SUPER FOODS

Food is something that everyone loves.  All of us are fond of food and we enjoy every bit of it.  Sometimes we enjoy food so much that we do not know what we are eating and how much.

Super Foods are the top 10 food items that can keep you healthier.  Eating these super foods will help you to stay healthy.  Make a sincere attempt to include them in your daily diet.  The fruits and vegetables which are high on antioxidants, fibre, etc., are the ones that are included in the "Super Food".

Now let's get into the list of 10 Super Foods:

Avacado:  This is an amazing fruit which helps to reduce the blood cholesterol levels.  It is rich on potassium and can regulate blood pressure and blood sugar.

Berries: Berries are an excellent source of Vitamin C, manganese and fibre.  They are naturally sweet and are high on antioxidant properties.

Garlic: Garlic may not ward off vampires, but it is believed to guard against real dangers such as colorectal, prostate, breast, liver, skin, and digestive tract cancers by inhibiting the growth of tumors and stimulating the immune system. It reduces cholesterol levels and is a natural antiobiotic and antiviral agent.

Ginger: Ginger is very good for fighting heart diseases.  It can also help people suffering from joint pains and arthritis.

Mango: My favourite fruit is rich in pro-biotic dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidant compounds.  It is also a rich source of potassium which helps control heart rate and blood pressure.

Mushrooms: It has anti-bacterial and anti-cancerous properties.  Mushrooms also contain protein and iron. The vitamins found in Mushrooms helps build the immune system.

Oats: Traditionally known as a horse food but the recent discovery of the healthy cholesterol-lowering properties has led to wider appreciation of oats as human food.

Peaches: Fresh peaches are low on calories and rich on Vitamin C, Iron and Potassium.  This fruit helps your immune system and can improve digestion as it has a gentle laxative effect.

Pumpkin: This is an extremely low calorie vegetable and does not contain saturated fats or cholesterol.  It helps you to control blood cholesterol levels and also weight.  It is very rich in minerals, vitamins, fibres and antioxidants.

Walnuts:  Walnuts boosts the immune system and can prevent cardiovascular diseases.  They are rich in vitamins and minerals and can help people like me who suffer from high-lipid profile (high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels).

Enjoy your food and ensure you stay healthy.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
13th September 2012

NEW TITANIC

Australian Mining Magnate Mr.Clive Palmer has a unique maritime vision of the future.  He wants to cruise into New York Harbour in Titanic II.  Palmer made money by doing real estate business and selling his mining rights to Chinese investors.  He has now started a shipping company which has engaged a Chinese Shipbuilder to build the Titanic II.  Palmer's shipping company is Blue Star Line and it is worth recalling the the RMS Titanic was operated by White Star Line 100 years ago.  RMS Titanic sank on 12th April 1912 killing 1,517 persons.

The new ship being built in China will have the same dimensions as the old version and will have 840 rooms and nine decks.  If all goes well the ship Titanic II will sail from Southampton, England to Manhattan in four years from now, yes by 2016. The concept of a replica of the RMS Titanic has been explored several times, especially following the resurgence of interest in the Titanic following the release of the film Titanic in 1997.

I hope they would build the vessel with all the modern safety features.  Let us hope she sails smoothly and continues to sail for several decades.  I wish Mr.Palmer all the very best as he has embarked on a very expensive and highly ambitious project.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, 10th September 2012.

AL HOOTA CAVES - OMAN

Estimated to be over 2 million years old, Al Hoota Cave is located at the foot of Jabal Shams, in Al Hamra district. The cave was first opened to receive tourist on the in November 2006 during 17th National Day, after setting walkways, stairs and a light system to make the cave an enjoyable and safe experience for visitors.  It is the first and only show cave in the Gulf area, which is accessible to the general public.

The total length of the cave is around 4.5 Km, of which 500 m is open for tourists, in other words, around 10 % of the entire cave distance is for touristic use. The tour inside the cave is about 45 minutes with the guide, who will stop visitors in different points to share with them on the story, history and formation of the cave.

Al Hoota Cave contains a rich ecosystem that includes two lakes, one is a small northern lake and the other one is the central lake. The underground lake estimates to be holding 30,000 m³ of water. The main lake is 800 m long and 10 m wide, with a maximum depth of 15 m, where you can find rare blind fish “garra barreimiae”.  

The cave is home to over 100 animal species including bats (Rhinopoma Muscatellum), arthropods, mollusks, big sparassid hunter spiders, snails, water beetles (Aglymbus gestroi), and other rare and endemic species. Al-Hoota cave system, like many other caves in Oman, was formed by the dissolution of limestone by acidic water. Caves might be seemingly made of stone, but they are made by water. It all starts when rainwater dissolves carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or soil, producing a dilute carbonic acid that dissolves the limestone, creating room for it, thus forming the cave. 10 mm of water dissolves its way through rock in 1000 years.  The formation of the cave is entirely natural, and consists of stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, and stalagmites reaching up from the floor, forming interesting and sometimes uncanny shapes such as “the lion”. Some of the columns and curtains were formed over millions of years, and all structures are softened due to the flow of water.

The lighting system at the cave is done with remote controls, allowing the guides to turn it off whenever they complete their tour at any specific point.  The cave is kept with no lights when there are no tours taking place in order to avoid disturbing the species at the cave, and to avoid the formation of algae.

I visited Muscat recently and read about the Al Hoota Caves in the inflight magazine.  I am quite excited to go to Oman and see the Al Hoota Caves at the earliest opportunity.

T.P.Anand

Dubai, U.A.E.

9th September 2012

AUTISM AWARENESS

Autism is one of a group of serious developmental problems called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) that appear in early childhood - usually below the age of 3.  Though symptoms and severity vary, all autism disorders affect a child's ability to communicate and interact with others.  The number of children diagnosed with autism seems to be rising.

One in every eighty eight children are afflicted by Autism.  There have been some very good advancement in the recent past as scientists across the globe are working on this though there is still little understanding and awareness.  The recent research findings show that at least one third of autism looks like a type of inflammatory disease and it begins in the womb.

It starts with what scientists call "immune dysregulation".  The human body needs an optimal balance of pro and anti inflammatory muscle.  If the immune systems fails at this balancing act then inflammatory signals would dominate.  Anti-inflammatory ones are inadequate and a state of chronic activation prevails.  The more skewed towards inflammation, the more acute the autistic symptoms.
Infection during pregnancy increases the risk of autism in the child.  Hospitalisation for a viral infection, like the flu, during the first trimester of pregnancy triples the odd.  Bacterial infection, including the urinary tract, during the second trimester increases chances by 40%.  The mother's attempt to repel invaders - her inflammatory response - seems to be at fault.  Autism in a child is an unintended consequence of self defence during pregnancy.

The prevalence of inflammatory diseases in general has increased significantly in the past half century.  As a group, they include asthma, now estimated to affect 1 in 10 children and autoimmune disorders, which afflict 1 in 20 children.  Both are linked to autism, especially in the mother.  One Danish Study has revealed that mother's rheumatoid arthritis, a degenrative disease of the joints, elevated a child's risk of autism by 80%.  Her celiac disease, an inflammatory disease prompted by proteins in wheat and other grains, increased it by 350%.

The lesson from these recent research studies is: Control inflammation during pregnancy, and it won't interfere with foetal brain development.  A drug that is safe for use during pregnancy may help.

If we stop the maternal dysregulation then we have most likely prevented autism. 

T.P.Anand
3rd September 2012

SKILLS FOR EVER

Skills are learnt through repetitive process and we retain some skills and some of them we do not.  Skills that are learnt and retained for ever are the most useful skills in life.  We learn to do typing (I remember joining for typewriting class as soon as i wrote the Board Exams in 1978) and one can never forget the typewriting skills for life time.  Similarly swimming, car driving, cycling are some of the skills which are very useful and once learnt you will retain these skills for ever.

In the olden days Cycling, Typewriting, Swimming were taught for all children in most families.  The ability to learn skills and retain them is very important trait for success in life.  "Learning to Learn" by itself is a skill as one needs to have the ability to learn new skills as one grows up older.  The skill of knowing how to learn is a must for everybody and is the key to acquiring new skills and sharpening the ability to think through problems. It opens the door to other learning. 

Certain skills are very essential for our day to day life and hence are retained for ever.  However, there are skills which are retained for ever even though we do not practice them on a daily basis.  These are the skills that I classify as "Skills for Ever", viz., Swimming, Cycling, typewriting, Car Driving, etc.  These are technical skills and are needed for day to day living.

There are other skills like Communication Skills, Management Skills, Human Relations and Leadership Skills which are acquired and learnt over a period of time.

At every stage in life it is important for us to take stock of our own skills and see if there is any need for acquiring new skills or sharpening the existing skills.  We are living in a technological world where it is extremely important for us to acquire new skills in order to stay in tune with the current way of living.  I have seen some old people learn computer skills and thanks to Steve Jobs they are able to use the iPAD conveniently for their chatting, emails and other requirements.

"Ability to adapt" and "learning to learn" are the two essential qualities required for learning new skills and retaining "skills for ever".  Skills help us to live smarter in this world and hence acquiring and retaining skills is very essential and important.

T.P.Anand
Chennai
19th August 2012

SUPER 30

Super 30 is a coaching institute in Bihar founded by Mr.Anand Kumar.  Anand Kumar is known all over the world as his institute made it to the Time Magzine's "Best of Asia 2010" list.  The only educational center to have bagged this honour so far.

Super 30 provides free coaching, books, food and accommodation for Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) hopefuls from the society's underprivileged sections in India.  Super 30 has achieved a hat trick by scoring 100 success for three consecutive years (2008, 2009 and 2010) in the prestigious IIT joint entrance examination (IIT - JEE),

Launched in 2003, Anand Kumar has been providing training and support for children from extremely poor families and has achieved great success by putting them into the prestigious IIT.  In 2012 IIT - JEE 27 out of the 30 students from Super 30 has succeeded.

Anand Kumar conducts an entrance test for all underprivileged students and finally selects 30 students. Nearly 3000 students turn up every year and out of those 3000 a first list of 200 are selected and then the final 30 make it to the Super 30.  These 30 students are coached for one year through a rigorous 16 hour a day routine in order to appear for the IIT-JEE.  In the last ten years 263 out of the 300 students have been successful in IIT-JEE and have entered the prestigious IIT to pursue a degree in Engineering.

Anand Kumar is very fond of mathematics and runs the "Ramanujan School of Mathematics".  He conducts evening classes for students who can afford a fee and from that money he is providing the free education for the 30 underprivileged students. 

Anand Kumar is now thinking of expanding the Super 30 to Super 60 and then later to Super 90.  The successful students of the earlier batches have already settled well in their career and they turn up during their vacation to teach in Super 30 as a voluntary service.



Hats off to Anand Kumar for achieving this great success consistently.  He has provided guidance and paved the way for several hundreds of children from poor families.  Great job.  Well Done.

T.P.Anand
Chennai
14th August 2012

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

June is a very special month in the calendar for me.  I was born in June and my twin sons were also born in June.  It is also a month in which my favourite music director Ilayaraja was born.  The Male Play back singer whom I like the most - S.P.B. was born in June.

I have listed below some of the famous and renowned personalities who were born in June:

1. Ilayaraja
2. S.P.Balasubramaniam
3. Michael Phelps
4. Karunanidhi
5. Marilyn Monroe
6. Anoushka Shankar
7. Angelina Jolie
8. Bjorn Borg
9. Lionel Richie
10. Venus Williams
11. Anna Kournikova
12. Steve Waugh
13. Lakshmi Nivas Mittal
14. Karisma Kapoor
15. Amrish Puri
16. Ray Illingworth
17. Nicole Kidman
18. Prince William
19. Rafael Nadal
20. Kenny G
21. Elizabeth Hurley
22. George Bush
23. Steffi Graf
24. Paul McCartney
25. Khloe Kardashian
26. Lionel Messi
27. Mel Brooks
28. Cheryl Cole
29. Mike Tyson
30. Kim Clijsters

It is a honour to have been born in June as there are quite a few celebrities and famous sports persons who are also born in the same month.

T.P.Anand

Chennai

12th August 2012