A Candle in the Dark

Recently, I got a mail in the official students mailing list of IIT Madras (which is moderated, btw) sent by a particular student, and which I’ve reproduced below.

to students@smail.iitm.ac.in
date Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 11:13 AM
subject [Btech] [Students] tulsi a cure for swine flu
mailing list btech.smail.iitm.ac.in
mailed-by smail.iitm.ac.in

Ayurveda, the traditional ’science of life’, has a remedy for diseases when
every other stream of medicine fails. Now, at a time when swine flu is
spreading like wildfire across the world, Ayurveda has the remedy in the form
of the miraculous herb, the basil leaves commonly known as Tulsi.

Tulsi, the purest and most sublime plant, has been known and worshipped in
India for more than five millennia for its remarkable healing properties.
Considered as an ‘Elixir of Life’, this wonder herb has now been claimed to
keep the deadly swine flu at bay and help fast recovery in afflicted persons.
“The anti-flu property of Tulsi has been discovered by medical experts across
the world quite recently. Tulsi improves the body’s overall defence mechanism
including its ability to fight viral diseases. It was successfully used in
combating Japanese Encephalitis and the same theory applies to swine flu,” Dr
U K Tiwari, a herbal medicine practitioner says.

Apart from acting as a preventive medicine in case of swine flu, Tulsi can
help the patient recover faster.
“Even when a person has already contracted swine flu, Tulsi can help in
speeding up the recovery process and also help in strengthening the immune
system of the body,” he claims.

Dr Bhupesh Patel, a lecturer at Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar is also
of the view that Tulsi can play an important role in controlling swine flu.
“Tulsi can control swine flu and it should be taken in fresh form. Juice or
paste of at least 20-25 medium sized leaves should be consumed twice a day on
an empty stomach.” This increases the resistance of the body and, thereby,
reduces the chances of inviting swine flu,” believes Patel.

As its name suggests, Tulsi has again proved to be the ‘the incomparable’
medicine – this time, in the prevention and cure of swine flu.
The symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of
seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body
aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have
been infected with novel H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and
vomiting. The high risk groups for novel H1N1 flu are not known at this time,
but it’s possible that they may be the same as for seasonal influenza.
However, Please consult a practitioner in case of any such symptoms. Doctors
have strictly advised against self medication.
Source : Yahoo

This is complete bullshit, on so many levels. Spreading such misinformation to a student community is potentially catastrophic.

There is ABSOLUTELY ZERO EVIDENCE that Tulsi is a “remedy”; or can “control”, “prevent” or “cure” swine flu. There hasn’t been any scientific tests which attempts to test the efficacy of Tulsi in controlling or preventing or curing swine flu.

You’d expect that a ‘premier’ (hah!) scientific institution like IIT-M would realize the important of providing accurate and scientific information in light of the swine flu cases reported in Chennai. Instead, they circulate this silly pseudo-scientific drivel? What were the moderators drinking?

Finally, using Yahoo as a source for credibility? Please…

Deepak Chopra practices levitation with Jackson in deep contemplation

I wonder what MJ was contemplating? Perhaps he thought, “Now that’s off the wall”. Or maybe twas “This guy sure can jump high from a squat!”.

But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t: “Why does the TOI print such drivel?”

HC to decide fate of IIT-M director in two months

Reiterating that the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras director M S Ananth’s appointment to the post for a second term would be subject to the outcome of a writ petition against him, the Madras high court has asked a single judge to hear and dispose of the matter in two months.
…
A former student of the IIT-M, E Muralidharan had filed the quo warranto writ petition, seeking to know on what authority the director was holding the post. He alleged that there were irregularities in the appointment.
…

What’s going on? I suspect there’s a deeper issue here…

Here’s the Miss Teen USA candidate, Mrs Vice President USA candidate.

COURIC: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries? Allow them to spend more, and put more money into the economy, instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in. Where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh, it’s got to be about job creation, too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade — we have got to see trade as opportunity, not as, uh, competitive, um, scary thing, but one in five jobs created in the trade sector today. We’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation.

Here’s John McCain on Sarah Palin in a recent interview.

She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America.

But wait…there’s more!

And, uh, she also happens to represent, be governor of a state that’s right next to Russia. She understands Russia.

Ah, the first signs of senile dementia? Proximity knowledge is pretty basic stuff.

UPDATE:

Turns out, she ACTUALLY BELIEVES that proximity to Russia gives her foreign policy experience!! What is this, Monty Python?

Sena students say don’t mind being called ‘terrorists’

A day after Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was condemned for suggesting that “Hindu suicide squads” should make powerful bombs to target “mini Pakistans” in India, the students wing of the party defended his stand and went a step further, saying they would not mind being called “terrorists” if bombing anti-nationals was terrorism.
….
“Yes, we are terrorists! If protecting the country is terrorism. If killing traitors is terrorism. If bombing those who criticise the nation, the motherland and the religion is terrorism. If fighting terrorism with might is terrorism. Then we are proud to be terrorists,” the posters said.
….

Sigh….

One of my old friends, who I hadn’t contacted for quite some time, wanted to know why I had sent him a facebook invite to attend a Rolling Stone and BAC tribute concert.

What..? I hadn’t done anything like that! After profusely apologizing for the spam, I asked him to forward me a copy of the mail.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Facebook
Date: Sun, May 18, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Subject: _______ invited you to the event “ROLLING STONE & BAC present COME TOGETHER with The Be…

_______ invited you to “ROLLING STONE & BAC present COME TOGETHER with The Beatles” on Saturday, May 31 at 6:30pm.

_______ says, “I’ll see you there then?”.

Event: ROLLING STONE & BAC present COME TOGETHER with The Beatles
“A Tribute Concert”
What: Concert
Host: Rolling Stone magazine, India
When: Saturday, May 31 at 6:30pm
Where: Bucks Theatre (YMCA Nandanam)

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

I’m extremly annoyed.

It could be that someone hacked into my account to send the invite, but I don’t think that’s likely, cause I can still access my account. Anyway, off I go to delete my facebook account.

Corporal punishment Violence against children in schools is legally allowed in some parts of the United States.

From the Hindustan Times

A leading Muslim cleric today issued a fatwa that the face of controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen be blackened for her alleged comments against Islam and demanded that she be immediately expelled from India.

Barkati also said that he had offered a reward of Rs 50,000 for anybody who would blacken Taslima’s face as he urged authorities to immediately deport her to Bangladesh.

If there are any moderate Muslims reading this, please make yourselves heard and speak out against such moronic, deranged, and sadistic men so that they can be put in jail, where they belong. Your silence against such atrocious behavior is what protects these madmen (however, see edit2 below).

Only the collective voice of moderates can throw the deranged nutjobs like the cleric above into prison or a madhouse.

EDIT1:

There’s an update to this story. From the Times of India,

In a stunning follow-up to the attack on Taslima Nasreen by Muslim activists, the Hyderabad police on Saturday booked the exiled Bangladeshi author for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, language — a charge that can get her two years in prison, if proven. The attackers are roaming freely, charged with minor misdemeanours.

The move by cops, who had dragged their feet on complaints against the goons of a city-based political group, the Majlis-Ittehadul Muslimeen, booked Taslima under section 153 (a) of the IPC after a complaint by MIM’s floor leader in the AP assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi.

WHAT?

That’s monstrously preposterous rubbish. I can’t believe that the system of administering justice in India has been reduced to this! Akbaruddin Owaisi is the person who want her to be killed. In fact, he’s said

“We are very proud of our MLAs and activists who assaulted her,”
“We will implement the fatwa issued against Taslima if she comes to the city again.”

Akbaruddin, MIM floor leader in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, had threatened to kill the exiled author if she visited Hyderabad again.

Those are direct threats of PHYSICAL HARM. These people are trying to kill her! Put them in jail before they can do harm!!! How hard can this decision be? Instead, the police book Taslima for “promoting enmity”!!!! You’d be hard pressed to “promote enmity” better than trying to kill someone!!!!!

“What is this special status that Nasreen enjoys where she speaks to hurt and then feels proud of it?”

Freedom of speech, you moron.

EDIT2:

After a few minutes with Google, I have come across condemnation of this act from the Muslim community. While it is still my opinion that the majority of the Muslims are indeed keeping silent, it’s nice to know that there are Muslims who do support the freedom of speech.

- Shame on you hoodlums!
- The American Muslim

Links
Fatwa to blacken Taslima’s face (Hindustan Times)
Taslima’s very existence is provocative, says MIM leader(The Statesman)
After attack, Taslima faces case of promoting communal enmity(The Hindu)
Police slap case on Taslima (The Times of India)

Yesterday, while I was fishing around in a library, I came across this disheartening index in the science section.

Sigh…