Puttari namme (Huttari festival) - Coorg

"Wish you all a Happy Puttari Namme"

Today we celebrate Puttari at Coorg (Kodagu).

Puttari ( Huttari ) is the traditional harvest festival known for a variety of folk songs and dances being displayed. It is observed in November / December. Each village presents it own set of discipline and dances during the annual fairs at its temple, which is the main center of cultural activities.

When the Paddy crop is ready for harvest, the villagers chant "Poli Poli Deva" and a little crop is cut, bound in small bunches and is handed out to all those present during the occasion. The bunch of Paddy crop will be taken home by the folks and is preserved as a sign of prosperity.

More about "Puttari"

Puttari means new rice, and is the rice harvest festival (also called huttari in adjacent Kannada-speaking country). This takes place in late November or early December. Celebrations and preparations for this festival start a week in advance.

On the Puttari day, the whole family assemble in their ain mane (the common family house) which is decorated with flowers and green mango and banana leaves. Specific foods are prepared: thambuttu, puttari, kari, and poli poli. Then the eldest member of the family hands a sickle to the head of the family, and one of the women leads a procession to the paddy fields, with a lit lamp in her hands. The path leading to the field is decorated. A gunshot is fired to mark the beginning of the harvest, with chanting of "Poli Poli Deva" (prosperity) by all the people present there. Then the symbolic harvesting of the crop begins. The rice is cut and stacked and tied in odd numbers, and is then carried home, to be offered to the gods there.

The younger people then burst firecrackers and revel, symbolizing prosperity. Groups of youngsters then visit the neighboring houses and show off their dancing skills, and are given monetary gifts. A week later, this money is pooled and a community dinner of the entire village) is celebrated. All the family members gather for this meal. Dinner normally consists of meat dishes such as pork and fish curry. Alcoholic drinks are also served at such feasts.

A Good Leader knows the Team's Colors

Leadership can be a very challenging task.

As leaders we don't always get to choose who is on our team. In fact very often a leader inherits a team, of which most of the members have been there far longer than the leader, and may even know more about the work than the leader. Whatever the situation, one of the responsibilities of a leader is to motivate the team to all work together towards the common goal. This can be a daunting challenge. So often the team is comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics are also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. The leader, not only has work with this group of people, but also needs to achieve the results expected by their superiors.

Leaders can great benefit by being able to identify the types of personality characteristics of team members.

By understanding the basic personality types, the leader can use individual strengths of members for the good of the team, as well as assign tasks that individual team members naturally excel in. A leader can also learn to communicate in a way that is motivating, by taking into account the needs, values and working preferences of different team members. A good leader will see the greatest results by working and utilizing the strengths and working style characteristics of the personalities on the team. By correctly positioning the individual member strengths and compensating for weaknesses, the leader can bring the team into a productive balance and harmony.

A brief overview of the different values and working styles of the four main personality types demonstrates the importance of this knowledge being part of the successful leadership toolbox. The four types of personality will be described using the colours Gold, Blue, Green and Orange .

The strong Gold employee takes work and responsibility very seriously. Gold personalities want to contribute, be part of the team, and to be successful and productive. They respond well to recognition, rewards and incentives. However Gold team members need well defined responsibilities and structure, firm expectations and timelines as well as being reassured from authority that they are on the right track.

The strong Blue personality needs an open, social atmosphere to be able work well. Relationships are very important for them, and they need the freedom to be able to nurture relationships with coworkers, customers and employers.. Conflict and intense competition are painful for a strong Blue, but they will thrive in a positive, creative, service orientated atmosphere.

A strong Green personality is more noted for expertise rather than people skills. They are excellent working with facts, data, research and analytical projects. Greens shine in their ability for designing, understanding complex systems and strategy. Facts are of utmost importance for the Green, but they have a weakness for routine follow through and are somewhat insensitive in social interactions.

Orange team members are noticeable by their energy, skill and creativity. A key factor for an Orange is the freedom to be able to use their skills and abilities. If there is too much structure, or their boss is very authoritarian, the orange personality feels blocked and does not function well. Orange personalities like people and work well in a spirit of teamwork, competition and camaraderie. They are action orientated, though and become impatient with prolonged talking and detailed administrative tasks.

A leader, by knowing the colors of his team, can use this knowledge to blend the team members into a unified, well coordinated picture poised for success. By facilitating each team member to function in their areas of natural strength and motivating them by communicating in a way that inspires harmony and team work, the leader is well on the way to achieving extraordinary results.

Website of Kodava Student Association of Mangalore

Check the new website of Kodava Student Association of Mangalore.

http://www.kodavastudentsmlr.co.in/

Rally De Coorg

Vikram Mathias and Murthy of Bangalore won first place in the Rally de Coorg.

Rally the Coorg was organised by Tata Coffee Ltd and Motors Sports amidts coffee estates. The duo covered 110 km in 1 hour 41 minutes 41 seconds.

Chikmagalur’s Girija Shankar Joshi-Prajwal Pai won second place (1:48:10), Sujay-Bharath (III, 1:51:03) , Den Thimmaiah -M S Ravindra of Kodagu (IV, 1:51:39) and Majda -Vinayak (V). In gypsy category, Agarwal-Iliaz (I), Aravind-Arun (II), Venkatesh Babu -Lakshmikanth (III). In 1600 CC category Girija Shankar Joshi -Prjwal Pai (I); 1,400 CC category Sujay-Bharath (I), Majda -Vinayak (II) and Manju -Jeeva (III). In Rally start cup category Den Thimmaiah - M S Ravindra (I), Shefeeq-George (II), Raghuram-Balram (III), Jairam-Anjay (IV) and Hari-Ashwin (V). As many as 25 competitors had taken part in the rally. The rally passed through Palibetta, Emmegundi, Hosalli. The sixth stage rally will be held in Nasik on January 20.

The Concept of Bankruptcy

If you could read patiently and understand, it’s great knowledge!

Once there was a little island country. The land of this country was the tiny island itself. The total money in circulation was 2 dollars as there were only two pieces of 1 dollar coins circulating around.

1) There were 3 citizens living on this island country. A owned the land. B and C each owned 1 dollar.

2) B decided to purchase the land from A for 1 dollar. So, now A and C own 1 dollar each while B owned a piece of land that is worth 1 dollar.

* The net asset of the country now = 3 dollars.

3) Now C thought that since there is only one piece of land in the country, and land is non producible asset, its value must definitely go up. So, he borrowed 1 dollar from A, and together with his own 1 dollar, he bought the land from B for 2 dollars.

*A has a loan to C of 1 dollar, so his net asset is 1 dollar.

* B sold his land and got 2 dollars, so his net asset is 2 dollars.

* C owned the piece of land worth 2 dollars but with his 1 dollar debt to A, his net residual asset is 1 dollar.

* Thus, the net asset of the country = 4 dollars.

4) A saw that the land he once owned has risen in value. He regretted having sold it. Luckily, he has a 1 dollar loan to C. He then borrowed 2 dollars from B and acquired the land back from C for 3 dollars. The payment is by 2 dollars cash (which he borrowed) and cancellation of the 1 dollar loan to C. As a result, A now owned a piece of land that is worth 3 dollars. But since he owed B 2 dollars, his net asset is 1 dollar.

* B loaned 2 dollars to A. So his net asset is 2 dollars.

* C now has the 2 coins. His net asset is also 2 dollars.

* The net asset of the country = 5 dollars. A bubble is building up. (5) B saw that the value of land kept rising. He also wanted to own the land. So he bought the land from A for 4 dollars. The payment is by borrowing 2 dollars from C, and cancellation of his 2 dollars loan to A.

* As a result, A has got his debt cleared and he got the 2 coins. His net asset is 2 dollars.

* B owned a piece of land that is worth 4 dollars, but since he has a debt of 2 dollars with C, his net Asset is 2 dollars.

* C loaned 2 dollars to B, so his net asset is 2 dollars.

* The net asset of the country = 6 dollars; even though, the country has only one piece of land and 2 Dollars in circulation.

(6) Everybody has made money and everybody felt happy and prosperous.

(7) One day an evil wind blew, and an evil thought came to C's mind. "Hey, what if the land price stop going up, how could B repay my loan. There is only 2 dollars in circulation, and, I think after all the land that B owns is worth at most only 1 dollar, and no more."

(8) A also thought the same way.

(9) Nobody wanted to buy land anymore.

* So, in the end, A owns the 2 dollar coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.

* B owed C 2 dollars and the land he owned which he thought worth 4 dollars is now 1 dollar. So his net asset is only 1 dollar.

* C has a loan of 2 dollars to B. But it is a bad debt. Although his net asset is still 2 dollars, his Heart is palpitating.

* The net asset of the country = 3 dollars again.

(10) So, who has stolen the 3 dollars from the country ? Of course, before the bubble burst B thought his land was worth 4 dollars. Actually, right before the collapse, the net asset of the country was 6 dollars on paper. B's net asset is still 2 dollars, his heart is palpitating.

(11) B had no choice but to declare bankruptcy. C as to relinquish his 2 dollars bad debt to B, but in return he acquired the land which is worth 1 dollar now.

* A owns the 2 coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.

* B is bankrupt, his net asset is 0 dollar. ( he lost everything )

* C got no choice but end up with a land worth only 1 dollar * The net asset of the country = 3 dollars.

******** --- End of the story, BUT, --- ********

There is however a redistribution of wealth.

A is the winner, B is the loser, C is lucky that he is spared.

A few points worth noting -

(1) when a bubble is building up, the debt of individuals to one another in a country is also building up.

(2) This story of the island is a closed system whereby there is no other country and hence no foreign debt. The worth of the asset can only be calculated using the island's own currency. Hence, there is no net loss.

(3) An over-damped system is assumed when the bubble burst, meaning the land's value did not go down to below 1 dollar.

(4) When the bubble burst, the fellow with cash is the winner. The fellows having the land or extending loan to others are the losers. The asset could shrink or in worst case, they go bankrupt.

(5) If there is another citizen D either holding a dollar or another piece of land but refrains from taking part in the game, he will neither win nor lose. But he will see the value of his money or land go up and down like a see saw.

(6) When the bubble was in the growing phase, everybody made money.

(7) If you are smart and know that you are living in a growing bubble, it is worthwhile to borrow money (like A) and take part in the game. But you must know when you should change everything back to cash.

(8) As in the case of land, the above phenomenon applies to stocks as well.

(9) The actual worth of land or stocks depend largely on psychology.

Logistics in India

Despite its favorable location between Asia and Europe and a population of more than 1 billion people, India has hardly been able to position itself on the economic market. It has only been in recent years that the country has been able to increasingly flex its economic muscle. But, India has much catching-up to do in logistics terms before it can reach the same level as the world’s leading industrial nations.

Transport hubs in India - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Tuticorin

Geographic challenges in India

India is bordered on the north by the Himalaya Mountains. For this reason, creating road and rail connections from this direction is a major undertaking. In the south, though, the Indian peninsula is well suited for sea harbors. India is indeed the country with the world’s second-largest population. But the population is unequally distributed, creating a major challenge for logistics service providers.

Core countries for trade

The most important export countries for Indian products are the United States, the United Arab Emirates, China, Singapore and Great Britain. The biggest import trading partners are China, the United States, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Belgium.

Indian infrastructure

A vital step in India’s further development is expanding the road and rail networks, and modernizing harbors and airports. In the process of globalization, which is expanding India’s position in world trade, transport volume has climbed rapidly in recent years. The expansion of the logistics infrastructure has been unable to keep up with this pace. For this reason, transport capacities have already reached their limits.

The transshipping times for ships in Indian harbors are three to four times longer than the average time in the West. Logistics costs are also very high in international comparison because of the poor infrastructure. For this reason, India will have difficulties positioning itself as a global logistics hub in years ahead.

Road transport is especially important for India’s transport system. After all, India has one of the world’s largest road networks, with a total length of 3.3 million kilometers. But much of this network does not meet Western standards. For instance, a truck takes five to six days to cover the 2,061-kilometer-long route between Bangalore and Delhi. The government is indeed trying to introduce counter-measures and shift freight transports from the roads to the rails. But, first, the rail infrastructure must be expanded and the connections to harbors and airports improved.
Many sub-areas of the 63,000-kilometer-long rail network still use the technology of 1947, the year that British colonialists left. Only about one-quarter of the routes are electrified. One other challenge is the four gauge widths used in the rail network.

Logistics requirements and service areas

Road transports are characterized by small forwarders who frequently use antiquated technology. In addition, the splintered political structure requires an excellent understanding of local conditions.

As national highways in India are built and road transports Road transport are increasingly liberalized, the productivity of road shipping will rise in years ahead. The network business with LTL [Less than truck load] in India has excellent potential. The Indian road-transport market is forecast to rise to $40 billion by 2012 - it is currently $28 billion.

The CEP market Courier, express and parcel services on the subcontinent is growing rapidly. In the last five years, revenue has experienced double-digit growth, climbing to about $650 million. Its share of the entire logistics market totals only about 3 percent. International service providers are working to set up or acquire domestic networks in India.

Logistics service providers have been focusing more extensively on traditional storage functions and distribution. But the number of high-bay warehouses that meet European standards is extremely small. Typical added-value services that meet Western standards also are hardly offered. For this reason, the contract logistics market in India has a share of only about 6 percent of the entire logistics market.

Logistics centers in India

In terms of logistics, India remains a developing country in many areas. For instance, it has hardly any multimodal logistics centers. Despite its good geographic position, India has also been unable to evolve into a hub for international freight transports, like Dubai.

In regional terms, India lags behind logistics centers like Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong. Currently, India is moving forward with a plan to turn the country’s 12 main harbors into integrated freight hubs. Many of these harbors do not have the rail and road connections needed to handle the transport volume of ships. Containers frequently sit for weeks in the harbor before they can be transported.

Important logistics service providers

The largest Indian logistics service providers are Shipping Corporation of India, Container Corporation of India, Great Eastern Shipping, Reliance Ports / Terminals, Essar Shipping, Transport Corporation of India, Reliance Logistics, Blue Dart Express, Varun Shipping Company and BLR India.

International service providers are Schenker, DHL, Arvato, Kühne & Nagel and TNT.

Source : DHL

Diabetes and Kidney Disease

http://www.kidney.org/

Diabetes mellitus, usually called diabetes, is a disease in which your body does not make enough insulin or cannot use normal amounts of insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in your blood. A high blood sugar level can cause problems in many parts of your body.

Are there different types of diabetes?
The most common ones are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children. It is also called juvenile onset diabetes mellitus or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In this type, your pancreas does not make enough insulin and you have to take insulin injections for the rest of your life.

Type 2 diabetes, which is more common, usually occurs in people over 40 and is called adult onset diabetes mellitus. It is also called non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In Type 2, your pancreas makes insulin, but your body does not use it properly. The high blood sugar level often can be controlled by following a diet and/or taking medication, although some patients must take insulin. Type 2 diabetes is particularly prevalent among African Americans, American Indians, Latin Americans and Asian Americans.

What does diabetes do to the kidneys?
With diabetes, the small blood vessels in the body are injured. When the blood vessels in the kidneys are injured, your kidneys cannot clean your blood properly. Your body will retain more water and salt than it should, which can result in weight gain and ankle swelling. You may have protein in your urine. Also, waste materials will build up in your blood.

Diabetes also may cause damage to nerves in your body. This can cause difficulty in emptying your bladder. The pressure resulting from your full bladder can back up and injure the kidneys. Also, if urine remains in your bladder for a long time, you can develop an infection from the rapid growth of bacteria in urine that has a high sugar level.

How many diabetic patients will develop kidney disease?
About 30 percent of patients with Type 1 (juvenile onset) diabetes and 10 to 40 percent of those with Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes eventually will suffer from kidney failure.

What are the early signs of kidney disease in patients with diabetes?
The earliest sign of diabetic kidney disease is an increased excretion of albumin in the urine. This is present long before the usual tests done in your doctor's office show evidence of kidney disease, so it is important for you to have this test on a yearly basis. Weight gain and ankle swelling may occur. You will use the bathroom more at night. Your blood pressure may get too high. As a person with diabetes, you should have your blood, urine and blood pressure checked at least once a year. This will lead to better control of your disease and early treatment of high blood pressure and kidney disease. Maintaining control of your diabetes can lower your risk of developing severe kidney disease.

What are the late signs of kidney disease in patients with diabetes?
As your kidneys fail, your blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels will rise as well as the level of creatinine in your blood. You may also experience nausea, vomiting, a loss of appetite, weakness, increasing fatigue, itching, muscle cramps (especially in your legs) and anemia (a low blood count). You may find you need less insulin. This is because diseased kidneys cause less breakdown of insulin. If you develop any of these signs, call your doctor.

TABLE 1
Signs of Kidney Disease in Patients with Diabetes

1. Albumin/protein in the urine
   
2. High blood pressure
   
3. Ankle and leg swelling, leg cramps
   
4. Going to the bathroom more often at night
   
5. High levels of BUN and creatinine in blood
   
6. Less need for insulin or antidiabetic medications
   
7. Morning sickness, nausea and vomiting
   
8. Weakness, paleness and anemia
   
9. Itching

What will happen if my kidneys have been damaged?
First, the doctor needs to find out if your diabetes has caused the injury. Other diseases can cause kidney damage. Your kidneys will work better and last longer if you:

• Control your diabetes
• Control high blood pressure
• Get treatment for urinary tract infections
• Correct any problems in your urinary system
• Avoid any medicines that may damage the kidneys (especially over-the-counter pain medications)

If no other problems are found, your doctor will try to keep your kidneys working as long as possible. The use of high blood pressure medicines called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors has been shown to help slow the loss of kidney function.

How are the kidneys kept working as long as possible?
The kidney doctor, called a nephrologist, will plan your treatment with you, your family and your dietitian. Two things to keep in mind for keeping your kidneys healthy are controlling high blood pressure in conjunction with an ACE inhibitor and following your renal diabetic diet. Restricting protein in your diet also might be helpful. You and your dietitian can plan your diet together.

What is end stage renal failure in patients with diabetes?
End stage renal failure, or kidney failure, occurs when your kidneys are no longer able to support you in a reasonably healthy state, and dialysis or transplantation is needed. This happens when your kidneys function at only 10 to 15 percent. The usual span of time between the onset of diabetic kidney injury and kidney failure is about five to seven years.

How is kidney failure treated in diabetic patients?
Three types of treatment can be used once your kidneys have failed: kidney transplantation, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Can a patient with diabetes have a kidney transplant?
Yes. Once you get a new kidney, you may need a higher dose of insulin. Your appetite will improve so your new kidney will break down insulin better than your injured one. You will use steroids to keep your body from rejecting your new kidney. If your new kidney fails, dialysis treatment can be started while you wait for another kidney.

What about pancreas transplants?
Sometimes it is possible to perform a pancreas transplant along with a kidney transplant. Your doctor can advise you about this possibility.

What about a low-protein diet?
Research suggests that a low-protein diet can slow the advance of kidney damage.

What is the future outlook for patients with diabetes?
Today, more and more research dollars are spent on diabetes research. Hopefully, the prevention and cure of diabetes is in our future. In the meantime, you can manage your diabetes better with:

• home monitoring of your blood glucose levels
• maintaining an awareness of controlling your blood pressure, and possibly monitoring your pressure at home
• following your special diet.

Source : http://www.kidney.org/ATOZ/atozItem.cfm?id=37

Very Good "Energy Saving" initiative by BMW

I was browsing thro' the BMW's website and was real happy to see the initiatives they are taking in Saving Energy.

The webpages after a while (if not active) automatically turns to black and goes in to Energy Saving Mode (BMW EfficientDynamics energy-saving mode).

BMW EfficientDynamics ('ed') has theme - Less consumption. More driving pleasure.

Check the Energy Saving mode screen shot below :

Insight of the Energy Saving mode screen shot :
Check BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies here,
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/efficient_dynamics/phase_2/introduction.html

The idea helps in saving energy consumption and is a very good initiative indeed, like Google Black.

World's first production-ready Hydrogen vehicle

BMW Hydrogen 7

The world's first production-ready

Hydrogen vehicle

The BMW Hydrogen 7 is the world's first production-ready hydrogen vehicle. It's already proving itself in the real world too: we're putting 100 of them to the test as loan cars for leading figures from the worlds of culture, politics, business and the media, including Oscar-winning film director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Erich Sixt, chairman of rental car company Sixt AG. Real-world experience shows that switching to hydrogen can go hand in hand with the comfort, dynamics and safety you'd expect from a BMW.

What is the future of mobility? To start with, we'll be able to generate energy from hydrogen and driving will be emission-free. And with the BMW Hydrogen 7, the future starts now. This is because it's the first production-ready vehicle to be powered by hydrogen. The combustion engine delivers high performance but almost no emissions to make it a true pioneer of future mobility.

The future is closer than you think.

BMW Hydrogen 7 website:

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/efficient_dynamics/phase_2/clean_energy/bmw_hydrogen_7.html

Diwali - The Festival of Lights

Happy Deepavali

Diwali (Deepavali) is here to spread the light and joy in every Indians life. This exquistie festival is celebrated here in India which spreads feeling of happiness and crackers a are lit to spread the light of joy.

Many legends are associated with Diwali. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being . The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal.

According to one theory Diwali may have originated as a harvest festival, marking the last harvest of the year before winter. In an agrarian society this results in businessmen closing accounts, and beginning a new accounting year. The deity of wealth in Hinduism, Goddess Lakshmi is therefore thanked on this day and everyone prays for a good year ahead. This is the common factor in Diwali celebrations all over the Indian subcontinent.

In many parts of India , it is the homecoming of King Rama of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest.

The people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa), thus its name, Deepavali.

Southern India marks it as the day Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura.

Diwali is celebrated on the first day of the lunar Karthika month, which comes in the month of October or November.

In Jainish it marks the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira, which occurred on October 15, 527 BCE.

The Sikhs celebrate Diwali for a different reason; on this day, the Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, was freed from imprisonment along with 52 Hindu Kings (political prisoners) whom he had arranged to be released as well. After his release he went to Darbar Sahib (golden temple) in the holy city of Amritsar. There, he was greeted by Sikhs and many other people. In happiness they lit candles and diyas to greet the Guru.

In India, Diwali is now considered to be a national festival, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith.

INDIA'S first mission to moon

CHANDRAYAAN - 1

PSLV-C11 Successfully Launches Chandrayaan-1

Oh boy !!! This is a real amazing acheivement and a GREAT HONOUR for our country and to all INDIANS.

"A feather in the cap indeed".

WHAT : An unmanned Lunar Exploration mission

WHERE : INDIA

BY WHOM : Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India's National Space Agency

TRAVEL FROM : Satish Dhawan Space Centre(SDSC) in Sriahri-kota island

TRAVEL TO : MOON (of course ; )

WHEN : 22 October 2008, at 6:22 AM Indian Standard Time (00:52 UTC)

THE VEHICLE : PSLV(Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) built by ISRO, India

TRAVEL TIME : After the spacecraft reaches its lunar transfer orbit, it will take 5.5 days to reach the Moon.

COST ESTIMATES : Cost to be Rs. 3.86 billion (US$ 80 million).

Chandrayaan's Network

Chandrayaan I - Official website
http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/home.htm

Other Sites
http://www.isro.gov.in/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan

Next What ?????

Chandrayaan II

The ISRO is also planning a second version of Chandrayaan named: Chandrayaan II. According to ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, "The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hopes to land a motorised rover on the Moon in 2010 or 2011, as a part of its second Chandrayaan mission. The rover will be designed to move on wheels on the lunar surface, pick up samples of soil or rocks, do in situ chemical analysis and send the data to the mother-spacecraft Chandrayaan II, which will be orbiting above. Chandrayaan II will transmit the data to Earth."

Organization : Indian Space Research Organization

Mission type : Orbiter, Rover

Satellite of : Moon

Launch date : 2010/2011

Mission duration : 1 month (rover)

Mass : 30 to 100 kg (rover)

Keep watching, India Rocks.

Innerbody.com - Human Anotomy Online

http://www.innerbody.com/

Hello folks,

I urge you to have a look at this website, http://www.innerbody.com/

This site is rated as One in a Billion by Google.

This educational website is excellent and you can learn and explore the human anotomy supported with lot of graphics and animation. It's worth a visit.

Each topic has animations, 100’s of graphics, and thousands of descriptive links. Study the anatomy of the human body. It’s fun, interactive, and an ideal reference site for students or those who just want to know more about the medical descriptions used by doctors and nurses.

Have a look at this website.

Road Sense - Social Service by an elderly man

Since couple of weeks, I have been noticing an elderly man who is doing the possible bit to help the people / society at the area where I live.

Early morning everyone is out on the streets with their bikes and cars and the roads at my area are "jam-packed" (is not the word) and flooded with traffic. People with out any road-sense barge-in from all the possible places and create a traffic jam and due to this all the vehicles comes to a stand still.

Surprisingly I find an elderly man, wearing a track suit, white hand gloves, a whistle around his neck is busily mangaging and controlling the traffic like a traffic police man.

I was so very surprised and glad seeing the elderly man performing social service to help people travel smoothly in their vehicles with out much trouble. I saw him and thanked for his service while i was driving from home to office. I also thought that we call can and must contribute ourselves to the society and help. There are plenty of tasks that we can do to the society.

This elderly man indeed has taught me a lesson in my life. My due respects to him.

Bicycling to save the planet

Here at my oraganisation, techies have started the bicycling trend and are doing their best to protect our nature and planet. A few of them ride their bicycles from home-to-office and back. My collegue Praneet Upadhyaya, is one among them. These guys sparingly use the fossil fuel vehicles which causes and favors pollution and Global Warming and mostly use the bicycles to commute.

This is one of the 'real good' intiatives to protect and show caring towards our planet Earth.

At Bangalore, several people including techies have abondoned the fossil fuel motors and have cycles as their means of transportation.

We hope to see more people converting them as 'cyclists' and help protecting our nature.

Kudos to all the cyclists of Bangalore and rest of the world. Let's fight Global Warming.

Dussehra - Vijayadasahmi

It's a festive month here at India. 'Dussehra' is festival which comes with long holidays and is celebrated at all parts of the country. People worship 'Godess Durga' and the festival is celebrated with great pomp and show at Mysore since the kingly rules. It has the same charm more or less even now. The festival runs for nine days and the tenth day is 'Vijayadashami'. This is a not-to-be-missed festival here in India.

In Southern India, Eastern India and Western India, the festival of Navaratri which culminates with Vijayadashami commemorates the legend in which the Goddess Durga, also known as Chamundeshwari or Mahishasura Mardini, vanquishes the demon Mahishasura, an event that is said to have taken place in the vicinity of the present day city of Mysore in Karnataka.

In Northern India, the same 10-day festival commemorates the victory of Rama, prince of Ayodhya in present-day Uttar Pradesh, over Ravana, the ruler of Lanka.

Madikeri (Coorg / Kodagu)

In Madikeri Dasara is celebrated in a different style. Madikeri Dasara has a history of over 100 years. Here Dasara starts of with Kargas from four Mariamma Temples. There will be a procession of 10 Mantapas from 10 Temples on the night of Vijayadashami.

At night, effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghanada are stuffed with firecrackers and set alight. Children especially enjoy seeing this because of the beautiful fireworks on the ground. The festival, which is thought of as the "Victory of Good over Evil" and "Return of Rama from Exile" is celebrated in grand style. Because the day is auspicious, people inaugurate new vehicles, machines, books, weapons and tools by ceremonially asking god to bless the new items.

G1-Google Phone: First Impressions

Open Source Operating System : Google Android
Hardware : HTC
Service : T-Mobile

Alright folks so I got a decent amount of time to “play around” with the G1 and I’m sure people are eager to know what the overall take is on the phone. Whats good? What’s bad? What do you like? What don’t you like? So… don’t hold me to any of these opinions as they could change in even the next few hours (I’m going back to play again after I write this post) but here are my initial thoughts/views:

The Looks
On PICTURES that I’ve seen online, the G1 looks kind of goofy. When you actually have the phone in your hand or are looking at it in front of you, its actually quite attractive. I’m sure all of you can relate… its not immediately photogenic but in person, this thing really does look quite good.
Part of the reason everyone was “hating” on the look of the phone was that little tail chunk at the bottom. I happen to like it…

The Tail Chunk At The Bottom
That little “chunk” serves a couple purposes that I don’t think you could fully appreciate unless it wasn’t there at all. First of all, it makes opening the QWERTY a little more easier and comfortable. Secondly, the trackball that is on the “chunk” is incredibly easily accessible in that position and makes browsing through options and scrolling through links VERY easy.
While perhaps they could have “hidden” the chunk a little better, overall I think it serves a pretty functional purpose. It works.

The Colors
To me there are only 2 colors… Black and White. I would consider myself slightly colorblind… I have trouble telling the difference between dark blues and black, dark blues and dark green, etc… But if that is the definition of colorblind I think most people are colorblind to some degree.
The brown just isn’t “different” enough to warrant its own color in my opinion. It looks very similar to the black… even the T-Mobile people had a hard time telling them apart. I was expecting a chocolaty brown and while I might not have LIKED a chocolate brown, at least it offered a good bit of variety. If you’re going to do a 3rd color, my thing is, why not make it completely unique?

The Feel/Build
Overall the phone seemed to be pretty solid and of good quality. I need to look at the weight compared to other phones with similar features/specs when I get a chance, but it seemed pretty light weight which I enjoyed. It felt really good in my hands.

The Keyboard
To be honest it was a little bit cramped - not as spaced out as my Voyager - but still MUCH better for me than using a touch screen QWERTY or typing. If the little “chunk” at the bottom weren’t there the Keyboard could be more spread out which I think would be hugely attractive for most people.
I heard someone complaining about the enter and delete key being right next to each other which, although wasn’t an issue for me, could be an issue for some people. Overall I thought the keyboard had a pretty nice feel, but definitely not the best keyboard on the market.

The Screen
The resolution and quality on the screen seemed pretty amazing. From the default G1home screens to web browsing, the screen was very crisp and clear… a HUGE plus. This will be even more important when you’re using games, maps and applications on a daily basis. But my first experience with the screen was that it ROCKED.

The Applications
I’ll have more information about the applications tonight/tomorrow but the Android Market seemed integrated pretty beautifully. Selecting an app was easy, downloading was easy, launching apps was easy… it was a really nice integration. It will be interesting to see how they manage the Android Market when it expands and there are TONS of apps. I asked if there would be a web/online component and they had no response… but seemed to hint that eventually there would be.
I played with a couple of the applications listed and… I’m happy to say… they were A LOT of fun and I’m excited for apps more than anything.

The Touch Screen
I feel like some of the touch screen features COULD be more intuitive. They try some new things and perhaps they just take getting use to. I’m wondering if 3rd party developers could alter the way the TouchScreen UI works/looks by default. I think more than anything, it just seems like it’ll take some time getting used to the various features/options since the G1 is very “different” than most phones.

One Pretty Cool Feature
One thing that I REALLY liked was the dedicated search key. Regardless of if you’re surfing the web, in your contact book, in your calendar, in an application or WHEREVER you are, you can press the “search” button on the QWERTY and it will open up a search box that will search the specific area you’re in. Pretty cool and very useful… are there other phones that do this?

Overall
Alright, I’m headed back to HTC! I want to play with this thing one last time. Who knows when the next chance I’ll get to play with one… so I’m out of here! I’ll be back online in a few hours with more updates.

The First Google Phone G1 is here

After months of speculation, TechCrunch reports that the first Android powered phone, the HTC Dream is set to be released in the US by T-Mobile on October 20th. T-Mobile did not return my calls to confirm or deny this rumor, but one thing is certain, the iPhone is no longer the only player on the block and this will increase interest in T-Mobile for the first time maybe ever. Android is the open source cell phone operating system that has been developed by Google over the last year or so.

Rob Jackson, has been writing Phandroid.com, an Android news blog, since the very day Google announced Android. Jackson is a self-described "mobile nut" and when he couldn't find any Android resources, he created a site himself. After creating the blog, Jackson started AndroidForums.com as a place to share his enthusiasm about Android with like-minded individuals and as a place to eventually answer the inevitable questions about Android phones, applications, pricing, and capabilities and so on.

What is ANGIOGRAM / ANGIOPLASTY ?

• What is an angiogram ?
• Preparation for the angiogram
• During the angiogram
• After the angiogram
• When do I know the angiogram result ?
• What is an Angioplasty ?
• During the angioplasty
• After the angioplasty
• What are the possible side effects/complications ?
• Can I do anything to help myself ?
• How effective is angioplasty ?

ANGIOGRAM

What is an angiogram ?

The picture below is an angiogram of the blood vessels around the hip joint. An angiogram is a special form of x-ray that permits the diagnosis of blockages (occlusions) or narrowings (stenosis) in the arteries of the body. During the test, a tube (catheter) is inserted into an artery at the groin. A special radio-opaque dye (contrast medium) is injected down the tube and x-ray pictures are taken as the solution passes along the blood vessels. The whole procedure usually lasts approximately one hour. The arteries take blood from the heart to supply oxygen to muscles and organs and the angiogram will tell your doctor if the supply of blood is being affected. The procedure is performed by a specialist interventional radiologist or a vascular surgeon.

Preparation for the angiogram

You will normally be admitted to the ward for a few hours beforehand to check out your general health and to prepare you for the angiogram. On the day of the test you may eat and drink as normal although this may vary between hospitals. If you take regular medications you should take your usual morning doses. The only exception to this might be if you are taking warfarin, in which case you should follow instructions provided for you. Frequently warfarin is stopped before an angiogram, but not always. If you have diabetes and inject insulin you should have your normal food and insulin dose, unless instructed not to. On arrival, you will be seen briefly by the doctor, the test will be explained to you and you will be asked to sign a consent form. This is to ensure you understand the test and its implications. Please tell the doctor if you have had any allergies or bad reactions to drugs or other tests. It would also be helpful to mention to the doctor if you have asthma, hay fever, diabetes, or any heart or kidney problems. Kidney problems can be particularly important.

This is because the dye used to outline the arteries can damage the kidneys if special precautions are not taken. If you have any worries or queries at this stage don't be afraid to ask. The staff will want you to be as relaxed as possible for the test and will not mind answering your queries. You will be asked to put on a hospital gown. The test will take place in the x-ray department, a nurse will escort you and stay with you during the test. A small drip will be placed into a vein in the arm or hand during the procedure. This may be used to give intravenous fluids. It may be necessary to trim some of the hair from the groin area before the test to help skin cleaning.

During the angiogram

The radiologist (x-ray doctor) will inject a local anaesthetic into the skin at the groin "freezing" the area. After this injection the procedure should be fairly painless. The long fine tube (catheter) is then inserted into the artery at the groin (common femoral artery), and using x-rays to help, the radiologist manipulates the catheter into the correct position. You will not feel the catheter being moved around your body. X-ray pictures are taken whilst the dye is injected down the catheter into the blood vessels. To be able to take pictures along a length of arteries, the radiologist will move the bed so that different portions of the arteries can be examined.

Some injections may cause hot flushing for a few seconds, and an occasional feeling of wanting to pass urine. When the test is completed the catheter is removed and pressure will be applied to the groin for approximately ten minutes to minimise any bruising.

After the angiogram

You will be taken back to the ward to rest for a few hours. It is important that you lie quietly so that the groin does not bleed again. The nursing staff will check the groin, and foot pulses at regular intervals. If no pulses are present the colour and temperature of the foot is important. Providing all is well, you will be allowed home, but you need someone with transport to take you home, or to accompany you in a taxi. It is important that you rest completely until the next day to ensure that the puncture site in the groin heals up. If after you get home you notice any swelling or bleeding at the puncture site, you should press on this and call your GP's surgery for advice.

When do I know the angiogram result ?

The radiologist and vascular surgeon will look at the x-ray pictures and discuss their findings. They will decide the best form of treatment for you and then write to you, or see you again in the outpatient clinic. The treatment can then be discussed and as always it is the patient who decides whether to proceed with treatment or not.

ANGIOPLASTY

What is an Angioplasty ?

An angioplasty is a procedure where a balloon is passed into your artery on the end of a tube (catheter) and is inflated (blown up) to treat a narrowed or blocked artery. This technique means that surgery may be avoided in many cases. There are two techniques for performing angioplasty - transluminal and subintimal. In the transluminal technique the balloon is placed in the centre of the artery (in the lumen) where blood would normally flow. In subintimal angioplasty the balloon is intentionally placed within the layers of the arterial wall. As far as the patient is concerned, angioplasty is very similar to an angiogram except that a slightly bigger catheter is used and therefore the risks of bleeding are slightly greater. For this reason, in most cases, you will be asked to stay overnight. You will usually be asked to start taking aspirin before you are admitted as this makes the blood less sticky. A common dose is 75 mg per day. If you have a stomach ulcer or are allergic to aspirin, please tell your doctor. The angiogram opposite shows the artery on the left before angioplasty and on the right following angioplasty.

During the angioplasty

Angioplasty takes a little longer than simple angiography and you may feel the doctor changing, and pushing, catheters in and out of your groin artery. Although this is occasionally a little uncomfortable, it is not usually too painful. Sometimes, it will be necessary to insert a special device called a stent to keep the artery open. This is just a small metal tube that expands in your artery to keep the area open and allow more blood to flow through. Stents appear to be especially useful in larger arteries above the level of the hip joints. They can be used in arteries in the thigh but results are mixed. A recent trial (RESILIENT) compared a newer stent (the LifeStent) against angioplasty alone in the arteries in the thigh. Early results indicate that the stent maintains patency of the artery in the thigh at least for the first 12 months, despite nine stents fracturing. Only longer term published results will tell us whether this translates into longer term clinical benefit.

After the angioplasty

In some cases Heparin injections (anticoagulation) will be given for 24 hours to prevent the blood clotting at the site of the angioplasty. Rarely you may require warfarin tablets to thin the blood for a few months. You will normally be allowed home the following day. If you are given heparin or warfarin this may delay your departure by a few days. You will be seen again in the clinic by your surgeon to assess the success of the angioplasty and to decide upon any further treatments. Unfortunately, in about 10% of cases, angioplasty is not successful and other treatments will need to be considered. In addition, even where successful angioplasty has been performed, there is a risk that the area in the artery will narrow down again. After one year, about 20-30% of arteries will have re-narrowed. In some cases, it may be possible to repeat the angioplasty at that time although in others this may not be possible. Very rarely, if angioplasty does not work, the circulation may actually worsen. If this is a particular risk in your case, your surgeon and /or radiologist will discuss the risks with you.

What are the possible side effects/complications ?

Bleeding – a small amount of bleeding sometimes occurs when the catheter is removed. Before the procedure is finished, the radiologist will ensure, by pressing on the artery that all bleeding has completely stopped. Occasionally this bleeding can cause a small lump around the groin and commonly causes some bruising in the skin for a few days after the procedure. This is normal and will clear up on its own. Serious bleeding is very uncommon.

False aneurysm - rarely a pulsating lump develops in the groin at the site where the catheter was inserted into the artery. This is because bleeding took place after the catheter was removed. The clot produced forms a small sac with liquid blood in the centre. This blood pulses because it is connected to the artery through the hole made by the catheter. The sac with blood in the centre is called a false aneurysm. These days this problem can usually be treated by a simple injection into the sac to make the liquid blood in the centre form a clot and block the small hole in the artery.

Pain/Discomfort – local anaesthetic is injected into the skin just before the catheter is placed into the artery. This should take away any severe pain, but it is likely you may feel some gentle pushing and pulling during the procedure. The blood vessels themselves do not feel the guiding wire or catheter. Injecting the dye sometimes causes a sensation of warmth, but this usually lasts only a few seconds. Reactions to the dye – Reactions to modern dyes apart from the sensation of warmth are very uncommon. Various reactions and allergies can still occur and the staffs are fully trained and equipped to deal with any reaction which may occur. Reactions may include skin rashes, vomiting, asthma, low blood pressure and disturbances of heart beat and kidney damage. Damage to blood vessels – this can occur during angioplasty especially if the artery is already badly diseased. The catheter may make a hole in the blood vessel or strip the lining from the blood vessel.

Usually these problems can be dealt with by the radiologist at the time of the procedure. If it is not possible to deal with the problem in radiology then an operation may be required. Nerve effects– sometimes the local anaesthetic can numb main nerves in the front of the thigh, causing numbness going down the leg and weakness. This will wear off after an hour or so. Equipment failure – it is theoretically possible for the catheter or its guiding wire to break and leave a fragment inside the body. Procedures are available to deal with this eventuality in the radiology department but occasionally surgery may be required. Failure of technique – occasionally it is not possible to perform the angioplasty. This may be because the artery is too diseased. Sometimes inserting a metal stent to hold the artery open can be helpful, especially for larger arteries in the pelvis. Blood clots – blood clots can form at the angioplasty site within the artery. These can usually be dealt with by using enzymes that dissolve the lot, but can sometimes be a problem which can cause the circulation to deteriorate.

Kidney damage - Damage can occur to cells in the kidney during an angiogram. This can lead to a deterioration in kidney function if your kidneys are already diseased. The cause of the damage is the special radio-opaque dye that is injected into the arteries so that they can be seen with X-rays. Although other dyes are available (gadolinium) they are probably no safer than conventional dyes. If the doctors know your kidneys may be at risk during an angiogram, they can reduce the risks of damage by giving extra fluids in an intravenous drip before during and after your angiogram.

Can I do anything to help myself?
You cannot do anything to relieve the actual narrowing in your arteries. However, you can improve your general health by taking regular exercise, stopping smoking and reducing the fat in your diet. Your blood pressure should also be measured and kept under control. These actions will help slow down the hardening of the arteries which caused the problem in the first place, and may avoid the need for further treatment in the future.

How effective is angioplasty?
The effectiveness of angioplasty depends on exactly which type of angioplasty is performed. In general if the artery is only narrowed, and has not totally blocked, then angioplasty is more likely to be successful and any improvement is likely to last longer. If the length of artery to be treated is short (less than 5cms), then angioplasty is likely to be more successful than if a much longer length of artery is diseased and requires treatment. Angioplasty is more likely to be successful in a large artery (iliac arteries in pelvis) versus a small artery (tibial arteries in calf). A 1 cm long narrowing in a large iliac artery (in the pelvis) supplying the leg, treated by angioplasty is likely to produce a very good result. In contrast a 10cms blockage in a tibial artery in the calf may be very tricky to treat by angioplasty.

Overall angioplasty is technically successful in 90-100% of patients, but the late results can be less impressive. For short arterial occlusions in the thigh the angioplasty site can remain open in 60-80% of patients, but the effect on symptoms is frequently poorly investigated. In less suitable arterial disease the benefits of angioplasty may be considerably less. In a study reporting the results of subintimal angioplasty for severe arterial disease in the legs only 25% (25 in 100) of the arteries were still open at 12 months and results were poorer when segments of artery greater than 10cms long were treated (Smith BM et al, 2005).A recent study (BASIL, 2005) has compared angioplasty with bypass surgery in patients with severe limb ischaemia (see bypass surgery).

In patients who are suitable for both angioplasty and bypass surgery, an angioplasty first strategy had broadly similar outcomes to surgery. Unfortunately, the majority of patients presenting with severe disease (approximately 80%) are not suitable for both strategies and are more likely to require surgery. In general vascular specialists will attempt angioplasty first in place of surgery if there is a reasonable chance of a good outcome. If this fails bypass surgery is still likely to be an option. In the USA, since 1996, there has been a 40% increase in the use of angioplasty in the leg arteries and a 30% decline in open bypass surgery (Nowygrod, 2006).

Source: http://www.vascular.co.nz/angiogram.htm