Friday, March 30, 2012

Ra.One Animator Charu Khandal undergoes Surgery

Charu Khandal, the animator of Shah Rukh Khan acted Bollywood movie ‘Ra-One’, who was seriously injured in an accident, underwent a major surgery at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.

Neurosurgeon Anand V. Subramaniam operated on Charu. As she had a swelling in her body the surgery had been delayed.

On March 25 when Charu was coming in an autorickshaw with her sister and a friend, a speed car crashed into her auto. The car was allegedly being driven by a drunk driver. She has suffered several fractures and injuries to her spinal cord in the accident.

Charu is in coma now, but her brain is active. Her condition has slightly improved as per the doctor.

The animator was planning to get married to her fiancé Sagar Thacker in coming November. Indian science fiction superhero film Ra.One is famous for its animation and graphics.

Bring Out Their Best

The brightest leaders don't rely on their own intelligence just to succeed, but use it to help their people shine as well.

Here are three ways you can help your employees not only feel smarter, but act smarter:

- Look for ideas everywhere: Don't assume you know where all the new and creative ideas will come from. Involve people on projects not because of their titles but based on their ability to contribute.

- Encourage openness: Create a safe environment where your people know they can and should - think, act, and speak with reason. have a high tolerance for mistakes so people aren't afraid to take risks.

- Challenge people to get better: Offer opportunities for them to stretch their thinking and behavior. Set the expectation that everyone, including you, should improve his or her skills.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Sasikala apologises to Jayalalithaa, claims Innocence PDF

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitaa's estranged friend Sasikala, who was expelled from her party AIADMK, apologised to her claiming that she was innocent.

Sasikala is trying to patch up the decade-long her relationship with Jayalalitaa after she was thrown out of the AIADMK chief's house. She said that she could not conspire against her friend even in her dream.

She also denied any knowledge about a conspiracy plotted by her relatives against AIADMK supremo Jayalalitaa.

In a statement, Sasikala, who was the most powerful woman without holding a key post in the government, said, "I've not thought ill of Jayalalithaa even in my dream".

"I have snapped ties with everyone who betrayed Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa. I had no clue that these relatives of mine hatched a conspiracy against her. I can never forgive them", she said.

The woman, who had been living at Jayalalithaa's residence for 24 years and she was treated like her sister, was thrown out of her house for interfering in the postings of bureaucrats.

Both Jayalalithaa and Sasikala were seen together in February in a courtroom in Bangalore where they are facing trial for corruption.

The Tehelka had reported that Sasikala and her relatives were expelled from the AIADMK after Jayalalitaa was confirmed that her close aide along with the relatives is conspiring against her.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Central Govt Employees get 7% DA Hike

The central government employees and pensioners will get a partial relief from inflation as the government hiked the dearness allowance (DA) by 7 per cent, which will be applicable from January 1, 2012.

The new DA rate of 65% of basic pay against 58% will put an additional burden of Rs 7,500 crore on the exchequer per year.

The decision was taken by the Union Cabinet. Around 50 lakh employees and 30 lakh pensioners will be benefited by the increased DA.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Painkillers may lead to Hypertension, High BP

A new study has suggested that some common ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) medications such as painkillers may be an unseen and another cause of high blood pressure and hypertension.

Professor Ehud Grossman of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine has found the painkillers to be a basic cause of BP and hypertension in a recent study.

Normally a physician believes kidney failure and endocrine tumors to be reasons of high blood pressure. But the research revealed that painkillers may also lead to high BP and hypertension.

The research took into account all the OTCs like painkillers, birth control, anti-depressants, and antibiotics and found that all of these increased the blood pressure rate.

Actually the research gives more stress on the drug combination that is prescribed to a patient. More clearly, the individual drug may not harm that much but the side effect of the combination of the painkillers with other medications may result in serious health issues.

“Many physicians don’t account for this, and some don’t even know about it. It’s their responsibility to be informed and make sure that their patients are aware that this is a possibility,” says Prof. Grossman.

The researcher is of the opinion that the doctors should either decrease the amount of prescribed medications or should prescribe an anti-hypertensive medication along with the other OTCs.

There are several pros and cons of altering medications as per the finding of this study. But the researcher feels that by simply being aware of the effects of the drugs taken, patients and doctors can adjust the treatment so as to prevent hypertension and high blood pressure.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Origin of Obesity traced to Womb: Study

A new study has suggested that environment in the womb decides the weight of the baby in its later years. This environment is governed by mother's diet and exposure to pollution or stress.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Plos one. In this study the researchers have found a link between the fetus in the womb and its chances of obesity in the later life.

They observed certain changes around the DNA at birth which they estimated to be the result of a mother's diet, exposure to pollution and stress.

Earlier, scientists have explained that the FTO gene is necessarily a deciding factor for obesity besides least childhood or adult diet. However, some other scientists have provided molecular changes called ‘epigenetics ‘to be the reason of overweight.

These molecular changes are believed to be caused partly by the environmental factors such as diet, stress, smoking or hormones, particularly in the womb.

In the present study Dr Caroline Relton, of Newcastle University and team took blood samples of 24 children aged 11 to 13 and identified epigenetic changes in the gene. They then compiled data of 178 other individuals and came to the given conclusion.

However, they have also opined that further study is needed to confirm this link. The study was different from others as it focused on the genes which were differently expressed in children with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI).

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Mental Illness leads to Suicide, says WHO

A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that mental illness is a major risk factor for suicide. Suicide is the process of purposely ending one's own life.

The WHO report says that approximately one million people worldwide commit suicide each year and from 10 million to 20 million people attempt to suicide annually. The report further discloses that at an average one person dies in every 40 seconds globally.

WHO says that the mental disorder that arises out of depression and use of alcohol is mostly witnessed in Europe and North America. For Asian countries of course, mental disorder and provocation with impulsiveness leads to suicide.

In India, the prevalence of major mental and behavioral disorders is estimated to be 65 per 1000 persons. It has been observed that the social stigmas of Indian society contribute much in many cases of depression which eventually leads to suicide.

“The situation has not made much headway as problems are kept under the wraps because of the stigma attached to them”, said Dr Sudhir Joseph, director, St Stephen's Hospital.

It is a fact that majority of the people with mental illness do not die by suicide.  However, more than 90 percent of the people who die from suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder. People who die by suicide are frequently experiencing undiagnosed, undertreated, or untreated depression.

An estimated 2-15 % of persons who have been diagnosed with major depression die by suicide.

Mental illness in the form of substance abuse, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (mood issue) leads to depression which then results in suicide.

Monday, March 12, 2012

HOW TO CRAFT THE JOB YOU WANT

Not engaged and motivated by your job? You may have the power to change it. Begin by identifying your motives, strengths and passions to help you better understand which aspects of your job will keep you engaged and inspire higher performance. Then, create a diagram of your current job, including your job tasks, noting which you do most often. 

Next, create a diagram of your preferred job, indicating which things you want to do more or less of and which tasks you want to add. This chart can help you articulate what you want to do differently. Be sure to engage your supervisor in this process; assure her that you won't let your current tasks slide and that any new tasks you propose are central to the company.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam appointed as ISI Chief

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has appointed Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam as the new Director General of ISI (Inter Services Intelligence).

Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam is currently serving as the Corps Commander Karachi. He will succeed Lt Gen Shuja Pasha, who will retire on March 18.

Director General Rangers Sindh Lt. General Ijaz Chaudhry will succeed Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam as Corps Commander Karachi.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Recession makes People Slimmer

While the financial recession of 2007 had brought great economic disaster to every household, a new study has suggested one of its positive aspects. The study has found that the people, who had become overweight before, halved in 3 years' time following this economic crisis.

The Arizona State University researchers compiled data of around 350,000 adults across the United States. Their weight and height was measured to determine the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height.

The person having a BMI score of 30 or above is termed obese and if the same is within 25 to 30, he is considered as overweight as per the norms provided by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In an earlier research it was found that people from the lower income group gain more weight because they take cheaper foods but with higher calories, like takeaways and pre-packaged meals. Hence it was normally expected that when every family faced an economic scarcity, they should gain weight.

But this new research found that people became slimmer as an effect of the recession irrespective of their income.

Monday, March 5, 2012

71,000 Entries received for Veena's Swayamvar

Pakistani Actor and Model Veena Malik, who has been in the news for Imagine TV’s ‘Swayamvar – 4’ has created a big buzz after receiving 71,240 entries of suitors lined up to marry her.

In this season, Veena has set a new record leaving  behind the models of the earlier seasons Rakhi Sawant at 30,000  Rahul Mahajan  at 43,000 and Ratan Rajput at 54,000.

In this connection so far entries have been received from Saudi Arabia, UK, USA, Poland, New Zealand, Bahrain and Nepal along with the maximum number from India. In India, the highest numbers of entries are from Delhi, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. “I am overwhelmed by the response” says an excited Veena.

However, the format of the serial is that only 116 entries will be shortlisted from all the entries of which Veena will further shortlist it to 40 and then lastly there will be 16 finalists.

Veena Malik will reportedly be paid a huge sum of Rs 3 crore for the show and an additional Rs 1.5 crore if she gets married.

For Veena, it can be said that she has not left any stone unturned to mesmerize a huge number of youths across the world through different media. She tweets “Career is a beautiful thing but cant hug my career n sleep peacefully....for that I need a husband”.