Horrors at Hatchery!

Would a factory of King Herod be similar to this or would it be more merciful. We could run a debate on this!

I really pity these poor animals, and for once am extremely proud to be a vegetarian…!

For everyone who has not had any interactions with chicken, besides chewing them from their plate, this is a must watch video! Heart breaking! The scenes that show them de-beaking and grounding the gentle chicks, is outright disgusting!

One can understand the need to separate males and females, but acting like they are not even a live breathing animal with feelings is absolutely deplorable :~( It's like Hitler’s holocaust of sorts for the chickens...

This is the very essence of an unsustainable culture.

God, how horrible! Tweety, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! are how, one would feel like screaming! Hang your head in shame if after having seen these horrific images, and you still continue to eat animals and their products!

Thank You Again!

Just a short note to wish you all a Happy Independence Day and you get time to share the weekend finds you with good friends, family, and in good spirits, even if you're not celebrating anything or are celebrating something else.

I wanted to add my share of appreciation for many of you out there, who have helped me stay sane and smiling after the accident, that happened 15 years before on this very day, and my life took a complete turn. Over the last 12 years,

I am glad to inform you all with great pleasure that I have seen some success, some failures in this competition to survive… I guess, I’ve emerged a winner thanks to many of you. The first few names that come to my mind are: Bhaskar Bhai Dave a good Samaritan, who took it upon himself and rushed me to the hospital at Ahmedabad. Srinivasan and Kumar my brothers who encouraged me to survive and pulled me up from whatever state I was in. My wife Sangeetha and Son Suraj have turned me positive and look up to more life ahead.

My doctors, Dr. Ramesh Viradia, the Ortho and Dr. Yashwant Doshi who extended a helping hand more than just as a doctor….

A million and more thanks are due to several of my Friends. My special gratitude to Sunil, Meena, Shanmugam, The Khannas, Manimozhi and her kids Suganthi and Revathi, Greena, Thomas & Fen (TG), Ambika, Hema and Kirtida who went way beyond to put a smile back on my face and lent their shoulders to cry, weep and wail… Meena and Mamata thanks for having faith in me through the most insane period of my life. These days I am able to put the training I’ve had from you and have become able to put into practice in line with my responsibilities. Without your guidance, I would not have made it. Thank you again

Many a young children (who are in their prime youth these days) Suzianna, Sanjana, Chaithri, Saakshi, Fen, Revathi, Suganthi, Vikram… the endless list, whose cheerful smile and high spirit smiles and greetings have cheered me all along. Now my son, Suraj has taken that responsibility all upon him and does it with amicable ease.

I cannot also forget to remember the cheerful lunching moments in office with Gopal, Sarala, Ambika, Hema, Kalyani, Takorayan, Minaxi, Priya, Manisha Bhana, Radha, Kamlesh, who cheered me many times through the Pain-O-Therapy days...

Then finally, I would like to thank my Physiotherapists Padmashri whose high spirit of hardwork helped me ease out of those harder days of “bucling-legs”with ease.

Thank you all once again!

Saving the Good, the Bad--And the Ugly

A hyena might not be as adorable as a tiger cub or dolphin, but a few champions of nature's endangered ugly underdogs say the hideous are just as worthy of protection as the huggable: By Katherine Harmon ( From The Scientific American)

What happens when an animal that needs saving isn't as cute as a tiger cub? Some biologists explain why human aesthetic preference has played such a big role in protecting the panda--over stranger species like this one, the helmeted hornbill.

The bulbous purple burrowing frog may not have made it onto any awww-inspiring tote bags like the unequivocally adorable giant panda. But, an increasing number of people are arguing, the humble frog—and other more homely creatures—is at least equally worth rescuing from the brink of extinction.

One of those people is Nathan Yaussy, an ecology graduate student at Kent State University in Ohio and the creator of the EUT—Endangered Ugly Things blog (recently profiled in The Washington Post). "My goal is just to let people know that these things are out there, and they're just as important as the panda," he says.

A handful of animals that are easier on the eye than, say, the aye-aye, have gotten the lion's share of publicity, funds and legislation for their salvation. Many so-called "charismatic mega-fauna," which conservationists select as mascots—or "poster children", are chosen for their looks rather than their ecological importance, notes biologist David Stokes of the University of Washington in Bothell.

"If we could raise the ecological literacy of the public and our officials to see beyond the surface value of these animals to their ecological or even utilitarian role," Stokes says, "that would be really valuable." Many endangered insects may actually be more ecologically "important" than an affable Galápagos penguin. But biologists, he notes, often neglect to take preference into account.

Certainly looks can be a matter of personal preference, but the surefire way that an animal finds its way into the public's collective heart seems to be by having infantile qualities—big eyes, round face, wobbly gait (a phenomenon called neoteny). But, as Stokes found from his research, no hard-and-fast rule dictates which animals gain wide appeal: "Really tiny differences among species can have huge effects on how much appeal they have," he says. He studied a range of penguin species and found that those with patches of bright colour received by far and away the most visual coverage.

Yaussy does admit that his method of highlighting especially bizarre animals may not be all that different than that of the panda-promoting World Wildlife Fund, a frequent target of his playful admonishment. The panda is the federation's "flagship species," he explains, which it uses with other charismatic creatures to promulgate the idea that saving the rainforest will, by extension, also save these beautiful animals. Whereas the WWF is "putting on the pretty face, I'm trying to pull in the 10-year-old boy in all of us to say, 'That's so cool!'" he remarks. At the end of the day, his hope is that "by saving the habitat, you'll save everything—the pretty things, the ugly things."

Stokes doesn't subscribe to that tidy idea entirely. Recent research has shown that the habitat of one highly endangered species rarely overlaps with that of another, he says. But he doesn't discount the usefulness of a central species for the purposes of education. The Stag Beetle Project, for instance, which is headed by the London Wildlife Trust, has helped raise awareness—and sterling pounds—for a large, fierce-looking insect.

By and large, he says, communities that can rally around one particular species, whether it's a monkey or a mollusc, do a better job adopting policies to protect biodiversity in ge

neral. But the key, he notes, is to be aware of our natural preference for some animals' appearance over others.

"This matters because people are going to increasingly be making the decision about

what species survive and what don't," Stokes says. "So we want to be able to make sure that we make educated decisions."

எச்சங்கள்

Gif Animations That I Learnt

Wow! Am proud of my effort to learn GIF animations... I managed to learn to create them and also learnt to upload them on the blog! Bravo!...



These are two students of mine whom i got to meet more than a decade later... here you could see them trying to act brave with a baby python on hands...



These are the Anglo Chinese School students of Singapore who were a part of the WED programme that we conducted called, Crusaders of Climate Change". Here you could see the students trying to act brave with a baby python on hands... I like the little Sardar's expressions here... :)

Remembering Shontal

We got her as a gift from a friend of ours as a 2 week baby. As she remained silent the entire day, we named her Shontal after the French word chanteuse—meaning “sweet voiced girl”. She has been an integral part of my life for a good number of years.

She was a Labrador retriever. She remained my constant companion and loyal friend until I met with a near fatal accident on August 15, 1997. I raised her almost as my daughter and she was a part of many a happy incidents in my life.

If you are thinking of getting a dog into your home, as a family member, remember you are making a commitment to that dog for its lifetime, probably even more than your own children.

I'm not such an expert, but I did try my hands at training Shontal for a number of years and had (accidentally?) used some of the friendly methods recommended by the a renowned, dog trainer—Mr. Ian Dunbar does in the video below.

I remember times when I started. I had no idea on dog training or education in general. My first dog was very patient, he taught me a lot. The simple rule that we followed was to teach obedience through simple play and award. Basically, I learned to appreciate every little thing that she did and said “good girl” and “thank you”.

It’s very important for us to see the world through the eyes of our beloved dogs. By knowing our pets' perspective, we can build their love and trust. It's a message that resonates well beyond the animal world.

As a result, I almost always had a happy, healthy and obedient dog. It's lovely to find out that some of my simple, easy and fun dog training methods belong to a wider philosophy on the subject!

It is essential that our dog needs to know that they can trust us and that we will never deliberately hurt or be unkind to them. All I ever had to do was call/ whistle and my dog immediately returned and were rewarded with hugs and pats.

The Necklace...

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five.

Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

"Oh Mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please mommy Please...?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00.

If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.

Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbour and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up.

She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed.

The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favourite."

"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?" "Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you."

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.

As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy.

And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy, this is for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with our God. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of?

Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go?

Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing ...

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

The greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch.

Happy Valentine's Day

Worms & Us

Take a trip to meet the charming, slinky creatures that turn your innards into their home sweet home

Worms have been living inside the human body since Homo sapiens have been around. About half the world's population (over 3 billion people) are in infected with at least one of the three worms—large roundworm, hookworm and whipworm. Most of those afflicted live in developing countries, where there is not enough clean drinking water or effective sanitation systems to keep infected feces from contaminating food and water, and where human excrement is used to fertilize crops. As you browse ahead, please remember that all of these infections are treatable.

Hookworm
Unlike most parasitic worms, which invade the body through the stomach, hookworm larvae can wiggle in through sweat glands or hair follicles in the skin. This typically happens when people walk, sit or lie on dirt containing human feces contaminated by hookworm larvae. Through the skin and into the blood vessels, the larvae make their way to the lungs, causing coughing and shortness of breath; they then migrate to the throat, where they are swallowed and delivered to the small intestine. They mature into adults measuring about 0.4 inch (10 millimeters) long, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain and anemia—a result of the worm sucking blood out of the intestinal walls. Some 740 million people, mostly those living in the warm, moist climates of Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and China, suffer from hookworm infections, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Large Roundworm (Ascaris)
Ascariasis, the potentially deadly disease caused by the roundworm Ascaris, is the most common worm infection in humans, affecting as many as 1.5 billion people worldwide annually and striking hardest in tropical and subtropical regions with poor sanitation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People often catch ascariasis by ingesting vegetables or fruit grown in soil fertilized with human feces contaminated with its eggs. On hatching in the intestine, the eggs develop into larvae that migrate through the blood and lymph systems into the lungs, causing fever, shortness of breath and wheezing. (Some people actually cough up the larvae.) From the lungs, the larvae make their way up into the throat; there they are swallowed and passed into the small intestine, where they grow into adulthood. (Imagine earthworms as long as one foot, or 30 centimeters, crawling around in your small intestine.) Severe infections can lead to intestinal blockage and death. The WHO estimates that ascariasis causes 60,000 deaths per year, mainly in children.

A Whipworm
Trichuris trichiura, commonly known as a whipworm because it looks like a cow whip, grows up to about two inches (50 millimeters, or as long as a thumb). The most common way to catch whipworm is by ingesting dirt containing human feces that are loaded with its eggs (think: children playing in the dirt and then putting their fingers in their mouths). The whipworm, which sets up shop in the large intestine, is what Despommier says may be "the secret to curing Crohn's disease."

Patients with Crohn's disease—an autoimmune disorder in which the intestinal tract becomes chronically inflamed, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and rectal bleeding—are believed to have small proteins that resemble whipworm proteins jutting from the surfaces of their intestinal cells. Mistaking the protein protrusions for those of a whipworm, the immune system attacks them, causing Crohn's disease, Despommier explains. Studies have shown that when Crohn's patients are infected with whipworm, the body seems to redirect its focus away from its own cells and onto the worms, causing Crohn's symptoms to disappear. The problem with treating Crohn's disease with whipworm, of course, is that the worm causes its own suite of problems, including severe diarrhea, weight loss and anemia. Severe cases [see photo inset] can lead to rectal prolapse, a condition in which the walls of the rectum actually protrude from the anus.

Worldwide, some 800 million people, mostly children in tropical and subtropical climates, are infected with whipworm, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Lymphatic Filariae
Unlike most parasitic worms, which inhabit the intestines, lymphatic filariae live in the lymphatic vessels and nodes. For reasons not completely understood by scientists, the presence of these worms in the lymph system can lead to severe inflammation called elephantiasis, which often affects the legs, arms, genitals and breasts [see photo]. Unfortunately for men, the worms have a propensity for the male genitalia. The worms get inside a person's body when a mosquito carrying their larvae sinks its proboscis into a victim's skin. The larvae travel through the skin and into the lymph vessels where they mature into adults measuring as long as four inches (100 millimeters). According to WHO, the infection usually begins in childhood but often takes years to cause elephantiasis.

Some 120 million people, mostly in the warm, humid climes of south Asia, Africa and the Americas, are infected with these tiny worms, and more than 40 million are disfigured by the infection, according to WHO.

Tapeworm
People accidentally ingest immature worms by eating raw or undercooked pork. Once the worms pass into the intestines, they latch onto the intestinal walls with suckers and hooks and begin to grow—and grow. The pork tapeworm shown here, Taenia solium, can grow as long as 20 feet (six meters). Often, people don't even know they have tapeworm until they see the worms—or pieces of them in their stool. If a person ingests the tapeworm eggs (by, for example, drinking water contaminated by egg-laden human feces), the eggs hatch into larvae the stomach and travel into the small intestine. From there, they may enter the bloodstream and migrate to the muscles, eyes or brain, where they can cause seizures, headaches and potentially fatal brain swelling.

Now, if you are interested in teaching your children on the importance of wearing footwear, you could use the video shown below.



Pinworm
Pinworm is the most ubiquitous parasitic worm infecting people in temperate climates—places like the U.S., Europe and most of China, which are neither tropical nor polar, but have four seasons. Nearly all children catch pinworm before they reach age 12 (yes, that means you, too) by digesting tiny bits of fecal matter from other kids. Pinworm inhabits the colon and rectum, feeding on Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria in the stool. Late at night when children are asleep, the female pinworm, which measures about the length of a staple (0.5 inch or 13 millimeters), emerges from the anus and lays her eggs on the surrounding skin. The eggs are itchy, causing children to scratch and contaminate their fingers. When they suck their thumbs, or touch other children who suck their thumbs, the cycle starts all over again.