Wear protective sunglasses

Fashionable sunglasses offer little or no protection from harmful rays emitted by the sun and people using sunglasses just for their brand name or style may even risk blindness, warn scientists in Britain. The sun emits harmful ultraviolet rays and prolonged exposure to this radiation may severely affect the skin, eyes or the immune system. But teenagers and young adults often choose sunglasses purely on the basis of their price and style without cross checking their safety standards. A survey by the College of Optometrists in Britain showed that 63 percent of those questioned were more influenced by how sunglasses looked and how much they cost than by the protection they offered, said the online edition of Daily Mail. This rose to 80 percent amongst respondents in the under-25 age group - with many keen to emulate the brands and styles of glasses worn by celebrities in glossy magazines. Worryingly, one in seven of the 1,500 surveyed did not wear sunglasses at all. "It is particularly worrying that younger people have so little regard for their eyes when up to 80 percent of exposure to UV rays over a person's lifetime occurs before the age of 18," said Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser at the College of Optometrists. Experts added that people with light-coloured eyes were more at risk from damage caused by ultraviolet rays if they failed to wear good-quality sunglasses. Although all brands legally sold have to meet basic standards, there are plenty of fakes of expensive and fashionable brands in the market that do not comply, the scientists noted. Wearing poor-quality sunglasses could damage the eyes and increase the risk of cataracts, which can lead to blindness later in life, they said. The researchers suggested a simple quality test before buying sunglasses- hold them at arm's length and tilt them slightly. Focus on an object in the distance, move them up and down and see if there is any distortion, especially at the lens edges. If the lenses are of high quality, there should be no movement.

Bipasha Corrects Eyesight to Host 7 Wonders Ceremony

Indian actress Bipasha Basu was so thrilled to be named one of the hosts of next month's "New 7 Wonders of the World" event in Lisbon, Portugal, that she got contact lenses so she could read her lines.
The thought of having to read from a teleprompter at the globally telecast event finally pushed her to deal with her myopia or nearsightedness, the Bollywood heartthrob told The Times of India newspaper in an interview published Thursday.
"This is the first time that the seven wonders are being reconsidered. To be part of this is to be part of history," said Basu. "And I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world, certainly not for being shortsighted."
More than 50 million people have already cast their votes in the massive global poll. In the top 10 are Greece's Acropolis, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, Paris' Eiffel Tower, Brazil's Statue of Christ The Redeemer, India's Taj Mahal and Jordan's Petra.
The Egyptian pyramids are the only surviving structures from the original list of seven architectural marvels.
Basu said she would be honored and flattered to share the stage with Hollywood stars Ben Kingsley and Hillary Swank, also scheduled to speak at the function on July 7.
"I've got myself contact lenses. All these years I stubbornly resisted them," Basu told the newspaper.
Model-turned-actresss Basu has acted in more than 22 movies since she entered the movie industry five years ago.
Her recent hit films include "Dhoom 2," or "Big Bang 2," a Bollywood version of Shakespeare's Othello called "Omkara," and "Corporate."
She is dating Bollywood leading man John Abraham.

CHECK CRUEITY TOWARDS DRAUGHT ANIMALS

In the scorching summer months, it is distressing to observe cartsmen and tongawallas, with heavy loads on thjeir vehicles, making the draught animals vulnerable to slun stroke, heat, dehydration and exhaustion. Preventioin of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules,1965, prohibits carrying loads by animals exceeding the prescribed limits which varies according to the size of the animal and type of vehicle (with or without pneumatic tyres).

The rules also provide that in any area where the ambient temperature exceeds 37 degrees Celsius between 12 noon and 3 pm, no person shall use or cause to use any animal drawing any vehicle or carrying any load.

The policemen are callously negligent about rules framed to prevent cruelty towards draught animals. The shortstaffed law enforcement agencies and animal welfare organisations have failed to make use of the powers conferred on them to apprehend violators of these rules.

The animal welfare organisations should therefore hold seminars to apprise traffic police about these rules.

These organisations, sustaining on paltry funds, are unable to monitor adherence to these rules. Police helpllines like those established in Major towns, if set up in all districts, can facilitate help to these animals in distress.

Casual checking by traffic police during their routine duty on roads and crossings can deter the rampant infringement of rules.

Since the animals cannot represent their case, it is imperative that we humans should speak up for them.

GLOBAL WARNING, A COMMON CONCERN

Inspite of using motor vehicles, we should develop a habit of walking or cycling. Which is the most clean and eco-friendly. Leaving the fuss and prestige behind, we should go and opt for walk or the cycle as the mode of transport as it is the most clean, eco-friendly and inexpensive mode of tranportation. Deforestation is the major cause of concern, especially in the hills. In that case we should join our hands together and should stop promoting the illegal constructions at the cost of our rich forests. If not much, we can at least plant trees in and around our area and can also look after that they are growing and growing well. We understand that, being the fastest growing economy in the world, our need of energy is obviously growing day by day. Therefore, we, the common man can afford to conserve energy in order to reduce the burden for more energy on our govrenment.

If we work together under the joint effor, little changes in our daily habits can bring some difference (if not much) to the climate. We should try and look for the alternatives, so that we can contribute. We should learn to listen, understand and execute what our government wants us to do in order to helpl mother nature maintain her cool. Don't forget, it will be we only, who will be paying for our mistakes and irresponsible behaviour.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Barabar Jhoom is a forthcoming Bollywood film starring Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Lara Dutta and Bobby Deol. It is directed by Shaad Ali who has directed hits like Saathiya (2002) and Bunty Aur Babli (2005). The film will be produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film will release on June 15, 2007.
Shooting began in the second half of 2006 in London and included a shooting schedule in Paris, France. Many images from the set show shooting being conducted at Waterloo Station, London. Some shooting took place in Agra, near the Taj Mahal. The choreography has been done by Vaibhavi Merchant. Filming has taken place in numerous locations along Green Lanes, Harringay in North London.

Concern over breast cancer among men ?

Breast cancer cases among men may be less than in women, but it is definitely causing a concern with doctors blaming it on the sheer lack of awareness. Genetic disorder, obesity, alcohol intake, prior exposure to radiation, family history are some of the factors that has led to the spread of this rare disease. According to the Delhi Cancer Registry more than three per cent of breast cancer deaths in 2001 were reported among men, which is more than the deaths occurred due to small intestinal cancer and thyroid. Every year about 75,000 new cases of breast cancer are reported in India, out of which a small but increasing number is from men, said Sidharth Sahni, Consultant in the Surgical Oncology Department at Artemis Health Institute in Gurgaon. "Cases of breast cancer in men is a reality and cannot be ignored. For many, breast cancer among men may sound bizarre as they compare it with women breast cancer," he said. Men have all the same types of tissue in their breasts as women. "But they have fewer ducts and globules and these are not as developed as those in women. This is why the cases are less reported among men," he added. According to Dr P K Julka, Professor of Oncology at AIIMS, Asian men are less susceptible to breast cancer, as compared to African American or Caucasian. He said that one per cent of his patients were men in the past two years. "There is no need for panic. The cases have not risen dramatically. There is just a slight rise. But men should know they could be at risk and shouldn't think that it is just a women's disease," Julka said. Julka said unmarried men could also be affected with the disease. Infertile men or those whose liver has been damaged by liquor or due to other reasons, possibly through hormonal imbalances, could be affected with the problem, he said. The oncologist said the Klinefelter's syndrome or chromosomal abnormality increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 50 per cent in men. He said those who have genetic disorder should be careful as they could also be at high risk. "They should take it seriously when they see a painless lump or when they find bleeding from their nipple or discharge," he added. Surgery is usually the common treatment followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. "It is not right to say that this is confined to urban area only. We have seen an equal number of patients from rural areas too," Julka said. Among men the cases are reported at the age of 60, while symptoms among women are seen at a younger age. Doctors said hormonal imbalances and altered testicular function have been found to be the reason for all breast cancer deaths. Gauri Kapoor, senior consultant in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, said though it is a rare disease, they have seen many cases in the past few years. "Most men are not even aware that they could also be affected with breast cancer and as they are not able to recognise the symptoms, they generally come for treatment at a very late stage when the cancer reaches their chest wall," she said.

Harmful effect of excessive laptop use

Corporate hi-fliers who rarely step out without their data-loaded laptops will hate this, but doctors in Mumbai believe the device is a growing source of ill-health. Tingling sensation in the fingers, strained tendons and sore shoulders are the price young and ambitious are paying for clicking non-stop on their laptops, according to a study done by occupational therapists in Mumbai. "Busy office-goers are using laptops way over the recommended two-hour period," says S R Pingle of the Indian Association of Occupational Health, studying the habits of executives in two leading corporate houses. The laptop craze is growing at an amazing pace in the Mumbai, especially after the advent of affordable brands a couple of years back. Corporate or self-employed persons can be seen glued to the LCD screen not just in airports, but even in crowded first-class compartments of trains. Hep B-schoolers, jet-setting executives and self-assured corporate honchos refuse to step out to work — or even that cursory chotta sa break — without the convenience and connectivity of a laptop. In the West, the dependence has grown even further. An international survey carried in Time magazine last week showed that one in five holidayers usually take their laptops along even on vacations. The favourite excuse as the Mumbai study found was that essential office data is stored on the laptop. "Laptops are meant to be used for a short-time period, but executives are using them instead of their desktop computers in offices as well as homes," adds Pingle. While the erudite crowd that logs on to laptops understand ergonomics (the science of fitting workplace equipment to maximise a worker's productivity), few seem to understand the damage done by excessive laptop usage. Take Navi Mumbai resident Vijay Habbu (50), who is self-admittedly "laptop dependent". A senior executive in a corporate house, Habbu says he uses his laptop for over nine hours every day. "I had developed a ganglion (bunching of nerves) on my wrist, working on the computer, which got further aggravated when I shifted to regularly using the laptop," says Habbu. Nailing the diagnosis wasn't too difficult for him. "There was a clear correlation. When I was on leave and didn't use the laptop, I had no complaints," he says. The problem is that laptops are not ergonomically designed to be used for prolonged hours. "The keys in a laptop are cramped. Moreover, most computer users haven't learnt typing and tend to use one or two fingers which puts pressure on the hand," explains Pingle. Those who slouch over their laptops for long hours particularly complain of back and neck spasms or posture-related problems, says consultant and upper-limb surgeon at Bombay Hospital Parag Munshi. "Many also come in with strained tendons as their wrists are flexed in extreme positions," he says. The Cornell University Ergonomics website has a basic explanation as to why prolonged use of laptops can be tough on the body. "The reason is simple — with a fixed design, if the keyboard is in an optimal position for the user, the screen isn't and if the screen is optimal the keyboard isn't." Hearteningly, timely interventions can bring a lot of relief. "Since I can't work without my laptop, I always carry an external mouse which I attach to my system," says 45-year-old managerial executive Karunidhi. Habbu, too, agrees that the move to an external mouse has given him 20% relief, though he still occasionally pops in pain-killers. Doctors say preventive measures can keep away pain. "Such problems are usually caused by recurrent movements for prolonged periods. People should try and maintain the position of neck and back in neutral position," advises KEM Hospital's head of orthopaedic department Dr V J Lahiri. Munshi, who calls the laptop-related ailments "transient and temporary", says frequent users need conservative management which includes rest as well as "correct posture".

Cheeni Kum

Cheeni Kum (literally, less sugar) is a Bollywood film being made by advertising executive and debutant director Balkrishnan. The story is being touted as a sarcastic love story.
Amitabh Bachchan is playing the role of the old man and Tabu is playing the role of a young woman. This happens to be the first new movie to be signed by Amitabh after recovering from his illness in 2006.
The film's shoot has started on 6 April 2006 and is supposed to be completed in 3 months. Ilaiyaraaja is composing the score for the film and it marks his return to Bollywood film music after a long break. A part of the film is shot at Qutub Minar in New Delhi.