Under A Tower, Near A Reactor!

I am searching for a place to stay. Do you find that funny? Well, you won't, when I add I am looking for a safe place to stay. I do not want a cellphone tower atop my building. I also wish to be at least 100 km away from a nuclear reactor? Life is precious, if not to the authorities, at least to me.

There are currently around 500,000 cell towers supporting the mobile phone networks in India. Those in the know say, radiation within 300 meters of such a tower raises your body temperature by 1 degree centigrade in 10 minutes. This could cause headaches, nausea, sleeplessness, dry eyes and so on. Prolonged exposure may lead to miscarriages in pregnant women, and sometimes even cancer.

At the other extreme is the nuclear reactor. Lke the proverbial iceberg, the scientific community sees only its 'tip'! Even catastrophes like the one that hit Fukushima in Japan, fail to lift the cloak off this much touted 'invincibility'.

Recently a section of the media reported, “nine people including three employees working at the Kalpakkam atomic reactor, about 70km from Chennai, died of multiple myeloma and bone cancer between 1995 and 2011.” The report added, “as many as 244 employees in Kalpakkam and their dependants were detected with various types of cancer between 1999 and 2009.”

Initially, the authorities tried to play the usual game of sweeping facts under a carpet of conjectures (Click here for a typical reaction on Jaitapur). They said, “the average rate of incidence of cancer among NPCIL employees was 54.05 per lakh while the national rate was 98.5 per per lakh of population. The average death rate due to cancer among NPCIL employees was 29.05 per lakh while that of the general public was 68 per lakh of population.” Another statement added that the incidence of cancer in North Eastern India where there were no nuclear plants was higher than in the areas where there were atomic reactors.

Amazing! What are they trying to tell - that the safest hide-out from Cancer lies in the vicinity of a nuclear reactor? 

Jacques Cousteau, scientist and inventor once said:  

A common denominator in every single nuclear accident is that the specialists rush to the media saying, 'There's no danger to the public.' They do this before they themselves know what has happened because they are terrified that the public might react...

"The power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking. We thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe."

- Albert Einstein

Legacies of The Genius

'Harry Potter' is not the end of a great legacy; neither is he the beginning! Surveys continue to reiterate that the world of books is indeed a treasure trove of eponymous characters, lighting up young minds.

To many, this may be kid's stuff! But, as a parent, if you haven't heard of those titles which have excited and enticed growing generations, shame on you! If you don't feel it, here are five reasons why you should:

• Reading Arouses Curiosity
• Reading Stimulates Thinking
• Reading Encourages Learning
• Reading Improves Communication
• Reading Builds Character

Essential are these factors to support your child's mental, emotional and intellectual growth! Introduce your child to reading. It is never too late to do that.

7 Easy Steps

Take that first step. And keep going, until your child finds joy in the company of books.

• Read books yourself.  Let your child see it.
• Narrate to him/her, what you read in simple language.
• Demonstrate the use of a dictionary.
• Take the child to a library, bookshop, or book exhibition.
• Teach your child to handle books with love and care.
• Gift books for a child's birthday, not dresses or sweets.
• Encourage the child to spend pocket money on books.

To help you, here is an author-specific list. It is only a starter kit, and hence maybe far from being comprehensive. But, as you go along, the list also will grow, making it an excellent reference for your child.

1. A A Milne- Winnie the Pooh

2. Alf Proysen- Mrs Pepperpot series

3. Arthur W Ryder- Panchatantra

4. Beatrix Potter- The Tale of Peter Rabbit

5. Charles Dickens- A Christmas Carol

6. Rajagopalachari- Ramayana; Mahabharata

7. Dr Suess- Cat in the Hat; Green Eggs & Ham

8. E B White- Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little

9. E Nesbit- Railway Children; Enchanted Castle

10. Enid Blyton- Famous Five; Secret Seven

11. Eric Carle- Hungry Caterpillar, Grouchy Ladybug

12. Francis Thomas- The Jataka Tales

13. Hans Anderson- Emperor's New Clothes; Mermaid

14. J K Rowling- Harry Potter series

15. J M Barrie- Peter Pan series

16. Jerry Pinkney- Jean De La Fontaine Aesop’s Fables

17. John Masefield- Midnight Folk;Box of Delights

18. Jonathan Swift- Gulliver's Travels

19. L Frank Baum- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

20. Lewis Carroll- Alice in Wonderland

21. L M Montgomery- Anne of Green Gables

22. Mark Twain- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

23. Narayana & Haksar- The Hitopadesha

24. Pamela Travers- Mary Poppins

25. R L Stevenson- Treasure Island

26. R L Stine- Fear Street, Goosebumps...

27. Roald Dahl- BFG, Charlie & Chocolate Factory

28. Rudyard Kipling- The Jungle Book

29. V Goyal- Fix Your Problems - Tenali Raman Way

30. W E Johns- Biggles series

As Katherine Paterson said: "It is not enough to simply teach your children to read. Give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imagination. Something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own."

I leave you with a memorable quote by Ruth Crowley who used to write advice columns under the pseudonym Ann Landers:

"In the end, it is not what you do for your children,
but what you have taught them to do for themselves
that will make them successful human beings."

Head Over Heels...!

You look after your hair, face, skin, hands..., but not your feet. Doesn't it sound strange? Maybe you think, beauty is in the face, and your feet in no way contribute to it. You are wrong.

Heels talk a lot about your sense of beauty, hygiene, health, and self confidence. For example, who does not dream of wearing sexy high heels, stilettos and designer sandals? But if you have cracked heels, you would not dare do it, because you know how embarrassing that could be!

Cracked heels are both painful and unattractive. With a bit of care and attention, you can make them healthy and beautiful. Remember, cracking of heels does not happen overnight. It takes time and neglect to get it.  Like any ailment, signs and symptoms precede in the case of cracked heels too.

Common Causes

• Neglecting the thickening of skin around the heels
• Extra pressure on the heels because of being overweight 
• Standing too long on cold and hard floor 
  
• Ill-fitting footwear that lets the fat-pad around the heels to expand
• Diseases like Athlete’s foot, Psoriasis, Eczema, Diabetes etc.
• Lack of hygiene, vitamins etc.

The slower you notice the symptoms, harder it will be to prevent the problem.

5 Ways To Take Care

• Clean your feet, soak in warm soapy water, and pat your heels dry every night.
• Rub in a mix of one teaspoon of Vaseline and the juice of one lemon.
• Apply a paste of ground coconut and ripe banana. Leave it on for 15 minutes.
• Massage Petroleum jelly on the heels.  Go to bed wearing a clean cotton socks.
• A mixture of glycerine and rosewater can also do wonders.

Be Food-wise
Cracked heels are often caused by a deficiency of vitamins and minerals. Hence, consume a diet rich in Calcium, Iron, Zinc and Omega-3 Fats:

• Vitamins: Carrot, Sweet potato, Spinach, Pumpkin, Cereals, Nuts
• Calcium: Milk, Cheese, Yoghurt, Broccoli
• Iron: Meat, Chicken, Fish, Eggs, Beans
• Zinc: Oysters, Chicken, Crab, Kidney beans, Yoghurt
• Omega-3: Fish, Flax seed, Walnut

Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Your skin will turn soft, supple and healthy.

Easy Tips

• Keep your feet clean
• Avoid walking bare foot
• Wear soft, right sized footwear
• Wear clean and dry socks
• Walk barefoot on grass every day

How true was the German poet Bertolt Brecht, when he said:

. "Everyone chases happiness  

not knowing that happiness is right at their heels."