ISSUES AND CONCERNS

Friends Yet another independence day came and went into history. As a nation we are 62 years old or do we say young India has turned 62. As we look back how have we traversed as a nation during the last six decades and more, is an issue of multiple dimension. We are politically independent alright, but how independent are our people, close to some 117 crores? Speaking to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called upon the people to stay committed to strengthening the unity and integrity of the nation, by carrying every one along the path of development by creating an environment of consensus and co-operation. He reiterated that India’s progress can be real only when every citizen benefits from it, since every Indian has a right over our national resources. While mentioning about the deficient monsoon and the availability of adequate stock of food grains, he expressed the ardent desire of the government that ‘not even a single citizen of India should...

You would be heartened to know, BMC has Okayed a statue of OMBALE at Chowpatty. I know, it has been a issue close to I&C. I recd the copy of the new issue of I&C. I saw the cover and the first impression is we lack ideas!!!! Why the map of India again? How often we have used it? Its such an old idea repeatedly used... Apart from that, you have again gone back to a crowded, cluttered text in the cover page. Text is all over the cover page. It can look nice if done intelligently (say like Stardust). We have standardized this neatly at the bottom of the page and the issues were looking good. Now, why have you gone back suddenly I don’t know... Vishwanath shetty via-e-mail-Mumbai Though editorial is quite lengthy, however it is very progressive, unbiased and keep keen interest alive. Your way of looking into each subject there on, is very much admirable I am enjoying and appreciating the high quality of journalism. I wish very best in your tireless endeavour in continuing and main...

INDIA @ 62 "The country is like a huge tree with fruits. There are a bunch of powerful monkeys who have taken over the branches on top where all good stuff grows. The tiny monkeys are getting crushed and all they want is just to survive" said Himanshu Kumar of Vanvaasi Chetna Ashram of Raipur in Chattisgarh. Looking back over the labyrinth that the free nation has travelled for all these 62 years, the above observation is the stark statement of reality. This country has grown undoubtedly. Some areas have grown as Manhattan in the U.S. and some have remained like Eritrea, representing the shoddy development of the country. The country has produced Billionaires, probably the highest in whole of Asia, but there are millions going to bed half belly or empty. If some are wearing Christian Dior, there are millions who are living half naked. If some are enjoying Maharaja Bathrooms, there are millions of Indians who shit in open. After 62 years, we as a nation, having visions of beco...

Men hammer nails better than women WASHINGTON : MEN can hammer a nail with a few, clean sharp stroke and are better at it than women, says a new study. Duncan Irschick and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst (U-M) measured hammering p erformance in men and women. They found that men are more accurate than women when hammering in poorly lit conditions. Conversely, women are more accurate in the light, regardless of target size. "We believe that our research indicates that humans have remarkable compensatory abilities during difficult motor tasks such as hammering in the dark," says Irschick. In future studies, he is planning to focus on understanding how hammering ability evolves in humans from early development to adulthood, said a U-M release. –IANS Penelope Cruz pregnant LOS ANGELES: OSCAR-winning Hollywood star Penelope Cruz and longtime partner actor Javier Bardem are reportedly expecting their first child. Reports are abuzz that the 35-year-old act...

Potassium Helps reduce Blood Pressure Who’s under pressure People trying to lower their blood pressure should also boost their intake of potassium, which has the opposite effect of sodium, says research conducted by the Loyala University Health System, now known a s the Loyola Medicine. Researchers found that the ratio of sodium-to- potassium in urine was a much stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease than sodium or potassium alone, reports nutrition-horizon.com. According to the researchers, potassium seems to be effective in lowering blood pressure and the combination of a higher intake of potassium and lower consumption of sodium seems to be more effective than either on its own in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Good potassium sources include orange juice, bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lima beans, tomato sauce, yogurt, fat-free milk and tuna. Potassium is also available in supplements. However, changes in diet and physical activity should be under the supervi...

Robbers take away the whole ATM HOSHIARPUR (PUNJAB): UNABLE break open the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) of a private bank here, robbers took away the entire machine. But two policemen chased them and got the ATM back before it could be broken open. The thieves escaped. The ICICI Bank ATM, which contained over Rs 500, 000 in cash, w as robbed from Shimla Pahadi crossing, a popular point in this town 140 km from state capital Chandigarh. ATM guard Sandeep Singh told police Saturday that two people came to the ATM followed by others. They beat him up, uprooted the ATM and took it away in a car. But a police constable and a volunteer of the Home Guards chased the robbers and forced them to flee after abandoning the gateway car. Apart from the ATM, the police found a gas cutter and a gas cylinder from the Maruti Zen car used by the robbers. They also found a mobile phone and a wallet, presumably of the thieves. Woman comes back alive, but hubby refuses to take her back DEHRADUN : A WOMAN,...

At least 19 dead in prison riot in Mexico MEXICO CITY: At least 19 people were killed in a riot that erupted in a prison in northen Mexico, a top security official said. The rioting that was sparked by rivalries among prison gangs also left 26 others injured, according to Jorge Torres, the public security secretary in the Mexican state of Durango. All the victims were inmates at the prison that is located in the town of Gomez Palacio. Torres said the situation at the penitentiary, which holds 1,081 inmates, was now "relatively calm." But he warned the overall atmosphere at the jail was tense, calling it "a time bomb" waiting to explode. As many as 15 people were killed in the penitentiary over the past several months, according to Torres. Poor service costs Indian biz $ 2.46bn NEW DELHI: Even as corporate India is trying to ward off impacts of financial downturn, a survey has said business in India are losing around Rs 11,500 crore per year due to poor customer ser...