Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Why is poor's life so cheap?
Why is poor's life so cheap?
Sankara Narayanan
QUOTE:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Poor-women-used-as-guinea-pigs-in-Andhra/articleshow/8881808.cms
Poor women used as guinea pigs in Andhra
TNN Jun 17, 2011, 06.29am IST
PIDUGURALLA (GUNTUR): Exactly a decade after farmers in Palnadu region
sold their kidneys to clear their mounting debts, poverty-stricken women from
the backward Palnadu region have fallen prey to clinical trials by a Hyderabad-
based pharma company.
The clinical tests on human beings, reportedly without the requisite permission
of the state government, came to light on Thursday when some of the victims
fell seriously ill in Piduguralla town. Many of those who returned from the lab after
the tests developed acute joint pains, swelling in arms and throat infections.
Acting swiftly, district collector V N Vishnu directed district medical and health officer Gopi Naik to rush to Piduguralla and probe the incident.
"Though the pharma company promised to pay us huge amounts before conducting
the tests, they paid me only 9,000," rued Shaik Bibi, who underwent the tests along
with several other women in the lab in Miyapur, Hyderabad.
The firm, breaking all rules, did not provide any information to the women on the
nature of tests conducted on them.
"Some middlemen engaged by the company take the illiterate women directly to the lab. This has been going on for some time now," sources said.
Though the women returned home without any complications, side-effects of the
pills they had consumed at the lab nearly 3-4 months back are showing now.
"I was perplexed when I could not walk even a couple of yards a few days ago.
Initially I thought it was a routine sickness. After going through medical tests here,
I came to know that it was the result of the drug administered at the lab in
Hyderabad," said Paila Dhanalakshmi.
Sources said the people selected for the clinical trials are `detained' in the lab for
four continuous days. According to the women, they came across people from
north Indian states also in the lab. "But we were strictly not allowed to interact
with others," a woman revealed. Most of the women who went from Piduguralla
are farm workers and daily wagers.
A counseling session is conducted for the selected people and later they are forced
to sign on a bond before undergoing the tests. "If everything goes well after
taking a tablet, the person is asked to visit the lab again after 10 days when an
injection is given. Another dose of injection is administered after 10 days.
We were paid Rs 9,000 for the three rounds of tests," said a victim Jakka Kumari.
"If any abnormalities in the blood samples are found or the volunteer
develops complications, he/she is sent back by handing over a mere Rs 1,000,"
stated a weeping Kommu Karunamma.
Sources said more than 40-50 people from Adarsh Colony, Chandrapalem
and Indiramma Colony in Piduguralla have been visiting the lab for the past few months.
When contacted, one of the brokers, Shaik Jameela, who reportedly took some
women to the Hyderabad-based lab, shot back: "The women are selling their
own blood and not anyone else's. What's the problem."
She claimed that the women she had taken did not complain of any side-effects.
Meanwhile, six of the affected women are being shifted to the
Guntur government hospital. "If we come across any irregularities, we will slap
a case against the pharma company," warned the DM&HO
Sankara Narayanan
QUOTE:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Poor-women-used-as-guinea-pigs-in-Andhra/articleshow/8881808.cms
Poor women used as guinea pigs in Andhra
TNN Jun 17, 2011, 06.29am IST
PIDUGURALLA (GUNTUR): Exactly a decade after farmers in Palnadu region
sold their kidneys to clear their mounting debts, poverty-stricken women from
the backward Palnadu region have fallen prey to clinical trials by a Hyderabad-
based pharma company.
The clinical tests on human beings, reportedly without the requisite permission
of the state government, came to light on Thursday when some of the victims
fell seriously ill in Piduguralla town. Many of those who returned from the lab after
the tests developed acute joint pains, swelling in arms and throat infections.
Acting swiftly, district collector V N Vishnu directed district medical and health officer Gopi Naik to rush to Piduguralla and probe the incident.
"Though the pharma company promised to pay us huge amounts before conducting
the tests, they paid me only 9,000," rued Shaik Bibi, who underwent the tests along
with several other women in the lab in Miyapur, Hyderabad.
The firm, breaking all rules, did not provide any information to the women on the
nature of tests conducted on them.
"Some middlemen engaged by the company take the illiterate women directly to the lab. This has been going on for some time now," sources said.
Though the women returned home without any complications, side-effects of the
pills they had consumed at the lab nearly 3-4 months back are showing now.
"I was perplexed when I could not walk even a couple of yards a few days ago.
Initially I thought it was a routine sickness. After going through medical tests here,
I came to know that it was the result of the drug administered at the lab in
Hyderabad," said Paila Dhanalakshmi.
Sources said the people selected for the clinical trials are `detained' in the lab for
four continuous days. According to the women, they came across people from
north Indian states also in the lab. "But we were strictly not allowed to interact
with others," a woman revealed. Most of the women who went from Piduguralla
are farm workers and daily wagers.
A counseling session is conducted for the selected people and later they are forced
to sign on a bond before undergoing the tests. "If everything goes well after
taking a tablet, the person is asked to visit the lab again after 10 days when an
injection is given. Another dose of injection is administered after 10 days.
We were paid Rs 9,000 for the three rounds of tests," said a victim Jakka Kumari.
"If any abnormalities in the blood samples are found or the volunteer
develops complications, he/she is sent back by handing over a mere Rs 1,000,"
stated a weeping Kommu Karunamma.
Sources said more than 40-50 people from Adarsh Colony, Chandrapalem
and Indiramma Colony in Piduguralla have been visiting the lab for the past few months.
When contacted, one of the brokers, Shaik Jameela, who reportedly took some
women to the Hyderabad-based lab, shot back: "The women are selling their
own blood and not anyone else's. What's the problem."
She claimed that the women she had taken did not complain of any side-effects.
Meanwhile, six of the affected women are being shifted to the
Guntur government hospital. "If we come across any irregularities, we will slap
a case against the pharma company," warned the DM&HO
Friday, June 10, 2011
Indians Swallow Raw Fish to Cure Asthma
India is known for the wide variety of folk remedies for various ailments, and one of the most popular right 
now is the raw-fish-swallowing therapy practiced by the Goud family, in Hyderabad.
Asthma is one of the most serious respiratory conditions a person can have, and since conventional medicine doesn’t offer a permanent cure, many are willing to try any kinds of treatment, no matter how bizarre. One of these is the fish swallowing cure offered by the Goud family, for the last 166 years. Every year, during the month of June, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Hyderabad to try this unusual remedy, on the day of Mrigashira Karthi. Around 500 volunteers administer the miracle cure: live 2-inch to 3-inch long murrel fish which have been fed a drop of the secret herbal formula the Goud’s claim cures asthma within three years.
Ingredients for the medicine are collected two-three months before the big day, mixed the day before using water from the Goud family’s well, and administered to asthma sufferers free of charge. The patient is advised not to eat or drink anything four hours before swallowing the raw fish and two hours after. Also, he must be aware that he must come back for the cure three consecutive years, if he wants to get rid of the asthma permanently.
The ingredients of the medicinal formula are a closely guarded secret so it’s practically impossible to know what effects it has on certain people, or if it actually works in any way. If you ask some of the people who have tried this raw-fish treatment, many of them will say it gives them great relief, but there have been cases when the “patient”, although having taken the medicine, suffered severe asthma attacks, and physicians warn that the fish itself could trigger an allergic reaction.
Child rights group Balala Hakkula Sangham has recently requested the raw murrel fish not be administered to children, claiming the process is unhygienic since the people handling the fish don’t even wash their hands. The Goud family refuses to reveal the formula, but says children aren’t in any kind of danger and that the people complaining were paid by pharmaceutical companies who produce conventional asthma drugs, worried the free fish therapy is affecting their business.
FARDEEN"
now is the raw-fish-swallowing therapy practiced by the Goud family, in Hyderabad.Asthma is one of the most serious respiratory conditions a person can have, and since conventional medicine doesn’t offer a permanent cure, many are willing to try any kinds of treatment, no matter how bizarre. One of these is the fish swallowing cure offered by the Goud family, for the last 166 years. Every year, during the month of June, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Hyderabad to try this unusual remedy, on the day of Mrigashira Karthi. Around 500 volunteers administer the miracle cure: live 2-inch to 3-inch long murrel fish which have been fed a drop of the secret herbal formula the Goud’s claim cures asthma within three years.
Ingredients for the medicine are collected two-three months before the big day, mixed the day before using water from the Goud family’s well, and administered to asthma sufferers free of charge. The patient is advised not to eat or drink anything four hours before swallowing the raw fish and two hours after. Also, he must be aware that he must come back for the cure three consecutive years, if he wants to get rid of the asthma permanently.
The ingredients of the medicinal formula are a closely guarded secret so it’s practically impossible to know what effects it has on certain people, or if it actually works in any way. If you ask some of the people who have tried this raw-fish treatment, many of them will say it gives them great relief, but there have been cases when the “patient”, although having taken the medicine, suffered severe asthma attacks, and physicians warn that the fish itself could trigger an allergic reaction.
Child rights group Balala Hakkula Sangham has recently requested the raw murrel fish not be administered to children, claiming the process is unhygienic since the people handling the fish don’t even wash their hands. The Goud family refuses to reveal the formula, but says children aren’t in any kind of danger and that the people complaining were paid by pharmaceutical companies who produce conventional asthma drugs, worried the free fish therapy is affecting their business.
FARDEEN"
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Seatmates spar over middle armrests
Airplane armrest unrest can start with a nudge, progress to a shove and develop into full-scale combat as you soar through the clouds
You may have dealt with this issue on your most recent trip. It's a question that has baffled frequent fliers foreve
r: In a three-person row, who is entitled to the middle armrests?
"It's a battle with many people, and there is no simple solution," said John Safkow, a veteran United Airlines flight attendant and creator of cheeky airline information site marthastewardess.com. "They just have to work it out."
Some flight attendants and etiquette experts believe in the concept of middle-seat privilege — that the man or woman in that seat has a rightful claim to the coveted armrests. Others, like Safkow, do not think the center-seat occupant is the undisputed master of the armrests.
MORE FLIER UNREST: For travelers on packed planes, 'fight for the overheads' is on
During one armrest conflict, Safkow did side with the woman in the middle. But it was chiefly because the guy at the window was a colossal jerk.
"To raise or to lower the armrest is a big issue," Safkow said. "He wanted the armrest up; she wanted it down. Most people do. He was trying to recline over into her space. He was just going to camp out and make her miserable because some people have this entitlement issue going on when they get on the airplane."
Safkow added that this passenger was such a bully that he made the middle-seat woman, who was traveling to visit her cancer-afflicted mom, burst into tears.
To deal with the dilemma, Safkow enlisted the help of a burly, good-natured guy sitting a few rows away. Safkow explained the situation and asked if the big, friendly fellow would switch seats with the frazzled woman. He did. Guess how the brute in the window seat responded?
"Not a peep out of the guy for the rest of the flight," Safkow said. "He was all squished up against the window."
Safkow felt it was his duty to get involved in that particular armrest war because the offender was so clearly out of line. Otherwise, he wishes passengers would just grow up and settle it themselves.
"So many passengers act like children in situations like that. They'll tattle to the flight attendant and expect us to be the mediator," he said. "We feel weird about it because we're creating a scene when we go over. Everybody's watching."
If Laura Cummings, a regional airline flight attendant based in Louisville, was called upon to defuse an armrest tiff, she would stick to her strict belief in middle-seat privilege.
"As a rule, if there are three seats, the person in the middle seat gets both armrests, since the other two passengers can lean either toward the window or the aisle," she said. "You can, of course, also share. One person can get the back of the armrest in question, and the other can take the forward portion."
Jodi R.R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Consulting in Marblehead, Mass., also thinks that armrests are the dominion of the centrally seated, and that the aisle and window folks should be cognizant of their control.
"If the middle person is not using one or both of the armrests, then the outside people may, for the moment, use them," she said. "As soon as the middle person seems to want or need those armrests, the middle person gets them. —1/8 It is tough enough to be squished in like sardines!"
Amy Alkon, syndicated Advice Goddess columnist, has no sympathy for the sardines. She said it's ludicrous to assume the middle-seated passenger is blessed with both armrests.
"Everybody paid for a seat. Everybody gets a seat and a little bit of armrest," she said. Alkon is not moved by the argument that the window- and aisle-seat occupants have enough room to recline simply because they're not closed in by passengers on both sides.
"If the person in the aisle hangs their arm out too far, it's going to get chopped off by the drink cart," she said. According to Alkon, passengers need to deal with the issue before they even board the plane.
"If you want to have a different space, you have to prepare for what you're comfortable with," she said. "People don't like the middle seat. So you know what? Make a reservation sooner and get a seat that's not in the middle."
Patrick Hancock, an international flight attendant based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, believes in achieving armrest harmony through sharing. He said he has had to get in the middle of armrest fights between junior high students and other kids. In such cases, he tells them to imagine a dividing line down the middle of the armrest that must not be crossed.
"If I was called on to mediate such a dispute between adults, because they're acting like children, I'd give them the children rule," he said. "You have to share. You each get one half, and if you can't share, you can't have any."
You may have dealt with this issue on your most recent trip. It's a question that has baffled frequent fliers foreve
r: In a three-person row, who is entitled to the middle armrests?"It's a battle with many people, and there is no simple solution," said John Safkow, a veteran United Airlines flight attendant and creator of cheeky airline information site marthastewardess.com. "They just have to work it out."
Some flight attendants and etiquette experts believe in the concept of middle-seat privilege — that the man or woman in that seat has a rightful claim to the coveted armrests. Others, like Safkow, do not think the center-seat occupant is the undisputed master of the armrests.
MORE FLIER UNREST: For travelers on packed planes, 'fight for the overheads' is on
During one armrest conflict, Safkow did side with the woman in the middle. But it was chiefly because the guy at the window was a colossal jerk.
"To raise or to lower the armrest is a big issue," Safkow said. "He wanted the armrest up; she wanted it down. Most people do. He was trying to recline over into her space. He was just going to camp out and make her miserable because some people have this entitlement issue going on when they get on the airplane."
Safkow added that this passenger was such a bully that he made the middle-seat woman, who was traveling to visit her cancer-afflicted mom, burst into tears.
To deal with the dilemma, Safkow enlisted the help of a burly, good-natured guy sitting a few rows away. Safkow explained the situation and asked if the big, friendly fellow would switch seats with the frazzled woman. He did. Guess how the brute in the window seat responded?
"Not a peep out of the guy for the rest of the flight," Safkow said. "He was all squished up against the window."
Safkow felt it was his duty to get involved in that particular armrest war because the offender was so clearly out of line. Otherwise, he wishes passengers would just grow up and settle it themselves.
"So many passengers act like children in situations like that. They'll tattle to the flight attendant and expect us to be the mediator," he said. "We feel weird about it because we're creating a scene when we go over. Everybody's watching."
If Laura Cummings, a regional airline flight attendant based in Louisville, was called upon to defuse an armrest tiff, she would stick to her strict belief in middle-seat privilege.
"As a rule, if there are three seats, the person in the middle seat gets both armrests, since the other two passengers can lean either toward the window or the aisle," she said. "You can, of course, also share. One person can get the back of the armrest in question, and the other can take the forward portion."
Jodi R.R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Consulting in Marblehead, Mass., also thinks that armrests are the dominion of the centrally seated, and that the aisle and window folks should be cognizant of their control.
"If the middle person is not using one or both of the armrests, then the outside people may, for the moment, use them," she said. "As soon as the middle person seems to want or need those armrests, the middle person gets them. —1/8 It is tough enough to be squished in like sardines!"
Amy Alkon, syndicated Advice Goddess columnist, has no sympathy for the sardines. She said it's ludicrous to assume the middle-seated passenger is blessed with both armrests.
"Everybody paid for a seat. Everybody gets a seat and a little bit of armrest," she said. Alkon is not moved by the argument that the window- and aisle-seat occupants have enough room to recline simply because they're not closed in by passengers on both sides.
"If the person in the aisle hangs their arm out too far, it's going to get chopped off by the drink cart," she said. According to Alkon, passengers need to deal with the issue before they even board the plane.
"If you want to have a different space, you have to prepare for what you're comfortable with," she said. "People don't like the middle seat. So you know what? Make a reservation sooner and get a seat that's not in the middle."
Patrick Hancock, an international flight attendant based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, believes in achieving armrest harmony through sharing. He said he has had to get in the middle of armrest fights between junior high students and other kids. In such cases, he tells them to imagine a dividing line down the middle of the armrest that must not be crossed.
"If I was called on to mediate such a dispute between adults, because they're acting like children, I'd give them the children rule," he said. "You have to share. You each get one half, and if you can't share, you can't have any."
Sunday, June 5, 2011
அனுமதி இல்லாத <> ஒபாமா ஆணுறைகள்
அமெரிக்காவைக் கலக்கும் ஒபாமா ஆணுறைகள்(பட/காணொளி இணைப்பு) வெள்ளி, 03 ஜூன் 2011 11:59 . அமெரிக்க ஜனாதிபதி பராக் ஒபாமா பெயரிலான ஆணுறைகளை கடந்த வருடம் முதல்
விற்பனை செய்து வருகின்றார் நியூயோர்க்க்கை சேர்ந்த நடைபாதை வியாபாரி ஒருவர். இவரின் பெயர் புஎர்டோ ரிக்கான். வயது 43. இவர் அமெரிக்க பிரபலங்கள் மூவரின் பெயரிலான ஆணுறைகளை விற்பனை செய்கின்றார். இப்பிரபலங்கள் ஒவ்வொருவரின் முகமும் ஆணுறைகளில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டு இருக்கின்றன. ஜனாதிபதி பராக் ஒபாமா, குடியரசுக் கட்சியில் ஜனாதிபதி வேட்பாளர்களக நின்றவர்களான சாரா ஹீத் பேலின் மற்றும் ஜோன் மெக்கெய் ஆகியோரே இப்பிரபலங்கள். பராக் ஒபாமா ஆணுறைகளில் " make you feel like the First Lady all the time. ", " Hope is not a form of protection." போன்ற வசனங்களை காண முடிகின்றது. ஒபாம ஆணுறைகளை தலா ஐந்து டொலருக்கு விற்கின்றார். இவர் கடந்த 
வருடம் மூன்று தடவைகள் பொலிஸாரால் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். இவ்வருடம் கடந்த வெள்ளிக்கிழமை கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். இவர் உரிய அனுமதியைப் பெறாமல் விற்பனை நடவடிக்கையில் ஈடுபட்டு உள்ளார் என்று குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்பட்டது. ஆனால் இந்த ஆணுறைகளை
விற்பனை செய்கின்றமைக்கு அனுமதி பெறத் தேவை இல்லை என்றும் இந்த ஆணுறைகளின் விற்பனை புத்தக விற்பனைகளை போன்றே பார்க்க வேண்டும் என்றும், வெளியிடும் சுதந்திரம் அமெரிக்க சட்டத்தில் உறுதி செய்யப்பட்டு உள்ளது என்றும் அமெரிக்க உயர்நீதிமன்றம் ஏற்கனவே தீர்ப்பளித்து உள்ளது. இந்த ஆணுறைகளுக்கு இளம் தலைமுறையினர் இடையே பலத்த வரவேற்பு காணப்படுகின்றது.http://tamilcnn.com/i
:>
விற்பனை செய்து வருகின்றார் நியூயோர்க்க்கை சேர்ந்த நடைபாதை வியாபாரி ஒருவர். இவரின் பெயர் புஎர்டோ ரிக்கான். வயது 43. இவர் அமெரிக்க பிரபலங்கள் மூவரின் பெயரிலான ஆணுறைகளை விற்பனை செய்கின்றார். இப்பிரபலங்கள் ஒவ்வொருவரின் முகமும் ஆணுறைகளில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டு இருக்கின்றன. ஜனாதிபதி பராக் ஒபாமா, குடியரசுக் கட்சியில் ஜனாதிபதி வேட்பாளர்களக நின்றவர்களான சாரா ஹீத் பேலின் மற்றும் ஜோன் மெக்கெய் ஆகியோரே இப்பிரபலங்கள். பராக் ஒபாமா ஆணுறைகளில் " make you feel like the First Lady all the time. ", " Hope is not a form of protection." போன்ற வசனங்களை காண முடிகின்றது. ஒபாம ஆணுறைகளை தலா ஐந்து டொலருக்கு விற்கின்றார். இவர் கடந்த 
வருடம் மூன்று தடவைகள் பொலிஸாரால் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். இவ்வருடம் கடந்த வெள்ளிக்கிழமை கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். இவர் உரிய அனுமதியைப் பெறாமல் விற்பனை நடவடிக்கையில் ஈடுபட்டு உள்ளார் என்று குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்பட்டது. ஆனால் இந்த ஆணுறைகளை
விற்பனை செய்கின்றமைக்கு அனுமதி பெறத் தேவை இல்லை என்றும் இந்த ஆணுறைகளின் விற்பனை புத்தக விற்பனைகளை போன்றே பார்க்க வேண்டும் என்றும், வெளியிடும் சுதந்திரம் அமெரிக்க சட்டத்தில் உறுதி செய்யப்பட்டு உள்ளது என்றும் அமெரிக்க உயர்நீதிமன்றம் ஏற்கனவே தீர்ப்பளித்து உள்ளது. இந்த ஆணுறைகளுக்கு இளம் தலைமுறையினர் இடையே பலத்த வரவேற்பு காணப்படுகின்றது.http://tamilcnn.com/i:>
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