Certain foods are popular in one country and not so popular in another. Certain foods aren’t popular today but were hugely popular an era ago. Similarly, certain foods become all the rage today, but maybe forgotten a few years down the line. Foods, like all other things, come and go with time.
But there are certain exceptions to this, Flaxseed being a major one. Flaxseed has been known to man for centuries and has been a part of many cultures ever since then. It not only has a unique taste and crunchy texture, but it also carries inside it wonderful nutrients that lead to numerous health benefits.
It contains three of the most important nutrients that our body requires for good health. It has omega 3 fatty acids, it has lignans and it has mucilage gums. All three together bestow a whole barrage of health advantages for us to avail. A few of these advantages are listed below:-

1. It helps to give the immune system a boost

Flaxseeds are a boon for our body’s immune system. Our immune system fights off all the harmful pathogens and infections we encounter daily and anything that can provide additional support to this system is a must have in your diet.
Flaxseed contains a compound known as alpha linoleic acid. This compound along with lignans, provides a shot in the arm to our immune response which means that we are less likely to fall prey to infections and pathogens.

2. It reduces inflammation

Due to its amazing effect on the body’s immune system, flaxseed is also quite helpful in reducing harmful inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the body’s response to any kind of distress and excess inflammation leads to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis etc.

3. It cuts the risk of cancer

Flaxseeds are an amazing food to add into your diet if you, like everybody else, wish to stay clear of cancer. Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in flaxseeds in quite an abundance have been linked to lower risk from a variety of cancers, mainly colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

4. It is an absolute necessity for women

Flaxseeds can be of great use to women due to its amazing nutrition value. The lignans present in flaxseeds are converted to certain chemicals in the body which help to balance out the hormonal system in the female body. Due to this estrogenic property, it can be of spectacular help to menopausal women who undergo severe hormone imbalances.
Due to its effect on the female hormonal system, flaxseeds can also be a reproductive aid and boost fertility in women.

5. It is extremely rich in fiber

We all know that fiber is incredibly essential for our body. And now you know that flaxseeds are a great source of fiber too!
From keeping the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) low to keeping the levels of blood sugar in check, fiber is all important for the body and flaxseeds are a great source of getting it. Moreover, fiber is also essential in keeping the digestive system clean and healthy. This ensures that the food doesn’t face any obstruction while being digested and also that you gain the maximum nutrition from the food you eat.

6. It is filled with useful vitamins and minerals

Flaxseeds are filled to the brim with exceptionally useful vitamins. Most B complex vitamins are found in flaxseeds and so is vitamin E. Vitamin E is essential for maintaining the integrity of bones and also keeps your skin healthy and radiant.
Besides the vitamins, flaxseeds contain minerals like magnesium, iron and potassium. While iron is incredibly useful to the body in terms of increasing the haemoglobin count, minerals like magnesium and potassium help to increase the circulation of blood and improve cardiovascular health.
Flaxseeds are one of the healthiest foods in the world and their popularity shouldn’t be surprising to anybody. Now that you know its many health benefits, you can sing its praises as well!

GLOBAL: BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL (BMJ) REPORTS ON KETAN DESAI’S UNEXPECTED ACQUITTAL BY LUCKNOW CBI COURT

by PBTINDIA on SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Top international medical journal from United Kingdom, British Medical Journal (BMJ), reported the news of sudden dismissal of all charges against disgraced ex-MCI president, Dr. Ketan Desai, by the magistrate at the CBI court in Lucknow earlier in the week (see the BMJ article below). 

The charges for “cheating” and “conspiracy” against Desai was dropped after almost five years on the technical ground that CBI did not obtain any “sanction” from the government before charging him for criminal action. Although there are many instances that public servants have been prosecuted for alleged corruption even without prior “sanction”, many are asking the question that why CBI wilted under this simple challenge by Desai and his attorneys. 

It is worthwhile to mention that serious allegation was raised recently in Supreme Court that the last CBI Director, Ranjit Sinha, had several secret meetings with Dr. Desai. In any event, Dr. Desai still remains criminal indicted in the original CBI “trap” case for taking a bribe of Rs. 2 crore from a private medical college in Punjab. Publication of this ongoing sordid sage involving Ketan Desai in the high profile international medical journal like BMJ would undoubtedly bring more disgrace for all doctors of Indian origin. 

Unfortunately, no medical groups or individual doctors are protesting against this ongoing atrocities by Desai and his medical cronies. Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest organization of doctors in India, is also known to be controlled only by Desai and his cronies. 

In fact, IMA has been trying hard to promote and glorify Dr. Desai by pushing him to become the president of World Medical Association (WMA) as noted in the BMJ 

Have they stopped Ethics & Moral Science classes in schools?

Something to think about:
Please read :

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?"
(regarding the attacks on Sept. 11).

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for
years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body
found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school .... the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.
And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people
think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they WILL think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in!

The above was posted by Lokesh Kumar on FB

INTERVIEW: Dr. C. E. Eapen, Medical Superintendent, Christian Medical College, Vellore

Dr. C. E. Eapen, Medical Superintendent, Christian Medical College, talks to ETHealthworld about the need to maintain ethical standards in order to regain the eroding trust and the respect that healthcare profession had earlier.

1. Tell us about the mission and vision of CMC?

Christian Medical College (CMC) started in the year 1900 by an American missionary called Dr. Ida S. Scudder. She disliked being in India as she was always in America. She came to India (near Vellore) at the age of 20 to visit her mother who became sick. One night 3 men came to her asking for help for their wives were having problem in delivering a baby and she couldn't help as she wasn't a doctor. The next morning she came to know that all 3 women died . She took this as God's call to her and decided to study medicine and save lives of women dying in child birth in India.

At the age of 25 she reaches America, she finishes her studies by 30 and comes back to Vellore. Within a year, she realizes that there are too many patients in India and she can't handle them all. Finally she embarks up on starting a medical college. She turns 60 by the time she builds a medical college. She writes in her diary "we are not building a medical college, we are building a kingdom of God" and this is what I believe.
Whatever we do here should reflect our mission statement which should further God's kingdom. What we interpret from God's kingdom is anyone who experiences this institution should feel a personal relationship with God, be it a patient, student, staff member or a visitor.

2. Tell us about the financial model of CMC ?

CMC almost looks like a public hospital because of the large number of patients we see here but actually it is a private hospital. It's a private hospital which functions like a public institution.. Currently 99% of income to CMC comes from treating patients and 25% of it is given back either as subsidy for treatment or for subsidy for education. The fees of MBBS course per year is Rs3000. It is a planned decision and a required policy to keep it this low. We hope that studying here will impact the students in such a way that he or she contribute to the society realizing what institution has done to them.

A lot has changed overtime, unlike pre-independence which had a lot of foreign aid coming in. Now there is nothing like foreign aid or direct Government of India aid. All the money comes from treating patients and what hospitals would use in giving out dividends for profits is given as charity here.

Our numbers have been increasing and this reflects the need for health care in India. On Monday we have the maximum number of patients averaging to 7000-8000. There are around 7000 out patients per day and 2100 inpatients in this campus.

3. What challenges do you see in the healthcare scenario of India?

The biggest challenge in India is that the public is pursuing healthcare as an industry. People are making money out of it because of which the trust of the public is slowly eroding. This is not good neither for the public nor for the healthcare in India and CMC is very much against this model.

Another challenge is that many believe that people who train over here become misfit for society, they can't fit anywhere else or become brain washed. We have to win back the trust in the public as a vocation and not as a healthcare industry.

Here if a doctor see's 10 patients a day or 50 patients a day his salary will be the same. We do not have a commission policy here in CMC so the system doesn't allow a single person to make money out of it. If in a system my remuneration depends on the number of patients I see it may start affecting me subconsciously, whether I like it or not it.

CMC is known for its ethical standard and this is what brings a large number of patients here. The decisions we make for treatment will not affect or influence the commercial interest because the system doesn't allow it. We have to bring back the loss of trust and the respect healthcare profession had earlier.

The above is from the newsletter I receive from ET HealthWorld. com

Completely paralysed man walks again using brain waves

This is the first time that a person with complete paralysis in both legs (paraplegia) was able to walk without relying on manually controlled robotic limbs.PTI  |  25 September 2015, 6:54 AM IST

WASHINGTON: In a first, a man who was completely paralysed in both legs due to spinal cord injury has been able to walk again using a system controlled by his brain waves, scientists say.

This is the first time that a person with complete paralysis in both legs (paraplegia) due to spinal cord injury was able to walk without relying on manually controlled robotic limbs, as with previous walking aid devices, researchers said.

The preliminary proof-of-concept study shows that it is possible to use direct brain control to get a person's legs to walk again, they said.

The participant, who had been paralysed for five years, walked along a 3.66m long course using an electroencephalogram (EEG) based system. The system takes electrical signals from the participant's brain, which then travel down to electrodes placed around his knees to create movement.

"Even after years of paralysis the brain can still generate robust brain waves that can be harnessed to enable basic walking," said Dr An Do, one of the lead researchers involved in the study, from University of California, Irvine.

"We showed that you can restore intuitive, brain-controlled walking after a complete spinal cord injury.

"This noninvasive system for leg muscle stimulation is a promising method and is an advance of our current brain-controlled systems that use virtual reality or a robotic exoskeleton," Do said.

Mental training was initially needed to reactivate the brain's walking ability. Seated and wearing an EEG cap to read his brainwaves, the participant trained to control an avatar in a virtual reality environment.

He also required physical training to recondition and strengthen his leg muscles.

The participant later practiced walking while suspended 5cm above ground, so he could freely move his legs without having to support himself. On his 20th visit, he translated these skills to walk on the ground and wore a body-weight support system for aid and to prevent falls.

Over the 19 week testing period, he gained more control and performed more tests per visit.

This proof-of-concept study involved a single patient so further studies are needed to establish whether these results are true for a larger population of individuals with paraplegia, researchers said.

"Once we've confirmed the usability of this noninvasive system, we can look into invasive means, such as brain implants," said Dr Zoran Nenadic, the senior lead researcher of the study, from University of California, Irvine.

"We hope that an implant could achieve an even greater level of prosthesis control because brain waves are recorded with higher quality. In addition, such an implant could deliver sensation back to the brain, enabling the user to feel their legs," Nenadic said.
The research was published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

‘Dead’ woman in court to prove she’s alive

KOLKATA: A woman from Bongaon on Thursday moved Calcutta high court seeking to rectify a false report that said she died on May 10, 2014. Manju Adhikari also wanted a fresh probe into the murder of her nephew, Soumya Biswas, killed in July 2013. Justice Ranjit Kumar Bag listed the matter to be heard on Monday.

Manju's counsel Phiroze Edulji submitted that investigation into Soumya's murder was getting affected due to misrepresentation of facts.

Soumya (22) was additional general secretary of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad-run students' union in his college. On his birthday, on July 29, 2013, he left home with Rakesh Bairagi, another resident of Bongaon. A couple of hours later, when Manju went to Bairagi's residence to look for her nephew, she was told that he had left.

Even as she stood there, Manju heard a scream. A while later, she spotted Bairagi, his son Himanshu alias Himu and a few others walking down the road. The Bairagis were carrying firearms. Manju was told that if she did not leave the spot, she would be killed.

On the way back, Manju met Sandip Debnath who claimed he had witnessed Soumya's murder. However, Debnath was not included in the list of witnesses by the prosecution.

Late that night, Manju went to the Bongaon police station to lodge an FIR. Inspector-in-charge Chandra Sekhar Dash heard her version and made her sign a blank piece of paper, assuring that her statement would be noted down later. When Soumya's best friend Dipankar Ghosh went to the police station later to inquire about the dead youth, Dash dictated a version and made him write it down as the FIR on the blank page signed by Manju. Murder charges were then brought against Sudipta Sarkar and Himamshu.

Himanshu died soon after this, and a search of his house led to the recovery of a pistol, cartridges and other incriminating evidence.

However, on December 10, 2014, based on a submission by an advocate, the additional district and session's judge, Fast Track Court - 2, Bongaon, declared that Manju — a witness in the case — had died on May 10 that year.

On May 15, when Manju went to court to ask about the progress in the investigation, she was informed that the probe had culminated.

According to Edulji, this was "ex-facie, unfair, tainted, malafide and smacked of foul play" as his client had not even been informed of the proceedings.

Manju had then sought a CID probe but the trial court turned it down. She finally moved the high court on Thursday.

‘Candy Crush’ virus targeting Android users in India: report

MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 22:  

Avid mobile gamers in India could be at risk as a virus bundled with popular games such as Candy Crush is reportedly attacking large number of users in India and stealing personal data, according to a report by IT security firm ESET.

The virus requests device administrator rights and is capable of pushing various notifications, downloading, installing and launching applications, and obtaining the user’s private information, but its main purpose appears to be to display full-screen advertisements on the infected device, ESET said in a report.

According to our telemetry, Android users in India are currently the most affected, with 73.58 per cent of these detections observed, according to ESET.

People affected by this virus, named ‘Android/Mapin’ by ESET, include those who downloaded games such as Candy crush or Jewel crush, Hill climb racing the game, Plants vs zombies 2, Subway suffers, Traffic Racer, Temple Run 2 Zombies, and Super Hero Adventure by the developers TopGame24h, TopGameHit and SHSH from the official Google Play store between November 24-30, 2013 and November 22, 2014.

The virus pretends to be a Google Play Update or an app named Manage Settings and takes 2-3 days to get activated after being downloaded, which prevents detection from Google’s Bouncer malware prevention system, according to ESET.

According to MIXRANK, a display ad intelligence company, Plants vs zombies 2 had over 10,000 downloads before it was pulled.

During the period, System optimiser, Zombie Tsunami, tom cat talk, Super Hero adventure, Classic brick game and the applications mentioned earlier from Google Play Store, packaged with same virus, were uploaded to several alternative Android markets by the same developers, according to ESET. Android phones comprise 82.8 per cent of smartphones market globally, according to market research firm IDC.

“The popularity of Android in India makes it an attractive target for cyber criminals. The fact that users in India were the most affected by Dropper Mapin Trojan that is well detected by our anti-malware solution, leads us to think that users in India are still unaware about basic security practices when it comes to smartphones,” said Zakir Hussain, Head of ESS Distribution, Exclusive distributors of ESET products in India.

Growing malware

Although the number of users having solid anti-malware apps installed on their smartphones and tablets is growing in India, the number of malware created for smartphones is growing at a much faster pace. All these infected games are still available for download from Android market places other than Google Play and have been downloaded thousands of times, ESET said.

(This article was published on September 22, 2015)

The above is by Varun Agarwal, in Businessline 

Haemoglobin spike risky in dengue

NEW DELHI: The city is in the midst of a dengue outbreak and people are rushing to get their platelet count checked at the first sign of fever, but, doctors say, high haemoglobin levels may also point to a severe dengue infection.

A falling platelet count is thought to increase the risk of death from dengue but doctors have observed that nearly 20 per cent of the patients show a stable platelet count although their haemoglobin levels increase, indicating severe dehydration and the need for immediate medical attention.

In men, 13-16g of haemoglobin per 100ml of blood is considered normal, while in women the level should be 11-13g, said Dr Navin Dang, director of Dr Dang's Lab. Haemoglobin is a protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body's tissues.

A patient should be rushed to hospital if his or her haemoglobin count increases beyond 10% of the average level, said Brig (Dr) Ajay Sharma, professor and head, department of medicine and clinical hematology at the Army (Research and Referral) Hospital.
If haemoglobin is high, it is a danger sign even if the platelet count is normal. Most people, including doctors, keep waiting for the platelet count to fall, telling patients not to worry as their platelet count is normal. But this is wrong," he added.

Doctors say people with higher levels of haemoglobin need to be given fluids rapidly, either orally or intravenously. "When their temperature becomes normal, patients feel better but their platelet count is likely to go down. It is not a dangerous sign if there is no active bleeding. There is no role of platelet transfusion in a patient who has no active bleeding," said Brig (Dr) Sharma.

"In dengue, patients tend to consume less fluids which causes dehydration," said Dr Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis C-doc Center Of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology. "When this increases to alarming levels, the blood tissues dry up causing increase in packed cell volume or hematocrit and increase in haemoglobin levels. It can lead to ascitescollection of fluid in the abdomen."

Dr Misra added that medical attention and awareness about the warning clinical symptoms can help save many lives. Till Saturday, dengue had claimed 17 lives in the city and another 3,791 people had been infected, data with the municipal corporations showed.

On Tuesday, at least two more dengue deaths were confirmed taking the toll to 19. Shivam Dubey (14) from West Delhi and Ram Babu (24) from East Delhi died at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, respectively, on Monday.

PBT FILES NEW PIL IN DELHI HIGH COURT AGAINST DR. KETAN DESAI AND MCI CORRUPTION

by PBTINDIA on SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

In accordance to the order passed last week by Supreme Court of India, PBT has filed a new writ petition (PIL) in Delhi High Court today seeking investigation of the wide-spread corruption inside the Medical Council of India (MCI) and direction for removal of disgraced ex-MCI president, Dr. Ketan Desai, from the post of World Medical Association (WMA) president-elect for 2016. 

Despite facing criminal trial for serious allegations of bribery and corruption and having suspended medical license, Dr. Desai was reinstated last year as the WMA president-elect after several top MCI/IMA leaders including chairman of the MCI Grievance Committee, Dr. Ajay Kumar, made false submission before the world medical body that all charges against Dr. Desai have been dropped by the Indian authority. 

The MCI president and a long-known Desai crony, Dr. Jayshreeben Mehta, also harassed the chief vigilance officer (CVO) as she refused to take any action against the top MCI/IMA leaders including Dr. Ajay Kumar, Dr. Vinay Aggarwal and Dr. Sudipto Roy, who were found guilty for unethical conduct and helping Dr. Desai to regain the post of WMA president-elect. All these important issues will come before Delhi High Court when this new PIL comes up for hearing soon.

Don't Tell Me You Can't!

By Anisa Virji | Oct 01, 2014
'You are not going to make it.' 

I ran down the unending corridors of the Paris airport, dodging people from around the world, lugging a suitcase with one loose wheel, tripping over my own shoelaces... one sentence kept running through my head on a loop, 'I'm going to make it. I'm going to make it.' 

The gates were minutes from closing... I still had to go through immigration, take the inter-terminal train, go through security check, and find my gates before the plane doors closed. 

Everyone, from the guy sitting next to me on the delayed airport bus, to the airline check-in staff, had said with pitying eyes, 'doesn't look like you will make it.' 

But I was determined. So I jogged through the confused corridors of the surly airport... wishing I was in better shape and not running out of precious breath. 

And as I ran I began to ponder. 

Why am I running? Success sounds impossible. Everyone thinks so. So why don't I just give up, stop panting and tripping, and just sit tight and read my book until the next flight ten hours later? 

One school of thought believes that whatever you ask the universe for, it will give you. It's called the law of attraction. I'm sure you are all familiar with 'the secret' by now, since it's no longer a secret thanks to the wildly successful book. 

If you ask for success you will get it. If you think you will fail, you will, it says. 

My friend/philosopher/guide at university used to say something similar, 'Your thoughts are a self-fulfilling prophecy, Anisa... so think positive'. And I know he didn't believe in god, or in the power of the universe to bestow gifts (like the secret). 

I wasn't so sure I did either. So why was it that both these schools of thought, and probably others, were convinced about the power of thinking? 

I decided I needed my own philosophy, so here's what I chose to believe: If you want something so badly that you refuse to accept an alternative, you will do everything in your power to make it come true. We are more powerful than we know. 

Because I so badly wanted to get home I decided to follow a three-step plan for getting what I want: think positive, take positive action, and hope for good luck, and keep doing this till you have what you want. 

That, I believed, would make what seemed impossible, possible. And so I kept running. 

Step 1: Think Positive...Your Thoughts are Self-Fulfilling 

This is important because it sets you up for success. It compels you to plan and prepare and strategise for it. So you simply have no choice but to put all your effort into making sure you can get what you want. 

I had planned ahead because I was determined to make it... I wore comfortable running shoes, kept all my documents handy, and mapped out and studied the possible routes through the airport even before I got there. 

And I believed, 'I'm going to make it.' 

If you think you can't, then you simply can't. But why are you even thinking that? If you think you can't, you won't even give it an honest shot. So don't tell me that you can't. Believe that you can. 

Step 2: Take Action... To Move Towards Your Destination 

This is the crux of the strategy. Positive thinking drives you towards action. But actually taking action is everything. Without action all the good thoughts in the world, all the dreams and goals and aspirations come to naught... If I just jog half-heartedly toward the gate thinking 'please god let me make it, please god I hope I make it' I'm quite sure I will not. 

If I had wavered in my determination I probably would have walked just a little bit slower, pushed myself just a little bit less, maybe stopped to catch my breath. And that little bit could have been the difference between success and failure. 

I know that once the gates shut, they simply won't open again, because it's against security protocol. If I run up even as the gates were shutting I would likely be left behind. If I let myself slack off just that little bit I will not make it. 

A scene from the movie, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, flashed through my mind where the hero Aamir Khan's brother finished the bicycle race just a few seconds late, losing to the boy from the rival school. His dad said: 

'Aakhri chand second hi toh haar aur jeet ka faisla karte hai' 'The last few seconds determine who wins and who loses'

So I don't even let failure be an option... And just keep running till the end. 

Step 3: Luck Has to Be a Lady, Too 

I will do everything in my power to get where I want. But everything else...? That is a matter for my fickle friend, luck. 

I can run as fast as I want but if I drop my boarding pass on the way and only realize it as I reach the gates where a mean-looking French lady shouts, 'You are the last person on this flight we cannot wait any longer Mademoiselle we must leave now!', then that's out of my hands, isn't it? 

There's a verse in the King James version of the Bible that says: 

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding... but time and chance happeneth to them all.

The key is to not let luck or chance get you down. Don't believe in bad luck, believe in delayed luck. 

Repeat the 3 Steps Until Success Is Yours 
As I scrambled around my papers I had a terrible sinking feeling in my stomach... my boarding pass was no longer with me... I must have dropped it somewhere between the last security checkpoint and the gates. 

I looked in distress at the lady who had one hand about to pull the doors shut, another on her hip, tapping one foot while repeating the words 'Alors Mademoiselle... Come on!' 

This was it. It was over. I could barely catch my breath anymore. I should throw my hands up in the air and say, 'oh well, it happens', right? Then go find a place to rest my head for the night and make my way to a morning flight. 

This is what life is like ... sometimes there are setbacks, even significant ones, long delays and relentless hurdles. You feel like you put in a hundred percent, and just when you see your destination, it's pulled out of reach again. 

But then I remembered that 'think positive, take action, and wish for luck' wasn't the end of my plan. I was supposed to do one more thing... repeat until success. 

A surge of adrenalin pumped through my body and I yelled 'No!" I wasn't giving up, I would run again. 

"Please wait! Attendez sil-vous-plait" I yelled in uncertain French, "I am getting on that plane and don't you DARE shut that door". 

Then I turned around and ran for my life to look for my boarding pass. Until halfway to security I saw someone running towards me waving a pass. I couldn't believe my eyes! Lady Luck herself was coming to me. I had thought my luck was bad, but it was merely delayed. 

I grabbed the card, shouted thanks, ran back to the gates, and this time the French lady didn't look so mean. She looked exasperated, yes, but I had shocked her into waiting for me by my frantic yelling and mad running, and she seemed almost amused at my persistence. 

So I made it home - by following the magic formula:

This may seem like a trivial incident, after all I was just going home. But whatever your journey, and wherever your destination, this approach holds true. Whether it takes you a day, a week, or a year, remember this magic to get to your goal. When your plans get messed up, stick to your guns and try again. If it happens again, then try again, even harder than before. If a one-armed, one-legged man can ride a bicycle, then 'don't tell me that you can't'.

The above is from the newsletter "Common Sense Living" I receive from Equitymaster.

Centre firm on withdrawing Indira, Rajiv stamps

Amid a war of words between the Congress and the BJP over the government’s decision to discontinue postage stamps featuring the former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday that there was no question of reconsidering the move.

He said stamps should not focus on just one family but honour everyone who contributed to the making of India. “Our government respects the contribution of all and wants to give them due respect. Based on the advice of the Philatelic Advisory Committee, it was decided to issue a definitive series of stamps to represent the diversity of India. Earlier, in the definitive stamp series, the focus was on the family.” Mr. Prasad told presspersons. The revised list will honour Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jayaprakash Narayan, Bhagat Singh, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Ram Mahohar Lohia, Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Maharana Pratap, Shivaji, Mother Teresa and others.

Mr. Prasad added that this list is always subject to review. “All of them are icons in there own field. Is Jawaharlal Nehru part of the Congress family or not? Though his name has been there several times, we wanted him as he is the first Prime Minister.”

He further questioned: “Why was Maulana Azad never given a place, why Sardar Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose were given this honour only once as opposed to Indira Gandhi (four times) and Rajiv Gandhi (two times).”

However, as per the website of the Department of Posts, the commemorative stamp to honour Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was issued on November 11, 1966, and then again on the same date in 1988.

Through the years, several non-Congress personalities were honoured with commemorative/definitive stamps, including Raj Narain — whose election petition resulted in the disqualification of Indira Gandhi — and Sangh Parivar icon Veer Savarkar.

Earlier, the Congress had demanded an apology from the Modi government, saying the decision to discontinue the stamps reflected a “very narrow mindset.”

“We condemn the approach and attitude of this government towards the Gandhis who have sacrificed a lot for the nation. It is an insult to history,” Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma told reporters.

While I do not usually agree to what the BJP does, I however, appreciate the above decision. During Congress rule, everything was named after the Nehru-Gandhi family. When Anand Sharma talks of "insult to history", I agree with him but not in the way he thinks of history. As per him, only the Nehru-Gandhi family were associated with India's history. The BJP should not stop here. All the projects and dole outs which were named after the Nehru-Gandhi family should be renamed.

A list of names should be made of the famous personalities of India - statewise, alphabetically. Naming should be done from this list through lottery so that no one could be accused of bias. In the list, the Nehru and Gandhi names should be also included.

SUPREME COURT GRANTS “LIBERTY” TO MOVE HIGH COURT SEEKING JUSTICE AGAINST SELECTION OF DR. KETAN DESAI AS WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (WMA) PRESIDENT

by PBTINDIA on SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
After hearing arguments for the PIL filed by PBT against the deliberate and sinister promotion of disgraced ex-MCI president, Dr. Ketan Desai, to the prestigious post of WMA president-elect, division bench headed by the Chief Justice in Supreme Court of India (SC) granted permission to approach the High Court seeking appropriate reliefs for removal of Dr. Desai from the post of WMA president-elect (see the SC order below). 

This PIL was filed after several high-rank members of MCI and Indian Medical Association (IMA) made a false claim that all charges against Dr. Desai has been dropped by the Indian authority even though Dr. Desai remains free on bail and waiting for his criminal trial to begin for alleged bribery and corruption since he was caught red-handed by the CBI for taking huge bribe from a private medical college while Dr. Desai was still working as the MCI president in April, 2010. 

Apart from MCI, IMA and Dr. Ketan Desai, this unprecedented PIL also includes the international medical body (WMA) and Dr. Ajay Kumar, senior member of MCI/IMA who made the fraudulent claim before WMA with an application from the national IMA to reinstate Dr. Desai as the WMA president-elect. PBT will approach the Delhi High Court soon, as directed by the Apex Court, to bring justice for this colossal medical corruption.

Is it a coincidence the Ketan Desai is from Gujarat, the home state of Modi?

EC will take call on banning PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat',says CPI(M)

New Delhi, Sept.16 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday said the Election Commission should take a final call on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' should be banned till the Bihar assembly polls are on.

"During the election campaign, when the Code of Conduct is in operation, there are restrictions on everybody else. But whether that applies to the Prime Minister or not, it is for the Election Commission to take a final call," Yechury told ANI here.

"If this medium is used for election propaganda then it will definitely be a violation," Yechury added.

Prime Minister Modi has urged people to record voice messages for his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. The next edition of the programme will be broadcast this Sunday.(ANI)

A foreigner, not very familiar with our national language asked his Indian friend, "How many monkeys do you have in India?"
Surprised, his friend asked, "Why do you ask this?".
"Well, every month your PM seems to giving Monkey bath ", the foreigner replied.
I smiled and understood his dilemma and said, "Yes he has been making moneys of us for the last two years. Now it is the turn of Bihar to become monkeys. 

Is this another boast like the 56" chest of Modi?

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 14:  

Gujarat took the top honours in a list that ranked states on the ease of doing business. The government on Monday released the results of the ranking through a report on ‘Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms’.

Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh feature in the top five in the report compiled by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion with technical assistance from the World Bank, consultancy firm KPMG, and CII and FICCI. Interestingly, of the five top States, four are ruled by the BJP, and one (Andhra Pradesh) by the Telugu Desam Party, an ally.

“The assessment, which is the first of its kind, has been conducted to take stock of reforms implemented by States in the period January 1 to June 30, 2015, based on the 98-point action plan for business reforms agreed between the DIPP and States last December,” Additional Secretary Shatrughna Singh said releasing the report on Monday.

The report would give potential investors an idea of the environment prevailing in different States and is also aimed at helping the states identify areas they need to improve in.

The exercise is part of the Centre’s efforts to improve the country’s ranking in the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ report, where it was placed a poor 142 among 189 countries in 2015.

“These rankings were based on States’ performance in the identified areas only over six months,” pointed out Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank. Next year, when the rankings would be based on a full year’s performance, they may change, he added.

(This article was published on September 14, 2015)

September 14, 2015:  

Is it the World Bank or the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) that played a central role in bringing out the report `Assessment of State implementation of business reports’ and the ranking of states?

The DIPP, a week before the release of the report, had attempted to distance itself from it by claiming it was mainly a World Bank project. The idea, as some officials admitted off-the-record, was to avoid criticism that could be heaped on the Centre by States (especially those ruled by non-BJP parties) that fare badly in the report.

However, when the report was released, it turned out that the international agency had just provided ‘technical assistance’ to KPMG (hired by the DIPP) to analyse the data collected by it.

Reading the above, it does remind you of Modi's 56" chest boast.