Day of Joy for USA, The Day of Independence, 4th. July, All Roads leading to the Venue- CHARLES RIVER @ Boston!
Roads looking deserted with less Pedestrians & Vehicles on other days wore a festive look flooded with people from all walks of life with Family & Kids in particular, by walk mostly & by conveyance if not avoidable! Fireworks are normally held on waters of Charles river in between Cambridge & Boston which was reacheable by Train from our Apts. That day, Buses, Trains & other modes of Travel are free totally right from 10.30 PM onwards to & fro! At Capital, Newyork, it is held on waters of River Hudson which is tely-cast!
National Flags of US, normally seen kept furling on all days year on House-tops & elsewhere from morning to evening are seen furling the whole day!It can be displayed in any form over the body- Patriotissm is the only criteria! All States of US, Fifty in toto, annexed at various stages & periods have their own Flags & Logos apart from the only National Flag!Moreover, they have their own Motto declared in specific pharases, Nick-names, Animal, Flower, etc. which will be let known to you all in the Blogs to follow!
Just click the Link below to go back in History!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
Obvious, we were part of the Milling crowds that day to reach the Banks of Charles but by late evening only
by which time practically no space was available on vantage points to witness the popular Fireworks.People used to assemble right from early morning to reserve space with Tents pitched, umbrallas placed, etc. We could squizze ourselves somehow to find space finally on the Banks at Cambridge side.Live music by World famous-Symphony Orchestra; lectures until the commencement of the event kept us engaged in listening. Also we could succeed in catching glimpses of Fireworks in our Camera but not with clarity due to the limtations of Camera & Venue! Moreover, it was pitch-dark allover due to Power Shutdown on both ends of the Charles!
Whatever possible was done & shared with you all as Slide-show with Captions below!
2)- US MEDIA ON OUR CULTURE:-
Here is a classic example to view how Local Media of Newspapers depicts our Culture, thanks to the Yahoo Group of Thatha Patti which brought out the same recently!
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/holi_2010.html
Just recollect my earlier Blog- 11 where I had given another Link, also the Local Media depicting our Culture but on the Soil of US covering AMMA Amritananda Mayi's Spiritual visit here hugging Millions over her range of visits till date! More such exposures will follow time & again in our Blogs to follow!
3)- US MEDIA ON FOOD & HEALTH:
Now comes the Role of Media on exposing the fear of Adulteration in the Products of Popular Food Manufacturers- M/s Kellog!
Limitations on existing infrastructures here at US Admn. to detect in time for corrective & Preventive actions are also discussed which is reproduced below- Thanks to Thatha Patti Group of Yahoo again.
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 2, 2010
This summer, when Kellogg recalled 28 million boxes of Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops and Honey Smacks, the company blamed elevated levels of a chemical in the packaging.
Dozens of consumers reported a strange taste and odor, and some complained of nausea and diarrhea. But Kellogg said a team of experts it hired determined that there was "no harmful material" in the products.
Federal regulators, who are charged with ensuring the safety of food and consumer products, are in the dark about the suspected chemical, 2-methylnaphthalene. The Food and Drug Administration has no scientific data on its impact on human health. The Environmental Protection Agency also lacks basic health and safety data for 2-methylnaphthalene -- even though the EPA has been seeking that information from the chemical industry for 16 years.
The cereal recall hints at a larger issue: huge gaps in the government's knowledge about chemicals in everyday consumer products, from furniture to clothing to children's products. Under current laws, the government has little or no information about the health risks posed by most of the 80,000 chemicals on the U.S. market today.
"It is really troubling that you've got this form of naphthalene that's produced in millions of pounds a year and we don't have some of the basic information about how toxic it is," said Erik Olson, an expert at the Pew Charitable Trusts, which is advocating an overhaul of U.S. chemical laws. "In so many cases, government agencies are missing data they need on even widely used chemicals about whether they pose a health risk."
The information gap is hardly new. When the Toxic Substances Control Act was passed in 1976, it exempted from regulation about 62,000 chemicals that were in commercial use -- including 2-methylnaphthalene. In addition, chemicals developed since the law's passage do not have to be tested for safety. Instead, companies are asked to volunteer information on the health effects of their compounds, and the government can decide whether additional tests are needed.
In 1994, the EPA invited the chemical industry to submit health and safety data for 2-methylnaphthalene because it was being produced in large quantities, said Mary F. Dominiak of the EPA. Chemical manufacturers have yet to disclose that information, she said.
And they may not even have it. If a manufacturer possesses data showing that a chemical harms health or the environment, it is required to turn over the findings to the EPA. Critics say that creates a disincentive for manufacturers to test their chemicals.
Kellogg responded to a request for comment by referring to the statement it issued with its recall, which said, "While the potential for serious health problems is low, some consumers are sensitive to the uncharacteristic off-flavor and smell and should not eat the recalled products because of possible temporary symptoms including nausea and diarrhea."
Bills pending in Congress would revamp the way the government regulates chemicals, forcing companies to prove that new chemicals are safe before using them and requiring health and safety assessments of existing chemicals, such as 2-methylnaphthalene. The chemical industry has said it agrees the law should be revamped, but it also has expressed concern that new restrictions might hamper innovation and competitiveness.
One federal agency has minimal information about 2-methylnaphthalene -- the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which reviewed the scientific literature on the chemical in 2005. It concluded that nothing is known about its use related to food. "You are not likely to be exposed . . . eating foods or drinking beverages" and risk exposure only "if you live near a hazardous waste site," according to the agency's Web site.
A natural component of crude oil, 2-methylnaphthalene is structurally related to naphthalene, an ingredient in mothballs and toilet-deodorant blocks that is considered a possible human carcinogen by the EPA. Kay Cooksey, a packaging expert at Clemson University, said 2-methylnaphthalene likely ended up in cereal because something went awry in the manufacturing of the foil-lined bags. The foil is attached to the paper bag with an adhesive that is heated, she said. If too much heat is applied or if the composition of the adhesive is incorrect, 2-methylnaphthalene could form, she said.
The chemical "is not supposed to be in food," said Mitchell Cheeseman of the FDA's office of food safety. The agency allows a minute amount of the chemical in food packaging if it is produced as a "contaminant" during the manufacturing process, but it is not supposed to transfer to the food, he said.
Because the FDA does not know anything about the toxicity of 2-methylnaphthalene, the agency set its limit based on what it knows about the toxic effects of similar chemicals, Cheeseman said.
He added that the FDA does not know what caused the Kellogg contamination, how much 2-methylnaphthalene might have migrated into the cereals or if it was the only contaminant. The agency did not perform its own tests on the cereals.
Roberta Wagner of the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs said Kellogg destroyed most of the tainted liners before it contacted the agency and announced a recall.
"Basically, Kellogg's investigated the situation before they made the decision to do the recall," Wagner said. "They did their own testing." She said the agency continues to investigate.
The company submitted a copy of its health risk assessment to the FDA, but neither Kellogg nor the agency would release it.
Cheeseman said it is unusual for contaminants to migrate from packaging into foods.
But others are less certain. "In this case, it had an odor and it had a taste, so it was detected," said David Andrews, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. "But there are hundreds of other potential impurities that we can't smell and taste, chemicals that we know very little about and the government knows little about."
Ramasundaram DRS
4)- HUMOUR:
Courtesy- Thatha Patti Group of Yahoo!
Subject: FW: Think....esp Electrical engineers
Needs a lot of Thinking... Can you answer this?
Once there was a bus conductor, who was very rude to his passengers. One day a beautiful young girl, of around 18 years,tried to board the bus, but he didn't stop the bus. Unfortunately the beautiful young girl came under the bus and died on the spot.
Angry passengers took the conductor to the police station, who in turn took him to the court.
The judge was not at all impressed with him and gave him capital punishment.
He was taken to the electrocution chamber.
There was a single chair in the center of the room and a single banana peel at one corner of the room.
The conductor was strapped to the chair and high voltage current was given to him! .
But to everyone's amazement, he survived.
The judge decided to set him free, and he returned to his profession.
After a few months, this time, a good looking middle aged woman tried to board the bus but the conductor didn't stop the bus.
Unfortunately, this time also, the good looking middle aged woman came under the bus and died on the spot. Again angry passengers took him to the police station, who in turn took him to the court.
The judge took one look at the conductor and gave him capital punishment.
The Bus conductor was taken to the same electrocution chamber where there was a single chair in the center of the room and a single banana peel at one corner of the room.
He was strapped to the chair and high voltage current was given to him.
This time also to everyone's amazement, he survived.
The judge decided to set him free, and he returned to his profession.
A couple of months later, an elderly gentleman tried to board the bus.
This time the Bus conductor, remembering his earlier experiences, stopped the bus.
Unfortunately the elderly gentleman slipped and died due to his injuries.
The conductor was taken to the police station and then to the court, to the same judge.
Though he hadn't done anything wrong, but considering his past record the judge decided to set an example and gave him capital punishment.
The Bus conductor was again taken to the same electrocution chamber where there was a single chair in the center of the room and a single banana peel at one corner of the room.
He was strapped to the chair and high voltage current was given to him.
This time he died instantly !!!!!!!!!!!
The question is why didn't he die on the first two occasions, but died instantly the third time??
Try to solve it yourselves. This is rather interesting and answer is perfectly logical.
If necessary read the puzzle once again.
Still you couldn't, Then see below...
Think hard
Tired????
wanna know the answer????
Answer :
During the first two times, the conductor was a Bad Conductor, therefore electricity didn't pass through him.
But during the third time, he was a Good conductor, electricity passed through him freely and he died!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !
Ha Ha Ha ha !!!!!!!! Obviously you gotta revise your science chapter on Electricity..................Back to Basics..
5)- FOOD FOR THOUGHT:-
After the Kadi-joke, here is a beautiful Thought of The Day!
