The Indian Panorama

Year: 2014

  • DHANTERAS

    DHANTERAS

    THE FESTIVAL OF WEALTH

    The festival of Dhanteras falls in the month of Kartik (Oct-Nov) on the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight. This auspicious day is celebrated two days before the festival of lights, Diwali.

    How to Celebrate Dhanteras

    On Dhanteras, Lakshmi – the Goddess of wealth – is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. It is also the day for celebrating wealth, as the word ‘Dhan’ literally means wealth and ‘Tera’ comes from the date 13th. In the evening, the lamp is lit and Dhan-Lakshmi is welcomed into the house. Alpana or Rangoli designs are drawn on pathways including the goddess’ footprints to mark the arrival of Lakshmi. Aartis or devotional hymns are sung eulogizing Goddess Lakshmi and sweets and fruits are offered to her. Hindus also worship Lord Kuber as the treasurer of wealth and bestower of riches, along with Goddess Lakshmi on Dhanteras. This custom of worshiping Lakshmi and Kuber together is in prospect of doubling the benefits of such prayers. People flock to the jewelers and buy gold or silver jewelry or utensils to venerate the occasion of Dhanteras. Many wear new clothes and wear jewelry as they light the first lamp of Diwali while some engage in a game of gambling.

    Diwali Shopping is Completed

    Dhanteras is observed differently by different communities. It is considered to be highly auspicious day to do new purchases and investment. Most people complete the Diwali shopping on the day. The first lamps of Diwali are lit on the day. People hang up paper lanterns with festoons and sends out the message of the arrival of Diwali.

    Get-Together of All Family Members

    Dhanteras is not all about material wealth it is also a time to develop spiritual wealth and family bonding. All family members arrive at ancestral home on the day. Grand Parents and Parents wait for the day as sons, daughters and grand children arrive from distant places.


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    Welcoming Goddess Lakshmi

    Goddess Lakshmi is welcomed into the house on Dhanteras day in many regions in the evening. Rangoli is drawn on doorways and tiny footprints of Lakshmi are drawn in vermilion to symbolize her arrival. Devotional songs dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi are sung in the evening. Sweets are offered to the Goddess on the day.

    Goddess Lakshmi Puja for Three Days

    In some regions Goddess Lakshmi Puja is performed for three days – Dhanteras, Choti Diwali and Diwali. On the first day, Dhanteras day, all family members especially men and women bathe after applying fragrance, medicinal herbs or preparation and fragrant oils. Murti – painting or idol or picture – of Goddess Lakshmi is washed with water and worshipped for three days commencing from Dhanteras.

    Buying Gold – Silver or Utensil

    Dhanteras – Dhan means ‘wealth’ and theras indicates ‘the thirteenth day’. In most places in North India, Gujarat and Maharashtra, Dhanteras is an auspicious day to buy precious metals like gold, platinum and silver. Women shop for gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils on the day. Precious metal bought on the day is seen as a sign of good luck.

    Earthern Diyas in the Evening

    Earthern diyas are lit on Dhanteras day in the evening to banish the evil spirits.

    Legend behind the Dhanteras and Naraka Chaturdashi:

    An ancient legend ascribes the occasion to an interesting story about the 16 year old son of King Hima. His horoscope predicted his death by snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular day, his newly-wed wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid out all her ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a heap at the entrance of the sleeping chamber and lit lamps all over the place. Then she narrated stories and sang songs to keep her husband from falling asleep.

    The next day, when Yama, the god of Death, arrived at the prince’s doorstep in the guise of a Serpent, his eyes were dazzled and blinded by the brilliance of the lamps and the jewelry. Yam could not enter the Prince’s chamber, so he climbed on top of the heap of gold coins and sat there the entire night listening to the stories and songs. In the morning, he silently went away.

    Thus, the young prince was saved from the clutches of death by the cleverness of his new bride, and the day came to be celebrated as Dhanteras. And the following days came to be called Naraka Chaturdashi (‘Naraka’ means hell and Chaturdashi means 14th). It is also know as ‘Yamadeepdaan’ as the ladies of the house light earthen lamps or ‘deep’ and these are kept burning throughout the night glorifying Yama, the god of Death. Since this is the night before Diwali, it is also called ‘Chhhoti Diwali’ or Diwali minor.

  • BHAI DOOJ: THE BOND OF BROTHERLY-SISTERLY LOVE

    BHAI DOOJ: THE BOND OF BROTHERLY-SISTERLY LOVE

    Nowhere is the bond of brotherly-sisterly love glorified with such grandeur as in India. Hindus celebrate this special relationship twice every year, with the festivals of Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj.

    What, When & How

    After the high voltage celebrations of Diwali , the festival of lights and fire-crackers, sisters all over India get ready for ‘Bhai Dooj’ – when sisters ceremonize their love by putting an auspicious tilak or a vermilion mark on the forehead of their brothers and perform an aarti of him by showing him the light of the holy flame as a mark of love and protection from evil forces. Sisters are lavished with gifts, goodies and blessings from their brothers. Bhai Dooj comes every year on the fifth and last day of Diwali, which falls on a new moon night. The name ‘Dooj’ means the second day after the new moon, the day of the festival, and ‘Bhai’ means brother.

    Myths & Legends

    Bhai Dooj is also called ‘Yama Dwiteeya’ as it’s believed that on this day, Yamaraj, the Lord of Death and the Custodian of Hell, visits his sister Yami, who puts the auspicious mark on his forehead and prays for his well being. So it’s held that anyone who receives a tilak from his sister on this day would never be hurled into hell. According to one legend, on this day, Lord Krishna, after slaying the Narakasura demon, goes to his sister Subhadra who welcomes him the lamp, flowers and sweets, and puts the holy protective spot on her brother’s forehead. Yet another story behind the origin of Bhai Dooj says that when Mahavir, the founder of Jainism, attained nirvana, his brother King Nandivardhan was distressed because he missed him and was comforted by his sister Sudarshana. Since then, women have been revered during Bhai Dooj.


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    Bhai Phota

    In Bengal this event is called ‘Bhai Phota’, which is performed by the sister who religiously fasts until she applies a ‘phota’ or mark with sandal wood paste on her brother’s forehead, offers him sweets and gifts and prays for his long and healthy life. Every brother eagerly awaits this occasion that reinforces the bond between brothers and sisters and their affectionate relationship. It’s an opportunity for a good feast at the sister’s place, coupled with an enthusiastic exchange of gifts, and merriment amid the resounding of conch shells in every Bengali household.

    Underlying Significance

    Like all other Hindu festivals , Bhai Dooj too has got a lot to do with family ties and social attachments. It serves as a good time, especially for a married girl, to get together with her own family, and share the post- Diwali glee. Nowadays, sisters who are unable to meet their brothers send their tika – the spot of protection – in an envelope by post. Virtual tilaks and Bhai Dooj e-cards have made it even easier for brothers and sisters, who’re far away from each other, specially remember their siblings on this propitious occasion.

    Bhai Dooj In Uttar Pradesh

    In Uttar Pradesh, at first, sisters give a piece of cloth, knotted into a circular shape, full of batashas (sugar balls) to their brothers. This piece of cloth is called as ‘aabf’. For each brother, there are two aabf. After all the rituals, sisters apply a tika of roli and rice on the forehead of the brothers and then perform aarti, praying for the long and happy life of their brothers. At last, they offer sweets to them and then the story of Bhai Dooj is narrated.

    Bengal

    In Bengal this festival is called Bhai Phota. On this day, sisters observe fast till the time all the traditional customs have been performed. After this, they apply tika made of sandalwood paste, ghee and kohl (kajal) on their brothers’ forehead. Then the aarti is performed and sisters give sweets to their brothers to eat. Kheer and coconut laddus are the traditional sweets which are prepared on this day. At the time of applying tika, the sister chants the mantra which is as follows: “Bhratus tabaa grajaataaham Bhunksa bhaktamidam shuvam Preetaye yama raajasya Yamunaah Visheshatah.” This mantras means “I, your sister making you eat this holy rice for the pleasure of Yama and Yamuna”. In this way she prays God to bless her brother with the best in life.

    Bihar

    In the Bihar, the festival of Bhai Dooj is celebrated in the most unique way. The sisters curse their brothers in order to keep the evil spirits and dangers away from them. At first, they say very bad things to their brothers and then prick their own tongue with a wild prickly fruit as a punishment. By doing this, they ask their brothers to forgive them for the ill behaviour and mistakes which they have done till the date. Besides this, there is a unique custom in which brothers eat grains of bajri with water, from the hands of their sisters.

    Punjab

    In Punjab, the day after Diwali is celebrated as tika and on this day, sisters make a paste with saffron and rice and apply tika on their brothers’ forehead to keep away all the difficulties and dangers from them. After this, they exchange gifts and sweets among each other.

    Gujarat

    Bhai Dooj in Gujarat is known as Bhai Beej and on this auspicious occasion, sisters get up early in the morning and then the traditional tilak ceremony is held. After this, they perform aarti of their brothers and pray for their good fortune and life. Then they offer sweets to their brothers and in return the brothers bless them and exchange gifts.

    Maharashtra & Goa

    Marathi communities in Maharashtra and Goa called this festival as Bhav Bij. On this day, sisters draw a square on the floor in within the boundaries of which the brothers have to sit. After they are seated, it is a custom for to have a bitter fruit named Karith. After this, the rituals and applying the Tilak, traditional sweets such as Shrikhand Puri and Basundi Puri are served.

  • SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 41

    || 2 || 21 || 85 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Lord abides in my mind and body. Everyone congratulates me on my victory. This is the glorious greatness of the Perfect Guru. His value cannot be described. || 1 || I am a sacrifice to Your Name. He alone, whom You have forgiven, O my Beloved, sings Your Praises.

    || 1 || Pause || You are my Great Lord and Master. You are the support of the Saints. Nanak has entered God’s Sanctuary. The faces of the slanderers are blackened with ashes. || 2 || 22 || 86 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Peace in this world, O my friends, and bliss in the world hereafter – God has given me this. The Transcendent Lord has arranged these arrangements; I shall never waver again.

    || 1 || My mind is pleased with the True Lord Master. I know the Lord to be pervading all. || 1 || Pause || All beings are Yours, O Merciful Lord. You cherish Your devotees. Your glorious greatness is wonderful and marvellous. Nanak ever meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. || 2 || 23 || 87 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Lord is always with me. The Messenger of Death does not approach me. God holds me close in His embrace, and protects me. True are the Teachings of the True Guru.

    || 1 || The Perfect Guru has done it perfectly. He has beaten and driven off my enemies, and given me, His slave, the sublime understanding of the neutral mind. || 1 || Pause || God has blessed all places with prosperity. I have returned again safe and sound. Nanak has entered God’s Sanctuary. It has eradicated all disease. || 2 || 24 || 88 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The True Guru is the Giver of all peace and comfort – seek His Sanctuary. Beholding the Blessed Vision of His Darshan, bliss ensues, pain is dispelled, and one sings the Lord’s Praises.

    || 1 || Drink in the sublime essence of the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny. Chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord; worship the Naam in adoration, and enter the Sanctuary of the Perfect Guru. || Pause || Only one who has such pre-ordained destiny receives it; he alone becomes perfect, O Siblings of Destiny. Nanak’s prayer, O Dear God, is to remain lovingly absorbed in the Naam.

    || 2 || 25 || 89 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Lord is the Cause of Causes, the Innerknower, the Searcher of hearts; He preserves the honor of His servant. He is hailed and congratulated throughout the world, and he tastes the sublime essence of the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. || 1 || Dear God, Lord of the world, You are my only support. You are all-powerful, the Giver of Sanctuary; twenty-four hours a day, I meditate on You. || Pause || That humble being, who vibrates upon You, O God, is not afflicted by anxiety. Attached to the Feet of the True Guru, his fear is dispelled, and within his mind, he sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord.

    || 2 || He abides in celestial peace and utter ecstasy; the True Guru has comforted him. He has returned home victorious, with honor, and his hopes have been fulfilled. || 3 || Perfect are the Teachings of the Perfect Guru; Perfect are the actions of God. Grasping hold of the Guru’s feet, Nanak has crossed over the terrifying world-ocean, chanting the Name of the Lord, Har, Har.

    || 4 || 26 || 90 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Becoming merciful, the Destroyer of the pains of the poor has Himself devised all devices. In an instant, He has saved His humble servant; the Perfect Guru has cut away his bonds. || 1 || O my mind, meditate forever on the Guru, the Lord of the Universe. All illness shall depart from this body, and you shall obtain the fruits of your mind’s desires. || Pause || God created all beings and creatures; He is lofty, inaccessible and infinite. In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, Nanak meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord; his face is radiant in the Court of the Lord.

    || 2 || 27 || 91 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I meditate in remembrance on my Lord. Day and night, I ever meditate on Him. He gave me His hand, and protected me. I drink in the most sublime essence of the Lord’s Name. || 1 || I am a sacrifice to my Guru. God, the Great Giver, the Perfect One, has become merciful to me, and now, all are kind to me. || Pause || Servant Nanak has entered His Sanctuary. He has perfectly preserved his honor. All suffering has been dispelled. So enjoy peace, O my Siblings of Destiny!

    || 2 || 28 || 92 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Hear my prayer, O my Lord and Master; all beings and creatures were created by You. You preserve the honor of Your Name, O Lord, Cause of causes. || 1 || O Dear God, Beloved, please, make me Your own. Whether good or bad, I am Yours. || Pause || The Almighty Lord and Master heard my prayer; cutting away my bonds, He has adorned me. He dressed me in robes of honor, and blended His servant with Himself; Nanak is revealed in glory throughout the world.

    || 2 || 29 || 93 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: All beings and creatures are subservient to all those who serve in the Lord’s Court. Their God made them His own, and carried them across the terrifying world-ocean. || 1 || He resolves all the affairs of His Saints. He is merciful to the meek, kind and compassionate, the ocean of kindness, my Perfect Lord and Master. || Pause || I am asked to come and be seated, everywhere I go, and I lack nothing. The Lord blesses His humble devotee with robes of honor; O Nanak, the Glory of God is manifest.

    || 2 || 30 || 94 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: O mind, love the Lord.With your ears, hear the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe, and with your tongue, sing His song. || 1 || Pause || Join the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and meditate in remembrance on the Lord; even a sinner like yourself will become pure. Death is on the prowl, with its mouth wide open, friend. || 1 || Today or tomorrow, eventually it will seize you; understand this in your consciousness. Says Nanak, meditate, and vibrate upon the Lord; this opportunity is slipping away!

    || 2 || 1 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: The mind remains in the mind. He does not meditate on the Lord, nor does he perform service at sacred shrines, and so death seizes him by the hair. || 1 || Pause || Wife, friends, children, carriages, property, total wealth, the entire world – know that all of these things are false. The Lord’s meditation alone is true. || 1 || Wandering, wandering around for so many ages, he has grown weary, and finally, he obtained this human body. Says Nanak, this is the opportunity to meet the Lord; why don’t you remember Him in meditation?

    || 2 || 2 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: O mind, what evil-mindedness have you developed? You are engrossed in the pleasures of other men’s wives, and slander; you have not worshipped the Lord at all. || 1 || Pause || You do not know the way to liberation, but you run all around chasing wealth. In the end, nothing shall go along with you; you have entrapped yourself in vain. || 1 || You have not meditated or vibrated upon the Lord; you have not served the Guru, or His humble servants; spiritual wisdom has not welled up within you. The Immaculate Lord is within your heart, and yet you search for Him in the wilderness.

    || 2 || Now that you have obtained this human body, meditate on the Lord’s Feet; Nanak advises with this advice. || 3 || 3 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: O mind, contemplate the Sanctuary of God. Meditating on Him in remembrance, Ganika the prostitute was saved; enshrine His Praises within your heart. || 1 || Pause || Meditating on Him in remembrance, Dhroo became immortal, and obtained the state of fearlessness. The Lord and Master removes suffering in this way – why have you forgotten Him?

    || 1 || As soon as the elephant took to the protective Sanctuary of the Lord, the ocean of mercy, he escaped from the crocodile. How much can I describe the Glorious Praises of the Naam? Whoever chants the Lord’s Name, his bonds are broken. || 2 || Ajaamal, known throughout the world as a sinner, was redeemed in an instant. Says Nanak, remember the Chintaamani, the jewel which fulfills all desires, and you too shall be carried across and saved.

    || 3 || 4 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: What efforts should the mortal make, to attain devotional worship of the Lord, and eradicate the fear of death? || 1 || Pause || Which actions, what sort of knowledge, and what religion – what Dharma should one practice? What Name of the Guru should one remember in meditation, to cross over the terrifying world-ocean? || 1 || In this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, the Name of the One Lord is the treasure of mercy; chanting it, one obtains salvation. No other religion is comparable to this; so speak the Vedas. || 2 || He is beyond pain and pleasure, forever unattached; He is called the Lord of the world. He dwells deep within your inner self, O Nanak, like the image in a mirror.

    || 3 || 5 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: O mother, how can I see the Lord of the world? In the utter darkness of emotional attachment and spiritual ignorance, my mind remains entangled. || 1 || Pause || Deluded by doubt, I have wasted my whole life; I have not obtained a stable intellect. I remain under the influence of corrupting sins, night and day, and I have not renounced wickedness. || 1 || I never joined the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and I did not sing the Kirtan of God’s Praises. O servant Nanak, I have no virtues at all; keep me in Your Sanctuary, Lord.

    || 2 || 6 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: O mother, my mind is out of control. Night and day, it runs after sin and corruption. How can I restrain it? || 1 || Pause || He listens to the teachings of the Vedas, the Puraanas and the Simritees, but he does not enshrine them in his heart, even for an instant. Engrossed in the wealth and women of others, his life passes away uselessly. || 1 || He has gone insane with the wine of Maya, and does not understand even a bit of spiritual wisdom. Deep within his heart, the Immaculate Lord dwells, but he does not know this secret.

    || 2 || When I came to the Sanctuary of the Holy Saints, all my evilmindedness was dispelled. Then, O Nanak, I remembered the Chintaamani, the jewel which fulfills all desires, and the noose of Death was snapped. || 3 || 7 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: O man, grasp this Truth firmly in your soul. The whole world is just like a dream; it will pass away in an instant. || 1 || Pause || Like a wall of sand, built up and plastered with great care, which does not last even a few days, just so are the pleasures of Maya. Why are you entangled in them, you ignorant fool?

    || 1 || Understand this today – it is not yet too late! Chant and vibrate the Name of the Lord. Says Nanak, this is the subtle wisdom of the Holy Saints, which I proclaim out loud to you. || 2 || 8 || SORAT’H, NINTH MEHL: In this world, I have not found any true friend. The whole world is attached to its own pleasures, and when trouble comes, no one is with you. || 1 || Pause || Wives, friends, children and relatives – all are attached to wealth. When they see a poor man, they all forsake his company and run away.

    TO BE CONTINUED

  • DIWALI DECOR FOR YOUR HOME

    DIWALI DECOR FOR YOUR HOME

    Decorate your home with diyas, torans and kandeels. Diwali is synonymous with diyas, kandeels and torans. The sheer variety of these items available in the markets these days is inspiring, for you can do a lot with them when it comes to decorating your home for the festive season.

    Makeovers are not tough; you just need to open up your mind and let your creative self take wings… A little splash of colour here and some intelligent shuffling of furniture can sometimes lend a dazzling new look to your room. You can begin by asking yourself what exactly you want to change in your home decor and then list out the areas where you want the rangolis, the diyas, the kandeels and the torans. Decorate the entrance of your house with contemporary rangolis: The entrance of your home can be decorated with beautiful contemporary rangolis. There are ready-made rangolis and floating rangolis made with crystals, kundan and mirrors available in the market.

    They look very festive and rich. With tealights or diyas on them, they can make your home look warm and welcoming, and lend an unmistakable touch of elegance. You could also opt for traditional rangolis of rice powder, floral rangolis or hire professionals to do portrait rangolis. Light up the corners with diyas: We all know that by simply changing the lighting, one can make a huge difference to how a room looks. So, diyas play a big role here.

    Nooks, niches, corners in your rooms can be lit up beautifully. Hang tealights in transparent coloured glass holders: You could hang some diyas or tealights in small coloured glass containers that are a rage in the market this year. They could be suspended from the ceiling over your dining table. That way, the light falls on your table and there is no chance of anyone bumping into them accidentally as well. Use rangoli as a centerpiece in your living room: Using a big rangoli as the main attraction in you living room.

    You could add fresh flowers, diyas and tealights to brighten it up. Bring in prosperity with torans and kandeels: Torans and kandeels are a traditional way of decorating your home for Diwali. They add an ethnic touch to your home decor.

  • Making the Diwali hamper

    Making the Diwali hamper

    Diwali is the time when gifts are exchanged. While there are a lot of options easily available in the market for gifts, it’s always nice when someone gives something handmade -and it is cost effective as well. Here are a few ways in which you can put together a basic hamper at home to gift your friends:

    SWEETS There are different kinds of sweets that you can put into your hamper, but the most common are Motichur Laddus and Kaju Katlis. While you can always buy them in bulk from sweet shops, you can also make them at home.

    DIYAS Mud diyas are available in stores, and, in abundance, from roadside vendors as well. You can hand paint them with oil paints. Get a little creative and stick small mirrors and glitter powder on them with a little glue. Get medium-sized diyas and paint one for each hamper.

    CHOCOLATES While it might look that you are giving an overdose of sweets during Diwali, tradition calls for it. You need to distribute sweets during the festive season and, of late, people have also started including chocolates and cupcakes in their hampers.

    DRY FRUITS To bring a little balance to the overdose of sweet, you could add salted dry fruits or some sort of namkeen in your hamper.

    BASKET You can reuse fruit baskets that you might have got at some point of time or you can buy such baskets at a store. Try getting one from a wholesale store as you might be able to get it for a reasonable price, depending on the quantity you buy .

    CANDLES There are many different candle designs available in the market during Diwali.You can include a candle to add a bit of colour to the hamper

  • WEIGHT LOSS RACE NOT FOR SLOW AND STEADY

    WEIGHT LOSS RACE NOT FOR SLOW AND STEADY

    Gradual weight loss does not reduce the amount or rate of weight regain compared with losing weight quickly, a study says. Substantial weight loss is more likely to be achieved if undertaken rapidly, it pointed out. “Our results show that an obese person is more likely to achieve a weight loss target of 12.5 percent weight loss, and less likely to drop out of their weight loss program, if losing weight is done quickly,” said Katrina Purcell from the University of Melbourne who is also a dietitian.

    The trial included 200 obese adults who were randomly assigned to either a 12-week rapid weight loss program on a very-low-calorie diet or a 36-week gradual weight-loss program based on current dietary recommendations. The initial rate of weight loss did not affect the amount or rate of weight regain: with similar amounts of weight regained by three years by participants on both diet programs who completed both phases of the study (around 71 percent in both groups), the team found.

    This may impact the worldwide treatment of obesity, as global guidelines recommended gradual weight loss for the treatment of obesity, reflecting the widely-held belief that fast weight loss is more quickly regained, the study said. A number of possible explanations have been put forward for their findings, including that the limited carbohydrate intake of very-lowcalorie diets promotes greater satiety, and less food intake by inducing the production of hunger suppressants called ketones. Losing weight quickly may also motivate participants to stick to the diet, the authors said.

    The study highlights the urgent need for committees that develop clinical guidelines for the management of obesity to change their advice, concluded Joseph Proietto, professor of medicine in University of Melbourne.

  • Foods that flush out toxins from your body

    Foods that flush out toxins from your body

    In olden days, fresh fruits and vegetables used to be part of one’s daily diet, and food was less processed. It’s hardly surprising that people lived longer and had healthy bodies. Nowadays, one needs to take extra precautions and adopt measures to lead a healthy life and have a fit body. Diet and exercise are very important to stay healthy. Here is a list of some food items that you can include in your daily diet to flush out toxins:

    LEMONS: Lemons release enzymes that help excrete toxins from the body. Health experts usually advise people to drink a glass of warm water with lemon and honey in the morning as it helps cleanse the body of toxins. It also supplies vitamin C to the body and balances the acidity in food consumed.

    CURD: It’s a good idea to have a cup of curd every day after a meal. Curd is an antioxidant and cleanses the body, and in the process, boosts metabolism. It also contains calcium and vitamins

    GREEN TEA: It is a great antioxidant and can easily be incorporated in your daily diet. You can have a cup in the morning and one in the afternoon.The one in the afternoon generally acts as a stimulant and helps lower blood sugar.

    FLAXSEEDS: Ground flaxseeds flushes toxins out of your body The fibre from this keeps the intestinal tract clean and contains omega 3 oils. But, men should be careful while consuming as the lignans in it are similar to the female hormone estrogen.

    WHEATGRASS: It contains a lot of alkaline, which helps curb acidity, detoxifies the body and protects the liver. It also lowers blood pressure, increases metabolism and even stimulates the enzymes in the body by purifying the blood.

    GINGER: This is considered one of the most potent disease-fighting spices, along with turmeric. It helps the metabolism, flushes out toxins and boosts liver function. You can chew on a small piece of ginger or even include it in your cooked food every day.

    PARSLEY: While parsley is mostly used as a garnish, it has more medicinal values than you know. It keeps the kidney healthy and free of infection, and reduces bloating during menstruation in women.

  • SOFT DRINKS MAY AGE YOU AS FAST AS SMOKING

    SOFT DRINKS MAY AGE YOU AS FAST AS SMOKING

    Daily consumption of half-a-liter of sugared soda is linked with 4.6 years of additional biological aging, effects comparable to that of smoking, finds a new study. The study found that drinking sugary drinks is associated with cell aging, suggesting sugar-sweetened soda consumption might promote disease independently from its role in obesity.

    The study revealed that telomeres – the protective units of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes in cells – were shorter in the white blood cells of people who reported drinking more soda. “Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence disease development, not only by straining the body’s metabolic control of sugars, but also through accelerated cellular aging of tissues,” said senior study author Elissa Epel, professor of psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The length of telomeres within white blood cells has previously been associated with human lifespan.

    “This is the first demonstration that soda is associated with telomere shortness,” Epel added. This effect on telomere length is comparable to the effect of smoking, or to the effect of regular exercise in the opposite, anti-aging direction, according to lead author of the study Cindy Leung, postdoctoral fellow at UCSF. Short telomeres also have been associated with the development of chronic diseases of aging, including heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. The researchers measured telomeres after obtaining stored DNA from 5,309 participants, ages 20 to 65, with no history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, who had participated in a health survey during the years 1999 through 2002.Weight loss race not for the slow and steady

  • A new drug soon to treat heart attack

    A new drug soon to treat heart attack

    Some scar-forming cells in the heart have the ability to turn into cells that form blood vessels, which are required to boosts the heart’s ability to heal after an injury, an Indian-origin researcher has found, suggesting a new approach to treat heart attack. The team of researchers he led also found that a drug could enhance this phenomenon – turning the scarforming cells in the heart, known as fibroblasts to endothelial cells that form blood vessels – and improve the repair process after a heart attack.

    “Our findings suggest the possibility of coaxing scarforming cells in the heart to change their identity into blood vessel-forming cells, which could potentially be a useful approach for better heart repair,” said the study’s senior author Arjun Deb, associate professor of medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles in the US. “It is well known that increasing the number of blood vessels in the injured heart following a heart attack improves its ability to heal,” Deb added.

    Through experiments on mice in which scar-forming cells in the heart were genetically labeled, the researchers discovered that many of the fibroblasts in the heart’s injured region changed into endothelial cells. This process contributed directly to blood vessel formation – a phenomenon they called mesenchymalendothelial transition or MEndoT. The researchers also identified a molecular mechanism that regulated MEndoT and found that administering a small molecule to augment MEndoT led to less scarring and allowed the heart to heal more completely.

  • Mumbai 125 Km 3D

    Mumbai 125 Km 3D

    Cast: Veena Malik, Karanvir Bohra, Vedita Pratap Singh,
    Vije Bhatia
    Direction: Hemant Madhukar
    Genre: Horror
    Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes

    STORY: On their way to Mumbai from Pune, a bunch of youngsters get stranded on a supposed deserted road that leads to nowhere. Their ill-fated night gets worse as they start witnessing supernatural killings. Can they survive?

    REVIEW: Mumbai 125 Km begins well. Even though it’s formulaic, a haunting background score, effective usage of 3D, especially in the scenes featuring mirrors, decent performances and predominantly a ‘fear of the unknown’ manage to keep you on the edge of your seat. Gripping and atmospheric, just when you think this horror film might actually be able to scare the living daylights out of you, enters ‘lady in white’ Veena Malik and her predictable back-story. As a ghost, her makeup and look are effective, but what doesn’t work is her penchant for flying in the sky like a superman.

    Also, the scenes, where clad in lingerie, she makes scandalous statements and then pouts in a bikini take away from the build-up and the creepy mood created in the first half. Her ‘sex appeal’ is made the point of focus as the film progresses and that is absolutely unnecessary. Karanvir Bohra, Vedita Pratap Singh and Vije Bhatia act well.

    Unfortunately, Veena Malik is made out to be the show-stealer and she does grab your attention, mostly for the wrong reasons. Overall, this film is somewhat like a Bollywoodised version of the Final Destination series. As horror, it partially works but as a slasher, gets too monotonous and repetitive…old wine in an old bottle.

  • DEEPIKA PADUKONE WAS ALWAYS A STAR: SHAH RUKH KHAN

    DEEPIKA PADUKONE WAS ALWAYS A STAR: SHAH RUKH KHAN

    Shah Rukh Khan, the producer and hero of Deepika Padukone’s debut film Om Shanti Om, says she has paved the way for her own success and that she always had it in her to be a ‘star’. SRK and Deepika worked under Farah Khan’s direction for Om Shanti Om, and the team has joined hands again for the forthcoming Happy New Year. In the gap of seven years, Deepika has established herself as one of the reigning beauties in Bollywood — and Shah Rukh feels the success is all hers. “I have nothing to do with her (Deepika’s) success. It’s all hers. You can’t take credit away from someone,” Shah Rukh told reporters in a group interview.

    Citing his own example, he said that when he worked on his debut film Deewana, veteran actors like Rishi Kapoor and Amrish Puri were very nice and kind to him. “I must have made mistakes, I must have been good and bad,” Shah Rukh said as he mulled over his own journey. But then talking of Deepika, he said, “I think Deepika was always a star. Since she was new, we did the ‘Aankhon Mein Teri’ song and we showed it to Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan).

    He said, ‘She is a very huge star.’ She was a supermodel at that time, so it’s not something we (Farah and I) have done.” “I haven’t worked with her for seven years, but I think she has it all. As a friend, I told her that ‘Always do a film where you feel comfortable with the people around’. She has made wonderful choices — whether it’s Cocktail or Finding Fanny. She has chosen some highly commercial films too; she has made the right choices,” he said.

  • Anushka Sharma does her first item number in Dil Dhadakne Do

    Anushka Sharma does her first item number in Dil Dhadakne Do

    Rumored ex-flames Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh are paired opposite each other in Dil Dhadakne Do. However, the more interesting twist is the fact that the actress has done her first item number in the film directed by Zoya Akhtar. Sources said the song is called Swing and even though some other members of the ensemble cast that includes Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah are also seen in the same song; the spotlight is on Anushka who is performing her first full-fledged item number. Producer Ritesh Sidhwani remained unavailable for comment.

  • Kill the Messenger

    Kill the Messenger

    Cast: Jeremy Renner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Platt, Michael Sheen, Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia Direction: Michael Cuesta Genre: Drama Duration: 1 hour 52 minutes

    STORY: The film tells the story of American investigative journalist Gary Webb, whose controversial story ‘Dark Alliance’ caught the nation’s attention and shook the CIA. It also discloses the consequences Webb had to bear for his pursuit of truth.

    REVIEW: In 1996, Webb (Jeremy Renner) alleged that the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) supported Nicaraguan rebels to smuggle cocaine into the United States in exchange for raising funds to covertly support the contras. His shocking revelation about CIA’s connection with cocaine dealers obviously didn’t go down too well with the agency and its closet publicists – the mainstream press.

    Inevitably, Webb’s ballsy act invited counter-attack. Soon, the credibility of his lowlife sources and his integrity as a journalist were questioned. His own newspaper buckled under pressure, thus doubting his ethics, which eventually drove him over the edge. Adapted from Webb’s own ‘Dark Alliance’ and Nick Schou’s ‘Kill the Messenger’, Michael Cuesta not only recounts the life of Gary Webb but also sheds light on media manipulation, newspaper politics and the sacrifices a journalist is forced to make, for uncovering a conspiracy.

    “The reason I’d enjoyed such smooth sailing for so long hadn’t been because I was careful and diligent and good at my job…the truth was that, in all those years, I hadn’t written anything important enough to suppress,” Webb confesses in a speech. A terrific Jeremy Renner manages to portray the emotional upheaval, passion and edginess of the late Gary Webb brilliantly. His rendition of the reporter’s candid speech is heart-breaking.

    ‘The Hurt Locker’ star delivers an Oscar-worthy performance and proves why he deserves more superior roles than the Hawkeye (The Avengers). Michael Sheen, Ray Liotta and Andy Garcia are effective in their respective cameos. Be it the secret chase sequence shot in dim light at a parking lot or the scenes where the camera follows Renner as if it were a man, the chilling cinematography adds to the mystery and intrigue. Grim, taut and smartly paced, Kill The Messenger is undoubtedly one of the best crime-dramas of the year. Watch it.

  • MOTHERHOOD WAS ‘RISKY’ FOR JESSICA ALBA

    MOTHERHOOD WAS ‘RISKY’ FOR JESSICA ALBA

    Actress Jennifer Lawrence buys a $4,500 French bulldog puppy for her close friend Laura Simpson. The 24-year-old star and her good friend Simpson found the puppy for sale online and picked it up from a private seller’s home in Thousand Oaks, California. Lawrence brought her own pet dog Pippi along for the ride. Once at the seller’s house, the divas had a blast meeting and playing with Simpson’s new pet.

  • JENNIFER LAWRENCE GIFTS $4,500 PUP TO FRIEND

    JENNIFER LAWRENCE GIFTS $4,500 PUP TO FRIEND

    Actress Jennifer Lawrence buys a $4,500 French bulldog puppy for her close friend Laura Simpson. The 24-year-old star and her good friend Simpson found the puppy for sale online and picked it up from a private seller’s home in Thousand Oaks, California. Lawrence brought her own pet dog Pippi along for the ride. Once at the seller’s house, the divas had a blast meeting and playing with Simpson’s new pet.

  • DIESEL PRICE DECONTROL MAY CREATE MORE POLICY SPACE FOR RBI

    DIESEL PRICE DECONTROL MAY CREATE MORE POLICY SPACE FOR RBI

    COIMBATORE (TIP): The Union government’s decision to deregulate diesel prices will significantly improve the country’s finances as the oil subsidy will come down by Rs 15,000 crore, India Ratings & Research has said. The cut in diesel prices by Rs 3.56 per litre will go a long way in fighting inflation, which is trending downwards, it said. “This will create more space for the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI) to ease its policy stance and cut policy rate sooner than hitherto believed,” the agency stated.

    The staggered diesel price hike initiated since January 2013 and the recent decline in the prices of crude in the global market have converted the under-recovery of public sector oil marketing companies into an overrecovery. The over-recovery on diesel for such companies reached Rs 3.56 per liter for the second fortnight of October. The crude price of the Indian basket as on October 15 fell to $83.85 per barrel and the rupee was at 61.1 to the US dollar.

    When diesel prices were increased by around Rs 5 per liter on September 14, 2012, the Indian crude oil basket was priced at $113.64 per barrel and the rupee was at 55.47, leading to an underrecovery of Rs 13.86 per liter. Though the rupee depreciated to around 61.5 by the middle of October 2014 from around 59 in May/June 2014, the sharp fall in the global crude prices has overall lowered the import price of Indian basket considerably. “As the crude prices in the global market are likely to remain low in the near-term due to the discovery of shale oil in US and also (because of) the struggling economies of Europe and Asia, deregulating diesel prices is both the right and opportune step,” India Ratings stated.

    However, India will have to be watchful of global developments, it said. “Crude prices are currently low because of low demand and appreciation of the US dollar in relation to its trading partners,” the agency said. If global oil and petroleum products demand and supply remain same, depreciation of the dollar may flare up both crude and product prices, India Ratings, which is part of the Fitch Group, cautioned. “Although the fuel price deregulation was scheduled to begin from April 2002, it took more than 12 years to deregulate petrol and diesel prices,” it pointed out.

  • Virgin takes full control of Tigerair Australia for Aus$1

    Virgin takes full control of Tigerair Australia for Aus$1

    SYDNEY (TIP): Virgin took full control of budget carrier Tigerair Australia, buying the remaining 40 percent it did not already own for Aus$1 (88 US cents) from its Singaporelisted parent. The deal was revealed as it was announced that Singapore Airlines (SIA) would take majority control of Tiger Airways, of which Tigerair Australia was a subsidiary, as part of a turnaround plan for the loss-making budget firm.

    Virgin Australia purchased a 60 percent stake in Tigerair in mid-2013 for Aus$35 million and said agreement had been reached to buy the rest of the carrier, which has struggled to reach profitability, for the tiny sum. Tiger will continue to license its brand to Virgin. Virgin Australia chief John Borghetti said the acquisition would allow it to fly to a number of new short-haul international destinations, providing growth opportunities for the business, while accelerating Tigerair’s drive for profitability. “Given the ongoing subdued consumer demand in the Australian domestic market, the growth of the Tigerair Australia domestic fleet is likely to be reduced,” he said.

    “Under this proposed transaction, we will benefit from the economies of scale and achieve profitability ahead of schedule by the end of 2016, by leveraging the resources of the wider Virgin Australia Group.” In Singapore, Tiger Airways said SIA would convert its “perpetual convertible capital securities holdings” in the carrier into shares, raising its stake to 55 percent from 40 percent. It said the move would effectively make Tiger Airways a subsidiary of SIA, which also operates a long-haul budget unit called Scoot. Tiger Airways also said it will separately raise Sg$234 million (US$184 million) in a rights issue that will be mostly subscribed by SIA. The rights issue will be carried out after SIA increases its stake.

    Tiger has been struggling to make money owing to tough competition in the booming Southeast Asian budget carrier market, which is dominated by Malaysia’s AirAsia and Singapore-based Jetstar Asia. Earlier this year, it sold its entire 40 percent stake in Tigerair Philippines to rival Cebu Pacific, and in July, its joint venture in Indonesia’s PT Mandala Airlines ceased operations owing to losses. The Tigerair Australia move, which is subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval, comes after a difficult 12 months for Australian airlines as intense battle for market share saw both Virgin and Qantas suffer heavy losses. Virgin posted a full-year net loss of Aus$355 million, while Qantas suffered a record loss of Aus$2.8 billion.

  • GOVT TO RE-LOOK AT GOLD IMPORT CURBS AFTER DIWALI: JAITLEY

    GOVT TO RE-LOOK AT GOLD IMPORT CURBS AFTER DIWALI: JAITLEY

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Faced with 5-fold rise in gold imports that is pushing up the current account deficit, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government would look at re-imposing curbs on gold imports after Diwali. “Let the festival season be over, I will have a look at it,” said Jaitley replying to a query on whether government will re-impose restrictions on gold imports. He was however was non-committal on the nature of restrictions the government may go in for. “I don’t want to spoil the festival season.

    It is only a few days away. Therefore, after the festival I will have look at it,” Jaitley said. The government as well as the Reserve Bank had imposed a string of restrictions on gold imports as country’s current account deficit (CAD) widened to record high of 4.8 per cent of GDP in the financial year 2012-13. The government had increased customs duty on gold to 10 per cent and banned import of gold coins and medallions, while the RBI linked imports of the metal to exports. However, the RBI has started easing some of the curbs and allowed more nominated agencies to import the yellow metal.

    Gold imports jumped to $3.75 billion in September on account of the ongoing festive season. The imports stood at $682.5 million in the same month last year. Higher imports pushed up the country’s trade deficit to about 18-month high of $14.2 billion last month. Gold imports were down for quite a long time following the restrictions. On extension of excise duty sops for auto sector expiring in December, Jaitley said the government would take a view at the right time. He also said that the finance ministry is in the midst of Budget preparation. The minister said last time he got only 40 days to prepare the Budget, but this time he has got five months.

    However, government’s reform agenda should not be judged only by the Budget as several announcements are made outside the Budget as there are 364 more days in the year apart from the Budget presentation day, Jaitley said. A lot of reforms happen outside the budget, he added. On his optimism about the performance of the economy, the minister said he expects that the third and fourth quarters of 2014-15 would see economic pick-up. Jaitley also said he personally believes that RBI should bring down interest rate, but the quantum of the cut is left to the central bank’s judgment.

  • IDBI Bank raises Rs 2,500cr via Basel III compliant AT-I bonds

    IDBI Bank raises Rs 2,500cr via Basel III compliant AT-I bonds

    MUMBAI (TIP): IDBI Bank said it has raised Rs 2,500 crore Basel III-compliant additional tier-I (AT-I) bonds. The Rs 2,500 crore bond issue includes an initial size of Rs 1,500 crore, with an option to retain over-subscription upto Rs 1,000 crore. The issue has been fully subscribed prior to the closure date, the bank said in a statement. The issue, opened on September 29, is the first AT-I bond issuance by a bank in the country after RBI modified its Basel III guidelines. The bond offered an annual coupon of 10.75 per cent and was perpetual in nature with call option after the instrument has run for 10 years. “This issuance will pave way for other banks to issue tier I bonds in the domestic market and will increase the acceptance of this instrument among the investors,” the bank’s chairman and managing director M S Raghavan said. The amount mobilized would be counted as a part of tier I capital and enhance the bank’s capital adequacy. The bonds are rated AA by Crisil and India Ratings. The arranger to the issue were Axis Bank, Darashaw & Co, ICICI Bank, Trust Investment Advisors and IDBI Capital Market.

  • NEW ZEALAND FAULT HOLE REVEALING SECRETS OF EARTH’S CRUST

    NEW ZEALAND FAULT HOLE REVEALING SECRETS OF EARTH’S CRUST

    WELLINGTON (TIP): An international team of scientists drilling a 1.3-km deep hole into the Alpine Fault in New Zealand’s South Island say they are already gaining valuable insights into the Earth’s crust less than a quarter of the way down. The New Zealand-led team had drilled 240 metres, already the deepest borehole ever attempted in the fault, through gravel-laden sediments north of the Franz Josef Glacier and hit schist bedrock, according to a joint statement.

    “We have discovered that temperatures increase quite rapidly with depth,which tells us a lot about how fluids that once fell on the Southern Alps as rain circulate and warm up next to the Alpine Fault,” project co-leader Virginia Toy of the University of Otago, said in the statement. “These measurements are important scientific findings in their own right and also allow us to predict what we will encounter as we drill deeper.” The borehole would provide the scientific data required to improve understanding of the largest seismic hazard in the South Island, another project co-leader, John Townend of Victoria University, said in the statement, according to Xinhua.

    “It’s also very important to the international scientific community in terms of understanding how large faults work mechanically, which is why so many scientists from around the world are working with us to extract maximum information from the borehole,” he said. The Alpine Fault, the on-land boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, moved about 27 metres horizontally every 1,000 years, in three or four separate large ruptures.

    Scientists had evidence that it had ruptured 24 times in the past 8,000 years at an average interval of 330 years, although individual intervals ranged from 140 to 500 years. The fault last ruptured 297 years ago in 1717 and scientists estimated it had a 28 percent probability of rupturing in the next 50 years, which was high by global standards. By comparing rocks retrieved by drilling with the rocks on the surface, the research team hoped to discover how the earth’s crust deformed during earthquakes, and learn about chemical and physical changes occurring at various depths inside the fault zone.

    Other major faults around the world had been drilled in this way after a big earthquake, but this was the first time a major fault had been drilled before it ruptured. Scientists and engineers from New Zealand, the US, Britain, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Australia and China are working on the project.

  • Doctors find new way to treat epilepsy – through the cheek

    Doctors find new way to treat epilepsy – through the cheek

    LONDON (TIP): Doctors have found a new way to treat epilepsy – through the cheek. For those most severely affected, treating epilepsy means drilling through the skull deep into the brain to destroy the small area where the seizures originate – invasive, dangerous and with a long recovery period. Five years ago, a team of Vanderbilt engineers wondered: Is it possible to address epileptic seizures in a less invasive way? They decided it would be possible. Because the area of the brain involved is the hippocampus, which is located at the bottom of the brain, they could develop a robotic device that pokes through the cheek and enters the brain from underneath which avoids having to drill through the skull and is much closer to the target area.

    To do so, however, meant developing a shape-memory alloy needle that can be precisely steered along a curving path and a robotic platform that can operate inside the powerful magnetic field created by an MRI scanner. The engineers have developed a working prototype. The business end of the device is a 1.14 mm nickel-titanium needle that operates like a mechanical pencil, with concentric tubes, some of which are curved, that allow the tip to follow a curved path into the brain.

    Unlike many common metals, nickel-titanium is compatible with MRIs. Using compressed air, a robotic platform controllably steers and advances the needle segments a millimeter at a time. The needle is inserted in tiny, millimeter steps so the surgeon can track its position by taking successive MRI scans. According to associate professor of mechanical engineering Eric Barth, who headed the project, the next stage in the surgical robot’s development is testing it with cadavers.

    He estimates it could be in operating rooms within the next decade. Associate professor of Mechanical Engineering Robert Webster had developed a system of steerable surgical needles. “The idea for this came about when Eric and I were talking in the hallway one day and we figured that his expertise in pneumatics was perfect for the MRI environment and could be combined with the steerable needles I’d been working on,” said Webster. The engineers identified epilepsy surgery as an ideal, high-impact application.

    They learned that currently neuroscientists use the through-the-cheek approach to implant electrodes in the brain to track brain activity and identify the location where the epileptic fits originate. But the straight needles they use can’t reach the source region, so they must drill through the skull and insert the needle used to destroy the misbehaving neurons through the top of the head. “The systems we have now that let us introduce probes into the brain – they deal with straight lines and are only manually guided,” the doctors said.

  • COMET MAKES RARE CLOSE PASS BY MARS AS ORBITERS WATCH

    COMET MAKES RARE CLOSE PASS BY MARS AS ORBITERS WATCH

    NEW YORK (TIP): A comet from the outer reaches of the solar system made a rare, close pass by Mars where a fleet of robotic science probes were poised for studies. Comet Siding Spring passed just 87,000 miles (140,000km) from Mars, less than half the distance between Earth and the moon and 10 times closer than any known comet has passed by Earth, Nasa said.

    The comet, named for the Australian observatory that discovered it last year, is believed to be a first-time visitor to the inner solar system, having departed the Oort Cloud, located beyond Neptune’s orbit, more than a million years ago. Comets are believed to be frozen remnants left over from the formation of the solar system some 4.6 billion years ago. “This comet is on its way plunging in toward the sun, growing a tail,” astronomer David Grinspoon, with the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, said during a live webcast of the comet’s flyby on Slooh.com.

    The comet made its closest approach to Mars at 2.27pm EDT/1827 GMT, hurling past at about 203,000kmph (126,000mph). Initially, Nasa was concerned the comet’s dusty tail could pose a threat to orbiting spacecraft as it brushes past Mars. Later assessments somewhat allayed those concerns, but Nasa still opted to tweak its satellites’ orbits so that they would be behind the planet during the most risky part of the flyby. “Mars will be right at the edge of the debris cloud, so it might encounter some of the particles, or it might not,” Nasa Mars scientist Rich Zurek, with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a statement.

    Mars’s atmosphere, though much thinner than Earth’s, will shield Nasa’s Opportunity and Curiosity rovers from comet dust, which may trigger meteor showers. Mars also will pass directly through the comet’s coma, which is an envelope of gas and dust surrounding the comet’s nucleus, providing an unprecedented opportunity for study, Grinspoon said. “This is a really rare event.”

  • An iPhone app to ensure eye health

    An iPhone app to ensure eye health

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Researchers have successfully used an iPhone app for imaging the inside of the eye of immobile and paediatric patients. The team used the iExaminer smartphone system and an iPhone to image 28 paediatric patients with a diverse range of retinal and optic nerve conditions. The system consists of a PanOptic Ophthalmoscope (a lighted instrument to examine the inside of the eye) and an adapter that attaches the ophthalmoscope to an iPhone to enable taking photos and videos.

    It can image key structures of the back of the eye in a single view without necessarily requiring dilation drops. The associated app facilitates capture, storage and transfer of data. This also makes it possible for real-time tele-medicine consultation without violating patient identity as no external facial features are revealed. “This system could be useful not only to ophthalmologists but also physicians, hospitals and general practitioners,” said lead researcher Jiaxi Ding from the Ross Eye Institute at University at Buffalo in the US.

    Because it can instantly capture photos and videos of the back of the eye through an undilated pupil, “there is potential for prompt tele-medicine consultations with an ophthalmologist and getting preliminary triage answers to the patient more quickly than waiting for standard office referral,” he added. Photography plays a critical role in documenting and tracking the progression of eye diseases. The results were shared at “AAO 2014” – the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

  • Sania-Cara enter semis at year-end WTA meet

    Sania-Cara enter semis at year-end WTA meet

    SINGAPORE (TIP): Making their first appearance in the WTA Finals, Sania Mirza and Cara Black started their campaign on the right foot by serving past Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears to book their semifinals berth on October 23. Indo-Zimbabwe pair, playing their last tournament together, were made to work hard by the US duo of Raquel and Abigail as they won the match in super tiebreak 6-3, 2-6, 12-10. Sania, who has split up with Cara, will partner Chinese Taipei’s Su-Wei Hsieh from next year.

    For the first time in the 44 years history of WTA Finals, a city in Asia Pacific region is hosting the prestigious year-end tournament. Top singles players comprising Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep and the defending doubles’ champions Su-wei and Shuai Peng are all competing in the prestigious event. The singles players are competing in a round-robin format, while the doubles team’s will play in a singleelimination, each battling for the title and the prize money of a whopping 6.5 million US Dollars

  • Sharapova out of WTA Finals, Serena year-end number one

    Sharapova out of WTA Finals, Serena year-end number one

    SINGAPORE (TIP): Maria Sharapova finally got a win at the WTA Finals on October 24 but it wasn’t enough to stop her crashing out of the tournament and blowing her opportunity to be crowned year-end world number one. The Russian star needed to beat Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets to stay alive but after winning the first set, she agonisingly lost three match points and a tie-breaker in the second.

    Second-ranked Sharapova rallied to win the match 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 but the 2004 champion exits the end-of-season tournament in Singapore after her two earlier round robin losses. “It’s so great to get a win in Singapore. I really wanted it today, it was so tough in that second set. We’ve always had such tough matches against Radwanska and today was no different,” she said. Sharapova is also now unable overtake Serena Williams and become year-end world number one for the first time, meaning the 18-time Grand Slamwinner earns the honour for a fourth occasion.

    Sharapova’s elimination brought an end to a disappointing campaign for the Russian, who lost her earlier matches against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. Sharapova had a 10-2 head-to-head record against Radwanska going into Friday’s match and won their last three meetings, but the world number six was unfazed. Neither player held serve in the first four games but Sharapova eventually edged ahead and took the set after some furious rallies.

    In the second, she had the crucial victory on her racquet but passed up two match points at 5-1 and another at 5-3 before Radwanska forced the tiebreaker and snatched it 7/4. But the Pole looked a spent force in the third set, enabling Sharapova to save face with her only match win in Asia’s first staging of the women’s season finale. Radwanska is also relying on the result of Wozniacki’s final round robin match with Kvitova if she is to make the semifinals of the eight-player season finale. And Williams, shattered 6-0, 6-2 by Simona Halep in her second group match, needs the Romanian to win at least one set against Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic later Friday to reach the semifinals.