European impressions...
Countries can spend their wealth differently in providing services and welfare to their citizens. As a result people in different countries can lead different lifestyles. This becomes obvious even through an impressionistic comparison of Europe and the US. This sort of knowledge, which is also apparent when comparing different developing countries, could provide important lessons during the constitution making process as the Constituent Assembly sets priorities on spending Nepal’s resources.
From the last week of September till the third week of October I travelled around Europe in what may be called a five-country lecture and leisure trip. For a person who has been living in the US for more than a decade as a student and teacher, the European voyage clearly cast an impression that wealth can be spent in better ways for the wellbeing of citizens.
It is well known that public transportation is better in Europe than the private vehicle dependent US. Nevertheless, I was impressed at the vast network of underground and over ground trains, buses and trams that connected not only different parts of large cities but also smaller cities and small towns with big cities. Even small cities like Bielefeld in Germany had a very impressive network of public transportation while except for a few big cities like New York and Chicago, public transportation is pathetic in most of US. The public transportation could be costly for occasional travellers but for regular commuters, weekly, monthly and other passes lower the costs. Early planning also made travelling affordable. It took less than 10 pounds for a five-hour bus ride from North England to London when the ticket was purchased online a week or two before. Among other things, the vast network of public transportation meant less driving of personal vehicles and less consumption of natural energy.
In some cities like Vienna and Copenhagen, even automated ticket checking gates were absent. It was all based on trust and the people followed the rules voluntarily. They paid for their travel even though travel tickets were not checked regularly. Of course, if caught without a ticket on occasional checking, the penalty would be very heavy. Still it amazed me that the system worked largely based on trust and cooperation of the commuters.
I was impressed by the bicycle hiring system when my friends proudly showed it to me in Paris. One could hire a bike from an automated stand, ride it to different destinations and leave the bikes back at the stands. Why spend money on expensive cab rides when you can travel cheaply and also get some exercise while commuting?
What amazed me even more was the bicycle culture in Copenhagen. The parking lot in train, bus and other stations were filled with hundreds of bicycles. The buses and trains had cycle stands inside. You never see such sights in the US.
Pedestrian streets were also quite widespread and covered considerable areas. The biweekly haatbazzer in Bielefeld, like in rural Nepal, was a welcome surprise for a native Nepali living in the US. The pedestrian roads were wide and street-side cafes indicated that people walked quite a bit and enjoyed their time in such joints. Life appeared to be slow and much enjoyable in Europe.
Higher education in Austria was free and it was so for some social science disciplines in France as well. Denmark had introduced expensive tuitions for higher education for foreigners recently when the system was abused by some. In Scotland, the regional government subsidised higher education for its residents to make it more affordable while in England income of parents determined if one had to pay tuition. All this is truly astonishing for someone teaching in an American university where the tuition is extremely expensive and many American students remain in educational debt for a long time after graduation.
Of course, for a traveller, Europe is quite expensive. A McDonald’s meal costs more than double in a Copenhagen train station than in the US. Services do not come cheaply and higher taxes are necessary to provide them. That in turn has contributed to higher prices. PG Ranjitkar, a Copenhagen resident, told me that tax rate in Denmark was 55 percent. Most Americans would be surprised that people pay such high taxes and still do not throw out the government. Services and welfare deficient Americans rise up in arms even at the prospect of rising taxes to around 30 percent.
High prices are to some extent covered by high wages. Minimum wage in Denmark was very high and even after tax, the worker would get around US $16 per hour, which is three times higher than in most cities in the US. Such wages make the expensive goods and services affordable to citizens; maybe not so for visiting Americans on lower wages. Berlin had a slightly different culture with ubiquitous food stands offering reasonably cheaper food. Many of these stands appeared to be operated by immigrants or their descendents.
The walking, biking, public transportation and pedestrian culture have contributed to the health of Europeans. One of the first things that struck me in Paris was the absence of obese people. The extensive welfare system in Europe must have contributed to it as well. In the US low income or jobless people frequent junk food vendors like McDonald’s which are contributing to the fattening up trend, which increases health expenses; healthy people probably means less drain on the overall health system in Europe. The overall impression of the excursion was that different set of priorities in Europe (as compared to the US) had resulted in a higher quality of life in the continent.
It is not that only rich countries have options. Developing countries can spend available resources differently to provide different level of welfare to their citizens. Countries like Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Costa Rica and regions like Kerala in India have provided wide range of services to their residents that have resulted in much better human development indices (resource, education, and life span) than economically comparable countries. As Nepal moves ahead in its constitution writing process, its political leaders and policymakers can set priorities that would result in a better quality of life for its citizens instead of increasing the gap among them. The choice is theirs.
Earlier ancestors came from Asia?
Ancient fossilized teeth of small anthropoid monkeys discovered in Libya suggest our earliest ancestors may have migrated from Asia to Africa, research published Wednesday showed.
The origin of anthropoids -- primates including monkeys, apes and humans -- has long been a source of hot debate among palaeontologists.
Experts have long argued anthropoids first appeared in Africa -- but recent studies suggest an earlier Asian origin, dating 55 million years ago.
Now new fossils, dating 38 to 39 million years ago and discovered in Dur At-Talah in central Libya, further complicate the debate.
They reveal the existence of three types of African anthropoids -- the oldest discovered on the continent to date, according to the study published in the British journal Nature.
Based on previous discoveries in Egypt and Algeria, "we are aware until now of only one form of anthropoid primate, dating back 37 million years ago for the oldest," said one of the study's authors, Jean-Jacques Jaeger, of Poitiers University in France.
"Here we have gone further, to 39 or 38 million years, and we have three (types) ... and among the three, there is an Asiatic form," he told AFP.
"This therefore signals the direction of migration from Asia toward Africa," Jaeger added.
The teeth appear to have belonged to tiny primates, weighing between 120 and 470 grammes (0.26 to one pound) in adult form.
"They looked more like marmosets than rats," Jaeger said. "They had the same prehensile hands with an opposite thumb, nails rather than claws, certainly a tail that served for balance when they climbed or jumped from one branch to another."
Their diminutive size also suggests our history began small, he added.
The recent discovery also poses another question: did all three types of anthropoids originate in Asia or were they the product of an initial diversification that took place in Africa?
Jaeger's group favours the Asia hypothesis.
"We have the impression it was a relatively significant population movement that most likely took place during the same time," he said.
The origin of anthropoids -- primates including monkeys, apes and humans -- has long been a source of hot debate among palaeontologists.
Experts have long argued anthropoids first appeared in Africa -- but recent studies suggest an earlier Asian origin, dating 55 million years ago.
Now new fossils, dating 38 to 39 million years ago and discovered in Dur At-Talah in central Libya, further complicate the debate.
They reveal the existence of three types of African anthropoids -- the oldest discovered on the continent to date, according to the study published in the British journal Nature.
Based on previous discoveries in Egypt and Algeria, "we are aware until now of only one form of anthropoid primate, dating back 37 million years ago for the oldest," said one of the study's authors, Jean-Jacques Jaeger, of Poitiers University in France.
"Here we have gone further, to 39 or 38 million years, and we have three (types) ... and among the three, there is an Asiatic form," he told AFP.
"This therefore signals the direction of migration from Asia toward Africa," Jaeger added.
The teeth appear to have belonged to tiny primates, weighing between 120 and 470 grammes (0.26 to one pound) in adult form.
"They looked more like marmosets than rats," Jaeger said. "They had the same prehensile hands with an opposite thumb, nails rather than claws, certainly a tail that served for balance when they climbed or jumped from one branch to another."
Their diminutive size also suggests our history began small, he added.
The recent discovery also poses another question: did all three types of anthropoids originate in Asia or were they the product of an initial diversification that took place in Africa?
Jaeger's group favours the Asia hypothesis.
"We have the impression it was a relatively significant population movement that most likely took place during the same time," he said.
The Great Warrior...
The peace across the vast stretches of land from the magnificent mountains to the dreaded deserts had been perished by the pandemonium spewed over the once prosperous earth by the never ending wars and battles. Clans after clans obliterated, kingdoms after kingdoms annihilated and live after lives destroyed by nothing more than the mere plenitude of cupidity, detestation and idiocy of the dark rulers, sinister sorcerers and demented demons.
To end this all, it was time once again. The Aurumus Aera (the Golden Era) spanning a hundred thousand years had ended, leaving the moribund earth to be rejuvenated by a legend. A legend who would rid this world of further suffering.
Today was the day that the warrior would commence upon a lone quest to begin a new era for the Earth. The chosen one has to be entirely of the Yang clan which had control over the elements of the earth; it was clear that the only ceremony the prevailing Yang clan ever partook in had to be the most imperative amongst all lesser festivities minor clans celebrated. The fate of the entire world rested upon the choices made by the conclave of Yang warriors that day.
But this hero wasn’t chosen to save the righteous but to destroy the guilty, he wasn’t chosen to pave the way for the future but put the present at ease and he wasn’t chosen to introduce a sense of security to the people, but to diminish all aspects of hope for the oppressors. What the chosen warrior would do was not cleanse the stains of sins of every man but expunge every man who were stained with sin. And just like the many great warriors of the past had ushered in the Aurumus Aera, he would rid the world of all evil by bringing about darkness just to follow the bright dawn.
Today, the ritual had begun and the clan was silent, silent and seated on the grassy patch of the dense dark forest the race has originated from. The Praesidium Arboris (the Protection Trees), the forest that had witnessed the rise and fall of great Elders and the dark and golden ages of the tribe — the forest that would yet witness another historic event. Hidden beyond the towering trees of the Praesidium Arboris and covered by a sheath of fog, the staid guild gathered around the Elder perched on a high round stand bearing the emblem of this wind clan. At either side of the Central Elder were two lesser Guides, those who were next in line to be the much respected Elder who served as a fundamental part of the race; negotiating with other tribes and acting as a source of never ending power and support.
“Today,” spoke the Elder in a stentorian voice which belied his frail frame, “We decide upon our fate, we decide upon our future. Today, we summon the Valde Proeliator [the Great Warrior] and his Dracon [the Dragon]! ”
Whispers. Murmurs. Questions. They knew the purpose of this meeting of course, but who, who would the Savior be? Who was the most skilled of warriors? Who had the courage to shed their earthly desires for the greater good? Who had the will to survive in a world drowned in the black innards of evil? And who had the strength to carry upon this burden of being the only one who could deliver the world from madness? Questions whose answers the future depended on. A wave of the hand by the Elder silenced all again.
“It is time to summon the warrior’s Dracon and it is this very beast who will answer the question we all have pondered upon since the last Valde Proeliator walked upon this earth!”
He spread his frail but sure hands in front of him chanting, murmuring spells and calling upon his years of magical learning to build up a force within him. Spreading across the air between his hands, a tiny but blinding light came forth, floating over the heads of gaping clan and unto the denser region of the forest, disappearing altogether from sight.
A distant rumbling was heard which came closer and closer until finally, beyond the tall trees and the silver mist, an immense being moved, immediately triggering trepidation among the onlookers. As the behemoth began to take form, the warriors could fathom the reptilian head, the scaly wings and the massive lumbering body of the beast: a dragon. Not the puny rogue dragons one could see fluttering in the skies like dazed moths but the one dragon that could bring upon salvation to the world. The movement ceased. The dragon had arrived and lifted its colossal head searching, seeking its master. Slowly it rested its eyes on an isolated figure away from the horde gathered around it.
One warrior remained standing, away from the crowd. Like the others, he too wore a long black robe covering his head to his toe but he wasn’t looking at the dragon but downwards, his face covered by his striking silver hair. Aware of a mythical presence, he lifted his head to face the dragon which had already transfixed its blue cat eyes upon him. And he knew. He looked amused as the dragon walked up to him, awkwardly shifting amidst the massive weight of its body and bowing its massive scaled head low towards the ground.
The onlookers froze in disbelief. He was Yue. A newcomer. And never before in the history of the Yang clan had a newcomer been the chosen one. The earlier Valde Proeliators had all been burly fully fledged warriors trained to protect and qualified to destroy. But this young saviour was hardly a warrior. He had discovered his control over the elements only a few weeks back. In the clan’s eyes, he was unqualified but unbeknownst to them the Elder sensed his perspicacious eyes carried depth that could draw in what the world had in store for him. Of course some protested and others scowled while several valiant ones stepped up to take his place. But all were silenced when Dracon gusted forth a jet of flames from his crusty nostrils towards a row of trees instantly reducing them to dust. The sanctimonious beast had spoken and nothing could be done now.
Settling in to the decision and what was to follow, the Elder commenced to complete the second task that he had to accomplish. Carefully, he pulled out a grand sword from a heavily encrusted hilt, the Vita Gladius, the Sword of Life, rumoured to revive thousands and kill millions.
“Seek and destroy our enemies, the Fallen Angels and the Lost Demons.” The Elder declared as he handed the sword to the next redeemer. Yue extended his hands, composed yet confident, to the hilt of the sword.
Liking the feel of his weapon, he carefully placed it inside his robe, inside his sash. And as he laid hands on the great silver behemoth - Dracon — the rest of the warriors looked on. He lifted his piercing blue eyes and placed them unto the rest of the clan. While the race bowed down to him prepared for their fate, his outstretched palms conjured up a powerful life orb which absorbed the breath out of everyone in the conclave, using their energies to build up his own clout, his own life force. The sacrificed Clan would rise again from the ashes of their newly chosen warrior but for now they all fell as would the sinners and the demented.
And for the Valde Proeliator, no one would be a part of his journey now. No one would be his pillar of support. On his own and towards the unknown he set flight upon his beast — towards his destiny and towards the world that he would seek to conquer.
Lymphoma: Cell related cancer..
Lymphoma is a type of cancer involving cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes. Just as cancer repre sents many different dis eases, lymphoma represents many different cancers of lymphocytes -about 35 dif ferent subtypes, in fact.
Definition and description Lymphoma is a group of cancers that affect the cells that play a role in the immune system and primarily represents cells involved in the lymphatic system of the body.
The lymphatic system is part of the immune system. It consists of a network of vessels that carry fluid called lymph, similar to the way that the network of blood vessels carries blood throughout the body. Lymph contains white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes attack a variety of infectious agents as well as many cells in the precancerous stages of development.
Lymphocytes recognise infectious organisms and abnormal cells and destroy them. There are two major subtypes of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes also referred to as cells and T cells.
Causes The exact caus es of lymphoma are not known. Several factors have been linked to an increased risk of n developing lymphoma, but e it is unclear what role they play in the actual develops ment of lymphoma. These . risk factors include the folf lowing -d y · Age: Generally the risk of d Non-Hodgkins Lymd phoma increases with adh vancing age. Hodgkins s Lymphoma in the elderly is associated with a poorer f prognosis than that obs served in younger patients.
- Infection with HIV e · Infection with Epsteind Barr virus (EBV), one of the etiologic factors in mononucleosis.
- Infection with Helicobac ter pylori, a bacterium that lives in the digestive tract.
- Infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus medical conditions that compromise the immune system.
- Autoimmune disease.
- Diseases requiring im mune suppressive thera py.
- Inherited immunodefi ciency diseases.
- Exposure to toxic chemi cals.
- Farm work or an occupa tion with exposure to cer tain toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, or benzene and/or other solvents.
- Black hair dye · Genetics: Family history of lymphoma.
The presence of these risk factors does not mean a person will actually develop lymphoma.
Symptoms Often, the first sign of lymphoma is a pain less swelling in the neck, under an arm, or in the groin. Lymph nodes or tissues elsewhere in the body may also swell. The enlarged lymph node some times causes other symptoms by p r e s s i n g against a vein or lymphati v e s s e (swelling of an arm or leg), erve (pain numbness, or tingling), o the stomach (early feeling o fullness). Enlargement of th spleen may cause abdomi nal pain or discomfort. Man have no other symptoms.
Symptoms may include · Fevers · Chills · Unexplained weight loss · Night sweats · Lack of energy · Itching Diagnosis If a person has swelling o symptoms described in the symptoms section, his/her health-care provider will ask many questions about the symptoms. These questions are followed by a thorough examination.
If, after an initial interview and examination, the health-care provider suspects a patient may have lymphoma, the patient will undergo a series of tests designed to provide further clarification. At some point in this, the patient will likely be referred to a specialist in blood diseases and cancer (haematologist/oncologist).
Blood tests or biopsy are run for the patient. If there is no palpable mass in the presence of persistent symptoms, imaging studies will likely be carried out in order to determine whether a mass is present and, if so, how then to direct a biopsy.
Treatment The vast majority of cancer patients receive ongoing care from oncologists but may in fact be referred to more than one oncologist should there be any question about the disease. Patients are always encouraged to gain second opinions if the situation so warrants this approach. Treatment for lymphoma depends on the type and stage.
Standard first-line therapy (primary therapy) for lymphoma includes radiation therapy for most early-stage lymphomas, or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. For later-stage lymphomas, chemotherapy is primarily used, with radiation therapy added for control of bulky disease. Biological therapy, or immunotherapy, is being used in addition to or as an alternative to these standard therapies.
Prevention There is no known way to prevent lymphoma. A standard recommendation is to avoid known risk factors.
However, some risk factors for lymphoma are unknown, and therefore impossible to avoid. Infection with viruses such as HIV, EBV, and hepatitis are risk factors that can be avoided.
The invisible Solitary Man...
Said Michael Douglas, star of the Solitary Man, "I like to flirt with that grey area not overtly being heroic or a villain. Just being human."
And Douglas brings humanity to an exceedingly difficult role that could get him an Oscar in an independent film. It shows you that the higher you are, the harder you fall until at the end you are invisible. People who once knew you don't return your calls; others are too busy to see you. He tries to cheat aging by chasing younger and younger women but as a character says to him, "You can't cheat death no matter how many 19-year-olds you talk into your bed".
Douglas's character Ben Kalman, once a reasonable celebrity as `New York's honest car dealer', has seen it all -the heights of fame, the depths of anonymity. Still charming, good-looking, still persuasive, he is invisible because now down on his luck, no one knows him.
Says Roger Ebert, "He isn't solitary by choice but by default. He cheated on his good wife Nancy (Susan Sarandon).
He disappointed their daughter, Susan (Jenna Fischer) one time too many. He cheats on his current companion, Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker), in a particularly unforgivable way. He uses charm and the offer of his experience in life to charm Daniel Cheston (Jesse Eisenberg), a college student, and then betrays him. He has lied to his customers so often that, as everyone knows, `Honest Ben Kalman' spent time behind bars.
Yet he's charming and persuasive. He looks like a winner until you look too close. Solitary Man follows him for several days after he agrees to ac company Jordan's daughter, Allyson (Imogen Poots), as she goes for a college interview.
This is the same school he attended. He knows the dean, which may be a help.
You want to like Ben. He works on encouraging that.
When he was younger and less of a sinner, he must have been good to know, and there's an effective character in Solitary Man who suggests that. This is his old buddy Jimmy (Danny DeVito), who still runs a greasy spoon diner. On campus, Ben befriends the naive Cheston with man-of-the-world advice about sex, success and how to sell yourself. With women, Ben's approach is solicitous: Do some men misunderstand you? Are your qualities recognised? What are you getting out of the transaction?
The film is all about Ben Kalman, but one of the strengths of Michael Douglas' performance is that he isn't playing a character. He's playing a character who is playing a character. Ben's life has become performance art. You get the feeling he never goes offstage. He sees few women he doesn't try seducing. As a car dealer, he was also in the seduction trade. His business was selling himself at a dealership. What about in life when you need a recall?
What happens with Ben and the people in his life, especially the women, I should not hint at here. The movie depends on our fascination as we see what lengths this man will go to.
Solitary Man is a serious comedy, perceptive, nuanced, with every supporting performance well-calibrated to demonstrate to Ben that he can run but he can no longer hide.
Here is one of Douglas' finest performances. Because the other characters, no matter what they think, never truly engage Ben, he's on that stage by himself. Everyone else is in the audience. Douglas plays Ben as charismatic, he plays him shameless, he plays him as brave, and very gradually, he learns to play him as himself.
That's the only role left."
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