The Globe.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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Quit Smoking NOW The government of India on Tuesday announced that smoking would be banned in all public places from October two, The birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Father of the nationThe ban would include hotels, restaurants and offices, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said in New Delhi If someone is caught smoking, then a fine of Rs 200 ($5/-)would be imposed on that person in accordance with the National Tobacco Control Act. “Though in the beginning, the fine would be only Rs 200, we will try to amend the act in the future, after which the fine can be increased to Rs 1,000 (USD $50/-)and the employer can also be fined if somebody is found smoking within the office premises,” Ramadoss said, inaugurating a tobacco workshop in New Delhi. Apart from this, the minister said the Government has also issued notifications to make pictorial warnings compulsory on all tobacco products from December one. To begin with, the pictorial warnings would be those cleared by the Group of Ministers and would cover 40 per cent of the product covers, but after around one year, more pictures can be brought in, he said. The Government is also making the fight against tobacco an integral part of the school health programme. “According to a WHO study, around 14.1 per cent of school going children are using some or the other form of tobacco, which is very worrisome,” Ramadoss said. The government had notified pictorial warnings to be carried on tobacco products last month after clearance by the Group of Ministers. ==================================================== Get your FREE Welcome kit to quit smoking from CigArrest which has helped over 1,000,000 customers to quit smoking since 1986 and remains the leading homeopathic stop smoking program. It is all-natural, non-addictive, contains no nicotine and provides the most powerful non-prescription deterrent available. Their product helps permanently break both the physical and psychological addictions without withdrawal or weight gain. Cigarrest relieves irritability and nervous tension while significantly reducing the cravings for cigarettes.

Posted on September 9th, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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A tour de force work by a leading scholar, “Race“ Is a Four-Letter Word explores the history of the concept of race in America, the reasons why the concept has no biological validity, and the ways in which it grew to become accepted as an idea that virtually everyone regards as self-evident. An ardent and eloquent opponent of typology, essentialism, and stereotyping, C. Loring Brace has based this engaging study on the “Problems of Race” course that he has taught at the University of Michigan for the past thirty-five years. Opening with an explanation of why the concept of race is biologically indefensible, “Race” Is a Four-Letter Word shows how the major elements of human biological variation have unrelated distributions and cannot be understood if the existence of “races” is assumed as a starting point. The book then examines the course of events that created the concept of race, journeying through time from Herodotus through Marco Polo; to the Renaissance and the role of the New World; on up to the American Civil War, the curious results of the alliance switch in World War I, Arthur Jensen, The Bell Curve, J. Philippe Rushton, and the Pioneer Fund in the twenty-first century. Ideal as a supplementary text in anthropology courses, “Race” Is a Four-Letter Word can also be used in history of science courses and sociology courses. It is captivating reading for professionals and anyone else who seeks enlightenment on the socially debatable issue of “race.”

Posted on June 27th, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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Sweden’s Sven Lindqvist provides a unique study of Europe’s dark history in Africa, written in the form of a travel diary. Lindqvist examines the legacy of European racism, setting Conrad’s HEART OF DARKNESS in context and helping us to understand that most terrifying of Conrad’s lines “Exterminate all the brutes“.

Posted on June 27th, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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Do you get a lift by dangling a participle? Has your punctuation ever caused difficulties at home or at work? Do you consider yourself just a “social misspeller”? These are some of the warning signs in this practical guide to eliminating bad writing habits that is couched in a hilarious parody of self-help and recovery literature. Filled with accessible advice and examples, this powerful twelve-step program identifies the most common writing mistakes and offers simple ways to correct them.

Have a look at the book, titled, When good people write Bad sentences. “12 Steps to Better Writing Habits, by Robert W. Harris. You would love it.

Ashok Chavda

Posted on June 2nd, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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Born in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Alexander McCall Smith was educated at CBC Bulawayo before moving to Scotland to study law. After returning to southern Africa to teach law at the University of Botswana, he returned once more to Edinburgh, where he lives today with his wife, Elizabeth (an Edinburgh doctor), and their two daughters Lucy and Emily. He was sometime Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and is now Emeritus Professor at its School of Law. He retains a further involvement with the University of Edinburgh in relation to the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

He is the former chairman of the British Medical Journal Ethics Committee (until 2002), the former vice-chairman of the Human Genetics Commission of the United Kingdom, and a former member of the International Bioethics Commission of UNESCO. Due to his late success as a writer these other commitments could not be continued.

He is an amateur bassoonist, and co-founder of The Really Terrible Orchestra. He is also the author of a testimonial in The Future of the NHS (2006) (ISBN 1-85811-369-5) edited by Dr Michelle Tempest.

He was appointed a CBE in the December 2006 New Year’s Honours List. In June 2007 he was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws at a ceremony celebrating the tercentenary of Edinburgh University’s School of Law.

His latest book is The Miracle at Speedy Motors.

Here Precious Ramotswe is doing what she does best–helping people with their problems and enjoying the simple pleasuire of life. Mma Ramotswe is busy investigating her latest case; a woman who is looking for her family. The problem is the woman doesn’t know her real name of whether any members of her family are now living.

after many twists and turns the problem is resolved and that is to everyone’s shock.

A good book to read and also is a best seller right now.

Ashok Chavda

Posted on May 30th, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing is characterized by her “plain” language and her characters, often Indian immigrants to America who must navigate between the cultural values of their birthplace and their adopted home.

Lahiri’s second collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth, was released on April 1, 2008. Upon its publication, Unaccustomed Earth achieved the rare distinction of debuting on The New York Times best seller list in the number 1 slot.[12] New York Times Book Review editor Dwight Garner stated, “It’s hard to remember the last genuinely serious, well-written work of fiction — particularly a book of stories — that leapt straight to No. 1; it’s a powerful demonstration of Lahiri’s newfound commercial clout.

Everyone has their secrets. In her stunning new collection of stories, Jhumpa Lahiri gently lifts the veil to reveal how even the most ordinary lives have their dramas and tragedies and then, as gently, lets it fall back down again. A middle-aged man discovers that the death of his wife opens up his world in unexpected ways, his daughter worries that she will now have to look after him but finds that the tables, in fact, have turned; a housewife falls in love with a family friend, her child ascertains her secret years on; a young man and woman whose lives cross over the years, finally and fatedly fall in love. Unaccustomed Earth returns to the terrain - the heart of family life and the immigrant experience - that Jhumpa Lahiri has made utterly hers, but her themes, this time around, have darkened and deepened. Poised, nuanced, deeply moving, this is a superb book.

Jhumpa rocks.

Ashok Chavda.

Posted on May 30th, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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