SPECIAL BONDING : Milky way

This is an  article written by  Radhika Vaz published in the Times.


http://www.timescrest.com/society/milky-way-9546

January 5, 2013

A lactose-intolerant daughter-in-law has no hope of finding favour with a doodh-loving saas.Indian men have a very special relationship with their mothers. These women yell, scream and beat their male offspring. They repeatedly tell their sons how useless and stupid they are. They hold their heads in their hands and beg their God of choice to explain what it is they did in a past life to deserve such a disrespectful child. But no sooner have these diamonds in the rough been 'married off' then suddenly the Indian mother can't find enough time in the day to sing her son's praises. And sing them she will - loud and clear without fatigue. The lyrics are different but the message is always the same: You are not good enough for my baby.

My own mother-in-law (MIL) is the same. She is a tough broad who raised 4 unruly cretins. She has four daughters-in-law (DIL) and like all the other MILs out there deep down she believes that all four boys could have done just a little better for themselves in the wife department. But she puts up with us for the same reason all Indian MILs tolerate their DILs. After having raised her boys like special-needs children, she knows that for their sake she has to suffer the caregiver who has taken over.

She hails from the great state of Haryana. Which is like being from Texas - everyone from there is extremely proud of it and everyone who isn't can't understand why. Like all Haryanvi mothers, feeding her children is her raison d'etre. She ferrets out people travelling to New York and forces them to carry things for us. And she always calls me before the courier leaves to make sure she has sent all that we need. 
Hello Radhika - Arjun is leaving next week and he has nothing to carry so I am sending ten kilos rice, five kilos ghee, two kilos cashew nuts, two kilos almonds, two kilos pistas, two kilos raisins, five kilos assorted sweets and two one-litre bottles of Maggie hot and sweet tomato sauce. Is that enough? 

Yes Mom. 

Are you sure? 

No Mom - maybe we should get some more rice. 

That's what I thought. I'll send 15 kilos. 

She hovers over you as you eat, dumping food on your plate and sometimes stuffing it directly in to your mouth if it happens to be ajar. I would eat pretty much anything that was put in front of me because I wanted her to like me, and I could tell that eating continuously would be a major means to this end. Things were going swimmingly. Then we hit a roadblock. My MIL believes that food is what keeps all illnesses at bay and she is partial to milk as a cureall. Milk is practically the staple food of the people of Haryana - children are breast-fed until they can recite their mathematical tables and gallons of it are consumed daily in every home.

My back hurts. 
Drink some milk - your bones are weak. 

My throat feels itchy. 
Hot milk, honey and turmeric at once. 

I just threw up. 
You must be hungry. Have a glass of milk. 

And herein lay the problem - I am lactose intolerant. The first time I explained this to my MIL she nodded her head like she understood but I could see in her eyes that she thought I was full of bakwaas. To her, lactose intolerance is a made-up disease that we weak minded, wimpy, 'modern-day' girls use to avoid dealing with life - like post-partum depression, anxiety attacks, and dyslexia. It all exists in our minds.

Until she met me she had never heard of such a thing. How the hell could anyone be allergic to milk! While I prattled on about the problems we lactose intolerant people have to deal with she just sat there thinking 'Oh God, if this was my child I would have clubbed her one - why won't she just shut up and eat the damn paneer tikka instead of inconveniencing everyone?' 
As I explained in unnecessary detail the effects various milk products had on my digestive system she smiled painfully as her eyes searched for answers: What is wrong with this imbecile? Where did my stupid son even find her? Who in God's name can't drink one single solitary cup of milk? If he were this desperate why he didn't just come to me and ask me to find him a nice girl? I would have found him a nice girl with big breasts who could drink milk without whining about it.

And I know she is now trying to get rid of me because every time I visit the first thing she sweetly asks is if I want a mango shake. My MIL's mango shake is designed to kill a lactose-intolerant person immediately. It is big chunks of mango, milk and cream all whipped up in to one big glass of pain. Every year I am asked if I would like some. Every year I say, no thanks. And every year I see disappointment in her eyes.

Then to make this all much worse, my own mother came to stay with my MIL for three days. The very first thing my mother did was to decline a cup of warm, milky tea because like me, she too is lactose intolerant. My MIL couldn't even react. While everyone discussed how this was most likely hereditary she was thinking to herself: 'OMG - no wonder this girl is a bewakoof. Her mother is the same and she has passed on this self-centred, paranoid behaviour to her one and only off-spring. Why do these people have only one child? They should have many so that they can dilute the foolishness instead of concentrating it all up into one big, lactarded baby. I wonder when they are all leaving. ' So no matter how far I think I may have got in the fight to prove that there is no way her son could have done any better than I, when it comes to a showdown between her, me, and a glass of milk, I will retreat, whinging like a little twit. 

Radhika Vaz is a New York-based comedian and the writer and performer of the one-woman show 'Unladylike: The Pitfalls of Propriety'. She is also a freelance writer, weightlifter, and nagging wife. www. radvaz. com

Drinking Diet Soda Linked to Depression

By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer | LiveScience.com – 3 hrs ago

Calorie-free drinks are not necessarily risk free. A new study has found a link between drinking diet soda or diet fruit drinks and an increased risk of depression.

The study researchers analyzed information from more than 263,900 U.S. adults ages 50 to 71 who answered questions about their beverage consumption between the years 1995 and 1996. About 10 years later (from 2004 to 2006), the same people were asked if a doctor had diagnosed them with depression since the year 2000.

People who regularly drank four or more cans of any type of soda a day were 30 percent more likely to have received a diagnosis of depression than people who did not drink soda. The risk of depression was especially high for people who drank diet soda — a 31 percent increased risk compared to a 22 percent increased risk for those who drank regular soda, the researchers said.  

Those who drank four or more cans of diet fruit drinks were 51 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression compared to those who did not drink diet fruit drinks.

By contrast, people who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were 10 percent less likely to have been diagnosed with depression compared to non-coffee drinkers.

The study only found an association, and did not determine whether or not diet soda or fruit drinks caused depression. Although the researchers took into account factors that could affect the results, such as age, sex, education, smoking status, physical activity, body mass index (BMI) and energy intake, it's possible other circumstances, such as a family history of depression or stressful life events, could explain the association.

A family history of depression and stressful life events are some of the biggest predictors of depression, said Emma Robertson-Blackmore, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, who was not involved in the study. In addition, older people are more likely to experience stressful life events, including the death of a loved one, job changes or illnesses, Robertson-Blackmore said.

However, the findings agree with those of a few previous studies that found a link between frequent consumption of sweetened beverages and a higher prevalence of depression, the researchers said. (Diet sodas and fruit drinks are sweetened, but their sweeteners contain no calories.)

"More research is needed to confirm these findings, and people with depression should continue to take depression medications prescribed by their doctors," said study researcher Dr. Honglei Chen, of the National Institutes of Health.

The results also back up findings from a study published in 2011, which found a link between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of depression in women.

"Coffee contains large amounts of caffeine, which is a well-known brain stimulant," which could be responsible for effects on mood, Chen said.

The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in San Diego in March.

Pass it on: Drinking soda, especially diet soda, has been linked to an increased risk of depression.

Witty Quotes

When the white missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.'  We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.

~ Desmond Tutu

Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day.  Give him religion and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish

~ Timothy Jones 

             

After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box

          ~ Italian proverb

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kickboxing.

           
             ~ Emo Philips. 

Lawyers believe a man is innocent until proven broke.

             ~ Robin Hall
 

Having more money doesn't make you happier.  I have 50 million dollars but I'm just as happy as when I had 48 million.

            ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I don't believe in astrology.  I'm a Sagittarian and we Sagittarians very skeptical.

            ~ Arthur C Clarke 

As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.

            ~ John Glenn 

The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone.

            ~ George Roberts

 

If God had intended us to fly he would have made it easier to get to the airport

 - Anon

4 credit card myths – which can kill your financial life someday !

Posted: 06 Jan 2013 08:15 PM PST

One of the most used financial products is the Credit card. We all spend so much time to get best credit card, but I have never seen someone, who has spend his time to fully understands the importance of the CVV number, One time password, Signatures on the back of credit card or how secure their credit card is overall ! . There are so many credit card frauds going on, and yet  each of us thinks, that our credit cards are fully secure and it cant happen with us. However, this is really far from the truth, because of the 4 big myths people have about their credit cards and we will bust them today for you, so that you become a more powerful and informed investor!

Myth 1 – My Credit Card is secure, because no one knows my PIN/Password

When you make a transaction through a credit card in India, at the end of the transaction, you are asked to enter one more final PIN number, which makes your transaction more secure and gives you an additional layer of security. RBI had come up with this additional password requirement just last year. While you needed credit card number, expiry date and your CVV number to make a transaction earlier, now as an extra security layer, you need this additional PIN too.
However note that this is limited to online transactions on Indian websites only. When you make a transaction outside India, this additional step is not compulsory. This means that someone having every other detail of your credit card other than your PIN can also do transactions even if he does not know your PIN . You must have realized this yourself, if you have done any transaction outside India.

Myth 2 – No one knows my CVV number, so I am secure

One of the biggest myths about credit card is that, if no one knows your CVV number, its impossible to do the transaction. Take a small breath, while I tell you this.
“CVV is not always mandatory on all websites to make an online transaction.”

Yes, you heard right!. You can make a online transaction on few websites out of India with only the Credit Card number, the expiry date and obviously the name of the credit card holder. If you don’t believe me, here’s a small example.
Try to book a domain name at godaddy.com. I was almost numb, when I booked a domain name some time back, only to realise that the domain name was booked, but the site never asked me my credit card CVV number and I was like – “What ?! Seriously ?!” . I then found out, that asking for CVV number is just optional for credit card merchants. While some countries make it mandatory, others don’t. It’s just a choice!
So make sure you are safe, do this

• Scratch your CVV number on the back of your credit/debit card
• Always make sure the swiping happens in front of your eyes! , I know, it can be a little embarrassing for you, but its just an extra mile security, see if its possible for you
• Better do not use Credit Card at all , use Debit card instead!

Myth 3 – My credit card cant be duplicated.

Yes, your credit card can be duplicated and it happens in India. A card (credit or debit) might be using something like EMV chips or Magnetic strips, and that’s where the problem is at. While EMV chips are more secure, the magnetic strips are not!. If your card has magnetic strips, it can be duplicated.
Here is how it works …
Your card has a lot of data inside it and it sits on the magnetic strip. When the card is swiped, all the data is extracted from it, for verification purposes. Now some expert hacker with bad intentions, can extract all this data from the swipe machine and make a new card using a technique called Cloning. There are machines called “skimmers” , which helps in extracting the data from the swiping machines to a new card. If you are still wondering if this all happens in India, here is a story excerpt from Hindu website

According to the police, the machines were used to swipe cloned cards by one Rahul. The cloned cards were arranged by Pankaj Deewan, Yogesh Mahajan and Yasin through their contacts. The amount transferred to Dheeraj alias Rohit’s account was shared by the machine holder and cloned cards holder at 40:60 ratio respectively.
Following this, the police launched a hunt and subsequently arrested Dheeraj, Pankaj, Yogesh and Yasin. They purportedly told the police that the domestic cards were cloned by one Kamal and international cards by Devender Chauhan of Agra with the help of a professional hacker. The cards were cloned by obtaining information of genuine customers and then copying the same on a plain card having a magnetic strip. According to the police, the accused used skimmer (a device used to copy data from credit/debit card) for the same.

And if you still dont believe all this, here is a video you might want to spend time on

If you need more , read this incident on Credit Card cloning here

Myth 4 – The signature on the back on credit card does not matter much

One of the most misunderstood and unknown facts about credit cards is the signature on the back of the card. Let’s understand the rule today and lay this to matter to rest. If a credit card does not have a signature on the back, it’s an invalid card. As per the agreement between card issuer and merchant (the shops and hotels which give you the facility to swipe the cards), the merchant is supposed to check the signature on the back of card with the signature on the bill, and only if they match, the merchant should allow the card to be swiped.
However almost all the merchants avoid checking it, as if it does not matter at all. This is violation of terms and conditions and if you have lost a credit card which was SIGNED, and some transaction takes place, you are not suppose to be charged, because the merchant should have checked the signatures on card with the signature on the bill. What this means is that if there has been ever a fraud on your credit card, and you are asked to pay the money (Like this Incident) , just ask your card issuer to check the signature on the bill with your specimen signatures with them and if they do not match, they are not suppose to pay the merchant at all and let merchant take the loss for not doing their duty of checking the signatures.

This explains why you should sign your cards on the back and not leave them blank, because if someone steals your card and puts his signature on the back, then the transaction can be done successfully even if the merchant does his duty of checking the bill signature with the signature on card and in that case you are bound to pay the money to card issuer.

Tips to Secure your Credit Card

I hope, now that these myths are busted, you are a more informed and powerful person who the rules of the game of credit cards . To summarize, lets put out some tips to secure your credit card

• Do not share your one time credit card password (IVR) with anyone ever
• Scratch your CVV number and remember it in your head !
• While making any online transaction, make sure the website starts with https://
• While making any transaction offline like on petrol pumps , hotels etc, make sure its swiped in front of you as far as possible.
• Make sure the card is swiped on a machine which is issued by authorized banks and not some machine which looks suspicious , it can be a “Skimmer” machine which steals your data.
• Put a signature on the back of your credit and debit card, so that unauthorized transactions are not done and you are protected a card holder
• If possible, better use a credit card which has a small limit like 10k or 20k for shopping.
• There are virtual credit cards these days, you can use them for online transactions

If you ever had any incident that was mentioned here, please share it with others and if you have some thing to teach others, please share it here with everyone.

Family pics on dashboard cut mishaps

Dipak Kumar Das TNN 

New Delhi: Drivers of Andhra Pradesh’s 23,000 public transport buses are a lot more responsible now, a transformation that has happened in the last six months. That’s because buses they’re assigned to have photographs of their children and wife stuck on the dashboard. This step, coupled with random mandatory breath analyzer tests, has had a salutary effect and accidents are significantly down. 

    Also, the December 16 Delhi gangrape has spurred the AP State Transport Corporation to make state bus travel safer for women. It has started martial arts training for its 7,000-odd women conductors so that they can help prevent attacks on passengers. 

    On Monday, APSRTC, which ferries at least 1.4crore passengers every year, received a trophy for its impressive accident-control record from highways minister C P Joshi. In the last two years, the corporation has recorded only 0.13 and 0.11 accidents per 1 lakh km. 

    “Ever since we started the two recent initiatives to slam the brakes on accidents, our record has improved to 0.09,” APSRTC vice- chairman and managing director A K Khan, an IPS officer, said. 

    The idea of putting a driver’s family photograph on the dashboard was implemented last July in view of the psychological impact it has on the man behind the wheel. “Every driver leaves home promising his family that he’d return home safe. A soft reminder of his family motivates him to be alert. This has gone down well with the drivers,” Khan said. 

    To ensure the drivers aren’t drunk, the corporation has procured 300 advanced breath analyzers and tests are mandatory. Last July, 25 drivers were sacked after they were found drunk. “This strong message of zero tolerance to drink driving has worked,” Khan said. This year, the Centre has put the focus on drunk driving to check road accidents across the country.

Midway Island

This video is about an island in the ocean at 2000 km from any other coast line. Nobody lives there, only birds... 

 

  http://www.midwayfilm.com/

What a Wonderful World .....

 

 

A two minute video commercial from the BBC.......  

 

 

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