JUL `2012 - Boston South Asian

Transcription

BostonSouth Asian
Monthly Community Paper | [email protected] | 617-334-6781 | Vol. 3 No. 7
$ 10 Mil Troy Temple Expansion Health And Wellness Fair
By Rajan Zed
The newly renovated/expanded Bharatiya Temple of Metropolitan
Detroit in Troy (Boston) is holding a five-day elaborate “deities
installation” event, ending June 17. In order to accommodate the
growing number of devotees,
(Continued On Page 10)
United India Association of New England (UIANE) jointly sponsored
with Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) their first
collaborative Health and Wellness fair at the Westin Waltham Hotel on
Sunday 6/3/12 from 10-4pm. It was a full house attended by over 100
people. The event was very successful & well complimented event!
The
event
drew members
from different
organizations
including
U I A N E ,
I M A N E ,
Golden Club
and
Aavkar
organizations.
The
event
was organized by the UIANE and IMANE team and cochaired by
Dr. Sapna Agarwal and Dr. Gayatri Vohra. The room was filled with
people sitting around oval linen covered tables and all the Audio Visual
equipment was provided by Mr. Girish Mehta from Indian Circle for
Caring USA, Inc. (ICC). The mouth watering appetizers comprised of
samosas were served with some warm masala tea which was great start
to a rainy day outside.
MRS. INDIA INTERNATIONAL 2012 You Can Advertise In
By Adrita Khanna
Mrs. Shaveta Jain of Suwanee, GA, USA has been crowned the Mrs.
India International 2012 in the pageant finals on 25th May 2012 at the
prestigious 14th Street Playhouse of Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta,
USA in a well contested finale.
Shaveta is elated to be India’s
ambassador and feels honored
to represent India at the Mrs.
International Pageant 2012.
Mrs. Reet Sahu, of Hyderabad,
INDIA was declared the first
runners up and Mrs. Shivani
Diwan, of Stamford, CT,
USA was declared the joint
second runner up with Mrs.
Udeeta Tyagi of Ghaziabad,
INDIA (forfeited due to
disqualification) after two
days of scoring rounds of
Interview, Fitness Wear,
Ethnic Wear and Evening
Gown, judged by a competent
panel of judges.
BostonSOUTH ASIAN
for Just $29 Month
5”X2”
617-334-6781
[email protected]
inside
July 2012
Indian Economy..........02
Sir Creek Issue...........02
Eating Advice..............03
Climate Change..........04
Biofuel Use.................04
Bans Junk Food..........05
Trips To Moon.............06
Sunita Williams...........06
Death Thoughts..........07
Temporary Employees.08
Most Stressed.............09
AUGUST 2012
BACK TO SCHOOL
[email protected]
617-334-6781
Troy Hindu Temple......10
Gayatri Mantra............10
Bird That Sings...........11
Kids To Eat Veggies.....11
£1m treasure..............12
feel-good-factor..........12
To Have Childhood,.....13
Negative Side Effects..14
Exposure To BPA........15
New Mission Plans......16
Human Behavior.........17
Physical Benefits.........18
Jelly Bean...................19
Community Calendar...19
London Olympics........20
Jogging In Forest........20
PREDICTIONS............21
Entertainment........22,23
BostonSouth Asian |July 2012
Page 2
Global Economy Caught Indian Economy To Grow By 6.9%
In Vicious Cycle Warns BIS In Fiscal 2012-13: World Bank
Sydney, June 25
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The global economy is stuck in
a
‘’vicious
cycle’’, with
advanced
economies
struggling
with
debt
and
emerging
economies growing
strongly, but
facing risks
of boom and
bust, the global organization of central
banks, Bank
for International Settlements (BIS),
has warned.
In its annual report,
the BIS said
governments,
banks
and
households
struggling
with too much debt are dragging
down the world’’s economy, and
added that more needs to be done
to make the banking system safer.
According to news.com.au, the
BIS, in its 82nd annual report,
said: “The world is now five years
on from the outbreak of the financial crisis, yet the global economy
is still unbalanced and seemingly
becoming more so as interacting
weaknesses continue to amplify
each other”.
New Delhi, June 13
In the report titled ‘Global Eco-
policy uncertainties, fiscal deficit
and inflation.
According to the
report,
India’s
economic growth
rate slipped to a
nine year low of
6.5 per cent in
2011-12.
nomic Prospect’, the World Bank
has said that the Indian economy
would grow by 6.9 per cent in
fiscal 2012-13, notwithstanding
The agency said that growth in
India in 2011 was weak due to a
poor monetary policy, stalled reforms and electricity shortages.
New Delhi, June 19
India and Pakistan have reiterated
their desire to find an amicable
cordial atmosphere, discussed the
land boundary in the Sir Creek
area and also delimitation of In-
The economy has expanded by
8.4 per cent in the preceding two
years.
The Indian delegation was led
by Surveyor General of India Dr.
Swarna Subba
Rao, while the
Pakistan delegation was led
by Additional
Secretary in the
Ministry of Defence Rear Admiral Farrokh
Ahmad.
The Pakistan
delegation met
Shekhar Agarwal, Additional
Secretary, Ministry of Defence.
This has left an uneven and fragile recovery, with high unemployment and increased levels of government debt afflicting developed
economies. Meanwhile, the 17
countries that use the Euro have
sunk into a crisis over excessive
government debt.
The report also emphasised the
need to increase the safety of the
banking system by pushing banks
to be responsible for their losses,
add to their financial buffers and
avoid risky practices.
The
government has pegged
growth at 7.6 per
cent for the current fiscal.
India, Pakistan For Amicable
Solution Of Sir Creek Issue
Governments have put billions
into rescuing banks and central
banks have slashed interest rates.
The BIS said that the aftermath is
that governments, banks and consumers are all trying to cut back
on debt at the same time, magnifying each other’’s problem.
These factors, along with fiscal and inflation
concerns,
cut
into investment
activity.
solution of the Sir Creek issue
through sustained and result oriented dialogue.
Under the resumed dialogue process between India and Pakistan,
talks on Sir Creek issue were held
in New Delhi on June 18 and 19.
The two sides during the talks,
which were held in a friendly and
ternational Maritime Boundary
between India and Pakistan.
According to the joint statement
issued after the talks, the two
neighbouring nations agreed to
hold the next round of the talks
on Sir Creek issue in Pakistan at
mutually convenient dates, to be
determined through diplomatic
channels.
Sir Creek is a
96-kilometre
strip disputed region between India and Pakistan in the Rann of
Kutch marshlands.
The Creek, which opens up into
the Arabian Sea, divides the
Kutch region of the Indian state
of Gujarat with the Sindh province of Pakistan. The Creek has
been a point of contention for decades.
Page 3
Healthy Eating Advice For New Mums
May Help Cut Child Obesity
London, June 27
Educating new mothers about
healthy eating and active play can
help cut the risk of their child being overweight or obese, a new
study has revealed.
Childhood obesity is a serious
health challenge affecting more
than 43 million preschool children worldwide (6.7percent) with
studies showing it could have adverse effects on later health.
Preschool children who are obese
or overweight have a high chance
of carrying this into adulthood
and it has been argued that efforts
to prevent this should start earlier
in life.
Methods of feeding children,
when they start eating solids and
the amount of television watched
are the most common factors that
contribute to childhood obesity,
especially in lower socio-eco-
nomic groups. Authors from the
South Western Sydney and Sydney Local Health Districts and
Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney in Australia looked
at 667 first-time mothers and their
infants.
They looked at the children’s
BMI, feeding habits and television viewing time. This is the first
study of its kind to look at outcomes at two years old.
Nurses taught mothers healthy
eating and exercise habits for
their children.
Mothers in the intervention group
were also significantly more likely to eat more than two servings
of vegetables per day (52 percent
compared
with 36 percent)
and
spend 150
minutes or
more exercising
per
week
(48
percent compared with
38 percent).
This study
has
found
that the first
few
years
of a child’s
development
are crucial
in setting the
foundation
for lifelong
learning, behaviour and health
outcomes. The authors conclude
that the results are very encouraging but that the cost-effectiveness
does require further investigation.
The study shows that the early
onset of childhood overweight
and obesity requires “health promotion programmes to start as
early as possible” and that they
should be family focused and can
be effective in improving children’s weight status. The study
was published in bmj.com.
Most South Asian Students who travel 20000 plus miles for studies in
Bostonfeel home sick within the first 30 days of landing.
They would love to go some place called home and talk to or
spend time with a family.
ADOPT A STUDENT
Families interested in creating a ‘Home Away Home’ for these
students can email their contact info and we will post it on BostonSouthAsian.com. Interesrted students will contact you directly.
Email:
[email protected]
WWW.
South
asian
news
papers.
com
Women With Fear Of Childbirth
Endure Longer Labor
Washington, June 27
Women who have a fear of childbirth spend 47 minutes longer in labor
than their peers who have no such fear, a new research has revealed.
Various factors have been associated with increased prevalence of fear
of childbirth, including young maternal age, being a first-time mother,
pre-existing psychological problems, lack of social support and a
history of abuse or adverse obstetric events.
The Norwegian study, that looked at 2206 women with a singleton
pregnancy who wanted normal delivery, is one of the first to look at
the relationship between fear of childbirth and labor duration.
Fear of childbirth was assessed by the Wijma Delivery Expectancy
Questionnaire (W-DEQ), a validated psychometric instrument
designed to measure fear of childbirth.
Women undertook the questionnaire at 32 weeks gestation and fear
of childbirth was defined as a score of more than 85. Out of the total
number, 165 (7.5 percent) women scored more than 85.
The average age of the participants at delivery was 30.9 years and
50.5 percent (1113 women) were first time mothers. Average labour
duration was 8.22 hours for first-time mothers, and it was 4.91 hours
for parous women.
After adjustment for other factors associated with labour duration,
such as parity, epidural analgesia, instrumental vaginal delivery and
labour induction, the difference was still significant at 47 minutes.
The researchers found that average labour duration was 8 hours for
women with fear of childbirth compared to 6.46 hours (which equals 6
hours and 28 minutes) for women without such fear.
The study also found that women with fear of childbirth more often
delivered by instrumental vaginal delivery (17.0 percent versus 10.6
percent) or emergency caesarean delivery (10.9 percent versus 6.8
percent) as compared to women without fear of childbirth.
In total, 25.5 percent (42 women) of women with fear of childbirth and
44.4 percent (906 women) of women without fear of childbirth had a
normal delivery without any obstetric interventions.
However, despite increased labour duration for women with a fear of
childbirth, a large proportion of women achieved a vaginal delivery,
which was their intention compared to women with no fear (89.1
percent versus 93.2 percent).
“Fear of childbirth seems to be an increasingly important issue in
obstetric care. Our finding of longer duration of labour in women who
fear childbirth is a new piece in the puzzle within this intersection
between psychology and obstetrics,” Samantha Salvesen Adams,
Health Services Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital,
University of Oslo, Norway and co-author of the research said.
“We found a link between fear of childbirth and longer duration
of labour. Generally, longer labour duration increases the risk of
instrumental vaginal delivery and emergency caesarean section.
However, it is important to note that a large proportion of women with
a fear of childbirth successfully had a vaginal delivery and therefore
elective caesarean delivery should not be routinely recommended,”
she added.
The research was published in BJOG: An International Journal of
Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Page 4
US And European Energy Supplies Threatened By Climate Change
London, June 4
Higher water temperatures and
reduced river flows caused by
climate change are posing significant threat to electricity supplies
in US and Europe. These changes
in recent years have resulted in
reduced production, or temporary
shutdown, of several thermoelectric power plants, resulting in increased electricity prices and raising concerns about future energy
security in a changing climate.
Thermoelectric (nuclear or fossilfuelled) power plants, supply 91
percent and 78 percent of total
electricity in the US and Europe
respectively, thus disruption to
their operation is a significant
concern for the energy sector. A
study projects further disruption
to supply, with a likely decrease
in thermoelectric power generating capacity of between 6-19
percent in Europe and 4-16 percent in the United States for the
period 2031-2060, due to lack of
cooling-water.
The likelihood of extreme (>90
percent) reductions in thermoelectric power generation will, on
average, increase by a factor of
three. Compared to other water
use sectors (e.g. industry, agriculture, domestic use), the thermoelectric power sector is one
of the largest water users in the
US (at 40 percent) and in Europe
(43 percent of total surface water
withdrawals).
While much of this water is ‘recycled’ the power plants rely on
consistent
volumes
of water, at a particular temperature, to
prevent overheating
of power plants. Reduced water availability and higher water
temperatures - caused
by increasing ambient
air temperatures associated with climate
change - are therefore
significant issues for
electricity supply.
thermal pollution.
“Higher electricity prices and disruption to supply are significant
concerns for the energy sector
and consumers, but another grow-
According to the researchers, while recirculation (cooling)
towers will be affected, power plants that
rely on ‘once-through
cooling’ are the most
vulnerable.
These plants pump water direct
from rivers, lakes, or the sea, to
cool the turbine condensers, water is then returned to its source,
often at temperatures significantly higher than when the water entered the plant, causing yet another problem, that of downstream
ing concern is the environmental
impact of increasing water temperatures on river ecosystems, affecting, for example, life cycles of
aquatic organisms,” said Michelle
van Vliet, from Wageningen University and Research Centre.
Both the US and Europe have
strict environmental standards
with regard to the volume of
water withdrawn and the temperature of the water discharged
from power plants. Thus warm
periods coupled with low
river flows can lead to conflicts between environmental objectives and energy
production. Additionally,
given the substantial investments and the long-life
expectancy (50-60 years)
of thermoelectric power
plants, such projections are
important for the electricity sector such that it can
adapt to changes in cooling
water availability and plan
infrastructure investments
accordingly.
to switch to new gas-fired power
plants that are both more efficient
than nuclear- or fossil fuel- power
plants and that also use less water,” Kabat added.
One adaptation strategy
is to reduce reliance on
freshwater sources and
replace with saltwater, according to co-author Pavel
Kabat, Director/CEO of
the International Institute
for Applied Systems Analysis
(IIASA). “However given the life
expectancy of power plants and
the inability to relocate them to
an alternative water source, this
is not an immediate solution but
should be factored into infrastructure planning. Another option is
The projections are based on new
research that combines hydrological and water temperature models
over the twenty-first century with
an electricity production model.
The study focused on 61 power
plants in central and eastern US
and 35 power plants in Europe,
both nuclear and coal-fired power
plants with different cooling systems were included.
Considering the projected increase in demand for electricity
in these regions and globally, the
study reinforces the need for improved climate adaptation strategies in the thermoelectric power
sector to ensure future energy security and environmental objectives are not compromised.
The models consider two contrasting scenarios for the energy
sector - one of low levels of technological change in the energy
sector and one that assumes environmental sustainability and
a rapid transition to renewable
energy. The study has been published in Nature Climate Change.
Benefits Of Biofuel Use On Environment Overestimated
Washington, June 9
Calculations of greenhouse gas
(GHGs) emissions from bioenergy production are neglecting crucial information that has led to the
overestimation of the benefits of
biofuels compared to fossil fuels,
two scientists have claimed.
of carbon that is emitted by refining and combusting the fuel.
The researchers challenged this
necessarily result in additional
carbon absorption. Biofuels can
only reduce greenhouse gases
if they result in additional plant
gy LCAs becomes increasingly
magnified when the omission of
CO2 is combined with the underestimation of nitrogen emissions
from fertilizer application.
The critique extends to the Life
Cycle Analysis models of bioenergy production. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a technique used to
measure and compile all factors
relating to the production, usage,
and disposal of a fuel or product.
The researchers said that LCAs
are overestimating the positive
aspects of biofuel use versus fossil fuel use by omitting the emission of CO2 by vehicles that use
ethanol and biodiesel even when
there is no valid justification.
Proponents of bioenergy argue
that analyses should always ignore this CO2 because plants
grown for biofuel absorb and
therefore offset the same amount
method by arguing that doing
so double counts the carbon absorbed by plants when the bioenergy crops are grown on land
already used for crop production
or already growing other plants
because the bioenergy does not
growth, or if they in effect generate additional useable biomass
by capturing waste material that
would otherwise decompose anyway.
The overestimation of bioener-
CO2.”
According to lead
author Dr. Keith
Smith, from the
University of Edinburgh, “Emissions
of N2O from the
soil make a large
contribution to the
global warming associated with crop
production because
each kilogram of
N2O emitted to
the atmosphere has
about the same effect as 300kg of
He noted that several current
LCAs underestimate the percentage of nitrogen fertilizer application that is actually emitted to the
atmosphere as a GHG.
They claimed that the observed
increase in atmospheric N2O
shows that this percentage is in
reality nearly double the values
used in the LCAs, which greatly
changes their outcome.
Since results of the LCAs have
been widely utilized, Searchinger
and Smith concluded that the
overall development and research
of alternative fuels has been heading in the wrong direction.
“The best opportunity to make
beneficial biofuels is to use waste
material or to focus on relatively
wet but highly degraded land,”
noted Dr. Smith. If bioenergy
crops are produced on degraded
land, less GHGs will be emitted
and more will be stored.
There are additional benefits: this
method will not compete with
crop production for food, textiles,
and other products. The researchers’ commentary was published
in GCB Bioenergy.
Page 5
Fizzy Drinks Às Bad For Disney Bans Junk Food Ads
Health As Tobacco`
Wellington, June 6
The Walt Disney Co. has become the first major media company to ban junk-food advertising on its television channels, radio stations and websites, hoping to stop kids from eating badly by taking the temptation
away. First Lady Michelle Obama called the move as a “game changer” that is sure to send a message to the
rest of the children’s entertainment industry.
London, June 23
Sugar-packed fizzy drinks are just as dangerous to health as cigarettes,
health experts have warned.
Experts want hard-hitting public awareness campaigns to attack what
they say are “manufacturers’ misleading promotions that distract from
the health risks”.
“Emerging science on the addictiveness of sugar, especially combined
with the known addictive properties of caffeine in many sugary
“Just a few years ago if you had told me or any other mom or dad in America that our kids wouldn’t see
a single ad for junk food while they watched their favorite cartoons on a major TV network, we wouldn’t
have believed you,” Stuff.co.nz quoted Michelle Obama, who has headed a campaign to curb child obesity,
as saying.
The food that doesn’t meet
Disney’s nutritional standards goes beyond candy bars
and fast food meals. Capri
Sun juice (too much sugar)
and Oscar Mayer Lunchables
snacks (high sodium) won’t
be advertised.
Any cereal with more than
10 grams of sugar per serving is also off the air. A full
meal can’t be more than 600
calories.
Disney’s new rules - which
won’t take effect until 2015
- follow a controversial proposal in New York to take supersized drinks over 16 ounces (473ml) out of convenience stores, movie theatres and restaurants, removing choices to try and influence behavior.
beverages, should heighten awareness of the health threat similar to
the understanding about the addictiveness of tobacco products,” the
Daily Express quoted public health expert Dr Lori Dorfman as saying.
Dorfman, from the University of California, and colleagues want soft
drinks companies to stop “explicitly targeting young people” in an
“aim to increase sales”.
Getting rid of junk food ads will make it easier to keep the family on a healthy diet, said Nadine Haskell, a
mother of two sons, 8 and 11. “If they see a commercial on TV, then the next time we go to the grocery store
they’ll see it and say they want to try it,” Haskell, of Columbus, Ohio, said. Disney declined to comment on
how much revenue it stands to lose from banning unhealthy food.
CEO Bob Iger said that there might be a short-term reduction in advertising revenue, but he hoped that
companies would eventually adjust and create new products that meet the standards. The ban would apply to
TV channels such is Disney XD, children’s programming on the ABC network, Radio Disney and Disneyowned websites aimed at families with young children. The company’s Disney Channel has sponsorships,
but does not run ads.
Drinking just two cans of fizzy pop a day has been shown to cause
severe long-term liver damage, a condition normally the result of
chronic alcohol abuse.
Aviva Must, chairwoman of the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts School of
Medicine, said Disney could succeed where the government has made little progress.
It can lead to victims needing a transplant because the liver cannot
process the huge amount of sugar.
“There seems to be limited taste for government regulation,” Must, who has studied childhood obesity for
decades, said. “So I think a large company like Disney taking a stand and putting in a policy with teeth is a
good step,” she said.
Too many soft drinks can potentially cause diabetes and heart damage
as well as being a major contributor to obesity.
Diet drinks in particular have been shown to pile on the pounds
because, even though they have fewer calories than regular fizzy pop,
they can trigger the appetite to eat more.
Those who binge on diet soft drinks every day have been shown to
have 70 percent bigger waists after a decade.
“There is no comparison to be drawn between tobacco and soft drinks,”
a spokesman for the British Soft Drinks Association said.
“Tobacco is harmful in any quantity and any reduction in consumption
is a positive step for health.
“In the case of food and drink, it is the imbalance between calorie
intake and calorie expenditure that is the cause of obesity and not the
intake of calories as such, still less the intake of calories from any
particular food or drink.
These two situations are entirely different,” the spokesman added.
Even though many fast-food chains and food companies are rolling out healthier options like apples and
salads, Disney said it still could deny the companies’ ads. Leslie Goodman, Disney’s senior vice president
of corporate citizenship, says Disney will consider a company’s broader offerings when deciding whether to
approve ads. “It’s not just about reformulating a meal for a single advertising opportunity,” Goodman said.
The company will need to show that if offers a range of healthy options, she said.
Kraft said it welcomed Disney’s decision, noting that it advertises very few brands to children under age 12.
Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said that while
some snack foods of limited nutritional value may still be advertised, the worst of the junk foods would be
eliminated under the new policy. “Disney’s announcement really puts a lot of pressure on Nickelodeon and
Cartoon Network and other media to do the same,” she added.
Disney launched internal nutrition guidelines in 2006, with the goal of making 85 percent of the food and
drinks served at its parks and resorts healthy. The remaining 15 per cent was reserved for special treats,
such as cake for birthday celebrations. The company also stopped using toys in kid’s meals to advertise its
movies. Disney on Tuesday also introduced its “Mickey Check” seal of approval for nutritious foods sold in
stores, online and at its parks and resorts.
“The emotional connection kids have to our characters and stories gives us a unique opportunity to continue
to inspire and encourage them to lead healthier lives,” Iger said. The Better Business Bureau and 16 major
food companies, including Coca-Cola Co, Burger King Worldwide Holdings Inc and Mars Inc have also
pledged to ensure by 2014 that ads aimed at children is devoted only to better-for-you foods.
Page 6
Brit Company Treating Tourists To Round-Trips To Moon For £100m
London, June 20
A British company is offering
seats to adventurers who are
willing to go the extra mile on a
historic journey to the moon.
Four re-entry capsules, or reusable return vehicles (RRVs),
will ferry three people at a time
to the orbiting space station and
return them to earth.
The aim is for three people to
fly to the moon, orbit the lunar
surface and return safely to earth,
parachuting to the ground in an
RRV.
The first 500,000-mile round trip
in a converted Soviet-era space
station could take place as early
as 2015.
All the space vehicles, the cost
of which is
confidential,
are
housed
in
hangers
on the Isle
of Man. One
of the RRVs
is currently
b e i n g
exhibited
o u t s i d e
the
Queen
Elizabeth II
conference
centre
in
Westminster,
London.
Much of the actual flying will
“We’re ready to sell the tickets,”
the Daily Mail quoted Art Dula,
founder and chief executive of
Isle of Man-based Excalibur
Almaz, as telling a space tourism
meeting in London.
Only those with the “right stuff”
should apply – besides having
the necessary level of physical
and mental fitness, they should be
able to bear a likely fare of around
100 million pounds per person.
Dula, a US space entrepreneur,
has acquired two Soviet ‘Almaz’
space stations, designed for
orbital spying operations.
Thrusters attached to the stations
will convert them to long-distance
spaceships.
If
the
bold
plan
succeeds,
a
private
British space
company will
carry out the first manned moon
mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
will be aboard the station during
an exceptionally busy period
According
to
a
NASA
announcement, daughter of an
Indian American father from
Gujarat and a Slovenian mother,
Williams is currently making final
preparations for a July 14 launch
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
in Kazakhstan.
Dula stressed that the
moon mission goes far
beyond “space tourism”
of the kind offered by
Sir Richard Branson’s
Virgin Galactic.
be computer-controlled and all
necessary training, including
the human skills needed to pilot
On reaching the space station she
will take over as the commander
of Expedition 33.
Williams and her colleagues
commercial
and
Russian
re-supply vehicles, and an
increasingly faster
pace of scientific
research, the US
space agency said.
Sunita is the
second woman of
Indian heritage to
have been selected
by NASA for a
space
mission
after
Kalpana
Chawla and the
second astronaut
of
Slovenian
heritage
after
Ronald M. Sega.
The 46-year-old will be a
flight engineer on the station’s
Expedition 32 along with Flight
Engineers Yuri Malenchenko
of the Russian Federal Space
Agency and Akihiko Hoshide of
the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency, the News reported.
that includes two spacewalks,
the arrival of Japanese, US
Speaking
at
the
Royal
Aeronautical Society in London,
Mr Dula outlined his company’s
ambitious
plan.
Marketing
studies suggested, at a
“conservative estimate”,
that around 30 moonmission seats could be
taken up between 2015
and 2025 – enough for
one mission a year.
The RRVs can be used
15 times and each space
station has a service life
of 15 years.
Sunita Williams Headed
Back To Space In July
New Delhi, June 23
Indian-American
astronaut
Sunita Williams will be returning
to the International Space Station,
where she spent a record six
months in 2006, in July.
the spacecraft, is provided in the
package.
She holds three
records
for
female
space
travellers: longest
spaceflight (195
days),
number
of
spacewalks
(four), and total
time spent on spacewalks (29
hours and 17 minutes).
The trip would be a
“private
expedition”
rather than a sightseeing
tour.
“Excalibur Almaz is willing and
able to send crewed missions
deeper into space than would
be possible aboard any other
spacecraft in existence today,”
Dula said.
‘’Our fleet of space stations and
re-entry capsules enables us to
safely fly members of the public
to moon orbit as early as 2015.
“There is not a single other
vessel, owned by a government or
the private sector, that is suitable
for a manned flight to lunar orbit,
utilising proven technologies.
“The EA fleet has previously
flown to space several times
and will undertake many more
missions.
It contains vessels of a design
that has spent thousands of hours
in space successfully. This is
scientific fact, not fiction,” he
said.
Smaller Soyuz FG launch vehicles
will lift the shuttle capsules.
The station has 90 cubic metres
of living space and provides a
protected “refuge” where crew
members can shelter in the event
of a solar radiation storm.
New Device To Produce
Energy From Sea Waves
Washington, June 23
Researchers from the University of Beira Interior in Portugal have
designed and simulated a new energy conversion device that can
convert sea wave motion into electrical energy.
Sea waves are a renewable and inexhaustible resource found in
abundance across the planet.
But efficiently converting sea wave motion into electrical energy has
been challenging, in part due to the difficulty of compensating for the
relatively low speeds and irregular movements of ocean waves.
University of Beira Interior researchers’ new energy converter
addresses both these challenges (i.e., low speed and irregular
movements).
Their proposed device consists of a floating body attached to a new
type soft conversion generator, called an electric linear planar switched
reluctance generator (LSRG), which can convert wave energy directly
from the wave-induced, up-and-down motion of the device’s moving
part.
The researchers claimed the proposed generator has the advantages
of high power density and robustness, as well as easy modeling and
construction.
The American Institute of Physics’ Journal of Renewable and
Sustainable Energy has accepted a paper describing their study.
Page 7
Death Thoughts Only Make Religious More Devout
Washington, June 18
Thinking about death makes
Christians and Muslims, but not
atheists, more likely to believe in
God, a new study has
revealed.
existential fears of dying through
our pre-existing worldview.
of competing religions,” the researchers wrote.
“These studies offer an improved
Plenty of research has shown that
religion is not universal. One
2006 study found that thoughts
of death increased belief in supernatural figures in general for
religious people.
The new study suggests that old saying
about “no atheists in
foxholes” doesn’t hold
water.
That study did not separate atheists from agnostics, nor did it
examine how specific religious
beliefs might influence the sort
of supernatural figures a person
might believe in.
Agnostics, however,
do become more willing to believe in God
when reminded of
death.
To find out, University of Missouri psychologist Kenneth Vail
III and colleagues recruited 26
Christians, 28 atheists, 40 Muslims and 28 agnostics.
The only catch is that
they’re equally as likely to believe in Buddha
or Allah as the Christian deity, even though
all the agnostics in the
study were American
and thus more likely
to be exposed to Christian beliefs.
The participants were American
college students, except for the
Muslims, who were Iranians going to school in Iran.
The findings confirm that while
religion can help people deal with
death, we all manage our own
understanding of how and why
religious individuals tend to believe so strongly in their own
religion’s gods yet deny the gods
religion, which frequently promises an everlasting afterlife, helps
people cope with the fact that they
will die someday, but this use of
FoundationsOfMeetingHouseDiscovered
In Wales May Pre-Date Pyramids
London, June 15
The foundations of a large prehistoric building older than Egypt’s pyramids have been discovered in Wales.
The meetinghouse, which was, at least 50ft long were uncovered as builders worked on a new housing
estate in Monmouth.
Archaeologists are mystified by the ‘unique’ find and say that nothing like it has ever been found in Britain.
After studying the foundations, made up of 3ft-wide tree trunks, experts believe the building was a long
house constructed on the edge of a long-lost lake which has silted up over time.
Monmouth Archaeology has dated the find to at least the Bronze Age - but it could be early Neolithic about
6,500 years ago. The pyramids in Egypt were built about 4,500 years ago.
“We’re not really sure what it is. It’s a mystery, but it’s the foundation for something. We haven’t seen
anything like it,” the Daily Mail quoted archaeologist Steve Clarke said.
“We think it’s a long house which would have been home to a family, and perhaps used for gatherings and
meetings.
Each participant was tasked with
writing either a brief essay about
how they felt about their own
death or a religiously neutral topic, such as loneliness or how to
cope when plans go awry.
After a brief verbal task to distract the participants from the
true purpose of the study, they
filled out questionnaires about
their religious beliefs, including
their faith in the Christian God or
Jesus, Buddha and Allah.
Unsurprisingly, when Christians
thought of death, they became
firmer in their beliefs than those
Christians who hadn’t been reminded of their mortality.
They also became less accepting
of Allah and Buddha, suggesting
a closer adherence to their own
worldview. Likewise, Muslims
who thought of death became
more faithful to Allah and less accepting of Buddha or the Christian God.
Atheists, who reject religion,
showed none of these responses
to thoughts of death. In other
words, the myth that atheists
turn to God on the battlefield or
in other times of peril didn’t hold
up, Vail and his colleagues wrote.
Along with other research, their
study suggests that “atheists do
not rely on religion when confronted with the awareness of
death,” they said.
Agnostics believe that the truth
about God is unknowable. As far
back as the 17th century, Catholic
philosopher Blaise Pascal argued
that if you don’t know whether
to believe in God, you should go
ahead and do so — just to be safe.
Pascal’s Wager, as it’s known,
seemed to play out for the agnostics Vail and his colleagues studied.
When they thought about their
own mortality, these agnostics
became more likely to believe
in any deity, whether the Christian version, Allah or Buddha. In
other words, they put their money
on all three.
The findings show how differently people manage their thoughts
of death, Vail and his colleagues
wrote.
Future research might focus on
spiritual types who believe in
many paths to God, they said,
or perhaps on non-theistic belief
systems such as Confucianism or
Taoism. The study has been published in the journal Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin.
AUGUST 2012 ISSUE
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL
“We think it could be from the Bronze Age but some of the experts we’ve brought in to see it think it could
be early Neolithic. If that’s the case it could easily pre-date the pyramids,” he said.
617-334-6781
The building’s wooden foundations were at least 50ft long and were made from entire tree trunks, measuring
about a metre wide. Clarke said that most of the known long houses were built on posts about a 1ft wide,
but trees had been used for the base of the Monmouth structure.
Email your enquiries to
The find is on the Parc Glyndwr development in Monmouth, where about 80 houses are to be built.
Monmouth Archaeology was employed by the housing developers to study the site. Archaeologists have
ordered radio-carbon tests of the foundations and the results are expected later this month.
617-334-6781
info@Boston
southasian.com
Page 8
More Companies Favouring Temporary Employees
Washington, June 13
Some companies are ditching
old-fashioned business models to
adopt `supertemps` trend as more
and more people are choosing to
work as temporary employees.
The Harvard Business Review
has reported that some 58 percent
of companies are planning to use
temporary employees -- at all
levels -- over the next few years.
Authors
Jody
Greenstone
Miller and Matt Miller said that
temporary employment is no
longer limited to administrative
assistants, warehouse workers, or
other low-level work, according
to CBS News.
High-level people are choosing
to work as temporary employees
and earning money comparable to
traditional, but the people who do
it find it to their liking.
And companies see value in an
experienced, capable temp.
A 2011 survey of independent
professionals (in other words,
high-end temporary workers)
found that close to 80 percent of
these workers were satisfied with
their current situation.
There’s less risk in hiring a
temp then there is in hiring a
“permanent” employee.
That figure is especially notable
given that 45 percent of the
respondents had been “forced”
into that role.
what they would have earned as
an employee, or even as a partner,
in a traditional company.
When you have specialized skills
that are in demand, it can be to
your advantage to work solo.
That allows you to take on
the projects you like, rather
than dealing with the typical
administrative and political
headaches in a traditional
corporate job.
Working on your own is not
Among those who aren’t forced
into these less permanent
positions are the highly educated
and experienced women who are
building their own mommy track.
Instead of settling for a less
fulfilling career in favor of a
family, these women get both.
And filling a role with an interim
person can allow a company the
time to determine which path
they would like to take.
Temps also allow for flexibility,
which can ultimately lead to cost
savings.
You can test ideas rather than
having to make commitments to
full-time staff.
If the idea fails, it doesn’t lead
to layoffs and unhappy former
employees. If it succeeds,
companies can then decide to
staff it formally.
Personalized Email Ads Actually Drive Customers Away
Washington, June 13
Companies usually send emails
to customers in a bid to sale their
products, but a new study led by
an Indian origin business professor has revealed that personalized
email advertisements are far more
likely to repel potential buyers
than to endear them.
to do so, but still responded more
negatively than to emails without
greetings. Customers who had
made past purchases were unaf-
security concerns about phishing, identity theft, and credit card
fraud, many consumers would
be wary of e-mails, particularly
However, the research – which
drew from 10 million marketing
emails sent to 600,000 customers
– also suggest a way how companies can use personal information
without driving customers away:
send them deals on products they
want.
Using data from a firm’s realworld transactions, Temple University Fox School of Business
professor Sunil Wattal found that
consumers’ responses to personalized greetings ranged from very
negative to, at best, neutral.
Overall, 95 percent of customers
responded negatively when an
email ad greeted them by name.
Customers who were unfamiliar
with the firm were very likely
to click off or unsubscribe from
emails with personalized greetings.
Customers who were more familiar with the firm were less likely
known these product-personalization emails used their personal
information, researchers suggest
that no red flags about privacy
were raised, and
thus consumers
only experienced
the positive aspect of these
email advertisements: exposure
to desirable products.
The researchers
used their findings to craft four
key strategies for
improving email
marketing effectiveness:
fected.
Research into sales strategies
suggests consumers generally react positively to being recognized
by name.
those with personal greetings,”
Wattal and his co-authors wrote
in the study.
But Wattal, Assistant Professor
of Management Information Systems (MIS), suggested the variable introduced to online environments – fears of privacy invasion
– heavily outweighs the intended
personal touch.
Wattal also found that product
personalization, in which customers are directed to products
that their past purchasing patterns
suggest they will like, triggered
positive responses in 98 percent
of customers, with the positive
effect being most pronounced
among customers unfamiliar with
the firm.
“Given the high level of cyber
Since consumers may not have
1. Don’t assume
that a customer’s acceptance of
the terms and conditions of a privacy policy is a license to openly
use their personal information for
marketing purposes.
2. Do not send personalized greetings to new customers. If greeting
past purchasers personally, don’t
expect improved results.
3. Send emails to established
customers more frequently than
to new ones. A large number of
emails may drive a new customer
away but may prompt an estab-
lished customer to purchase.
4. Build a relationship with new
customers by only emailing them
ads for products they are predicted to like.
But expand your relationship
with existing customers by occasionally exposing them to products they’ve never bought before.
The study, co-authored by Wattal
and Carnegie Mellon professors
Rahul Telang, Tridas Mukhopadhyay and Peter Boatwright, appeared online in the journal Information Systems Research.
MEN CAN
COOK!
Traditionally South Asian
men take backseat when it
comes to cooking.
not any more.
we want to put them
in the driver seat.
Bostonsouth asian invites south
asian men to come forward and
show their talent in cooking.
email your recipe with your
photos and see
yourself in print Info@
Bostonsouthasian.com
Page 9
Women And Young People `Most Stressed` In US
Washington, June 15
Being young, a woman, having a
low education level and-or having low pay represent the most
stressed people in the United
States, a new study has revealed.
The study marks the first time that
the scientists have been able to
track the level of stress across the
US over time. Self-reported stress
levels increased between 10 to 30
percent over all demographic categories between 1983 and 2009.
“We know that stress contributes to poorer health practices,
increased risk for disease, accelerated disease progression and
increased mortality,” CBS News
quoted study author Dr. Sheldon
Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty
Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., as saying.
“Differences in stress between
demographics may be important
markers of populations under increased risk for physical and psychological disorders,” he said.
found that the stress levels also
increased with decreasing age meaning 20-year-olds were more
stressed out than 30-year-olds and with lower education and income levels.
Stress levels for women increased
by 18 percent, while men’s stress
levels increased by 25 percent
over the study time period.
According to the Mayo Clinic,
high stress can lead to health
problems such as high blood
pressure, heart disease, obesity
and diabetes.
While minorities were more
stressed than whites, the differences were canceled when other
demographic factors were taken
into account.
Researchers looked at telephone
survey data that was collected
in 1983 and online surveys that
were conducted from 2006 and
2009 to compile their data.
Although out of work people
were the most stressed, retired
people normally reported lower
stress levels.
The recession from 2008- 2009
did not increase stress levels that
much for Americans, except for
white, middle-aged men who had
college educations.
Each survey consisted of at least
2,000 Americans and used the
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS),
which was created by Cohen to
find out the stress level that arises
from certain life situations.
In general, not only were women more stressed, but the study
1 In 4 Kids Never Do Any Housework
London, June 18
A quarter of children aged five to 16 do nothing to help their parents around the house, a survey has
revealed. For those who do pitch in with the chores, in one in five cases this means simply tidying their
bedroom. The study also found that while parents typically spent four hours a week doing housework when
they were young, their children couldn’t even manage half that amount.
The study by Vileda, a cleaning products firm also found that kids today are more likely to be rewarded for
helping out around the house,
with 62 per cent receiving cash,
sweets or extra time playing
outside with friends.
Not only that, but they are also
paid more for helping out with
chores, receiving an average of
4.21 pounds a week, compared
to their parents’ 3.60 pounds.
“Parents often come out with
the phrase ‘kids today have it so
easy’ and it seems that really is
the case,” the Daily Mail quoted
Lindsey Taylor of Vileda as
saying. “Not only are children
spending less time helping out
with chores than they did three or four decades ago, but a vast number of youngsters aren’t having to do
anything at all to help their busy parents.
“Even simple daily tasks such as making their beds when they get up or packing away their toys after they
have finished playing with them are left to their busy parents nowadays. “But helping out with the cleaning
can be a great way of teaching your children about responsibilities. It’s also a great way of helping them to
understand that you need to earn your money by rewarding them with pocket money for doing their share
of the housework,” she added.
The stress levels of these people
increased greatly, perhaps because they had both their jobs
and their savings at stake, the researchers hypothesized.
Cohen pointed out that because
the surveys had been conducted
differently, it may not necessarily
mean that people are, in general,
more stressed in this day and age.
The difference may have made
the people more likely to report
stress in one method over another.
“It’s hard to say if people are more
stressed now than before because
the first survey was conducted by
phone and the last two were done
online,” Cohen said.
“But, it’s clear that stress is still
very much present in Americans’
lives, putting them at greater risk
for many diseases such as cardiovascular, asthma and autoimmune
disorders,” he added. The study
is published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Asian Americans Slam
Survey Over Portraying
Community As Well Off
Washington, June 20
A Congressional committee that represents Asian Pacific Americans
and Asian American advocacy groups have criticized a new Pew
Research Center survey for portraying their community as being well
off and overshadowing their problems. The Pew survey, The Rise
of Asian Americans, has portrayed the Asian American community
positively, saying the community has higher than average levels of
college education, lower poverty rates than the general population, and
relatively low self-reported racial discrimination. According to the
study, only 13 percent of Asian Americans say that discrimination is a
“major problem for them.” The Pew Research Center said that it made
the extensive report of Asian American population after addressing
some 22 Asian groups and polling the six largest country-of-origin
groups that comprise more than 80 percent of Asian Americans.
“The full report, all 200 plus pages, is suffused with details that explore
the great diversity of attitudes and experiences, both positive and
negative, within the community,” Politico quoted Pew spokesperson
Vidya Krishnamurthy, as saying. The National Council of Asian
Pacific Americans (NCAPA) worries that the survey’’s statistics could
overshadow the problems facing the community. “The Pew study,
which has received wide media attention, could lead some to draw
conclusions that reflect inaccurate stereotypes about Asian Americans
being a community with high levels of achievement and few
challenges,” the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans said.
“[W]e must also avoid drawing oversimplified conclusions that
ignore the many real challenges facing our diverse population,” said
Republican Judy Chu (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Asian
Pacific American Caucus. Meanwhile, groups advocating for Asian
American students and research in education found the Pew survey
‘’disparaging,’’ even accusing the organization of suppressing poverty
rates.
Page 10
Troy Hindu Temple Installs Deities After $10 Million Renovation
(Continued From Page 1)
Temple reportedly spent about
$10 million during the last seven
years on expansion from 28,000
to about 70,000 square feet and
renovation.
The sanctuary houses seven new
temples created in India out of
white Makarana marble with
teakwood doors and assembled
here in about a year working day
and night.
This “Prana Pratishtha” event is
described by the Temple as “the
ceremony by which the sacred
images of the Lord are infused
with the breath of life”.
“During this celebration, the murtis representing the Lord’s various forms are immersed in water,
bathed with offerings of milk and
honey, and decorated with fragrant flowers.
These sacred rituals are complemented by a prescribed series of
pujas and havans, in accordance
with ancient traditions”, Temple
website adds.
Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada
today, applauded efforts of Temple leaders and Troy-Detroit and
surrounding community to realize this wonderful Hindu temple
complex.
Rajan Zed, who is President of
Universal Society of Hinduism,
further said that it was important
to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming
generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this Temple
would focus in this direction.
Zed stressed that instead of run-
ning after materialism; we should
focus on inner search and realization of self and work towards
achieving moksh (liberation),
which was the goal of Hinduism.
The “Prana Pratishtha”
celebrations include Ganesh, Udakashanti and other Pujas; Ganesh, Mulamantra, Navagraha,
Sarva Devata, Pachasukta, Sudarshan, Chandi and Rudra Havans; Bhajan Sandhya; Gurubani
Shabads; Adhivasams; Nritya
Sandhya; Unmeelanam; Vishnu
Sahasranama Parayana; Raas
and Garba; Aruna Homam, Aahutis; Kalyanam; Kirtans; Abhishekams; Aaratis; Ropanam;
Kalakarshanam Shobha Yatra;
etc. Sthapana of Navaratna and
Yantra, Lord Lakshminarayana,
Lord Venkateshwara, Lord Shiva,
Shri Radha Krishna, Shri Ram
Parivar, Lord Ganesh, Goddess
Durga Devi and Navagrahas is
being held in the 10,000 square
feet prayer hall.
This Temple regularly holds
pujas, meditation, talks, aartis,
discourses, pranayam, havans,
archanas, abhishekam, Satyanaryananvrotam, etc.
Besides these worship services,
Temple and its various bodies are
reportedly involved in community service, providing health care
referral service for unemployed/
uninsured, supporting families
in difficult situations, visitations,
offering prayers for patients, bereavement support, services for
the seniors, music-dance-language-education activities, immigration clinics, multilingual
library, health fair, interfaith activities, children and youth activities, Jagannatha Ratha Yatra, etc.
It also reportedly runs a Gurukul
Montessori Academy early-childhood education center; yoga center; and classes in yoga, Hindi,
Sanskrit, Bharatnatyam, Kathak,
Dharma and Table Tennis.
It also features a 7,500 square feet
banquet hall and classrooms.
Starting with a first meeting on
January 25, 1975 in an area motel, Temple was formally inaugurated on July 19, 1981, and now
about 800 families worship here.
Tom Patel, Bhavani Garapati and
Velji Kansara are Chairperson,
Vice Chairperson and Secretary
respectively of its Trustees Board;
while S.Viswanathan, Ravi Khattree and Mahaveer Khetawat are
President, President Elect and
Secretary respectively of its Executive Committee. Janakirama
Sastry Vithala and Ramachandra
Bhat are the priests.
Gayatri Mantra - Its Meaning Soon, Homes To Be Powered By Batteries Of Electric Cars
The Gayatri Mantra consists of twenty-four syllables - three lines of
eight syllables each.
The first line (Aum Bhur Bhuvah
Swah) is considered an invocation,
and is not technically a part of the
original Gayatri Mantra as it appears in the Upanishads.
It’s the first commercially available charger for the Nissan Leaf that allows power to flow in two directions.
The house can power the car and the car can power the house. When the house is powering the car, it’s not
the house per se, but the home’s connection to the power grid.
Gayatri is also referred to as a Vedic
poetic meter of 24 syllables or any
hymn composed in this meter.
Usually such charging happens during the evening hours, when the car is parked in the garage and when
demand for electricity is lower and cheaper.
During the day, the Nichicon charger could be set by the owner to make the car’s battery available to the
power grid, which would draw electricity from the battery in order to meet demand during power peaks.
Hence, there exists a whole family
of Gayatri Mantras, which serve
as meditative aids to pray for the
blessings of a particular personal
God.
AumBhurBhuvah Swah, Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya
Washington, June 20
Car manufacturers for Toyota and Nissan are starting to think about how to tap into electric vehicles, which
have huge batteries that sit idle for most part of the day, both for use at home and as a resource for the power
grid. The latest advancement is a home charging station from the Japanese company Nichicon, Discovery
news reorted.
The owner would get some kind of rebate, which would lower the cost of electricity for the house. But such
a system could also work to make renewable energy, such as wind and solar, which are intermittent, more
reliable forms of energy. Power from those sources, for example, could be “stored” on electric car batteries
and pulled during peak demand.
Dhimahi, DhiyoYo Nah Prachodayat A basic translation
can be given as..Oh God, the
Protector, the basis of all life,
Who is self-existent, Who is
free from all pains and Whose
contact frees the soul from all
troubles, Who pervades the
Universe and sustains all, the
Creator and Energizer of the
whole Universe, the Giver of
happiness, Who is worthy of
acceptance, the most excellent,
Who is Pure and the Purifier
of all, let us embrace that very
God, so that He may direct our
mental faculties in the right direction.
The power from the car’s battery can also go to the home. This could be useful during an emergency
situation, such as a power outage.
According to Nissan, the batteries in its power station units hold about 24 kilowatt-hours, or enough to
power even the most energy-hungry appliances in a home (air conditioner, stove, refrigerator, washing
machine and dryer) at the same time for about a day, if they are at the lower end of the consumption range.
Toyota has its own system that works via a 100-volt AC inverter on a Prius plug-in hybrid. That converts
the electricity in the car battery to AC, which can be used for home use. The flow of current is controlled by
a communication system linked between the car, the house, and a charging stand.
With a full tank of gas and fully charged battery, a Prius can supply an average Japanese household about 10
kilowatt-hours for about four days (one is essentially using the Prius as a generator), Toyota reports. Both
of these systems are being rolled out in Japan first.
That’s because the best return on investment for homeowners will be in places where the cost of electricity
is high and there are power outages. The loss of much of its nuclear power over the coming years could
mean electricity shortfalls, so Japan fits that pattern better than the United States.
Page 11
Meet The Only Bird That Sings With Its Wings
London, June 16
The male club-winged manakin,
the only bird known to sing with
its wings, contains some secrets
of its performance in its bones,
researchers have discovered.
It lives in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador, performs a
mate-attracting song by rubbing
its wings together.
A Cornell University team from
the US that scanned its bones
found that unlike most birds, it
has dense, solid wing bones that
help it to emit a violin-like sound.
Lead researcher Kim Bostwick,
curator of birds and mammals at
the Cornell University Museum
of Vertebrates, and her colleagues
carried out CT scans of manakin
wings.
The scans revealed that, while
most birds have hollow wing
bones, the club-winged manakin’s are “bulky and solid”.
tions are emitted from the feather
as sound, rather than being absorbed into the bone.
“Birds tend not to want to carry
around a lot of extra weight,” the
BBC quoted Dr Bostwick as saying.
She was the first to decode the
mechanism behind the manakin’s
unique sound - revealing a new
kind of birdsong. She began travelling to South America to study
“[So the fact] that the club-winged
manakin is carrying around such
enlarged, solid and densely mineralized bones, must mean they
have some great contribution to
sound production,” she said.
It was only when Dr Bostwick
returned to Ecuador with a portable high-speed camera, which
recorded images 30 times faster
than previous attempts, that the
exact movements of the wings
became clear.
Her footage, along with analysis
of the diminutive bird’s anatomy,
showed that manakins knock
their wings together more than
100 times per second in order to
sing.
During a courtship display, male
club-winged manakins (Machaeropterus deliciosus) knock their
wings above their backs to create
sound.
Dr Bostwick believes that having ridged, vibrating feathers attached to a solid, stiff mass is the
best way to make sure the vibra-
were so fast that the footage she
obtained then yielded no clues.
and film the birds in 1997, as a
graduate student of Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum.
But the bird’s wing movements
Can’t Get Kids To Eat Veggies? Try Smiling
London, June 13
Psychologists have discovered that children are likelier to try foods that they do not normally like if they see
adults smiling while they eat them. Children as young as five were more willing to taste vegetables they had
previously rejected if they saw an adult savouring them. The findings suggest that youngsters’ immature
brains are susceptible to the emotions of others, the Telegraph reported.
Simply seeing enjoyment on the face of an adult might trigger the same feelings in a part of their brains
called the prefrontal cortex. The World Cancer Research Fund said that 80 percent of children in England
eat less than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, increasing their risk of cancer.
Boys aged five
to 15 on average
consume
3.1
portions of fruit
and vegetables a
day and girls 3.3
portions.
Parents
often
deploy a variety
of
tactics
to
encourage them
to eat vegetables,
from
playing
games with food
to exaggerating
their
own
enjoyment
of
them.
But the latest research suggests simply smiling while eating could be the key. Experts at the French National
Institute for Agricultural Research in Paris recruited children aged five, eight and a group of adults. The
psychologists assessed their reactions to photographs of women eating various foods, including some that
the volunteers said they did not like, including vegetables.
The researchers said the findings might have important implications for the encouragement of children’s
healthy eating habits. In a report on their findings, the researchers said: “Adults may unconsciously influence
children’s food preferences via their facial expressions of pleasure or disgust.” The findings are published
in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology.
When the wings meet, a specialised feather, with a stiff tip bent
at a 45-degree angle, rubs against
another feather that has seven
separate ridges. This mechanism
produces a mating call.
Similar performances are well
known in the insect world, but
nothing of the similar nature has
been recorded in vertebrates before.
Charles Darwin was fascinated
by club winged manakins and
wrote in 1871 about the remarkable diversity of the sounds made
by these birds and their importance for “sexual purposes”.
The evolution of their “violin
wings” is an example of sexual
selection, a term used to describe
how the mating preferences of females can impact on male characteristics.
Dr Bostwick said the fact that
it existed revealed that female
manakins have a preference for
the males that make this “fascinating sound”. Exactly why females were initially attracted to it
is less clear.
Compound In Fruit, Nuts
And Wine May Help
Boost Exercise Performance
Washington, June 20
Resveratrol, a natural compound found in some fruits, nuts and red
wine, may enhance exercise training and performance, suggests a new
medical research from the University of Alberta.
Principal investigator Jason Dyck and his team found out in experiments
that high doses of resveratrol improved physical performance, heart
function and muscle strength in lab models.
“We were excited when we saw that resveratrol showed results similar
to what you would see from extensive endurance exercise training,”
said Dyck, who works in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry as
a researcher in the department of Pediatrics and the department of
Pharmacology.
“We immediately saw the potential for this and thought that we
identified ‘improved exercise performance in a pill,’” he asserted.
Dyck and his team will soon begin testing resveratrol on diabetics with
heart failure to see if the natural compound can improve heart function
for this patient group. The 10-week study is expected to start within
the next few months.
“I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise
but are physically incapable. Resveratrol could mimic exercise for
them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that
they can do,” said Dyck.
“It is very satisfying to progress from basic research in a lab to testing
in people, in a short period of time,” he added.
His team’s findings were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of
Physiology in late May.
Page 12
Friends find £1m treasure in Health And Wellness Fair At
Jersey after 30-year search The Westin Waltham Hotel
London, June 27
Two amateur archeologists have uncovered a treasure of 50,000
Iron Age coins that are approximately worth 10 million pounds after
searching for it continuously for 30 years.
Reg Mead and Richard Miles had scoured fields in Jersey with metal
detectors after they heard rumours about an ancient treasure being
buried on the land.
The friends’ hunt was limited to 15 hours a year because of their work
commitments.
But they never gave up and made their first find in February – when
they unearthed 61 silver and gold coins.
The program began with an overview by the services provided by
Indian Circle of Caring followed
by brief presentations throughout the day from various speakers including Dr.Sadru Kabani,
Dr.Ram Chuttani, Joan Hill, Gita
Patel, Dr.Lata Mundkar, Jay Gupta, Dr. Pratibha Shah, Dr. Anubha
Sacheti, and Dr. Salil Midha.
They then returned to the site with a deep scanner metal detector used
to find buried aircraft wreckage, which then led them to the Celtic
haul, which was buried under a hedge.
Archeologists from Jersey Heritage have now hoisted a huge mound
of clay out of the ground and moved it to a secure site.
Experts are now removing the coins, which date to around 50BC and
could be worth 200 pounds each. Jersey’s Receiver General declared
the pair’s first find as “treasure trove.”
It is thought that the coins were brought to the island by the Coriosolitae
tribe, who had fled modern day Brittany and Normandy to escape
Julius Caesar’s invading armies. Experts believe that the money could
have been amassed to fund a war to oust the Romans.
toothbrush,toothpaste ,floss and
patient education material were
The other sponsors
included
Whole
Foods
who
supplied
samples
of
smoothies and
salads, Indian
Circle of Caring, Jay Yogacaps, Bhavna’s
Wellness Group,
“We knew it was significant straight away but not how significant. It is
potentially life changing but any monetary reward is secondary to the
thrill of finding ancient artifacts,” the Daily Express quoted 49-yearold Miles, a Customs officer, as saying.
Pledging to continue his hobby, the father-of-four said: “We were
never in it for the money or we would have stopped years ago,” “I am
not thinking of the money, I just want to enjoy the historic significance
of the moment,” 70-year-old Mead said.
was possible with the support
of financial sponsorship from
NOVO Nordisk,
Aptalis Pharma,
Velscope, Astra
Zeneca, and Vitamin Shoppe.
The speakers were introduced by
the cochairs Dr. Sapna Agarwal,
Dr. Gayatri Vohra and the Vice
President of UIANE, Dr. Seema
Arora.
Free Massages
by Debra Baker,
Sondarya Spa and
Colgate.
Dr. Sucheta Joshi, President of
IMANE stated that IMANE is
the oldest organization for medical professionals of Indian origin in the New England area and
There was a delicious
Indian
Vegetarian lunch
catered by Bollywood Grill served during the
thanked all those who attended
the event.
She said this was the first time UIANE had organized a health fair
and also the first event that they
had collaborated with IMANE.
She thanked the committee of
IMANE and UIANE for the great
team work to make the event such
a success.
lunch break. There were several raffle drawings with prizes
that included a Sonicare Electric
Toothbrush and Britesmile Tooth
Whitening donated by Dr. Neela
Gandhi, Chemical Peel and Microdermabrasion sponsored by
Dr. Anil Kumar of Center of Lasers and Cosmetics, Gift Baskets
by Vitamin Shoppe, Bhavna’s
Wellness Group, and Whole
Foods, Happy Healthy Teeth book
donated by Dr. Anubha Sacheti,
Vegetarian cookbook Blending
Science with Spices donated by
Gita Patel, and DVD on Yoga Rejuvenation by Jay Yogacaps.
She mentioned that the event
Goodie bags comprising of free
distributed at the event and was
donated by Colgate.
The committee had raised some
money at the end of the event
and had pledged to donate to the
research in the various medi-
cal specialties and will split the
“It is probably the most important archeological find on the island for
50 years,” Neil Mahrer, of Jersey Heritage, said. Once cleaned, the
treasure will then go on display at the island’s museum.
Yamaha To Make Cheapest Ever
Motorcycle In India For $500
New Delhi, June 27
Japanese two-wheeler company Yamaha Motor Co. plans to make its
cheapest motorcycle in India at a cost of about 500 dollars. According
to ABC News, this would be the third Yamaha model available in
India, after the Crux, which costs 635 dollars, and the YBR, which
costs 760 dollars. Yamaha reportedly hopes the new bike will boost
its sales in the country to two million vehicles by 2016. According
to reports, it sold 520,000 cycles in 2011 and expects to sell 640,000
in 2012. Hiroyuki Suzuki, chief executive of India Yamaha Motor
Pvt. Ltd., said: “It was time for Yamaha to ‘’address a bigger part
of the market.’’” “Just about one in every 25 people in India owns
a two-wheeler,” Suzuki said. “There is a huge scope to attract more
buyers with a fuel-efficient product that is priced reasonably,” he
added. The company, which announced a five-year plan in May to
build new products and a facility in India, did not set a release date for
the motorcycle, but said it would be exported. According to reports,
Yamaha, which now has a market share of 3.5 percent, aims to control
10 percent by 2016.
Dr. Neela Gandhi, President of
UIANE welcomed everyone and
thanked all the attendees and
speakers for taking the time to
support the event.
amount and donate to Boston
Cardiac Foundation, Massachusetts Dental Society Foundation,
American Association of Diabetes Educators(AADE) Education
and Research Foundation and Jay
Yogacaps,a non-profit dedicated
to sharing free yoga with underserved populations like cancer
survivors, seniors and people
with mental illnesses.
UIANE is a non-profit organization that helps promote cultural
events in the New England area.
please visit their web-site for
more information www.unitedindia.net.
Page 13
Pics Of Patients On Cigarettes Dad Wanted Us To Have Childhood,
Says MJ’s Daughter Paris
Packs `Work Better`
London, June 15
Smokers pay attention to the
health warning about smoking
when they see photos of patients
was accompanied by a graphic
image.
This compared with a 50 percent
success rate when text-only warnings were viewed
by the smokers.
The UK government is
carrying out a consultation on packaging of cigarettes.
Using eye-tracking technology, researchers from
the University of Pennsylvania measured how
much time did the smokers spend viewing each
part of a cigarette advertisement containing warning labels.
on ventilators, a US research has
revealed.
A study of 200 smokers found
that 83 percent were able to remember the health warning if it
After looking at the advertisement, each of the
participant was asked to
write down the warning to
test how well they remembered the information.
The faster a smoker’s eyes were
drawn to the text in the graphic
warning and the longer that they
viewed the image, the more likely
were they to remember the infor-
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mation correctly, the study said.
Dr Andrew Strasser, lead author
of the study and associate professor at the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said
that the findings were important.
“In addition to showing the value
of adding a graphic warning label, this research also provides
valuable insight into how the
warning labels may be effective,
which may serve to create more
effective warning labels in the future,” said Strasser.
Strasser said that he hoped graphic warning labels would help people become better informed about
the risks of smoking and lead to a
decision to stop smoking.
Washington, June 7
Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris has said that she understands why
her dad, Michael Jackson was so protective over them.
The 14-year-old daughter of the late King of Pop understands why he
covered their faces when they appeared in public although she wasn’t
aware of it at that time.
“I was really confused. I didn’t get why I was wearing a mask.
I understand it now,” Contactmusic quoted Paris as saying in an
interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“My dad wanted us to be covered [because] he wanted us to have a
childhood,” she said.
She said that the decision her father made, enabled her and her younger
brothers Prince and Blanket to go to places other children could, like
restaurants. “Chuck E. Cheese was one of our most favorite places to
go,” she said.
ORACLE FINANCIAL TRAINING
The study has been published in
American Journal of Preventive
Medicine.
www.appssys.com
281-381- 0744
Brit Jobseeker Rejected For 200 Posts For Being Overqualified
London, June 9
A jobseeker in England has said that his many qualifications is hampering his employment prospects
because interviewers laugh him out of the room for being too qualified.
Mark Schwalbe, 52, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, claims to have applied for more than 200 jobs and
has been rejected for every one because he is too clever to work. Each employer has told him his CV is too
good and he is overqualified for the menial jobs he has applied for, he claimed.
This is because he has multiple A-levels, a degree and a masters degree as well as an HND and years of
experience in the care sector.
He claimed he has applied
unsuccessfully for jobs at fast food
chain McDonalds and also high
street giants Primark, Wilkinsons and
Morrisons.
Frustrated over not getting a job, he
even wrote to David Cameron and Nick
Clegg to tell them about his situation.
“I have gone for factory and warehouse
jobs where I have been told I am too
qualified.
Someone even said to me ‘we don’t
want a genius asking why they’re being
asked to push a broom,’” Schwalbe
said. “I am totally unemployable. I’ve
written to David Cameron and Nick
Clegg telling them about my situation.
There are so many people out there without work,” he added.
Schwalbe said he used to work as a care manager but ended up as full time carer for his own mother years
ago and has been unable to find a job since. He is currently working a volunteer at a drugs rehabilitation
project.
Page 14
Euro 2012 Semi Finals: Most Soon, Computers To Predict
Important Player For Each Team Negative Side Effects Of Drugs
The field of Euro 2012 is now
down to four teams. A few
great plays can win a team a
championship, but one mistake
can cost them everything.
He is one of the few players in
in the last game with an injured
In the first semifinal, Spain will
take on Portugal in a highly
contested border war.
After that, Germany will face
Italy in a matchup of teams that
are yet to lose in this tournament.
These squads did not get to this
point by accident or luck.
Drugs frequently interact with more than one target, with hundreds of
these targets linked to the side effects of clinically used therapeutics.
Focusing on 656 drugs that are currently prescribed, with known safety
records or side effects, the team was able to predict such undesirable
targets — and thus potential side effects — half of the time. That’s a
significant leap forward from previous work, which has never tackled
hundreds of compounds at once, according to Brian Shoichet, PhD,
a UCSF professor of pharmaceutical chemistry who was the joint
advisor on the project alongside Laszlo Urban, MD, PhD, at Novartis.
They feature some of the most
talented players in the world and
have been playing at a high level
for weeks.
Having said that, certain players
will need to step up in the next
match for their teams to reach the
final.
There are so many talented
players on Spain, but David Silva
needs to be the key for the team to
succeed in the next match.
The best way for the team to stop
the world that can face Spain’s
loaded roster and still say he’s the
best player on the field.
The forward has been successful
in his last couple of contests,
ankle and is now questionable
for the game against Italy.
Fortunately, Ozil more than made
up for it with two assists and three
shots on goal.
Germany needs someone to
control the middle of the field and
get the ball to Mario Gomez and
Lukas Podolski. Ozil is the guy
who can do that.
He also must do his best to defend
the talented offense of Italy. If he
can neutralize veteran midfielder
Andrea Pirlo, it will go a long
way in helping his team advance.
Cristiano Ronaldo is to not let
him get the ball. Spain is better at
controlling the ball than anyone
else in the world, and Silva is one
of the reasons for that.
However, the squad still needs to
put the ball in the net to win.
There are a bunch of scorers, but
Silva is a great facilitator that can
put his teammates in a position to
score. He needs to get an assist or
two against Portugal to guarantee
a win.
Who else would it be? Ronaldo is
the most important player on the
team due to his ability to score.
Washington, June 12
A new set of computer models has been able to successfully predict
negative side effects in hundreds of current drugs, based on the
similarity between their chemical structures and those molecules
known to cause side effects, it has been revealed. The team, co-led by
researchers in the UCSF School of Pharmacy, Novartis Institutes for
BioMedical Research (NIBR) and SeaChange Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
— a UCSF spinoff company launched by two of the paper’s authors
— set out to test how well a computer model could help researchers
eliminate risky drug prospects by identifying which ones were most
likely to have adverse side effects.
scoring three goals against
the Czech Republic and the
Netherlands. However, Spain will
be a much tougher test.
Ronaldo needs to make sure
he remains patient throughout
the game and does not let his
frustration get the best of him.
Spain is known for their ability
to control the ball, so the striker
might get limited touches.
He needs to make the most of
his opportunities to get on the
scoreboard and help his team into
the next round.
Bastian Schweinsteiger struggled
The team has great forwards
in Mario Balotelli and Antonio
Cassano to go along with
midfielder Andrea Pirlo, but
Buffon is the reason that Italy is
still playing in this tournament.
The goalkeeper is one of the
best in the world at his position,
and has played that way so far,
allowing only two goals in four
matches.
In the most recent match, he
helped Italy beat England on
penalty kicks.
Germany has had the most
dominant offense in Euro 2012,
and Buffon will need to continue
his great play to keep the opponent
off the board as Italy attempt to
pull the upset.
As a result, it offers a possible new way for researchers to focus their
efforts on developing the compounds that will be safest for patients,
while potentially saving billions of dollars each year that goes into
studying and developing drugs that fail. “The biggest surprise was just
how promiscuous the drugs were, with each drug hitting more than
10 percent of the targets, and how often the side-effect targets were
unrelated to the previously known targets of the drugs,” Shoichet,
whose lab is renowned for its work in using computational simulations
to identify new targets for known drugs, said. “That would have been
hard to predict using standard scientific approaches,” he added.
Adverse drug effects are the second most common reason, behind
effectiveness, that potential drugs fail in clinical trials, according to
the paper. The cost of developing an approvable drug is frequently
cited at about 1 billion dollars across 15 years, although recent
estimates have ranged as high as 4 billion dollars to 12 billion dollars
per drug, depending upon how many of these failures are included in
the estimate. “This basically gives you a computerized safety panel,
so someday, when you’re deciding among hundreds of thousands of
compounds to pursue, you could run a computer program to prioritize
for those that may be safest,” Michael Keiser, PhD, co-first author of
the paper, who started working on the project as a doctoral student
in Shoichet’s lab and co-founded SeaChange with Shoichet and John
Irwin, PhD, also of UCSF, upon graduation, said.
It also offers the possibility for identifying possible new uses for
medications that are already on the market, according to Peter Preusch,
Ph.D., who oversees structure-based drug design grants at the National
Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences,
which partly supported the study. “By providing a way to identify the
unintended targets of a drug, this advance will not only help streamline
the drug development pipeline, but also will provide valuable guidance
in efforts to repurpose existing drugs for new diseases and conditions,”
Preusch said.
“This work represents a notable contribution that is likely to find
broad applications in the pharmaceutical arena.” The project builds on
UCSF’s legacy as a leader in developing computer-based approaches to
efficiently screen millions of chemicals for those with the best potential
for drug development. The UCSF School of Pharmacy was the first
to develop computer-based molecular “docking” software, which both
public and private researchers use to visualize how potential drugs
might attach to target molecules to inhibit their function. The project
was supported by the National Institutes of Health and by the QB3
Rogers Family Foundation Bridging-the-Gap Award. The findings
were published in the journal Nature.
Exposure To BPA May Affect 4 Generations
Washington, June 16
Gestational exposure to Bisphenol
A (BPA) leads to behavioral
changes in four generations, a
new study has revealed.
tomorrow it is possible, if the
mice data generalize to humans,
that we will still have effects
of this compound for many
generations.”
Exposure to low doses of BPA
during gestation had immediate
and
long-lasting,
transgenerational effects on the brain
and social behaviors in mice.
In this study, female mice received
chow with or without BPA before
mating and throughout gestation.
BPA is a man-made chemical
present in a variety of products
Plasma levels of BPA in
supplemented
female
mice
were in a range similar to those
measured in humans.
Page 15
What Men And Women Hate About Each Other
London, June 19
Men and women still have a string of complaints about each other till today, a new survey has revealed. The
survey was conducted on 2,000 people by laundry firm Dr Beckmann. “Our research shows the veneer of
metrosexuality and ‘new man’ is wearing very thin and that men are as annoying as ever,” the Daily Express
quoted Susan Fermor, a spokesman for the firm, as saying.
“Women are no angels either. We may be in the 21st century but we still annoy the opposite sex in exactly
the same way we have been doing for millennia,” she said. The top most habit that men find annoying is
women saying “I’m fine” when they’re clearly not. More than 40 per cent of the men pinpointed this trait as
the one that most drives them up the wall.
“Women find it difficult to be straight about their feelings, leading to this type of passive aggressive
behaviour,” psychologist Corinne Sweet said. “It’s because they’re worried about what will happen if they
actually say what’s wrong or that they’ll be accused of constantly nagging. Women also want their other
halves to be mind readers.
They think, ‘If he really knew me, he’d know X and Y.’ This leads to hurt and disappointment because you
think your spouse doesn’t understand you.” “Women should learn to be more direct,” she said. Another
reason is that women talk too much. In the 80’s, the book ‘Man Made Language’ by Dale Spender used
scientific research to dispel the myth that women talk more than men. “It’s just that men think women talk
more.
That’s because there is a mismatch in what the sexes talk about,” Sweet said. According to Sweet, men want
to talk about particular subjects like football and work while women want to talk about relationships and
emotions. “It’s the minutiae of all that which men find excruciating. They’re not interested. They’re more
goal-orientated. “I’d suggest women talk to their friends at length and fulfil their needs that way then just
give men the briefer version,” she said.
The third most annoying habit of women is that they constantly ask what men are thinking. “This is partly
a low self-esteem issue,” Sweet said. “As a counselor and therapist I find so many women still measure
themselves by what their other half thinks of them and so they try to prise from them their innermost
thoughts.
It also comes back to the different way men and women communicate. “Men aren’t as emotionally articulate.
They may feel they’ve given you plenty of information and you might feel you’ve only scratched the
surface. I’d suggest women should stop worrying so much about what men think,” she said. Another reason
is that women win arguments by crying, which according to Sweet, have two sides to this.
including food containers, receipt
paper and dental sealants and is
now widely detected in human
urine and blood.
Public health concerns have
been fueled by findings that BPA
exposure can influence brain
development.
In mice, prenatal exposure to
BPA is associated with increased
anxiety, aggression and cognitive
impairments.
“We have demonstrated for
the first time to our knowledge
that BPA has trans-generational
actions on social behavior and
neural
expression,”
Emilie
Rissman, PhD, of the University
of Virginia School of Medicine
and lead author of the study, said.
“Since exposure to BPA changes
social interactions in mice at a
dose within the reported human
levels, it is possible that this
compound has trans-generational
actions on human behavior.
“If we banned BPA tomorrow,
pulled all products with BPA in
them, and cleaned up all landfills
Juveniles in the first generation
exposed to BPA in utero displayed
fewer social interactions as
compared with control mice.
The changes in genes were most
dramatic in the first generation
(the offspring of the mice
that were exposed to BPA in
utero), but some of these gene
changes persisted into the fourth
generation.
“BPA is a ubiquitous chemical, it
is in the air, water, our food, and
our bodies,” Rissman said.
“It is a man-made chemical, and
is not naturally occurring in any
plant or animal.
The fact that it can change gene
expression in mice, and that these
changes are heritable, is cause for
us to be concerned about what
this may mean for human health,”
Rissman added.
The study is published in
the journal Endocrinology, a
publication of The Endocrine
Society.
“If you’re hurt and need comfort then crying is perfectly legitimate. “However some women do cry
manipulatively and turn on the water works every time they can’t get their way. To those women I’d say
their behaviour is rather childlike and it’s better to find another way of settling the argument. “A lot of men
are emotionally bottled up and feel threatened by shows of emotion.
They could probably do with a cry themselves,” she added. The last among the top five list is that women
never say “sorry” even when they are wrong. “It’s difficult for women to say sorry because women tend to
think they’re the centre of the universe and men need to shape up.
“It’s partly because women are still the centre of the home – they’re the hub – and if they’re a working mum
they’re trying to do everything. They tend to feel that as a result they have this divine right to be right,”
Sweet said As men could get annoyed by women’s habit, women too are offended by men’s behaviour.
The top most habit that women find annoying in men is that they don’t listen properly. More than a third
of women claimed that this was their partner’s worst habit, but it’s not totally their fault. “It’s partly to do
with how the different sexes’ brains work,” Sweet said. “Women can multi-task whereas men can only do
one thing at a time. “Women tell men things but they’re not really listening because they’re preoccupied
– they’re either doing something else or thinking about something else and they can’t listen as well. For
women it’s infuriating.
“I’d say women should try to get their other halves to put down their newspaper or iPhone and give them
their full attention just for 10 minutes. Men have this horror that a conversation is going to go on and on.
They like a time limit,” she said. Second in the list is that men don’t put the toilet seat down. Thirdly, men
leave toe-nail clippings and beard shavings where ever they fall.
“This often goes back to what men’s mothers let them get away with when they were younger,” Sweet said.
“What you have to do is not get into the mother role because that’s the kiss of death in a relationship. Talk
to them adult to adult and explain why you hate it,” she said. Another reason is that men have friends that
their other half don’t like.
Sweet believes that if women don’t like their husband’s or their boyfriend’s friends, then it’s too bad. The
one that rounds up the list of annoying habit of men’s is that they hog the TV remote control. “Men think it’s
their prerogative to have the TV remote because they like control but women should have as much control
as men.
Page 16
MRS. SHAVETA JAIN CROWNED Men Happiest When
MRS. INDIA INTERNATIONAL 2012 Doing Domestic Chores
Mrs.
Udeeta
Tyagi
was
disqualified per the rules and
regulations of the pageant and
therefore automatically forfeited
the second runner up position
as well as Mrs. Congeniality
segment winner position.
and Mrs. India International
2008, crowned the new Mrs.
India International 2012 after
culmination of an entertaining
evening where the top twelve
finalists competed for the coveted
crown.
The guests, an involved and
encouraging crowd, enjoyed
Mrs. Jyoti Mahajan, Mrs. India
International 2010 was the Master
of the Ceremony along with Ms.
Fazleen Sohani and they both
kept the audience enthralled.
The show was broadcasted live in
partnership with DesiWebShow.
The friends and family of the
London, June 27
Men actually like to do housework and are happiest when sharing
chores, a study has revealed.
According to the Cambridge University study, domestic arguments
decline and the general happiness of the home gets better when men
do more of the job of looking after the house, the Daily Mail reported.
The taxpayer-funded study of the differences between men and women
suggests that husbands and boyfriends feel guilty when they don’t do
their share of the work around the home.
It also said that men prefer a quiet life with the domestic chores to a
noisier one with a discontented other half.
The team of academics said that they had expected to find that conflict
in the home worsened and the well-being of men declined when they
did more housework, but the opposite happened.
“It may be because more men support gender equality, so they feel
uncomfortable if the woman does most of the housework, and because
women are becoming more and more assertive and making their
dissatisfaction with lazy partners plain,” the study said.
The results run contrary to the great body of research findings which
say that, despite the advance of women into education and careers,
men continue to allow wives and partners to do the great bulk of the
housework.
Mrs. Richa Sharma, Mrs. India
International 2011and Mrs. Adrita
Khanna, Director of the Mrs.
India International 2012 Pageant
the finals which also included
some spirited Indian songs and a
fashion show.
finalists were able to watch the
performance live from any web
enabled device all around the
world.
New Mission Plans To Colonise Mars By 2023
Wellington, June 4
A brand new private space venture from the Netherlands called Mars One aims to send four astronauts on
a one-way journey to Mars in just 11 years time.
Founded by Dutch entrepreneur and researcher Bas Landsdorp, who previously headed up an alternative
energy company, the new venture doesn’t have a lot of the polish of other private space companies, many
of which were started by billionaires such as Musk, Paul Allen or Jeff Bezos.
Mars One has a definite and achievable to-do list. The first step includes sending a communications satellite
to Mars in 2016, while step two follows up with a Red Planet rover in 2018, which will trawl the dusty
landscape, scoping out some of the best spots to found a colony.
The third step, in 2020, included sending infrastructure for the colonists to live in, including solar panels
and machines that will convert the Martian elements into water and oxygen. Only then, on the surprisingly
specific date of September 14, 2022, will Mars One launch its first four astronauts. Their journey to the new
colony will take ten months, though they will have been preparing for a decade.
Most of that prep time will be spent figuring out how not to kill someone when you have to live in extremely
close quarters for the better part of a year and none of you can take a shower. Landsdorp plans to send
another couple of adventurous astronauts to join the colony every two years, but the idea is that no one gets
a return journey.
This is a permanent base, a Plymouth Rock in an entirely new world that will begin the long, slow and
painstaking process of terraforming it. Landsdorp says that the mission will be funded by “media spectacle”.
The latest study, by Cambridge University Professor Jacqueline Scott
and a team of academics, based its claim on results from the European
Social Study, a Brussels-financed survey that covers 30,000 people in
34 countries.
They were asked how much time they spent on jobs such as cooking,
washing, cleaning, shopping and maintaining the house.
“Contrary to expectations, men, not women, benefited from a less
traditional gender role divide in household chores.
“This suggests that men may be uncomfortably conscious of work
getting in the way of their doing a fair share of the chores at home,
whereas women have been doing a double shift,” it said.
PAMV
is about telling children that consumption of violent content in media can
have adverse health impacts. Join the
Parent group today.
www.PAMV.org
[email protected]
281-381-0744
Page 17
How Brain Guides
Human Behavior
London, June 25
Every day the human brain has
to perform various tasks ranging
from the trivial to the complex.
How much mental effort and attention are devoted to each task
is usually determined in a split
second and without conscious
awareness.
where the lesion is to be placed.
To evaluate dACC function, the
investigators recorded brain activity from several neurons within the structure while participants
performed a behavioral task testing their reactions to visual images.
Now, a study from
Massachusetts
General
Hospital
(MGH)
researchers has found that a
structure deep within the brain, believed
to play an important
role in regulating
conscious control
of
goal-directed
behavior, helps to
optimize behavioral
responses by predicting how difficult
upcoming tasks will
be.
“The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), which
lies deep beneath
the outer layer of
the frontal lobes, is
part of an ancient
and enigmatic part
of the brain,” said
Emad
Eskandar,
MD, of the MGH Department of
Neurosurgery, senior author of
the study.
“Some have speculated that it
plays a role in detecting errors
or monitoring for conflicting demands, but exactly how it contributes to regulating behavioral
responses is unclear, so we used
a variety of scientific techniques
to get a better picture of its function,” Eskandar stated.
The study enrolled six participants who were scheduled to undergo cingulotomy – a procedure
in which a small, precisely placed
lesion is created within the ACC
– to treat severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) that has
not responded to other types of
treatment.
A standard part of the cingulotomy procedure involves microelectrode recordings of the activity of single neurons in the area
Functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) of four participants performing the behavioral
task prior to the cingulotomy procedure revealed that the task increased metabolic activity within
the dACC, a result seen in previous fMRI studies.
The fMRI images also revealed
that responding to more difficult
images produced greater activity
levels within the dACC and in
other structures known to be involved in decision making.
Intraoperative
microelectrode
recordings of all participants
demonstrated that this apparent
increase in metabolic activity
corresponded with an increase in
neuronal activity, linking for the
first time the increased activation
revealed by fMRI with increased
neuronal firing.
Analysis of individual neuron
activity indicated that dACC neu-
ronal activity remained elevated
immediately after difficult trials.
Marks `N` Spencer Launches
World’s Most Sustainable Suit
Moreover, participant reaction
time revealed that the difficulty
of the prior trial had an impact
on the next trial: if the preceding
trial was of the same level of difficulty, reaction time was shorter;
if the two tests were of different
difficulty levels – even
if the second test was
easier – reaction time
was longer.
London, June 19
Marks and Spencer’s sustainable suit took four years in the making,
with its care label made from recycled polyester.
By anticipating the
difficulty of upcoming
tasks, the authors noted, it appears that the
dACC speeds up responses when difficulty
levels are constant but
slows response time
down when faced with
changing demands in
order to promote accuracy.
Bolland was proudly modelling the suit for its official launch at the M
and S Plan A Stakeholder meeting.
to vanish.
Marc Bolland, M and S’s CEO was so happy with it after he had it
tailored to fit last week, that he asked for another one straight away.
The reason Bolland is so happy is that this suit has been four years in
the making - every stitch and detail has been thought and rethought
- and it will go on sale at the end of August as the world’s most
sustainable suit.
Made from Australian organic wool, dyed in Italy using GOTS
approved technology, and then spun into yarn at an Italian mill, the
fabric was then shipped to China along with around twenty other
components.
Each one is meticulously sourced to ensure they are the most sustainable
While behavioral tests
conducted after the
cingulotomy procedure
– which destroys tissue
within the dACC – did
not indicate a change
in participants’ ability to perform the test
accurately, the impact
of preceding trials on
reaction time appeared
“Participants could still perform
the task, but the dACC’s role of
priming the system based on immediate prior experience was
gone,” Eskandar explained.
“We believe this result indicates
an important role for the dACC
in rapidly adjusting to different
cognitive demands, possibly by
recruiting other areas of the brain
to solve particular problems,” he
added.
An associate professor of Surgery
at Harvard Medical School, Eskandar added that, while significant cognitive changes have not
been reported in patients undergoing cingulotomy, the apparent
role of the dACC in adapting to
changing situations implies a possible role for the structure in several psychiataric disorders. The
report will be published online in
Nature.
possible, from the linings made from recycled PET bottle polyester
from a hi-tech processing plant in Japan, the recycled polyester zips,
the reclaimed pocket linings (surplus from their own production lines)
and reclaimed stray buttons which would otherwise end up in landfill.
“It is a very complex supply chain,” the Telegraph quoted Marks and
Spencer’s Sustainable Raw Materials Specialist Mark Sumner, who
has been heading up the project, as saying.
“Although it’s as radical as we can make it in terms of sustainability
it still looks like a beautiful suit and fits well and has the right styling
and is good value,” he said.
So far, only 500 of the suits will be produced. It is being seen as a
laboratory to test out new ways of more sustainable production from
every aspect of the supply chain. Even the care label is made from
recycled polyester.
Each of the 20 major components that go into the suit have been
looked at and analysed to see how to make them sustainable.
“In most cased we have had to push the boundaries of the industry and
the technology to make the components more sustainable and keep the
quality,” Sumner said.
Page 18
Àctive` Video Games Offer No
Physical Benefits To Kids
Sydney, June 25
Many parents may think that
active video games such as
Wii FIt Balanceare are an easy
solution to getting their kids off
the couch, but a new study has
found no physical benefits for
children from these activities.
The Nintendo Wii game console,
which arrived in the United
States six years ago, was such an
exciting prospect as it offered the
chance for children to get exercise
without even leaving the house.
Tennis was one of the games in
the Wii Sports software that came
much digital ado about nothing,
at least as far as measurable
health benefits for children.
that are played passively, like
Disney Sing It: Pop Hits and
Madden NFL 10.
The study undertaken by the
Children’s Nutrition Research
Centre at Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston was
published early this year in
Pediatrics, the official journal
of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the Sydney Morning
Herald reported.
The participants agreed to wear
accelerometers periodically to
measure physical activity over
the 13-week experiment.
Previous studies have shown
that adults and children, who
play active video games, when
encouraged in an ideal laboratory
To observe how well the
intrinsic appeal of active games
changed children’s behaviour,
the researchers distributed the
consoles and games without
exhortations
to
exercise
frequently.
They found “no evidence that
children receiving the
active video games were
more active in general, or
at any time, than children
receiving the inactive
video games.”
How is it possible that
children who play active
video games do not
emerge well ahead in
physical activity?
right in the box with the console.
This was the progenitor of
“exergames”, video games that
led to hopes that fitness could turn
into irresistible fun.
But exergames turn out to be
HAPPY
July 03 Guru Poornima
July 20 Ramadan Begins
July 22 Parents Day
July 24 Naag Panchami
setting, engage in moderate, even
vigorous physical activity briefly.
The Baylor team wanted to
determine what happened when
the games were used not in a
laboratory, but in actual homes.
The participants in this study
were children 9 to 12 years old
who had a body mass index above
the median and whose households
did not already have a video game
console.
Each was given a Wii. Half were
randomly assigned to a group
that could choose two among the
five most physically demanding
games that could be found:
Active Life: Extreme Challenge;
EA Sports Active; Dance Dance
Revolution; Wii Fit Plus; and Wii
Sports.
The other half could choose
among the most popular games
“When you prescribe
increased
physical
activity, overall activity
remains
the
same
because the subjects
compensate by reducing
other physical activities
during the day,” said
Anthony Barnett, an exercise
physiologist who is a consultant
at the University of Hong Kong,
and one of the authors of the
Pediatrics article.
Changing sedentary behavior
is extremely difficult, says Dr.
Charles T. Cappetta, an executive
committee member of the
American Academy of Pediatrics’
Council on Sports Medicine and
Fitness.
“It may seem that active video
games are an easy solution to
getting kids off the couch. But as
this study and others show, they
do no such thing,” he said.
He stated that “live sports” – the
kind that are outside of the home,
without controllers and television
monitors – “remain the gold
standard to get cardiovascular
benefit.”
Dads Happier Than Men Without Kids
Washington, June 18
Men who have kids were more likely to report happiness, whether they
stay at home with their kids or assume a more traditional fatherly role,
than their childless peers, a new research has found. Contrary to recent
reports, having kids may make a positive impact on levels of adult
happiness.
And while both moms and dads noted marked increases in happiness,
dads especially seem to be more content than men without kids. The
analysis comes from researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of
psychology at University of California, Riverside, and her colleagues,
who conducted three different studies to determine whether previous
research indicating that parents were less happy than their childless
peers held true, the Discovery News reported.
In the first study, researchers took a sample of 7,000 Americans to
gauge happiness levels. Dads reported both higher levels of positive
emotion and more meaning in life than childless men.
In
the
s e c o n d
s t u d y ,
researchers
beeped
a
group
of
329 adults
at random
t i m e s
throughout
the day to
ask
how
happy they
were at that
moment.
Dads were
the
most
likely
to
r e p o r t
positive
emotions,
followed by
moms.
A
third
study asked
186 parents
to provide a written play-by-play of their daily activities, noting
emotions and meaningful moments.
Again, parents won out over those without kids. Finally, a separate
study shows that stay-at-home dads are finding fulfillment in that nontraditional role.
In fact, researchers from the Boston College Center for Work and
Family report in a new study, The New Dad: Right at Home, that the
arrangement usually benefits the entire family. In-depth interviews
with 31 at-home dads revealed that most choose to stay home.
“Contrary to media reports about laid off fathers who re-invent
themselves as full-time caregivers, most of the men we interviewed
report that being a stay-at-home dad is a choice, not simply a reaction
to an unanticipated job loss,” said study author Brad Harrington,
Executive Director of the Center for Work and Family, in a press
release.
“It’s clear to us that men strongly identify with this as a role. They
don’t have a feeling of ambivalence of, What am I doing, I’m a man.
There is no sense of angst.
These guys strongly identified with being SAHD. They are proud of
it,” he told Time The study will be published in Psychological Science,
says a pre-Father’’s Day article in Time.
Page 19
Community Calendar
March 2012 Community Calendar and Listing
July 03, Tuesday,
06:00 PM,
Guru Purnima Festival is at Braj
Mandir, 711 S. Franklin Street,
Holbrook, MA 02343. For more
information, mail at [email protected]
July 07, Saturday,
04:30 PM,
An Enchanting Musical Evening by Mahalakshmi Shenoy, a
Hindustani Devotional Concert
is at Chinmaya Mission, Andover, MA. For more information, contact Sudhakar Rao at
339.206.1121. Entry fee is $20.
July 17, Tuesday,
07:00 PM,
Mata Amritanandamayi, Renowned Humanitarian and Spiritual Leader is at Best Western,
Royal Plaza Hotel/Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road West
(Route 20W), Marlborough. Vegetarian meals available for a nominal charge. For more information, contact ammanewengland@
gmail.com or 781.519.2297. For
more information, visithttp://
www.ammanewengland.org/
blog/ammatour-boston-home.
Google’s Next
Version Of Android
Is A ‘Jelly Bean’!
Washington, June 27
Web giant Google has revealed its newest version of its Android
operating system, by rolling out a ‘jelly bean’ statue on its front lawn
at its headquarters in Mountain View, California.
The jelly bean statue now joins other dessert-themed statues on
Google’s lawn, including an ice cream sandwich, donut, cupcake, and
éclair, all representing the different versions of Android.
According to ABC News, Google will share the details on Jelly Bean
at its Google I/O conference in San Francisco, where the firm will
preview and demonstrate the software for developers and press; no real
details have been shared on what the operating system will include.
The current version of Android, called Ice Cream Sandwich or Android
4.0, was released last November which brought sweeping changes to
the mobile phone and tablet operating system, and was released with
a phone called the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, as it worked closely with
Samsung to create a phone for the new software.
Google also is expected to release a new Nexus device, except this
time it is a tablet. Rumored to be called the Nexus 7, Google-watchers
believe the tablet will have a 7-inch screen, a quad-core processor,
made by Asus and will be priced at 199 dollars.
SEPTEMBER 2012 ISSUE
BEAUTY, FASHION , JEWELLERY SPECIAL
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617-334-6781
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southasian.com
AUGUST 2012 ISSUE
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southasian.com
Love For Mobile Devices May Trigger Personality Disorders
London, June 19
Our obsession with latest
technologies like smartphone,
tablet or laptop may cause not
only distraction, but it may also
change our personalities, says an
expert.
An estimated 65 per cent of
people in the developed world
have a smartphone, tablet or
laptop. And it is predicted that
by 2015, eight in 10 of all people
would be connected this way – all
the time.
Dr Larry Rosen, professor of
psychology at California State
University, calls these gadgets
wireless mobile devices, or
WMDs, and explores their
potentially explosive effects
in his new book, iDisorder:
Understanding Our Obsession
With
Technology
and
Overcoming Its Hold on Us.
“We’re in the middle of a grand
experiment here. We’re at the
early stages of understanding a
society that carries the world in
its pocket. It’s good – you can
always connect with someone
– but it also means you’re
there, 24 hours a day... Our
brains have not developed to be
constantly engaged like this,”
the Independent quoted Rosen as
saying.
identified two types of tweeters:
In his book, he uses his own and
other academics’ research to show
how the users of WMDs appear to
display the symptoms of an array
of personality disorders.
Because
they’re
able to do it behind
a glass screen, it
somehow changes
the way they relate
to the world.”
One example is narcissism,
named after the hunter in Greek
mythology who fell in love with
his own image reflected in a pond.
To a narcissist, who would display
traits including grandiosity, a
need for admiration and a lack
of empathy, social networks,
Rosen writes, “provide a virtual
playground for self-expression”.
A study of 3,000 Twitter users
by Rutgers University in the US
tweets were about “me”. Rosen
says: “Even people
who would not
behave like this
in the real world
feel
comfortable
p r e s e n t i n g
themselves that way
online.
Meformers
and
Informers.
Participants were representative
but 80 per cent of all of their
Rosen says the
mobility of new
devices that bring
us within ever closer
reach to networks of
friends has added to
a “digital cocooning”
effect, causing many
people to become
socially withdrawn
from the real world.
The researcher surveyed more
than 1,300 people of different
ages and found the younger
participants were much more
willing and able multitaskers.
But, he writes, “the more tasks we
take on... the more our brain gets
stressed and overloaded, and the
worse we do at all of the tasks.”
There is no multi-tasking, Rosen
says, only “task-switching”, and
it isn’t productive.
Rosen admits he shows signs
of obsessive behaviour around
Words with Friends, the Scrabbleinspired smartphone game.
Whether it’s repeatedly checking
your inbox or Facebook, Rosen
blames this sort of behaviour on
the “undercurrent of anxiety that
if we don’t check in we may be
missing out on something”.
“Disconnectivity anxiety” leads
to worry and even physical
distress. To combat anxiety,
Rosen suggests using your
WMDs less.
Page 20
London Olympics To
Be Most Expensive
Games Ever
London, June 26
The London Olympics this year will be the most expensive Games ever, a new study has
suggested.
Spinning ÙFO` Observed In 5
Countries Leaves Viewers Puzzled
London, June 9
On the evening of June 7, thousands of people in Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Cyprus and
Lebanon got the shock of their lives, as they watched a spinning ‘UFO’ performing
cartwheels in the sky.
A report prepared by Oxford
University’’s Said Business
School, dealing only with
‘’sport-related costs, revealed
that the final budget for the
games would be at 8.4 billions
pounds.
Police in these countries were flooded with phonecalls by panicked residents, as the
white, gleaming light danced high up in the atmosphere. Theories abounded over what
this could be - a failing missile test, a satellite breaking up in our atmosphere, or a visit
from an alien spacecraft.
According to The Independent,
the study showed that the
total budget for the games has
increased by 101 percent over its
original 2004 budget estimate.
The event began at around 8:45pm in the evening, and after a few hours of panic, the
Defense Ministry in Moscow said a test rocket had been launched just six minutes
before that time.
The amount includes expenditure
on security, transport, opening
and closing ceremonies and the
construction of venues and the
athletes’’ village.
The budget combines public
sector subsidies with private
funds that have been raised
by the London Organizing
Committee from sponsorship
and ticket sales.
But experts believe it might be caused by a failed test rocket launched by Russian
military, the Daily Mail reported.
They called it a successful launch, although a leaked and then supressed video
apparrently shows the missile beginning to fail.
If this is the case, then the spirals of light in the sky is fuel spewing out from the missile
as it burns in a fierce cartwheel through the sky, creating the startling geocentric shapes.
The missile is thought to be 120 to 180 miles in the sky that, at the top end of the scale,
is roughly half as high as the International Space Station, at 345miles. If it was a missile
exploding at that height, it explains why the spectacle could be seen from such a wide
swathe of countries.
Israeli Astronomical Association Chairman Dr. Yigal Pat-El said it was most likely a
missile. “It most likely spun out of control and its remnants and the fuel was what
people saw. It reached a height of 200-300 kilometers and that’s why it was seen from
so many locations,” he explained.
Jogging In Forest Twice More Beneficial
For Mental Health Than Gym Workout
London, June 26
A jog through a forest can cut
the risk of suffering from mental
health problems and is twice as
good as compared to a trip to the
gym, a study has found.
Researchers found that anything
from a stroll in the park to a run
through woodland can have a
positive effect on people suffering
from depression and anxiety.
The study also showed that the
positive effect on people’s mental
health was 50 percent more than
they might expect from going to
the gym.
The researchers at Glasgow
University looked at natural
and non-natural environments
for physical activity, including
walking, running and cycling,
and found that being around trees
and grass lowered brain stress
levels, the Telegraph
reported.
compared to those who
weren’t,” he said.
The study, led by Prof
Richard
Mitchell,
polled nearly 2000
physically
active
people in the 2008
Scottish
Health
Survey.
“These aren’’t serious
mental health issues,
more struggles in
general life, things like
mild depression, not
being able to sleep,
high stress levels or
just feelings of not
being able to cope.
Only
activities
carried out in a
natural environment
outdoors were found
to be associated with
a lower risk of poor
mental health.
“It seems that woodland
and forest seem to have
the biggest effect on
helping to lower mental
health problems.
“That makes sense
with what we thought
we knew.
Prof Mitchell said
he was “surprised”
by the scale of the
results.
“There was around
a 50 per cent
improvement in people’s mental
health if they were physically
active in the natural environment,
That is, the brain likes
to be in the natural
environment and it
reacts to being there by turning
down our stress response.
Being in areas that have lots of
trees and grassy areas help to
calm us down, and obviously a
forest has this.
“I wasn’t surprised by the
findings that exercise in natural
environments is good for your
mental health, but I was surprised
by just how much better it is for
your mental health to exercise in
a green place like a forest, than in
other places like the gym.
“The message to doctors,
planners and policy makers is that
these places need protecting and
promoting,” he added.
He said that taking a decision to
exercise in a natural environment
once a week could be enough
to gain some benefit, and any
additional use could have a bigger
effect.
Page 21
PREDICTIONS By Pandit Parashar
ARIES (March 21 to April 20):
You will be full of energy and
enforce your ideas.
Pending
issues
with a governmnet
agency can get resolved before 15th.
You will be paying
lot more attention to a child and
may also go on an important trip
in second half of July. You will
make a very important contact
this month.
TAURUS (April 21 to May 20):
You will be making some heavy
duty purchases befor 15th. Money
will go on quality and not quantity items. Some
of you may have
to take an important business trip
to meet some influential person in
second half of July. Idea of seeking legal help to prove your point
is not a bad one.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20):
You will have several bright ideas
and
implement
few of them before
15th and patiently
wait for the results.
Some of you will
be travelling across waters towards the end of July. You will
become more spiritual. Money
will pour in from all directions.
You will be writing a check to
government.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22):
You will spend money on family, friends and
on a travel before
15th. Plans you put
in place recently
will start to yield
positive results in
second half of July. There will
be tremendous progress in career
and you will have the dream assignment in hands. Keep playing
the lottery.
LEO (July 23 to August 22):
Positive changes before 15th will
make you feel very
good about yourself. You will gain
more popularity
in society. Do not
let slow progress
demoralise you in second half
of July. Results will come next
month, so relax. Planets can create attaraction towards a person
from different culture.
VIRGO (August 23 to September
22): You will be
paying lots of attention to career in
first half. Results
will finally start
coming for efforts made in past
several months and every body
around will be happy. You may
invite an important person at your
place towards the second half of
July. A debt will get paid off.
LIBRA (September 23 to October 22): You will be working on
an excellent idea
in first half and see
the results during
July itself. This
project will take
you to a new level
in career. Meetings in second half
will go well and you will receive
the assurance quickly. You will
call a governmnet agency for
clarification.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November 22): Time will be spent
on doing lots of
research and collecting facts before
you really launch
your ideas. After
15th you will feel
luck to be on your side and the
plan will take off with positive
feedback from everyone. You
may call and seek blessings of a
holy and elderly person.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23
to December 22): New venture
and partners before July 15th will
be lucky for you. You have some
real easy money
coming your way
in second half. You
will be traveling to
a nice place with
family towards the
end of July. Some of you will be
moving to another house during
the month of July.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to
January 19): You will overcome
many difficulties
of past and see
competetiors moving out of your
way before 15th.
You will be successful in cutting down expenses
and recover some money also
this month. You will be tempted
to travel long distance but may
change your mind on the last
minute.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18): New alliance that will
occur before 15th
will be good and
last for a very long
time. Good deed
performed in the
past will pay off
now in big way.
All issues involving a child will
be settled by 15th. You may go
Sun Signs May Help Find Slimming Regimes That Actually Work
London, June 15
An astrologer, who has more than
20 years of experience in lecturing and writing on astrology and
health, thinks that our star signs
could help us determine the best
way to keep in shape.
a good thing,” Stemler said.
sociation said the astro-diet plan
“I think everyone should be following these suggestions - like
planning ahead with meals, making time to eat, ditching fatty sugary foods and including lots of
protein and fresh fruit - whatever
star sign they are,” she said.
Using her insights, Sharon Ward
has created a special astro-diet
plan.
WWW.
Southasian
“Astrology can give us a real insight into personality, so it can
help you find a diet and exercise
regime that you’ll stick to,” the
Daily Mail quoted her as saying.
Andrew Stemler, director of
training at Crossfit in London,
has voiced his opinion on zodiacs
determining workout regimes.
“Looking at your star sign to
work out what you enjoy is a fun
way to start exercising, and anything that inspires you to get fit is
food groups like carbohydrates or
dairy.
Dietician, Anne Myers spokesperson for the British Dietetic As-
has some great ideas although she
advises against cutting out whole
newspapers.
com
on an important business trip towards the end of the month.
PISCES (February 19 to March
20): Every one will enjoy the
short vacation in
early part of July.
You will have a
good chance to
learn from your
competetiors. You will sign some
important documents only after
making minor changes. Money
will come but go out fast. You
will call to seek advice from an
old friend.
Pandit Parashar
[email protected]
www.parashar.com
925-833-7170
Boston
South Asian
Editor: Bala Kumar
Operations:
Ram Ramaswamy
Jyothi K. Mariswaran
Manimekalai
Marketing:
Aparna Radhakrishnan
Jayachitra Vijay
Ganesh
Publisher:
Vidya Kumar
Design/Layout
/Marketing/Distribution:
Palepages llc
Tel: 215-780-0603
Fax: 512-685-2324
info@Bostonsouthasian.
com
www.Bostonsouthasian.
com
©All rights reserved.
Page 22
Ram’s Tamil Version Of
Ep Gearing Up For Release
Though it was the producer’s
plan to release Endukante. Premanta and Yen Endraal Kaadhal
Enben simultaneously, it could
not be accomplished as per the
plan.
more general, the Tamil title is
more apt to the story. If only it
were true, goes the meaning of
the title.
‘Scenes In Nag’s
‘Love Story’ Will Be
Heart-Touching’
Nagarjuna has been working
without a break for very long
now. He swotted up a lot for Rajanna, which demanded that he
grew lion-like hair for the role.
Though it was his home production, Nag could not expend much
efforts on promoting it, as he
was devastated by the loss of his
mother’s death.
Ajay Devgn – The Indian Hulk!
Lion king Ajay Devgn is one actor who is known in the industry
for his super fit body.
And this time around the actor’s
strength has earned him a new
nick name – The Indian Hulk!
News is that the actor, who plays
a pehelwan in Rohit Shetty’s upcoming comic caper ‘Bol Bach-
lar scene required the actor to lift
the 50 kilo ‘ballam’ like an actual
pehelwan. Director Rohit Shetty
had kept a lighter ‘ballam’ which
weighed much lesser than the
original one ready for the shot.
However, Devgn insisted on using the real ‘ballam’ as he wanted
the shot to look perfect.
Without taking a holiday from
work, he continued to work for
Shirdi Sai and Damarukam, both
The Tamil version is, however,
finally set to hit the screens in
some days. Ram has said that
this is a proper bi-lingual, since
every scene was shot twice.
A good film has been debunked
by many critics in Telugu. One
only hopes that the surreal feel of
the movie will be enjoyed and appreciated by the audience as well
as critics in Tamil Nadu.
Ram, who is well-versed in Tamil, is currently dubbing for the
movie. While the Telugu title is
GV Prakash Kumar’s background
score will surely be seen as a
highlight of the film.
Kamal Haasan To Croon For Vallinam
Vallinam is a sports based movie featuring Nakul and Mridula in the
lead. Arivazhagan, who previously did Eeram, is directing the film.
He had supposedly asked Kamal Haasan to
croon a number,
for which the actor has given his
nod.
The actor will be
singing a song
that will feature
during the climax.
STR, Nakul and
Andrea have already sung for
the film under
Thaman’s music
direction.
which have been completed but
for some post-production works.
No sooner did he complete his
work for the two films, than he
began Dasarath’s Love Story,
which he had committed himself
some months back. The film is
currently on floors. Some scenes
on Nag, Bharath Reddy and
Meera Chopra were shot recently
in the Hi-Tec area in Hyderabad.
“Nag’s role is very fresh in the
film. He is playing a distinct role
here. The emotions will be truly
heart-touching,” the makers say.
SS Thaman is the music director. Nayanatara will join the team
very soon.
chan’ shocked the entire unit by
lifting a very heavy traditional
akhada equipment for a particular
scene!
The equipment known as the
‘ballam’ weighs around 50 kilos
and is used by real pehelwans in
traditional desi akhadas to train
and work out.
It so happened that one particu-
And with a strong and fit physique like his, he managed to lift
the very heavy equipment and the
superstar pulled the shot off with
much ease and perfection in true
Hulk style!
‘Bol Bachchan’ produced by Ajay
Devgn Ffilms and Shree Ashtavinayak LFS Infra Ltd and presented by Fox Star Studios hits
screens on July 6th.
Shankar-Vikram’s I To Be Made At A Cost Of Rs. 70 Cr
Shankar and spectacular amounts go hand in hand. After making the costliest Indian movie ever, South India’s biggest director is all set to make Aascar V Ravichandran shell out the second ever highest budget for a South Indian movie. I, starring
Vikram and Samantha, is going to be made at a cost of Rs. 70
cr. In addition to the Tamil versions, Telugu and Hindi versions
will also be made simultaneously.
“Producer Aascar V Ravichandran is happy about joining hands
with Shankar and Vikram after the super hit Anniyan. All that
he wants is a grand venture without any compromise on the
budget,” sources say. The film will have music by A R Rahman
and some of the top technicians of the world are working in it.
With dialogues by writer duo Subha, the movie has story and
screenplay by Shankar himself. It is a romantic thriller.
Page 23
‘Kabhiekabhie’ Kapoors Return Hrithik Beats Srk And Akshay Bejoynambiar’s ‘David’
Their cute romance won over everyone in ‘KabhieKabhie’ And now the maker of the 1976 classic
hit is all set to bring back the lovers in his forthcoming, much-talked
venture
the Shahrukh
Khan-Katrina
Kaif-Anushka
Yash Chopra
in his forthcoming, comeback film has
planned
to
bring back the
real and reel
life jodi of Rishi Kapoor and
Neetu Singh.
According to
sources,
the
couple will replay the same
characters
which
they
played in ‘KabhieKabhie’,
moreover,
it
will be like extension of the same like, their graduation from college lovers to a married couple.
Said a source, To create a sense of continuity and
c o n stancy
between
the two
romantic eras
covered
by KabhieKabhie and
Y a s h
Chopra’s
n e w
film, Rishi and
NeetuKapoor
will be
playing
the two
carefree
students Vicky Khanna and Pinky Kapoor, respectively, from KabhiKabhie, once wildly in love, now
happily married for decades and still wildly in love.
B-town Greek God in looks and the best body dancer HrithikRoshan has charmed his way into the top
slots on TV and has beaten the top favorites Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar.
The year 2012 ha been phenomenal for the Roshan
junior who began the year by breaking existing box
office records and creating new ones. Agneepath
opened with Rs 23 crore, the highest ever for a film
which later marked the entry of Hrithik into the 100
crore club.
The
satellite rights of
Agneepath
were sold at
an astronomical
price.
And
now
according to
Tam reports,
the
world
premiere
of ‘Agneepath’ on Zee
Cinema attracted viewers beyond
expectations.
Hrithik lived
up to the
hype and the film managed a TVR of 6.7 in Mumbai, Gujarat TVR was 7.4.
With Two Davids!
‘Shaitan’ fame director BejoyNambiar’s second offering, ‘David’ stars
top notch South actor Vikram in the lead role. Interestingly the film
is about two Davids, played by Vikram and Jiiva (Jiiva in Tamil andTelugu). While one is a fisherman the other is a musician. Two Davids
in two different times take decisions that change their lives forever, say
sources in the know! ‘David’ is a double narrative film laced with good
music, drama, action and humour.
The average TVR was 4.7. The average TVR of 4.7
for Agneepath is the highest ever for Zee Cinema.
Produced by Getaway Films and Reliance Entertainment, ‘David’ stars
Tabu, Lara Dutta, IshaSharvani, SaurabhShukla, Nasser, Rohini, Nishan and John Vijay in important roles. To bring a unique and different
feel to the scenes featuring both the characters Bejoy has shot with two
different DOPs in two different cities.
Hrithik has managed to better the previous Trps that
Zee Cinema had, Don 2 was 2.9 and DesiBoyz was
2.4. Hrithik’s increasing popularity and stability is
proven once again.
While Rathnavelu aka Randy has shot the fisherman story, Sejal Shah
has shot the musician’s scenes. Editing is by Sreekar Prasad and Rajeevan is the production designer. Music is by ‘Kolaveri’ fame Anirudh,
PrashantPillai, Remo, Modern Mafia and others.
Eshadeol’s Wedding To Go Dhoomdhoom!
Finally after months of speculations the day has almost arrived... B-town is gearing up to witness a grand, spectacular, dreamy
wedding. Daughter of yesteryear Dream Girl HemaMalini and superstar He-Man Dharmendra, EshaDeol is all set to get married to businessman Bharat Takhtani on June 29. Starting from today (25th June) is four-day gala, glittering affair; for which
the guest list will include the celebrities from cinema, politics and social scenario.
The wedding card has been designed by Mumbai’s famed invitation cards makers Multi Creation. The couple approached Mr.
Kamlesh, the designer after doing a lot of market research. They
brain stormed along with the designer to bring fort this amazingly
beautiful and classic invitation box.
The Kapoors who are currently in Paraguay, will
soon fly London for the film’s shoot.
The invitations cards for various ceremonies prior to the D-Day
are placed in this exquisite golden and cream colored re-usable
box. MotiChoorladoo and dry fruits were sent to the invitees
along with the box. Esha and Bharat wanted a Lotus to be engraved in their wedding card.
Excited about being part of Yash Chopra’s new venture, Rishi said that for him and Neetu it’s like an
honour and their way of paying respect to the filmmaker.
Hence Mr. Kamlesh creatively designed the cover of the box with
an Om and Swastik along with gold plated initials of Esha and
Bharat. Beautiful images of Radha Krishna are used in the cards
which makes it most alluring.
Talks are that a romantic number will be composed
especially for the couple by AR. Rahman.
The Mehendi ceremony will be held on 28th June, in
HemaMalini’sJuhu bungalow, which is said to be held against a
south Indian backdrop with lots of flowers and diyas. The wedding will be held in a temple in Juhu, which will be in traditional
south Indian style. The reception will be held next day, 30th June, at a suburban five star hotel. HemaMalini is said to be quite
keen to make her daughter’s wedding a really grand event, which will become talk of the town in years to come.
Meanwhile Shahrukh and Katrina are said to be
shooting a very romantic sequence in London.
Anushka Sharma is soon expected to join the team.
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JUL `2012 - Boston South Asian

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