PROGERIA - Reel 'Paa' comes to real Bagalkot

Hanumantha Hardolli and Rekha Hardolli grew up as any other baby after birth. Suddenly, their lives began to zoom by too fast. Their skin began to wrinkle, they developed bow legs, and began to lose sub-cutanous fat. Their faces showed clear signs they were growing old faster than children their age.

Age, it seemed, was catching up with Hanumantha and Rekha. Baffled and mystified, their parents consulted almost all district paediatricians who could not diagnose what the children suffered from.

This rare disorder -- a disease actually -- is called Progeria, and it causes premature aging and usually results in early-adolescent death from cardiovascular complications.

While boy is just eight and looks like a 60-year-old man, girl ten times older than her age. The two are from Guledagudda in Badami taluk of Baglkot district.

Hanumantha does not mix with others because of some deformity but looks very old and the case of his four-year old sister is no different Suddenly, there is awareness about the disorder following the publicity to movie ‘Paa’, starring Amitabh Bachchan and his son, Abhishek. The movie deals with a person afflicted with ‘Progeria’ and the role is donned by 67-year-old Hindi star Amitabh. With a lot of publicity in the media about the production of the movie and how Amitabh went about preparing for the role, people have learnt a lot about the disorder.

What is Progeria?

Progeria, meaning premature ageing in Greek is a genetic disorder. Its alternative nomenclature is Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome. It is said that such children normally do not survive more than 20 years.

As it is a genetic disease, there is no proper definite cure and the children are given calcium tablets to strength their bones and normal medicine to bring temperature down.

Two moons on 27th August

27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for.............

Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles off earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons.

Using DNA for next-Gen Microchips

International Business Machines Corp is looking to the building blocks of our bodies - DNA to be the structure of next generation microchips. As chip makers compete to develop ever smaller chips at cheaper prices, designers are struggling to cut costs. Artificial DNA nano structures or "DNA Origami" may provide a cheap framework on which to build tiny microchips according to a paper published on Sunday in the Journal Nature Nanotechnology. As per IBM research manager this is a first demonstration of using biological molecules to help with processing in the semiconductor industry. Basically, this is telling us that biological structures like DNA actually offer some very reproducible, repetitive kinds of patterns that we can actually leverage in semiconductor processes, he said. The research was a joint undertaking by scientists at IBM's research centre and California institute of technology. Right now, the tinier the chip, the more expensive the equipment. If the DNA origami process scales to production level, manufacturers could trade hundreds of millions of dollars in complex tools for less than a million dollars of polymers, DNA solutions and heating implements. The saving across many fronts could add up significantly. But the new processes are at least ten years out, that while the DNA origami could allow chip makers to build frame works that are far smaller than possible with conventional tools, the technique still needs years of experiment and testing. Lithography is a common method of asking computer chips that have shrunk to contain technology measuring a mere 22 nanometers. The DNA origami method can allow for chip features as light as 6 nanometers according to IBM. DNA origami chips would have vastly increased data storage capacity and lead to power smaller, faster, smarter devices said the computer giant.

Managing Career & Expectations

by Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director -Tata Sons 

There is a Thai saying that experience is a comb which Nature gives to manafter he is bald. As I grow bald, I would like to share my comb with you.

1. Seek out grassroots level experience
I studied Physics and Engineering at University. A few months beforegraduation, I appeared for an HLL interview for Computer Traineeship. Whenasked whether I would consider Marketing instead of Computers, I respondednegatively : an engineer to visit grocery shops to sell Dalda or Lifebuoy?Gosh, no way. After I joined the Company and a couple of comfortable weeksin the swanky Head Office, I was given a train ticket to go to Nasik. WouldI please meet Mr. Kelkar to whom I would be attached for the next twomonths? He would teach me to work as a salesman in his territory, whichincluded staying in Kopargaon and Pimpalgaon among other small towns. I wasmost upset. In a town called Ozhar, I was moving around from shop to shopwith a bullock cart full of products and a salesman's folder in my hand.Imagine my embarrassment when an IIT friend appeared in front of me inOzhar, believe it or not! And exclaimed, "Gopal, I thought you joined as aManagement Trainee in Computers". I could have died a thousand deaths.After this leveling experience, I was less embarrassed to work as aDispatch Clerk in the Company Depot and an Invoice Clerk in the AccountsDepartment. Several years later, I realised the value of such grassrootslevel experience. It is fantastic. I would advise young people to seek outnail-dirtying, collar-soiling, shoe-wearing tasks. That is how you learnabout organizations, about the true nature of work, and the dignity of themany, many tasks that go into building great enterprises.

2. Deserve before you desire
At one stage,I was appointed as the Brand Manager for Lifebuoy and Pearssoap, the company's most popular-priced and most premium soaps. And whatwas a Brand Manager? "A mini-businessman, responsible for the production,sales and profits of the brand, accountable for its long-term growth, etc.,etc. I had read those statements, I believed them and here I was, at 27,"incharge of everything". But very soon, I found I could not move a pinwithout checking with my seniors. One evening, after turning the Facitmachine handle through various calculations, I sat in front of theMarketing Director. I expressed my frustration and gently asked whether Icould not be given total charge. He smiled benignly and said, "Theperception and reality are both right. You will get total charge when youknow more about the brand than anyone else in this company about itsformulation, the raw materials, the production costs, the consumer'sperception, the distribution and so on. How long do you think that it willtake?" "Maybe, ten years", I replied, "and I don't expect to be theLifebuoy and Pears Brand Manager for so long"! And then suddenly, thelesson was clear. I was desiring total control, long before I deserved it.This happens to us all the time - in terms of responsibilities, in terms ofpostings and promotions, it happens all the time that there is a gapbetween our perception of what we deserve and the reality of what we get.It helps to deserve before we desire.

3. Play to win but win with fairness
Life is competitive and of course, you play to win. But think about thebalance. Will you do anything, to win? Perhaps not. Think deeply about howand where you draw the line. Each person draws it differently, and in doingso, it helps to think about values. Winning without values provides dubiousfulfillment. The leaders who have contributed the most are the ones with aset of universal values! V Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King forexample. Napoleon inspired a ragged, mutinous and half-starved army tofight and seize power. This brought him name and fame for twenty years. Butall the while, he was driven forward by a selfish and evil ambition, andnot in pursuit of a great ideal. He finally fell because of his selfishambition. I am fond of referring to the Pierre de Coubertin Fair PlayTrophy. It was instituted in 1964 by the founder of the modern OlympicGames and here are two examples of winners. A Hungarian tennis player whopleaded with the umpire to give his opponent some more time to recover froma cramp. A British kayak team who were trailing the Danish kayak team. Theythen stopped to help the Danish team whose boat was stuck. The Danes wenton to beat the British by one second in a three hour event! What wonderfulexamples of sportsmanship! Play to Win, but with Fairness.

4. Enjoy whatever you do
Sir Thomas Lipton is credited with the statement, "There is no greater funthan hard work". You usually excel in fields, which you truly enjoy. Askany person what it is that interferes with his enjoyment of existence. Hewill say, "The struggle for life". What he probably means is the strugglefor success. Unless a person has learnt what to do with success aftergetting it, the very achievement of it must lead him to unhappiness.Aristotle wrote, "Humans seek happiness as an end in itself, not as a meansto something else". But if you think about it, we should not work forhappiness. We should work as happy people. In organizational life, peopleget busy doing something to be happy. The more you try to be happy, themore unhappy you can get. Your work and career is all about you’re reachingyour full potential. Working at one's full potential, whether it is theoffice boy or the Chairman, leads to enjoyment and fulfillment. A lastpoint about enjoyment. Keep a sense of humor about yourself. Too manypeople are in danger of taking themselves far too seriously. As General JoeStilwell is reported to have said, "Keep smiling. The higher the monkeyclimbs, the more you can see of his backside".

5. Be Passionate about your health
Of course, as you get older, you would have a slight paunch, graying ofhair or loss of it and so on. But it is in the first 5 - 7 years after theworking career begins that the greatest neglect of youthful health occurs.Sportsmen stop playing sports, non drinkers drink alcohol, light smokerssmoke more, active people sit on chairs, and starving inmates of hostelseat rich food in good hotels and so on. These are the years to watch. Donot, I repeat do not, convince yourself that you are too busy, or that youdo not have access to facilities, or worst of all, that you do this torelieve the stresses of a professional career. A professional career isindeed very stressful. There is only one person who can help you to copewith the tension, avoid the doctor's scalpel, and to feel good each morning- and that is yourself. God has given us as good a health as He has, a bitlike a credit balance in the bank. Grow it, maintain it, but do not allowits value destruction. The penalty is very high in later years.

6. Direction is more important than distance
Every golfer tries to drive the ball to a very long distance. In theprocess, all sorts of mistakes occur because the game involves the masterlyco-ordination of several movements simultaneously. The golf coach alwaysadvises that direction is more important than distance. So it is with life.Despite one's best attempts, there will be ups and downs. It isrelationships and friendships that enable a person to navigate the choppywaters that the ship of life will encounter. When I was young, there was amemorable film by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart and Dona Reed, andnamed IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. It is about a man who is about to commitsuicide because he thinks he is a failure. An angel is sent to rescue him.The bottom line of the film is that "No Man is a Failure Who Has Friends".

Of mind over matter

If machines become safe enough to interface with human brain then paralyzed people can start walking with prosthetic limbs.

A latest study of interaction between brain and machine shows that learning to move a cursor of computer or to control robotic arm with thoughts is not much different from learning any game. Computer interfaces that translate thoughts into movements are given new set of instructions every day.

Training the mind to move the cursor

Experiments shows that just by using one set of instructions and small number of brain cells which delivers the instruction, monkeys learned to performing same computer cursor movements each day. This is the first demonstration that the brain can form a motor memory to control a disembodied device in a way that mirrors how it controls its own body.

This surprising and dramatic results show that the brain is smarter than we thought. To perform the experiment electrodes are implanted directly into the brain to record activity from a population of about 100 cells that involved in helping the movements. The activity pattern of those cells in animals when they move their hand or arm is recorded. Later the limb is immobilized, and researchers tried to predict what the animal wants to do with it by looking at the cells activity, that patterns is then sent to computer decoder algorithm which can translate the brain signal into commands that machine can understand. Due to the variable pattern caused by the motion of electrodes and changes in brain cells made researchers to assume that a new population of cells would be in control of the movement every day. They recalibrated the decider each day and subject has to relearn the task.

Researchers wondered what would happen if they keep the decoder constant as it measured the activity of just few neurons. Then a team trained two monkeys to move cursor to the marked location with joy stick. In the beginning the trajectory of movement observed appeared random but over a period of time cell firing stabilized and monkeys developed a stable mental pattern.

How to Relax

We come across stress and anxiety during our day to day activities. Stress can have a negative consequence on your health and relationships. The best way to stay healthy and happy is to learn how to relax and relieve your anxiety. Here are few tips to keep yourselves relaxed...

Think Positive. Try to focus on the Beauty in everything

Avoid constantly complaining or angry People. Stress can be contagious, so avoid transmitters. Understand that there is always a solution to a problem.

Avoid toxic people. Spend less time with people who try to guilt you into doing things or tell you that you're not good enough. Yes, even if they're family.

Stop feeling guilty. Guilt is a potent syource of stress. Get rid of the syource of guilt by behaving yourself; stop engaging in behaviors that make you feel guilty. Seek professional help, if necessary, but don't allow destructive behavior to escalate and sabotage your life and health.

Learn to prioritize. Make a list of tasks for the day. Organize the list by importance. Learn to be proactive and take care of things before they become a big problem. Time spent more productively means more free time to relax.

Make healthy food choices.

Avoid excessive sugar, pastries or soda. Carbohydrates, such as pasta, convert easily to sugar. These can cause severe ups and downs and agitation, upsetting your body's ability to efficiently utilize energy.

Avoid excessive coffee. Instead of regular coffee, switch to decaf or an herbal tea with little or no caffeine. Warm water will help to relax.

Eat fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains that are free of refined sugar, such as apples, grapes, carrots, broccoli, brown rice or whole grain breads.

Eat plenty of low-calorie protein, such as chicken, fish, whole grains, legumes, dark leafy vegetables or low-fat dairy. These proteins are a better syource of energy.

Exercise every day. This is the best known, scientifically proven way to significantly reduce stress. It is much easier to overcome stress if you exercise regularly.

Try at least thirty minutes per day of moderate activity.

Walk in the park, woods or on a treadmill.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Park a little further away from the entrance of a store.

Ride a bike.

Go swimming. Try your local pool, a nearby lake or a friend or relative's home.

Increase your activity, once you've built endurance, if desired.

You don't need to work out like a body builder or celebrity.

Find a quiet place when you are feeling overwhelmed.

Draw a warm bath. Light candles around the tub, dim the lights, add bubbles or lavender, if desired.

Lay on your bed or sofa. Play some soft music or nature CDs. Relax listening to ocean waves, waterfalls or birds.

Read a good book. Curl up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of chamomile tea.

Imagine a personal paradise. Close your eyes and envision a different setting. What do you see around you? Is there a breeze? What do you hear - birds or water? Imagine the calming sound of ocean waves reaching the shore. Enjoy a moment in your special place.

Even the stall of a bathroom will work if you have no other place to go.

Use controlled breathing, muscle tensing and relaxing, affirmations (which become your own subliminal messages to your subconscious), and visualization to experience the full impact of total relaxation.

Do yoga. It relaxes your body and clears your mind of the stress and rush of the day.

Practice meditation. Remove all thoughts and emotions from your mind by concentrating on your breathing. It takes a little practice, but is very rewarding.

Breathe more slowly. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Inhale deeply, count to five, then exhale slowly, counting to five. Do this ten times to relax your muscles and nerves.

Try a massage. Go to your local spa for a great massage.

Lower your shoulders to help relax. Be more consciously aware of the tension that is quick to accumulate in your shoulders.

Perform self-hypnosis. Focus on something, take a few deep breaths and let yourself become hypnotized. If you have trouble with self-hypnosis, go to a licensed hypnotherapist. Do not allow an amateur to try to hypnotize you. Beware of subliminal messages.

Be calmed by water. Assemble a small fountain in your bedroom or yard. Walk near a beach or lake. The calming sounds of water are very soothing.

Do activities or hobbies that relax you. Get your mind off the things that normally stress you out. You may just need a break every now and then. Go fishing, sew, sing, paint or take photographs.

Try singing a song using numbers instead of words. This helps to distract you from stress to suddenly relax.

Spend time with your pet. Cuddle or play with your pets. They'll love it and so will you. Talk to your pet about all the stress and anxiety you've been going through and you'll feel a lot better.

Smile and laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. Rent, buy or see a hilarious movie. This is guaranteed to help. Smiling and laughing releases endorphins, which fights stress, helps to relax and reminds you that life is more than just work. Even if it feels strange at first, make it a point to smile more often.

Change your ways If your problem includes something happening at home, then just count to ten, take deep breaths, don't yell, and just find the solution to the problem. If the problem is something you're doing, then change the way you act. Just listen to those around you to figure out and correct what is wrong.

Reference: http://www.wikihow.com/

Burger King apologises to Hindus for offensive ad

Global fast food chain Burger King has apologised to Hindus for running an advertisement in Spain that showed an Indian goddess with a 'forbidden' Whopper burger.

The advertisement had a picture of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, about to eat a beef burger. The goddess and the burger were placed under a slogan claiming 'La merienda es sagrada' (The snack is sacred).

The fast food chain quickly withdrew the advertisement from its stores in Spain after Hindus across the world complained over the denigration of their religion.

The depiction of Lakshmi in the ad for 'Texican Whopper' has provoked widespread anger with its suggestion that a Hindu deity eats beef.

Burger King withdrew the posters and issued an apology after Hindu leaders condemned the chain for its insensitivity.

'We are apologising because it wasn't our intent to offend anyone,' said spokesperson Denise T. Wilson.

'Burger King Corp values and respects all of its guests as well as the communities we serve. This in-store advertisement was running to support only local promotion for three restaurants in Spain and was not intended to offend anyone.

'Out of respect for the Hindu community, the limited-time advertisement has been removed from the restaurants,' she added.

Earlier this year, Burger King offended Mexican officials with another advertisement for the 'Texican Whopper' which depicted a dwarf dressed as a wrestler draped in the Mexican flag.

Indo Asian News Service

Amazing Facts about India N Indians!

1. India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.
2. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
3. India is the world's largest democracy.
4. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
5. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
6. The World's first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
7. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.
8. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.
9. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth.
10. The art of Navigation was bornin the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.
11. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
12. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians.
13. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10**53(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12(10 to the power of 12).
14. IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.
15. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
16. According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.
17. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
18. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.
19. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
20. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
21. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
22. India is one of the few countries in the World, which gained independence without violence.
23. India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.
24. India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
25. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.