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| Friday,
June 1, 2001, Chandigarh, India    |
Indian wheat rejected again Shades of child abuse |
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By Hari Jaisingh
Fall from a family
tree
Pakistan playing with
fire
Obesity drives up cost of health
Aamir Khan causes traffic jam
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Indian wheat rejected again INDIA'S ambitious plan to export five million tonnes of wheat this year has received a severe jolt with Iraq rejecting a third shipment of 23,000 tonnes. It bitterly complains that the consignment is of low quality as there are traces of dust, stones, sand and shockingly even asphalt. Last time a similar rejected grain stock was auctioned at Dubai at a sharply reduced price. This time there are no buyers in Dubai and Egypt and Iran have politely refused to buy it, fearing the presence of
Karnal bunt fungus can destroy their own crop. The attendant bad publicity has left several red faces in New Delhi and the blame is heaped on the private exporter who merely transported the grain to Mumbai and loaded it on a ship. Incidentally, an independent agent appointed by the Iraqi Grain Board had cleared the shipload for quality, which raises the suspicion that he was suitably persuaded. New Delhi mandarins and those in the FCI and STC are blissfully ignorant of the simple fact that Iraq follows a stringent quality control standard, more severe than even Codex, the global norm of all grain sale. In the past it has turned away exports from Argentina and Pakistan on similar grounds. And it has a valid reason for its ultra caution. Its flour mills do not have the facility to remove inorganic matter since the UN-imposed sanctions have made spare parts unavailable. The only country that wins instant approval is Australia whose wheat consignments are nodded through routinely. In a belated response the Food Ministry has decided to set up mechanical facilities to clean and wash wheat exports to Iraq and also other countries. Knowing the unscientific handling and storing of foodgrains by the FCI and the desperate need to export, it should have initiated corrective measures a long while ago. And surprisingly automatic and foolproof cleaning system costs a mere Rs 2 crore with a daily capacity of 2500-3000 tonnes. The expenses could be recovered from exporters who buy wheat cheap and sell it at a handsome profit. For instance, the lot that earned a resounding disapproval of the Iraqi Grain Board cost the exporter a mere $ 89 a tonne, or 10 quintals. Transportation to Mumbai and loading is not very expensive. Thus he can afford to pay for the mechanical cleaning of wheat. The whole sordid drama throws up two questions. One, when Iraq agreed to take in 350,000 tonnes of wheat under the food for oil programme, courtesy demanded that India sent the best wheat not only because it would be creating a permanent market but also because that country is a special friend in the region. Two, the FCI is supplying the same grain to domestic consumers and no doubt the offtake has slumped. It means Indians consume dust, sand, stones and asphalt at breakfast, lunch and dinner. No doubt the FCI is in deep trouble and the common man is chuckling. |
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Shades of child abuse REVOLTING
is too mild an expression for describing the attempt of a headmaster of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, to sell six girls from his school to a sex syndicate in Nepal. Ravinder Kumar was a respected name in Tissa village of Muzaffarnagar where he started his career as a teacher 10 years ago. Had he been in the business of girl-running ever since he joined Shishu Shiksha Niketan there would have been complaints about the disappearance of girl students even before the present incident took place. What made him become a part of the international gang of girls, guns and drug-runners is not clear. However, he is not the only person, in contact with minor children on a regular basis, whose aberrant behaviour should be a source of worry to civil society. His conduct was as despicable as that of the orphanage owners of Hyderabad who are accused of selling children, particularly girls, left in their care to sex cartels. Of course, it would be unfair to place in the same category the headmistress of a school in Chandigarh booked for the insane whipping of a 10-year-old student and the school teacher from Kasauli whose alleged beating of a girl student - who later died of jaundice at the PGI, Chandigarh - resulted in mob violence in the traditionally peaceful hill station. In the case of Ravinder Kumar and the owners of the Hyderabad orphanage it was, perhaps, the temptation of easy money which made them sell their soul and conscience to the devil. It was sheer incompetence which made the headmistress from Chandigarh and the teacher from Kasauli use the cane for enforcing discipline in class. On the basis of available evidence it can be said that they are unfit for the jobs they hold. St John's High School recently dismissed from service a teacher found guilty of beating a student. Be that as it may, social scientists would be failing in their duty if they were to follow a piecemeal approach for identifying the reasons for the evidently sharp increase in incidents of child-abuse. Beating students for enforcing discipline is a deplorable form of child-abuse and trying to sell them to sex syndicates is both deplorable and despicable crime against humanity. How should civil society respond to the two forms of child-abuse? The transformation of Ravinder Kumar from a respected and trusted teacher into a criminal is difficult to understand. More puzzling is the confession that he had included his 12-year-old daughter in the so-called study-cum-pleasure trip to Nepal not merely for winning the trust of the six girls, but for selling her as well into the flesh trade. His inexperience as a criminal saved the girls from being sold. He had not informed the parents of the girls about the proposed "educational tour" to Nepal. It was on their complaint that the police started looking for the missing girls. The parents suspect that the girls were drugged for keeping them quiet during the long journey to Nepal. Ravinder Kumar is now in jail along with some of his accomplices. But life will never be the same again for his daughter. She is said to be in a state of shock for two reasons. One, the parents of the six girls have charged her with having helped her father in committing the crime. Two, her father's confession that she too would have been sold along with the other girls. She must not be made to pay for the sins of her father. |
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Wages
of weak leaders, soft options NOTHING
remains, neither the state nor wealth nor valour, without the security
provided by the armed forces. One should never forget that the strong
control all and the weak have many enemies. — Shukraniti This passage provides a starting point to the comprehensive report of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on reshaping the national security system which was released by Union Home Minister L.K. Advani in New Delhi last week. At the outset, it must be acknowledged that it is an exhaustive exercise which is generally not a strong point of the government. Theoretically speaking, the report does moot certain reasonably sound proposals to improve the country’s security environment. But going by experience, one is not sure how these suggestions would emerge as well-coordinated action. For, the biggest flaw in the politico-bureaucratic system is the absence of professional maryada. The problem here is not of generating ideas, schemes or proposals. The basic snag in our work culture is weak implementation because of a lack of seriousness on the part of those entrusted with the onerous task of security housekeeping. An equally critical factor is coordination. Each centre of power thinks and acts as a law unto itself in the absence of the requisite framework for accountability. The Kargil episode is one example of the disastrous fallout resulting from casual and disjointed response from our security and intelligence agencies. There is something basically wrong with the system which gives signals of perverted thinking and a distorted mindset. How do we explain this? My answer is simple. One, weak political leadership at all levels. Two, increasing politicisation of security and related issues. Three, declining standards of professionalism in the armed forces, which was once their outstanding characteristic. I shall squarely put the blame on the highly bureaucratised Ministry of Defence (MoD) and wayward methods of politicians who have often played havoc with the country’s strategic portfolio for the past five decades or so. In fact, the occasional spats between South Block and North Block are indicative of either confusion or inability to carry conviction to the politicians who come and go, each believing in the divinity of his or her absurd ideas or misplaced concepts. The question here is not whether a Minister is popular with the officers and jawans or not. What is relevant here is whether he understands the intricacies of security problems facing the nation in the global context. Four, faulty procedures in the procurement and purchases of defence equipment. Most of the problems in security operations have mainly stemmed from wrong decisions on purchases of weaponry for considerations other than merit. It is no secret that there are kickbacks in the selection and purchases of arms and ammunition. Certain portions of the tehelka.com tapes provide sufficient insight into the distortions that have crept into the politico-bureaucratic and military outfits. Those who matter in the corridors of power think that weapon purchases provide them the shortest route to fortune. Even before and after the infamous Bofors payoff, there are any number of defence deals in which money has changed hands in favour of the powers that be. I would not like to dub our defence setup as corrupt. But there are some black sheep who work in concert with wheelers and dealers and other shady characters. It is disquieting to see the lengthening shadow of corruption even in highly sensitive areas of national life. I would blame some political bosses at the helm who have been pocketing the kickback money in the name of party fund. I fail to understand why party fund has to swell at the cost of the life of our jawans and officers who defend the country’s long borders with antiquated weapons and inadequate or ill-equipped backup. I am not sure how seriously the government proposes to implement GoM’s recommendations. Some of the proposals are worth noting. (i) The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will form the key interface in the security setup. He will also be the commander of the strategic forces which will comprise air, land and sea based platforms for delivering nuclear weapons. (ii) The CDS will be assisted by a Vice-Chief of Defence Staff (VCDS) who will perform the thinktank role in strategic planning, keeping in view a 15 to 20 year defence perspective plan. (iii) The VCDS will be the hub of prioritising procurement decisions for the three services. (iv) The CDS will be assisted by an integrated in-service defence intelligence agency. In a way, this will be the revamped Joint Intelligence Committee outfit. (v) Border management is proposed to be reorganised on a one-border one-force principle to minimise conflict of interests in command and control emanating from the multiplicity of forces on the same border. (vi) The Coast Guard is proposed to be strengthened and a specialised marine police will be raised in all coastal states and island territories. (vii) A Technology Coordination Group (TCG) will regulate plans for acquisition of strategic equipment and related matters. (viii) A National Technical Facility Organisation (NTFO) will plan design setup and operate any major new strategic and expensive technical facility as approved by the TCG. (ix) The Economic Intelligence Council (EIC) reorganised in 1997 will ensure improved coordination among various agencies and departments under the Finance Minister. It will examine linkages between economic offences and terrorist-related threats. (x) A Civil Defence Organisation (CDO) is proposed to be rejuvenated. (xi) The concept of multi-purpose national identity card will be pursued vigorously. There are several other big and small issues which the GoM report has examined. However, everything boils down to follow-up action. Another critical factor is the quality of persons entrusted with decision-making as well as those manning key positions. The quality of our officers and jawans involved in security operations is, by and large, fairly good. I am, however, not sure of our politicians and their hangers-on in the bureaucracy. Interestingly Mr Brajesh Mishra will continue to play the dual role as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister as well as the National Security Adviser. I would not like to wade into this matter. This is obviously a political decision — a matter of discretion of the Prime Minister. It is a different matter that most of the security problems have arisen because of overpoliticisation of defence issues and non-issues. The other point which cannot be lost sight of is the role of the defence secretary. What would an IAS officer know about defence? This is a highly specialised job and the way IAS officers are shuffled and reshuffled at the drop of a hat will hardly earn the people’s confidence in the role that he plays in meeting security challenges. Of course, there are not many high calibre IAS officers in the category of Mr N.N. Vohra. All the same the overall calibre these days is poor. What has made things worse is the growing sycophancy culture which makes them play safe so as not to invite the wrath of their whimsical bosses. Knowing the way the government machinery functions, one does not feel confident about the proposed reforms for an improved national security system. There are too many agencies and organs which are bound to work at cross purposes unless the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Defence Minister work in total coordination and ensure basic clarity in what constitutes national interests. In this context, equally vital are well thought-out policies and programmes which alone can enable the defence system to achieve the goals and targets set for them. The key mantra in this whole exercise has to be total depoliticisation of the security system and allowing professional personnel to do their job in an atmosphere free from fear, favour, and intimidation. It also needs to be appreciated that active and result-oriented diplomacy must be an integral part of our security concerns. Diplomacy is a serious business which requires a clear perception of realistic and attainable goals and objectives of promoting understanding and legitimate interests of the country. Indeed, the questions of security, foreign policy and economic growth need to be seen in the larger national framework. All these facets have to be anchored to integral national interest and delinked from narrow and limited calculation of political and bureaucratic managers who have fixed ideas and lack flexibility to meet new challenges of globalised compulsions. |
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Fall from a family
tree I was having my hair cut and the barber was his usual garrulous self and it was a weighty topic that he had chosen for his facile extemporeneous soliloquy-genealogy. “I hold out little hope for the future of our beloved motherland, sir”, he said heavily even as he painfully nicked me behind the ears”, what with our total lack of pride in our ancestry. Look at the Americans. They’re so proud of their lineage that they travel all the way back to the mother country to try and trace their forebears!” That set me thinking. What did I know about my ancestors except that my great grand father was a wizened old codger who wore horn-rimmed bi-focals and was deaf as an adder and about my knowledge of my bloodline, the less said the better. I decided to do something about this deplorable state of affairs and set things right and I quickly located a rather decrepit genealogist and commissioned him to “do up” my family tree. He quickly separated me from Rs 500 — being the “registration” fee and asked me to look up Sunday week to be told of my genealogy. But not before I had parted with another Rs 500 — being the “search” fee. Came Sunday and I hastened to keep my tryst with the genealogist and I was besides myself with excitement. Today would be the red-letter day when an awe-struck world would be told of my noble ancestors. Of course, I was assuming that they were noble. They might well have been masked, highway brigands. I coughed up Rs 500 and the genealogist beamed. “I’ve carefully researched your ancestry”, he said, “and let me be the first to congratulate you. I find that you’re a direct descendant of the 10th century philosopher-saint Sri Ramanuja”. “Fancy that!” I cried jubilantly. A direct descendent of Sri Ramanuja! I felt my caste mark and sacred thread with a good deal of hauteur. From now on, I was going to put on the dog in no uncertain manner. Wait till the boys in the club got to hear of this. A direct descendant of Sri Ramanuja! “Yes”, continued the genealogist, “the third sister-in-law of Sri Ramanuja’s co-brother’s maternal cousin, thrice removed, was distantly related to your great grand aunt’s father-in-law”. Okay, may be the lineage wasn’t a direct, downward pointing arrow, but lineage it was and I was going to stick to it like an obdurate poultice. “There appears to have a great deal of religious fervour among your ancestors”, said the genealogist, “for instance, one of them was seen running with a consecrated silver idol in his hands”, in 1409 A.D.” “Bravo, my noble ancestor!” I cried, doffing an imaginary hat in silent homage to my departed forebear, “No doubt he was running to prevent the idol from falling into the hands of the invading hordes”. “Not quite”, said the genealogist drily, “he was an idol thief”. “Oh”, I said weakly. My soaring pride in my noble ancestors had taken a rude buffet in the midriff. The genealogist spread out a drawing of my family tree and it was another sore disappointment. What I thought would be a spreading, majestic banyan tree turned out to be a stunted bonsai ravaged by the Dutch Elm disease. “Your ancestors appear to have been subjected to much persecution”, said the genealogist, “and one of them and as far as I can make out, it was in 1519 A.D. was hanged for running away with a useless piece of rope”. “No!” I cried, aghast at this blatant miscarriage of justice. “Yes”, said the genealogist, “but unfortunately, he had forgotten to unhitch the horse tied to the other end of the rope”. “Tell me about my ancestors of the 17th and 18th centuries”, I pleaded. “I can’t”, snapped the genealogist waspishly, “I’ve traced your lineage as far back as your fee will go”. |
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Pakistan playing with
fire CAN we expect anything out of the meeting between Mr Vajpayee and General Musharraf? To do so is to live in a fool’s paradise. Then why do we go through this exercise? Because New Delhi has no other alternative. It is bankrupt of ideas. This is a country which has no strategic thinking. One instance is enough to explain all — that of Jammu and Kashmir. One man was responsible for the mess it is — Jawaharlal Nehru. There is nothing that he has done there which was right. We are paying a very high price for his errors. Any military man could have told Nehru (and we had two brilliant military leaders then — Cariappa and Thimmayya) that the northern territories of J&K are of utmost strategic importance to India. But Nehru sought no advice from them. Instead, he ordered them to halt our military advance and retreat, leaving a third of the state in Pakistan’s hands. Pakistan out-manoeuvred us and got control of the northern region. All the time, our adversary — Pakistan — was ahead of us. It showed remarkable intelligence. It unleashed the Pathan tribemen on the slothful Maharaja and the population of the valley. Had it not been for our soldiers, a few hundred raiders would have repeated the exploits of Ahmed Shah Abdali. So we saved the valley. For what? To hand it over to the Sheikh family. And Sheikh Abdullah promptly tried to convert the state into an independent sultanate. Did we learn anything from our experience? None whatever, for our policy was not to take any initiative. No wonder, Pakistan became bolder. It made a new attempt in 1965 to grab the state. It failed. But did we learn anything? Again, we refused to learn anything from it. Our secularists talk of Kashmiriyat. Did they protest when Sheikh Abdullah imposed Urdu on the people as the state language? They did not. And did our secularists protest against the change-over to denominational education by allowing the Jamaat to open hundreds of madrassas at state expense? Was that done to promote Kashmiriyat? And what about the destruction of Charar-e-Sharief, the last symbol of Kashmiriyat? Again, not a word of protest from our secularists. Did the leaders in New Delhi wake up to what was going on there? They did not. Why? For fear of losing their image as upholders of secularism. No wonder the Muslim communal elements exploited the commitment of the Central Political leaders to secularism. It was said that the youth are alienated. From what? From their own leaders? There were only two parties in the state — the National Conference and the Congress. Both were venal. And if they were corrupt, the people should have rejected them. But they did not. In fact, the state leaders did not even want the central bureaucrats, for they feared that they would not have a free hand. The point is: the Centre had no hand in the way the state was run. And matters did not improve much when the state was placed under Governors. The state leaders saw only one role for the Centre: to send the monthly cheque and the more the merrier. The issue before the state was not the economic well being of the people, for they have had the highest per capita income in the country for long years. Even today the Kashmiris enjoy the highest per capita income and they pay nothing to the state. Then what is the issue? Religion? But they should have drawn some lesson from what happened in East Pakistan. But they did not. In any case there are more Muslims living in India than in Pakistan. Or is it that they find more affinity with the Pakistani Muslims? But are they not in the knowledge of what happened to the Mohajirs, to the Sindhis and Baluchis in Punjabi-dominated Pakistan? But all these seem to have had little impact on the Hurriyat leaders. But why? Because they are in the pay of the ISI. But this wisdom did not dawn on our leaders. They were interested in hoisting flags in Srinagar! Mr L.K. Advani admitted that we had no policy for J&K, and promised a pro-active policy. But what has been achieved so far? Nothing. There is only one solution to the Kashmir problem and that is to accept the LoC as the de facto and de jure boundary. This was the intention of the 1972
Shimla agreement. Any other solution will only aggravate the situation. If this solution is not acceptable to Pakistan, then we must trifurcate the state and hold a referendum in the valley to find out whether the people want to join India or Pakistan or seek independence. If necessary the valley should be partitioned. But I have no faith in the leadership of the country. Remember, when Zia-ul-Haq was plotting his proxy war against India in Kashmir, we were inviting him to watch the cricket match. And when Musharraf was supervising the Kargil operations, we were organising our bus ride diplomacy! I think the denouement will come by the political and economic collapse of Pakistan. Pakistan is a highly fragmented society. A major ethnic revolt is brewing in Sindh, Baluchistan and northern territories. The economy is in a parlous state. No foreign investor is willing to take the risk of investing in
Pakistan. The number of people below the poverty line has gone up from 18 per cent in 1987 to 35 per cent. In ten years the population of Pakistan will go up to 170 million, but 80 million of them will be below the poverty line. Musharraf believes that the economic salvation of Pakistan lies in turning the country into a hub for the distribution of oil and gas of the Gulf and Central Asia. There is some truth in it. But for that South Asia must be a peaceful region and Pakistan must give up its congenital animus to India. Economic experts have warned Pakistan that the proxy war is no more a “low cost” war — that the social and financial cost is rising fast. Musharraf once said that Pakistan should not fight on two fronts. That is what he is doing at present. He is fighting a proxy war in Kashmir and another in Kabul. He has 1,5000 Pakistanis working for the Taliban in Kabul. How long can he sustain the two wars, now that the anti-Taliban forces are ready to make it hot for them? I believe we must intensify the wars on both fronts. That will speed up the collapse of Pakistan. Yes, in “bleeding” India, Pakistan has had some success. But India can bleed for a long time. Pakistan cannot. Musharraf makes such ado about the “threat” to Pakistan from India. And yet the former Chief of Pak air force, Air Marshal Asghar Khan says that all wars were started by Pakistan. “India never started a war with Pakistan,” he says. Pakistan is playing with fire. Its house may get burnt down. At first Pakistan was training some misguided Kashmiri youths. Then it began to use the demobilised Afghan mujahideen in Kashmir. Now it has created jehadi formations of Paksitani and foreign fundamentalists, who are ready to fight anywhere in the world. The world will not take it for long. |
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Obesity drives up cost of health OBESITY
accounts for up to 7 per cent of healthcare costs in the United States, more than double the amount in many other countries, researchers said on Thursday. The United States has the highest percentage of obese people in the world, but health experts attending the 11th European Congress on Obesity predict that as levels rise in other nations healthcare costs will also soar. “In the USA three out of five adults are at least overweight and the number that is in the obese range is about 20-30 per cent,” said Dr David Thompson, of Innovus Research Inc, a private health institute in Boston. “That prevalence of obesity is far higher than other advanced countries and that is why the economic burden of obesity is so much higher as well.” Risk of other diseases Obesity costs are so high because it is a risk factor for so many other diseases, including diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer. The analysis covered the costs of obesity-related disease, but did not include the treatment of obesity itself. The diet and fitness industry in the United States alone accounts for some $30 billion annually, according to Thompson. Treating heart disease in the United States costs an estimated $50 billion, similar to the amount spent on diabetes. Hypertension treatments account for some $15 billion and stroke $18 billion. More than 300 million people around the globe are obese. About 115 million live in developed countries where high-fat diets and lack of exercise have led to rising levels of overweight and obese people Obesity is a chronic condition that is treated with diet and exercise programmes, behaviour modification, drugs and in extreme cases, surgery. It is calculated by measuring body mass index (BMI), which is derived from dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese. More than 2,500 doctors, researchers and health officials are attending the four-day conference in Vienna that began on Wednesday. Middle-age weight gain Battling middle-aged spread need not require hours on the treadmill or pumping iron. A study of 8,800 middle-aged men presented at the 11th European Congress on Obesity showed walking or cycling to work can help people prevent weight gain, shed excess weight and keep fit. “Our study confirmed that moderate physical activity, for example jogging, during free time is connected to lesser weight, a smaller waist size and a slower weight gain,” said Dr Aline Wagner of the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health in Strasbourg. “Physical activity doesn’t have to be intense to have favourable results,” she added. As well as being less tiring, keep-fit activities such as jogging and cycling are easier to promote to the public. The researchers found that regularly walking or cycling to work helped the men, who were 50-59 years old, reduce their body mass index (BMI) as well as their waistline over five years. “Men who regularly walked or cycled to work had average body masses lower than those who did not expend energy getting to work, suggesting that health programmes should promote regular, moderate-intensity physical activities to help middle-aged people lose weight,” said Wagner. The men’s BMI and waist circumference decreased as their physical activity increased. Obesity is increasing worldwide and is considered one of the most important public health problems. A combination of genetic susceptibility, fattier diets and a drop in physical activity are among reasons for growing levels of obesity among adults and 538976288 A combination of diet, exercise, behaviour modification, drug treatment and surgery in extreme cases are used to treat obesity. Medical experts at the four-day meeting said obesity is second only to smoking as a preventable cause of death and a leading risk factor in a range of other diseases. Seventeen per cent of coronary heart disease cases, 11 per cent of breast, uterine and colon cancers and 57 per cent of Type 2, or adult onset diabetes, are attributable to obesity.
Reuters |
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Aamir Khan causes traffic jam FANS
thronging to see Aamir Khan at a music store in New York made the traffic come to a virtual standstill. Some 1,000 people turned up in front of the Raaga music store in Jackson Heights, which has a large concentration of immigrants from South Asia, for a glimpse of the star. The police had to be called in as fans thronged the streets causing a traffic jam, an indication of the hold that Hindi films continue to have on the South Asian diaspora. Aamir was in New York to promote his first home production, “Lagaan,” or tax, an epic-scale period film set in 1893. “We literally built an entire village set in Champaner, in Bhuj, and shot the film in six months straight,” says Aamir, who is also the male lead in the film. “Lagaan,” made on a staggering budget of Rs 250 million, is Aamir’s first stint as a producer. The story, set in a drought-stricken village in central India, is about a village that rises against a British cantonment, which imposes double-tax in a year that has not seen any rain. “And, no, there’s no blood and violence in the film,” laughs Aamir.
IANS How to spot skin cancer If you see any skin changes at all that worry you, you should see a doctor who may refer you to a dermatologist who can recognise a mole that could cause trouble. With the help of mirrors or a friend, you can make a basic check yourself, paying particular attention to any new moles that might appear after the teenage years and any that change in appearance. The National Cancer Institute in the United States, where melanoma is more common than in the UK, offers this guide as to what to look for: 1. Asymmetry. One half of the mole does not match the other. 2. Border. The edges are often ragged, notched, blurred, or irregular in outline; the pigment may spread into the surrounding skin. 3. Colour. The colour is uneven. Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, grey, red, pink, or blue may also be seen. 4. Diameter. There is a change in size, usually an increase. Melanomas are usually larger than the eraser of a pencil (five mm or 1/4 inch). Others at risk are those from families where more than one member has had a melanoma. Anyone who has had melanoma once has a high risk of getting it again.
The Guardian For your eyes only The eyes have it — but only for humans. Scientists have discovered the whites of our eyes are unique among primates and played a crucial role in our evolution. The white sclera, the tissue surrounding the iris, exaggerates the direction of our gaze, they say. It lets us monitor other people’s gaze, meet their eyes across a crowded room, glower at rivals, and use our eyes as expressive aids to communication. Eye contact comes into play when we hold a conversation, for example. When we listen to someone, we constantly look into their eyes. By contrast, the person who is speaking looks away, and only glances back to meet his or her listener’s gaze, initially to check if they are listening, and finally to give a non-verbal signal that he or she is about to stop talking. ‘Looking into someone’s eyes while they are speaking is vital,’ said an expert. ‘If we can’t meet their gaze we cannot properly assess what they are saying. People get disturbed if they cannot meet the eyes of a speaker. Are they joking, being insincere, ironic or aggressive? We need visual clues to assess the true meaning of speech. “This is not the case with an ape or monkey. It may be able to understand a rival’s behaviour, but only a human being can estimate what is going on in the mind of another member of their species, and the whites of our eyes play an extremely important role in allowing us to assess that mental state. As they say, never trust a man who cannot look you in the eye.’
The Observer |
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Stuti (adoration) is reciting Divine attributes or hearing them recited, and meditating on them. It results in love for God and similar pious feelings. ***** Prarthana (prayer) is requesting God to grant knowledge and similar (other boons) which can come only from communion with Him and what is beyond one’s own power and capacity after one and has exerted his utmost. Its result is humility and similar things. ***** Upasana (communion) consists in purifying our attributes, works and nature to become similar to those of God, and in feeling that God pervades us also, and that we are the pervaded. A. that we are near to God and He is near to us. ***** Saguna and Nirguna Stuti consists in praising God as possessed of attributes which are inherent in Him, and also as devoid of the attributes which are foreign to His nature. ***** Saguna and Nirguna Prarthana consists in praying for God’s help for the attainment of virtuous qualities and elimination of vicious qualities. ***** Saguna and Nirguna Upasana consists in resigning oneself to God and His will, realising Him as possessed of all good attributes, and as devoid of all evils. — Swami Dayananda,
Swamantavyamantavya, 48-51 ***** In the 19th century the problem was that God was dead; in the 20th century the problem is that man is dead. — Erich Fromm, New York Post,
January 15, 1956 |
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