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Two out of three women in Kolkata die of cardiac ailments, which is higher than the world average, according to a section of cardiologists. The number is also markedly higher than the number of women who succumb to breast cancer, that was perceived to be the leading killer disease among women. Experts warned that the number would keep rising, since awareness of heart diseases is lower among women than men. A trend study conducted at city private hospitals reveals that an alarmingly large number of women were now reporting for treatment. The majority is suffering from ischaemia and hypertension. Nearly 40% had already suffered a heart attack when they sought treatment. "It is alarming but true that women are now as susceptible to heart diseases as men. Till recently, women heart patients were fewer than men, but not any longer. Changes in lifestyle, stress and food habits are responsible. But the worrying thing is that there are still a huge number of women who are yet to seek trea...

Durga Puja : A great Festival of Bangali [Contributed by: Batchmate_cic_groups batchmate_cic_group@yahoo.com >] Durga Puja (Bengali: দুর্গা পূজা, ‘Worship of Durga’), also referred as Durgotsab (Bengali: দুর্গোৎসব, ‘Festival of Durga’) is an annual Bengali festival that celebrates worship of Hindu goddess Durga . It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi , Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami. The dates of Durga Puja celebrations are set according to traditional Bengali Calendar and the fortnight corresponding the festival is called Debi Pokkho (Bengali: দেবী পক্ষ, ‘Fortnight of the Goddess’). Debi Pokkho is preceded by Mahalaya (Bengali: মহালয়া), the last day of the previous fortnight Pitri Pokkho (Bengali: পিতৃ পক্ষ, ‘Fortnight of the Forefathers’), and is ended on Kojagori Lokkhi Puja (Bengali: কোজাগরী লক্ষ্মী পূজা, ‘Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night’) History of Durga Puja : A considerable literature exists aro...

Durga Puja : A great Festival of Bangali [Contributed by: Batchmate_cic_groups batchmate_cic_group@yahoo.com >] The traditional six day countdown to Mahasaptami starts from Mahalaya. Goddess Durga visits the earth for only four days but seven days prior to the Pujas, starts the Mahalaya. The enchanting voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra fill up the predawn hours of the day thus marking the beginning of " devipaksha " and the beginning of the count-down of Durga Puja. Sarat in its bloom, mingled with the festive spirit of Durga Puja reaches its pitch on the day of Mahalaya. From this day starts 'Devipaksha' and marks the end of 'Pitri-paksha'. It is the day when many throng to the banks of river Ganga, clad in dhotis to offer prayers to their dead relatives and forefathers.People in the pre-dawn hours pray for their demised relatives and take holy dips in the Ganges. This ritual is known as 'Torpon'. This day bears immense significance for the Bengali...

Kapil Dev salutes during a press conference to announce his induction into the Territorial Army as Lt Colonel in New Delhi on Wednesday Source : http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3523563.cms

A brilliant career has perhaps been cut short, and a young mind scarred for ever. A schoolteacher was arrested on Saturday for allegedly forcing one of his students — a Madhyamik topper — to have sex with him, threatening to blackmail her with photographs of their intimate moments. The girl, a student of Mothabari High School, Kaliachak, had passed Madhyamik in 2006 with exceptional marks. She had, in fact, found a place in the top 10 merit list among girls. After Madhyamik, she took admission in Barlow Girls’ School, Malda, from where she was to take her Higher Secondary in 2008. When Ismail Sk, the chemistry teacher at her old school, suggested to the girl’s parents that she should move into his home at Englishbazar, her parents had no reason to suspect that anything could go wrong. They thought the teacher was being generous as he was concerned about their daughter’s studies. Soon after the girl moved in, Ismail — married with two daughters — started a romantic involvement with her...

The Haryana Pollution Control Board on Monday sealed five industrial units located at Sonepat, Bahalgarh and Kharkhauda areas for violating pollution control norms. The board had also initiated action against three other industrial units on the same charge, a spokesman of the Board told media persons. The Board had issued show-cause notices to all such units directing them to install treatment plants for controlling pollution but the units failed to comply with the notices. Hence, the Board had no choice but to seal them, he said. Action against the units located at the G T road, Bahalgarh, was taken following a series of complaints made by Sports Authority of India, Bahalgarh, alleging that the air and water pollution was caused by smoke and discharge of affluents by the units. Article from THE TIMES OF INDIA, Calcutta . [ 15Sep 2008, ]

The ozone hole is larger in 2008 than the previous year but is not expected to reach the size seen two years ago, the World Meteorological Organisation said Tuesday. "In 2008, the ozone hole appeared relatively late. However, during the last couple of weeks it has grown rapidly and has now passed the maximum size attained in 2007," the WMO said in a statement. The hole in the layer over the Antarctic was discovered in the 1980s. It regularly tends to form in August, reaching its maximum size late September or early October before it fills again in mid-December. The size it reaches is dependent on weather conditions. Experts warned that such is the damage to the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from harmful ultra-violet rays, it will only attain full recovery in 2075. "It would take decades for the hole to disappear and for it to return to the situation before 1980. We are looking at 2075," Geir Braathen, who is the World Meteorological Organisation's expert ...

The state government hopes that the Tata Motors' management will resume work at the Singur plant from Tuesday or Wednesday. But the employees are yet to get any notice from the company regarding resumption of duty. Many of them have been temporarily shifted to Pantnagar and Pune to bring out the Nano on time. "We have not received any directive from higher-ups to join duty. Work is still under suspension," said an employee of the Singur plant. He added that since August 28, when the suspension of work order at the plant was issued, they have been temporarily attending office in the city. "Some employees at the Singur plant have been temporarily shifted to Pune and Pantnagar. They have been asked to work there till work resumes," said the employee. The employees though are optimistic about the state government being able to sort out the present political impasse. "We hope the government solves the impasse soon so that we can rejoin work," the employee s...

TODAY I NOTICED AN EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE SITUATION REGARDING MY BLOG : "PROZONE" .I HAD ALLOWED FREE ACCESS TO ANYBODY TO POST CONTENTS TO MY BLOG VIA EMAIL. I FOUND THAT FACILITY WAS BEING MISUSED. THERE WERE SEVERAL UNDESIRABLE AND OFFENSIVE POSTS POSTED BY UNKNOWN PARTIES. SINCE THIS HAPPENS TO BE MY BLOG, ALL THOSE POSTS WERE GETTING PUBLISHED USING MY NAME AS THE PUBLISHER.I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR THE OFFENSE THESE POSTS MAY HAVE CAUSED ANY READERS.I AM FORCED TO WITHDRAW FREE PUBLISHING RIGHTS TO MY BLOG. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. IF ANYBODY WANTS ANY CONTENT PUBLISHED TO MY BLOG, PLEASE MAIL ME AT THE EMAIL ADDRESS GIVEN AT THE TOP. I WILL REVIEW IT AND IF IT IS OK I WILL PUBLISH IT. THANKS & REGARDS Mr. Pradosh Kumar Mukherjee

Mamata Banerjee spewed venom against the CPM-led government on Tuesday at a rally in Singur, but she stopped short of reviving the stir against land acquisition along Durgapur Expressway for Tata Motors' Nano plant. Article from THE TOI, Calcutta . [ Sep 16, 2008]

Shocking as it may sound, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's smoking habits are making state capital Kolkata lose out on "millions of dollars" in international funds to fight the tobacco menace. "I myself formulated two applications on behalf of Kolkata to fund the city to curb tobacco consumption and make it a smoke-free zone. But both were rejected by the Bloomberg Initiative as the administrative head himself smokes in public," said a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official. Within the last six months, Kolkata's application for a grant to control tobacco consumption has been rejected by the Bloomberg Initiative, a global programme to reduce tobacco use in low and middle income countries. "The grants that Kolkata is losing out are in millions of dollars," the official said. In the last couple of years, the eastern metropolis has lost out to other Indian cities at least thrice. Incidentally, in West Bengal, a high 70 per ...

The brain of an addicted smoker treats nicotine as if it is essential for survival.Genetic traits may predispose some smokers to stronger addiction.Most smokers try to quit unaided, resulting in a high failure rate.If you smoke, no one needs to tell you how bad it is. So why haven’t you quit? Why hasn’t everyone? Because smoking feels good. It stimulates and focuses the mind at the same time that it soothes and satisfies. The concentrated dose of nicotine in a drag off a cigarette triggers an immediate flood of dopamine and other neurochemicals that wash over the brain’s pleasure centers. Inhaling tobacco smoke is the quickest, most efficient way to get nicotine to the brain. “I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to give it up,” said Dr. David Abrams, an addiction researcher at the National Institutes of Health . “It’s more difficult to get off nicotine than heroin or cocaine.” Smoking “hijacks” the reward systems in the brain that drive you to seek food, water and sex, Dr....

Facing Up to Smoking :: The more you know about why you smoke, the easier it will be to quit. You may reach for a cigarette during a stressful commute. Or you may want to smoke when you first wake up in the morning. Learn what your smoking triggers are, and how to handle them. Common Triggers Frustration Fatigue Anger Stress Hunger Boredom or loneliness Drinking or socializing Watching others smoke Track Your Smoking Habits To learn about your smoking habits, track them for a week. Attach a small notebook or piece of paper to your cigarette pack. With each cigarette you smoke, write down the time, where you are, who you’re with, and how you feel. How to Cope with Your Triggers Change the habits that lead you to smoke. For instance, if you often smoke at a morning break, go for a walk instead. Distract yourself from smoking. Keep your hands busy by playing with a paper clip or doodling. Keep your mouth busy by chewing on gum or a carrot stick. Limit contact with people who are smoking...

Farmers protesting land acquisition plans for a power plant in Katwa today warned of a backlash like the ones in Singur and Nandigram if the government resorted to forcible takeovers. The Krishi Jomi Krishak Khetmajur Raksha Committee, which is leading the protests, held a meeting this morning in Katwa, 180km from Calcutta, and iterated its stand against forced acquisitions. Article from THE TELEGRAPH, Calcutta . [ 9Sep 2008, ]