Today is September 13, 2019, Friday. You must have read in my earlier blog about ‘Triskaidekaphobia’ the fear of number 13 (from Greek tris (‘three’), kai (‘and’), and deka (‘ten’), and ‘Paraskevidekatriaphobia’ is the term used to describe the fear of ‘Friday the thirteenth’ – (Greek words paraskevi (‘Friday’) and dekatria (‘thirteen’) with –phobia as a suffix to indicate ‘fear’).
There is another astronomical significance for this Friday the 13th – it coincided with Full Moon. Last time a full moon appeared on Friday the 13th was in October of 2000. This Full Moon is also called a ‘micro-moon’ because it is at its farthest point from Earth – also known as its apogee. Being at the farthest point, the moon appeared around 14% smaller than usual and much dimmer than a normal Full Moon.
As this Full Moon fell immediately before Fall Equinox, It is called a Harvest Moon.
The term ‘Equinox’ comes from Latin meaning ‘equality of night and day.’ It occurs twice in a year – one in Spring (22 March) and one in Fall (22 September), that is when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, causing day and night to be of 12 hours each. In Canada, Fall Equinox marks the beginning of Fall season.
‘Harvest Moon’ is an old European term applied to a full moon that rises closest to the beginning of fall. In the earlier days when the farmers could not illuminate their farmland, the bright light of the moon facilitated farmers to work a little later into the night to bring in their crops well before Fall set in.
As if to facilitate harvest, the harvest moon rises 10 to 30 minutes after the sun sets, whereas most moons rise approximately 50 minutes after sunset. In Toronto, on September 13, the sun did set at 7:31 PM and the moon rose at 7:46 PM. This time gap between sunset and moon-rise was even shorter as one moved closer to the North Pole.
The next Full Moon on a Friday the 13th will appear in August 2049.
Few years ago an Indian Army Officer undergoing a course at Canadian Forces College, Toronto came over for dinner. During our conversation he said that one evening he walked into the sauna in the gym to find the Commandant, a General, sitting nude, enquiring his welfare. He said that he felt a bit embarrassed to face a nude General. I asked “That means you are surely not an ex-NDA (National Defence Academy)?” And I was dead right.
Bathrooms at the NDA are all open ones with neither any cubicles nor any shower curtains. There are only shower heads, all in a row. It is mandatory for all cadets to shower before breakfast and in the evening after games. As time is always at a premium for any military cadet, the ritual had to be as short as possible, with many waiting in queue – hence an elaborate bath was near impossible. The highlight of the bath was not its brevity, but by tradition implicitly enforced by the seniors, the cadets are not allowed to wear any clothing – it’s all nude and pretty natural. `
I cannot really say with any great emphasis that bathing nude is hygienically a huge plus as compared to bathing with a small brief on. However, it is more than a century old tradition in many military training institutions the world over. The open shower system meant that a large number of cadets could use the facility within the limited duration of time available.
To my mind, bathing nude has two distinct advantages. It helps one to overcome one’s inhibitions about being nude in the presence of others thereby developing a sort of self confidence about one’s own being and physique. When one learns to overcome this pretty strong inhibition, one automatically develops the capability overcome a lot of other inhibitions of less intensity. The second is that with everyone down to his skin it builds a sort of camaraderie with the fellow trainees.
There is no awkwardness, nobody made any stupid dick jokes and nobody stared. There was just complete utopian nonchalance about the whole thing as cadets from all regions, religions, castes and creeds bathed under the same shower. In everyone’s consciousness he was down to mother earth, a sort of nude common denominator. The act was indeed a great leveler. The common Indian mentality is that public nudity is obscene and vulgar and therefore should be abhorred. I do hope that as a nation we can learn to tolerate public nudity, no matter what our personal inclinations are in this regard.
Communal bathing and spas have been around for thousands of years, especially in the Indian context. However, the concept of modesty is a relatively recent one and was mostly dictated by the Victorian British norms. Many indigenous people still play sports without any covering and athletes in ancient Greece competed naked. In fact, the Greek word gymnasium means ‘a school for naked exercise,’ but in English it means only athletic exercise.
Men and women bathed nude in Roman baths of first century. Emperor Hardin is believed to have issued many decrees against co-ed bathing. There were baths of varying levels of luxury and also at varying levels of propriety. At one extreme were the ones for prostitutes and at the other the ones for royalty. These baths showcased Roman architectural expertise where new and innovative building styles were tested.
It was mandatory for students to swim nude in Chicago high school swimming pools till 1970’s. In those days filtration and chlorination techniques were not as advanced as of today. Nudity ensured that the swimming costumes they wore, mostly cotton or wool, did not leave any fibres that clogged the pool.
Bathing complex of Friedrichsbad Baths, Baden-Baden, Germany, opened in 1877, catering to European aristocracy. It is still open to all and visitors who indulge in a 17-step Irish-Roman bathing ritual – a sequence of hot air baths, steam rooms, showers, pools, and massages, soaking in curative mineral waters. Here on some specific days of the week and on holidays, it is co-ed nude bathing and on other days it is gender specific nude bathing.
In most gym and swimming pool locker rooms for men in Canada, the baths are all open without cubicles. Cubicles are provided in family locker rooms used by children and parents. It is natural for people to have differing standards of modesty, based on their cultural/ religious background and upbringing. Some are comfortable striding around the locker room naked and some prefer to change their clothes more discreetly. People around are neither stealing glances nor are they being judgmental. I generally go to swim in the afternoons which is the time designated for adult swimmers. I surely do not have a body to flaunt and no six-packs to flex. Everyone around me also passes the same muster with respect to their masculinity.
One has to shower before entering a swimming pool to keep dirt and germs out. Post a swim-session, it is meant to rinse off salt, chlorine and other harmful chemicals. You cannot do this well with your swimming costume on. It is said that the concept of the open bath came to Canada with soldiers returning from World War II when most able bodied Canadian men got enlisted to fight the war in Europe. The only country where it is a rule to have a nude bath prior to entering a swimming pool is Iceland. Here the bath may be in public or in a cubicle.
Nudity in public bathroom may offend some people, but most will not react to it though they may avoid it. The argument that nudity is natural may fall on deaf ears to the puritans who refuse to accept their ties to the natural world.
Sleeping without underwear is another military tradition proven to be good for one’s genitals as per many medical studies. Underwear tends to trap moisture, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. For sure, allowing that area to get some air helps to keep it dry and clean. Royal Marines tend to sleep naked for a similar reason and also to ensure they don’t hold all the juices and skin flakes emitted from their bodies in their clothes. From this came the expression ‘going commando‘ which means going without wearing any underwear.
In Western militaries where men and women serve together the bathrooms are shared. Here too there is hardly any awkwardness or sexual discrimination. In 2011, a woman soldier of the Norwegian Armed Forces complained about being asked to bathe naked with 30 men and in front of other male officers during a field exercise. The Norwegian Armed Forces initially gave the male officer who ordered the bath a harsh disciplinary warning for his behaviour and a fine of 2,500 Kroner, but cancelled the official reprimand after the officer appealed the decision. After two separate internal reviews, Norwegian Military ruled against making any changes to its bathing policies, meaning that other female soldiers could find themselves in a similar situation due to Norway’s gender-neutral military conscription policy.
I must here quote from the book ‘Immediate Action’ by Andy Mcnab. He was a member of 22 SAS Regiment and was involved in both covert and overt special operations worldwide until he retired in 1993. Teaching young infantry soldiers as an Instructor at the Regimental Training Depot how to bathe, he writes ‘We had to show them how to wash and shave, use a toothbrush… Then I had to show them how to shower, making sure they pulled their foreskin back and cleaned it.‘
To be NUDE or not to be – it is your choice – rules permitting.
The House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament voted unanimously on May 14, 2019 to apologise to Vice Admiral Mark Norman, Vice Chief of Defence Staff, for his legal ordeal with a resolution that “ The House recognise Vice-Admiral Mark Norman for his decades of loyal service to Canada, express regret for the personal and professional hardships he endured as a result of his failed prosecution and apologise to him and his family for what they experienced during their legal conflict with the government.”
What was remarkable was that the resolution was moved by a member of the opposition Conservative party and passed by the house duly supported by the ruling Liberal party whose government was mainly responsible for the Admiral’s ordeals. Indeed, it was an unmistakable sign of a healthy democracy. The passage of such a resolution was a tacit admission of error on the part of the Liberal government, however, much one may argue that the investigation and subsequent procedure was carried out by independent agencies.
The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a hard time saying sorry to Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. He refused to apologise when asked directly to do so by Conservative Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Scheer. Trudeau’s response was to blame Stephen Harper, his Conservative predecessor, for awarding a defence contract, in which the admiral allegedly had an interest.
Scheer pointed out the double standard and launched a vicious attack on the Prime Minister for his willingness to spend untold millions of Canadian tax payers’ money for prosecuting a righteous public servant, Vice Admiral Norman who was a national hero.
When the resolution was put to vote, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had already left the chamber and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was absent.
In stark contrast to the passage of this apology resolution, I was reminded of the several instances of senior officers of the Indian defence forces being convicted by court martial and cashiered/ dismissed from service in disgrace. In quite a few instances the higher courts of appeal have rejected the court martial verdicts and restored the lost honour of these officers. However, there was not a single case of an apology from anyone, not even the concerned service Headquarters to the individual.
At the time when charges were pressed against Vice Admiral Mark Norman, he was the Vice Chief of the Canadian Defence Forces, the Number 2 man in the military hierarchy. For a western democracy, it was perhaps a rare incident of such nature.
What was the case against Vice Admiral Mark Norman?
The Canadian Navy urgently needed a supply ship as HMCS Protecteur, Canadian Navy’s only supply ship was engulfed in a blaze in February 2014, rendering it unserviceable. The ship had to be towed by a US Naval ship to Pearl Harbour. The Conservative government in power then placed an order with Quebec-based shipbuilder Chantier Davie Canada Inc (Davie) to convert a civilian cargo ship into a military supply vessel at a cost of $668-million.
Prior to the award of the contract, the Conservative Government changed the federal procurement rules to allow a single vendor contract without competition, which was questioned by the incoming Liberals. The Conservative Defence Minister defended the decision to amend the rules to facilitate the single vendor deal, as the Canadian Navy wanted a supply ship urgently and the normal process would involve 30 to 36 months.
In November 2015, the new Liberal government apparently took a decision to pause and review the deal. The information was leaked to James Cudmore, then a CBC reporter. Following the leak, there was a public outrage in Quebec. The liberal Government then backtracked and quickly approved the deal. However, furious with the leak, the government ordered the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to investigate the matter.
In January 2017, Vice Admiral Mark Norman was suspended from service and more than a year later subsequent to raids at his residence, the RCMP charged Vice Admiral Mark Norman with breach of trust, alleging that he leaked cabinet secrets to an executive at Davie and a journalist. In its court brief, it was alleged that Norman ‘knowingly and deliberately‘ leaked this information and breached cabinet secrecy on 12 separate occasions between October 2014 to November 2015.
Norman vehemently denied any wrong doing pleaded not guilty to the charges and said that he acted with integrity, ethically and “in the best interests of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Forces and, ultimately, the people of Canada.”
Government’s case against Norman unexpectedly began to collapse in March 2019, partly under the weight of information from several former Conservative cabinet ministers and staffers. The new evidence, gathered by Norman’s lawyers and presented to the court on March 28 included some documents which were not uncovered during the investigation, something Norman’s lead defence lawyer blamed on government obstruction. The independence of the investigation carried out by the RCMP also came into question.
The case took a turn on its head the moment Liberal MP Andrew Leslie announced his retirement from the federal Liberal caucus and expressed his wish to testify for the defence in Vice-Admiral Mark Norman’s trial. His testimony would have been politically embarrassing for the government, coming from the ruling party MP. It was a political ‘hara-kiri’ for Leslie who said that he will not be running for re-election in 2019.
Who is Liberal MP Andrew Leslie? Why was he defending Vice-Admiral Mark Norman?
Veteran Lieutenant General Andrew Brooke Leslie served Canadian Army for over three decades. He was an artillery officer commissioned in 1981 and rose to the top of the hierarchy to be appointed as Chief of the Land Staff in Jun 2006. He retired in September 2011 and was elected MP of Liberal Party in 2015. Prior to his retirement, he was assigned the task of making a ‘transformation report‘ of the Canadian Defence Forces. On this task Admiral Mark Norman was his deputy and part of the team that submitted the report. So Admiral Mark Norman was a subordinate well known to the General.
While appearing as defence witness, Leslie would have no specific knowledge about the allegations that led to the charge against Norman, but would have insight into how the case was treated by the Liberal government, both during the investigation and throughout the pre-trial phase. The Admiral’s legal defence had often often made the accusation of political interference which may well get substantiated by the General’s testimony. Also, knowing the nuances of the procurement process and probably having faced frustrations similar to the problem of procuring a supply ship may well state in testimony that the Conservative government decision to amend the procurement rules was well justified. All these would surely have been politically embarrassing for the government.
The General acted like a General to defend the honour and well being of his subordinate, a comrade in arms, even at the cost of his political future. This is a classic case of military loyalty to the organisation and ultimately to the Canadian nation in a larger sense. Notice that there was a personal cost involved and therefore becomes all the more praiseworthy
At the end of it, the government was forced to drop all charges against Vice Admiral Mark Norman. What caused the prosecution to drop the charge is not yet known. It is obvious that for the conviction to stand, the aspect of personal gain and damage to public interest would both require to be proved. There is no indication of any available evidence towards this. In the face of mounting public statements from then Conservative cabinet ministers and staffers that the Admiral’s recommendations for single vendor deal with Davies was made only in the best interests of the Canadian Navy, the prosecution was probably left with no alternative but to drop the charges.
The Canadian public will come to know of the reasons that prompted the state to drop the charges only if Norman ever files a civil lawsuit against the government for the ordeal that he faced. Norman said he has an ‘important story’ to tell Canadians, which he will be sharing in the coming days.
On being exonerated of all charges, Vice Admiral Mark Norman said “I am confident that at all times I acted with integrity, I acted ethically and I acted in the best interests of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Forces and, ultimately, the people of Canada. The alarming and protracted bias of perceived guilt across the senior levels of government has been quite damaging and the emotional and financial impacts of the entire ordeal have taken a toll.” Like a true soldier he did not blame anyone for his ordeal and was preparing to get back to work immediately.
Meanwhile, the supply ship that Vice Admiral Norman fought for, MV Asterix (It is not christened HMCS as the ship is only leased by the Canadian Navy. It is not commissioned by the Navy and is manned by Naval and civilian crew), has been in service for more than a year, re-fuelling Royal Canadian Navy ships around the world. Many in the Canadian Navy say that conversion of the Asterix from a merchant vessel to a Naval supply ship is a rare example of a defence project that was delivered on time and on budget.
So, in the face of a decision which apparently went right all the way, pressing charges against a man who recommended the course of action probably seemed meaningless. Was it simply a case of a political squabble between the Liberals and the Conservatives into which a man in uniform was unwittingly drawn? We shall probably never know!
Ontario, Canada, is banning cell phones in classrooms during instructional time, starting next academic session – September 2019. Education Minister Lisa Thompson said “Ontario’s students need to be able to focus on their learning — not their cell phones. By banning cell phone use that distracts from learning, we are helping students to focus on acquiring the foundational skills they need, like reading, writing and math.”
The cell phone combined with internet technology has undoubtedly revolutionised our lives in myriad ways. Perhaps there is hardly any facet of life untouched by this revolution. Increasingly, it has become difficult to be active members of our present day societies without the use of cell phones. Like all technologies that have revolutionised human life and behaviour, the cell phone too has its pros and cons. Along with its all too obvious beneficial uses, the cell phones have a number of disruptive influences particularly on children.
Research indicates that in developed countries, a majority of middle school children own cell phones. While some children own their first cell phones when they are 11, nearly 50-60 % of all children own cell phones by the age of 13. In many cases it is the parents who are instigators of the first cell phone purchase. For many families the safety factor along with an enhanced sense of being connected is the major motivator for children being cell phone owners at a tender age. Children from higher income groups tend to own a cell phone earlier than those from lower income groups. Both parents and schools resort to various methods to regulate the use of cell phones to a greater or less degree.
In developing nations, the problem seems to be less acute as it is only a small percentage of well to do children who own cell phones in middle school and majority of children even in high schools still do not own cell phones. While parents of children who own cell phones attempt some sort of regulation on their use, most schools simply adopt a policy of banning these devices within school premises. Just as school uniforms do, such a policy serves as a great leveler between the haves and the have nots. So the dynamics in the developing world seem to be quite different from those in the developed world.
Is the ban proposal a case of resistance to change? During our schooldays too, many such scientific gadgets that enhanced learning were banned and the bans were later withdrawn. It commenced with the slide rule, then it was the calculator. During our children’s schooldays it was the turn of the scientific calculator to be followed by the laptop and then the notepad computers. While it has to be admitted that the revolutionising impact of the cell phone is far different from that of the slide rule or scientific calculator, particularly on the social and behavioural planes, the bottom line is that it is still a new technology that must be incorporated into the learning process sooner or later.
Cell phones help improve Digital literacy, a critical aspect of young students learning. It will also help them to effectively participate in the workforce. The cell phones provide a link between students and their parents, which has an important role to play in ensuring their safety. Evidence indicates parents want this type of access. Students with special needs, such as managing diabetes, and other medical and physiological conditions may be required to access various apps during school(s) hours. Rather than banning cell phones all out, we need to find ways to educate the students to use their phones effectively and efficiently. Banning cell phones will likely lead to underground and hidden use by teens. Rather than reducing cyber-bullying, banning cell phones altogether may show an increase in cyber-bullying.
We know about the 3Rs of learning – reading, writing, and arithmetic. We now need to include ‘research’, thus making it 4Rs. Schools need to educate both the teachers and students about safely negotiating the virtual environment. This means all schools need to develop policies around the use of cell phones during school hours.
A 2015 study by the London School of Economics investigated the impact of restricting Cell phone use in schools of four cities in England on student productivity. The results indicated an improvement in student performance of 6.41% in schools that have introduced a cell phone ban. These findings did not discount the possibility that cell phones could be a useful learning tool if their use is properly structured. The study found that cell phone bans have very different effects on different types of students. It improved outcomes for the low-achieving students (14.23%), and had no significant impact on high achievers. It showed that low-achieving students are more likely to be distracted by the presence of cell phones, while high achievers can focus in the classroom regardless of whether phones are present.
Another study was published in the Journal of Communication Education, Ohio University, based on impact of cell phone usage during class lecture, on student learning. Participants in three different study groups (control, low-distraction, and high- distraction) watched a video lecture, took notes on that lecture, and took two assessment tests after watching the lecture. Students who were not using their cell phones wrote down 62% more information in their notes, took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the lecture, and scored better on a multiple choice test than those students who were actively using their cell phones.
Research published by the University of Chicago found that even if cell phones are turned off, turned face down or put away, their mere presence reduces people cognitive capacity. The paper called the phenomenon “cell phone induced brain drain”.
University of Illinois conducted a study that examined students’ cell phone and Internet use and its relationship to their mental health. The study assessed two forms of escapism amongst students: one that arises from boredom and one used as a way to avoid negative emotional situations.
What are the likely drawbacks of students using cell phones?
It surely reduces face-to-face communication. Teenagers tend to message or text, avoiding a more challenging conversation.
Smartphone apps, games and messages prompt dopamine release, creating addiction. Mere presence of a phone in the backpack can distract a student even though the student may not even be checking it.
It tends to reduce working memory capacity, mental mathematical ability, logical analysis and fluid intelligence.
It has surely reduced the students’ ability to cope with uncertainty and stress. In other words it reduces tolerance for ambiguity. Research shows being uncomfortable with uncertainty is associated with students feeling distracted and tense during difficult examinations or tests. The more uncomfortable young people are with uncertainty, the higher the number of co-occurring psychological problems they report experiencing. Smartphone use is associated with the current epidemic of anxiety and depression.
How can cell phones help in enhancing the learning process?
Students tend to carryout research using their cell phones off-campus, later in life in their higher education, and in their professional and workplace learning.
In case students want to investigate, collect data, receive personalised and immediate feedback, record media, create, compose, or communicate with peers, in and beyond the classroom, then using cell phones is ideal.
Cell phones allow students to learn at a place, time and pace of their choosing, for example, on excursions, or when working on group projects or assignments with friends in more informal spaces like home, while travelling, etc.
Banning cell phones in schools is not the solution as it is important to educate children to live well in the era in which they are growing up. Students must be taught how to use technology to learn, communicate, and work with ideas. Modern technology provides new learning opportunities and the ability for students to develop skills they will need for future careers. The ability to copy what is written on the blackboard or what is dictated by the teacher into a note book is not a particularly useful skill that will help learning in the modern age nor is it what prospective employers are looking for.
An outright ban on cell phone use will hardly ever yield the results intended. Students will always find a way to smuggle it in, even if banned. That said, there is also an overarching need to perhaps severely regulate its use during classes.
Is there a need to regulate the minimum age for ownership of cell phones?
The rules formulated must be implementable at school level without hindering learning and development while at the same time minimise the disruptive effects on tender minds at the social and psychological plane.
Is it worthwhile to ban cell phones in schools? Will the ban be later overturned?
Most children believe in the existence of Santa Claus just as our children did while growing up. Why wouldn’t they? After all, they always found the Christmas gift they prayed for under the Christmas Tree every Christmas Morning.
During the Christmas of 1994, I was posted as the Brigade Major at Binnaguri. Veteran Lieutenant General KR Rao, PVSM, AVSM, VSM was then our Colonel General Staff. Before coming to wish us ‘Merry Christmas‘ he called up and our daughter Nidhi, aged three, answered the phone and asked him as to who he was. Colonel Rao with a tinge of humour said, “I am the Santa Claus.” Nidhi was overjoyed and said “Thank you Santa, I got the Barbie which you sent across. How did you know that I really wanted it?“
Santa Claus – it all began with St Nicholas, saint of children and sailors, a Bishop who lived in the Fourth Century in Myra, Turkey. He was a very rich and kind man with a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people. The legend has it that a poor man who had three daughters could not get them married as he could not afford dowry. One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house which fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry. It was repeated for the second and third daughters. Thus commenced the tradition of hanging stocking by children expecting Santa to drop their gifts down the chimney.
St. Nicholas became popular in the Victorian era when writers and poets rediscovered the old stories. In 1823 the famous poem ‘A Visit from St Nicholas‘ was published by Dr Clement Clarke Moore. The poem describes St Nicholas with eight reindeer and gives them their names. They became famous with the song ‘Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer’, written in 1949. The other seven reindeer are named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
Are these reindeer male or female? Obviously, they are females as female reindeer keep their antlers throughout winter whereas the males shed them. It’s a mystery, though, why many of them have obvious masculine names, Rudolph for instance.
Santa in England became ‘Father Christmas’ or ‘Old Man Christmas’, in France, he was called ‘Père Nöel‘, in Austria and Germany he was ‘Christ kind’ a golden-haired baby, with wings, who symbolised the newborn baby Jesus.
In North America his name was ‘Kris Kringle‘ (from Christkind). Later, Dutch settlers took the old stories of St Nicholas with them, and Kris Kringle and St Nicholas became ‘Sinterklaas‘ or as we now say ‘Santa Claus.’
Canada is home to the tradition of children writing letters to Santa. Canada Post has been helping Santa with his mail for decades. Since the national program started in 1981, Santa’s North Pole Post Office has answered more than 27.8 million letters in 39 languages, including Braille. Look at the Postal Code – it is ‘Ho Ho Ho‘ – Santa’s signature laugh.
Santa is assisted by volunteers called ‘Postal Elves‘ who help him with this monumental task. They volunteer more than 260,000 hours to make sure all the children who write to Santa get a reply before Christmas.
The first snowfall or the Santa Claus parades held in most cities and towns across Canada is a trigger for children to write their letters to Santa. Schools, daycares and homes organise Santa letter writing. One needs to include full return address for the Postal Elves to deliver a reply. Postage is free, but Santa loves stickers. Children are encouraged to write about their favourite sports, jokes, school activities or family fun with pictures and drawings.
A child normally writes two letters to Santa, one from school and the other from home. In order to prevent a child from receiving inconsistent responses from Santa, all mails from schools and daycares are replied with a generic, poster-size group letter, which will include every child’s name. A letter from home will get a personalised response from Santa.
Santa is often asked interesting questions by children – “Does Rudolph have a girlfriend?“; “How many cookies do you eat?” and so on. Some even ask for reuniting their separated parents. He also receives requests for toys, pets, dresses, etc. The advent of modern communication technology has not reduced the number of hand-written letters to Santa but has increased year to year.
Children dealing with issues write letters showing their concerns. These ‘special letters‘ are dealt with by a team of trained Postal Elves — from psychologists and social workers to police — who help Santa handle them. If they think the child is in danger, a process is set in motion to solve the issue. These Elves are trained to give a appropriate reply that will help provide some reassurance that someone is listening.
We must appreciate Canada Post, Postal Elves, teachers, parents and children for these letters and for keeping the tradition alive.
Wishing all readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
United States has joined the elite club of major oil exporting nations with nearly $22 billion worth of oil exports. The US Congress lifted a 40-year-old ban on the export of crude oil following the 1973 OPEC oil embargo. The ban restricted crude oil exports from the US to all countries besides Canada. The last time the US exported more oil than it imported was 1953.
The International Energy Agency estimates that American oil production between 2015 and 2025 would grow at a rate unparalleled by any country in history, with far-reaching consequences for the US and the world.
Technological advancements in drilling and fracking (hydraulic fracturing) helped US to extract huge reserves of gas and oil trapped in shale rocks. Main contributor to shale oil production is from the Bakken Shale Formation in North Dakota and the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. The oil that is being produced from these shale formations is sometimes incorrectly referred to as ‘shale oil.’
The oil in the Bakken and Eagle Ford formations actually exists as oil, but the shale does not allow the oil to flow very well. This oil is called ‘tight oil’ and advances in hydraulic fracking technology have allowed some of this oil to be economically extracted.
‘Tight oil’ refers to hydrocarbons that are trapped in formations that are not very porous. This oil and gas cannot flow out into the pipe as easily as with traditional wells. This oil is extracted by drilling horizontally across the deposit, and then fracking to open up the rock and allow the oil to flow.
The price of oil is political and is set by the big players, particularly by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia. New fracking technology has resulted in flooding the oil market. Oil prices had been above $100 per barrel up to 2014 and is now about $50 per barrel, all because of US shale oil. The shale revolution has transformed oil tycoons into billionaires and the US into the world’s largest petroleum producer, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia.
As the oil market got flooded, Saudi Arabia initiated an economic oil war against the US by refusing to cut production in November of 2014 – an attempt to drive US shale oil producers bankrupt. The increased OPEC oil production drove oil prices down even more, eventually dropping to about $30/bbl in 2016, a price at which shale producers can’t break-even.
The oil wells used to flare out natural gas and was burned off as an unwanted by-product. Now the gas is cooled to minus 162 degrees Celsius, to be condensed into a liquid – Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) -to be used as a clean alternative to coal. US is now a top producer of LNG, selling shiploads of the commodity to countries such as China.
Even though LNG is not a very ‘clean fuel’, US under President Trump has been exporting LNG from 2017. US is expected to overtake Qatar and become the world’s biggest LNG exporter by the mid-2020s.
US may claim today that it is energy independent, but will still be exposed to global energy prices and still be affected by the geopolitics of the Middle East. Though US sells more petroleum than it buys, American refiners continue to import more than 7 million barrels a day of crude from all over the globe to feed its refineries, which consume more than 17 million barrels each day. Thus the US has become the world’s top fuel supplier.
Why this sudden multi-fold increase in oil production? Is it the re-emergence of US under President Trump? Is it an attempt to control the world through the oil market? These questions will find answers in days to come.
It could also be that US is exploiting all its oil reserves to be sold in the world oil market as some new engine technology is in the offing with minimum dependence on fossil fuels. You may soon find such a technology emerging in the market and what it could be is anyone’s guess.
A judgement by the Supreme Court of India granted equal rights to women to enter a Kerala temple, where the deity is believed to be a Brahmachari (a man with the virtue of celibacy when unmarried and fidelity when married,) hence no woman must enter the temple. The judges ruled in favour of allowing equal rights to both man in temple entry and woman as the Constitution of India ensures it.
During my morning walk with our dog Maximus on a bitterly cold Canadian winter morning, our neighbour, Mr Steve, a septuagenarian asked “If you can walk slowly, I can accompany you both.” We commenced our walk slowly along the walkway cleared of snow that had fallen that morning.
After about five minutes of walking, we came to an intersection with traffic lights. The ‘Green Man‘ signal for pedestrian crossing had just turned to flashing ‘Red Hand.’ Mr Steve said “Walk fast, we can get on to the other side before the traffic starts moving.”
“The signal has turned red, do we need to cross now?” I enquired. “Do not worry, get going,” said Mr Steve. On crossing the road, Mr Steve reminisced about his youth and said “In 1939, the Second World War commenced and I was only eleven years old then, studying in Grade 6. Our family then lived a hundred miles North of Toronto. We had a dairy farm with over two hundred cows. On the outbreak of the war, like all able men of Canada, my father and two elder brothers joined the Canadian Army and moved to Europe to fight the war. Running of our dairy farm was taken over by mother and my two elder sisters.
In those days most activities in Canada were taken over by women – from driving trucks and buses, running the banking and postal services, grocery shops and petrol pumps – anything and everything – as most men had joined the Armed Forces and had sailed off to Europe.
After the war, in 1945, my father and brothers returned home. My mother did not allow them anywhere near the diary farm as it had become ‘hers’. With the experience of digging trenches during the war and also in building roads and tracks towards the war efforts, my father and brothers started a road construction company in Toronto. On my graduation in engineering from University of Toronto, I too joined my father’s company and retired as its CEO a few years back.
What all fields Canadian women took over during the war, they have not allowed the men folk to come near them. That is why Canada is where it is today, all because of women empowerment.”
“What does this story got to do with our jay-walking across the road?” I asked.
Mr Steve commenced his justification “It appears that you are not aware of priorities in Canada. It begins with the children, then women, followed by dogs and then other pets, then is wildlife and then are the trees and plants, and last, but the least come the men. If we two were only to cross the road I would have never in my wildest dreams thought of crossing the road. Just because the dog was with us, I told you to get across.”
“Why so?” I asked.
“In case two old men like us get struck by a vehicle, the Canadian courts will only grant may be forty to fifty thousand dollars. If the dog even gets brushed by a vehicle, the driver will have hell to pay as the court will decree at least a million dollars. That fear in every Canadian driver will never allow them to crawl an inch, even if the traffic light turns green,” Mr Steve explained.
In case real women empowerment has to come into the Indian society, some major catastrophe like what happened in Canada, USA or Europe during Second World War need to occur. Supreme Court judgements, or forced entry of women to some temples is not going to give women equal rights they need to be given. The Indian males need to accept this reality and change for the betterment of the society.
Port Credit located ten kilometers from our home was an old trading port till the 1800s. It is now a marina for boats. Along the lake shore is a seven kilometer trail that turns into multitude of colours every fall.
Port Credit is located at the mouth of Credit River on Lake Ontario. The ship Ridgetown was sunk here on June 21, 1974 to act as a breakwater. After her decommissioning in 1970, she was loaded with stones, towed from Toronto Port to Port Credit and sunk at the entrance to the port with her cabins and stack intact. She remains here, protecting the port from the forces of waves. In the backdrop is the City of Toronto, about 20 kilometer away with its landmark CN Tower.
On a windy day, the waves rise up over a few meters.
Canadian Fall is well known for trees with splashes of red, orange and yellow that dot tree lines across the country.
Fall is the most photographed Canadian season of the year, with colours changing very fast until the leaves fall off.
Tender thin leaves are made up of cells filled with water sap and will freeze in winter. Any plant tissue incapable of surviving the winter must be sealed off and shed to ensure the tree’s survival.
As sunlight decreases in fall, the veins that carry sap into and out of a leaf gradually close. A layer of cells called the separation layer forms at the base of the leaf stem. When this layer is complete, the leaf is separated from the tissue that connected it to the branch and it falls off.
Coniferous trees like pines, spruces, cedars and firs, don’t lose their leaves or needles in winter. The needles are covered with a heavy wax coating and the fluids inside the cells contain substances that resist freezing.
These needles can live for several years before they fall off.
Ground along the trail is all covered with leaves of varying shades of yellow, orange and red.
Some of the leaves are yet to change their colours and some have done it already.
Old cycles and other artifacts are used to decorate the walkways.
There are many children’s parks along the trail.’
Picnic spots equipped with tables, benches and barbecue stands for the revelers dot the trail.
This is the Suncorp refinery located about ten kilometer away.
These Canadian geese have not migrated down South to USA. It is neither that they have lost their passports nor have forgotten to migrate. It is because they find enough food in various parks in the city and may have developed the art of surviving through Canadian winter. May be they will fly South as soon as the temperature drops.
Every evening, I drive to the park near our home for an evening stroll.
The school buses would be returning to their depots after dropping children home. The yellow coloured bus merges with the yellow coloured trees along the Road.
After parking my car, I get on to the trail.
The trail runs along Credit River which drains into Lake Ontario.
You are sure to meet some waterfowls, ducks etc enroute.
Fall offers a kaleidoscope of colours.
Woods are really, colourful and deep
And I have miles to go before I end my walk.
The green leaf colour comes from pigments of chlorophyll, used by the trees to make food with the help of sunlight. There are other pigments namely carotenoids and anthocyanins present in the leaves, but are overshadowed by the chlorophyll in spring and summer.
Carotenoids create bright yellows and oranges like in corn, carrots, and bananas.
In fall, trees break down the green pigments and nutrients stored in the leaves. The nutrients are shuttled into the roots for reuse in spring.
Some tree leaves turn mostly brown, indicating that all pigments are gone.
Trees respond to the decreasing amount of sunlight by producing less and less chlorophyll and eventually stops producing chlorophyll.
Now the carotenoid in the leaves show through and the leaves become a bright cascade of various shades of glowing yellows.
Anthocyanins impart red colour to fruits like cranberries, red apples, cherries, strawberries, etc.
The fall season being characterised by short days and longer and cooler nights. When a number of warm, sunny autumn days and cool but not freezing nights come one after the other, Maple leaves produce lots of sugar, but the cool night temperatures prevent the sugar sap from flowing through the leaf veins and down into the branches and trunk.
Anthocyanins are now produced by the leaves for protection. They allow the plant to move down the nutrients in the leaves to the roots, before they fall off. The nutrients stored in the roots help the trees to sprout out new leaves in coming spring. During this time, anthocyanins give leaves their bright, brilliant shades of red, purple and crimson.
Information boards and garbage cans are placed all along the trail.
You are never alone on the trail.
The 5 km trail ends with a flight of stairs to the parking lot.
We moved to Canada in 2004 and the house we purchased had telephone cables and co-axial TV cables running to all rooms. We then used a dial-up modem connected to the telephone cable for accessing the Internet. Any room which needed a telephone had an stand-alone machine.
With the availability of cheaper digital cordless telephone with four remotely connected handsets and also with multiple facilities like answering machine, call display, etc, the first set of cables to be decommissioned were the two-wire telephone cable that connected every room of the house. We still had the coaxial TV cable running to all rooms. Now the telephone handsets started communicating wirelessly and the handsets could be moved with its battery charger to any room as required.
With the introduction of cable modem, router, and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone system few years later, the two-wire cable was terminated outside the house. We had to now run Cat 5 cable all through the house where ever a computer was to be connected to Internet. In an year in came a new Wi-Fi router and out went the Cat 5 cables.
Introduction of revolutionary Universal Serial Bus (USB) to connect anything and everything to a computer or a computer like device overhauled the cabling system of modern gadgets. Most cellphones and electronic devices started using USB charging. Most electrical outlets in hotels, airplanes, trains and buses came with USB ports built in to facilitate charging without an adapter. Home improvement stores started selling electrical outlets with USB connectors. Thus most of the electrical outlets at our home took a new avatar with USB port.
Introduction of Light Emitting Diode (LED) in home lighting, TV, computer monitors, displays on most home appliances has in effect reduced electricity consumption. Now most devices at home (except appliances like fridge, dishwasher, laundry systems, oven, cooking range, microwave oven, etc) use 12 Volt Direct Current (DC) as power source. Major weight and space consuming element of an LED bulb is the rectifier circuit which converts high voltage Alternating Current (AC) to 12 Volt DC.
With these 12 Volt DC appliances, mostly using USB to connect to power source, isn’t it time that we wire our home with 12 Volt DC cabling with USB ports?
At the end of the nineteenth century, ‘War of Currents’ between the American entrepreneurs Thomas Alva Edison and George Westinghouse resulted in AC being used in homes due to much reduced costs and transmission losses in comparison to DC transmission which required booster stations every 10 km. Nikola Tesla, then working with Edison, was in favour of AC and he disagreed with Edison about the use of DC current. Tesla resigned working for Edison and joined Westinghouse.
Our sun transmits energy as radiation through air without any wire. If we can build solar cell that can give near 100% or even 70% efficiency, it will usher in wireless power transmission.
Tesla dreamt of a global wireless power grid that any home, business, or vehicle could tap into. In 1934 the above drawing of a large transmitter appeared in an article on wireless power transmission. The caption read, “Nikola Tesla, electrical wizard, foresees the day when airplanes will be operated by radio-transmitted power supplied by ground stations.” The closest he ever came to realising his dream of wireless transmission was the Tesla coil, which he created in 1891.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a wireless charging technology capable of transmitting electricity wirelessly to a moving object nearby. If the technology is upscaled, it may allow electric cars to recharge while in motion. It is nowhere near Tesla’s dream of airplanes flying on electricity.
As the team described in their recently published Nature Study, the transmission achieved was much smaller than would be needed to power vehicles. However, they did reach a kind of mid-range wireless power transfer based on magnetic resonance coupling. Electricity passing through wires creates an oscillating magnetic field, and it’s this field that causes a nearby coil’s electrons to oscillate. This in turn transmits power wirelessly. However, it’s a complex process and is only efficient when the oscillating coils are tuned with respect to the moving object.
Until now, this has been one of the primary problems for wireless energy transmission, because there hasn’t been a way to get the coils to automatically tune to moving objects. The researchers solved this problem by using a feedback resistor and voltage amplifier system to detect where it should be tuned to without help from humans.
This research is part of an overall push toward safer, clean energy highways with more manageable traffic that will eventually support self-driving cars. If this dream fructifies, you’ll be able to charge your electric car while driving on the highway. A coil in the bottom of the vehicle could receive electricity from a series of coils connected to an electric current embedded in the road.
With coils embedded in the roads, we could eventually enjoy a totally automated highway system. Self-driving electric vehicles could be wirelessly charged en route, and GPS and other navigation systems would also be powered wirelessly.
Stanford research team will pave way towards achieving Tesla’s dream of wireless electricity in near future. In case they succeed in their mission, soon we will be using transmitted electricity to power our low powered DC appliances like home lighting, TV, computer monitors, etc. This will allow lot of flexibility and reduce electrification cost. LED lights will become much cheaper as they would have done away with the rectifier circuit.
“Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.” Anais Nin, French-American diarist, essayist and novelist.
State of Kerala, India, was battered by the rains, causing havoc, displacing humans, and above all causing irreparable damage to the environment. Having been involved with rescue missions in such natural disaster while serving with the Indian Army for over two decades and also with the experience gained in Canada for the past 15 years, I thought it appropriate to work out a survival plan for all. If you are adequately prepared to face a range of emergencies, anytime, anywhere; you have a great chance of survival, God and nature willing.
Aim
The aim of this paper is to lay down a few steps that will help you take care of yourself and your loved ones during an emergency.
Know Where You Live
A country like India, where the terrain, climate, culture and social conditions differ drastically every square kilometer, knowing the risks in your region can help you better prepare. It may be heavy rains and floods in Kerala or in the East; water logging in Mumbai, blizzards and avalanches in J&K and Sikkim; tsunamis and cyclones in coastal regions; earthquakes in the Himalayan regions – the list is endless. Along with natural disasters, there are other types of risks, such as long power outages and industrial or transportation accidents, etc. It could even be spread of a life threatening epidemic raging like the Nipah Virus epidemic which Kerala recently witnessed.
Plan for an Emergency
Every household needs an emergency plan to suit their location and area. It will surely help you and your family know what to do in case of an emergency. It is surely worth the effort. The plan once made must be discussed with every family member and clear instructions as what each member is expected to execute must be clearly defined.
Keep this document in an easy-to-find, easy-to-remember place (with your emergency kit). Photocopy this plan and keep it in your car and/or at work, and a copy close to your phone. If you completed your plan online, keep an electronic version on your computer and also store it in a cloud and must also be saved on everyone’s cell-phones.
Love Thy Neighbours
Please take your neighbours also into consideration while working out your emergency plan – they are always your first responders in case of any emergency and you are also expected to reciprocate.
Neighbourhood Safety Plan
Work with your neighbours or the Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) to identify people who may need extra help during an emergency. Like in the Army, you may also assign ‘buddies’. Assets like doctors and health professionals, military veterans, retired police and administrative officials, and above all the youth group – they are all assets of your neighbourhood. Ensure that you include them in your neighbourhood plan and allocate duties and responsibilities to them.
Revisiting the Plan
Please revisit your plan and also your neighbourhood plan at least once a year. That should be the time you must restock your kit(, change the batteries, food and bottled water. Any breaks like Onam holidays, Pooja holidays or any weekend is the most suitable time when most members are available. Write yourself a reminder to update your emergency plan one year from now.
Household Plan
Emergency Exits. Draw up a floor plan of your home that shows all possible exits from each room. Plan a main exit route and an alternate exit route from each room. If you live in an apartment, plan to use the stairs instead of the elevators. Identify an evacuation route from your neighbourhood in case you need to leave in a hurry and always plan for more than one option.
Meeting Places – Randevu (RV). Identify safe places where everyone should meet if you cannot go home or you need to evacuate. Specify a meeting place near home or outside immediate neighbourhood.
Make Copies of Important Documents.
Make copies of birth and marriage certificates, passports, licences, wills, land deeds and insurance. Take photos of family members in case a lost persons record is created. Keep them in a safe place, both inside and outside your home. You might want to put them in a safety deposit box or give them to friends and family who live out of town.
Workplace
Learn about the emergency evacuation plans in place and what you will need to do. You may want to have some basic supplies at work, such as water and food that do not spoil, in case you need to stay put for a while. Check with your employer about workplace emergency plans, including fire alarms, emergency exits, meeting points, and designated safety personnel or floor wardens.
Children
Ask your children’s school or daycare about their emergency policies. Find out how they will contact families during an emergency. Find out what type of authorisation the school or daycare requires to release your children to a designated person if you can’t pick them up. Make sure the school or daycare has updated contact information for parents, caregivers and designated persons.
Plan for pets
In case of an evacuation, remember that pets are not allowed in some public shelters or hotels. In case of an evacuation, prepare to take your pets with you to the home of a relative or friend, or take steps to identify pet-friendly hotels or pet boarding facilities in your area and further away from home.
Special Health Needs
Support Network. Establish a personal support network of friends, relatives, health-care providers, co-workers and neighbours who understand your special needs and also of your family members’.
Prepare a Health List. Make a list of all your health/ medical needs. Keep a copy of this information in your emergency kit, and give a copy to your personal support network. The list must include:-
Accommodation needs
Insurance information
Allergies
Medical conditions
Emergency contacts
Medication
Family medical history
Recent vaccinations
Health screenings
Surgeries
Grab&Go Medical Bag. Talk to your doctor about preparing a grab-and-go bag, if possible, with a two-week supply of medication and medical supplies. Include prescriptions and medical documents. Remember that pharmacies may be closed for some time, even after an emergency is over.
Out-of-Town Contact
Choose an out-of-town contact who lives far enough away that he or she is unlikely to be affected by the same event. If you have recently moved to a new area, make arrangements through friends, cultural associations or community organisations. Arrange for each family member to call, e-mail or text the same out-of-town contact person in case of an emergency.
Home Safety
Make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector, smoke alarm, fire extinguisher and well-stocked first aid kit. If you live in an apartment, or if you are staying in a hotel, know where the fire alarms and at least two emergency exits are located.
Make sure you have a fire extinguisher on every level of your home, including one in your kitchen. Everyone in your home should know where to find the fire extinguishers. All capable adults and older children should know how to use it. See manufacturer’s instructions regarding the lifetime of your fire extinguisher.
Older children and adults should know how to turn off your home’s water, electricity and gas. Make large, easy-to-see signs for water and gas shut-offs as well as for the electrical panel.
Teach children how and when to dial emergency numbers as well as how to call the designated out-of-town contact.
Limit phone calls to urgent messages only. Keep calls short to free up the lines for others.
When notifying emergency services of your location, provide the exact street or civic address and nearest intersection.
When an Emergency Strikes
Follow your emergency plan.
Get your emergency kit.
Make sure you are safe before assisting others.
Listen to the radio or television for information from authorities. Local officials may advise you to stay where you are. Follow their instructions.
Stay put until all is safe or until you are ordered to evacuate.
Evacuation Orders
Authorities will not ask you to leave your home unless they have reason to believe that you may be in danger.
If you are ordered to evacuate, take your emergency kit, your wallet, personal identification for each family member and copies of essential family documents with you. Bring a cellular phone and spare battery or a power bank or charger with you, if you have one. Use travel routes specified by local authorities.
If you have time, call or e-mail your out-of-town contact. Tell them where you are going and when you expect to arrive. Once you are safe, let them know. Tell them if any family members have become separated.
If possible, leave a note telling others when you left and where you are. Shut off water and electricity if officials tell you to do so.
Take pets with you.
Lock your home.
If you go to an evacuation centre, register your personal information at the registration desk. Do not return home until authorities advise that it is safe to do so.
Preparing an Emergency Kit
In an emergency, you will need some basic supplies. You may need to get by without power or tap water. Be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.
You may have some of the items already, such as food, water and a battery-operated or crank flashlight. The key is to make sure they are organised and easy to find.
Make sure your kit is easy to carry and everyone in the household knows where it is.
Keep it in a backpack, duffle bag or suitcase with wheels, in an easy-to-reach, accessible place, such as your front-hall closet.
If you have many people in your household, your emergency kit could get heavy. It’s a good idea to separate some of these supplies in backpacks. That way, your kit will be more portable and each person can personalise his or her own grab-and-go emergency kit.
Basic Emergency Kit
Water – at least two litres of water per person per day; include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order
Food that won’t spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods (replace food and water once a year)
Manual can-opener
Crank or battery-powered flashlight (and extra batteries). Replace batteries once a year.
Crank, battery-powered radio (and extra batteries).
Granb&Go medical bag.
First aid kit
Extra keys to your car and house
Some cash in smaller currencies. Automated bank machines and their networks may not work during an emergency. You may have difficulty using debit or credit cards.
A copy of your emergency plan and contact information
Recommended additional items
Two additional litres of water per person per day for cooking and cleaning
Candles and matches or lighter
Change of clothing and footwear for each household member
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each household member
If you think your water is contaminated, check with your municipality or local authorities for details. When in doubt, do not drink water you suspect may be contaminated.
Emergency Vehicle Kit
Prepare a small kit and keep it in your vehicle to include:
Blanket
Candle in a deep can and matches
Extra clothing and shoes
First aid kit with seat-belt cutter
Flashlight (crank or battery-powered). Replace batteries once a year.
Food that won’t spoil (such as energy bars)
List of contact numbers
Radio (crank or battery-powered). Replace batteries once a year.
Small shovel
Warning light or road flares
Water
Whistle
Conclusion
An emergency may occur at any time and human being over centuries have faced many such ones. In case you are adequately prepared, you are in a better position to face it and also help others to go through the ordeal. Always remember “Preparedness is the calm before, during and after any storm.”
(Based on Government of Canada Emergency Preparedness Guide)
For centuries, roses have inspired love and brought beauty to those who have received them. In fact, the rose’s rich heritage dates back thousands of years. People have been passionate about roses since the beginning of time. We have over fifty bushes in our garden.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, was fond of Red rose. He always wore a Red rose on his jacket until his last breath.
It is said that the floors of Cleopatra’s palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals. Shakespeare refers to roses more than 50 times throughout his writings. It is also New York’s state flower.
1,000 years old. That’s the age the world’s oldest living rose is thought to be. Today it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral of Germany.
It was in seventeenth century that French explorer Samuel deChamplain brought the first cultivated roses to North America. Roses are truly ageless. Recently, archaeologists discovered the fossilized remains of wild roses over 40 million years old.
The people of ancient Greece used roses on festive occasions to adorn themselves with garlands of roses, and splash themselves with rose-scented oil. Napoleon’s wife Josephine so adored roses, she grew more than 250 varieties
The largest rose bloom ever bred was a pink rose measuring approximately 33 inches in diameter, bred by Nikita K. Rulhoksoffski from San Onofre, California.
Red roses are the traditional symbol for love, romance. It reflects beauty and perfection. Myth has it that Venus’ son Cupid accidentally shot arrows into the rose garden when a bee stung him, and it was the ‘sting’ of the arrows that caused the roses to grow thorns. When Venus walked through the garden and pricked her foot on a thorn, it was the droplets of her blood which turned the roses red.
Pink Rose depict gentleness, grace, gladness, joy and sweetness. It can also convey happiness, gracefulness and admiration.
Bright, cheerful and joyful are what come to mind when thinking of a yellow rose. Giving yellow roses can tell someone the joy they bring you and the friendship you share.
White roses, the purist of colors, represent innocence, purity and charm. White roses are traditionally used in weddings and can represent new beginnings. We believe that white roses can also express remembrance and innocence. Why white roses are so special is no mystery – it’s a myth. Perhaps it started with the Romans who believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis.
Orange roses evoke energy, and enthusiasm, desire and excitement. Giving orange roses can symbolise your passionate romance and share your excitement of the relationship with your loved one.
Love at first sight or just an enchanting way to say, “I love you!” Lavender roses can offer a daily reminder of your love and eagerness to grow your relationship.
Peach-colored rose is gifted when are you grateful for someone or just want to show your appreciation. It shows appreciation and gratitude or a different way to say “Thank You!” They symbolise innocence and purity.
Cream roses are indicative of charm and thoughtfulness and goes well with pink ‘thank you’ roses. Gifting a bunch of cream roses is an ideal way to show someone that you care – but without any romantic intentions.
” How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said.” Victor Hugo
” What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” William Shakespeare
Peonies are outrageously beautiful in bloom, with lush foliage. They bloom from late May through June in Toronto. The flowers last only two weeks.
Their stems are not strong enough to support the heavy blossoms, hence they need support. Peony cages are placed in spring around the plant as they grow.
Peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. They are also the 12th anniversary flower – because the peony symbolises honour, fortune, and a happy relationship.. It is the state flower of Indiana.
Peonies are native to China. They are highly valued there, and are often referred to as the “king of flowers”. They were the national flower prior to 1929, when they were replaced by the plum tree. Chinese name for the peony is ‘Sho Yu’ meaning “most beautiful”.
Peonies of three types grow in our garden- Tree Peonies, Herbaceous Peonies and Itoh peonies.
Herbaceous peonies (also known as bush peonies) die to the ground in Winter. They re-emerge in March, or when the snow melts. Many find that they are deer resistant, but not always. Peonies are long lived, minimal care plants.
Tree peonies are called tree peonies for the woody stems that they have. Tree peonies have woody stems that defoliate in the fall, but the woody stems stay intact, above the ground. They tend to bloom earlier and with larger flowers than the bush peony.
Itoh or Intersectional peonies are a cross between the herbaceous (or bush) peony and the tree peony. These crosses have produced new, exciting colors. The plants have the lovely leaf form of the tree peonies, but die to the ground in the Winter. Since they are recent introductions and are still in short supply they command a high price.
Itoh Peonies derive its name from Japanese horticulturist, Dr. Toichi Itoh, who successfully created seven peony hybrids from a tree peony bred with an herbaceous peony. Dr. Itoh passed away before ever seeing his creations bloom. Years later, American horticulturist, Louis Smirnow bought some of these original Itoh peonies from Dr. Itoh’s widow and continued Itoh’s work.
Peonies like full sun, and though they can manage with half a day, they bloom best in a sunny spot. They come in every color except for blue. Pink, and white, are the most popular colours. Peonies can live upto a hundred years. In ancient times peonies were believed to relieve headaches and help with asthma.
‘April rains bring in May flowers’ is a common saying in Canada. This year, tulips sprouted as the days warmed up in April, but we had two snowfalls thereafter. Many plants either died or did not grow properly, but we still boast of the best Tulip Garden in Town.
Tulips Originated in Persia and Turkey and were brought to Europe in the 16th century.
Cultivated varieties, referred to as ‘Dutch tulips,’ originated in the Netherlands.
They got their common name from the Turkish word for gauze (with which turbans were wrapped) – reflecting the turban-like appearance of a tulip in full bloom.
Yellow tulips symbolises cheerful thoughts.
The brightly colored, upright flowers may be single or double, and vary in shape from simple cups, bowls, and goblets to more complex forms.
Tulips typically bear cup-shaped flowers in almost every shade but true blue. They can be double or single, fringed or twisted, perfumed or non-scented.
Purple symbolises royalty.
The eleventh wedding anniversary flower is also tulip. It conveys forgiveness.
These are different shades of Red Tulips in our garden. Red tulips are most strongly associated with true love.
Tulips are spring flowers and it arrival signals the coming of a new season. Most tulips have six petals, but some can have many more.
Some of the Tulips are still blooming – may be due to the late setting in of spring.
Red tulips are the hue of choice to express that you are deeply in love. The color red evokes passion and romance.
They are gone in two weeks – and that’s the saddest part.
‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.‘ (Genesis 1:27, 28)
God gave man the right to rule over everything on earth. It must not translate into exploitation of nature, but being fruitful. It is all about the power of creativity that God blessed us humans with. It exhorts all humans to be part of creation and one of the best way to execute God’s command would be to tend to your garden. It may be a few indoor pots, a small home-garden or your farm.
May 03 is Garden Meditation Day. This is a day to take some time out for yourself to relax and meditate or the least, visit a garden if you do not own one. It is the time to get on to hands-on work, like digging in the garden, planting seeds, pruning plants and so on. It can actually be a form of meditating.
Research has proved that that when we become involved in physical activities that involve creativity, planning, problem-solving, physical labour, it reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also be a good exercise for weight-loss. The act of tending to your garden, planting saplings, de-weeding, will always make you feel better and also give you the power to be part of creation and being close to mother nature.
A mere look at your garden or plants can generate a lot of emotional changes which will surely have a positive effect on your blood pressure, heart activity, muscle tension, and neural activity. It will surely calm your nerves, soothe your emotions and provide lot of happiness.
Today, we have literally taken the God’s word of ‘ruling over the earth.’ Gardening is the best way to ‘go green’ and support mother nature. A well kept garden, why even a few indoor plants will surely impact the quality of air at your home. It helps keep the house warm in winters and cool in summers, thus reducing carbon imprint and also save a few bucks.
A vegetable garden in your backyard will provide you with fresh and good quality vegetables. In case you resort to organic farming – without use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides – you will have a regular bountiful harvest of organic vegetables.
One summer morning, as I was tending to the roses in the garden, an octogenarian stopped his car and came out to compliment me on the excellent garden. He said “your work has improved the property value of your home by a hundred thousand dollars and your neighbour’s by at least fifty thousand. I retired from being a real-estate agent for over forty years and this I can vouch for from my experience.“
A garden or a landscaping is an investment for the future. A well manicured lawn, well kept flowerbeds, well pruned trees – all add ‘curb-appeal’ of your home. It is a sure shot recipe to sell your home faster.
Gardening and landscaping is truly becoming an art form. Planning, planting and watching your own garden grow can fill you with satisfaction and pride. Gardening is truly a life-time hobby. The more you learn the more proficient you get and the possibilities become endless. It is all about taking the first step, getting your hands dirty and your shoes soiled. As time pass by, you will surely enjoy it – especially post-retirement.
So what’s stopping you from starting your own garden and landscape design or even get some indoor plants?
Vertical currency is a type of currency in which the orientation has been changed from the conventional horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation. why a vertical currency?
People generally handle and deal with currency notes vertically rather than horizontally. People ‘tell’ (count) the notes, holding the bundle vertically. They tend to hold an open wallet or purse vertically while searching for notes. Most people hand over notes to one-another vertically rather than horizontally, especially when making purchases. All machines like Automated Teller Machines (ATM), vending machines, etc accept notes vertically. Thus it appears that vertical note makes more sense. Bermuda, Brazil, Cape Verde, Israel, Switzerland, and Venezuela have adopted vertically oriented currency and now Canada has also joined them by issuing a vertically oriented $10 note. Early Chinese banknotes were also vertical, due to the direction of Chinese writing.
Many countries have different colors for their notes as it is one of the best ways to distinguish one note from another. USA issues only green backs which traces its history to 1861, when US government issued paper money as a means of financing the American Civil War. The backside of these notes were printed with green ink as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Green colour was chosen to avoid photographic duplicates, since the cameras of the time could only take black and white pictures. Thus these notes came to be known as ‘Greenbacks.’ In order to cut down on manufacturing costs, US government shrunk the size of all paper money and instituted standardised designs for each denomination, which made it easier for people to tell real bills from fakes. The small-sized bills continued to be printed with green ink because green ink was plentiful and durable and green colour was associated with stability.
Various images on the notes relate to the value of each note. These images depict the history of the nation, its culture, its important personalities, historical events, national achievements, monuments etc, to be educational, for its citizens and also for the others handling the currency.
On 08 March 2018, on the International Women’s Day, Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen S Poloz unveiled the new $10 bank note featuring Viola Desmond. It was the first time that an iconic Canadian woman is portrayed on a regularly circulating Bank of Canada note. She became the first black person and the first non-royal woman ever to appear on regularly circulating Canadian notes. Please click here to read about my earlier post ‘Canadian Woman on Banknote.’
The note also features the Canadian Museum for Human Rights—the first museum in the world solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights. Also depicted on the note are an eagle feather—representing the ongoing journey toward recognising rights and freedoms for Indigenous Peoples in Canada—and an excerpt from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This new $10 note is the first vertically oriented bank note issued in Canada. This will allow for a more prominent image of Viola Desmond and differentiates this new $10 note from the current polymer notes.
Viola Desmond was selected for the new $10 bank note by Minister Morneau following an open call to Canadians to nominate an iconic Canadian woman for the next redesigned bank note. A successful Black Nova Scotian businesswoman, Desmond is often described as Canada’s Rosa Parks after she refused to leave her seat in the ‘whites only’ section at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, in 1946.
Desmond, then aged 32, was dragged out of the theatre by police and jailed. The civil rights activist was convicted of defrauding the province of a one-penny tax — the difference in tax between a downstairs and upstairs ticket.
Segregation was legally ended in Nova Scotia in 1954, in part because of the publicity generated by Desmond’s case. Desmond died in 1965. The province of Nova Scotia apologised to her posthumously, 45 years later.
Buffalo Airport is 160 km from our home, about two hours of drive by car. She was scheduled to land at 2 PM. It was snowing in the morning and was foggy. Hence, I left home by 10 AM, catering adequate time for a slow drive, breaks, and crossing at the Canada-US border. We generally cater for about 30 minutes for border crossing formalities.
As I pulled up at the US Customs & Border Protection counter, there was hardly anyone waiting there to cross. I drove up to the counter and the officer manning the post came out. As I was handing over my passport he asked “Sir, aren’t you watching the Super Bowl?” “I am off to Buffalo Airport to pick up our family friend” I answered. Returning my passport he said “Drive safely, have a nice day, Sir.” This quick clearance must have been due to the ‘Veteran‘ Licence Plate of my car.
The Super Bowl is the final game of the National Football League (NFL), played on the first Sunday in February. It is one of the most watched TV event in United States with more than 100 million people from the United States alone watching it. Every year the TV commercials, known as Super Bowl ads attract a lot of interest and also money. This year it featured Hollywood stars Cardi B, Tiffany Haddish, Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman.
I reached the Airport at noon and was looking for a place to spend two hours at my disposal. I picked a book I had in the car and my reading glasses after parking the car in the parking lot. As I entered the arrival area, I read a sign ‘Freedom Lounge – A Courtesy Centre for Military Service Members and Veterans.’
This lounge was setup in 2016 by WNY Freedom Lounge Inc in recognition of sacrifices by the US Military Service personnel. It ensures a welcoming environment for traveling Military personnel & Veterans at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. The lounge is open to members of the military, veterans and their families free of charge.
WNY Freedom Lounge Inc is a private, non-profit organization, headed by Veteran Lieutenant Colonel Dan Walther of Kenmore, who raised funds and made arrangements for the lounge. The lounge provides morale and recreational services to members of the US Military and their families. The lounge offers comfortable seating, reading material, TV, phone, snacks, and internet access. It is staffed by veteran volunteers, veteran organizations and military supporters.
I was welcomed in by Veteran Chief Petty Officer Ronald of the US Navy. After exchanging usual pleasantries, he ushered me in and showed me three rooms – a reception area, a kitchenette and a small living room with sofas and chairs. He opened the fridge, well stocked with beverages and asked “What would you like to have Sir?” “Black Coffee” I replied. He brewed a cup for me in the coffee maker and we sat down and talked.
He said that this lounge has been created for transitioning Military personnel, who often have significant wait times between connecting flights. Most Military personnel often travel alone and they need a place to rest. The lounge is staffed and maintained fully by volunteers. It is generally open from 9 AM to 10 PM and during other times, the Information Desk staff would open it.
We spoke about all matters two Veterans would speak – about our service in the Forces, places served, family, children, aspirations, dreams, et al. At the end I realised that we Veterans – from US and India – why from world all over – speak the very same language. The Military is in our blood and it cannot be shed easily.
On 31 January 2018, it was a Super Blue Blood Moon – crossover of three individual lunar occurrences happening at the same exact time. It was a lunar spectacle, a stellar show in the sky that night. Last super blue blood Moon happened way back on March 31, 1866.
Social media was abuzz with all possible details and explanations and also many e-rumours, some grotesque and some funny. Many conspiracy theorists claimed that this spectacular lunar display as a sign that end of the world is coming near.
To study this phenomenon, one needs to look at the moon’s orbit. It is elliptical shaped, inclined at about 5 degrees. It is offset from the centre with the closest point from the earth called ‘Perigee’ and the farthest ‘Apogee’. The moon revolves around the earth along this orbit in 27.55 days. As the moon revolves, it also rotates along its axis in very same 27.55 days. Thus we see the same face of the moon every time.
New moon waxes to a full moon and then wanes back to new moon. This takes 29.53 days and is called a lunar month. It is due to revolution of the moon around the earth and the earth’s revolution around the sun.
A super-moonis when a full moon occurs when the moon is at its Perigee. The New Year Day of 2018 was ushered in by a super-moon. A super-moonappears around 7% bigger than an average full moon and 12% to 14% bigger than a micro-moon– when a full moon occurs around Apogee. Super-moonappears the biggest of all full moons as it is the closest it can get to earth.
Next super-moonwill appear after 15 revolutions by the moon around the earth (15×27.55) – about 413 days as it would coincide with a full moon after 14 lunar months (14×29.53) – about 413 days (one year and 48 days). Thus we can calculate past and future super-moons.
The term super-moonis believed to have been coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 in Dell Horoscope magazine . It gained credence when the media titled the full moon of March 19, 2011 as super-moon.
The idiom ‘once in a blue-moon‘ refers to a rare occurrence, but in fact it appears once every 2.7 years, because the lunar month – from new moon to new moon- is 29.53 days compared to 30 or 31 days of our calendar month. Hence February (with 28 or 29 days) can never witness a blue-moon.
12 lunar months (12×29.53) makes it 354.36 days, against the 365.25 days in a calendar year, The difference of (365.25-354.36) 10.89 days adds up over 2.7 years (2 years 8 months) to about 29.5 days, which is a lunar month. Last blue-moon occurred on July 31, 2015.
2018 had another specialty. January has a blue-moon on 31st. As February of 2018 year had only 28 days, there was no full moon in February. This resulted in March having two full moons on the 2nd and 31st being a blue-moon again. Double blue-moons occur about 3 to 5 times in a century. The next occurrence will be 2037, while the last was in 1999.
Super-blue-moon on January 31 coincided with a total lunar eclipse, which is colloquially referred to as a blood-moon or a red-moon. The Moon turned a shade of red as observed from many parts of the world as the earth moves between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow on the moon’s surface. The moon takes 3 hours and 23 minutes to cross the earth’s shadow.
Even though the moon was in the umbral region of eclipse, some of the red spectrum of visible light emanating from the sun (longest wavelength) tended to skim over the earth and reach the moon. This red spectrum was reflected by the moon when it was passing through the umbral region. Thus the moon appeared red with a copper-tone during the eclipse.
Lunar eclipse, partial or total, can only occur on a full moon day as that is the only time, the earth may come in line between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow on the moon. Eclipse does not happen every full moon as the earth’s orbit around the sun is not in the same plane as the moon’s orbit around the earth.
(Image Courtesy NASA)
Eastern North America saw beginning stages of the partial umbral eclipse low in the west before sunrise of January 31. Portions of the Middle East and far-eastern Europe viewed the ending stages of the partial umbral eclipse low in the east after sunset. Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the eclipse was already underway as the moon rose. In India it commenced at 6:21 PM on January 31 2018 and was visible till 7:37 PM. South America, most of Europe and Africa did not witness this trilogy.
It has become a ritual for me to take our guests to the African Lion Safari, located in Cambridge, Ontario. I have even lost count on the number of times I have been there. I can for sure claim that I am now an accomplished tour guide for anyone visiting the Safari. When Air Vice Marshal TD Joseph (Joe) and Sophie Joseph came calling in May 2016, how could I omit the African Lion Safari from the itinerary.
African Lion Safari, a family-owned private entrepreneurship, is a picturesque and fun-filled Wildlife Park that offers not only a Safari trip of 9 km, but also conducts educative shows on birds and elephants. This conservation theme-park showcases many different and rare animals from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The drive through the game reserve will get you as close as you can ever get with fascinating wildlife.
At the Safari, animals are exhibited in an entirely different way – visitors are caged in their cars or tour bus, and the animals are free to roam the 5-to-50-acre reserve, in their natural habitat. The Safari Trail comprises seven game reserves that showcase a diverse collection of species such as lions, cheetahs, baboons, rhinos, ostriches, giraffes, and many other exotic and native species.
In case you take your own car, you are in better control of the time that you spend observing and photographing the animals, and it affords a great deal of flexibility. There is a guided tour on the Safari bus, which takes just over an hour. The tour guides offer great information about the animals you encounter. Visitors who spend a full day at the African Lion Safari, often exercise both options. I prefer the drive in our car and surely there are a few risks involved.
It is worthwhile to note some interesting facts about the founder of this wonderful place. Late Colonel GD Dailley founded the Safari with a vision to create an environment for self-sustaining populations of declining wildlife species. It opened with 40 lions in three reserves in 1969. Today the park houses in excess of 1,000 animals comprised of more than 100 species.
Colonel Gordon Debenham Dailley (July 24, 1911 – May 3, 1989), was born in Winnipeg, Canada and was educated at St John’s College at the University of Manitoba. He was a member of the team which won the gold medal in ice hockey for Great Britain at the 1936 Winter Olympics. The team consisted mostly of British-born Canadian citizens, as well as Dailley, whose only justification for playing for Britain lay in his long years of living in England. He led the team to European Championships in 1937 and 1938, after which he left hockey to join the Canadian Army.
Colonel Dailley served in England throughout World War II. After the war, he remained with the Canadian Forces and held a number of posts in Ottawa and served on the United Nations Armistice Commission in Korea. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1955 and was assigned to Belgrade, Yugoslavia as the Canadian Military Attaché. In August 1960 he was appointed the base commander at Gagetown in New Brunswick. He retired from the army in 1964.
After about an hour’s drive from our home, we generally reach the Safari gates at 9:55 AM, five minutes before the gates open. In order to avoid the rush, it would be better to visit the park on a weekday, that too well before the schools close for summer vacations. This gives all the time to watch and photograph the animals as there is no pressure from the vehicles following.
First reserve is Nairobi Sanctuary which houses elegant birds like the crowned crane and white stork with llamas and robust Watusi cattle from Africa with its large distinctive horns that can reach up to 8 feet.
Next is the Simba Lion Country, home to a large pride of lions, perched on large rocks or in the shade of trees.
If you are lucky, you can capture the lions in such poses too.
There is a separate enclosure for the White Lions. They are same as their African Lion cousins with a rare color mutation. They are found in the Timbavati area of South Africa.
Adjacent to the lion sanctuary is the Duma Cheetah Preserve. African Lion Safari has been very successful with breeding cheetahs, who are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity, with over 40 cubs to date.
Most entertaining reserve is Wankie Bushland Trail where you will encounter baboons. This is where the risk of taking your car lies. These baboons have developed special skills to pull at wipers or peel rubber stripping or to simply perch atop the car’s roof and take a ride around their habitat.
Next enclosure is the Rocky Ridge Veldt representing the Savannahs of Africa. It is home to a mix of species from the curious ostrich to the highly endangered Rothschild giraffes, as well as zebras, eland and rhinos.
Ostriches and giraffes come very close to the cars, and this shot of the giraffe saying hello through the moon-roof of our car.
Last reserve takes you to North America which houses animals like elk and the bison
There are also a number of entertaining, educative and informative shows starting with the Elephant Swim. The keepers bring the Asian elephants, all cutely holding the tail of one in front by their trunk. They range from the oldest at 35 to the youngest at two years.
Next show, the ‘Birds of Paradise’ where various birds showcase their incredible intelligence like a crow cleaning up tin cans to put in a blue recycle bin to a macaw deciphering colours, as well as the red-legged Seriemas, a long-legged bird from South America, showing off their natural abilities. The Serena displayed its skill at killing a snake by picking it up and throwing it repeatedly hard on to the ground. They also showcased a wide assortment of birds like macaws, emu, an Indian bat, peacock and ended the show with a talking and singing parrot.
The next is another great show, the ‘Birds of Prey’. The flying and hunting skills predator birds are on display here. The birds include marabou stork, a bald and golden eagle, a couple of owls and peregrine falcon ,the fastest moving creature in the animal kingdom.
Elephant Round-Up show is a display of elephant’s impressive strength, agility and intelligence. One even paints a t-shirt in the show, holding the paint brush in its trunk. It was heartening to see that not even once was an elephant shouted at or goaded with a pointed metal rod as seen in some parts of Asia. African Lion Safari is home to the largest Asian elephant herd in any zoological facility in North America and has one of the most successful breeding programme. The Safari announced the birth of Jake in 2009, a healthy male calf, through artificial insemination, the first ever in Canada.
African Queen boat cruise piloted by one of the parks guides, circles a lake to see exotic birds, primates, ring-tailed lemurs, ground hornbills, spider monkeys, black and white ruffed lemur and endangered Angolan Colombus monkeys that reside on the islands.
The shows were conducted mostly by university students, many pursuing their degrees in zoology related fields. What an opportunity and environment for these students to earn, learn and apply their knowledge and also improve their confidence levels, communication skills and self-esteem?
How do these animals, mostly from the tropics, survive through the harsh Canadian winter? The Safari has large barn-like centrally heated housing where the animals can go in and out. As per the Safari staff, the Cheetahs love playing in the snow and enjoy the winters.
Since its inception in 1969, the Park has been successful in breeding 30 species, considered endangered, and 20 species, considered threatened. The original idea of maintaining self-sustaining populations of species in decline is still the Park’s priority, all while providing its visitors with a safe, entertaining, and educational environment.
Life is a random sequence of events on which neither God nor humans have any control. It should and must remain as random as it could be. Otherwise, where is the thrill in one’s life? Where is the place for our dreams? How do we celebrate our achievements? When will we shower our praises on our children and other humans who helped us through this randomness? When will we thank our God Almighty for all His blessings for guiding us through this randomness?
Godmen will try to influence you with a promise that this randomness can be controlled, but you will always be happier with very same randomness and your will to face it. Hence, let it remain random. Let us not allow godmen and astrologers to solve this randomness.
Let us begin with our birth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27) He created us in His image indicates that we were made to resemble God. He gave us all Godly powers- power to create, power of love, power to carryout Godly acts, power to influence others, power to control the environment around us, etc.
If He created us like Him, He would never want us to suffer. He did not want to create unpleasantness or cause sickness in our lives. He did not want us to face disasters. These are natural, hence random, and never a satanic or a demonic attack. When we overcome these difficulties, we look back at our lives and grow closer to God, learn to trust Him more, and also evaluate the true value of our God gifted life. God is not trying to test you at all as He is ever-loving and all-knowing, and He knows how much you love Him.
Our birth, was a random chance, a divine occurrence that our parents met. It was also a random occurrence that a sperm out of thousands fused with our mother’s egg in a specific condition and time. The genes we inherited due to this fusion could well be traced back to the family tree of both our parents and here too randomness play an important role, despite all Mendel’s theory of genetics.
Now comes our physical birth. Who decided the time of your birth? Wasn’t it random, even if it was a C-Section? The time of birth, based on which astrologers predicted your life span by means of Kundali or Jathakam or birth chart, who recorded it? Was it as per the hospital clock? Was it as per the nurse’s or surgeon’s watch? Was the time accurate? Wasn’t the time of your birth random? Hence let it remain random and let us not allow the astrologer to play into this randomness and dictate how our lives are going to flow through.
As we grow up and cross many milestones, we realise this very same randomness. Many people around us help us through difficulties we face, some known and many unknown. Some call it a miracle but isn’t it all humane? God does not come down to execute miracles, but He does it through us humans and that too randomly. We need to recognise these humans, which we ignore conveniently many times.
God himself never did any miracle, but it was always through humans -Moses split the Red Sea, Elijah divided Jordan River, Jesus cured lepers – and so on. Lord Vishnu took ten Avatars (Dasavatharam) of humans, animals and also their combination to restore cosmic order.
Our family friend in Canada, suffered a massive stroke and was admitted to the ICU. I was there with his wife at the ICU for the 10 days. The bed on which the patient lay was maintained at a temperature, a degree less than normal human temperature with many gadgets connected. There was a dedicated nurse, sitting beside his bed 24 hours, monitoring all his body parameters. The nurses changed every eight hours.
The doctors attending to him said to us at least seven times that he is gone, but always managed to resuscitate him. They said that his complete recovery was doubtful. On the tenth day, he came into his conscious self, surprising even the doctors, with all his facilities intact. It was a ‘miracle’ for sure. The Canadian Government spent nearly a million dollars to bring him back to life. Now, I realised where the heavy tax money we were paying was put to use. I concluded that the tax I paid and would pay in future will not be sufficient to compensate this miracle.
After a week, I had to drive him and his wife to hospital for follow-up. Enroute his wife said that they are visiting Tirupathi (India) to offer the hair of him and their son as a vow (Mannath.) I asked her “Do you know the name of the Doctor who took care of your husband for those ten crucial days? Do you remember any of those nurses who sat beside his bed?” Obviously the answer was a clear “No“.
“What use is hair to Tiruppathi Balaji? You are likely to incur Rs 10 Lakh ($20,000) for the journey from Canada. In case you even donate 10% of it to educate a child in your village or buy books & blackboard for the village school, I am sure Tiruppathi Balaji will be much happier,” I said.
Whatever it was, they went to Tiruppathi, shaved off their heads and returned to Canada.
In Canada, a few of our friends working as nurses have shown me Thank You cards dropped off by patients or their relatives, appreciating their services. There would also be many offering prayers, poojas and their hair to the Gods instead.
God executed a miracle for you through some random person. Now, you become the instrument of God in executing a miracle for another random person and let the randomness prevail.
St Matthew 25:35-40 – For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?“
The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Ultimately, what you do for the least of these brothers and sisters, will be counted and you will reap the benefits. You may call it Karma, you may call it destiny or fate, following as effect from cause.
Mercury in Toronto region plummeted to minus 30⁰ C, with the wind-chill it felt minus 35⁰ C to minus 40⁰ C soon after Christmas of 2017. The freezing temperatures continued through for the first week of January. The New Year eve of 2018 was the coldest New Year’s Eve in 158 years. Quebec recorded frigid minus 49⁰ C. Taking Maximus out on a walk during these days was bit difficult. We shortened our walks to about 15 minutes. I always walked on the sidewalk which the city had cleared of snow, but Maximus – he is a Labrador Retriever from Canada – obviously he enjoyed the cold and the snow. He preferred walking in the snow with his legs buried.
This record-breaking stretch of cold weather started when a mass of abnormally warm air moved up the western side of Canada and settled over the North Pole. That pushed a huge mass of frigid air known as The Polar Vortex southwards into Central and Eastern Canada.
A polar vortex is an upper level low-pressure area circulating around both of the Earth’s poles, an upper level feature in the troposphere and extend into the stratosphere. It may not be felt directly on the Earth’s surface. It acts as a heat pump that moves extra energy from the tropics towards the poles and keeps the Earth’s temperatures in balance. Polar Vortex weaken in the summer and pick up strength in the winter.
Due to the rotation of the Earth, this circulation is counter-clockwise in the North Pole and clockwise in the South Pole. The cold air gets locked into the Polar Vortex and can be scientifically explained by Coriolis/ Magnus effect. This could well be added to the reason why the spin bowlers of the Indian cricket team (Northern Hemisphere) are ineffective in Australia and South Africa (Southern Hemisphere) and vice-versa.
The outer edges of the Polar Vortex – a low pressure conveyor belt like circulation above 60⁰ Latitude – ensures that the cold air remain in the polar regions, like water being held in a dam. When the warm air from the equatorial region moves towards the poles, the dam like edges weaken at places. This results in the Polar Vortex getting elongated towards the equator like a sheet of dough or chewing gum being pulled. This winter, the elongation of the Polar Vortex covered Central and Eastern Canada, going down south to touch Florida in US. As this elongation of Polar Vortex escaped Western Canada and Alaska, while Toronto was freezing, Alaska – much North of Toronto – enjoyed warm weather with mercury at plus 5⁰ C, about 20⁰ C above the average winter temperature.
The outer edge of the Northern Polar Vortex is like a conveyor belt moving counter-clockwise. It is at a much lower pressure and when it collides with warmer air and when the pressure rapidly drops by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. This causes ‘Weather Bomb‘ or ‘Bombogenesis‘.
The effect of Polar Vortex this time ended with a Weather Bomb, resulting in a storm that dumped snow on the Southeast of Canada and US and delivered near hurricane-force blistering winds, with record-breaking cold. Florida in the sunny south also experienced snow this winter due to this Weather Bomb.
Did Niagara Falls freeze this winter due to Polar Vortex? The Niagara was not frozen and probably never will. It may appear to a viewer that parts of Niagara Falls are frozen. It is due to the miniature glaciers and long icicles forming around the mouth of the falls, but water continued to flow beneath the ice.
The mistaken frozen appearance could also be due to increased diversion of water, a kilometer away from the falls, through tunnels and canals for hydro-electric purposes. In winters about 75% of water flow is diverted and in summers about 50%, obviously to give a better view to the tourists. With less water going over the falls, there is more scope for ice build up, giving the appearance of frozen falls.
The only instance when Niagara Falls nearly froze occurred in March 1848 when a preponderance of ice above the falls reduced the flow of water to a trickle. However, there are lots of images floating over the internet claiming to show Niagara falls in a frozen state.
Power Companies have been generating hydro-electric power from the Niagara River since the 1880’s. The ice floating on the river at the mouth of the tunnels reduce water flow into the turbines and may also jam the tunnels. To avoid such a havoc, an ‘ice boom’ – 2.7 km long, made of floating 30 feet long steel pontoons – is installed each fall since 1964 by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
During the winter season, the ice breaking boats work at breaking ice formations in the river that may hinder the flow of water into the hydro water intakes along the American and Canadian shoreline. The boats are operated by the power generation companies.
By Monday, January 8, 2018, the Polar Vortex receded bringing in above seasonal temperature in Toronto region with a forecast of about plus 8⁰C. This warming up melted the ice and the cold evening temperatures froze this water on the roads and sidewalks causing ‘Black Ice’, making it slippery.
As I was walking Maximus, a lady carrying a large bag slipped and fell as she got on to the sidewalk. I helped her to get up and offered to carry her bag and escort her to her apartment building entrance. I tied Maximus to fire hydrant and then escorted the lady while I carried her bag. At the entrance to her apartment where I bid bye to her, she said “Thanks a ton, you really saved my day, but tell me why you helped me.” I replied “I only helped a fellow human. Like Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross for Jesus despite not knowing who Jesus was, I have done it for you. Take care and Good Night.“
As per the US Department of Defense (2013) Dictionary of Military Terms, Power Projection is a term used to refer to the capacity of a state to apply all or some of its elements of national power – political, economic, informational, or military – to rapidly and effectively deploy and sustain forces in and from dispersed locations to respond to crises, to contribute to deterrence, and to enhance regional stability.
Projection of Hard Military Power paid dividends up to the end of old War era. With the breakup of USSR and change in the world order, even the US military was not successful in projecting Hard Military Power as was seen in Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.
Soft Power Projection can be defined as ability of a state to project its influence other than through military combat into an area that may serve as an effective diplomatic lever, influencing the decision-making process and acting as a potential deterrent on other states’ behavior. Deployment of various countries’ militaries during the humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami is one of the best examples.
Hard Power facilitates India’s use of military, economic and political means to influence other States; Soft Power has, through our cultural or ideological means, the ability to indirectly influence the behaviour of other States. ‘Soft Power’ also enables us to distinguish the subtle effects of our culture, values, societal ideas, developmental assistance programs and other forms of influence on the behaviour of other States, from the more direct coercive measures such as, military action or economic incentives or sanctions. A potent form of soft power is ‘intellectual power’, which entails ‘the knowledge and insight of the populace and their leaders’. The strength of India’s soft power has been the power of assimilation. India’s unique ability to embrace different cultures and the philosophy of tolerance and peaceful co-existence continues to be a source of strength for our Nation and a shining example to the world community. Smart Power would be our evaluative ability to combine Hard and Soft Power resources into effective strategies. The Indian Armed Forces have been in the lead in projecting the nation’s Hard Power the soft way. The political leadership, bureaucracy and media have not played up these achievements many a times, resulting in the soft power projection not achieving its full potential.
Humanitarian Aid. Indian Armed Forces have an enviable track record in providing humanitarian aid whenever needed, within the country and also in the neighbouring countries, especially in the aftermath of a natural disaster. In many cases, the armed forces moved its troops and resources, without awaiting a formal request from the civil administration or from the higher headquarters. In the aftermath of the Tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean countries including India, the Indian Armed Forces provided assistance to Sri Lanka and Maldives and was able to reach out to Indonesia as well. India provided humanitarian aid in the aftermath of earthquake that devastated Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in 2005 providing relief materials of medicines, blankets, and food packets. When a severe-cyclonic storm, Nargis, struck Myanmar in 2008, the Indian Air Force and Navy transported more than 100 tonnes of relief material. The 2015 Nepal saw the Indian Army and Air Force commence relief operations on the first day itself, which was scaled up in the subsequent days.
Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations. The Indian Air Force has come out with flying colours in the evacuation of Indian citizens and people from other countries from a third country when they were endangered by war or civil unrest (Operation Rahat in April 2015, Yemen). During the evacuation operations during the Yemen crisis of 2015, the Indian Air Force took a lead in rescuing Indian citizens as well as foreigners trapped in Yemen, evacuating more than 550 foreigners from 32 countries, including a dozen Americans and three Pakistanis. The 1990 airlift of Indians from Kuwait post Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait by Air India, the national carrier, with support of the Indian Air Force finds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most people evacuated by a civil airliner. They evacuated 175,000 people. This stands out as a prime example of the nation’s Hard Power, projected the soft way in a foreign land. The Indian Armed Forces repeated this act in Iraq (2003), Lebanon (2006) which included Sri Lankan and Nepalese nationals, Libya (2011), Nepal (after the 2015 earthquake- Indian and foreign nationals) and South Sudan (2016).
United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping. A state that wants to project itself in the international arena as a major power needs to have strong presence in UN Peacekeeping efforts. Indian Armed Forces have had a fair share in the UN’s commitments and always accredited themselves with their great deeds. India is the largest cumulative troop contributor, having provided almost 200,000 troops in nearly 50 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions over the past six decades. India, with its demand for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC), has to prove to the world through its Peacekeeping that our demand is fully justified. Such actions will surely ensure that India projects its hard military power the soft way, resulting in the nation having a greater say in international decision-making process.
Securing Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC). For India, a peninsular state with a coastline of about 7500 km and with Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, it is imperative to have a powerful navy. The Indian Navy is a three-dimensional force, capable of operating above, on and underwater, ensuring the safety and security of the Eastern sea board and its assets and India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The oceans in Indian Navy’s area of influence has witnessed an increase in maritime terrorism and piracy coupled with illegal narcotic trade, unregulated fishing, dumping of pollutants and natural disasters. Also, there must have been many SOS calls made by the ships and fishing boats.
In order to project hard naval power the soft way, the Indian Navy along with the Coast Guard should possess sufficient resources to mount round-the-clock, all-year-around maritime surveillance in the SLOC. Indian Navy has been an active part of the anti-piracy ops in the Gulf of Aden and in the Arabian Sea. There are quite a few success stories of interceptions by the Indian Navy, but they have not received adequate global publicity. The Navy and the Coast Guard got to be well equipped to respond to the distress calls of ships and got to pursue cases of illegal and unregulated fishing. They got to be vigilant enough to prevent illegal dumping of pollutants in the oceans around us.
Developmental Activities. The Indian Military has proved time and again that it can take up any task that cannot be executed by their civilian counterparts. Run-up to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, it took seven years for a company to build a Foot Over Bridge (FOB) near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which then collapsed. The Indian Army, which was called in to salvage Delhi’s pride executed the same job in four days flat and at a fraction of the original cost. In the aftermath of the tragedy where 23 people were killed in a stampede on a bridge at Mumbai’s Elphinstone railway station, the government has turned to the army for a new bridge. This will help in projecting the Hard Power of the Indian Military in a soft way.
Parades and Pageants. The Republic Day Parade at Delhi is the best example for projecting the nation’s Hard Power the soft way. It is the culmination of synergy between all the departments of Indian Government and is telecast worldwide as a great show. There is a need to encourage military formations in other cities and towns to facilitate the general public to view such parades/ pageants and also telecast them for wider viewership.
Military Facilities. Most American airports have ‘Military Lounges’ and the signage for the same is placed everywhere in the airport. The airlines board the serving soldiers even prior to the Business class passengers. This surely projects the power of the American Military, especially to the travellers from other countries. Many Indian railway stations have ‘Movement Control Office (MCO)’ for the military with a lounge, but is not signaged so. Leave alone foreign travellers, even the Indian travellers are unaware of such facilities. By doing so, it is sure to project the Hard Power.
Home Coming Videos. The internet and social media is filled with ‘Home Coming’ videos of American soldiers. Indian soldiers also do ‘Come Home’, but there are hardly any clips on the internet. The same can be orchestrated well by incorporating various videographers available in Indian towns and villages and compensating them well for the clips they provide. Many would even execute the task without charging as most Indians are devout patriots who hold their Defence Forces in high esteem.
Recognition to Soldiers, Martyrs and Veterans. In Canada, almost every city and town has war memorials and museums. During the innings break of baseball games, the two team captains present a signed shirt of their teams to veterans and serving soldiers. During the cricket matches in India, a similar act will pay rich dividends in projecting Hard Military Power.
Military History. India has had a chequered and colourful military history, but the reality is that many Indians are unaware of it, forget about projecting it to the world. Many European countries celebrate and recognise the service of the Indian soldiers during the World Wars in grand scale, but there is hardly any such celebrations in India. This year for the Armed Forces Flag Day (07 December 2018) was observed throughout the country to honour the martyrs, veterans and the men in uniform. The media came out with clips of the political leadership urging everyone to wear the Flag on the day, but the political leadership did not wear the Flag as seen from various news clips.
In Canada, during the week prior to the Remembrance Day (11 November), almost everyone appearing on the media are seen wearing the Red Poppy.
The English Cricket Team that played a test match at Rajkot (November 9-13, 2016) were seen wearing the Red Poppy. Will the Indian Cricket Team ever do so? In order to make the Indian youth aware of the great Military History, there is a need to infuse the same into the school curricula. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the state Commissions must include at least 5% questions from Indian Military History in their examinations. This will ensure that the candidates study India’s Military History in detail, to a certain extent to answer the questions.
The Government of Ontario, Canada, in recognition of my service with the Indian Army has given me a new plate. My gratitude to Canada for honouring a Veteran from another county. Another example of projecting soft power.
If India is to prove that it is a major Military power and also stake its claim for permanent membership in UNSC, there is a lot to be done to project its Hard Military Power. Doing it the soft way will be cost effective and will also enthuse the nation.
During our Sainik (Military) School days (boys only) in Grade 8, I had an opportunity to play a girl’s role in a play. Ms Sheela Murphy, our English Teacher was in charge of the event and she really decked me up to be a beautiful girl. The photograph of me sitting down came out after a few days and Ms Murphy said “I have always been telling you to sit with your legs closed. Ladies always do so. While on stage, men should also keep their knees as close as possible, else it becomes an eyesore.” From that day I made efforts to ensure that whenever I sat, my knees were together, especially with legs visible.
Recently I read an article about ‘Manspreading’ by our friend Suresh Nellikode, which was published as a middle in the New Indian Express newspaper dated October 25, 2017. This made me analyse and I realised that menspreading is a habit of men, whether in a public transit or in their homes or offices. Some men take extra care to avoid manspreading while being photographed, especially in the group photos. Sometimes it may be the fault of the cameraman to have shot the image while the man was in a manspreading position. Ultimately, the responsibility to avoid it lies with the man being photographed.
“Manspreading” is an act of a someone, usually a man, taking up two seats in a public space by spreading his legs. This has been a cause of inconvenience to many, one of them could have taken a seat had the man not manspread.
Oxford Dictionary (online) describes manspreading as a practice whereby a man adopts a sitting position with his legs wide apart, in such a way as to encroach on an adjacent seat.
Does man’s anatomical structure make him manspread? Is it a natural act by a man to avoid testicular compression from his thigh muscles? Is it natural for a woman to sit with their knees close together and ankles crossed, but the same may be painful for a man? Is it that God gifted women with a wider pelvis and thighbones resulting in sitting with their knees close together as a stress-free position? Is it the male ego that makes a man to manspread? Is it that the parents and teachers never corrected a boy while he manspread? These were the questions that came to my mind after reading Suresh’s middle.
New York police officers arrested two men on the charge of manspreading on the subway in May 2015, for they were taking up more than one seat and therefore inconveniencing other riders. Now Spain’s capital city Madrid has taken a stand against manspreading, banning men from indulging in the rude leg extending move on its trains and buses..
If we want perfect, equitable commuting, why not legitimise that all able-bodied persons, both males and females, between the age of 19 (voting/ marriageable/ drinking/ smoking) age and 30 stand while traveling on public transit?
Keeping your legs planted on the floor, with the knees a feet apart would be the most ideal way for men to sit. Men may also lock their heels or cross their legs, but sitting with straight legs works best for most situations. Ensure that one does not over project his genitals as monkeys and chimps are known to display their genitals to act more aggressive. This many a times looks grotesque, especially when one is seated on a stage or facing a camera. While crossing legs, men often cross their left leg over their right – because …. Please click here to read my Blog and you may be able to reason it out.
Are we going to finish at manspreading? Are there more issues that the women are concerned about men’s behaviour? ‘Manslamming’ is one feminine concern when men do not move out of the way of women on the sidewalk fast enough to give them way. Then is ‘manterupting’ where the women are shouted down by men at conferences/ meetings, shopping malls, etc. Then comes ‘Mansplaining’ where the women describe men who infringe on their feelings of narcissistic superiority; and the list will go on, adding new terms in times to come.
On returning from his orientation programme from the city’s swimming pool, where he works as the Swimming Instructor and Life-Guard, I asked our son Nikhil, “What’s new this time?”
The Swimming Instructors have to undergo an orientation programme prior to commencement of any teaching session – a ritual once in three months. They are assessed for their swimming ability and life saving techniques. The incidents that occurred during the quarter in all the swimming pools are discussed in detail and the correct methodology to deal with them are brought out. Any changes to the existing protocols of First-Aid, CPR, Child Psychology, etc are also covered during this programme.
“The age old tourniquet is back in,” was his reply.
His reply made me dwell back into my memory of the Cadet days at the National Defence Academy (NDA) where the tourniquet and a blade adorned our Field Service (FS) Cap. The tourniquet was in fact two pencils, four inches long, wound neatly by a shoelace. The ends of the shoelace were neatly tied on to the two holes on the left side of the FS Cap. Luckily never heard of anyone untying the knot and using it during the Academy days.
On commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, I still carried the blade and the tourniquet as an integral part of my FS Cap. The blade was the first to go as the Indian Army found that the blade had a great chance of infecting the wound rather than saving a person from a snake bite.
By the late Eighties, Indian Army recommended doing away with tourniquets. The tourniquet meant to stop circulation of blood through the limb where a poisonous snake might have bitten was found to be more damaging than allowing the poison to spread across the victim’s body. In case a limb that had a tourniquet applied for hours, with no blood or lymph flow, caused a huge buildup of toxins in the limb. When the tourniquet was released, all those toxins spread into the victim’s entire body.
The simple tourniquets were employed as an effective means during many wars to stop serious bleeding wounds. It saved many a life that would have been lost due to blood loss. The tourniquet, in case applied over a prolonged period of over two hours, may damage tissues due to a loss of circulation. This may result in permanent nerve injury, muscle injury, vascular injury, etc.
Periodic loosening of a tourniquet in an attempt to reduce tissue damage may often lead to blood loss and death. Further, the victim suffers immense pain when a tourniquet is applied and may need heavy dose of pain killers. For the tourniquets to be effective, the person applying the tourniquets must be well trained and must be aware as to what he is doing, how to do it and why.
In today’s world where the threat of a militant attacks, industrial accidents, natural disasters, man-made disasters like stampedes, etc may result in mass civilian causalities with serious limb injuries. The first responders and medical aid, even if available, may not be sufficient enough to treat all casualties. Hence there is an urgent need for all responsible citizens to be trained in First-Aid and in use of tourniquets. A casualty with multiple injuries, including serious bleeding limb injuries may be effectively managed by the immediate application of a tourniquet as a temporary measure to stop bleeding.
In most cases there is a need to improvise a tourniquet. One must use a broad band to provide adequate compression. A shoelace is a last resort, being thin, may not provide adequate compression. The tourniquet must be applied just above the injury, onto bare skin to prevent slipping.
The first tourniquet may be applied ‘high and tight’ over clothing until a more considered assessment and reapplication may be considered. The tourniquet should be tightened until bleeding stops. Insert something rigid under the tourniquet and next to the knot to keep the tourniquet taught. In case it is ineffective, the tourniquet should be tightened or re-positioned. One may even consider applying a second tourniquet above the first if required. Always write the Time and Date on the tourniquet.
Releasing the tourniquet once the casualty has been stabilised will theoretically avoid or limit the complications of prolonged use of a tourniquet. Release the tourniquet, observing the wound and If bleeding continues, tighten the tourniquet until bleeding stops.
The tourniquet should remain in place if:-
The transit time to medical care is less than one hour.
The casualty has other life-threatening injuries.
The casualty has unstable vital signs.
Tourniquets are an effective method of controlling serious bleeding which may not otherwise be controlled by simple measures but only if applied effectively. The greatest risks of serious complications are due to inappropriate or incorrect application of tourniquets, not the tourniquet itself.
Sgt Dakota Oklesson, senior line medic with Apache Troop, 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry Regiment, helps an Indian Army soldier apply a tourniquet during their first day of joint training for Yudh Abhyas 2010 Nov 1 at the Battle Command Training Center and Education Center on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
REJINCES 
