Meena Mangalathil:

Today one of my cousins passed away due to heart attack. I really felt sad because I do not know how many of my family members passed away due to cancer. The most saddening thing is, my dad too passed away due to heart attack. So I decided to just find out, why it happens in the first place and the shocking factor just opened up to me. I hope you too read it and know it. What is a Heart Attack? A heart attack is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. What are the causes of Heart Attack? Heart attacks are not the result of coronary artery disease. It is as a result of disease in the small vessels—the capillaries and small arterioles—which is a consequence of factors such as stress, diabetes, smoking and nutritional deficiencies. Heart cells, which are very active metabolically, suffer from inadequate oxygen and nutrient supply. This oxygen and nutrient deficiency increases under stressful conditions. W

The Importance of Water Our bodies need water to function properly. According to Water.org, humans can survive for weeks without food, but for only a few days without water. The plants and animals we eat require water as well, so water crises inevitably become food crises. We also use water for cleaning our bodies and our homes, and for producing power such as in hydroelectric dams. The World Water Council reports that the human population of the planet is on track to grow 40 to 50 percent within the next 50 years, putting additional pressure on our already shrinking supply of fresh water. Why should we conserve water? Reducing our use of water will decrease water pollution, increase energy savings, and create more efficient use of our water resources. 780 million people around the world lack access to clean water causing 3.4 million deaths, many of those being children. Consider the fact that every 21 seconds a child dies from water related diseases. These overwhelming numbers ca

Climate change is caused by an increase in the earth’s temperature. Natural causes can include volcanic activity, a change in the energy from the sun and variations in the earth’s orbit around the sun. NATURAL CAUSES There is little evidence of dramatic changes in any of these factors sufficient to account for the dramatic temperature increases of the past few decades, and scientists have concluded that the main cause is the increase of the gases water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. These gases trap the sun’s energy which reaches the earth’s surface, and reduce the amount reflecting back into space, thus warming the earth’s surface. HUMAN CAUSES The major source of the increased gases is human activity, which has significantly increased these gases since the industrial revolution. The major causes are the burning of fossil fuels for energy generation and transport, and agricultural activities (land clearing, fertiliser u

Air pollution is the air which is not fit for breathing. Its a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air released into the atmosphere by both man-made and natural processes. 1. Exhaust from Combustion Engines :- Emissions from vehicular combustion engines contain gaseous oxide, nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide, all of which contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer. With a thinner ozone layer, the earth will gradually succumb to sweltering heat. 2. Use of Coal and Fossil Fuels :- Factories, power-generating establishments, offices, even homes, utilize fossil fuels and coals for power or heat. Even though beneficial, coal and fossil fuels contribute to air pollution and smog. They also damage structures and hasten the oxidation of iron. Add to that, they can cause harm on plants, which significantly reduces oxygen supply on earth. 3. Mining Operations :- These activities release carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide into the air, all of which contribute to de

Today I stood in the judgement podium, just like Jesus stood in front of Pontius Pilate. It was not a very happy moment. But one day, we all will stand in this place for sure, for our past mistakes. The funny part is, just like Jesus was condemned for several reasons, which was fabricated, we too would be condemned for no reason of ours. But don't get saddened, that is how, we get to clear our past mistakes. If we run away and chicken out from this situation by blaming others or giving reasons, then we will have to stand in the same podium again, with another bigger issue and of much higher grade. You have a choice, whether clear off this issue by facing it and finishing it in one go and make it your last judgement or have a repeat of all these things again and again. It was weird when I used to read the Bible, why didn't Jesus, the son of God did not respond, when he was being judged or lashed or crucified. Now I understand, why. Believe me, this Bible is not just another ho

Today, I had the opportunity to speak to an Italian pilot who is now retired and now is a skipper of a boat. So I asked him, how come, he took a totally different job from what he was used to. Did he had to study again in order to become a skipper of a boat? He said, "If you have a sense of direction and the techniques of navigation, whether you are at sea or land or air, you can take any vehicles. So whenever I see people, who are connected to ships or boats, I think of Titanic, which got crashed on its maiden voyage. So I asked him, are you a very spiritual person? Do you pray, while you are taking your plane or the boat because, there are people, whose safety lies in your hands. He replied,"I don't know because I do not know there is God. But there are many times, when I am in a very difficult situation, that I join my hands and say, whoever there is on top, please help me from this situation and the miracle happens. But when I see hunger and poverty of my

I had an Eagle friend. I do not know, whether it was a he or a she because I am not a person who messes with the animal kingdom. We used to meet everyday at 6 am at church. He on the nearby fire station building would wait for me and when I arrive it would give a loud cry, just to say, he is there and I would acknowledge by raising my hand and run to the church because, my bus arrives at the nick of time and this Eagle used to wait till the mass finishes and when I come off he again says bye in his language and flies off. So after sometime, I had to leave the place and didn't return back. After several years and I went to the church, in the same bus and lo behold!!! I heard my eagle cry and looked up to find my friend there on the fire station building. I couldn't contain my tears. And when I came out after mass, it came down to the ground. That was the first time, I saw an Eagle at close quarters. It came near me, looked at me for sometime. I felt it cried. Anyway I think,

I am really glad at least, all the other living beings except man can live however they wish, without spirituality, mentality and super naturality. I just put some rhyming words, don't hold much store about that, if you cannot understand. But one thing please do understand, we are several steps ahead because we have lost the freedom and that has created havoc all around. Look at the nature, it rains whenever it feels like raining, flooding or snowing or sunning. Before, when our forefathers said, that it would rain in mid summer and they specified a specific date for snowing and it did just that. But now, sometimes, we do not have winter at all, instead summer takes its place or the summer is off and the rain takes its place. We are not sure, what is happening. But one thing is for sure, we are creating it and that is all because we are disobedient. You might think, what has disobedience to do with all these havoc. If we had played by the rules, do you think, we would get into t

I do not know the line that divides a sane person from the insane. But I know, its very thin. Once I happened to see a movie about a normal man, who turns insane when he sees an housefly. I know, its simply weird. But its true. There was a flashback too for the reason, he becomes insane. Its just for a time period this insanity holds him and afterwards he is OK. This has really got me thinking. Man is basically a wild man. He has just put a coat of civilization over him and has covered his wildness under it. But in real fact, it is inside him. It could explode with just a sight of a housefly and we call it insane. But is it really an insane thing. I would say no because he has to be in the jungle free to express his anger, happiness whatever, in nature and instead we are forcing ourselves to control those instincts and become a volcano for small reason and the ultimate end, mental assylum or mentally deranged person or he would be in front of a counsellor. And that is sad. The nau

My son always say, "If I get this toy, I would be the happiest person in the world." And when he gets it, he is the saddest because, it didn't come up to his expectation and his interests flies and settle on something else. Well, we all have this problem. One day, Mark came to class with two packets. One was a diamond and the other was charcoal. He packed it so nicely, that no one could understand what was in it. He brought it daily to class and returned it home. So one day, one of his friends happened to see the packets and enquired about it. He told him truthfully, what the contents were and the days passed. One day Mark found, that one of his parcels were missing. He knew, it was taken by his friend. But he didn't respond. Soon afterwards, his friend stopped coming to class. Then one day after many years, a man with a dirty beard, unkept hair and dirty clothes came to Mark and stopped him on his way to the office. Mark looked questioningly at the stranger. The st

Everyday I go to church, though I take my bath early in the morning, there is this lethargic feel around at the early hours of the day in fact the first hour of waking up, bath or no bath and when I go to church, its the same two bowls of flowers and two candles on either side. But today it was a blast of colours on the altar, that my eyes really went out of sockets and my sleep just shot off from my system. Its very difficult to explain, but the way, they decorated the place and the angle with which a freely arranged long stalk flowers upside down, in the whole place, faced at the spectators and not a single one was turned the other side. I just wondered how can that be possible. Either they might have put pins or cello tapes. So I looked keenly, whether there was any. But none. So that means, the decorator knew the technique to decorate the flowers upside down without pins or tapes. At that moment I just got this feeling that, man has some unique qualities, which only one person h

"True to the word." I like this word attached to me. You know, that is not too easy to achieve. My children say, I do not keep my word. That is sad isn't it? But in my professional and social life, I do keep my word. Then where did I go wrong? Nowhere. No parent can keep up to the expectations of their children. But they will surely be the role model of every child. Do you know why? Simple, the children will go through the same situation with their own children and then they would know, they had acted the same at this age, then it would be flashback time. They remember how the parents coped with this situation. And that is when the parents become role models and at that moment. They would know, why parents could never keep word with the children. Children are new to this world, new to experiences, new to people. So with the little knowledge and experience they have, they decide, they act and that is where the interference of the parents arrive. But what to do? T

"Driving me crazy" is what the slogan of every youngsters of the day. Its not about life. Its about their parents. You know, the oldies are too strict and they do it too perfectly and systematically, and they know, that it is the only way to get to be successful in life. But the age of the youth is just to enjoy, chill out, etc... and the forward blocking, water drenching, sober, poker faced parents, who have never known, what life is, never would understand. But the funny part is, these good for nothing parents had a time, when they were worse than their children and they learned their lessons the real hard way and they went through lots of heart burn and hand burn, tears and hopelessness, which if the children repeat, they too had go through. But we children are more wise than their parents, aren't we? We know the pros and cons of what we are doing and we are not the innocent people like them. We know people. We have had exposure with loads of them. So we know, what

Today, I had a very very energetic guest that it was next to impossible to get things done in a jiffy and without paying a cent. She was literally counting her pennies and planning her tour with her computer and the free wifi. So her friend was the person who was organizing the tour for her. Since he had 13 years experience in touring the place. He did it perfectly, getting the quote from different travel agencies and decided the best option, to take the trip with the best people and that was me. So he paid his part of the payment which included the flight tickets, hotels, houseboats and taxi. He waited for his friends to arrive and when they arrived, a male and a female. They were not very happy looking. And my friend was not happy to speak to them either. But since, they had no choice, they heard him completely and she mentally calculated the price and divided the price in British pounds and did shortcut calculation. For me, actually I could feel the British strictness oozing thro

Today, thunder and lightning arrived immediately after I reached home after work. The funny situation was, in the morning, it was strike in the whole area, where it was a political storm was taking place. But the problem was, it is not a very easy situation who has to face both the nature’s and political storm is not worth living. You might ask, why do I say that. I remember, one of my friend’s family all died in a lightning strike. You know, lightning s very powerful and nobody would survive after its struck. Likewise, when you are in the middle of a political strike, no one has any normal senses, they all are blind to the cause, they have only destruction in mind. So on one side the strikers and the other side the police and the result, a big clash, where our body parts would be battered, stamped and tattered. So what do you think? Are we fit to live? Fury is one thing which cannot be contained, if it is burst from the line of control. So try not to bring out other’s fury and ou

I have never seen a guest so angry, like the people, I met today. Usually, when a guest arrives, they would readily have a smile and a good morning or something. But these people were so straight faced, that the person managing their reservation hadn't the courage to talk to them at all. Seeing this I just an idea of weaving a story, just for you. Lionel was the Managing Director of a big software company. It had branches worldwide. So on a daily basis he shuttled around the world. He could do that easily because he had no family, to say as his own. No social life too. So it was fine with him. One day, a charming young lady was his seat mate in the plane. She had the window seat and Lionel the aisle seat. This charming young lady smiled at Lionel and he didn't respond. He just took one of his files and started to read it. The plane took off and after sometime, the girl felt a stomach pain and she requested to allow her to pass, so that she could go to the toilet. He just got

Today, I met a very sad person, who really touched my inner me. Just don't ask me, how. But one thing is true, tears do have effect on everybody's heart. So I would like to weave a story about tears and its after effect. I do not know, how it would be. But still lets take the journey together. Long long ago in a small town, there was a girl named Roma, who was very jovial and happy. She was always smiling and gay, that everyone loved her presence. She had a pussy cat, which she loved with her life. One day, the cat went away never to return. She searched the whole place, nearby streets, forest, etc. But she didn't find her cat. She started crying and the whole town weeped with her. The next day and the next day, her tears didn't stop. It continued for days and extended to weeks. She went into the shell of sadness. She didn't allow anyone to get close to her. She never had a smile. She lost her lustre, the shine. One day, her aunt Matilda arrived very very early

Yesterday, the people were painting my place. So I was literally thrown out of my cocoon. But when I returned today, it was a new place, the face changed, the oldness changed, the shabiness changed. So seeing this I would like to weave a story, where appearance really do make a difference. Noma was a lady, who loved nature, who always tried to connect herself with nature. She never bothered with her appearance. She always looked shabby. If any one commented on it too she never cared. She just was happy that she was not like the rest of the people. One day, there was a recruitment of two nature lovers and eight scientists from the government level to be in the wilderness of the Amazon - An Expedition team. It was an opportunity for Noma. Though she was not highly qualified, the chances of she getting into the nature lovers section was meagre. But still, she applied for it. The day arrived for the interview. She dressed in her usual way and came down for breakfast excited. Seeing h

Have you wondered why people are always going for tours? and travel around the world? Some people say, to know the world. Some say, just to escape from the daily routine. Some say travel is knowledge, etc..etc... But if we go deeper, into the soul of me, I would say, I am in search of something perfect. Something that really makes me happy always. But for that, including myself we all know, that there is no place, which would fulfill our criteria. So I am going to weave a story regarding the eternal search. One day Martha was returning home, when she saw a banner giving the Dream Holiday of the lifetime. So she decided to look into it the next day. But this made her think, what would be her dream holiday? A holiday, where I would get to see the nature at its most beautiful state or great historical sights is also fine. But in the end, it should be a memorable one. A vehicle to drive me to all the places, according to my whims and fancies. A hotel, where its the epitome of luxury.

The place where I stay is very photogenic area. Its because it has a lot of history. Now in order to have history, it need to be there from time immemorial. So I would like to weave a story of time. There was once a lame boy named Ralph, who wanted to be famous. So he went to his father and asked, "Father, what should I do to become famous?" The father replied, "Do something good." So he decided to do something good. But his way of walking made everyone laugh. He was always the butt of joke for everybody. Even then, he tried to do good. But he was more a laughing stock than a social worker. Seeing the humiliation Ralph was facing, his mother said, "Son, why are you making everyone laugh at you?" "Mother, I am glad, that I can bring a smile to others face. I know, they are laughing at me. But I take it as a gift. God has given me, my lameness and I would cherish it and do whatever good I can do. Mother, don't be sad for me because I am not.