I came across this article on Gary Player, a professional golf player. He is now 75. His fitness and diet regimen is impressive, to say the least. 1000 sit-ups and push-ups every morning, 30-40 minutes meditation, weight training and mostly vegetarian diet of fruits and vegetables. Amazing.
"He estimates a total investment of $10,000 in all of the gym equipment. '..I think it's sad people invest more in their car than in their bodies' he says."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903520204576482082753114232.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_editorsPicks_2#articleTabs%3Darticle
Also, a good video on fitness: Interval training: run hard, recover and repeat :
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903520204576482082753114232.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_editorsPicks_2#articleTabs%3Dvideo
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Narendra Modi picks up the gauntlet, yet again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzd3oG2gdh4&feature=youtu.be
Narendra Modi is the man. As I have pointed out before.
http://shyodha.blogspot.com/2010/11/remember-maut-ka-saudagar-sycophants.html
Narendra Modi is the man. As I have pointed out before.
http://shyodha.blogspot.com/2010/11/remember-maut-ka-saudagar-sycophants.html
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Baba Ramdev's peaceful strike attacked
Democracy under attack in India.
Baba Ramdev and his supporters doing hunger strike were attacked by police with tear gas. In New Delhi Ramlila grounds. Has India turned into a police state? Has Sonia Antonio Maino, an Italian born is bringing back emergency from the backdoor?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Police-descend-at-Ramlila-ground-Ramdev-to-be-taken-out-of-Delhi/articleshow/8730121.cms
"Although Delhi police said that Ramdev has not been arrested and has been taken to a safe place, reports said there was no official word on his whereabouts."
Baba Ramdev and his supporters doing hunger strike were attacked by police with tear gas. In New Delhi Ramlila grounds. Has India turned into a police state? Has Sonia Antonio Maino, an Italian born is bringing back emergency from the backdoor?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Police-descend-at-Ramlila-ground-Ramdev-to-be-taken-out-of-Delhi/articleshow/8730121.cms
"Although Delhi police said that Ramdev has not been arrested and has been taken to a safe place, reports said there was no official word on his whereabouts."
Monday, May 30, 2011
LDL lowering does not help to reduce heart attack
"LDL lowering does not help to reduce heart attack" should have been the tittle of the article below. May be they decided against it since such news might trigger heart attack in some!
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/27/news/la-heb-niacin-heart-20110527
"Overall, those in the niacin group did have increased HDL levels and lowered triglyceride levels after 32 months, the researchers found, but they were no less likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes or be hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome."
So, people with low LDL (courtecy statin drug), high HDL (courtecy Niacin, clearly prescription dose), lowered triglycerides still had same levels of heart attack as the rest.
Conclusion, anyone?
Repeat after me: "HDL/LDL numbers are not related to heart desease"!
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/27/news/la-heb-niacin-heart-20110527
"Overall, those in the niacin group did have increased HDL levels and lowered triglyceride levels after 32 months, the researchers found, but they were no less likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes or be hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome."
So, people with low LDL (courtecy statin drug), high HDL (courtecy Niacin, clearly prescription dose), lowered triglycerides still had same levels of heart attack as the rest.
Conclusion, anyone?
Repeat after me: "HDL/LDL numbers are not related to heart desease"!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Pakistani defense establishment under attack: P3C Orion aircraft destroyed
Week-end fun.
Pictures-video of the attack on Mehran air base attack:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110522/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan
Pakistanis are running around like headless chickens trying explain their incompetency.
I have always wondered. Without Pakistanis, how boring this world would be?
They know how to come up with new techniques to screw themselves!
Adm Javed Iqbal questions after Mehran base attack (May 23, 2011):
Pictures-video of the attack on Mehran air base attack:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110522/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan
Pakistanis are running around like headless chickens trying explain their incompetency.
I have always wondered. Without Pakistanis, how boring this world would be?
They know how to come up with new techniques to screw themselves!
Adm Javed Iqbal questions after Mehran base attack (May 23, 2011):
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Breaking news! Shocking! Gates: Somebody in Pakistan knew about bin Laden
Breaking news! Shocking! NOT!!!!
Gates: Somebody in Pakistan knew about bin Laden
Quote of the week: "My supposition is, somebody knew."
Should I laugh, cry or do a 'Eureka!' dance?
Thanks, Mr. Gates, this is such an eye opener. May be you should have glanced at what Indians were saying for last, let us see, hmmmm.... TWENTY YEARS!
Here is a reproduced article (by B Raman) from September 2003 which details the connection between Pakistan and OBL.
http://ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/05/isi-bin-laden-links-as-seen-by-dia.html
Please read it, Mr. Gates.
".6.The analysis carries the most damning account of Pakistan's role as the real host of bin Laden and his Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. It says: "Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network was able to expand under the safe santuary extended by Taliban following Pakistan directives. If there is any doubt on that issue, consider the location of bin Laden's camp targeted by US Cruise missiles, Zahawa. Positioned on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, it was built by Pakistani contractors, funded by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate and protected under the patronage of a local and influential Jadran tribal leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani. However, the real host in that facility was the Pakistani ISI. If this was later to become bin Laden's base, then serious questions are raised by the early relationship between bin Laden and Pakistan's ISI."
Gates: Somebody in Pakistan knew about bin Laden
Quote of the week: "My supposition is, somebody knew."
Should I laugh, cry or do a 'Eureka!' dance?
Thanks, Mr. Gates, this is such an eye opener. May be you should have glanced at what Indians were saying for last, let us see, hmmmm.... TWENTY YEARS!
Here is a reproduced article (by B Raman) from September 2003 which details the connection between Pakistan and OBL.
http://ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/05/isi-bin-laden-links-as-seen-by-dia.html
Please read it, Mr. Gates.
".6.The analysis carries the most damning account of Pakistan's role as the real host of bin Laden and his Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. It says: "Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network was able to expand under the safe santuary extended by Taliban following Pakistan directives. If there is any doubt on that issue, consider the location of bin Laden's camp targeted by US Cruise missiles, Zahawa. Positioned on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, it was built by Pakistani contractors, funded by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate and protected under the patronage of a local and influential Jadran tribal leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani. However, the real host in that facility was the Pakistani ISI. If this was later to become bin Laden's base, then serious questions are raised by the early relationship between bin Laden and Pakistan's ISI."
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Mainstream media waveringly admits: regular milk is good for you
It is irritating to see health related articles in major media sites always dilly dallying around important health subjects. Here is one which can not even come out and clearly say - "no need to drink low fat milk to keep a good health". There, was that so diffucult?
These guys who write these stuff do not say it. But skimmed milk is a SCAM.
Call it scammed milk. It may not be making you fat, but probably making you sick.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/is-skim-milk-making-you-fat-2479492/
Frankly, below lines have enough reasons to stay away from low-fat milk:
"How would you feel if you opened a carton and poured a chalky, bluish-white liquid into your coffee? That's the color many nonfat milks are before powdered milk is added to whiten them—a process that brings its own problems. Any way you look at it, there's been a lot of whitewashing of skim milk's image."
These guys who write these stuff do not say it. But skimmed milk is a SCAM.
Call it scammed milk. It may not be making you fat, but probably making you sick.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/is-skim-milk-making-you-fat-2479492/
Frankly, below lines have enough reasons to stay away from low-fat milk:
"How would you feel if you opened a carton and poured a chalky, bluish-white liquid into your coffee? That's the color many nonfat milks are before powdered milk is added to whiten them—a process that brings its own problems. Any way you look at it, there's been a lot of whitewashing of skim milk's image."
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Pakistanis are pathological liars: Richard Clarke
Richard Clarke gets it. Here he is in conversation with Bill Maher http://tinyurl.com/3gxeafc
You are correct Mr. Clarke, those from India knew it all along. All Pakistanis are in fact terrorists. They just can not help it. Indians have been subjected so much Paki terror, India has become numb to it.
Here is another story from NewsWeek on Paki build-up of nukes. These people are crazy. Actually, they give a new meaning for 'crazy'. http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/15/fourth-nuclear-reactor-at-pakistan-s-khushab-site.html
You are correct Mr. Clarke, those from India knew it all along. All Pakistanis are in fact terrorists. They just can not help it. Indians have been subjected so much Paki terror, India has become numb to it.
Here is another story from NewsWeek on Paki build-up of nukes. These people are crazy. Actually, they give a new meaning for 'crazy'. http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/15/fourth-nuclear-reactor-at-pakistan-s-khushab-site.html
Monday, May 16, 2011
Trump announces the obvious - still makes news
I have been saying that Trump's Presidential campaign was a stage-managed effort to create a splash about birth-certificate. Now that below goals are accomplished,
- Prez came out smelling like roses almost as if he is only one with a birth certificate
- 'birthers' made to look like bigger fools than everyone thought they are
- Trump has been used well and made fun of enough times
Trump decides to get off the bus. Job accomplished! Take a bow, Mr. Trump.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_trump2012
- Prez came out smelling like roses almost as if he is only one with a birth certificate
- 'birthers' made to look like bigger fools than everyone thought they are
- Trump has been used well and made fun of enough times
Trump decides to get off the bus. Job accomplished! Take a bow, Mr. Trump.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_trump2012
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Just in case you are waiting for Hawking to blurt it out
Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven, it's a fairy story'
"A belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a "fairy story" for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said."
Ouch!
"In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain's most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time."
Ahem. Over to you, Pape.
"A belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a "fairy story" for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said."
Ouch!
"In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain's most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time."
Ahem. Over to you, Pape.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Cholesterol Mythology Series: if it does not fit the hypothesis, call it a Paradox, simple!
If it does not fit the hypothesis, call it a Paradox, simple! Yeh! Mounting evidence from last two decades has not stopped big pharmas from marketting statins. Jan. 2008 NY Times article came out with clear indication that LDL numbers and heart desease are not related.
Many skeptics, like Dr. Kendrick, have been shouting from the roof-top just as much (sadly without much effect).
But Dr. Kendrick is right on the money!
"However, what I found far more interesting than this bald statistic was the fact that there appeared to be absolutely no relationship between the percentage of men with high cholesterol levels, and the rate of heart disease in those countries (with the possible exception of China). A fact that appears to have passed without comment. Least said soonest mended?"
"For example, the rate of CHD in Russia is enormously high, yet the prevalence of high cholesterol levels in Russia was third lowest. On the other hand the rate of CHD in France is very low, yet the prevalence of high cholesterol levels in France was in the top half of the table."
More @: http://tinyurl.com/6ch7x7l
Many skeptics, like Dr. Kendrick, have been shouting from the roof-top just as much (sadly without much effect).
But Dr. Kendrick is right on the money!
"However, what I found far more interesting than this bald statistic was the fact that there appeared to be absolutely no relationship between the percentage of men with high cholesterol levels, and the rate of heart disease in those countries (with the possible exception of China). A fact that appears to have passed without comment. Least said soonest mended?"
"For example, the rate of CHD in Russia is enormously high, yet the prevalence of high cholesterol levels in Russia was third lowest. On the other hand the rate of CHD in France is very low, yet the prevalence of high cholesterol levels in France was in the top half of the table."
More @: http://tinyurl.com/6ch7x7l
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Book recommendation: 'Before the dawn' by Nicholus Wade
'Before the dawn' by Nicholus Wade http://tinyurl.com/3ccu7us
shyodhashyOdha
shyodhashyOdha
Source of in-law (women) friction biological? " the sperm's mitochondria are destroyed when it fertilizes the egg" http://tinyurl.com/hnvtq
Barbaraka, son of Ghatotkacha, the original barbarian
Origin of words - Etymology
Many English words have Indic origin, specifically Sankrita origin. Few immediate examples that come to mind: mother = maatr'a/maata/maate, father from pitr'a/pita, brother = bratr'a, etc.
Other day I was reminded of the name of one of the grandson of Bheema (Bheemasena of Mahabharata fame) by a prolific handle on twitter. That name is 'Barbaraka', son of Ghatotkacha and Kamakatankati. (Reference: 'Parva' by SL Bhyarappa) .
The word barbarian is clearly of Sankrita origin; 'barbara' in Sankrita means not-civilized, raakshasa kind. 'barbara hatye' (बर्बर हत्या, ಬರ್ಬರ ಹತ್ಯೆ) is common description for heinous killing, for example.
I am disappointed though; not too many know about the name Barbaraka, about the son of Ghatotkacha. He did not participate in Mahabharata war probably because of political reasons. There are not many stories available about him. That is a shame, it is such a great name for a superhero.
Many English words have Indic origin, specifically Sankrita origin. Few immediate examples that come to mind: mother = maatr'a/maata/maate, father from pitr'a/pita, brother = bratr'a, etc.
Other day I was reminded of the name of one of the grandson of Bheema (Bheemasena of Mahabharata fame) by a prolific handle on twitter. That name is 'Barbaraka', son of Ghatotkacha and Kamakatankati. (Reference: 'Parva' by SL Bhyarappa) .
The word barbarian is clearly of Sankrita origin; 'barbara' in Sankrita means not-civilized, raakshasa kind. 'barbara hatye' (बर्बर हत्या, ಬರ್ಬರ ಹತ್ಯೆ) is common description for heinous killing, for example.
I am disappointed though; not too many know about the name Barbaraka, about the son of Ghatotkacha. He did not participate in Mahabharata war probably because of political reasons. There are not many stories available about him. That is a shame, it is such a great name for a superhero.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
What’s Cholesterol Got to Do With It? Answer: NOTHING!
"THE idea that cholesterol plays a key role in heart disease is so tightly woven into modern medical thinking that it is no longer considered open to question. This is the message that emerged all too clearly from the recent news that the drug Vytorin had fared no better in clinical trials than the statin therapy it was meant to supplant. "
"So how did we come to believe strongly that LDL cholesterol is so bad for us? It was partly due to the observation that eating saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, and we’ve assumed that saturated fat is bad for us. This logic is circular, though: saturated fat is bad because it raises LDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol is bad because it is the thing that saturated fat raises. In clinical trials, researchers have been unable to generate compelling evidence that saturated fat in the diet causes heart disease. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27taubes.html
"So how did we come to believe strongly that LDL cholesterol is so bad for us? It was partly due to the observation that eating saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, and we’ve assumed that saturated fat is bad for us. This logic is circular, though: saturated fat is bad because it raises LDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol is bad because it is the thing that saturated fat raises. In clinical trials, researchers have been unable to generate compelling evidence that saturated fat in the diet causes heart disease. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27taubes.html
Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good? Answer: NO!
Despite evidence to the contrary, statins marketting continues. Drugging people for profits!
Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994.htm
"...Yes, Wright saw, the drugs can be life-saving in patients who already have suffered heart attacks, somewhat reducing the chances of a recurrence that could lead to an early death. But Wright had a surprise when he looked at the data for the majority of patients, like Winn, who don't have heart disease. He found no benefit in people over the age of 65, no matter how much their cholesterol declines, and no benefit in women of any age. He did see a small reduction in the number of heart attacks for middle-aged men taking statins in clinical trials. But even for these men, there was no overall reduction in total deaths or illnesses requiring hospitalization—despite big reductions in "bad" cholesterol. "Most people are taking something with no chance of benefit and a risk of harm," says Wright. Based on the evidence, and the fact that Winn didn't actually have angina, Wright changed his mind about treating him with statins—and Winn, too, was persuaded. "Because there's no apparent benefit," he says, "I don't take them anymore."...."
Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994.htm
"...Yes, Wright saw, the drugs can be life-saving in patients who already have suffered heart attacks, somewhat reducing the chances of a recurrence that could lead to an early death. But Wright had a surprise when he looked at the data for the majority of patients, like Winn, who don't have heart disease. He found no benefit in people over the age of 65, no matter how much their cholesterol declines, and no benefit in women of any age. He did see a small reduction in the number of heart attacks for middle-aged men taking statins in clinical trials. But even for these men, there was no overall reduction in total deaths or illnesses requiring hospitalization—despite big reductions in "bad" cholesterol. "Most people are taking something with no chance of benefit and a risk of harm," says Wright. Based on the evidence, and the fact that Winn didn't actually have angina, Wright changed his mind about treating him with statins—and Winn, too, was persuaded. "Because there's no apparent benefit," he says, "I don't take them anymore."...."
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
How India values heroes and devils
Come, kill native culture, decimate heritage and you shall be honoured. Homi Bhabha goes for Rs. 4.00, CV Raman for Rs. 10.00 and Mo-the(nste)-r Theresa for Rs. 20.00.
Quite telling.
Quite telling.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Fakebook!
Superb points made in this article in Slate.
http://www.slate.com/id/2282620/
There are countless ways to make yourself feel lousy. Here's one more, according to research out of Stanford: Assume you're alone in your unhappiness.
Apart from many folks living a wonderfully beautiful, awesomely super-duper life on Facebook, Facebook is a spying tool for both identity thieves and govt. alike. Name, location, address, birth date - only thing missing is SSN! They probably can get mother's maiden name as well.
And here Julian Assange claims Fakebook, google and yahoo! as government tools.
http://tinyurl.com/5tn2ucl
http://www.slate.com/id/2282620/
There are countless ways to make yourself feel lousy. Here's one more, according to research out of Stanford: Assume you're alone in your unhappiness.
Apart from many folks living a wonderfully beautiful, awesomely super-duper life on Facebook, Facebook is a spying tool for both identity thieves and govt. alike. Name, location, address, birth date - only thing missing is SSN! They probably can get mother's maiden name as well.
And here Julian Assange claims Fakebook, google and yahoo! as government tools.
http://tinyurl.com/5tn2ucl
Monday, May 2, 2011
Pakis decide to give up OBL
ISI could not hold on to OBL anymore. May be he ran out of money. At any rate, OBL is dead (supposedly, his body was thrown into the sea - I hope they wrapped him in pig skin). Good riddance to bad! Took a long time for this stage managed operation to be executed, President Obama!
Of course, wretched Paki intelligence (oxymoron) agancy ISI covered for OBL for all these years. It was time to give up!
"It's fairly well known that the ISI has a longstanding relationship with the Haqqani network….Haqqani is supporting, funding, training fighters that are killing Americans and killing coalition partners. And I have a sacred obligation to do all I can to make sure that doesn't happen…..So that's at the core - it's not the only thing -- but that's at the core that I think is the most difficult part of the relationship.”
Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/05/02/bin-ladens-death-what-this-means-for-pakistans-isi/#ixzz1LD2uqxRU
This guy gets it (in the comment section - above link):
PAKISTAN'S BALD-FACED LIES
"For over 10 years Pakistan has been lying thru its teeth that Bin Laden was not in Pakistan and anyone who said so was only defaming them. And, western governments and media bit this tune by always parotting that Osama was "somewhere in the rugged regions bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan", an obvious untruth because you have to be in either one country or the other - there is no in between. Now what does Pakistan have to say? He was found in a luxury purpose built high-security million dollar mansion in the backyard of Pakistan's capital, right near a military base!
Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world today. If America has an axis of evil, then this is it - Pakistan. For ten years they have played a double-game. Hiding and harboring OBL and Al-Qaeda and creating terrorist activities all over the world and at the same time pretending to be America's ally in the war on terrorism and raking the American dollars in. This money went to line the pockets of Paki government officials, the ISI and to Al Qaeda.
Questions have to be asked to the Paki government. Even a few months ago the Paki army chief denied that OBL was inside Pakistan or their intelligence agency was protecting him. How could he live so close to the capital of Pakistan without them knowing about it? Who built this compound for him? Why was he deep inside Pakistan when they have been claiming for ten years that it is a lie meant to defame Pakistan?
I will bet that despite what Obama said about intelligence sharing with Pakistan, they never told the Pakis that they found out where OBL was. Otherwise, OBL would have been spirited away by the Pakis yet again. Many years ago, when Musharraf was President, I said that OBL was probably hiding safe inside the Pakistan Presidential compound. I was not far from the truth. Question is why did America the gullible believe all the Paki lies and deception. The country that has poked its dirty, bomb-laden fingers in the butt of every country in the world.
I can bet that the Paki government is now deeply concerned that it has lost the "cash-cow" OBL. Because, without OBL, Paki cannot milk America for more and more money. If I were America, I would be concerned that they WILL find a new way of terrorism to keep milking America. It is a pity that the most powerful and intelligent country in the world, USA, was so taken in by Pakistan's constant lies, deception, evil and double-faced games. I am afraid that America will keep doing the same mistake. Because Pakis have convinced the gullible Americans that a few terrorist bombs and activities in Afghanistan and Waziristan is a threat to America and only the Pakis can save them."
Of course, wretched Paki intelligence (oxymoron) agancy ISI covered for OBL for all these years. It was time to give up!
"It's fairly well known that the ISI has a longstanding relationship with the Haqqani network….Haqqani is supporting, funding, training fighters that are killing Americans and killing coalition partners. And I have a sacred obligation to do all I can to make sure that doesn't happen…..So that's at the core - it's not the only thing -- but that's at the core that I think is the most difficult part of the relationship.”
Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/05/02/bin-ladens-death-what-this-means-for-pakistans-isi/#ixzz1LD2uqxRU
This guy gets it (in the comment section - above link):
PAKISTAN'S BALD-FACED LIES
"For over 10 years Pakistan has been lying thru its teeth that Bin Laden was not in Pakistan and anyone who said so was only defaming them. And, western governments and media bit this tune by always parotting that Osama was "somewhere in the rugged regions bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan", an obvious untruth because you have to be in either one country or the other - there is no in between. Now what does Pakistan have to say? He was found in a luxury purpose built high-security million dollar mansion in the backyard of Pakistan's capital, right near a military base!
Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world today. If America has an axis of evil, then this is it - Pakistan. For ten years they have played a double-game. Hiding and harboring OBL and Al-Qaeda and creating terrorist activities all over the world and at the same time pretending to be America's ally in the war on terrorism and raking the American dollars in. This money went to line the pockets of Paki government officials, the ISI and to Al Qaeda.
Questions have to be asked to the Paki government. Even a few months ago the Paki army chief denied that OBL was inside Pakistan or their intelligence agency was protecting him. How could he live so close to the capital of Pakistan without them knowing about it? Who built this compound for him? Why was he deep inside Pakistan when they have been claiming for ten years that it is a lie meant to defame Pakistan?
I will bet that despite what Obama said about intelligence sharing with Pakistan, they never told the Pakis that they found out where OBL was. Otherwise, OBL would have been spirited away by the Pakis yet again. Many years ago, when Musharraf was President, I said that OBL was probably hiding safe inside the Pakistan Presidential compound. I was not far from the truth. Question is why did America the gullible believe all the Paki lies and deception. The country that has poked its dirty, bomb-laden fingers in the butt of every country in the world.
I can bet that the Paki government is now deeply concerned that it has lost the "cash-cow" OBL. Because, without OBL, Paki cannot milk America for more and more money. If I were America, I would be concerned that they WILL find a new way of terrorism to keep milking America. It is a pity that the most powerful and intelligent country in the world, USA, was so taken in by Pakistan's constant lies, deception, evil and double-faced games. I am afraid that America will keep doing the same mistake. Because Pakis have convinced the gullible Americans that a few terrorist bombs and activities in Afghanistan and Waziristan is a threat to America and only the Pakis can save them."
Saturday, April 30, 2011
India: Con-gress comes with a plan to resolve food shortage problem
India's food ministry has decided to resolve food problem once for all. What, grow more food? Reclaim agricultural land from 'development' and deep pocketed industry? No, silly. By stopping 'food wastage' in weddings! Wow! Classic solution by Con-gress led by Italian family! Stop eating darn Indians and there shall be no need for food! Listen to Food Minister K V Thomas and stop stuffing that jilebi just because it is a wedding!
http://tinyurl.com/6366qdu
http://tinyurl.com/6366qdu
Food Ministry to target food wastage at weddings
NEW DELHI: The Food Ministry is scheduled to hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss steps for reducing food wastage at weddings and social gatherings.
"The issue of food wastage and ostentatious behaviour has been the subject of discussion in recent times. The Food and Consumer Affairs Minister would be taking a meeting on April 18 to discuss the steps that could be taken to counter these trends," a senior Food Ministry official said.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry has initiated a consultation with noted farm scientist M S Swaminathan and several civil societies to suggest ways to reduce the wastage of food items at big events, the official said.
esides Swaminathan, Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Shukla would also be attending the meeting, the official added.
Terming the food wastage at social gatherings as "criminal act", Food Minister K V Thomas had recently said the government could bring a new law in this regard and also launch an awareness campaign to curb this.
There are reports that food wastage is to the extent of 15-20 per cent, he had said, adding that the government will also look into the Guest Control Order of the 1960s, which limits number of guests at marriages and other events.
The need of the hour is to stop such kind of wastage because there are still some percentage of population who get only one time meal, the minister had said.
The UPA government is also in the process of bringing a National Food Security Act to ensure legal entitlement of highly subsidised foodgrains to the poor.
"The issue of food wastage and ostentatious behaviour has been the subject of discussion in recent times. The Food and Consumer Affairs Minister would be taking a meeting on April 18 to discuss the steps that could be taken to counter these trends," a senior Food Ministry official said.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry has initiated a consultation with noted farm scientist M S Swaminathan and several civil societies to suggest ways to reduce the wastage of food items at big events, the official said.
esides Swaminathan, Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Shukla would also be attending the meeting, the official added.
Terming the food wastage at social gatherings as "criminal act", Food Minister K V Thomas had recently said the government could bring a new law in this regard and also launch an awareness campaign to curb this.
There are reports that food wastage is to the extent of 15-20 per cent, he had said, adding that the government will also look into the Guest Control Order of the 1960s, which limits number of guests at marriages and other events.
The need of the hour is to stop such kind of wastage because there are still some percentage of population who get only one time meal, the minister had said.
The UPA government is also in the process of bringing a National Food Security Act to ensure legal entitlement of highly subsidised foodgrains to the poor.
Movie/documentary recommendation: Trials of Henry Kissinger
Time to move to Daddamalluru!
shyodhashyOdha
Hurry up, let us move to Doddamallur and make babies. http://tinyurl.com/3bwqh3e
»
shyodhashyOdha
Prema Sai Baba will be born in Doddamallur. May be daughter of Swamy Nithyananda? http://tinyurl.com/3bwqh3e
Outlook India declares common man is corrupt
Outlook India, a pro con-gress, third rate rag, declares all people in India are corrupt - insinuating that it is only natural (and good for everyone) that the ruling Italian family and its sycophants are corrupt as well.
http://tinyurl.com/3z5s4yf
http://tinyurl.com/3z5s4yf
Living well means two words - ಉದ್ದಿನ ವಡಾ
 |
| Uddina Bonda |
 |
| Vada |
Monday, April 25, 2011
Day after Easter movie recommendation
'Constantine's Sword (2007)': great documentary narrating the true origin of '+'.
| Here is the review from NYT. "At the heart of Oren Jacoby’s screen adaptation of James Carroll’s book “Constantine’s Sword” lies a question to which each person of faith must his find own answer. When your core beliefs conflict with church doctrine, how far should your loyalty to the church extend? The same could be asked of loyalty to a government or a political party. ... Aggressively arguing the evangelicals’ right to proselytize is Ted Haggard, the former pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, who was filmed for this movie before his fall from grace in a scandal involving a former male prostitute. Fiery-eyed and grinning maniacally, Mr. Haggard suggests a Paul Lynde caricature of a fire-and-brimstone preacher. The evangelical fervor in Colorado Springs is the somewhat tenuous topical hook on which the movie’s exploration of religion and power is hung. " |
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Raul Zondhi declares he is fighting corruption - silently
Rest easy. Raul Ghandi fighting corruption. Silently. : http://tinyurl.com/ysp2tm
Friday, April 22, 2011
India - land of contrasts, even in BMI
Jai ho! Kangress - dynasty worshipping monkies have achieved it! A starving India and a fat India!
Average Indian keeps getting thinner (read 'poor and starving'):
Median Indian BMI: 20.99
Countries below India in BMI: Afghanistan (20.63), Bangla-islamo-desh (20.44), Eritrea (20.90), Ethiopia( 20.26), Nepal (20.79), Zambia (20.7)
Celebrate!
http://www5.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/metabolic_risks/bmi/
While rest of India starves, these Bollywood lovin', kirrket-maniac Indians keep getting obese.
Urban Indians become obese while rural brothers starve
http://rt.com/news/indian-urban-obesity-fat/
Fat? No problem, here is where you can find a fatter mate.
http://www.overweightshaadi.com/
Obesity, diabetes: expanding India faces big problem
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gaOjPuUk8TfvhOiNOSt49tvKjgCw?docId=CNG.ce4ce7a67bd66d9150ddc80ebf588abb.4c1
Average Indian keeps getting thinner (read 'poor and starving'):
Median Indian BMI: 20.99
Countries below India in BMI: Afghanistan (20.63), Bangla-islamo-desh (20.44), Eritrea (20.90), Ethiopia( 20.26), Nepal (20.79), Zambia (20.7)
Celebrate!
http://www5.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/metabolic_risks/bmi/
While rest of India starves, these Bollywood lovin', kirrket-maniac Indians keep getting obese.
Urban Indians become obese while rural brothers starve
http://rt.com/news/indian-urban-obesity-fat/
Fat? No problem, here is where you can find a fatter mate.
http://www.overweightshaadi.com/
Obesity, diabetes: expanding India faces big problem
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gaOjPuUk8TfvhOiNOSt49tvKjgCw?docId=CNG.ce4ce7a67bd66d9150ddc80ebf588abb.4c1
Why all Pakistanis are terrorists?
(old writing: December 25, 2005)
ARE ALL PAKISTANIS TERRORISTS?
I have always maintained that 150 million people on India's northwest border and 100 million on the eastern border are terrorists, if you go by normal definition. Here is an article from a news outlet (outlookindia) that is NOT known to be sympathetic to Hindu plight. Next time when someone says not all the Pakistanis are terrorists, I hope you will know better; next time when you are eating at a Pakistani restaurant re watching a bollywood movie with stars who kiss paki flag, I hope you will remember that you are subsidizing a terrorist network.
OutlookIndia contents follow....
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20051010&fname=Pakistan+%28F%29&sid=2
'Hindu, Enemy Of Islam'
These are extracts from government-sponsored textbooks approved by the (Paki) National Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education. "Before the Arab conquest people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists & Hindus." "Before Islam people lived in untold misery." "European nations have been working during the past three centuries...to subjugate countries of the Muslim world."
Class IV
The Muslims of Pakistan provided all facilities to the Hindus and the Sikhs who left for India. But the Hindus and the Sikhs looted the Muslims in India with both hands and they attacked their caravans, buses and railway trains. Therefore, about one million Muslims were martyred on their way to Pakistan. The Hindus treated the ancient population of the Indus Valley very badly. They set fire to their houses and butchered them. The religion of Hindus did not teach them good things, Hindus did not respect women.
Class V
After the war of 1965, India with the help of Hindus living in East Pakistan, incited the people of East Pakistan against West Pakistanis. In December 1971, the Indians themselves also attacked East Pakistan. As a result...East Pakistan separated from us. We should all receive military training so that we can foil the designs of the enemy in the future. The Hindu has always been an enemy of Islam.
Class VI
In the middle of the city of Deebal (Sindh), there was a Hindu temple. There was a flag hoisted on top of it. The Hindus believed that as long as the flag kept flying, nobody could harm them. Mohd bin Qasim found out about this.... The Muslims began to catapult stones at the temple and at the flag, ultimately making it fall to the ground. The whole city became tumultuous and the Hindus lost heart. Some Muslims clambered up the walls of the temple and forced open the door. Qasim's army entered the city and after conquering it, announced peace. The Muslims treated the vanquished so well many Hindus converted to Islam. Before the Arab conquest the people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists and Hindus. The foundation of the Hindu setup was based on injustice and cruelty. The Hindus who had always been opportunists cooperated with the British. The Hindus used to please the goddess Kali by slaughtering people of other religions.
Class VII
Some Jewish tribes also lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole society in their tight grip because of the ever-increasing compound interest. History has no parallel to the extremely kind treatment of the Christians by the Muslims. Still the Christian kingdoms of Europe were constantly trying to gain control of Jerusalem. This was the cause of the Crusades. European nations have been working during the past three centuries, through conspiracies or naked aggression, to subjugate countries of the Muslim world.w Hindus always desired to crush the Muslims as a nation. Several attempts were made by the Hindus to erase Muslim culture and civilisation. The Hindus too wished to ruin Muslim civilisation and culture by destroying Urdu which has been closely associated with the Pakistan Movement.
Class VIII
During the Khilafat Movement Hindus and Muslims were completely united and like brothers and they started to cooperate and live in peaceful togetherness. But as soon as this movement ended, Hindu hatred of the Muslim re-emerged. Before Islam people lived in untold misery all over the world.
Class IX
The Hindus and the Muslims...could not amalgamate each other's way of life to become one nation.The main reason for this difference of cultures, civilisation and outlook was the religion of Islam which cannot be assimilated in any other system as it is based on the principle of...oneness of God....On the other hand, Hinduism is based on the concept of multiple Gods....There lies the difference between the Hindu and Muslim way of thinking. In connivance with the (British) government the Hindus started communal riots and caused loss of life and property. At the time of prayers the Hindus tortured the Muslims by playing music in front of the mosques. Before the commencement of classes the students saluted the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Muslim students were also forced to do so. Muslims promoted equality and social justice as against the division (created by) the (Hindu) caste system.
Class X (The ideology of) Pakistan...was a revolt against the prevailing system of India in which Hindu nationalism was imposed on the Muslims.... Islam gives a message of peace and brotherhood.... There is no such concept in Hinduism. Moreover Islam preaches brotherhood, equality and justice.... On the other hand, the Hindu society is based on caste system which downgrades the entire mankind. After the establishment of Pakistan the Hindus and Sikhs created a day of doom for the Muslims in East Punjab. The Hindus were encouraged by the (British) government to force the Muslims to join the Congress.
READ ON!
=="When Mohammad Qasim stepped out to participate in the declamation contest held to celebrate Pakistan's Independence Day, the topic he was to speak on was: 'Why Islam and Pakistan are integral to each other'. Instead, this Class XI student of Lahore's Government Central Model School lashed out against the Hindus, giving vent to inexplicable anger and hatred. This was particularly shocking because the Hindu community, constituting an infinitesimal percentage of Pakistan's population, hasn't been an aspect of Qasim's life. Asked to explain his outpouring in the contest, the 14-year-old boy said, "We hate Hindus because they are Hindustanis and the number one enemies of both Islam and Pakistan"==
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20051010&fname=Pakistan+%28F%29&sid=1
FROM Outlook India:
"We know it all through our history and Pakistan Studies books. We learn what happened years ago all the time at school."Qasim's explanation illustrates vividly the inimical impact of school textbooks, where history is manipulated to foster national chauvinism, where knowledge becomes a vital tool in the construction of national identity, where the sense of nation is promoted through veritable lessons in bigotry, hatred and gross misrepresentation of history. The extracts (see box) culled out from textbooks taught in government schools demonstrates how the ruling establishment, under the aegis of President Pervez Musharraf, is misusing books to develop an anti-India, anti-Hindu mindset—and also fan sentiments against Christians, Jews and the West.
The regime's control over the education system is exercised through Lt Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, who heads the federal education ministry. Head of the ISI between 1993 and 1995, Qazi supervised the recruitment of students from Pakistan's madrassas for constituting the extremist Taliban militia.
These textbooks came under the scanner following a story in the Los Angeles Times highlighting the tilt against non-Muslims. "Thousands of Pakistani children learn from history books each year that Jews are tight-fisted moneylenders and Christians are vengeful conquerors," the newspaper said. It expressed astonishment that such lessons are taught not in madrassas but in government schools of a country whose leader (Musharraf) is an ally of the US in the war against terror. The LA Times report prompted the US administration to voice its grave concern over the textbooks to Islamabad. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing last August, "The issue is a matter of serious concern for Washington and the Bush administration would like the Pakistani leadership to effectively address it."Minister Qazi subsequently claimed efforts were afoot to revise and reform the public school curriculum. But the gargantuan nature of the task can be illustrated through the mindset dominant in the Islamabad-based National Curriculum Wing (NCW). Functioning directly under Qazi's ministry, the NCW sets the guidelines for the four provincial textbook boards which publish course material for government schools. The NCW issued a directive in 2002 laying out the following objectives: nurture in children a sense of Islamic identity and pride in being a Pakistani and regard Pakistan as an Islamic country and acquire deep love for it. Ignored was the possibility that a child in school could be non-Muslim and might feel alienated because textbooks equate the Pakistani with Muslim. Although the subject of Islam, or Islamiat, is compulsory only for Muslims, the directive awarded an extra 25 per cent marks to a non-Muslim student should he or she opt for the course. The 2002 directive was issued a month after then education minister Zubaida Jalal had directed the NCW to revise history books taught in public schools.
Scientist and educationist Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy feels the ongoing redefinition of education, first initiated under President Zia-ul-Haq, will have profound illiberal implications for Pakistan. "A new concept of education now prevails, the full impact of which will probably be felt when the present generation of schoolchildren attains maturity."Not only have the Pakistan rulers divorced education from liberal and secular ideals, they also view it as essential for Islamising society and forging a new national identity. Hoodbhoy explains, "Important steps have already been taken in this direction: enforcement of chador in educational institutions; organisation of congregational afternoon prayers during school hours; compulsory teaching of Arabic as a second language from Class VI onwards; introduction of reading the Quran as a matriculation requirement; alteration of the definition of literacy to include religious knowledge; establishment of an Islamic university in Islamabad; introduction of religious knowledge as a criterion for selecting teachers; and the revision of conventional subjects to emphasise Islamic values."Renowned historian Dr Mubarak Ali says the westernised liberal elite, which had inherited power from the British, had given to education a basically secular and modern character. "However, the self-seeking and opportunistic elite in independent Pakistan simply abandoned liberal values because of political and economic exigencies," explains Dr Ali, adding that this trend has impacted adversely on the education system.The debilitating role of the political class in Islamising the education system can best be illustrated through an example. In March 2004, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the fundamentalist alliance of five religious parties, disrupted the National Assembly proceedings and staged a walkout claiming that a certain reference to jehad as well as other Quranic verses had been excluded from the new edition of a state-prescribed biology textbook. The MMA threatened to launch a protest movement if the Quranic verses were not reinstated. However, then education minister Zubaida Jalal clarified that no chapter or verses relating to jehad (holy war) or shahadat (martyrdom) had been deleted from textbooks, and that the particular verse referring to jehad had only been shifted from the biology textbook for intermediate students (Classes XI and XII, that is) to the matriculation level course (Class X).
========
I have always maintained that 150 million people on India's northwest border and 100 million on the eastern border are terrorists, if you go by normal definition. Here is an article from a news outlet (outlookindia) that is NOT known to be sympathetic to Hindu plight. Next time when someone says not all the Pakistanis are terrorists, I hope you will know better; next time when you are eating at a Pakistani restaurant re watching a bollywood movie with stars who kiss paki flag, I hope you will remember that you are subsidizing a terrorist network.
OutlookIndia contents follow....
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20051010&fname=Pakistan+%28F%29&sid=2
'Hindu, Enemy Of Islam'
These are extracts from government-sponsored textbooks approved by the (Paki) National Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education. "Before the Arab conquest people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists & Hindus." "Before Islam people lived in untold misery." "European nations have been working during the past three centuries...to subjugate countries of the Muslim world."
Class IV
The Muslims of Pakistan provided all facilities to the Hindus and the Sikhs who left for India. But the Hindus and the Sikhs looted the Muslims in India with both hands and they attacked their caravans, buses and railway trains. Therefore, about one million Muslims were martyred on their way to Pakistan. The Hindus treated the ancient population of the Indus Valley very badly. They set fire to their houses and butchered them. The religion of Hindus did not teach them good things, Hindus did not respect women.
Class V
After the war of 1965, India with the help of Hindus living in East Pakistan, incited the people of East Pakistan against West Pakistanis. In December 1971, the Indians themselves also attacked East Pakistan. As a result...East Pakistan separated from us. We should all receive military training so that we can foil the designs of the enemy in the future. The Hindu has always been an enemy of Islam.
Class VI
In the middle of the city of Deebal (Sindh), there was a Hindu temple. There was a flag hoisted on top of it. The Hindus believed that as long as the flag kept flying, nobody could harm them. Mohd bin Qasim found out about this.... The Muslims began to catapult stones at the temple and at the flag, ultimately making it fall to the ground. The whole city became tumultuous and the Hindus lost heart. Some Muslims clambered up the walls of the temple and forced open the door. Qasim's army entered the city and after conquering it, announced peace. The Muslims treated the vanquished so well many Hindus converted to Islam. Before the Arab conquest the people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists and Hindus. The foundation of the Hindu setup was based on injustice and cruelty. The Hindus who had always been opportunists cooperated with the British. The Hindus used to please the goddess Kali by slaughtering people of other religions.
Class VII
Some Jewish tribes also lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole society in their tight grip because of the ever-increasing compound interest. History has no parallel to the extremely kind treatment of the Christians by the Muslims. Still the Christian kingdoms of Europe were constantly trying to gain control of Jerusalem. This was the cause of the Crusades. European nations have been working during the past three centuries, through conspiracies or naked aggression, to subjugate countries of the Muslim world.w Hindus always desired to crush the Muslims as a nation. Several attempts were made by the Hindus to erase Muslim culture and civilisation. The Hindus too wished to ruin Muslim civilisation and culture by destroying Urdu which has been closely associated with the Pakistan Movement.
Class VIII
During the Khilafat Movement Hindus and Muslims were completely united and like brothers and they started to cooperate and live in peaceful togetherness. But as soon as this movement ended, Hindu hatred of the Muslim re-emerged. Before Islam people lived in untold misery all over the world.
Class IX
The Hindus and the Muslims...could not amalgamate each other's way of life to become one nation.The main reason for this difference of cultures, civilisation and outlook was the religion of Islam which cannot be assimilated in any other system as it is based on the principle of...oneness of God....On the other hand, Hinduism is based on the concept of multiple Gods....There lies the difference between the Hindu and Muslim way of thinking. In connivance with the (British) government the Hindus started communal riots and caused loss of life and property. At the time of prayers the Hindus tortured the Muslims by playing music in front of the mosques. Before the commencement of classes the students saluted the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Muslim students were also forced to do so. Muslims promoted equality and social justice as against the division (created by) the (Hindu) caste system.
Class X (The ideology of) Pakistan...was a revolt against the prevailing system of India in which Hindu nationalism was imposed on the Muslims.... Islam gives a message of peace and brotherhood.... There is no such concept in Hinduism. Moreover Islam preaches brotherhood, equality and justice.... On the other hand, the Hindu society is based on caste system which downgrades the entire mankind. After the establishment of Pakistan the Hindus and Sikhs created a day of doom for the Muslims in East Punjab. The Hindus were encouraged by the (British) government to force the Muslims to join the Congress.
READ ON!
=="When Mohammad Qasim stepped out to participate in the declamation contest held to celebrate Pakistan's Independence Day, the topic he was to speak on was: 'Why Islam and Pakistan are integral to each other'. Instead, this Class XI student of Lahore's Government Central Model School lashed out against the Hindus, giving vent to inexplicable anger and hatred. This was particularly shocking because the Hindu community, constituting an infinitesimal percentage of Pakistan's population, hasn't been an aspect of Qasim's life. Asked to explain his outpouring in the contest, the 14-year-old boy said, "We hate Hindus because they are Hindustanis and the number one enemies of both Islam and Pakistan"==
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20051010&fname=Pakistan+%28F%29&sid=1
FROM Outlook India:
"We know it all through our history and Pakistan Studies books. We learn what happened years ago all the time at school."Qasim's explanation illustrates vividly the inimical impact of school textbooks, where history is manipulated to foster national chauvinism, where knowledge becomes a vital tool in the construction of national identity, where the sense of nation is promoted through veritable lessons in bigotry, hatred and gross misrepresentation of history. The extracts (see box) culled out from textbooks taught in government schools demonstrates how the ruling establishment, under the aegis of President Pervez Musharraf, is misusing books to develop an anti-India, anti-Hindu mindset—and also fan sentiments against Christians, Jews and the West.
The regime's control over the education system is exercised through Lt Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, who heads the federal education ministry. Head of the ISI between 1993 and 1995, Qazi supervised the recruitment of students from Pakistan's madrassas for constituting the extremist Taliban militia.
These textbooks came under the scanner following a story in the Los Angeles Times highlighting the tilt against non-Muslims. "Thousands of Pakistani children learn from history books each year that Jews are tight-fisted moneylenders and Christians are vengeful conquerors," the newspaper said. It expressed astonishment that such lessons are taught not in madrassas but in government schools of a country whose leader (Musharraf) is an ally of the US in the war against terror. The LA Times report prompted the US administration to voice its grave concern over the textbooks to Islamabad. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing last August, "The issue is a matter of serious concern for Washington and the Bush administration would like the Pakistani leadership to effectively address it."Minister Qazi subsequently claimed efforts were afoot to revise and reform the public school curriculum. But the gargantuan nature of the task can be illustrated through the mindset dominant in the Islamabad-based National Curriculum Wing (NCW). Functioning directly under Qazi's ministry, the NCW sets the guidelines for the four provincial textbook boards which publish course material for government schools. The NCW issued a directive in 2002 laying out the following objectives: nurture in children a sense of Islamic identity and pride in being a Pakistani and regard Pakistan as an Islamic country and acquire deep love for it. Ignored was the possibility that a child in school could be non-Muslim and might feel alienated because textbooks equate the Pakistani with Muslim. Although the subject of Islam, or Islamiat, is compulsory only for Muslims, the directive awarded an extra 25 per cent marks to a non-Muslim student should he or she opt for the course. The 2002 directive was issued a month after then education minister Zubaida Jalal had directed the NCW to revise history books taught in public schools.
Scientist and educationist Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy feels the ongoing redefinition of education, first initiated under President Zia-ul-Haq, will have profound illiberal implications for Pakistan. "A new concept of education now prevails, the full impact of which will probably be felt when the present generation of schoolchildren attains maturity."Not only have the Pakistan rulers divorced education from liberal and secular ideals, they also view it as essential for Islamising society and forging a new national identity. Hoodbhoy explains, "Important steps have already been taken in this direction: enforcement of chador in educational institutions; organisation of congregational afternoon prayers during school hours; compulsory teaching of Arabic as a second language from Class VI onwards; introduction of reading the Quran as a matriculation requirement; alteration of the definition of literacy to include religious knowledge; establishment of an Islamic university in Islamabad; introduction of religious knowledge as a criterion for selecting teachers; and the revision of conventional subjects to emphasise Islamic values."Renowned historian Dr Mubarak Ali says the westernised liberal elite, which had inherited power from the British, had given to education a basically secular and modern character. "However, the self-seeking and opportunistic elite in independent Pakistan simply abandoned liberal values because of political and economic exigencies," explains Dr Ali, adding that this trend has impacted adversely on the education system.The debilitating role of the political class in Islamising the education system can best be illustrated through an example. In March 2004, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the fundamentalist alliance of five religious parties, disrupted the National Assembly proceedings and staged a walkout claiming that a certain reference to jehad as well as other Quranic verses had been excluded from the new edition of a state-prescribed biology textbook. The MMA threatened to launch a protest movement if the Quranic verses were not reinstated. However, then education minister Zubaida Jalal clarified that no chapter or verses relating to jehad (holy war) or shahadat (martyrdom) had been deleted from textbooks, and that the particular verse referring to jehad had only been shifted from the biology textbook for intermediate students (Classes XI and XII, that is) to the matriculation level course (Class X).
========
'aavaraNa' by SL Bhyrappa: a review
(http://aavaranavimarshe.blogspot.com/)
"Tarnish every person, institution, period from which people may derive pride, confidence/
Ascribe tolerance, magnanimity to the intolerant/
Portray the inclusive, open tradition as the one out to swallow others and the exclusivist, totalitarian ideology as the ideology of broadmindedness, of peace, tolerance/
Denounce as 'Communal' anyone who demands proof/
Blame victims for the consequence of the ideology of the oppressors/
Tarnish the leaders, reformers who led the national movement/
All the while control the institutions, hog patronage, exercise power and have a good time"
-- Arun Shourie on India's "Secular historians" in his book 'Eminent Historians'
Warning: If you plan to read the Kannada book 'aavaraNa' by SL Bhyrappa, please note that below writing reveals the plots and characters of the book!
What makes Bhyrappa's 'aavaraNa' such compelling read? It is not the way it deals with pseudo-secularism that plagued India for so many decades or how it reveals the treachery of India's historians who routinely made-up history according to the whims of the established "secularists". This "old-secular-boys'-network" operated as good as any mafia network. Only difference-this one operated in University campuses. Bhyrappa reveals the inner psychology of India that thrives on self-flagellation and has adopted an attitude of a determined ostrich that would not take its head off the sand. 'aavaraNa' ('Veil' or 'covering') is really 'anAvaraNa' ( 'exposing', 'uncovering') of a strange philosophy that celebrates fundamentalism, closed mindedness of 6th century as "secularism" and denigrates open mindedness and ancient heritage of the land with labels such as 'fascism'. Bhyrappa relies on solid facts and provides plethora of evidence and references.
But none of above are the reasons for making the novel such compelling read. After all, there are enough books by Arun Shouri, HD Sharma, Koenraad Elst, etc. which tell us the true story (history) of India. What makes it such a strong read is its rawness, which hits the reader like a jolt. What makes this such compelling read is that Bhyrappa does not show any sympathy to the reader and bares the truth without any regard; he is not bothered about making things all nice, beautiful and palatable. His agenda is clear; truth, at any cost. He accomplishes all this just by laying out reality in a carefully woven 'story'. In some sense this book assaults the reader from beginning to end without any let up. Beware if you are one of the good-hearted 'secularists' who would nod vigorously at utopian notions such as 'all religions are same'. (If you are, Bhyrappa speaks to you in the guise of a skinny, starving wanderer.) Beware if you have been rinsed in the idea that Tipu was a great Kannada hero or he was a "secular" ruler! You are about to be re-educated. Not for the weak mind or weak heart, this book. Many pages are not for the weak stomach either; there are many events in the book that makes one's stomach churn. (You may want to keep a bucket handy in case you need to throw up.)
Take the episode where Narasimha Gowda's daughter falls in love with Aamir Quireshi and decides to marry him. When her father objects ('you will bear children whose children will destroy our temples'), she figures he is not progressive, even though he is a staunch Gandhian all his life. But when she is nudged by a "progressive" Professor (Shashtri, a Marxist) that she should convert to Islam so that she can marry Amir because that would be an act to further cause of secularism, she agrees! This she does while breaking her father's heart to whom she is the only child. But Lakshmi, who becomes Raziya soon learns that Amir is not what he pretended to be before marriage; a bitter lesson is taught when he repeats 'talaq' three times to the utter disbelief of Razia.
Or take the instance where the Rajputs of Devgadh are attacked and all their women decide to jump into the fire.
And then there are graphic details of how an attractive seventeen-year-old prisoner of war, Rajput Prince, no less, is converted and turned into a 'hijda'. While the he is being neutered of his manhood, reader feels the utter destruction caused by the people who follow a faith that is alien to India's ethos and basic moral tenets.
That act of neutering a Rajput is both real and symbolic. Reader feels nuetering ("nirveerya") of the land and the people in more than one sense. It is the same feeling one gets when reading about the destruction of thousands of temples, including Kashi Vishwanatha by moghals. Author elaborates on this subject, producing ample references on the practice of "making hijdas" out of prisoners of war by Islamic warriors who used these prisoners as sex slaves.
Bhyrappa has tried to be un-hesitant in his writings. He has relied upon Arun Shouri, Ram Swarup, Sitaram Goel, etc. ( In fact, he in one instance repeats a line from Arun Shouri's books on the technique used by pseudo-seculars and anti-Hindus; "suppresso veri, sugesto falsi", suppress the truth, insinuate the falsehood). But he also quotes just as many Islamic "scholars" themselves to make his point. After all, there are countless Islamic writers who bragged about the destruction they caused.
The technique ('tantra' as the author calls it) used by the author to unravel the premise is excellent. Bhyrappa speaks through many characters. Sometime he speaks through Lakshmi Gowda, who becomes Razia and then realizes how shallow her new faith and her own ideas are, other times he speaks through the young Rajput whose manhood has been chopped off and is being used as a sex-slave and some other time he speaks through a barely clad, skinny, sun burned wanderer. Reader probably has seen many similar characters in real life (like Prof. Shastri who is a 'Marxist' married to a westerner and has declared that eating meat is "modern" and banishing beef eating is backward).
This book, no doubt will offend the established, institutional, "secularists" and selective-minority-ism peddlers. Personally this reader expects the "secular" knives to go after Bhyarappa in the near future, if the novel keeps getting more popular.
I felt the novel is "completed" rather quickly. Characters had lot of potential to develop, but the author is more focussed on the broader theme. May be it is a good thing and will attract more readers.
A must read, this novel by Shri SL Bhyrappa.
Ascribe tolerance, magnanimity to the intolerant/
Portray the inclusive, open tradition as the one out to swallow others and the exclusivist, totalitarian ideology as the ideology of broadmindedness, of peace, tolerance/
Denounce as 'Communal' anyone who demands proof/
Blame victims for the consequence of the ideology of the oppressors/
Tarnish the leaders, reformers who led the national movement/
All the while control the institutions, hog patronage, exercise power and have a good time"
-- Arun Shourie on India's "Secular historians" in his book 'Eminent Historians'
Warning: If you plan to read the Kannada book 'aavaraNa' by SL Bhyrappa, please note that below writing reveals the plots and characters of the book!
What makes Bhyrappa's 'aavaraNa' such compelling read? It is not the way it deals with pseudo-secularism that plagued India for so many decades or how it reveals the treachery of India's historians who routinely made-up history according to the whims of the established "secularists". This "old-secular-boys'-network" operated as good as any mafia network. Only difference-this one operated in University campuses. Bhyrappa reveals the inner psychology of India that thrives on self-flagellation and has adopted an attitude of a determined ostrich that would not take its head off the sand. 'aavaraNa' ('Veil' or 'covering') is really 'anAvaraNa' ( 'exposing', 'uncovering') of a strange philosophy that celebrates fundamentalism, closed mindedness of 6th century as "secularism" and denigrates open mindedness and ancient heritage of the land with labels such as 'fascism'. Bhyrappa relies on solid facts and provides plethora of evidence and references.
But none of above are the reasons for making the novel such compelling read. After all, there are enough books by Arun Shouri, HD Sharma, Koenraad Elst, etc. which tell us the true story (history) of India. What makes it such a strong read is its rawness, which hits the reader like a jolt. What makes this such compelling read is that Bhyrappa does not show any sympathy to the reader and bares the truth without any regard; he is not bothered about making things all nice, beautiful and palatable. His agenda is clear; truth, at any cost. He accomplishes all this just by laying out reality in a carefully woven 'story'. In some sense this book assaults the reader from beginning to end without any let up. Beware if you are one of the good-hearted 'secularists' who would nod vigorously at utopian notions such as 'all religions are same'. (If you are, Bhyrappa speaks to you in the guise of a skinny, starving wanderer.) Beware if you have been rinsed in the idea that Tipu was a great Kannada hero or he was a "secular" ruler! You are about to be re-educated. Not for the weak mind or weak heart, this book. Many pages are not for the weak stomach either; there are many events in the book that makes one's stomach churn. (You may want to keep a bucket handy in case you need to throw up.)
Take the episode where Narasimha Gowda's daughter falls in love with Aamir Quireshi and decides to marry him. When her father objects ('you will bear children whose children will destroy our temples'), she figures he is not progressive, even though he is a staunch Gandhian all his life. But when she is nudged by a "progressive" Professor (Shashtri, a Marxist) that she should convert to Islam so that she can marry Amir because that would be an act to further cause of secularism, she agrees! This she does while breaking her father's heart to whom she is the only child. But Lakshmi, who becomes Raziya soon learns that Amir is not what he pretended to be before marriage; a bitter lesson is taught when he repeats 'talaq' three times to the utter disbelief of Razia.
Or take the instance where the Rajputs of Devgadh are attacked and all their women decide to jump into the fire.
And then there are graphic details of how an attractive seventeen-year-old prisoner of war, Rajput Prince, no less, is converted and turned into a 'hijda'. While the he is being neutered of his manhood, reader feels the utter destruction caused by the people who follow a faith that is alien to India's ethos and basic moral tenets.
That act of neutering a Rajput is both real and symbolic. Reader feels nuetering ("nirveerya") of the land and the people in more than one sense. It is the same feeling one gets when reading about the destruction of thousands of temples, including Kashi Vishwanatha by moghals. Author elaborates on this subject, producing ample references on the practice of "making hijdas" out of prisoners of war by Islamic warriors who used these prisoners as sex slaves.
Bhyrappa has tried to be un-hesitant in his writings. He has relied upon Arun Shouri, Ram Swarup, Sitaram Goel, etc. ( In fact, he in one instance repeats a line from Arun Shouri's books on the technique used by pseudo-seculars and anti-Hindus; "suppresso veri, sugesto falsi", suppress the truth, insinuate the falsehood). But he also quotes just as many Islamic "scholars" themselves to make his point. After all, there are countless Islamic writers who bragged about the destruction they caused.
The technique ('tantra' as the author calls it) used by the author to unravel the premise is excellent. Bhyrappa speaks through many characters. Sometime he speaks through Lakshmi Gowda, who becomes Razia and then realizes how shallow her new faith and her own ideas are, other times he speaks through the young Rajput whose manhood has been chopped off and is being used as a sex-slave and some other time he speaks through a barely clad, skinny, sun burned wanderer. Reader probably has seen many similar characters in real life (like Prof. Shastri who is a 'Marxist' married to a westerner and has declared that eating meat is "modern" and banishing beef eating is backward).
This book, no doubt will offend the established, institutional, "secularists" and selective-minority-ism peddlers. Personally this reader expects the "secular" knives to go after Bhyarappa in the near future, if the novel keeps getting more popular.
I felt the novel is "completed" rather quickly. Characters had lot of potential to develop, but the author is more focussed on the broader theme. May be it is a good thing and will attract more readers.
A must read, this novel by Shri SL Bhyrappa.
Greg Mortesnson: 'Three cups of bull shit'
Well, bullshit is far more usefull as we know.
If it is too good to be true, it probably is!
Sugar and health: Dr. Lustig on NPR Forum
"UCSF professor Robert Lustig became an Internet video sensation when he spoke out about the evils of sugar in a post that went viral on YouTube. He was also recently featured in a New York Times Magazine cover story, "Is Sugar Toxic?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&ref=homepage&src=me&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1303339871-np8HMDjThEJmLpLPzTQSew_
Lustig joins us in the studio to discuss sugar's role in diabetes, obesity and related diseases."
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201104211000
Lustig joins us in the studio to discuss sugar's role in diabetes, obesity and related diseases."
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201104211000
Sugar = Poison: Vital nutritional information
Dr. Lustig message is crystal clear in this video. Watch it - for your health!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Mahatma Zondhi resurrected: attack of the zondhies!
Anna Hazare hunger strike:
Attack of the Zondhies? Secular brigade has pulled the triumph card and called the upon the dead Gandhian values and hoping it will make public forget their misdeeds. It was a resurrection of obsolete maha atma black magic!
This Hazaare and his sidekicks look dangerous to me. I am leery of anyone pushing prohibition and/or castration. (MD Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi!)
(From Wikipedia: Though the closure of liquor brewing reduced alcoholism in Ralegan Siddhi, some villagers continued to drink. They obtained their liquor from neighbouring villages. The villagers decided that those men would be given three warnings, after which they would be physically punished. Twelve men who were found in a drunken state even after initial warnings were tied to a pole with help from the youth group and flogged. Anna Hazare says, “Doesn’t a mother administer bitter medicines to a sick child when she knows that the medicine can cure her child? The child may not like the medicine, but the mother does it only because she cares for the child. The alcoholics were punished so that their families would not be destroyed.)
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/59049/anna-hazare-calls-off-hunger.html
Attack of the Zondhies? Secular brigade has pulled the triumph card and called the upon the dead Gandhian values and hoping it will make public forget their misdeeds. It was a resurrection of obsolete maha atma black magic!
This Hazaare and his sidekicks look dangerous to me. I am leery of anyone pushing prohibition and/or castration. (MD Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi!)
(From Wikipedia: Though the closure of liquor brewing reduced alcoholism in Ralegan Siddhi, some villagers continued to drink. They obtained their liquor from neighbouring villages. The villagers decided that those men would be given three warnings, after which they would be physically punished. Twelve men who were found in a drunken state even after initial warnings were tied to a pole with help from the youth group and flogged. Anna Hazare says, “Doesn’t a mother administer bitter medicines to a sick child when she knows that the medicine can cure her child? The child may not like the medicine, but the mother does it only because she cares for the child. The alcoholics were punished so that their families would not be destroyed.)
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/59049/anna-hazare-calls-off-hunger.html
| Anna Hazare calls off hunger strike | |
| Ralegaon Siddhi (Maharashtra), Mar 20 (PTI) | |
Noted social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday called off his five-day-old indefinite hunger strike after being assured by Maharashtra government that his demands, including action on corruption in cooperative credit societies, would be looked into. | |
 Cooperatives Minister Harshwardhan Patil, Water Resources Minister Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Tribal Minister Babanrao Pachpute flew in by a private helicopter from Mumbai today and met Hazare at the Yadavbaba temple here.After discussing his demands, they offered coconut water to him. "Hazare has agreed to call off the hunger strike after we assured him that the government was serious on acting on his demands," Patil said. He began the indefinite hunger strike on March 16, on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Marathi New Year. | |
Somali pirates refuse to release Indians
This hsould make MMS sleep like a baby. Unless there are few folks of ROP within hostages, ofcourse.
ROP following Somali pirates refuse to release Indians http://tinyurl.com/3lu2mu6
ROP following Somali pirates refuse to release Indians http://tinyurl.com/3lu2mu6
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Miracle of all miracles is about to happen
Behold bhaktas!
So Sai Baba of Puttaparthy is sick. Very-very sick. Now government is stepping in to perform greatest miracle of all the time. Make Rs. 40,000 crore vanish in thin air before you can sing that next bhajane!
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-Article/articleshow/7880018.cms
So Sai Baba of Puttaparthy is sick. Very-very sick. Now government is stepping in to perform greatest miracle of all the time. Make Rs. 40,000 crore vanish in thin air before you can sing that next bhajane!
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-Article/articleshow/7880018.cms
Saturday, April 2, 2011
India wins WCC 2011 = Sports reaches abyss of no return in India
04.02.2011 2:00PM PST
India wins WCC 2011 = Sports reaches abyss of no return in India
Sports is dead in India. Long live Indian Cricket.
India wins WCC 2011 = Sports reaches abyss of no return in India
Sports is dead in India. Long live Indian Cricket.
Friday, April 1, 2011
ROP does its thing
Some one burnt a book. So eight or so people are dead. Welcome to 6th century.
Some padre burnt guide book, so they killed Nepalese. Nice.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110402/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghans angry over the burning of a Quran at a small Florida church stormed a U.N. compound in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing seven foreigners, including four Nepalese guards.
Some padre burnt guide book, so they killed Nepalese. Nice.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110402/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghans angry over the burning of a Quran at a small Florida church stormed a U.N. compound in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing seven foreigners, including four Nepalese guards.
After Fukushima, The 'Nuclear People' Emerge
This is exactly what my thoughts are.
Anthropologist Hugh Gusterson, author of People of the Bomb: Portraits of America's Nuclear Complex, says that before Fukushima, most nuclear engineers would probably have said the risks of a major accident were virtually nonexistent. "Fukushima has, until memory fades, made that a very difficult position to sustain," Gusterson says. "So you now have a new fallback position: No energy technology is risk-free, and the risks of nuclear energy, even with the occasional accident, still make it a good choice."
He says, "This is not at all what people who live near nuclear power plants have been told when those plants come up for licensing. They have been told that the plants are quite safe."
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/01/135005136/after-fukushima-the-nuclear-people-emerge
Anthropologist Hugh Gusterson, author of People of the Bomb: Portraits of America's Nuclear Complex, says that before Fukushima, most nuclear engineers would probably have said the risks of a major accident were virtually nonexistent. "Fukushima has, until memory fades, made that a very difficult position to sustain," Gusterson says. "So you now have a new fallback position: No energy technology is risk-free, and the risks of nuclear energy, even with the occasional accident, still make it a good choice."
He says, "This is not at all what people who live near nuclear power plants have been told when those plants come up for licensing. They have been told that the plants are quite safe."
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/01/135005136/after-fukushima-the-nuclear-people-emerge
NPR radio: The Future Of Nuclear Energy In The U.S.
Click on "Listen to the Story" to listen to the broadcast. http://www.npr.org/2011/03/31/134982512/the-future-of-nuclear-energy-in-the-u-s?ft=1&f=13 |
Friday, March 4, 2011
New York Times sings in praise of Coconut
End of brainwashing?
Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&src=tptw
Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&src=tptw
A tribute to MM
Delhi artist Prana Prakash paints Suzanne Arundhati Roy, Osama and Mao; what better tribute could be given to Moosie and Mao axis? About time, too!
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/mar/030311-news-delhi-Arundhati-Roy-artist-paints-nude-painting-with-Osama.htm
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/mar/030311-news-delhi-Arundhati-Roy-artist-paints-nude-painting-with-Osama.htm
Pakistan and the Mumbai Attacks: The Untold Story
Just one of thousand beastly attacks by ummahpeers. Sabastin Rotella narrates.
http://www.propublica.org/article/pakistan-and-the-mumbai-attacks-the-untold-story
...
The three-day siege of Mumbai left 166 dead and 308 wounded. Twenty-six of the dead were foreigners, including six Americans. The attacks inflamed tension between Pakistan and India at a time when the nuclear-armed foes were trying to improve their relationship. The repercussions complicated the U.S. battle against Islamic extremism in South Asia and thrust Lashkar into the global spotlight.
...
...
The three-day siege of Mumbai left 166 dead and 308 wounded. Twenty-six of the dead were foreigners, including six Americans. The attacks inflamed tension between Pakistan and India at a time when the nuclear-armed foes were trying to improve their relationship. The repercussions complicated the U.S. battle against Islamic extremism in South Asia and thrust Lashkar into the global spotlight.
...
Friday, February 11, 2011
Cholesterol Mythology Series - 1
Old articles; worth revisiting.
Study Reveals Doubt on Drug for Cholesterol
New Questions on Treating Cholesterol
For decades, the theory that lowering cholesterol is always beneficial has been a core principle of cardiology. It has been accepted by doctors and used by drug makers to win quick approval for new medicines to reduce cholesterol.
But now some prominent cardiologists say the results of two recent clinical trials have raised serious questions about that theory — and the value of two widely used cholesterol-lowering medicines, Zetia and its sister drug, Vytorin. Other new cholesterol-fighting drugs, including one that Merck hopes to begin selling this year, may also require closer scrutiny, they say.
“The idea that you’re just going to lower LDL and people are going to get better, that’s too simplistic, much too simplistic,” said Dr. Eric J. Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Calif. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is the so-called bad cholesterol, in contrast to high-density lipoprotein, or HDL.
For patients and drug companies, the stakes are enormous. Led by best sellers like Lipitor from Pfizer, cholesterol-lowering medicines, taken by tens of millions of patients daily, are the largest drug category worldwide, with annual sales of $40 billion.
Despite widespread use of the drugs, though, heart disease remains the biggest killer in the United States and other industrialized nations, and many people still have cholesterol levels far higher than doctors recommend.
As a result, drug companies are investing billions of dollars in experimental new cholesterol-lowering medicines that may eventually be used alongside the existing drugs. If the new questions result in slower approvals, it would be yet another handicap for the drug industry.
Because the link between excessive LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease has been so widely accepted, the Food and Drug Administration generally has not required drug companies to prove that cholesterol medicines actually reduce heart attacks before approval.
They have not had to conduct so-called outcome or events trials beforehand, which are expensive studies that involve thousands of patients and track whether episodes like heart attacks are reduced.
So far, proof that a drug lowers LDL cholesterol has generally been enough to lead to approval. Only then does the drug’s maker begin an events trial. And until the results of that trial are available, a process that can take several years, doctors and patients must accept the medicine’s benefits largely on faith.
“You’ve got a huge chasm between F.D.A. licensure and a clinical events trial,” said Dr. Allen J. Taylor, the chief of cardiology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Nonetheless, the multistep process has worked well for several cholesterol drugs — including Lipitor and Zocor, which are in a class of drugs known as statins. In those cases, the postapproval trials confirmed that the drugs reduce heart attacks and strokes, adding to confidence about the link between cholesterol and heart disease.
Doctors generally believe that the amount by which cholesterol is lowered, not the method of lowering it, is what matters.
That continues to be the assumption of Dr. Scott M. Grundy, a professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center who was the chairman of a panel in 2001 that set national guidelines for cholesterol treatment.
“LDL lowering, however it occurs, delays development of coronary atherosclerosis and reduces risk for heart attack,” Dr. Grundy said this week. In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up in the arteries, eventually leading to blood clots and other problems that cause heart attacks and strokes.
In the last 13 months, however, the failures of two important clinical trials have thrown that hypothesis into question.
First, Pfizer stopped development of its experimental cholesterol drug torcetrapib in December 2006, when a trial involving 15,000 patients showed that the medicine caused heart attacks and strokes. That trial — somewhat unusual in that it was conducted before Pfizer sought F.D.A. approval — also showed that torcetrapib lowered LDL cholesterol while raising HDL, or good cholesterol.
Torcetrapib’s failure, Dr. Taylor said, shows that lowering cholesterol alone does not prove a drug will benefit patients.
Then, on Monday, Merck and Schering-Plough announced that Vytorin, which combines Zetia with Zocor, had failed to reduce the growth of fatty arterial plaque in a trial of 720 patients. In fact, patients taking Vytorin actually had more plaque growth than those who took Zocor alone.
Despite those drawbacks, that trial, called Enhance, also showed that patients on Vytorin had lower LDL levels than those on Zocor alone. For the second time in just over a year, a clinical trial found that LDL reduction did not translate into measurable medical benefits.
The Enhance trial was not an events trial and was not intended to study whether Zetia or Vytorin were effective at reducing heart attacks. But the growth of fatty plaque is closely correlated with heart attacks and strokes.
Without data from events trials for Zetia and Vytorin, no one can be certain if the drugs help or hurt patients. But Merck and Schering did not begin an events trial for the drugs until 2006, nearly four years after the F.D.A. approved Zetia. That trial will not be completed until 2011.
Dr. Robert M. Califf, the vice chancellor for clinical research at Duke University, and a co-lead investigator on the Zetia trial still under way, said companies should have started the trials more quickly. “Outcome trials ought to start when you know you’re going to get on the market,” he said.
On Tuesday, the American Heart Association called for the Zetia outcome trial to be completed as quickly as possible.
Merck has asked the F.D.A. to approve its drug Cordaptive, which raises HDL cholesterol and lowers LDL, without waiting for the results of an events trial. Merck has begun an events trial for Cordaptive, but data will not be available until 2013.
Merck has submitted the application for Cordaptive and has said it expects an answer from the F.D.A. before July. Doctors, patients and the drug industry will be waiting to see whether regulators are still willing to accept the theory that lower cholesterol is always a good thing.
Wikileaks Afghan War Papers for dummies
| Wikileaks Afghan War Papers for dummies. This poster should be part of every cubicle in Pentagon.  |
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