in 2005. She has also stayed as a member of the National Advisory Council.

Aruna in 2000 received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, while in 2010 she received the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academia and Management.

Roy most recently was in news talking about the MNREGA scheme. She said “The government says they want to end MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) as it is becoming a source of corruption. It is the officers who do corruption so why should the poor bear the brunt of it. We, therefore, demand that this APL-BPL divide should be dissolved and universal pension scheme be employed,” as reported by OutlookIndia.com.

Medha Patkar

Medha is an Indian social activist. She is well-known for her role in Narmada Bachao Andolan. She has also filed a public interest petition in the Bombay High Court against Lavasa together with other members of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), including Anna Hazare. She comes from a politically and socially active family as her father had actively fought in the Indian Independence Movement, while her mother was a member of Swadar, an organization setup to help and assist women suffering difficult circumstances arising out of financial, educational problems, etc.

Patkar was often known for her extreme views on growth of country and liberalization. Author Jacques Leslie devoted a third of his book, Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment, to a portrait of Patkar as she planned to drown herself in rising reservoir waters behind the Sardar Sarovar Dam, against whose construction she fought for two decades.

 

10 Women Friendly Industries of India

The modern day’s empowered women are on a mission to conquer the world and are giving stiff competition of men in every possible field. But unfortunately, not all the industries are female friendly and offer the same perks for greater work-life balance.

Here is a list of female-friendly industries that offers flexible working hours, good maternity policies, help with child care and most of all, healthy working environment, as listed by Ankita Shreeram on ItsMyascent.

#10. Education:

Teaching is a career that screams out for women’s touch. It is a line of work that is easy to get into and in addition offers utmost flexibility in terms of schedules. The demand for quality education and the subsequent rise in the number of schools and colleges across the world is bound to create new opportunities for women who aspire to utilize their time effectively.

#9. Sports:

Sports may seem like a dubious choice for many, but the fact is that, it is a highly lucrative career option that offers stardom and fame. With the emergence of youth icons such as Mary Kom or Saina Nehwal, and increased backing by Government, a large number of women definitely ought to be encouraged to take up this field as a viable career option.  

#8. Human Resource:

This industry has been traditionally dominated by women. The percentage of men working in this profession is very little, with most of them occupying the top notch positions, while the lower level is predominantly under the control of females.

HR is a profession that craves for the ability to understand the underlying issues, face the challenges, and respond to them rationally, that are traits most women are intrinsically born with. The ability to apply their inherent skills to take tough decisions and manage emotions can be an added bonus for women in this profession.

#7. Food & Hospitality:

This field provides an opportunity to unleash women’s touch and creative potential to the highest degree. It is a good career that offers a high degree of flexibility and autonomy, and in addition, does not require much investment.

Women’s inherent flair to establish constructive relationships with the customers and management capabilities can prove its worth in this line of work. 

#6. Health & Fitness:

This field is in fact the best line of work for the women. Opportunities in this field are plenty, especially in health related sectors such as beauty, physiology or fitness. Kindhearted, intuitive and people centric nature of women can be a big plus in this industry. Though the initial years can be quite challenging, the flexible and accommodative nature of this field makes it an ideal and the most desirable career option for women.

#5. Social Work:

Women are generally caring, loving and compassionate by nature, which makes them a perfect-fit for this profession. Here they get do a lot of service to the humanity, especially the underprivileged.

Over the past decade the number of women in this field has risen drastically and the rise is primarily attributed to the higher intensity of social service needs. This trend towards sharp employment growth is expected to continue in the coming years.

#4. Entrepreneurship:

Presently, an increasing number of women are turning to entrepreneurship in a pursuit for greater flexibility. Artistic entrepreneurship is currently the booming line of work for women that are offering autonomy and good income opportunities.

Women have a greater chance of being successful in this field due to the fact that most women have a strong academic background, tend to be neither pushy nor rude and most of all, have a strong drive for initiating activities.

#3. Fashion and Style:

Fashion and style has always been and shall continue to be the most desirable field for women.

This field demands artistic flair and creativity that comes naturally to most females. This is an ideal option for women, since it is something they generally enjoy and understand to minute details. Flexibility and work-life balance are other perks of this field, which most women are craving for.

#2. Public Relations and Marketing:

This is an ideal profession for women because they have a natural flair for keeping others happy. The work-life balance, huge pay packages and most of the autonomy make this the most sought after field by women in the job market.

#1. Media:

Media is a glamorous and promising field, especially for women. This field demands creativity, intelligence, good communication and most of all, the artistic flair, which most women are inherently born with. Huge pay packages and the added perks are some of the factors that are luring women into this field.

 

7 Innocent Gestures That Can Get You Killed Overseas

 

If you’ve ever had your penis cut off and/or been executed while on holiday, you’ll probably know that it’s easy to offend people from other cultures. Unless you learn the ways of the place you’re visiting, even the most well-meaning tourist can regularly find his oesophagus stuffed with burning goat. But surely just plain common sense and good manners will save you, right?Wrong.

Extend Your Hand, Palm Outward in Greece

What you think you are saying:
“Phew! That was a heck of a moussaka. I’d eat another portion, but I’m completely stuffed.”

What you are actually saying:
“Phew! That was a heck of a moussaka. I’d eat another portion, but I’m too busy rubbing handfuls of shit in your face.”

What the hell?
In Greece, the “hand out” gesture is known as the moutza, and it dates back to the time of the Byzantine Empire, when criminals would be paraded through the streets on horseback, their faces blackened to indicate their shame. If they were lucky, the blackening agent would merely be charcoal. If they were unlucky, it would be a substance much, much worse …

SHIT, is what we’re saying here. Their faces would be covered in SHIT.

If you really want to piss a Greek person off, you can go for the double moutza, which features both hands splayed above your head. However, this will also make you look like a backup dancer from Cats, so it’s your call.

Give the Thumbs-Up In The Middle East

What you think you are saying:
“Ayyyyy! I’m the fuckin’ Fonz!”

What you are actually saying:
“Ayyyyy! I’m going to jam my thumb in your anus!”

What the hell?
It’s not just the Middle East. This seemingly universal gesture is also hideously offensive in West Africa and South America, whose citizens would doubtless get really confused if they ever watched Ebert and Roeper. “This movie is great, Bill! So great that I’d like to anally rape it with my thumb!”

The thumbs-up sign has been confusing people for thousands of years. Contrary to Hollywood legend, Roman gladiators were not spared by a thumbs-up, but by a hidden thumb. If the origins of both gestures are linked, we can only assume this meant, “Do not kill the prisoner, he seems the perfect solution to the emperor’s arthritic finger.”

Finish Your Meal In Thailand / The Philippines / China

What you think you are saying:
“This is a delicious meal. I mean it. I’m not the kind of guy who would lie about something like this. In fact, your meal was so fucking fabulous that I am going to finish every last morsel and then lick the plate so bright that it reveals the face of God.”

What you are actually saying:
“You call yourself a host? I came here for a meal, not some Lilliputian hors d’oeuvre that wouldn’t satisfy a mouse after a sizable brunch. Look at me. No, in the eyes. You disgust me.”

What the hell?
It is always important that the host provides you with tasty food. However, in countries where steak in bleu cheese sauce costs approximately the same as a lung transplant, it is more important that the host provides you with enough food.

In China, if you finish every last bite of your meal, you are implying that you weren’t given enough. Therefore, even if the meal is the most sexually delicious thing that has ever slid down your throat, you should still leave one last morsel on the plate to stare up at you mournfully while you eye it with ill-concealed resentment.

That said, the Orient isn’t as uptight as this example suggests. In China it’s considered perfectly good manners to talk with your mouth full and to burp after your meal. Farting seems to vary according to the situation and your current company, so ask ahead of time. Lighting the fart is frowned upon in almost all provinces.

Say “Hi” to a Member of the Opposite Sex in Saudi Arabia

What you think you are saying:
“Hi Steve! How’s things? Fancy getting a decaf latte?”

What you are actually saying:
“Hi, Steve! How’s things? Fancy booking a hotel room so that I can do immoral sex acts on you in the name of Satan?”

What the hell?
According to sharia religious laws, it is deeply immoral for a woman to greet a man in public, or associate with any man other than her husband without an escort. In February 2008, one American woman openly conversed with a man in Starbucks, and was promptly arrested, strip-searched and forced to sign false confessions.

Though, perhaps this is nitpicking considering women are not allowed to drive, vote, own shops, testify in court or ride bicycles there. Bizarrely, it’s perfectly fine for women to fly high-powered jet planes, although they’re clearly fucked if they feel like taking a bicycle to the airport.

The point being, if you’re a woman and are planning a move to Saudi Arabia, offending them with the whole public greeting thing is probably the least of your problems.

Give an Even Number of Flowers in Russia

What you think you are saying:
“Darling, this week has been the most wonderful of my life. Since I first felt the sweet joy of your caress, I have truly come to know what it is to love and to be loved. Please accept these half-dozen roses as a symbol of my eternal tender devotion.” (Lean forward for kiss.)

What you are actually saying:
DEATH! DEATH! DEEEEEEAAAAAAAATH!!!!!!

(Lean forward for kiss.)

What the hell?
In Russia, even numbers of flowers are only ever given at funerals, and such a gift is seen as inviting death, which you obviously don’t want to do unless you’re banging a goth chick.

Choosing the right gift seems to be a minefield of morbidity everywhere you go. Never give a clock to a Chinese person, as the word “clock” is almost identical to a word for “death.” Don’t wrap your present in white paper there either, as this suggests funerals. And for God’s sake, don’t give anyone in Bangladesh white flowers or they will presumably be obliged to buy a spade and bury themselves while muttering at you reproachfully.

You know what, screw giving a gift. You may come across as a selfish douchebag, but at least no one will hail you as the fourth horseman of the apocalypse.

Give a Gift With Your Left Hand, Pretty Much Anywhere

What you think you are saying:
“Thank you very much for letting me marry your daughter. She is very beautiful. In gratitude, please accept this dainty, yet tuneful instrument. Did I mention that I’m left-handed?”

What you are actually saying:
“Thank you very much for letting me marry your daughter. She is the most worthless heap of dog vomit I have ever encountered, and I dearly wish that she would die. In gratitude, please accept a generous portion of my own effluence. Did I mention that I hate you?”

What the hell?
Toilet paper may have been around in China since 589 AD, but for much of the world, it remains a prohibitively expensive luxury. In places such as India, Sri Lanka, Africa and the whole of the Middle East, doing anything with your left hand is seen as unclean, as it is (as least symbolically) your ass-wiping hand.

Eating out? Don’t even think about using your left hand. It’s better to come across as some kind of retarded monkey child than to imply that you rate your host’s food on the same level as a lightly-steamed assburger.

Of course, poop is not the only reason left-handedness is bad. According to the Qur’an, Satan himself was a southpaw, which is why he was able to successfully fool the right-handed batter that is mankind.

Give the “OK” Sign in Brazil

What you think you are saying:
“Hi Brazil, I’m US President Richard Nixon, and I’m feeling terrific!”

What you are actually saying:
“Hi Brazil, I’m US President Richard Nixon, and I’m feeling that you should all go fuck yourselves!”

(Note: The above examples are only valid if you are US President Richard Nixon)

What the hell?
In Brazil, the “OK” gesture is roughly equivalent to the finger in the US, which means you should not use it when your hotel manager asks you how your room is, unless you want to tell him that it’s purple and velvety and recently molested his wife.

The most famous incident of a misapplied “OK” sign was, in fact, Nixon’s visit to Brazil in the ’50s. While alighting from the aircraft, he lifted both hands to the cameras and double-fingered the entire nation. Nixon went on to greet the Brazilian Prime minister with a savage kick to the testicles, and concluded his visit by urinating from the window of a moving limousine.

If you’re visiting Brazil, you should also never touch any food with your fingers. Even stuff like pizzas and burgers should be eaten with a knife and fork. Not that you’ll ever need to apply this knowledge, because after reading this article, you’d be insane if you ever travel abroad again.

By: Tim Cameron

Sri Lanka opposes UN screening of critical film

Sri Lankan diplomats are working to block a British-made documentary about the Asian country’s civil war from being shown on the sidelines of a United Nations human rights meeting this week, arguing that it is part of a concerted campaign by the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels to destabilize the peace.

In a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press the island nation’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva said the film contained a narrative that was “discredited, uncorroborated and unsubstantiated.”

The letter sent Sunday by Sri Lankan ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha to the head of the U.N. Human Rights Council, warns that the global body could be violating its own rules if the film is screened March 1 in Geneva at a meeting hosted by rights groups.

The 90-minute documentary, titled “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka,” alleges government troops and Tamil Tiber rebels engaged in war crimes during the final stages of the conflict in 2009.

The film shows interviews with eyewitnesses and original footage of alleged atrocities against civilians including summary execution, sexual violence and torture. Its backers include the non-profit Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Britain’s Channel 4 television, which aired two previous documentaries on the Sri Lanka’s civil war.

“The timing and the venue of this screening clearly demonstrates that it is aimed at influencing the debate in the council on Sri Lanka,” Aryasinha said in the letter, citing the two previous films that were also shown during meetings of the Geneva-based rights body.

He said the film contained “morphed and diabolical” material aimed at undermining the process of reconciliation between Tamils and the nation’s ethnic Sinhalese majority.

The film’s director Callum Macrae acknowledged that the documentary’s release had been timed to coincide with one of the council’s three regular annual meetings, but denied that it distorted the facts.

“We believe that our film contains very important evidence about the terrible events in the last few months of this war and we believe we have a duty to make that evidence available to the diplomats and country missions at the U.N. Human Rights Council who must make important decisions about how to ensure accountability and justice in Sri Lanka,” Macrae said.

Earlier this month the U.N.’s top human rights official faulted Sri Lanka for failing to properly investigate reports of atrocities during the war and said government opponents continue to be killed and abducted.

The United States has said it will introduce a resolution at the meeting urging a full accounting of what happened at the end of the war. A U.N. report says tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the final five months of the fighting.

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

Sethusamudram project is illegal, arbitrary and unacceptable: Subramanian Swamy

Lashing out at the UPA Government over its decision to go ahead with Sethusamudram Project despite the R. K. Pachauri Committee report suggesting it is unviable, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the mega project is illegal, arbitrary and unacceptable.

“The important thing is that the project is not acceptable. It is illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable and extremely expensive,” said Swamy, while talking to reporters here.

“They (government) also clamed in their affidavit that Rs.860 crore have already been spent and therefore we want to go ahead with the project. Well if you have spent Rs.860 crore for a project which was illegal, arbitrary and unreasonable, malafide and extraordinarily expensive then according to the Supreme Court judgments, those who cleared the project they are responsible and this amount must be taken out of their wealth,” he added.

Swamy further stated that cutting of the Ram Setu (Adam’s Bridge) for this project would be a violation of section 295 (malicious of the religious sentiments of the citizen irrespective of any class) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Sethusamudram project was started in 2005 but was suspended following the Supreme Court order and R. K. Pachauri Committee was constituted to look in to the matter.

The committee has submitted its report on Friday last week, suggesting the entire Sethusamudram project unviable on two fronts – economically as ecologically.

However, the government has rejected the Pachauri Committee report and submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court with and intention to pursue the project cutting through the Adam’s Bridge, popularly known as Ram Setu.

Related articles

• Won’t tolerate any tampering with Ram Setu: BJP (ibnlive.in.com)

Saving the mangroves

India’s eastern coastline and regions east of India have been suffering serious environmental degradation without any sincere efforts at mitigation. The Orissa super-cyclone of 1999 smashed through huge tracts of land, taking countless lives and wrecking incalculable damage to crops, cattle, and property. The thirteen coastal districts along Tamil Nadu’s 255-kilometre long coastline are regularly exposed to cyclonic fury, and the terrifying tsunami of 2004 is still fresh in public memory.

Summer 2008 has been kind to India; Hurricane Nargis which shattered the lives of untold thousands in Myanmar has spared this land; it could so easily have been otherwise. A grim earthquake has devastated China, raising the toll of human tragedy manifold. Delhi’s unseasonal rains have also taken some lives, and the weather has been inexplicable enough for experts to seriously consider it a consequence of global warming and environmental degradation.

Resurrecting the mangroves, now almost extinct in our part of the world, can even now end this continuing legacy of human misery, this horrible haemorrhaging of the earth itself. Mangroves, literally dense forests on the shore, tolerate the salinity of sea water and protect inland water sources and soil from salinity and erosion; above all, they mitigate the impact of cyclonic winds. There is no more ecologically sensitive and cost effective measure of saving the seacoast and continental shelf than mangroves, yet we have seen least action in this direction.

Given the pulsating environmental instability in our region, it is astonishing a debate still persists regarding the desirability of the Rs 2,400-crore white elephant called the Setusamundaram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP). The plan to dredge a 300-metre wide channel through the land-link between India and Sri Lanka, to reduce the distance between the western and eastern coast ports, is opposed by environmentalists, economists and security analysts. Colombo has raised an alarm fearing human intervention on Ram Setu could threaten its very existence in the event of another tsunami, already predicted by Nature magazine (December 2007).

The historical-civilizational significance of Ram Setu is obvious. Sinhala scholar Prof Tissa Kariyawasam, former dean of the University of Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka, says most probably Emperor Ashoka’s son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra came to the island by walking across the Ram Setu. It symbolizes the establishment and protection of dharma; the Skanda Purana prescribes worship of the Rama Setu and the Shivalinga installed in its middle with appropriate mantras. It is a popular place for offerings to pitrs (ancestors).

The proposal to hack a channel was publicly welcomed by the LTTE in Sri Lanka and Tamil politician Vaiko. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard warned of the possibility of facilitating militant groups! Capt. H. Balakrishnan (retd) of Chennai made an in-depth study of the SSCP’s viability, particularly the claim that it would save ships nearly 424 nautical miles (780 kms) and about 30 hours of sailing time, with commensurate savings in fuel, thereby becoming self-sustaining over time. An estimated 3055 vessels were projected to use the canal annually.

But its economic viability alone is questionable from a study of the Information Memorandum of the UTI Bank (now Axis Bank), wherein dredging costs alone are pegged at Rs 200 million in the first year. This will actually be higher as the open sea will constantly bring sand, which may keep the channel effectively closed much of the year. It is pertinent that the Suez Canal was cut through land, though it too has to be annually desilted. Many international shipping companies have already stated that using the canal would involve reducing speed, switching fuels, and incurring extra costs like canal charges and navigation assistance to negotiate it; hence it made better sense to go around Sri Lanka! With news reports suggesting cost escalation up to Rs. 4000 crores, the argument for economic viability of the project is certainly over.

The Kochi-based Centre for Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has warned about the adverse effect on marine bio-diversity in the protected Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, if the SSCP is implemented. Director NGK Pillai has affirmed that the 3,600 species in the biosphere would be endangered if the Gulf of Mannar was linked to the Bay of Bengal, in the manner in which the Kochi shipyard had caused loss of nearly 60 percent biodiversity in the Kochi estuary. Worldwide, the phenomenon of vanishing wildlife is reaching endemic proportions, and unless strict measures are taken, biodiversity loss could touch 60 to 70 percent in the next three decades. In this regard, the practice of trawl fishnets needs an urgent rethink, as they cause immeasurable damage to non-edible biota.

The National Institute of Ocean Technology has affirmed that the Ram Sethu is a man-made structure, dating back to antiquity, a view shared by the National Remote Sensing Agency of the Ministry of Space, which has even been tabled in Parliament. This is why, once it was forced to withdraw the controversial affidavit denying the existence of Sri Ram, the Union Tourism and Culture Ministry insisted only an archaeological investigation could determine if the Ram Setu is man-made, and a legitimate heritage site worthy of protection under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904. With monsoons ruling out an early investigation, the project is virtually in a limbo for the present.

But the danger is far from over as the forces behind SSCP are resourceful and powerful, as reflected in the ingenuous argument of protecting the Ram Setu while continuing with the project through a different alignment! It needs to be understood that the Ram Setu is a single, somewhat winding, land track between Sri Lanka and India, wide enough for an army to cross over. Over the centuries, natural erosion in the turbulent waters there has cut natural channels into it, wide enough for shallow boats to cross over to either side.

Any move to preserve the pristine glory of the Setu must envisage filling these passages and restoring the ‘Ram path’ between the two nations. Stopping SSCP vandalism at a spot where dredging is difficult and attacking the structure at a more vulnerable point, in the name of realignment, is desecration in disguise. It is pertinent that the southern sands are rich in thorium, our nuclear future. India does not need unnecessary activity in this area.

 Sandhya Jain -The Pioneer, 27 May 2008

Related articles

• Sethusamudram project is illegal, arbitrary and unacceptable: Subramanian Swamy (indiavision.com)

The Best Anti-Aging Foods

             

Photo Credit fruit and vegetables image by photo25th from Fotolia.com

Diet can have a profound affect on how we age. The basic ingredients of a healthy, anti-aging diet are not too surprising: a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, some protein, and a small dose of healthy fats. Beyond that, however, there are some foods that exhibit truly remarkable anti-aging properties.

Blueberries

Blueberries contain vitamins C and E as well as antioxidants called anthocyanins which are known to neutralize free radicals and provide support to the cardiovascular system, the eyes and the digestive system.
In a 1999 study at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, rats that were fed blueberries in addition to their regular chow scored better on tests of balance and coordination as they aged. In a study at the University of Michigan, after 90 days of eating blueberries, rats had better insulin sensitivity and lower fasting blood sugar–important indicators of a reduced risk for diabetes, one of the most common diseases of aging. A University of Reading and Peninsula Medical School study showed that rats that ate blueberries had less cognitive decline with aging as well.

Olive Oil

Olive oil’s protective qualities for both the heart and in regard to cancer come from polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants. These findings have been reported in The Journal of Nutrition and the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, among others.
In addition to other benefits, a Journal of the American College of Nutrition study suggested olive oil and other Mediterranean diet staples may be connected to less wrinkling of skin.

Green Tea

Green tea is another food loaded with antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin and catechins. As reported in The Journal of Nutrition, Cancer Prevention Research and elsewhere, a growing number of studies indicate that it has some protective effects in regard to certain cancers as well as liver damage.
A study reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that green tea antioxidants called catechins travel to the tissues of the eyes where they may reduce oxidative stress for up to 20 hours. A German study improved the effects of LED skin treatments for wrinkles by adding a lotion made of green tea extract.

Red Wine

The results from numerous studies have been reported in Carcinogenesis, Nature and Clinica Chimica Acta: the International Journal of Clinical Chemistry. Red wine contains several antioxidants, including a polyphenol called resveratrol that may help ward off age-related illnesses. In one study, resveratrol appeared to prevent cancer by limiting tumor growth in rats. In another study, resveratrol extended the lifespan of mice on a high-calorie diet.

 

References

• Journal of the American College of Nutrition: Olive oil’s anti-aging benefits
• Science Daily: Green tea may help fight glaucoma
• Science Daily: Green tea may reduce wrinkles
• Tufts study abstract: blueberries provide aging-related benefits in rats
• U-M study: blueberries provide aging-related benefits in rats

KATH BEE

Facebook can cause frustration: Study

Social networking site Facebook can make you feel envious of your “successful” friends, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction, a new German study has found.

Researchers led by Dr Hanna Krasnova of the Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin surveyed Facebook members regarding their feelings after using the platform.

More than one-third of respondents reported predominantly negative feelings, such as frustration. The researchers identified that envying their “Facebook friends” is the major reason for this result.

Krasnova, explained that, “Although respondents were reluctant to admit feeling envious while on Facebook, they often presumed that envy can be the cause behind the frustration of ‘others’ on this platform – a clear indication that envy is a salient phenomenon in the Facebook context”.

“Indeed, access to copious positive news and the profiles of seemingly successful ‘friends’ fosters social comparison that can readily provoke envy. By and large, on-line social networks allow users unprecedented access to information on relevant others — insights that would be much more difficult to obtain offline,” Krasnova said in a statement.

Those who do not engage in any active, interpersonal communications on social networks and primarily utilise them as sources of information, eg reading friends’ postings, checking news feeds, or browsing through photos, are particularly subject to these painful experiences.

The study also found that about one-fifth of all recent on-line/offline events that had provoked envy among the respondents took place within a Facebook context. This reveals a colossal role of this platform in users’ emotional life.

Paradoxically, envy can frequently lead to users embellishing their Facebook profiles, which, in turn, provokes envy among other users, a phenomenon that the researchers have termed “envy spiral”.

The researchers were also able to establish a negative link between the envy that arises while on Facebook and users’ general life satisfaction. Indeed, passive use of Facebook heightens invidious emotions that, in turn, adversely affect users’ satisfaction with their lives.

“Considering the fact that Facebook use is a worldwide phenomenon and envy is a universal feeling, a lot of people are subject to these painful consequences,” study co-author Helena Wenninger of the TU-Darmstadt said.

Related articles

• How Facebook and Twitter can boost your ego and make you more impulsive in just five minutes (ktrmurali.wordpress.com)