Critically Endangered Pygmy Hog- Revised

Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across the terai in India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam. The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer. Recent conservation measures have increased the prospect of survival in the wild of this critically endangered species


They are about 55 to 71 cm long and stand at 20-30 cm with a tail of 2.5 cm. They weigh 6.6 to 11.8 kilograms. Their skin is dark brownish black and the fur is dark. Piglets are born brown with very faint yellowish stripes along the body length. The head is sharply tapered and they have a slight crest of hair on the forehead and on the back of the neck. Adult males have the upper canines visible on the sides of the mouth. They live for about 8 years, becoming sexually mature at 1-2 years. They breed seasonally before the monsoons giving birth to a litter of 3-6 after a gestation of about 115 days. In the wild they make small nests by digging a small trench and lining it with vegetation. During the heat of the day they stay within these nests. They feed on roots, tubers, insects, rodents, and small reptiles.


The pygmy hog is the sole representative of Porcula, making the conservation of this critically endangered species even more important as its extinction would result in the loss of a unique evolutionary branch of pigs. They used to be widespread in the tall, wet grasslands in the southern Himalayan foothills from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through Nepal and north Bengal. However, human encroachment has largely destroyed the natural habitat of the pygmy hog by development, agriculture, domestic grazing and deliberate fires. Only one viable population remains in the Manas Tiger Reserve, but even there threats due to livestock grazing, poaching and fire persist. The total wild population has been estimated as less than 500 animals and the species is listed as "critically endangered" (Oliver, 1980; Oliver & Deb Roy, 1993; Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos Status Survey and Action Plan, 1993; Narayan, 2006). Their rarity contrasts greatly with the massive population of wild boars (Sus scrofa) in India.


Conservation of the species has been hampered due to the lack of public support, unlike that for charismatic South Asian mammals like the Bengal Tiger or Indian Rhino. Local political unrest in the area has also severely hampered effective conservation efforts, but these conflicts have now ceased.Pygmy hogs were exhibited in the zoos of London in the 19th century. Neither was captivity aimed at conservation nor did these captive populations survive. Zürich Zoo exhibited pygmy hogs from 1976 to 1978, but all females died. The success of captive breeding dramatically increased after the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, PHCP, was established in 1995. The PHCP was established under the umbrella of a formal 'International Conservation Management and Research Agreement' by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the IUCN's Pigs, Peccaries and Hippo Specialist Group, the Forest Department, Government of Assam, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has launched a comprehensive conservation strategy including field status surveys of pygmy hogs and their habitats, behavioural studies, personnel training, local community awareness and assistance programmes and the establishment of a highly successful captive breeding program at the Pygmy Hog Research and Breeding Centre in Assam. Active habitat management has been established and a reintroduction programme has now been launched (Narayan, 2006).

The Success Story

Dr Goutam Narayan of Durrell Wildlife and EcoSystems-India said,"By 1964, the pygmy hog was thought to be extinct with no sightings reported for several years. Then in 1971, four pygmy hogs were recovered from a market in Paneri in north Assam and that gave everyone cause for hope."

After 12 years of patient conservation effort, which began with six wild pygmy hogs, Assam Forest officials and experts from the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) have now released 16 hogs into the Sonai Rupai wildlife sanctuary, about 175km (110 miles) north of the state capital, Guwahati. (Reported by BBC News/South Asia;19 May 2008)

Dr Narayan is the man who deserve the credit for the success of the programme.

Assam's chief wildlife warden MC Malakar said,"This is a great day in the history of animal conservation throughout the world and we are proud of the achievement."

This is just the beginning of a new hope to see the pygmy hogs in the wild. But it is only possible with support from each one of us, who has a moral resposibility towards our environment. What we can do is to get more information and inform the ignorant to prevent further damage to the habit of these animals.

Let us Save the Planet which is in CRISIS!

I am Grateful to the Viewers of My Blogs

This is with reference to blog Critically Endangered Pygmy Hogs.
I am thankful to the viewers of my blog. Today I would like to extend my special thanks to

Dr. Goutam Narayan
Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme
Indira Nagar, Basistha
Guwahati, Assam 781029

I appreciate your concern for correctness of the mentioned article and your effort to inform me.

Extinctions will Affect Evolution of Species

Human activities and lack of concern for the environment will lead to the extinction of many species if proper actions were not taken on time. Extinction not only effect the biodiversity of the earth but also effect the complete process of evolution by which biodiversity is created.

According to Norman Myers, a Fellow at Green College, Oxford University,

It takes about 5 million years for the world to recover after a major extinction.

Evolution is being altered by the current extinction.

Certain biomes, such as coral reefs, may lose all of their inhabitants.

Gene pools will be so depleted that species may not be able to bounce back.

Species that have adapted to human environments will dominate.

New species may not evolve if tropical forests disappear.

Loss of species means the loss of sub-species.

Large mammals are likely to go extinct.

The damage caused by the current extinction is probably permanent.

There are so few elephants left, it is unlikely that new elephant species will ever emerge.

What we do now will set a course for evolution.

Critically Endangered Pygmy Hog

Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam. The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer. Recent conservation measures have increased the prospect of survival in the wild of this critically endangered species

They are about 55 to 71 cm long and stand at 20-30 cm with a tail of 2.5 cm. They weigh 6.6 to 11.8 kilograms. Their skin is dark brownish black and the fur is dark. Piglets are born grayish-pink becoming brown with yellow stripes along the body length. The head is sharply tapered and they have a slight crest of hair on the forehead and on the back of the neck. Adult males have the upper canines visible on the sides of the mouth. They live for about 8 years, becoming sexually mature at 1-2 years. They breed seasonally before the monsoons giving birth to a litter of 3-6 after a gestation of 100 days. In the wild they make small nests by digging a small trench and lining it with vegetation. During the heat of the day they stay within these nests. They feed on roots, tubers, insects, rodents, and small reptiles.

The pygmy hog is the sole representative of Porcula, making the conservation of this critically endangered species even more important as its extinction would result in the loss of a unique evolutionary branch of pigs. They used to be widespread in the tall, wet grasslands in the southern Himalayan foothills from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through Nepal and north Bengal. However, human encroachment has largely destroyed the natural habitat of the pygmy hog by development, agriculture, domestic grazing and deliberate fires. Only one viable population remains in the Manas Tiger Reserve, but even there threats due to livestock grazing, poaching and fire persist. The total wild population has been estimated as less than 150 animals and the species is listed as "critically endangered" (Oliver, 1980; Oliver & Deb Roy, 1993; Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos Status Survey and Action Plan, 1993; Narayan, 2006). Their rarity contrasts greatly with the massive population of wild boars (Sus scrofa) in India.

Conservation of the species has been hampered due to the lack of public support, unlike that for charismatic South Asian mammals like the Bengal Tiger or Indian Rhino. Local political unrest in the area has also severely hampered effective conservation efforts, but these conflicts have now ceased.Pygmy hogs were exhibited in the zoos of London and Berlin in the 19th century. Neither was captivity aimed at conservation nor did these captive populations survive. Zürich Zoo exhibited pygmy hogs from 1976 to 1978, but all females died. The success of captive breeding dramatically increased after the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, PHCP, was established in 1995. The PHCP was established under the umbrella of a formal 'International Conservation Management and Research Agreement' by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the IUCN's Pigs, Peccaries and Hippo Specialist Group, the Forest Department, Government of Assam, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has launched a comprehensive conservation strategy including field status surveys of pygmy hogs and their habitats, behavioural studies, personnel training, local community awareness and assistance programmes and the establishment of a highly successful captive breeding program at the Pygmy Hog Research and Breeding Centre in Assam. Active habitat management has been established and a reintroduction programme has now been launched (Narayan, 2006).

A Crime Not Noticed!

It was a few years back; I visited Chennai and its Marina Beach, a memorable experience in itself. What could be a better way of relaxing in a summer evening than to take a walk along the sea-beach? I can remember the day as vividly today as I did on that same day. While I was enjoying my walk, I came across a young kid; he may be fifteen or sixteen years old. He was carrying a bag filled with some coral reef, star fish and sea-shell. He insisted me to buy some as a momentous. I was fascinated by the items in his bag and curious to see more. After a tough bargain over the price, I decided to by a piece of coral reef and two dried up star fish. The beauties of these items were irresistible. Back home they enhanced the beauty of my living room. They often reminded me of that day.

A few days back I learn some more details about coral, and the threats faced by it due to human activities. I did not know that the ocean took thousands of years to produce it so that countless number of other organisms could live with it in a symbiotic relationship. I have taken away a part of it and disturbed the ocean ecology. Like me, there are thousands and thousands tourist who might have taken it as a momentous. If all of us continue to fulfill our greed, it will not be long that the entire coral reef will be destroyed and eventually lead to a disaster in the ocean ecology.

I, now, realize that the kid was doing a crime, and I helped him to do more. I did not notice that I was involved in a crime against the nature. May be the kid did not know what he was doing just like I did.

Now the piece of coral reef in my living room reminds me of the crime every time I look at it and I suffer for the crime I committed.

I am sharing my story so that other should not suffer like I do.

Fastest Land Animal on Earth is Moving Fast towards Extinction.

I am talking about Cheetah, the fastest land animal which is a critically endangered species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, especially the Asiatic Cheetah. After the extinction of Indian Cheetah, only the Iranian Cheetah is left with a meager population of 50-60.

It is far more saddening that this animal received its name from the oldest Indian language i.e. from Sanskrit word chitraka meaning “speckled”, yet Cheetah is extinct in India.

Cheetah was always associated with Indian hunting stories. It is said that Emperor Akbar had 1000 hunting cheetah which is depicted in many persian and indian miniature painting. Now though trials are going on to clone the Indian Cheetah and bring back these beautiful animal ,but only increasing the population of Cheetah can not solve the problem. We have to recreate its habitat and also balance the feeding ecology. As Cheetah feed mainly on antelope, so return of Cheetah may lead to extiction of some of these species like the Blackbuck and Nilgai, both are near threaten species.

We, as a superior species than rest, have the moral responsibility to protect all other creature.
Let us do it.

BAIJI, The goddess of Yangtze is EXTINCT!

Yes, I am going to share sad news today, Baiji, the rare river dolphin of the Yangtze is functionally extinct as reported by the National geographic. According to National Geographic news, Pfluger, a Swiss economist-turned-naturalist who financed the expedition, said in a telephone interview from Wuhan, China, that baiji is functionally extinct.

"If there are any baiji left in the river, they won't have any chance of survival."

This rare dolphin which survived in the Chinese river for more than 20 million years is the first aquatic mammal to go extinct within fifty years due to human activity. The major reason could be the Yangtze dam.

Chinese people, who nicknamed it as the goddess of Yangtze, will never be able to see it or show it to their children. Baiji can not be brought back to existence but at least we can still save the other four types of river dolphins still available in the world from disappearing. Out of these the river dolphins of Brahmaputra and Ganges are in the most critical condition.

I am optimistic that a little effort together can save our River Dolphins.

My Friends, Let us save our Planet!

Future of Asiatic Lion!

As a small child I was told that Lions are the king of the forest. But, today the situation is very different. Men rule both the cities as well as forest.

Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) were believed to rule the forest of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Persia and also the northern part of the African continent.

It was in 1907, the population of Asiatic Lions was found to be only 13 confined to the forest of Gir in India. Now the present population is 360 living in the sanctuary of Gir. It is a great success for the inbreeding program of the sanctuary. But, behind this rosy picture there are other problems that have arisen.

As this entire population of lions descended from a dozen of them left in early 20th century, the DNA fingerprints looks like identical twins, which make them highly vulnerable to any disease.
Beside this, since the entire population is confined to a small geographic area of Gir, any natural disaster could led to the extinction of this sub-species.

Hence the King of the jungle is now vulnerable to biological, climatic and man made catastrophe.

Let us hope that the Samrakshan Trust prepare a second home for the Asiatic Lion before it is too late.

My Friends, Let us save our Planet!

River Dolphins of India: They are BLIND but are we also?

The Blind River Dolphins, Platanista gangetica, found in Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers. They are also locally known as Hihu and Susu in Brahmaputra and Ganges respectively because of the sound they make while breathing as they are aquatic mammal and need to come out in the surface of the water every 30- 120 second for breathing.

The reasons for loosing their vision are not known but they have highly developed sonar senses.

There are other river dolphins in Yangtse river of China, Indus river of Pakistan and Amazon river of South America.

Though few years back there were many of them, but recent survey conducted in 1993 states that there are only about 600 left in Ganges and 400 left in Brahmaputra and its tributaries like Kulsi and Subansiri. Present number is not known but expected to be much lesser.

The main reasons for such depletion in the number of this unique creature are fishing, poaching and sand mining. Other reason in Ganges is also the damming like Farakka dam.

But, the sad story is that even today not much is done for conservation of this creature and we have also lost our vision just like the Blind River Dolphins. Strict measures are needed immediately.
My Friends, Let us save our Planet!

Mahatma Gandhi as an Environment Conservator!

Mahatma Gandhi is known as a non violent freedom fighter but we hardly see him as an environment conservator. He had a far sighted approach in every thing he said, he could even visualized the effect of over exploitation of the natural resources and coined this statement in 1909, which holds true in today’s context.

"The earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”

“We may utilize the gifts of Nature just as we choose, but in Her books, the debits are always equal to the credits.”

Today, world is facing global warming and climate change, which is the consequence of over exploitation of our natural resources. It has made the climate difficult even for the human species, most adoptable animal of all, to survive. It will lead to extinction some the tropical insects, melting of the glacier at such high rate will lead to drying of some great rivers forever and rise in the sea level will reduce available land for all terrestrial animals and plants.
Now it is the time that we get back to the century old statement and follow it before it is too late.
Let me share some more quotes on nature from the great man:

“This little globe of ours is not a toy of yesterday.”

“I refuse to buy from anybody anything, however nice or beautiful, if it interferes with my growth or injures those whom Nature has made my first care.”

"What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another."

"Wildlife is decreasing in the jungles, but it is increasing in the towns"

Little Hope for Hoolock Gibbon!

Coming to the biodiversity of the North Eastern states of India, we come across another exotic creature of this region, the Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock). Hoolock hoolock is the only species of apes found in India.

Hoolock gibbons face numerous threats in the wild, and are now entirely dependent on human action for their survival. The debilitating threats include habitat encroachment to accommodate ever-growing human populations and immigration, forest clearance for tea cultivation, the practice of jhuming (slash-and-burn cultivation), hunting for food and “medicine”, capture for trade, and the degradation and decline in quality of their forests that impacts fruiting trees, canopy cover and the viability of their home ranges. Isolated populations face the additional threats arising from the intrinsic effects of small populations. Some populations surviving in just a few remaining trees are subjected to harassment by locals and to lack of food, and are attacked by dogs while attempting to cross clearings between forest patches.

Though there is no accurate figure available for the existing Hoolock hoolock but it has been observed that during the last 30-40 years, population of Hoolock hoolock has declined from 100,000 to nearly 80,000 in 1970 and it is now estimated to be some where around 5000 only. And this is a very small number and there is little hope for the Hoolock Gibbon to survive for a long time.

According to IUCN Category of threat (Hilton-Taylor, 2000) Hoolock hoolock falls in endangered (criteria: A1cd).

Thanks to the number of organization and the forest department of Assam that it has declared a Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam. This is just the beginning but more awareness is required for fruitful result.

Asian Elephants are asking for your HELP!

Elephant, world’s largest terrestrial mammal is in grave danger of extinction if we do not take swift action. Though the elephant population of India is showing some growth over sometime as in the graph (shown); the matter of concerns are:

A. The population of Elephant in Assam and adjoining states (North Eastern States), which has the major share (9243 out of 26413), is declining drastically (11023 in 1993 to 9243 in 2002)

B. More concerning fact is the Male: Female ratio, which is alarming due to high number of poaching for the male tusk.

I appeal to the resident of these north eastern states and to the local villagers near these elephant reserves to increase the awareness against poaching and inform the local officials immediately.

If we ignore it now, we will not be able to see the largest terrestrial mammal in the future to come and our children will not see the majestic animal like we did.

My Friends Let Us Save Our Planet and its Treasures.

Where are My Sparrows gone?

Whenever I look at a sparrow (Passer domesticus) , it reminds me of my childhood as I grew up among the sparrows in my house. There were hundreds of them in my roof. But where are my sparrows now? I never realized the number of sparrows in my house was reducing slowly until now that I scarcely able to see any.
I see less number of sparrows every where now. What happened to them?

Being worried, I tried to find out the situation worldwide, and similar situation exist everywhere. May be there are animals who need more attention now but if we leave the situation of these house sparrows unattended now, it may lead to a future concern. I will request a mild effort from every person to save these small creatures, which are facing some problem without our noticing them.

While going deeper into the cause of this problem, I came across one reason which could be the reduced nesting place of these birds. As the old houses are renovated and older nest are being destroyed and newer houses doesn’t provide congenial place for building a nest.
So, Lets take a pledge, that whenever we come across any nest of sparrow, we shall try to protect them.
My Friends, Let Us Save Our Planet.

Few Words from Mike Pandey!

Mike Pandey’s words…

“Education and awareness and information is the magical key that can bring prosperity, harmony and progress to my country.

The earth is our home and is in a crisis; our collective actions alone can make a difference and give it a chance for revival.

The future is in our hands and we have to leave the legacy of the living world for our children”.

The Doodle Spot: The Road from Perdition

The Doodle Spot: The Road from Perdition

Are You Suffering From Depression?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 17 million adult Americans suffer from depression during any 1-year period. Depression is a real illness and carries with it a high cost in terms of relationship problems, family suffering, and lost work productivity. Depression can seriously impair a person's ability to function in everyday situations.
Good News is that, depression is a highly treatable illness. Treatment of depression needs involvement of both medicinal as well psychotherapy. Prospects for recovery for depressed individuals who seek professional care are very good. By working with a qualified and experienced therapist, people suffering from depression can help regain control of their lives.

How much sleep do you need?

Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary. It is like number of bread pieces you need for your breakfast. Some of us are fine with just two pieces while other need as many as eight pieces. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can't perform at their peak unless they've slept ten hours. And, contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn't decline with age but the ability to sleep for six to eight hours at one time may be reduced. (Van Dongen & Dinges, Principles & Practice of Sleep Medicine, 2000)

Three species of Tiger are now Extinct!

Dear friends, when ever I talk of better living, I always talk about improving our environment in which we live. We can do so by preserving the natural environment. It includes both flora and fauna of the place.

Bad news that I am going to share with you is that three species of Tiger are now extinct, they are, Caspian Tigers, Javan Tigers and Bali Tigers. None of us are going to see them and future generation will only hear tales of them.
Few decades before, there were nine different species of Tiger; Bengal tigers are found in Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Western Burma with a population from 3,000 to as many as 4,050; Siberian tigers or Amur tigers are found in China, Eastern Russia, and parts of North Korea with a population of around two-hundred; Sumatran tigers are found only in Sumatra with a population from four to five- hundred; Indo-Chinese tigers range from Eastern Burma to Vietnam; there are about twenty or thirty South China tigers left in South China; Malayan Tigers, which were identified as different species from Indo-Chinese Tiger only in 2004 and are very few in number less than 500 (estimated); Caspian Tiger, Javan Tiger and Bali tiger which are now extinct.

What Can You Do About It?
You can donate to WWF for Tiger Project. If you can not donate, at least join the Passport program and make a difference.

What YOU get out of it is Satisfaction worth a million Dollars.
My friends let’s Save Our Planet!

Mother’s Day is close!

As the Mother’s day closes by I remember an incident that happened nearly a year ago. It was birthday of a friend. I was still confused what gift shall I get for him? At last I got into a Gift shop nearby, so that I could choose one from the collection. There were not many customers out of which a kid nearly eight or nine years old caught my attention. I observed him as he was choosing a Mother’s day card. He picked up a card at last and very happily went up to the counter and poured out everything that he had in his pocket to pay for the card. The shopkeeper counted the change and said that it was not enough to buy that card. The kid was upset and decided to get a smaller card. I was somewhat moved by the sight and decided to help the kid to buy that card. So, I went up to the counter and offered the extra amount and he should buy that card. The Kid refused and replied, “I will get a smaller card, I will not borrow from any one to buy a card for my mother, if you can afford for this then get it for your mother. She will like it.”
I did not say a word and bought the card and he was right. My mother really liked it. That made my day.

The little kid had something to teach me. See if this story has something for you too. If you have not gifted any thing to your mother for some time, then do not miss this opportunity.

Do you need some more TIPS for avoiding anger?

Anger, as I mentioned in my earlier blog is a natural phenomenon and triggered by various internal and external factors. It takes some time to change our internal factors and it is more difficult to change these internal factors unless we change the external factors or the environment.

On the lighter side, it was once while discussing about controlling anger I told a gentleman to find out the external factors that triggers his anger and change it. After a pause he asked me “Can I change my wife?”

Coming back to point, you do not really have to change your wife/husband.

There are other ways for easing up on you:

Timing: If you and your spouse tend to fight when you discuss things at night—perhaps you're tired, or distracted, or maybe it's just habit—try changing the times when you talk about important matters so these talks don't turn into arguments.

Avoidance: If your child's chaotic room makes you furious every time you walk by it, shut the door. Don't make yourself look at what infuriates you. Don't say, "Well, my child should clean up the room so I won't have to be angry!" That's not the point. The point is to keep you calm.

Finding alternatives: If your daily commute through traffic leaves you in a state of rage and frustration, give yourself a project—learn or map out a different route, one that's less congested or more scenic. Or find another alternative, such as a bus or commuter train.

Do You Often Get ANGRY? Learn Techniques to Control Your Anger!

We all know what anger is, and we've all felt it: whether as a fleeting annoyance or as full-fledged rage.
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion.

Relaxation TIPS
Simple relaxation tools, such as deep breathing and relaxing imagery, can help calm down angry feelings. There are books and courses that can teach you relaxation techniques, and once you learn the techniques, you can call upon them in any situation. If you are involved in a relationship where both partners are hot-tempered, it might be a good idea for both of you to learn these techniques.

Some simple steps you can try:

• Breathe deeply, from your diaphragm; breathing from your chest won't relax you. Picture your breath coming up from your "gut."
• Slowly repeat a calm word or phrase such as "relax," "take it easy." Repeat it to yourself while breathing deeply.
• Use imagery; visualize a relaxing experience, from either your memory or your imagination.
• Nostrenuous, slow yoga-like exercises can relax your muscles and make you feel much calmer.
  

Practice these techniques daily. Learn to use them automatically when you're in a tense situation.

Are you suffering from SLEEP PROBLEM?.......read TIPS to combat it

Psychologists and other scientists who study the causes of sleep disorders have shown that such problems can directly or indirectly be tied to abnormalities in the following systems

Physiological systems

• Brain and nervous system
• Cardiovascular system
• Metabolic functions
• Immune system

Furthermore, unhealthy conditions, disorders and diseases can also cause sleep problems, including:

• Pathological sleepiness, insomnia and accidents
• Hypertension and elevated cardiovascular risks (MI, stroke)
• Emotional disorders (depression, bipolar disorder)
• Obesity; metabolic syndrome and diabetes
• Alcohol and drug abuse

TIPS to combat sleep problem

According to leading sleep researchers, there are techniques to combat common sleep problems:

• Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule
• Don’t drink or eat caffeine four to six hours before bed and minimize daytime use
• Don’t smoke, especially near bedtime or if you awake in the night
• Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before sleep
• Get regular exercise
• Minimize noise, light and excessive hot and cold temperatures where you sleep
• Develop a regular bed time and go to bed at the same time each night
• Try and wake up without an alarm clock
• Attempt to go to bed earlier every night for certain period; this will ensure that you’re getting enough sleep

WORLD, MY SON STARTS SCHOOL TODAY!

While going though a book, I came across a beautiful passage which has a soothing effect on my mind. I am sure that it will do the same for you. Passage goes as follows

World, take my child by the hand-he starts school today! It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while, and I wish you would sort of treat him gently. You see, up to now, he has been king of the roost. He has been the boss of the backyard. I have always been around to repair his wounds, and I have always been handy to soothe his feelings.
But now things are going to be different. This morning he is going to walk down the front steps, wave his hand, and start on a great adventure that probably will include wars and tragedy and sorrow.
To leave in this world will require faith and love and courage. So, World, I wish you would sort of take him by his young hand and teach him the things he will have to know. Teach him- but gently, if you can.
He will have to learn, I know, that all people are not just- that all men and women are not true. Teach him that for every scoundrel, there is a hero; that for every enemy, there is a friend. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest people to lick.
Teach him the wonder of books. Give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and flowers on a green hill. Teach him that it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him they are wrong.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone else is getting on the bandwagon. Teach him to listen to others, but to filter all he hears on a screen of truth and to take only the good that comes through.
Teach him never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears on the howling mob- and to stand and fight if he thinks he is right. Teach him gently, World, but do not coddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel.
This is a big order, World, but see what you can do. He is such a nice son.

Signed, Abraham Lincoln.

STRESSED!!!!..........while driving to your office?

Let me tell you how it all happens, you get ready for your office fresh in the morning, plan your day's work and drive out of your home. It is all fine so far. The moment you reach the busy street you see a lot of car plying on the road. This is a common site if you are living in a A Class or B Class city. And suddenly you find yourself waiting behind a Que of innumerable cars. You hear noises of all kind. Some crazy driver around you are honking unreasonably. You look at the watch and fear that you might get late for your work. You start getting irritated. A driver passing by gives you a stare as if you are responsible for it, which further irritate you. And after all this and with lots of other obstacle you reach your work place. Do you think you are still fresh enough to work? NO!........ that is the answer I hear from every person I ask.

Now, let's see what can be done to avoid this stress. You can not reduce the number of cars on the road, you can not stop those crazy drivers from honking madly, you can not even stop the other driver staring at you in that way. What can we do now?
The way in which you can avoid or rather reduce this stress by preparing yourself. You can see that the noise pollution is the first trigger, so pull up your window while driving and play a music that you like. Music has a great healing power. Enjoy your music while you are stuck on a traffic congestion rather than looking at your watch. If a person stare at you, give him a smile, as you know that smile is infectious. You will get one in return to uplift your mood. So by the time you reach your office you find yourself in the same fresh mind or even better. Do it and find it yourself. I wish all of you a stress free life.

So far I mentioned only about food for the body...... But do you know mind need a balaced diet?

Yes mind too need food both in the form of Calories and food of thoughts. Since mind is also a living tissue it thus require nutrients. But today I am talking about the other food that it need.
As you are living in a competitive society and you have responsibilities, work pressure and so on. Since the morning when you start your day you start feeding your mind with different thoughts like the plan for the day, persons to meet etc. There are things that worries you and things that will bring happiness in your mind. You may even catch a quarrel on the street while going to your work place. It is a part of your life so nothing much can be done. So at last you end up the day and you sleep. But your mind does not sleep, only that the subconscious mind takes over and the conscious mind goes to the back seat. This is the time it start cooking all that you have fed into your mind throughout the day. If you fed more good thought you feel satisfied or else frustrated.
What I mean to say is that you need to balance this food for the mind to keep it healthy. Every time you face some irritating moment which you cannot always avoid in today's life you have to make some arrangement to feed something good. I will tell you more how to do that...... just keep viewing

Do You know that exercise can also help your brain?

In the long term, exercise is beneficial to the brain by:
increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain
increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells and promote synaptic plasticity
increasing chemicals in the brain that help cognition, such as dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin.

Do you know that exercise can improve breathing?

Active exhalation during physical exercise helps the body to increase its maximum lung capacity. This results in greater efficiency, since the heart has to do less work to oxygenate the muscles, and there is also increased muscular efficiency through greater blood flow. Consciously breathing deeply during aerobic exercise helps this development of the heart and lungs.

Exercise regularly to keep yourself fit and healthy.

A physical exercise is a bodily activity that develops and maintains physical fitness and overall health. It is often practiced to strengthen muscles and the cardiovascular system, and to hone athletic skills. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent diseases of affluence such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. It also improves mental health and helps prevent depression.

Obesity and Calorie

The word 'Obesity' is always associated with Calorie. It is the extra calories that get deposited in our body. A Calorie (with a capital C) is a unit that measures the amount of energy in foods. It is also known as kilo calorie and is equal ti 1000 calories (with a small c). A calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Centigrade. An adult might eat up to 3,000 Calories a day. Eating too many Calorie that the body does not use for energy may make you fat.

Now when it comes to burning this extra Calorie that is stored in our body, we come to get different advises from different sources. The most common advise is to get a device that can help you burn your extra Calorie. But we often forget that this can be done by simple things like walking, playing or even dancing. I would like to mention few of them and the amount of Calories burn. So stop wasting your hard earn money.

What is Obesity?

Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, exceeds healthy limits. It is commonly defined as a body mass index (weight divided by height squared) of 30 kg/m2 or higher.
Although obesity is an individual clinical condition, some authorities view it as a serious and growing public health problem. Some studies show that excessive body weight has been shown to predispose to various diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis.

Detrimental eating habits

In specific individuals, ingesting foods containing natural allergens (e.g. peanuts, shellfood) or drug-induced triggers (e.g. tyramine for a person taking an MAO inhibitor) may be life-threatening.
Some foods have low nutritional value, and if consumed on a regular basis will contribute to the decline of human health. This has been demonstrated by various epidemiological studies that have determined that foods such as processed and fast foods are linked to diabetes and various heart problems.
When improperly cut or prepared, a small number of foods (such as fugu) can result in death.
The ingredient usually cited as being most crucial to good health, water, has even been known to result in death when consumed in extraordinary quantities.

How much food do you think you'll eat in a life time?

Every few years the British Government carries out a survey to find out how much people eat. These latest figure shows that the average person will eat more than 50 tonnes of food over an 80 years lifespan.

What is healthy diet?

A healthy diet is the practice of making choices about what to eat with the intent of improving or maintaining good health
This usually involves consuming nutrients by eating the appropriate amounts from all of the food groups, including an adequate amount of water. Since human nutrition is complex, a healthy diet may vary widely, and is subject to an individual's genetic makeup, environment, and health. For around 20% of the human population, lack of food and malnutrition are the main impediments to healthy eating. Conversely, people in developed countries have the opposite problem; they are more concerned about obesity

Health of a person

A person is said to be healthy, if he is having a desease free body and a sound mind. When a person wants a healthy life he needs to take care of both his body and mind.
Taking care of the physiology of his body means a good balanced diet and enough rest for his muscle, whereas his mind has to be trained to relax and ease stress. Mind also need good diet, not the one like body but a diet in the form of good knowledge.