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Jun 27, 2006

Do U Know - Deaths from Preventable Environmental Causes

A recent WHO report estimates that 13 million deaths annually are due to preventable environmental causes.As much as 24% of global disease is caused by environmental exposures which can be averted.

The four main diseases influenced by poor environments are diarrhoea, lower respiratory infections, various forms of unintentional injuries, and malaria.

Measures which could be taken now to reduce this environmental disease burden include the promotion of safe household water storage and better hygienic measures; the use of cleaner and safer fuels; increased safety of the built environment, more judicious use and management of toxic substances in the home and workplace; better water resource management.

Now is it soooooooo tough to implement these measures. Where should our priority lie? And where should the media's priorities lie? How come we dont hear much about this? And its only an oneday headline? We are talking about 13 million lives Every Year, surely we care?

Search Engines Allowed. Answer on Thursday
Previous Do U Knows Post No.299

Source
Whiskeypriest, Decentmonkey and Amita got it right:)

Thank God - I have mouth ulcers and a toothache

Thank God I have mouth ulcers and a toothache

1.I eat only what I need to eat, not what I want to eat. Now, thats the first step not only to weightloss but also a healthy life.

2.I can keep my mouth shut and not prove to the world I am stupid.

3.I can appreciate that life is not so easy, even when it comes to the easiest task like swallowing saliva.

4.Its the 4th day, and I would see the dentist only today. Aah the advantages of living in Chennai, where I would have rushed to the dentist the same day.

5.I am not worried about an earthquake hitting me just when the dentist is working on my teeth. Right now the pain is almost killing me. And hopefully I wont tremor today at the thought of another tremor and irritate the dentist. (God that doesnt mean you should send an earthquake, to test me or the skills of the dentist during an earthquake.)

6.Now perhaps my spouse will believe that I had kept "moun vrath" for some days, successfully while at college. And I can keep quiet when I want to. (Ok change it to, I can keep quiet when I have to..)

7.I get sympathy. Sure I get it for my dead son and miscarriage. But that also meant stopping me, when I am in a hurry, to mention the latest temple or specialist for getting a child. (Uh and some still think the easiest way to get a child is to drop into an orphanage). And I dont have to go into the details of how and why my son died, just when I am about to have my food. (Why do people think thats the best time to ask?). And right now I could use with the information on the best dentists around me..

8.I can stop at 9 points and bloggers wont ask me hey couldnt you round it up.

9.I need not comment on something I dont want to comment and get away with it by pointing out the title

10.I realise how much my spouse loves me. After all, coming back from a trip and being hungry and trying to find a dentist who is at work after 8 and then, cooking isnt easy.

11.I dont have to tone down my shrill voice, I dont have to worry about my neighbour hearing what I talk with my spouse (No there is no correction. Its not when I fight..)

12.I realise the importance of taking care of myself. So next time I am in Chennai, the dentist gets top priority.

13.I dont have to clean, be an insurance advisor, or study for my psychology exams. OK its true on many other days, but now I dont have to feel guilty about it.

14.Even if the mouth ulcers seems to be spread out like the best defenders in football, out to stop my goal of feeding myself, the toothache is mostly on one side. And I am sure it would be worse if every tooth started aching.

15.It could be the wisdom tooth and now I dont have to feel guilty about the "Wise" before the Donkey. Even if my words arent filled with wisdom, I can claim, my mouth has some wisdom:D

Previous Hmmm Posts . Tag
Blog Post no.298

Jun 20, 2006

Do U Know - Weather and Food Grains Production

Among crop ecologists there is now a consensus that for each temperature rise of 1 degree Celsius above the historical average during the growing season, there can be a 10 percent decline in grain yields.

“This year's world grain harvest is projected to fall short of consumption by 61 million tons, marking the sixth time in the last seven years that production has failed to satisfy demand. Although the rate of world population growth is projected to slow further, the number of people to be added is expected to remain above 70 million a year until 2020. Troubling constraints on grain production growth, such as spreading water shortages and rising temperatures, are making it difficult for farmers to keep up with the record growth in demand.

As a result the world grain market may become a seller's market, one where higher grain prices, like high oil prices, are an integral part of the economic landscape. The news is particularly alarming for India whose food grain production has remained largely stagnant over the past decade. “

Search Engines Allowed. Answer on Thursday.

Update :
Whiskeypriest, Decentmonkey, Amita, got it right
Source

Previous Do U Knows Post No.297
Tag

Jun 15, 2006

Aargh Diaries - Hot Idea, Cold Reception

At lunch, the admin guy was worrying about high electricity bills to his colleague. Eager to curry favour with the admin people, I chipped in, "Perhaps its due to high usage of the air conditioner. A.C is not a need but a luxury, minimise its usage and your bill would automatically reduce."

He seemed extremely pleased and thanked me and left soon, presumably to tell his wife to switch off the AC during afternoon. And pleased with myself, I had a leisurely lunch and came back to find my cubicle, hot.

Aargh,! Seems he had been worried about the EB bill at work and not home.

Now I am busy, hoping to find a clause in my contract which mentions that the hours I put in, has to be in a pleasant cool atmosphere, though my colleagues try to compensate it with looks, that could convert Sahara into Antartica.

Aargh Diaries is a fictional series. Previous Aargh Diaries. Blog Post No.296

Jun 13, 2006

Do U Know - Laloo Yadav & Railways

Remember the old joke on how Pakistan would stop fighting for Kashmir, if there was a condition that it would have to take Bihar with Kashmir? We may have to rewrite it.

In 2001 the Rakesh Mohan Committee that had looked into the restructuring of the railways, pronounced the organisation to be in a terminal debt trap, with a liability of Rs 61,000 crore to the government. The panel had even predicted "fatal bankruptcy" if the railways did not privatise. And one of its committee members, IIM’s Professor G. Raghuram, now, is all praises for Laloo.The railways under Laloo has shown additional earnings of Rs 15,000 crore in 2005-06. In the process, it has become the second largest PSU profit-earner after ONGC. IIM Ahmedabad, recognised his turnaround of Indian railways, and made it a case study for its students.


What did the minister do? Thats the Do U Know question this week.

Refused to hike fares. Shored up earnings by carrying more passengers and freight.
Increased the load carried by a goods wagon from 81 tonnes to 90 tonnes. This gave an additional earning of Rs 7,200 crore.
Upgraded tickets if seats were going vacant in the upper class. So, waitlisted passengers could be allotted seats.
Maintained passenger profile so that bogies could be taken off or added to trains according to seasonal demand.

Source .Max and Whiskeypriest got it right.

Search Engines Allowed. Answer on Thursday.

Previous Do U Knows

Jun 11, 2006

Global Summit of Women & India


Its known as the Davos for Women and this year, the 16th Global Summit of Women is being held in Cairo, June 10-12th, under the theme "Redefining Global Leadership.

China sent a 35-member delegation. Microsoft, with nearly 120 of women employees from 32 countries for the summit, has sent the largest delegation among all national and company representations.

India is being represented, though no clue on the names. And after 2 hours of searching for the information, I give up.



Wonder if anyone would like to know more about it.. or is it just me..

Blog Post no.294 Category Just Donkee

Jun 8, 2006

The Spy who would Love You

What do you email, when you know your Boss could read your email?
Well you could get angry and write an email with the message "Whoever is reading this message is wasting their time and is absolutely stupid and doesn't value privacy. Err I don't mean you just the Spies.." or do the smart thing, stop emailing stuff you don't want to your Boss to read. Or completely stop sending emails from work.


But why waste an opportunity. So here are some emails, that you could send
1.To a Recruitment Consultant. Dear ____ Thanks for the offer. Even though the your offer means a higher position, I am not interested in this offer since, I would be getting a promotion, in my own organisation soon.

2.To Spouse. Sorry dear I will be home late again today. Just because the work is not urgent doesnt mean its not important. or
To a friend. Sorry I can't attend the party tonight, I will be working late. or
To a friend. Hmmm, the party will mean useful contacts and better business for my company, even though its informal? Well I will speak to my Boss.Think my Boss will understand and let me off early today.

3.To a Colleague. You know it bothers me that ___(the colleague you both dislike) is sleeping during working hours. Or
To a Colleague, I don't want to be a tale teller, yet it bothers me that ____ (the colleague you both dislike) said _____ (fill whatever you want to say) about Boss.

4.To a friend. I am sorry to hear about your Boss, I am lucky I have a fantastic Boss who recognises my talents and I am sure I will get a raise this year.

5.To your younger sibling. If you dont have one, then a friend. Congrats on the result! Its wonderful to hear that my stories about my Boss inspired you. My Boss has been a constant source of inspiration, to me too.

6.To your parents. Dear ___. I have a very professional environment and an inspiring, fair Boss. And I have worked a lot this year and I am sure my Boss has noticed this and will give me a good raise.

7.To your friend. You don't see me on my way to work, because I come early and go late. Its so inspiring to work under a fair Boss.

8.To your friend. You are right on the zodiac. Leos are really inspiring and fair. (Obviously only if your Boss is a Leo, otherwise substitute the zodiac. And of course if you belong to same zodiac mention it).

9.To your friend. I didn't know about the century/goal/___ yesterday. My work is more important than a cricket/football score.

10.To a friend. Please don't send forwards, or expect emails from me. I don't like to waste time.

11.To your friend. OK I will not send emails, if you think your Boss would read your emails. But my Boss trusts me ,and I can't imagine my Boss accepting this policy. (Its not going to stop your Boss from being a spy, but just makes him/her feel guilty. Don't send this more than once. People hate having to feel guilty).

12.To your friend. What amazes me is that my Boss is putting up with being undervalued. Luckily, I don't have that problem, otherwise I might just quit and get a new job.(And who knows your Boss might take the cue, and you could get the vacant position).

Note :
Praise your Boss not your Company. If you praise your Company, the Boss would think you would stay with the company even if you didn't get a promotion. But if you praise your Boss, well there is a slight pressure on your Boss to recognise your talent. Dont send all the emails at once. Spread them.Warn in advance over phone or in person that you would be sending these emails. The Boss might read the incoming emails too and it doesn't look good, if you get a reply "Have you become crazy, you said you hated your Boss."
Dont send this blogpost as a forward to your friend. It doesn't serve its purpose when your friend's Boss reads it along with your friend.

So go ahead create a new email id and an imaginery friend and send the emails and from being just a Spy, your Boss would become the Spy who Loves you.
So what if your Boss could be a spy
And now while sending emails you have to be shy
Rather than say its unfair and cry
Or with stupid emails, defy
And kiss your job goodbye
Why not make your Boss, your ally
Starting sending emails with few startling lies
And with your Boss, strengthen the ties
And who knows you could get a promotion as time flies
And you could be reading others emails, and you would recognise the lies

Jun 6, 2006

Do U Know - Indian Women & Water

Its a Long Walk, for even a Single Drop
And unless we think this is an Issue,
It will not get attention from those at the top
And their misery will never stop
Oh even for a Single Drop, a Long Walk
Lets start by writing about it
and make the topic worthy of atleast a talk,
After all our heart is not made of, rock

It is estimated that in India, women fetching water spend 150 million workdays per year, equivalent to a national loss of income of 10 Billion Rupees.

Search Engines allowed. Answer on Thursday

Update : Protector, Decentmonkey, Amita, Prasad,and Priya got it right

Source : http://www.unesco.org/water/news/newsletter/100.shtml & www.navdanya.org/publications/women-water.htm


Previous Do U Knows

Jun 5, 2006

Dont Desert Drylands

' OR '

Land is – next to water and air – the very base of all life. But unlike air and water which can be cleaned up and rehabilitated, once soils are lost it can take millennia for nature to recreate them.
Drylands are found in all regions, cover more than 40 per cent of the Earth and are home to nearly 2 billion people – one-third of the world’s population.For most dryland dwellers, life is hard and the future often precarious. They live on the ecological, economic and social margins. It is essential that we do not neglect them or the fragile habitats on which they depend.
Desertification is about land degradation: the loss of the land’s biological productivity, caused by human-induced factors and climate change. It affects one third of the earth’s surface and over a billion people. Moreover, it has potentially devastating consequences in terms of social and economic costs.

Today is The World Environment Day. The theme selected for 2006 is Deserts and Desertification and the slogan is Don't Desert Drylands!

http://www.unep.org/wed/2006/english/About_WED_2006/index.asp


Environmental issues are not just for NGOs and Government policies. Its our day to day activities and habits, that influence the environment. Lets not take the Earth for granted. Even if its not a better earth, lets not make it worse for our the next generation.

Today might be World Environment Day
But think of the Environment Everyday
And to better it, however small, Think of a Way
Follow it, Make the change now and Today

Jun 4, 2006

Me Myself & I - Call the Doctor Call the Doctor

Yeah I know the medicos have called off the strike..But I want to call the doctor because I have being tagged by Lavina with “Operation Tag“. She had a fantastic idea of bugging everyone at o3 by tagging them and eliminating this tag, like small pox. Cool idea lavs. Hope reading my answers wont make the bloggers think it would be better if they had bird flu..And without wasting any more of your time, here goes the Q & A

1. Who is your favorite cartoon character & why..?
Shrek. Because Shrek likes Donkey


2. If given a choice which word will you remove from the dictionary.....?
Kewl , if it ever makes it to the dictionary. It irritates me a lot.

3. What is the wallpaper(on your desktop) & why.......?
Purple Flower. Well my comp crashed last week and though I am fussy about my template, I dont care for screensavers and wallpapers, and had not changed them from default. And thanks to the question, scrolled through my wallpaper options and that was the one that I liked. Autumn and Ripple were interesting ones too.. PS : Changed it to Autumn, I felt there was something weird about the black center of the flower. It felt like an eye staring at me.


4. Which blog do you visit the most...?
Obviously my blogs, but other than them..it varies. Last couple of months it was Meticulously Underthought. Because it makes me think and thinking makes me feel good about myself. Vaibhav I visit quite regularly. On o3, I think I visit all my regular ones, equally. And I terribly miss Scithought. I visited it a lot, when it was active.

5. Do you prefer Hindi movies to English....? If not...Why..?
No, unless its by Madhu Bhandarkar or the other 4-5 directors I like.
Why watch the "inspired" versions when you can watch the inspiration. So I watch Tamil and English movies.


6. What did you have for dinner last night....?
Pasta, then Idlis and Onion Uthapan. Go figure out why, if possible.

7. Are you a gizmo freak...?
I am a control freak..but gizmo no, thankfully.

8. What is the size of your waist......?
Why you plan to buy me jeans?


9. Did you ever color your hair....?
With talcum powder for grey hair, because I wanted to look older. I hate coloring since I believe all the chemicals will just harm the hair, irrespective of what the ads say. And since I already became semi bald once (for the curious, the crowing glory came back in couple of months) I dont mess much with my hair. And that also means I comb my hair once a week or when I want to give a treat to my family or when I have to meet someone officially.


10. This question is by choice;)Frame a question and answer .....?
Question : How many Indians die from hunger Everyday
Answer : 7000. And you were complaining about...


11. What is your fav deo/perfumes...?
Its a perfume I got as gift for my wedding and the gifter is not sure where she got it.. And its so obscure that even Google has not been helpful in locating it, so I have given up. But I have saved few drops of it after almost 9 years..Funny I have forgotten the name. Lozario??? Generally I like fruity ones. And right now its Pear Splash.

Well…..who takes this tag??

Atlast. And I thought it would never end. Vaibhav Godo Peshwa Savy Pluto

Jun 3, 2006

Me Myself & I - Dont Fret Just a Quartet

Tagged by Vaibhav, Its something of a 'Quartet' tag..

You have 4 options with this post
1.Read everything and pretend its interesting and say you had a good time reading it
2.Go straight to the last point and see if you are tagged and if you are tagged, read everything from the top, write a comment and write your own post,
3.Go straight to the last point and if you are not tagged, get mad with me for not tagging you or
4.Yawn and read my previous post.

So now that I have given you the options, here are the answers

4 Jobs I’ve had :
Regional Coordinator (That was the last desgn after working for 5 years in almost every department with the company)
Recruitment Consultant (Being a partner was grand, the tension wasnt)
Writer. Researching for legal issues, did a lot for me personally too. And though its fun being paid, there is more fun not having an editor and so became Stay at home Blogger (that was last year when I spent more time blogging than being a homemaker)
Insurance Advisor (Right now)
and hopefully after 2 more years, Psychologist:)

4 Films I could watch again and again:
Miss Congeniality
One Fine Day
Shrek
Page3
And why should it be only 4, lets include Mouna Raagam, Anbe sivam and Anniyan:)

4 Places I’ve lived in:
Mumbai (all the studies)
Chennai (my work)
Darsait, Oman (where I watched for more than a year, CNN and BBC and still didnt get bored )
and where I am now:D
And the only one I look forward to is Kolkatta, just thought it would be interesting to live in a city, which still sees Red:)

4 TV series I like to watch:
Scrubs
Boston Legal and everything else by David Kelly
Law and Order Special Victims unit
BBC Documentaries
Also Dr.Phil and Friends

4 places that I’ve been on vacation to:
Kovalam, Kerala (Its absolutely fab.)
Ooty and Kodaikannal (nice but crowded)
Yercaud (nice because its not too crowded)
Mahabaleshwar
And according to some, right now everyday of my life is a vacation:)

4 websites I visit everyday:
thehungersite and bhookh to click for free food
Rediff for news
Google - Search, News, Gmail
Ibnlive /NDTV just to cross check the news
and blogspot and o3 when I am blogging

4 Favourite dishes:
Sandwhich
Plain boiled potato
Cheese with anything
Adai (its dosai with different pulses)

4 places where I’d like to be right now:
Indiatimes Office (I still havent got access to my main blog after all these months)
Library
How pathetic I can think of anything else
How fantastic I am where I would prefer to be

4 tags
Max
Rashmi
Busybee
Spark