Blog Mekie

Walk for the Turtles

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:31:00 +0000

Neelangarai beach, Madras. Midnight. Early March.

We had come for a turtle walk organized by the Student Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN).


The moon shimmered over the Bay of Bengal

SSTCN members released some recently hatched baby Olive Ridley turtles into the sea.

Then, we set out on a 7km walk towards Besant Nagar beach looking for turtle nests.

Midway, the SSTCN scouts identified a turtle trail.

A scout located the turtle nest and dug in gently looking for eggs.

Yes, the nest did have Olive Ridley eggs!

We counted close to 120 eggs! They were all safely stored in a bag to be taken to the SSTCN hatchery.

The walkers group eagerly looked on as the eggs were safely retrieved.

The dimensions of the turtle's nest were noted down for scientific purposes.

How far had the mother turtle come in before making a nest and laying her eggs? SSTCN collaborates with the local fishermen communities to protect the Olive Ridleys.

On the way, we saw numerous white crabs dancing in the surf and
even came across what seemed to be a decomposed whale!

It was around 4.30 am when the walk came to an end. We bid adieu to the SSTCN scouts and the turtle eggs, hoping that the eggs would hatch in a safe environment.

Change makers

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:47:00 +0000

One of the items in my ‘to do’ list when I visited Madras last month was to talk to some of the ground team at Pudiyador. Pudiyador, as you may have read about earlier on this blog, runs after-school educational programs for kids in the city slums. This non-profit is the brainchild of my friends at Michigan and its primary focus is to serve young children. Pudiyador believes that successful growing up involves learning empathy, teamwork and leadership in addition to regular academics.

I was interested in how the ground staff at Pudiyador focus everyday on the ‘how to’ questions. How do you get children to improve their reading and writing skills? How do you ensure that a child’s attendance remains unaffected by parental issues? When parents are so busy juggling multiple jobs, how do you get them to spend quality time with their children?

So, I spoke to Mrs. Ruby and Mrs. Radha, who work as facilitators at Pudiyador. They explained the novel methods that they use. Mrs. Ruby not only develops learning kits for the kids, but also has established an open dialog with the parents to discuss their concerns. Mrs. Radha has been teaching story-telling techniques to mothers, so that they can interact with their kids at bedtime. Deceptively simple ideas, but well applied with a human-centered approach!

The recent Pudiyador newsletter profiles these two fantastic ladies (pages 3-4). So, I'll point you to the newsletter (opens as pdf). Please read it when you have the time.

Earth views

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:23:00 +0000

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I took some photos of the landscapes below my plane window. From the air, a sense of the earth as a map emerges. However, unlike in a map, I only have an ambiguous idea of these locations. I used a Panasonic Lumix camera which has a 10x zoom. Hope you enjoy the texture of earth's geographical features below!

Flying over the Rockies?

Conifer forests on the snowy slopes!

Roads, ridges and frozen rivers

Snowy crop circles (and gratings?)

Oh California!

The Whale Wars

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:35:00 +0000

On Wednesday, January 6th 2010, a Japanese whaling boat and an anti-whaling group's speed boat collided at sea near Antarctica. The speed boat was damaged and later sunk. [NY Times report]

JoAnne McArthur/Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The Japanese whaling fleet is run by the government-subsidized Institute for Cetacean Research, in Tokyo. It claims to hunt whales for research purposes with the objective being to resume commercial whaling for abundant species on a sustainable basis.

The anti-whaling speedboat was owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a vigilante organization founded by Paul Watson in 1977 to protect the world’s marine life from the destructive habits and the voracious appetites of humankind. A fantastic 2007 New Yorker article on Paul Watson mentions, "Watson believes in coercive conservation, and for several decades he has been using his private navy to ram whaling and fishing vessels on the high seas. Ramming is his signature tactic, and it is what he and his crew intended to do to the Japanese fleet, if they could find it". [In the Jan 6th incident, it's not clear who rammed into whom - watch video].

Watson is a modern day Nemo with celebrity friends around the world. Nevertheless, he is detested by fishing companies in whaling countries like Iceland, Norway and Japan. Also, Greenpeace does not seem to endorse Watson's brand of activism.

The International Whaling Commission (1986) placed a moratorium on commercial whaling, but not on research whaling. Japan is one of the few countries that hunts whales for scientific research and also sells surplus meat in the market. While it is legal for Japan to take these whales, Watson and the Sea Shepherd believe it is their paramount duty to stop the killing of whales. The Sea Shepherd's actions are not legal, but Watson publicizes their efforts to gather public support. After all, the world’s major fisheries are either “fully exploited” or “overexploited" and many of the whale species have become endangered by unsustainable fishing in the past.

Should Japan and other countries continue to hunt whales (even if only for scientific research)? When is Sea Shepherd's 'eco-warrior'ism justifiable and when is it not?

White Space

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:06:00 +0000

Snow is like white space. It blankets the space around and between the things that we see. When snow covers a landscape, it compels us to see with a new eye. Roads turn into gleaming pools of watery darkness. Bare brown trees add to the gloomy mood of the gray, ominous sky. Ugly wooden houses turn pretty with snowy gables. Ice flowers form on bus shelters. Pumpkins wait to be picked off white fields. Sidewalks on bridges turn treacherous. Bikers bring out their balaclavas. Red robins preen on snowy branches.

Snow transforms the public space. Here are some of my photos documenting the white space in and around Ann Arbor.

Big Pictures of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:09:00 +0000

The Boston Globe Big Picture is one of my favorite photo blogs. The Big Picture has compiled a set of photos (1, 2, 3) which capture the major events of 2009 - do take a look! Here are some photos that stood out to me.

A young girl and her dog looks out from a vehicle as she and her family wait for security clearance at a checkpoint on the outskirt of Bannu, a town on edge of the Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009 as they flee a military offensive in South Waziristan. (AP Photo/Ijaz Muhammad)

The Maldivian president and ministers held the world's first underwater cabinet meeting, in a symbolic cry for help over rising sea levels that threaten the tropical archipelago's existence. (REUTERS/Maldives Government)

A leopard walks with a tranquilizer dart hanging from its neck, in the residential area of Jyotikuchi in Guwahati, the capital city of the northeastern state of Assam, India on March 15, 2009. (BIJU BORO/AFP/Getty Images)

Palestinian civilians and medics run to safety during an Israeli strike over a UN school in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip early on January 17, 2009. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

Fishermen row a boat in the algae-filled Chaohu Lake in Hefei, Anhui province, China on June 19, 2009. (REUTERS/Jianan Yu)

Claire Williams, right, and Cori Giroux kiss as they wed at the stroke of midnight in South Burlington, Vermont, on September 1, 2009 - the first day that Vermont's marriage equality law went into effect. (AP Photo/Karen Pike)

Blood and bullet holes are seen on a car door after an unidentified man was murdered in Tijuana, northern Mexico, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

Found

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:49:00 +0000

I went to this Found show yesterday and greatly enjoyed it. Found is something like postsecret. Found stuff is anything really - love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles - found by others.

Someone sees a paper lying on the street, picks it up, finds something interesting and sends it to Davy Rothbart who lives in Ann Arbor. Davy gets a ton of mail each week, full of such finds. So, each year the Found folks release a Found magazine which features the best lost, tossed and forgotten items sent to them. Davy and his friends travel across the country sharing witty and memorable Found notes. Davy also contributes to the hugely popular 'This American Life' program on radio.

Samples of Found notes from the website:

July 26th, 2007

Letter from the Michigan Unemployment Office
FOUND by George W. in Grand Rapids, MI

Dear Sir,

Your employer has not indicated that shortages was your reason for discharge. Stated you played with matches and set fire to paper in a trash can. Set fire to reports. Wrote abscene graffiti on the paper work, calendars and posted signs. You engaged in hourseplay — pouring ammonia on dry ice in the back room which caused the dry ice to explode. You twirled a broom and hit a customer in the head.

Thank You,
B. Hartline

Check out this video where he discusses some favorite Finds on the David Letterman show (2.56 minute mark in the video is hilarious!)

Narayana Hrudayalaya: process innovation in health care

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:18:00 +0000

A good follow-up to my earlier post: the case of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital. If you think the figures in the above graphic are incredible, do read the excellent article on Dr. Devi Shetty (Chairman of NH) in the Wall Street Journal. Also, don't miss the accompanying photo slideshow by Ryan Lobo.

The take-away concept is:

"The approach has transformed health care in India through a simple premise that works in other industries: economies of scale. By driving huge volumes, even of procedures as sophisticated, delicate and dangerous as heart surgery, Dr. Shetty has managed to drive down the cost of health care in his nation of one billion."

Q: How do we replicate (or adapt) such market-driven models to address health care issues in India (and elsewhere)?

The Soothsayer's Assistant

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Come on, Sir, let me tell your good fortune! My divine parrot will pick a card for you. Only 20 Rupees!

Ah, my Devyani has chosen a card. I will read the fortune that Lord Muruga has bestowed on you!

What do you think happens next? Please submit your caption for the last photo!

Strengthening the Health System in India

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:39:00 +0000

"If it were possible to evaluate the loss, which this country annually suffers through the avoidable waste of valuable human material and the lowering of human efficiency through malnutrition and preventable morbidity, we feel that the result would be so startling that the whole country would be aroused and would not rest until a radical change had been brought about".

- The Bhore Committee in 1946 which set up the framework for health care in India.

In the years after Independence, the leading cause of deaths in India was communicable disease epidemics. Currently, the leading cause of deaths in India are communicable diseases, cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle diseases. Shockingly, the percentage of malnourished children (under 3 years of age) is still quite high (46%). There has been no improvement in this statistic since 1999, not what one would expect given the huge economic development. Likewise, the total immunization rate in children has barely increased from 42% in 1999 to 43.5% in 2005. A huge number of deaths in India occur in the productive population group (between 35-64 years of age) - about 9 million. This is expected to rise up to 18 million deaths by 2020!

The disparity between rural and urban health care is tremendous in Indian health care - especially when one compares # available hospital beds, # doctors, amount of public health expenditure per person, # attended births and rate of total immunization. Rural public health care centers suffer from a low density of health care workers as most prefer to work in the private sector and in urban areas. Further, there are differences in health care between state to state, between social strata and different income levels. For instance, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have a poor density of health workers, in turn reflected by high levels of infant mortality rate.

Indians pay a lot for health care out of their own pocket. Close to 85% is private spending! The share of GDP spent on health care is hardly 5%, with govt. expenditure less than 1%. Also, the health system is decentralized meaning different states spend different (and very inadequate) amounts on public health. The average national public health expenditure is Rs 207 per capita. Compare this to individual states: Uttar Pradesh (Rs. 90 per capita) and Kerala (Rs. 200+ per capita).

In this context, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has been modeled as a public-private partnership that will address 'the limited institutional capacity in India for strengthening training, research and policy development in the area of Public Health'. Dr. Srinath Reddy, President of PHFI, who visited the Center for Global Health at UM suggested some possible ways for the Indian health system to respond to increasing disease burden:

Reform the system
New cadre of public health professionals
Detection and prevention of risk
Improving management expertise in healthcare
Integrate traditional methods with allopathic medicine
Increase the number of trained non-physicians
Lab capacity improvement
Incentives to manfacturing of drugs, vaccines and medical devices

Dr. Reddy also mentioned some programs implemented by the government - the National Rural Health Programme and the National Urban Health Mission - to address health care inequity. He acknowledged how programs on reducing maternal mortality and infant mortality are not on track to meet 2020 deadlines. Considering how health care is decentralized and implemented at the block-level in India, I think it is important to have quality and appraisal mechanisms (of health care practices, management, finance and technologies) and community participation.

Can the government or PHFI fix all these health care problems? I think PHFI has adopted a top-down approach, whereas there are several social entrepreneurship companies which use a grass roots approach. For example, the emergency medical response system is almost non-existent in India. Ziqitza Healthcare has started an innovative ambulance service (1298) to provide emergency service for all, irrespective of class or income, anytime and anywhere. 1298 currently serves Mumbai and several districts in Kerala.

LifeSpring Hospitals is a network of maternity and child healthcare hospitals that provides vital, high quality and low-cost reproductive and pediatric healthcare to low-income people in urban areas. This model seems to be an innovative blend of the affordability of public hospitals and the good quality of private health care.

I would be interested to know what you think are the most pressing challenges with regards to health care? How would you improve access to and the quality of health care in India? If you are a budding entrepreneur and interested in healthcare, what will you do?

Mines of Moria

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:07:00 +0000

Getting here.

Marathon '09

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:26:00 +0000

Chicago hosted its 2009 marathon on Sunday, October 11. Forty-five thousand runners and several thousand supporters and spectators had descended upon the city. The marathon started at 7.30 am and the runners came prepared to brave the frigid weather. Many had put on gloves, ear muffs and layers of clothes; but these were thrown away as the runners warmed up in the initial few miles. However, there were many that ran in shorts, sleeveless shirts and even bare-chested!

Running a marathon (or being a spectator) is a great way to see a city and experience its culture. The warmth and openness of the residents towards the runners is truly stunning. A huge crowd gathers along the marathon route and cheers as the runners go by. Even public transport officials are extremely helpful in directing spectators to specific points along the marathon route.

Marathoners come in all ages and physiques. Some may run for money and glory; some may run for achieving a personal goal. Watching 45,000 runners makes one wonder what motivates them (perhaps, those of you that run could comment on what makes you run). It's inspiring to watch a son cheering his mother as she runs past; to observe a group of people running for a cause; or to be at the finish line watching runners persevere to the end. These runners may not win the race, but they are determined.

Here are some photos celebrating the miles that they ran.

A Day at the Races: Behind the Scenes at Churchill Downs

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:12:00 +0000

While visiting Louisville recently, I toured Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is a 1.25 mile race for 3-year old thoroughbred horses and is often considered in America as the "greatest two minutes in sports". The Derby at Churchill Downs has been run continuously since 1875 and is the most famous of the Triple Crown thoroughbred races.The Derby is also called 'The Run for the Roses' as the winner is draped with a blanket of roses.

The twin spires that are seen here are the most recognized architectural landmarks of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby.

American thoroughbred horses can be traced back to three English stallions - the Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk and Godolphin Barb. Thoroughbreds that are born in the Northern Hemisphere technically become a year older on Jan. 1 each year. The birth info of a horse is branded on its upper lip- this includes its birth date and the names of its mother, father and grandmother. Only horses older than 2 years are allowed to race. To participate in the Derby, horses should be at least 3 years old.

Jockeys cannot own the horse they ride. They are hired by horse trainers or owners to compete in races and to win on behalf of the owner / trainer. Jockeys also educate and exercise horses during morning workouts.

A jockey chirrups at the horse, verbally encourages it and taps with a soft whip to get it to run at full stride. A good jockey understands the temperament of his/her horse and handles it accordingly.

A Derby horse carries 126 pounds in a race. This includes the jockey (116-118 pounds) and the saddle. Jockeys have weight restrictions, but no height restrictions.

The normal stride of a race horse is 18-24 feet. Horses seem to run faster for their favorite jockeys! One of the most famous American thoroughbred racehorses was Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown in 1973. A Disney movie about Secretariat is scheduled to be released in 2010.

The mud track at Churchill Downs is watered after the horses have their morning workout. The tractors then compress the mud to condition the track for the next round of training and racing.

What I saw at Yosemite

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Ansel Adams wrote to his fiancee from Yosemite thus:

"Any "news" in the ordinary sense would be an insipid blur of thought—I would much rather send you some little hint of mood—something that echoes, though ever so slightly, the primal song of the wilderness—the whisper of silver winds in the lonely forest--the hollow chant of falling waters."

In that spirit, I leave you some visual hints...

More on Yosemite:
1. History of Yosemite National Park
2. What Adam saw through his lens
3. John Muir on the 'Treasures of Yosemite'

Remembering a library

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Woods Lending Library was one of those unassuming libraries that serves a book-starved small town populace. Throughout my school years, this library fed my appetite for books. I am not talking about books that I wanted to read. Rather, I was eager to read any book that came my way. Although my school was probably one of the few educational institutions in the locality that had a decently-stocked library, it had no full-time librarian. It wasn't as accessible as I would have liked it to be and some bookshelves were kept locked!

Why would a Carnatic musician run a lending library? It couldn't have been hugely profitable. I suppose that he must have had a keen interest in books. The library was housed in a small room on the first floor of an old building facing a busy road. The ground floor buzzed with the chatter of people visiting a tea stall and smelt of freshly fried samosas and bajjis. A dingy set of stairs and paan-stained walls led to the first floor. To the left was a small photo studio which proudly advertised its digital color processing services. Life size photos of models assuming a variety of identities in front of studio props beckoned the prospective client.

The lending library, which would be open for only a few hours in the evening, stood at the right. The librarian burnt sandalwood agarbathis in front of garlanded deities and played Carnatic music on a small tape-recorder. Dusty wooden shelves groaning with English language books lined the walls. A glass-fronted cabinet stocked up with Tamil books nestled in a corner. The librarian's desk was placed close to the entrance and held thick and tattered ledgers in which details of each borrowed book were noted down. The books were usually second-hand and had fraying covers. Often, they bore the stamps of other lending libraries or previous owners. Brand new books, if any, were carefully stored in the librarian's glass-topped desk under lock and key.

The books were arranged by genre. On the rightmost shelves were the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, Alistair Maclean and Robin Cook books. Romances readers were directed towards the other end where numerous Mills and Boons, a few Barbara Cartlands and Georgette Heyers were placed. Bridging the romances and adventures was an eclectic collection of well-known and obscure books on world war, politics, non-fiction, science fiction and classic literature. A second wall of books was devoted to pulp fiction - Harold Robbins, Alex Haley, Jeffrey Archer, Ian Fleming, etc. Comics such as Tintin, Asterix and Archie completed the book collection. One of the few brand new books was Harry Potter. A shrewd move considering that kids' interest in Harry Potter had tremendously increased on release of the movie. New copies of the HP books went directly into the front desk and could be borrowed for Rs 10 per book for a week. Other books were usually priced at Rs.2 to 4 per book for a week.

As the years rolled by, I moved away from home and lost touch with the library. When I was in town last year, I set out to visit the library. The building had been whitewashed. From a distance, I could see that an insurance company stood in the place of Woods Library.

Link for 07-30-3009

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0000

A good friend of mine recently completed an internship with Hindustan Unilever Limited. This internship took her on a trip to the interiors of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamilnadu where she interacted with the participants and customers of HUL's Project Shakti. This project creates livelihood opportunities for underprivileged rural women and improves quality of life by spreading health and hygiene awareness.

She has posted a fine account of her experiences on her blog (1, 2). An interesting read!

"I went with the Shakti Amma from home to home in the village, as she sold Unilever products in the tiniest packaging I’ve ever seen. She sold Dove and Pears and all varieties of laundry detergent. She even sold fabric softener, how do you like that?! That morning, she sold 15 sachets of fabric softener in 4 homes. And none of these homes has a Laundromat."

Visit PACE @ the Ann Arbor Art Fair

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:39:00 +0000

PACE returns for its 2nd Art Fair appearance this week. We just love the Art Fair because it brings hundreds of people to our henna booth. And, we are the coolest henna artists around. :-) We spent our summer weekends collecting gorgeous designs and honing our artistic skills. So, Art Fair is a great time to reach out to arty and philanthropic enthusiasts like you!

Consider yourself cordially invited to visit the PACE henna stall at the Art Fair. Any money that you spend on the henna designs and tattoos benefits the Pudiyador kids in India. We hope to see you there!

p.s: PACE stands for Pudiyador Association for Community Empowerment. See earlier blog posts on Pudiyador here.

The Ann Arbor Art Fair runs from Wednesday (July 15th) to Saturday (July 18th). The PACE stall is near the intersection of East Liberty and South 5th streets.

The Indian Nose

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:40:00 +0000

The story begins in 1794, a time when no European surgeon believes that noses can be restored by surgery. All those who have lost their noses in fights or by accident or to disease are condemned to live noseless and are scorned by society. In October, a London periodical, the Gentleman's Magazine, publishes an account of an Indian man whose cut-off nose has been artificially restored.

Here is the account of the surgery.

"This operation is not uncommon in India, and has been practiced from time immemorial. A thin plate of wax is fitted to the stump of the nose, so as to make a nose of good appearance; it is then flattened and laid on the forehead. A line is drawn around the wax, which is then of no further use; and the operator then dissects off as much skin as it covered, leaving undivided a small slip between the eyes.

The slip preserves the circulation, till an union has taken place between the new and old parts. The cicatrix of the stump of the nose is next pared off; and immediately behind this raw part, an incision is made through the skin, which passes round both alae, and goes along the upper lip. The skin is now brought down from the forehead; and being twisted half round, its edge is inserted into this incision; so that a nose is formed with a double hold, above, and with its alae and septum below, fixed in the incision.

The 'Indian Nose' - the Indian method of plastic nose surgery

A little Terra Japonica is softened with water, and, being spread on slips of cloth, five or six of these are palced over each other, to secure the joining. No other dressing than this cement is used for four days; it is then removed, and cloths, dipped in ghee are supplied. Teh conencting slip of skin is divided about the twenty-fifth day, when a little more dissecting is necessary to improve the appearance of the new nose. For five or six days after the operation, the patient is made to lie on his back; and, on the tenth day, bits of soft cloth are put into the nostrils to keep them sufficiently open. This operations is always successful. The artificial nose is secure, and looks nearly as well as the natural one; nor is the scar on the forehead very observable, after a length of time."

Illustration of the Indian shepherd Cowasjee's prosthetic nose in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1794

This is undoubtedly an early form of tissue engineering, but the news hardly creates any excitement in British medical circles. British surgeons have earlier heard about the 'Italian nose' (forming a nose out of the skin of an arm), but have disregarded it too.

The Italian nose. A piece of skin from the arm is grafted onto the remnant of the nose and a small feeding bridge is left, which will be severed only after the skin has grown onto the nose. Head and arm are held firmly in position by bandages.

It is not until 1816 that a British surgeon, Joseph Constantin Carpue, investigates these reports and successfully executes a nose surgery following the Indian method.

Left: JC Carpue (1764-1846)

Right: Title page of JC Carpue's An Account of Two Successful Operations for Restoring a Lost Nose, London, 1816.

Sushruta's technique (the Indian Nose) developed in 500 BC has finally reached London in the 19th century. Dr. Carpue adopts the Indian method, whereas Dr. Graefe revives the Italian method. Finally, Dr. Dieffenbach assimilates both methods and refines nose plastic surgery. With the advent of anesthesia and antiseptics in the mid 1800s, a golden era of surgery is about to begin.

Reference: Story, quoted text and images from Jurgen Thorwald's wonderful book, 'Century of the Surgeon'

More reading:
1. History of surgery
2. Another account of plastic nose surgery
3. Rhinoplasty

What the US public and scientists think of each other

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Some interesting results from a survey of opinions about the state of science (in the US) and its impact on society by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

85% of the scientists who participated in the survey think that the public does not know very much about science. Well, let's take this test to see if we are more science-savvy than the average American.

Off the wall

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:50:00 +0000

On a stroll around Ann Arbor downtown, you will have come across the Michael Jackson guy in the 'graffitti alley' next to Michigan theater. Here, he is seen adjusting his boom box and selecting the next MJ song to dance to.

Thoughts on road etiquette

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:29:00 +0000

I got hit by a car two weeks back. I was on a bike (cycle) at a pedestrian crossing. My signal turned green and for the road traffic, red. In spite of the red signal, the SUV guy made a right turn and knocked me off my bike. Although, neither the bike nor I suffered severe injuries, it was a bad shock. Since then, I have been more careful while riding the bike. I wait at road crossings to make sure that car drivers make eye contact with me and know I'm there. This helps me identify the drivers who don't check for pedestrians or bikers. In such a case, I don't attempt to cross the road lest they run me over.

I was driving a car to the library today and experienced bullying by a driver on the road. I got honked at for not turning left on a red. He made angry gestures as I waited for a gap in the oncoming traffic to turn left. Finally, while I was about to turn left, he overtook me on the wrong side of the road to turn left ahead of me! Either I could have been hit by him or hit by another car when I swerved clear of him. I hate such aggressive drivers who don't have the patience to wait for a few seconds or to check for pedestrians. Grrr...why don't ever get caught?

p.s. Detroit is No.3 on the US city with the rudest drivers list.

Asim Rafiqui's Idea of India

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:53:00 +0000

Are you Muslim?

I am asked that by desk clerks at hotels, attendants at dargahs, security guards at the gates of temples, rickshaw and taxi drivers, tea stall owners, hotel waiters, room service peons, individual members of the Central Intelligence Division (CID) assigned to keep an eye on me, passengers on buses, local journalists and random people I may meet on the streets...

Who asks this question and what I answer determines whether I will be welcomed or shunned. But deciding what to answer requires a skills of observation and sensitivity I never quite mastered. I would search the face and attire of the questioner to determine whether I was speaking to a Hindu or a Muslim, an educated or an uneducated man, someone merely curious or a fundamentalist probing his suspicions.

- Text and photo from "In The City Of Temples: Negotiating Identity Through A Divided Jammu" by Asim Rafiqui

Asim Rafiqui travels around India photographing festivals, events and landscapes which reflect the shared heritage of India's Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others. He also explores literature, politics, poetry, history and archaeology in his personal quest to document India's diverse and tolerant culture.

Amidst the sea of photo essays proclaiming India's diversity, Asim's 'Idea of India' stands out as a concept which is personal, imaginative and explorative. The narration accompanying the photos is interesting as it conveys the dignity and pain of the people and the events documented.

I chose an image and text from Asim's Jammu post to feature here because he captures the fear and suspicion lurking around the city. While his original quest was to document the Sufi shrines, it is his personal experiences and observations that bring out the charged atmosphere that the city lives in. I encourage you to look at his other posts too!

Innovation to tackle the Grand Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Dr. Tadataka Yamada is the President of the Global Health Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In an interview with SciDev.Net, he talks about the 'Grand Challenges Explorations' program which fosters innovation in global health.

The philosophy behind Grand Challenges:
"Health solutions for the developing world are hard to create, so we believe that true innovation is needed. Some areas require a revolution in thinking — not just an evolution in thinking. If you think about HIV vaccines, everything that's been tried so far has not gone well, and part of the problem is that we are locked in an orthodoxy of thinking about the problem that prevents us from thinking in novel creative ways."

What I find most intriguing is the proposal review process. Dr. Yamada explains,
"The critical piece is the review. The NIH established a "pioneer" award in the US, but the reviewers were peers. Peer review innovation because by definition innovators have no peers. That's really critical because I think people who are experts in their field are locked in an orthodoxy of thinking that makes it difficult for them to accept the most novel ideas. As long as you've got smart people looking at the application that aren't experts in the field they'll recognise innovation."

Read the rest of the interview. And, remember that the Grand Challenges Explorations is open to anyone with innovative ideas!

Comix

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:52:00 +0000

"Oh I've heard of that graphic novel, is it good?" Spiegelman grins. "Ten years earlier, people would have given me a wide berth: that guy's a moron, he's reading comic books and he's a grown up. So I realise things have changed and as long as you call them graphic novels, it's OK to read them. If that's the case, so be it."

- Art Spiegelman in the Guardian

Note: My favorite graphic novels so far-

I'm not really that into superheroes. I like graphic novels which deal with real lives or historical events. If you know of any good ones, please leave a comment!

(p.s.: Watch out for Logicomix!)

Silence is the Enemy

noreply@blogger.com (mekie) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:30:00 +0000

"When I was a little girl, I equated rape with death. The movies (and bad pulp fiction and even comics) were to blame, of course. I did not know yet that men - and children - got raped too and I was too young to know what rape meant, yet I was convinced that if a woman was raped, either she got killed, or she had to kill herself. The only other alternative was to die whilst fighting the rapists.

While I was growing up, there was no concept of life, post-rape. The idea that a rape victim might want to live, and might want relationships and kids and so on at some point in the future, just didn't occur to us. In my teens, I watched a few movies where an alternative was presented - you married your rapist. Or rather, he married you. You even got to sing songs through the whole mucky business."

So writes Annie Zaidi, a blogger from Mumbai. She speaks for us all that grew up with fuzzy thoughts and fear of rape. In our society and many others around the world, rape is considered in terms of family dishonor. Yes, it is only the victim's family that is dishonored. Probably, this is why sexual violence is a tactic used in wars to subjugate the 'enemy'.

For instance, in the aftermath of the Gujarat pogrom, the Concerned Citizens Tribunal observed that, 'a distinct, tragic and ghastly feature of the state sponsored carnage unleashed against a section of the population, the Muslim minority in Gujarat, was the systematic sexual violence unleashed against young girls and women. Rape was an instrument for the subjugation of humiliation of a community. In the many bouts of communally incited pogroms that have taken place in different parts of the country, never has there been this depth of perversion, sickness and inhumaneness.' [1]

The situation is not very different in other countries, especially the ones ravaged by war. Nicholas Kristof, a NY Times columnist reports, "In Liberia, sexual predation during the civil war was “normal.” One major survey found that 75 percent of women had been raped — mostly gang-raped, with many suffering internal injuries. The incidence of rape has dropped since then but is still numbingly high. An International Rescue Committee survey in 2007 found that about 12 percent of girls aged 17 and under acknowledged having been sexually abused in some way in the previous 18 months."

Rape needs to be addressed and demystified. The taboos have to be dismantled. The issue calls for a reorientation in our thinking and values. This might not solve all problems, but will at least bring about protests and prevention efforts. Where there are no state laws to deal with issues of sexual violence, the global community can use its influence to bring about justice. The stereotypical representation of sexual and gender violence in media (films, newspapers, books) should be stopped. Start by talking to your family and friends. Silence is the enemy here.

References:
1. Concerned Citizens Tribunal. 'An Inquiry into the Carnage in Gujarat, Vol II: Crime against Humanity, Findings and Recommendations'. Ahmedabad. Concerned Citizens Tribunal, 2002.
The tribunal consisted of Justice VR Krishna Iyer, Justice PB Sawant, Justice Hosbet Suresh, Adv KG Kannabiran, Aruna Roy, KS Subramaniam, Prof Ghanshyam Shah, Prof Tarika Sarkar

Links of interest:
1. Silence is the Enemy blogger coalition
2. Blank Noise project