Times reporters and experts discuss Benedict XVI’s papacy and his visit to the United States.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
MP Congress denies reports of Rahul's church visit - Yahoo! India News
MP Congress denies reports of Rahul's church visit
Tue, Apr 29 09:40 PM
Bhopal, Apr 29 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Congress President Suresh Pachouri today denied media reports about Rahul Gandhi visiting a church and making a promise to provide financial assistance to a tribal girl in Tikamgarh district as claimed by State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. "He (Rahul Gandhi) has not visited any church.
He only visited a hostel upon seeing the schoolchildren waiting for him," Pachouri told reporters here today. Pachouri also denied that the Congress General Secretary, who toured parts of the BJP-ruled state over the last few days, made any promise to a girl in Tikamgarh district to provide financial assistance for her marriage.
"I had cross checked with him whether he has made any promise in this regard. He (Rahul) categorically said no on the issue.
" Pachouri clarified that Uttar Pradesh Congress President Rita Bahuguna, who was accompanying Rahul during his tour of Bundelkhand region, has advised the girl to take benefit of several schemes of the state government being implemented for the welfare of the downtrodden. To a question on whether Rahul's visit will benefit the party politically, he said it will as he not only visited tribal areas but also tried to understand their problems.
The MPCC chief also denied reports that Rahul had cancelled his scheduled overnight stay in Abadipura village in Hoshangabad district on Sunday due to security reasons, and clarified that it was never part of his schedule. PTI.
Interesting Tricks of the Body - Jean's Blog
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Interesting Tricks of the Body ( 151453 views )
1. If your throat tickles, scratch your ear.
When you were 9, playing your armpit was a cool trick. Now, as an adult, you can still appreciate a good body-based feat, but you're more discriminating. Take that tickle in your throat; it's not worth gagging over. Here's a better way to scratch your itch: "When the nerves in the ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm," says Scott Schaffer, M.D., president of an ear, nose and throat specialty center in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. "This spasm relieves the tickle."
2. Experience supersonic hearing!
If you're stuck chatting up a mumbler at a cocktail party, lean in with your right ear. It's better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of speech, according to researchers at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. If, on the other hand, you're trying to identify that song playing softly in the elevator, turn your left ear toward the sound. The left ear is better at picking up music tones.
3. Overcome your most primal urge!
Need to pee? No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex preoccupies your brain, so you won't feel as much discomfort, says Larry Lipshultz, M.D., chief of male reproductive medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. For best results, try Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walking" video.
4. Feel no pain!
German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. According to Taras Usichenko, author of a study on the phenomenon, the trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
5. Clear your stuffed nose!
Forget Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. This causes the vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock back and forth, says Lisa DeStefano, D.O., an assistant professor at the Michigan State University college of osteopathic medicine. The motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you'll feel your sinuses start to drain.
6. Fight fire without water!
Worried those wings will repeat on you tonight? "Sleep on your left side," says Anthony A. Star-poli, M.D., a New York City gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at New York Medical College. Studies have shown that patients who sleep on their left sides are less likely to suffer from acid reflux. The esophagus and stomach connect at an angle. When you sleep on your right, the stomach is higher than the esophagus, allowing food and stomach acid to slide up your throat. When you're on your left, the stomach is lower than the esophagus, so gravity's in your favor.
7. Cure your toothache without opening your mouth!
Just rub ice on the back of your hand, on the V-shaped webbed area between your thumb and index finger. A Canadian study found that this technique reduces toothache pain by as much as 50 percent compared with using no ice. The nerve pathways at the base of that V stimulate an area of the brain that blocks pain signals from the face and hands.
8. Make burns disappear!
When you accidentally singe your finger on the stove, clean the skin and apply light pressure with the finger pads of your unmarred hand. Ice will relieve your pain more quickly, Dr. DeStefano says, but since the natural method brings the burned skin back to a normal temperature, the skin is less likely to blister.
9. Stop the world from spinning!
One too many drinks left you dizzy? Put your hand on something stable. The part of your ear responsible for balance—the cupula—floats in a fluid of the same density as blood. "As alcohol dilutes blood in the cupula, the cupula becomes less dense and rises," says Dr. Schaffer. This confuses your brain. The tactile input from a stable object gives the brain a second opinion, and you feel more in balance. Because the nerves in the hand are so sensitive, this works better than the conventional foot-on-the-floor wisdom.
10. Unstitch your side!
If you're like most people, when you run, you exhale as your right foot hits the ground. This puts downward pressure on your liver (which lives on your right side), which then tugs at the diaphragm and creates a side stitch, according to The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Men. The fix: Exhale as your left foot strikes the ground.
11. Stanch blood with a single finger!
Pinching your nose and leaning back is a great way to stop a nosebleed—if you don't mind choking on your own O positive. A more civil approach: Put some cotton on your upper gums—just behind that small dent below your nose—and press against it, hard. "Most bleeds come from the front of the septum, the cartilage wall that divides the nose," says Peter Desmarais, M.D., an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Entabeni Hospital, in Durban, South Africa. "Pressing here helps stop them."
12. Make your heart stand still!
Trying to quell first-date jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing, says Ben Abo, an emergency medical-services specialist at the University of Pittsburgh. It'll get your heart rate back to normal.
13. Thaw your brain!
Too much Chipwich too fast will freeze the brains of lesser men. As for you, press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much as you can. "Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too," says Abo. "In compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache." The more pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache will subside.
14. Prevent near-sightedness!
Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. "It's usually caused by near-point stress." In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles—like the eyes—into relaxing as well.
15. Wake the dead!
If your hand falls asleep while you're driving or sitting in an odd position, rock your head from side to side. It'll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute, says Dr. DeStefano. A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don't let your sleeping dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.
16. Impress your friends!
Next time you're at a party, try this trick: Have a person hold one arm straight out to the side, palm down, and instruct him to maintain this position. Then place two fingers on his wrist and push down. He'll resist. Now have him put one foot on a surface that's a half inch higher (a few magazines) and repeat. This time his arm will fold like a house of cards. By misaligning his hips, you've offset his spine, says Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., co-owner of Results Fitness, in Santa Clarita, California. Your brain senses that the spine is vulnerable, so it shuts down the body's ability to resist.
17. Breathe underwater!
If you're dying to retrieve that quarter from the bottom of the pool, take several short breaths first—essentially, hyperventilate. When you're underwater, it's not a lack of oxygen that makes you desperate for a breath; it's the buildup of carbon dioxide, which makes your blood acidic, which signals your brain that somethin' ain't right. "When you hyperventilate, the influx of oxygen lowers blood acidity," says Jonathan Armbruster, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Auburn University. "This tricks your brain into thinking it has more oxygen." It'll buy you up to 10 seconds.
18. Read minds!
Your own! "If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep," says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory.
If this post is mind,ear,eye, catching then read this
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Orissa villagers protest deep-sea port - Yahoo! India News
Orissa villagers protest deep-sea port
Mon, Apr 28 02:56 PM
By Jatindra Dash
BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - Authorities in Orissa arrested at least 100 villagers and deployed a huge police force to quell a protest against a proposed deep-sea port, officials said on Monday.
Villagers, fearing they will lose their land without adequate compensation, forced officials to suspend construction work late on Sunday in Dhamra, where India is planning to build one of its biggest ports.
The proposed port on the eastern coast will handle 83 million tonnes of cargo per year, said Santosh Mohapatra, chief executive of Dhamra Port Company Ltd.
The project is a joint venture between Tata Steel Ltd and leading engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
"The project has local support and only a small number of people are making unreasonable demands," Mohapatra told Reuters.
On Monday, villagers complained they were losing land to the Dhamra port project without adequate compensation. Some said they will not hand over land for the port at all.
"The administration cannot take away land forcibly and we will fight for the right of the people," Upendra Roul, a lawyer representing the villagers said.
Armed policemen surrounded the site, but protestors were still shouting anti-government slogans, witnesses and officials said.
THREAT TO TURTLES?
The Dhamra port project has been mired in controversy with international conservation group Greenpeace saying the project would kill thousands of rare Olive Ridley turtles.
The port site in Dhamra is not a turtle nesting ground, but Greenpeace says it is part of a breeding and feeding ground and very near to one of the world's largest nesting areas in Gahirmatha.
"The area is also ecologically significant besides the turtles, and the proposed port should be shifted," Sanjiv Gopal, a Greenpeace ocean campaigner told Reuters from Bangalore.
Officials on Monday said there were no major obstacles and work would resume soon.
Regular protests by villagers have delayed a slew of projects in the mineral-rich state.
A $12 billion steel plant by South Korean firm POSCO and an alumina refinery by Britain's Vedanta Resources Plc are among the main ones yet to take off.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
After Ground Zero Prayer, Pope Ministers to 60,000 in Stadium - New York Times
After Ground Zero Prayer, Pope Ministers to 60,000 in Stadium
Before a crowd of nearly 60,000 people at Yankee Stadium, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday ended his first visit to the United States as leader of the Roman Catholic Church with a reminder to the faithful that “obedience” to the authority of the church, even in a country that prizes individual freedom, is the foundation of their religious faith.
Related
Text: Pope’s Homily at Yankee Stadium (April 20, 2008)
In the Pit, With the Pope and Memories of a Brother (April 21, 2008)
Egan May Be Leaving the Archdiocese Soon, Now That a Historic Visit Has Ended (April 21, 2008)
Coverage From City Room:
Mass at Yankee StadiumDuring a six-day visit to Washington and New York, the pope addressed world issues, visited a synagogue and voiced deep shame over the child sexual abuse scandal that has damaged the church’s standing in many American dioceses.
At a morning ceremony at ground zero, the pope blessed the World Trade Center site, where more than 2,700 people were killed in the terrorist attack, and prayed for peace.
But at Yankee Stadium on a cool, brilliant Sunday afternoon, with an adoring audience of people waving yellow cloths, one of the colors of the Vatican, Benedict acted chiefly as pastor to America’s 65 million Catholics, laying out in simple terms their obligations to a church that represents what he has called the “one church” established on earth by God.
“Authority. Obedience. To be frank, these are not easy words to speak nowadays,” the pope said in his homily during the Mass, held on an acre-size platform built over the Yankees infield, “especially in a society which rightly places a high value on personal freedom.”
Three years after the death of Pope John Paul II, his popular and charismatic predecessor, the reserved and theologically erudite Pope Benedict XVI gently but unequivocally delineated the source of authority that has since devolved to him, and that he said was integral to the church itself.
Referring to himself, he said, “The presence around this altar of the successor of Peter, his brother bishops and priests, and deacons, men and women religious, and lay faithful from throughout the 50 states of the union, eloquently manifests our communion in the Catholic faith, which comes to us from the apostles.”
In the Gospels, the Apostle Peter was chosen by Jesus to lead the church, and each pope is said to be the successor of Peter.
In a glancing reference to the sexual abuse of children by priests, he said that praying for the kingdom of God “means not losing heart in the face of adversity, resistance and scandal. It means overcoming every separation between faith and life, and countering false gospels of freedom and happiness.”
In his writings before and since becoming pope, Benedict has stressed the importance of a strict adherence to orthodoxy, and opposition to a wide array of modern cultural trends, including feminism, gay rights, and demands — especially among American Catholics — for greater democracy and administrative transparency within the church.
The Mass at Yankee Stadium was the largest public event of the pope’s tour, and it was held on the same day as the most intimate meeting of his visit.
In his stop at ground zero on Sunday morning, the pope spoke briefly with a small group of survivors and families of the victims of the Sept. 11 attack. Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York stood beside him and read each one’s name and gave the pope a brief description of the family member lost by the person. Some took the pope’s hand, and many knelt and kissed his ring, the traditional protocol for Roman Catholics.
For those not invited to meet personally with Benedict or able to get one of the scarce event tickets, there were the untold number of TVs tuned in to the various events of the week.
There were six wide screens at Billy’s Sports Bar on River Avenue in the Bronx, where Mike Gonzale, 29, of Woodside, Queens, sat watching as the pope said Mass on Sunday at the stadium across the street.
“You feel an energy; you feel a peace,” Mr. Gonzale said, speaking softly, like a golf commentator, as he watched the television. “I think most people feel a calm relief from the complicated world we’re living in.”
Inside the packed stadium, the energy was palpable, the stands a solid wall of blurring yellow cloths and cheering.
After the Mass, waves of excitement followed the path of the pope as he first walked, and then rode in his Popemobile, around the outside track of the field.
Surrounded by black-suited Secret Service men as he walked, the 81-year-old pontiff moved somewhat haltingly, the papal scepter in his left hand. He waved gingerly with his right hand. The crowd roared with all the sustained excitement of spectators at a pennant-clinching game.
The next and final stop for the pope was Kennedy Airport, where Vice President Dick Cheney led a ceremony before the pontiff’s return trip to Rome.
Many of the people interviewed after Sunday’s Mass said they were deeply moved to be in the presence of Christ’s vicar on earth, as the pope is known to believers. His role as a spiritual father figure can seem to be almost personal for some Catholics.
“The most amazing part was when he came in the Popemobile,” said Sylvia Rios, 45, who attended the Mass with her former husband, Jesus Matthews, 46. “I know he wasn’t waving at me, but we had good seats, and when I looked at him, he looked like he was waving specifically at me.”
But more, people at the Mass said it was thrilling to be in a state of religious communion with so many others — and while in the presence of the pope, who represents the founding of the church 2,000 years ago.
Christa Rivers-Caceres, 37, who drove from Bushkill, Pa., with her husband, Enrique, 32, said being at Yankee Stadium made her feel like part of the family of Catholics, who number more than one billion worldwide. “You were proud to be Catholic,” she said. “It helped reaffirm our faith.”
Efrem Menghs, a phone company salesman from Columbus, Ohio, said the experience had made him a better person. “I will look back and say I’m glad I came to this event,” he said. “I did something for God.”
Ian Fisher, Colin Moynihan and Bernard Vaughan contributed reporting.
Friday, April 11, 2008
PND - News - Rich Get Richer, Poor Get Poorer in New York State, Study Finds
PND - News -
Posted on April 11, 2008 | print e-mail |
Rich Get Richer, Poor Get Poorer in New York State, Study Finds
New York has the widest income gap between the rich and poor of all fifty states, a new report from the Fiscal Policy Institute finds. And the gap in New York City is even wider than in the state as a whole.
Released in conjunction with a national study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute, the report, Pulling Apart in New York: An Analysis of Income Trends in New York State (44 pages, PDF), found that the gap between rich and poor in the state has continued to widen over the past two decades. In the late 1980s, families in the top 20 percent made almost seven times as much as those in the bottom 20 percent, while by the mid-2000s the top earners made almost nine times as much. Measured in 2005 dollars, the average income of the wealthiest New Yorkers grew from $110,000 in the late '80s to $148,000 in the mid-2000s — an increase of 35 percent — while that of families in the bottom fifth increased from $16,200 to $17,100, or 5 percent, over the same period.
According to the study's principal author, FPI senior economist Trudi Renwick, the trend of wages at the high end of the spectrum growing much faster than those at the low end is more dramatic in New York than in the rest of the country. Since the late '80s, only four states have had greater increases in top-to-bottom income inequality than New York. Yet the state's economy is among the most productive in the country.
"Income inequality is not just a fairness issue," said Renwick. "When low and middle incomes stagnate, the whole economy is affected as families are forced into debt to support themselves. And political fissures widen, making it harder for us as a society to address issues that affect us all — education, health care, immigration, and social security."
“Gap Between New York's Wealthy and Poor Is Still the Widest in the Nation.” Fiscal Policy Institute Press Release 4/09/08.
Primary Subject: Civil Society
Location(s): New York, New York City
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Love Guru invites hate from hardline Hindus-USA-World-The Times of India
3 Apr 2008, 0028 hrs IST,Chidanand Rajghatta,TNN
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WASHINGTON: "His karma is huge," say the promos, but his take on the Hindu dharma is offensive, say the critics. Stand by for yet another flaming controversy on religion and free expression. Weeks before the formal release of comedian Mike Myers' The Love Guru on June 20, some Hindu activists in the US are girding up to protest the movie's portrayal of their faith and its preachers. "From the information available about the movie, it appears to be lampooning Hinduism and Hindus and using Hindu terms frivolously," says Rajan Zed, a Hindu priest from Nevada who is at the forefront of the growing protests. Information there is aplenty - and depending on one's own outlook, you can either see it as a laugh-a-minute spoof of garden variety Hindu guru types or a deeply offensive parody of the faith. In trailers and promos posted on the film's website and on popular social networking sites, Myers is shown playing Guru Maurice Pitka, a 38-year-old, 5 feet 8 religious figure who greets people with the expression "Mariska Hargitay" and expounds pop philosophy. Pitka is an American purportedly raised by gurus in an ashram in India who returns to USA in order to break into the self-help business. His first challenge: To settle the romantic troubles and subsequent professional skid of a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey star (Myers is Canadian) whose wife has left him for a rival. The over-the-top portrayal of the Love Guru is embellished with quotes such as "Don't come a knockin', if the asana is a rockin' and impossible yoga postures. Myers heartily mocks several aspects of the guru business, including its emphasis on lineage (Pitka's guru is Guru Tugginmypudha played by Ben Kinglsey). Not funny, say Hindu priests. "Guru is never to be ridiculed under any circumstance. Respect for the giver of knowledge is a foundational and essential element found within Vedic culture," says Paradheya Das of Sri Krishna Vedic Cultural Association in Sacramento (California). Aware of the gathering storm, Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the movie, has promised a pre-screening for offended groups. Love Guru ... is a satire created in the same spirit as Austin Powers," Paramount said in a statement, noting that the film features spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra and Hindu actor Manu Narayan. "It is our full intention to screen the film for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders once it is ready." | ||