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Denis Giles

11 October 2019

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…India Today, 9th Oct

Ah sir, so a gruesome word like ‘lynching’ has been cleverly ascribed to Jesus, a man who lived on earth without sin? There were many who twisted such lines during his life, so that he could be killed, and yet, it was a Roman governor, who cried out after giving Jesus a trial, “I find this man innocent!”

And yet Jesus died, put to death by many who had actually seen Him healing the sick, and even raising the dead.

But sir, because He died, I now have direct access to my God! Because a sinless man, the Son of God, took on Himself, all my sin, now I can walk and talk with God every moment of my life!

What a joy it is, to have God as part of my life, giving me comfort when I am down, joy in my sorrow, helping me to forgive when I am bitter, and giving purpose in my life!

But, let us also go into the incident, which you attribute to the beginning of incidents of lynching:

I quote from John 8:1-11 New Living Translation (NLT).

A Woman Caught in Adultery

1. Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2. but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6. They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8. Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11. “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Jesus did not start a lynching incident, He ended what was once a medieval practice of stoning by law, and which is still practiced in some countries; but never ever Christian!

Before I end, let me add that the freedom we got from the British, through Gandhiji’s ‘Non-Violent’ movement was completely, totally and fully from the Bible, the Holy Book to which you attribute the ‘violence’ of lynching and they were words of Jesus, from His Sermon on the Mount!

Sir, need I say more?

May God be with you..! 

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Denis Giles

08 October 2019

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-      Dr Sameer Kaul, Sr Consultant Surgical Oncology & Robotics,President, bcpbf-The Cancer Foundation

Head and Neck cancer, especially Oral and Oropharyngeal cancer cases in India are rising, and India is already leading in numbers amongst other countries. India alone has a greater number of head and neck cancer cases than the Whole World put together. Timely detection of such cancers makes it curable, but unfortunately, the survival rates are very poor in India in comparison to the western world. Such is the case with cancers of the head & neck, which are the most preventable types of cancers, are not only easy to detect but also treatable.

As per the recent data provided by Globacan 2018, head & neck cancer cases attributed to over 24% of all the cases with a total of 2.75 lakh new cases registered last year. Further the ICMR’s National Cancer Registry Program data suggest that one in three cancer cases in India belong to one of the BIMARU states (Bihar, Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh). In 2017, 15.17 lakh cancer cases were recorded by various cancer registries in India against 14.5 lakh cancer cases in 2016. Of these, 5.75 lakh cases belonged to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Among the four BIMARU states, UP saw a maximum of 2.5 lakh cancer cases, which is the maximum in the country attributing to the consumption of pan masala and tobacco.

Earlier conventional methods of treatment only emphasized on treating the cancer growth and radical removal of the disease, unconcerned about the associated morbidities including, disfigurement, bent face, scars, non-aligned teeth, drooping shoulders etc (even after a reconstructive surgery). With the advent of novel therapies and advanced treatment modules, the treatment outcomes even for stage IV head & Neck cancer have better outcomes in a minimally invasive way. Proving to be a breakthrough in treating such cancers, Trans-Oral Robotic surgery (TORS) is a minimally invasive robotic surgery for the treatment of the cancers in the oral cavity with high precision and no disfigurement. TORS have clinically demonstrated the excellent survival rates and favorable functional outcomes.

Trans-Oral Robotic Surgery: A Minimally invasive way of treatment

Trans-Oral Robotic surgery is a relatively new approach for the removal of cancer cells even in cases that are hard to access. Making use of a robotic arm, endoscopic retriever, removes all the cancer cells in the throat and oral cavity, without the need for incision thereby preserving the adjacent healthy cells and tissues. Difficult to reach areas in the oral cavity include base of the tongue, until in the bottom of the tonsil, which has not only proven to be a boon for the patients but also a game changer for the surgeons.

Using the robotic systems to guide the surgical tools, allows for more-precise movements in narrow spaces and the capability to work in around the corners. This helps in preservation of vital neurovascular tissue and healthy muscular which helps the patient to swallow easily and get discharge home sooner.

Post treatment the patient is kept under close monitoring for any vital signs of bleeding, infection or any other complication and the patient can be discharged immediately.

TORS – Advantageous over Conventional treatment methods

Being robot assisted surgery, the precision of the targeted area is very high, and its minimally invasive nature prevents one from undergoing an open surgery. Initially the treatment modules for such cancer involved chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but if the cancer is not being detected at a very early stage, not much difference I nthe outcomes were observed, when an open surgery remained the last resort for the patient. Unfortunately before the advent of TORS, the conventional surgical method which was completely invasive caused the splitting of jaw bones (Mandible) exposing the base of the tongue for treatment, leaving many with disfigurement even after a reconstructive surgery. However, this minimally invasive technique is 100% safer and can be performed to remove recurrent tumours in the mouth and throat.

What is the future of TORS in India? 

Trans-oral robotic surgery can be used to treat cancers in the tongue, throat, mouth, larynx, pharynx, and other locations in the head and neck cavity. Advancements in the surgical equipments have made it possible to reach these tumours using the robotic technology. TORS has drastically improved the way doctors treat head and neck cancer patients, completely removing the tumours while preserving speech, swallowing ability and resulting in quick and better recovery without any major scars. It is widely accepted by aware doctors and patients in the country.

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Denis Giles

09 October 2019

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Category: Merit based

Scholarship: Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF 2019-20

Description: Ministry of Railways, Government of India is offering scholarship assistance to students of ex-RPF/RPSF personnel for encouraging them towards higher education.

Eligibility: Wards/widows of ex-RPF/RPSF personnel who have cleared Class 12/Graduation examinations with minimum 60% marks and are currently enroled in recognised institutions for undergraduate or postgraduate studies may apply for this scholarship.

Prizes & Rewards: Selected scholars will receive a monthly scholarship sum of INR 2,000 for male students and INR 2,250 for female students.

Last Date to Apply: October 31, 2019

Application: Apply online

Short URL: http://www.b4s.in/AC/PMS5

Category: Merit based

Scholarship: Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders 2019-20

Description: Students who have secured ranking positions in their higher education programmes at recognised institutions are invited to apply for this scholarship program announced by University Grants Commission (GOI) to encourage talented girls and boys towards post-graduation education.

Eligibility: Students enrolled in PG programmes at recognised higher education institutions, who have secured 1st or 2nd rank in previous graduation examination with minimum 60% marks in selected disciplines may apply for this scholarship if they are below 30 years of age.

Prizes & Rewards: Selected students will receive a scholarship sum of INR 3,100 per month for the duration of two years.

Last Date to Apply: October 31, 2019

Application: Apply online

Short URL: http://www.b4s.in/AC/PGM3

Category: Means based

Scholarship: National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students 2019-20

Description: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has announced this national fellowship programme to provide financial assistance to students from ST community for higher education. The programme includes scholarship and fellowship benefits for UG and PG students respectively.

Eligibility: Students enrolled in M.Phil/Ph.D. programmes at recognised institutions after passing a post-graduate examination may apply for the fellowship grant. Students enrolled UG/PG programmes at recognised institutions with family income below INR 6.0 lakhs per annum may apply for scholarship programme.

Prizes & Rewards: Selected M.Phil/Ph.D. students will receive monthly fellowship amount up to INR 28,000, HRA, contingency grant up to INR 25,000 and monthly escorts/reader assistance up to INR 2,000. Selected students of UG/PG programmes will receive full tuition fee scholarship up to INR 2.5 Lakhs, and other allowances up to INR 74,400 for books, living expenses and computer.

Last Date to Apply: October 31, 2019

Application: Apply online

Short URL: http://www.b4s.in/AC/NFA2

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Courtesy: www.buddy4study.com

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Denis Giles

04 October 2019

Hits: 942

“Who told you to put all my earnings into that bank?” shoutsa distraught businessman as he looks at his weeping wife, “Now it is your fault we are ruined!”

In many homes, it’s either a wife or a husband crying out, “You are to blame!”

But who is to blame?

Some point at the director. Some against the trustees, and many the defaulters!

Depositors march up and down, shouting they want their money back and the culprits booked.

But who is to blame?

And here’s a story: A bearded puppeteer walked into a village.

Not only was he a good puppeteer but he was also good with the flute and was known all over as the Puppeteer Pied Piper. He played his tunes cleverly in the village, and the poor villagers listening to his tunes went into a trance. Even with no food in their bellies they dreamt of money landing in their bank accounts, and days becoming better. They also fell in love with war tunes the puppeteer played, that got surrounding villages scared, because the beat was reverberating, the sounds loud and the villagers of the puppeteer felt proud because they had never been able to scare others before.

Then the puppeteer who now had the whole village under his magic spell, looked round and decided his puppets would manage the village.

The bank chief whose job was to look after the small savings of the villagers was given the sack, and a puppet put in charge. The judge was told goodbye and as he left, a puppet occupied his chair, and so also the village crier, who announced the village news suddenly found a puppet doing it instead of him.

And as the puppeteer played with the puppet strings, the puppets went about doing the jobs deftly, managed by the puppeteer’s deft fingers.

The villagers went about their daily lives, wondering, though, why the new puppets could not solve their problems. Forgetting they were only puppets.

Then one day, the people lost all their savings.

They started blaming each other, and even blamed the stony-faced puppet in the manager’s chair, who stared back at them with marble puppet eyes.

Immediately, the puppeteer took up his flute again, and played another war tune, and the people, even those who had lost all their savings, clapped and cheered at the war tunes that were played, and even though broke, broken and beggared they cheered the Puppet Pied Piper, while continuing to blame their wives, and husbands and puppet chiefs, who stared back at them with marble puppet eyes!

Who is to blame?

Why, the villagers of course, for trusting in mere puppets, who did not have the ability of doing specialized jobs and the puppeteer too for thinking he could do every job, just because he was an excellent puppeteer and pied piper..! 

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