Fleas on flight

Two fleas were drinking up spilled drops of beer on the bar table in a
bar near Logan International Airport in Boston. One of them mentioned
he was taking a trip to Florida.

"I am too!" said the other. "I go often."

"Really?" The first asked, "How do you travel?"

The second replied, "I usually travel in a man's mustache. It gets me
there, but the big drawback is that it's terribly cold. The chilly
wind always gets to me. I arrive in sunny Florida and I'm still
shivering."

"Ah, you just don't know how to do it," replied the first. "This is
how you travel to Florida. First, find a woman who is wearing a skirt.
A stewardess will do fine. Then jump on her leg, make your way up and
snuggle into her - well, you know - and then just settle in. It's a
nice warm ride. You can even sleep the whole way!"

"Egad!" the second replied. "Great idea! I'll try it. Thanks!"

Just by chance, the two fleas once again met up in a bar in Florida
after their flight had touched down in Miami.

"So how was your trip?" the first asked.

"Not so good," answered the second.

"Why?" asked the first. "Did you do what I suggested?"

"I did," answered the second. "It was like this. I'm in a man's
mustache when I see this woman flight attendant. Just by coincidence,
she walks up to the man and they embrace. Then they just start making
out right there in the middle of the airport. I see my chance. Just
before they kiss, I jump out of the man's mustache, onto the woman's
leg, work my way up and settle into her You Know. Then I go to sleep.
And when I wake up, I'm back in the man's mustache!" ;-)

AIPG 2009 : 25/04/2009 : DAILY COMPOSITE LIST OF COLLEGES FROR MD/MDS/MDS COURSES & SUBJECT - Round 2

"Life is about correcting mistakes."

Monica married Hitesh this day. At the end of the wedding party,

Monica's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook.
With Rs.1000 deposit amount.
Mother: 'Monica, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your marriage
life. When there's something happy and memorable happened in your new
life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next to the line. The
more memorable the event is, the more money you can put in. I've done the
first one for you today. Do the others with Hitesh.When you look back
after years, you can know how much happiness you've had.'
Monica shared this with Hitesh when getting home. They both thought it
was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can be
made.
This was what they did after certain time:
- 7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Hitesh after marriage
- 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Monica
- 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali
- 15 Apr: Rs.2000, Monica got pregnant
- 1 Jun: Rs.1000, Hitesh got promoted
..... and so on...

However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial
things.They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married the
most nasty people in the world.... no more love...Kind of typical
nowadays, huh?
One day Monica talked to her Mother:
'Mom, we can't stand it anymore. We agree to divorce. I can't imagine how
I decided to marry this guy!!!'
Mother: 'Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want if you
really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first. Remember the
saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and
spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a poor marriage.'
Monica thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue
and planning to cancel the account.
While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked,
and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joy and
happiness just came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She
left and went home.
When she was home, she handed the passbook to Hitesh, asked him to spend
the money before getting divorce.
The next day, Hitesh gave the passbook back to Monica. She found a new
deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the record: 'This is the day I
notice
how much I've loved you thru out all these years. How much happiness
you've brought me.'
They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe.
Do you know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not
ask.I believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru
all the good years in their life.
When you fall, in any way,
Don't see the place where you fell, Instead see the place from where you Slipped

Wealthy men give women more orgasms

Scientists have found that the pleasure women get from making love is directly linked to the size of their partner’s bank balance.

They found that the wealthier a man is, the more frequently his partner has orgasms.

“Women’s orgasm frequency increases with the income of their partner,” said Dr Thomas Pollet, the Newcastle University psychologist behind the research.

He believes the phenomenon is an “evolutionary adaptation” that is hard-wired into women, driving them to select men on the basis of their perceived quality.

The study is certain to prove controversial, suggesting that women are inherently programmed to be gold-diggers.

However, it fits into a wider body of research known as evolutionary psychology which suggests that both men and women are genetically predisposed to ruthlessly exploit each other to achieve the best chances of survival for their genes.

The female orgasm is the focus of much research because it appears to have no reproductive purpose. Women can become pregnant whatever their pleasure levels.

Pollet, and Professor Daniel Nettle, his co-author, believed, however, that the female orgasm is an evolutionary adaptation that drives women to choose and retain high-quality partners.

He and Nettle tested that idea using data gathered in one of the world’s biggest lifestyle studies. The Chinese Health and Family Life Survey targeted 5,000 people across China for in-depth interviews about their personal lives, including questions about their sex lives, income and other factors. Among these were 1,534 women with male partners whose data was the basis for the study.

They found that 121 of these women always had orgasms during sex, while 408 more had them “often”. Another 762 “sometimes” orgasmed while 243 had them rarely or never. Such figures are similar to those for western countries.

There were of course, several factors involved in such differences but, said Pollet, money was one of the main ones.

He said: “Increasing partner income had a highly positive effect on women’s self-reported frequency of orgasm. More desirable mates cause women to experience more orgasms.”

This is not an effect limited to Chinese women. Previous research in Germany and America has looked at attributes such as body symmetry and attractiveness, finding that these are also linked with orgasm frequency. Money, however, seems even more important.

David Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, who raised this question in his book The Evolution of Desire believes female orgasms have several possible purposes.

“They could promote emotional bonding with a high-quality male or they could serve as a signal that women are highly sexually satisfied, and hence unlikely to seek sex with other men,” he said. “What those orgasms are saying is ‘I'm extremely loyal, so you should invest in me and my children’."

The lamb of God

Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world! (John 1: 29)
      Holy  Scripture testifies clearly and in many different
passages that atonement is possible only by the shedding of blood.
"Without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebrew 9:22). "To
Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, ... to
him be glory and dominion" (Revelation 1:5,6). These verses speak for
themselves.
      It is important to distinguish between Christ as the
propitiation for the whole world and as the Substitute for all who
belong to Him by faith. On the cross Christ accomplished a work that
fully satisfied God's righteousness with regard to sin. On the ground
of His atoning death every trace of sin will one day to blotted out
from the whole of creation. But its true result will not be seen until
the new heavens and the new earth appear as the eternal dwelling place
of righteousness.
By means of Christ's work of atonement God  has dealt with the world
in goodness and mercy from the fall through sin until now. He has sent
sunshine and rainfall to the earth and "filled our hearts with food
and gladness" (Acts14:17). He has met man's needs with patience and
grace.
      In view of the work of atonement of Jesus Christ the gospel can
now be preached throughout the world.  Because Christ has made
atonement  before God, salvation is offered to everyone. God
attributes the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ to whoever accepts
His offer.

Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA): Departmental Examinations - May 2009 - Instructions

Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA): Departmental Examinations - May 2009 - Instructions

Exercise staves off age-related brain changes

Regular exercise increases cerebral blood flow and helps to stave off age-related brain changes, so say researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC).

J. Keith Smith and colleagues compared brain scans of 12 healthy adults aged between 60 and 76. Half of the participants were very active and had exercised for at least three to four hours each week for the last ten years, whereas the other half had led a sedentary life and had exercised for less than one hour each week. Results showed that the sedentary participants had fewer small blood vessels in the brain, and that the blood flow through the brain was somewhat unpredictable. However, the active participants had more small blood vessels and improved blood flow.

"Our results show that exercise may reduce age-related changes in brain vasculature and blood flow," said Feraz Rahman, M.S., who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. "Other studies have shown that exercise prevents cognitive decline in the elderly. The blood vessel and flow differences may be one reason."

News release: Exercise helps prevent age-related brain changes in older adults. Radiological Society of North America. December 1st 2008.

BIOENERGY PROJECT SAVES CHEETAH HABITATS AND WINS 2008 INTEL AWARD

The Biomass Energy Project of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) (a Namibia-based international NGO with charity status) was awarded the 2008 Intel Environment Award. In an attempt to develop an “ecologically sound and economically viable habitat improvement program”, the CCF looked into the viability of an income generating initiative which utilizes an invasive African thorn bush as a resource. It came up with a biomass project which uses a technology to convert this invasive African thorn bush into clean biomass fuel. In so doing, the habitats of cheetahs and other wildlife species that have been threatened by the bush are saved. The biomass processing plant of the “Bush Project” uses a “high-pressure extrusion process” to convert the bush into a clean and economically viable alternative to firewood and charcoal. Aside from ensuring the survival of the cheetah and its ecosystem, the project provides income-generating opportunities for self-employed entrepreneurs in Namibia.

India trails Pakistan, Bangladesh in sanitation

New Delhi: India might be an emerging economic power, but it is way behind Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Afghanistan in providing basic sanitation facilities, a key reason behind the death of 2.1 million children under five in the country.

United Nations Children's Education Fund (Unicef) Water and Environment Sanitation Chief Lizette Burgers on Monday said that India is making progress in providing sanitation but it lags behind most of the other countries in South Asia, reports IANS.

While a mere 14 per cent of people in rural areas of the country—that account for 65 per cent of its 1.1 billion population—had access to toilets in 1990, the number had gone up to 28 per cent in 2006.

In comparison, 33 per cent rural Pakistanis had access to toilets in 1990 and it went up to an impressive 58 per cent in 2006.

Similarly in Bangladesh, 36 per cent of rural people have access to proper sanitation. The corresponding figures for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka were 30 per cent and 86 per cent, respectively.

"This is a huge problem. India has made some progress but there is a lot to be desired. The speed in which we are (India) increasing the toilet usage will not help much," Burgers said, a day before an international sanitation campaign in Delhi.

She, however, said that the huge population in India is a major challenge. Burgers said that between 1990 and 2006, rural areas of the country has witnessed a growth of 181 million people of which 39 million people did not have access to toilets.

According to the international health and sanitation watchdog, there are at least 2.5 billion people across the globe who do not have access to toilets and 50 per cent of them are in the south Asian region.

That is the main reason why 50 per cent of the global child mortality rate is reported from the same region. Besides, many children suffer from diarrhoea as well as pneumonia and other respiratory problems in India.

While 88 per cent of all diarrhoea case are attributed to water, and lack of sanitation and hygiene, all roundworm and hookworm cases in children are due to poor sanitation facilities.

Experts said that open defecation is one of the key reasons for malnutrition and stunted growth among kids and looking at the sanitation scenario, the situation is not bright for Indian children.

India okays Rs 2,276 Cr to boost agri-education

New Delhi: A cabinet panel on Thursday sanctioned Rs 2,276 Cr (US $460 million) for strengthening and developing higher agricultural education in the country.

Of this, Rs 1,125 crore will be spent on development and strengthening of agricultural universities and Rs 421 crore on modernisation of agricultural university farms, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan said.

He was briefing reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, reports IANS.

The rest of the amount would be spent on sectors like niche areas of excellence and experiential learning.

"The scheme aims to enhance quality and relevance of agricultural education so that the human resource thus developed can contribute to sustainable development of agriculture and is also able to respond to national challenges," Chavan said.

"This will lead to improvement in structural and infrastructure facilities like classrooms, laboratories, girls' and boys' hostels, international hostels, libraries, museums, sports complexes and examination halls.

The scheme will also provide fellowships and students' amenities and enable faculty development," Chavan added.

Elephant dung, high on demand in Bihar

Sonepur (Bihar): Elephant dung is selling like hot cake at the famous annual cattle fair here for use as a mosquito repellent and also as fuel.

The high demand for elephant dung as a mosquito repellent has made it much sought after at this cattle fair, about 35 km from Bihar capital Patna. "We are selling elephant dung; it is in high demand," Arvind Kumar Singh, owner of an elephant said here.

He said villagers have traditionally bought elephant dung to use as mosquito repellent. When it's burnt, the smoke is considered as an instant killer of mosquitoes.

"Elephant dung is the cheapest mosquito repellent. And like herbal medicines, it has no side effects," says Maheshwar Rai, a cattle farmer who bought five kg for Rs 20.

Rai said that he would use the dung to save his family and half a dozen cows from the mosquito menace, which becomes very bad in early winter.

Another buyer, Satyendra Mahato of neighbouring Vaishali district, said that elephant dung is more effective than any other mosquito repellent available in the market. "Ten kg of elephant dung is enough for my family to get rid of mosquitoes and keep us warm on winter nights."

Akhilesh Kumar, the mahout (caretaker) of an elephant, said that he collects the dung every night and sells it in the day. "It is a business for us, just like cow owners sell milk."

Mithilesh Kumar, a forest department official on duty at the cattle fair, said that the demand for elephant dung was far higher this year. "Earlier there were a few buyers who used to take it away at throwaway prices."

"People prefer elephant dung as a mosquito repellent because it does not pollute," he added.

Over 70 elephants are at the fair this year. They are brought here for show, as their sale at the fair is banned under wildlife protection laws, said another forest department official, CP Khanduja. Elephants are big attractions at the fair, especially for tourists.

But there are unofficial reports that elephants are bought and sold at the fair in the garb of gifting them.

The nearly-month-long fair, spread across 500 acres near the confluence of two rivers—the Ganga and the Gandak—has been held every year for centuries.

The fair, which begins on the auspicious Kartiki Purnima day, is perhaps the only one of its kind in the entire sub-continent where many birds and animals—including parrots, eagles, elephants, horses, sheep, goats and buffaloes—are bought and sold.

UN to verify complaints of child soldiers in India

New York: A Unite Nations body has received complaints about the presence of child soldiers in certain militancy and Maoist-affected parts of India and has started the process to verify them.

Complaints about the presence of child soldiers in certain parts of India have come from Human Rights Watch and several other non governmental organisations (NGOs).

"As of now, we do not know the authenticity of those claims. We are now in the process of verifying those complaints through our country team in India," Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict Special Representative Radhika Coomaraswamy said.

The complaints and evidences about the child soldiers came from northeastern states like Manipur and the Maoist-affected areas of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, she said.

"Depending on what kind of information we get, we would begin a dialogue with the Indian government," she said.

Coomaraswamy said that most of the complaints were based on newspaper clippings and media reports.

In its report "Children and the Chhattisgarh Conflict" in September, the Human Rights Watch had documented the presence of child soldiers in the state and said children are being used by all parties to the conflict.