I was a twenty-year-old nursing student in 1968, preparing for a rotation through the pediatric unit. Compared to cardiac units or the operating room, how hard would this be? After all, I’d always cared for and played with children. This rotation would be a snap. I’d breeze right through it and be one step closer to graduation.
  
   
 Chris was an eight-year-old bundle of energy who excelled in every sport he played. Disobeying his parents’ instructions, he explored a neighbor’s construction site, climbed a ladder, and fell. His broken arm was casted too tightly, leading to infection, sepsis, and gangrene. Sadly, his condition required amputation.
  
   
 I was assigned as his post-operative nurse.
  
   
 The first few days passed quickly. I provided Chris’s physical care with forced cheerfulness. His parents stayed with him around the clock.
  
   
 As his need for medication decreased, his level of awareness increased, as did his moodiness. When I saw how alert he seemed as he watched me bring in supplies for a sponge bath, I offered him the washcloth and suggested he take over. He washed his face and neck, then quit. I finished.
  
   
 The next day I announced he’d be in charge of his whole bath. He balked. I insisted. He was more than halfway through when he slumped down and said, “I’m too tired.”
  
   
 ”You won’t be in the hospital much longer,” I urged gently. “You need to learn to take care of yourself.”  
   
 ”Well, I can’t,” he scowled. “How can I do anything with just one hand?”  
   
 Putting on my brightest face, I groped for a silver lining. Finally I said, “Sure you can do it, Chris. At least you have your right hand.”  
   
 He turned his face away and muttered, “I’m left- handed. At least I used to be.” He glared at me. “Now what?”  
   
 Suddenly, I didn’t feel so snappy. I felt phony and insincere, and not very helpful. How could I have taken right-handedness for granted? It seemed he and I both had a lot to learn.
  
   
 The next morning I greeted Chris with a big smile and a rubber band. He looked at me suspiciously. Wrapping the rubber band loosely around my wrist, I said, “You’re left-handed and I’m right-handed. I am going to put my right hand behind my back and keep it there by winding the rubber band around my uniform buttons. Every time I ask you to do something with your right hand, I will do it first, with my left hand. And I promise not to practice before I see you. What should we try first?”
  
   
 ”I just woke up,” he grumbled. “I need to brush my teeth.”  
   
 I managed to screw the top off the toothpaste, then placed his toothbrush on the overbed table. Awkwardly, I tried to squirt toothpaste onto the wobbly toothbrush. The harder I struggled, the more interested he became. After almost ten minutes, and a lot of wasted toothpaste, I succeeded. “I can do it faster than that!” Chris declared. And when he did, his triumphant grin was just as real as mine. The next two weeks passed quickly. We tackled his daily activities with enthusiasm and a competitive spirit. We buttoned his shirts, buttered his bread, and never really mastered tying his shoes. Despite our age difference, we were playing a game as equal competitors.
  
   
 By the time my rotation ended, he was almost ready for discharge, and ready to face the world with more confidence. We hugged each other goodbye with sincere friendship and tears.
  
   
 More than thirty years have passed since our time together. I’ve encountered some ups and downs in my life, but I’ve never let a physical challenge pass without thinking of Chris and wondering how he would cope. Sometimes I’ll put a hand behind my back, hook my thumb in my belt, and give it a try.
  
   
 And anytime I feel sorry for myself, for some petty grievance or another, I take myself into the bathroom and try once again to brush my teeth with my left hand.
  
     
  Work like you don’t need the money,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
Dance like nobody is watching.

I  was 13 years old. My family had moved to Southern California from North Florida a year before. I hit adolescence with a vengeance. I was angry and rebellious, with little regard for anything my parents had to say, particularly if it had to do with me. Like so many teenagers, I struggled to escape from anything that didn’t agree with my picture of the world. A “brilliant without need of guidance” kid, I rejected any overt offering of love. In fact, I got angry at the mention of the word love.
 
   
 One night, after a particularly difficult day, I stormed into my room, shut the door and got into bed. As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, “To read when you’re alone.”
 
  
 Since I was alone, no one would know whether I read it or not, so I opened it. It said “Mike, I know life is hard right now, I know you are frustrated and I know we don’t do everything right. I also know that I love you completely and nothing you do or say will ever change that. I am here for you if you ever need to talk, and if you don’t, that’s okay. Just know that no matter where you go or what you do in your life, I will always love you and be proud that you are my son. I’m here for you and I love you – that will never change. Love, Mom.”
 
  
 That was the first of several “To read when you’re alone” letters. They were never mentioned until I was an adult.
 
   
 Today I travel the world helping people. I was in Sarasota, Florida, teaching a seminar when, at the end of the day, a lady came up to me and shared the difficulty she was having with her son. We walked out to the beach, and I told her of my mom’s undying love and about the “To read when you’re alone” letters. Several weeks later, I got a card that said she had written her first letter and left it for her son.
 
   
 That night as I went to bed, I put my hands under my pillow and remembered the relief I felt every time I got a letter. In the midst of my turbulent teen years, the letters were the calm assurance that I could be loved in spite of me, not because of me. Just before I fell asleep I thanked God that my mom knew what I, an angry teenager, needed. Today when the seas of life get stormy, I know that just under my pillow there is that calm assurance that love – consistent, abiding, unconditional love – changes lives

POWER OF WORDS!!! 
 A group of frogs were travelling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered aroundthey would never get out. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. Th the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs e other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and simply gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog however continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering and just die. But to the surprise of one and all, he jumped even harder and finally did come out.
 
     
  When he got out, the other frogs asked him, “Why did you continue jumping? Didn’t you hear us?” It was shocking for them to know that the frog was deaf and all the time he actually thought they were all encouraging him to get out. He did not want to disappoint them and therefore did not give him up till the end.ne night, after a particularly difficult day, I stormed into my room, shut the door and got into bed. As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, “To read when you’re alone.”
  
     
  This story teaches two lessons:
  
 There is the power of life & death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them.
  
     
  Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words … it is sometimes hard to understand. An encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.   
  Be special to others.

India is a land of varied culture and religion. Here are a brief discussion on some of the festivals of India celebrated by people of various religious belief.

Jamshed e Navroz -  Zoroastrian New Year.

Deep Diwali – Marks liberation of Mahabira from the cycle of life and death.

Vasanth Panchami – A festival that worships Godess Saraswati.

Teej – Dedicated to Godess Parvati commeorates the day when she was united with Lord Shiva.

Easter – The festivals of Rejuvenation of life and living.

Buddha Poornima – Celebrated on a full moon night in the month of Vaisakh.

RamaNavami – Celebrated on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra.

Guru Purnima – Is also known as Vyasa Purnima.

Onam – Marks the homecoming of King Maha – bali.

Increasing malaria and dengue cases in Kolkata
Malaria and dengue fever, both diseases which are transmitted by mosquitoes, are increasing in Kolkata. Unconfirmed news sources

have reported that as many as 20% of the city’s residents are suffering from malaria, dengue or an undiagnosed fever. Around

26,000 cases of malaria have been officially reported in Kolkata this year. More than eighty dengue cases have been confirmed.

The diseases are widespread across the city. Several people have died. Local health authorities have acted to raise awareness of these mosquito-borne diseases in the community. Kolkata, India’s third largest city, reported over 31,000 cases of malaria in 2007.

Malaria is a serious disease caused by one of four species of a parasite called Plasmodium. It is transmitted by mosquitoes that bite  at night, during the hours between dusk and dawn. Once a patient has been exposed to malaria, it can take as little as six days or as   long as one year to develop symptoms. These can be episodic and may include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice. If not promptly treated, malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum can be fatal.

Dengue or “break-bone” fever is a viral disease found in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This insect bites during the day and is often found in and around human habitation. Symptoms of dengue include high fever, severe headache, cough, and joint and muscle pain. A rash often follows these symptoms. The acute illness can last up to ten days, and complete recovery can take two to four weeks.

Occasionally, a potentially fatal form of dengue called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) occurs. DHF usually occurs in patients who have previously had dengue fever, and its fatality rate is about 5 percent.

There is no vaccine to prevent Dengue fever. Anti-malarial medication may be considered. Malaria in India is resistant to Chloroquine. In addition, it is important to prevent mosquito bites. Prevent mosquito bites while at outdoors:

• Wear light-colored clothing that covers most of the body (long sleeves and long pants).
• Use insect repellent that contains DEET. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and reapply after swimming or excessive  sweating.
• Due to airport restrictions regarding flying with liquids, consider bringing solid repellent or ensure that your liquid/cream  repellant is in a container smaller than 100 ml/3 oz.

Prevent mosquito bites while you are indoors or asleep:

• Make sure that there is fly-wire on the windows.
• Use “knock-down” insect spray to kill mosquitoes in your room.
• Use mosquito coils or electric insecticide vaporizers if mosquitoes can get into your room.
• Note that air-conditioning also repels mosquitoes.
• Consider using a bed nets.

For more informations on this and to see what experts suggest , click http://www.indiastudychannel.com/forum/20413-Dengue-Malaria-outbreak.aspx

There are ten pairs of words given below which means the same but sounds different in American and British English.

1)      Apartment / Flat

2)      Wallet / Billfold

3)      Curtains / Drapes

4)      Closet / Cupboard

5)      Elevator / Lift

6)      Fall / Autumn

7)      Torch / Flash Light

8)      Kid / Child

9)      Realtor / Estate Agent

10)    Sophomore / Second Year Student

Try to figure out which is American and which is British English.

   .

   ..

   …

   ….

   …..

   …….

1.    Larry Wall -> “Father of Perl”.

2.    Rasmus Lerdorf -> “Father of PHP”.

3.    Dennis MacAlistaire Ritchie -> “Father of C”.

4.     James Gosling -> “Father of Java”.

5.    Larry Constantine -> “Inventor of Data Flow Diagram”.

6.    Michael ‘Monty’ Widenius -> Father of MySQL.

Using eggs for science experiments can be fun and easy. Chicken eggs from the grocery store come in standardized sizes and are fairly inexpensive. Be careful with the eggs as you experiment – if they break as you are working they will make a big mess and you will be at risk because of salmonella. Be sure to wash everything (and yourself) with warm, soapy water. You may also want to use a disinfectant. Ask for adult permission.

For some of these experiments you will need hardboiled eggs. Ask for adult permission or assistance with using the stove. Place the eggs in the bottom of a saucepan. Fill it with enough cold water to cover the eggs. Place the saucepan on a burner over high heat until the water is boiling. Once the water is boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the saucepan from the burner (be sure to turn it off!) and place the pan in the sink. Run cold water over the eggs until they are cool to touch. Put the eggs in the refrigerator. Any extra eggs that you don’t use for experiments can be used for egg salad!
Materials

* 3 raw eggs
* 3 jars with lids (larger than an egg, clean jelly, olive, or pickle jars)
* white vinegar, enough to fill the 3 jars
* measuring tape (vinyl one for sewing is good)
* kitchen scale (optional)
* paper towels

Procedures

You will be pouring vinegar over the eggs in the jars to observe the
changes over the 3 day period.

* How will you find the size of each egg before experimenting? Make a chart for all the measurements you take for the three eggs.

* What other measurements do you need (for the jars, the vinegar?) Add these to your table.

* Think about how you will put the eggs in vinegar for 3 days and what observations you need to record. How often will you check the eggs? Make a chart to record your observations.

* After 72 hours, carefully pour the vinegar off the eggs. Rinse them gently with water and pour off. Keeping track of which egg is which, carefully dry them with paper towel and repeat the measurements you made before the treatment. Save the eggs for the next investigation. Make a chart to record the new measurements.

Thinking About It

Compare the appearance and measurements of the eggs before and after the acid treatment. The egg shell is made of calcium carbonate. Write a sentence describing the reaction of vinegar with calcium carbonate. What other substances contain calcium carbonate?

DIFFUSION AND OSMOSIS IN ANIMAL CELLS
How do different solutions affect an animal cell?
Do substances pass through the cell membrane?

You can make different solutions to test your three egg cells. For instance,
a 10% sugar solution could be made by adding 50 ml of corn syrup to 450 ml
of water. A salt solution can be made by adding table salt to water.

Materials

* 3 eggs from previous investigation
* 3 clean jars with lids (larger than the eggs)
* 3 liquids for testing (such as distilled water, sugar solution, salt solution)
* measuring tape
* kitchen scale (optional)
* paper towels

Procedures

You will be pouring test solutions over the eggs in the jars to observe
changes over 1 to 2 days.

* How will you find the size of each treated egg cell before experimenting? Make a chart for all the measurements you take for the three eggs.

* What other measurements do you need? Think about the solutions and the jars. Add these to your table.

* Think about what observations you need to record as the eggs sit in their “baths.” How often will you check the eggs? Make a chart to record your observations.

* After 24 or 48 hours, carefully pour the liquids off the eggs. Keeping track of which egg is which, carefully dry them with paper towel and repeat the measurements you made before the treatment. Make a chart to record the new measurements. You may wish to take a photograph of your eggs.

Thinking About It

Compare the apearance and measurements of the eggs before and after the liquid treatment. Try to explain each solution’s effect on the egg.
Was water passing into or out of the egg?
Are there other possibilities?
Look up the definitions of OSMOSIS and DIFFUSION.
How are these seen in your experiment?
How could you design an experiment to test different sugar solutions?

THE SUCCESS OF MARRIAGE

Once upon a time a married couple celebrated their 25th marriage anniversary.

They had become famous in the city for not having a single conflict in their period of 25 years.

Local newspaper editors had gathered at the occasion to find out the secret of their well known “happy going marriage”.

Editor: ” Sir. It’s amazingly unbelievable. How did you make this possible? “

Husband recalling his old honeymoon days said:

” We had been to Shimla for honeymoon after marriage.

Having selected the horse riding finally, we both started the ride on different horses.

My horse was pretty okay but the horse on which my wife was riding seemed to be a crazy one.

On the way ahead, that horse jumped suddenly, making my wife topple over.

Recovering her position from the ground, she patted the horse’s back and said “This is your first time”.

She again climbed the horse and continued with the ride. After a while, it happened again.

This time she again kept calm and said “This is your second time” and continued.

When the horse dropped her third time, she silently took out the revolver from the purse and shot the horse dead !!

I shouted at my wife: “What did you do you psycho. You killed the poor animal. Are you crazy?” ..

She gave a silent look and said: “This is your first time!!!”.”

Husband: “That’s it. We are happy ever after. “