Since the last few years, the Bengali community in North and Central part of Switzerland were seriously pondering about organising a Sarbajanin Durga Puja of their own. In 2004, they made it all happen for the first time.

The Puja is performed in the most authentic manner as it is done in Bengal. Murti is brought from Kumortuli, Purohit comes from Kolkata and the Puja goes on for all five days as per tradition and calendar.

GO GREEN: Every festival generates great volumes of non-environment friendly waste. During Durga Puja a lot of such unnecessary and avoidable waste is generated. The attempt is to reduce the volume of waste generated. To achieve this, they would limit the use of plastic plates and glasses. lets congratulate this Durga Puja with this eco-friendly mission. To contact them -mail@swisspuja.com

Durga Puja in the city and in other areas in the NCR saw elaborate pandals and a growing awareness of usage of eco-friendly material this year. With the celebration of the 150th birth year of Rabindranath Tagore falling in 2010-11, paying tribute to the Nobel laureate was a popular theme in the puja pandals.

C R Park's K-block puja committee replicated Tagore's house in Shiladaha as their mandap, where his kuthibari stood at the bank of river Padma. Inside the mandap, there were paintings by the poet and excerpts from his poems and Gitanjali. "We have tried to create the idea of a library inside the mandap. We are having several cultural programmes following the theme, including Robindra-sangeet,'' explained puja committee president Jadav Chandra Dey.

Similarly, at Nivedita Enclave puja in Rohini, the dominant theme was the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore. With posters depicting the life of Tagore, the pandal had a huge idol of Durga.

Did you know?

• While 35% of the Earth's surface is already dedicated to agriculture, irrigated crop production will need to increase by 80% by 2030 to match rising demand
• The world's commercial fisheries are likely to collapse in less than 50 years unless current trends are reversed
• Hundreds of medicinal plant species, whose naturally occurring chemicals make up the basis of all prescription drugs, are threatened with extinction.
• New 'green markets' for organic agriculture, certified food and timber products are growing three times faster than the average, and could reach US$60 billion by 2010
• Around the world, it is estimated that protected areas could produce benefits, goods and ecosystem services worth between US$4,400 and US$5,200 billion a year
  
  for more details please login to www.connect2earth.org

Do you want to make a difference, but do not know how? Do you think that only big steps and big actions can only make a difference? Think again!

Everyone around us can talk about problems. How many of us can think of solutions? Out of the ones who can talk about solutions, how many of us are ready to take a step forward and execute those solutions? If you believe that environment needs solutions, and you are ready to join us in this move to clean the environment around us, read on. Join us in taking simple solutions, join us doing those little things that make a difference...join us in taking ...Small Steps!

For further details please open http://www.smallsteps.in/ or mail to upasana@auroville.org.in

Every Drop Counts in the Ocean called Humanity

Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Relief Foundation Trust in Hyderabad provides subsidized dialysis treatments to patients who cannot afford the cost of the treatments.

The way they work is on the last Sunday of every month, they give dialysis coupons to patients - one coupon entitles a patient to one dialysis session. They give as many coupons as the patient wants. They have tied up with three hospitals in the city of Hyderabad - Mahaveer Hospital, Challa Nursing Home and Mahesh Hospital. The cost of dialysis at these hospitals is Rs. 800. The trust pays the hospitals Rs. 500 per coupon. The patient pays Rs. 300 to the hospital directly.

The members of the trust monitor the quality of the dialysis offered by visiting the hospitals regularly. They also offer Erythropoietin injections (which most dialysis patients need to take) at subsidized rates. The plan is to offer dialyzers and blood tubings at much lower rates and gradually to open their own dialysis center in the city.

For more details please contact 04024742896 or 04024743445

Virtual Computer Webtop - various sites are offering space for personalized usage.

GLIDE: Online PC is available with 20GB space @ www.glidedigital.com

G.ho.st:  Online PC with 15GB space @ http://g.ho.st/

Starforce @ www.startforce.com
icloud @ http://icloud.com/en

AirSet @ www.airset.com

A phone number that spells hope for millions of children across India, CHILDLINE is India's first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance. Whether you are a concerned adult or a child, you can dial 1098, the toll free number to access our services. We not only respond to the emergency needs of children but also link them to services for their long-term care and rehabilitation. We have, to date, reached out to over three million children across the nation through such calls.

Deepa Nath an artist from Hyderabad is helping poor with her paintings. She has been inspired by a poor children. Her painting have been exhibited in Taj Deccan have generated the income of Rs2.20 Lakhs have been donated to Spoorthi, an NGO.  Some of her paintings have been purchased by HDFC Bank, Travel Organization.

Her dream is to set up a club of like minded artists and help more for the community.

Kumud and many housewife???s have started a school for the children who require special attention. With disabilities in walk, talk and mentally challenged are getting care and training in brining them to lead happy life. These children are got awards in Athletics. 

India's Tata Group launched a water purifier priced for the masses Monday that the company hopes will help save the lives of millions of people who die each year of waterborne diseases.

The purifier is the latest in a string of Tata initiatives - like the ultra-cheap Nano car and affordable Tata apartments - that target a lower income rural market many companies have ignored. The whole group has been fired with the view of how can we create products which were earlier not within reach of the vast number of people through innovation and technology, not just stripping down the value of the product, Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata said. The Tata Swach - Hindi for clean - meets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, and doesn't require running water, electricity, or boiling, executives said.

It's cheaper than boiling water, cheaper than bottled water, and 2.5 times less expensive than Hindustan Unilever's low-cost Pureit filter, according to data provided by the companies. Tata will sell two versions of the 19-litre Swach container, priced at 749 rupees ($16.11) and 999 rupees ($21.48), depending on the material.

The filter itself costs 299 rupees ($6.43). It will purify 800 gallons (3,000 liters) of water - enough for a family of five for a year - before it automatically shuts down.

There are lots of ecofriendly gift wrap options out there if you???re feeling the traditional, paper wrapping thing.
If you want to branch out a bit, though, you might try wrapping some gifts this year using the traditional Japanese
method furoshiki.

Rather than paper that gets tossed after a single use, furoshiki involves wrapping gifts in beautiful cloth that
can be used over and over again! The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has a great guide showing how to
wrap all sorts of gift items.
Pretty awesome, right? You can really use any pretty piece of fabric as long as it???s big enough.

If you are looking for an alternative way to celebrate Thanksgiving that doesn???t include plating a turkey on your
table, you might be interested in the Adopt-a-Turkey Project.

Carol M. never dreamed she would be the guardian for a rescued turkey, but now she can???t picture life without her
three girls ??? Misha, Jenny and Sammy. Three and a half years ago she rescued a pet turkey from her neighbor and
fell in love with the bird???s ???sweet nature.???  When she wanted to find a companion for her pet, she traveled to the
Adopt-a-Turkey Project at Farm Sanctuary where she adopted two more rescued birds.

Farm Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that works to stop the cruelty of commercially-raised farm animals and
promotes a vegan lifestyle.  Their two sanctuaries in New York and California are home to: pigs, sheep, cows,
rabbits, geese, chickens and turkeys that have been victims of cruelty.

They began the Adopt-a-Turkey Project in 1986 as a way of offering a ???compassionate alternative for Thanksgiving.???

Since then, Farm Sanctuary has rescued more than 1,000 turkeys from ???a thankless fate at the dinner table and
given thousands of people an opportunity to adopt a turkey for the holidays.???  The tiny birds dropped off at Farm
Sanctuary showed signs of respiratory and stomach infections.  Some of them also had an unidentifiable illness that
made it hard for them to walk or stand.The Adopt-a-Turkey Project has two ways for people to help.  First they can
sponsor a rescued turkey for a donation of $25.00.  Sponsored birds will spend their lives at one of the Farm
Sanctuary locations.  Their benefactors receive a certificate of their sponsorship along with a picture and the
name of their bird.Individuals that are approved to adopt a turkey receive their companions from specially
trained Farm Sanctuary staff that bring the birds directly to their new homes.

The simplest way to support a healthy food system is to eat food grown by sustainable farmers or growers. This means
buying from them and supporting them to keep them in business.

Sustainable farming not only improves an individual???s health, but also the health of our planet and even the
economic health of a local community. What exactly is sustainable agriculture????Sustainable agriculture integrates
three main goals???environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity.??? For them, this
means meeting the needs of the present without comprising the needs of future generations and stewardship of
natural and human resources.

One of the easiest ways to eat seasonally is to shop at a local farmers??? market.While it might not be possible for
everyone to directly buy at a farm or farm stand, or farmers??? market year-round, you can help support a sustainable
food system when you shop at your local supermarket. Ask for the kinds of fresh food that you want. Ask where your
 food is grown, who grew it, and when and how it was grown. Look for ???Buy Local??? campaigns and signs at your local
supermarket, showing that the food was made in your region or state.

For those lucky enough to live in an area with farms and farm trails, go to them and take your children to teach
them where their food comes from. Initiate a farm day at your school, or invite a farmer to talk at your school or
community organization.

The paper vs. plastic vs. reusable bag debate has been raging on for years, and although many cities and countries are encouraging shoppers to bring their own bags in an attempt to reduce the demand for plastic bags, forgetful shoppers and weak campaigns have meant that change has been slow.

For one city in Malaysia, however, the change was fast and furious- at least for a day.

The Star Online reports that the Selangor government had on Dec 20 declared its plans to make every Saturday a plastic bag-free day effective Jan 1. January 2 was the first Saturday in which the ban was in effect, and shoppers were both surprised and pleased. Customers who insist on plastic bags will have to pay 10 sen per bag.

Most people don't realize that plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits, contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest them.

Although many major locations, like San Francisco, the Republic of Ireland, China and South Aftrica have all made moves to tax or ban plastic bags, their use still contributes to monumental amounts of waste and toxic emissions around the world.

Campaigns like the one in Selangor are the key to breaking the mental and physical addiction that we have to plastic bags, and training shoppers that they can get along fine without them.

Recently, Royal Dutch Shell PLC received $865 million from the Canadian government for a carbon capture and storage(CCS) project. Green roofs, rooftops with plants, can capture and store carbon, according to a new study by Michigan State University in East Lansing. The technology to build green roofs already exists, and they can be created for much cheaper than a CCS project.

If all the commercial and industrial rooftops in the Detroit metropolitan area had green rooftops, they would be able to sequester the amount of carbon comparable to removing over 10,000 midsized SUV or trucks off the road for a year.

The study sited several barriers to ???widespread acceptance??? of green roofs in the U.S. including :

Lack of awareness
No technical information on how to build them
Lack of government incentives
Limited quantifiable data about the benefits of green roofs

Germany overcame the same barriers. Green roofs, according to the study authors, will ???likely become more common inthe future. Brad Lowe, one of the study???s researchers, said, ???In Stuttgart in Germany, 25 percent of all roofs
there are green. It???s just normal. I think we can get to that level here.???

I have good and bad news. First, I will tell you the bad news. Coal is nasty. Coal accounts of roughly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Just one 500 megawatt coal powered plant produces about three million tons a year of carbon dioxide. The U.S. produces almost two billion tons of carbon from coal powered plants, accounting for 27 percent of all its carbon dioxide emissions. The amount of emissions from coal in the U.S. is expected to grow by a third by 2025. Coal is cheap. It costs between $1 and $2 for one million British Thermal Units (MMBtu), and that is why it accounts for 50 percent of electricity generated in the U.S. China is the world???s largest consumer of coal, with the U.S. in second place. It is estimated that 86 percent of incremental world coal demand between now and 2030
will come from China and India.

Now, I will tell you the good news. A company called Brazil Pellet is investing $114 million to convert bagasse, a waste product from sugar cane, into pellets that ca be burned as fuel at coal power plants. The company
successfully tested the technology in a pilot program. Production is planned for the third quarter of 2010 in the company???s plant in Sao Paulo, where over half of Brazil???s sugar can industry production occurs. By 2015, Brazil Pellet plans to make 520,000 tons of pellets a year, which would produce 2,420 gigawatts of energy.

???If you just let the bagasse decay it releases methane, and that???s 20 percent more dangerous to the ozone layer than carbon dioxide,?????? said Ivan Nunez, a banker with the IDB arranging the financing for Brazilian Pellet. ???So,burning it instead gives you carbon credits.?????????The nice thing about bagasse is that it???s just garbage,?????? said Gloria Jacobovitz, an adviser to Brazilian Pellet.???It???s different from other biomass because it???s a waste product rather than a plant grown specifically to create energy.??????

A newly released study tries to quantify the rate at which global warming is moving across the world, and shows that the average ecosystem will need to shift a quarter of a mile each year in order to stay in its ideal temperature range. Scientists at a group of institutions in California note that creatures in flatter areas, including coasts and deserts, will have to move even farther, up to a kilometer a year, in order to stay ahead.

Of course, plants and animals have been adapting to changes in their environment for thousands of years, through both evolution and migration.  However the newly released models show that many species in as many as one-third of the habitats studied will be unable to keep up with the projected rates of change. An even more serious issue, and one that cannot be ascribed to natural forces, is the fragmentation of so many natural habitats by human activity.
 

Many animals and plants seeking cooler areas will be blocked by fences, roads, farms, and other barriers.  The study's authors note that the provision and expansion of wildlife corridors and reserves  and other assistance to plants and animals may be required to preserve as much of the planet's biodiversity as possible. In addition to the required speed of migration and the fragmentation of habitat, an article five years ago in the New Scientist notes that some animals' gene pools may be adversely affected by climate change, which will furtherharm their ability to adapt. 

Every night my daughter, who is in second grade has home reading to do. She reads from a book that she selects from a collection designated for her reading level and assigned by her teacher. After she reads, her father or I write the title and any comments we have in a booklet and sign it for her teacher to check in the morning after attendance.

A home reading assignment seldom takes more than 15 minutes, and we rarely miss a night even with multiple time constraints between her four o???clock bus drop off and 8:30 bedtime. Since daily reading has been shown to have a positive effective on literacy rates and school success, the home reader is not something we find burdensome or intrusive.

As far as I can tell, this is typical of the county where we live, but it is by no means the norm. My nephews begannightly homework sessions of an hour or more when they were in grade two, and a recent Facebook conversation with a friend in Boston found her struggling with her son's grade three teacher who believed that two hours of nightly homework was not a burden for a child that age.

Homework assignments, however, have a disrupting effect on many families and depending on the school district, or individual teachers, can eat up hours of time every evening with work that often is of little educational value. It's driven some parents to put their feet down hard on teachers and schools. In an effort to reclaim time for
family and extra-curricular activities, which are arguably as valuable, some parents have even written homework contracts with their children???s teachers and schools spelling out how much and how often homework can be assigned.

It gets back to the question of relevance. Should education be entertaining with a side of busywork or do kids deserve engaging, thoughtful lessons with appropriate follow-up?

The beautiful Amur Leopard is native to the Far East of Russia. Due to habitat loss from deforestation and poaching, the Amur Leopard is at an extremely high risk of extinction. EcoWorldly reports that there are only about 135 left in the wild.

The Saiga Antelope also makes it's home in Russia. Sadly, these animals are frequently slaughtered by poachers due to a demand for their horns. Although the population of wild Saiga Antelope is still relatively fine, wildlife specialists are concerned by this animal population's incredible rate of decline. The population has been reduced by 95% since 1997, which is why EcoWorldly has listed the Saiga Antelope as an "Animal on the Brink."

Gorillas are facing a crisis due to habitat loss and the bushmeat trade. The most
endangered Cross River Gorilla, lives in the broadleaf forests between Nigeria and Cameroon. There are only about 250 Cross River Gorillas left in the world . 

The Leatherback Turtle is the largest marine turtle and one of the largest living reptiles. It has survived on this planet for more than one hundred million years. Sadly, the WWF reports that the Leatherback Turtle could now be facing extinction.

5. Pere David's Deer is listed as extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red List. This fascinating animal, native to China, exists only in three small herds on nature preserves and in zoos. The Pere David Deer has been in danger of extinction since the 19th century and was only saved from this fate through a program of preservation and breeding.

Studies indicate that there are less than 3,200 tigers left in the wild, but in some areas of the world tigers are faring far worse. Javan and Balinese Tigers are now extinct and the South China Tiger is thought to exist only in captivity.  Sumatran Tigers may be facing a similar fate.

According to a 2009 study, "about half of all listed amphibians are threatened
with extinction." One example of this is the Golden Toad of Costa Rica. The Guardian reports that the the GoldenToad was once a common species, but no Golden Toads have been seen since 1989, despite several searches. It is now thought to be extinct.

Both the Javan Rhino and the Western Black Rhino, cousins of the rhinos could be nearing extinction. Rhinos are frequently killed for their horns, which are though to have special properties in traditional medicine. In spite of a rapid decline
in the rhino population, poaching does not seem to be slowing down.

The Baiji Dolphin is native to the Yangtze River in China and is probably the most endangered aquatic mammal in the world, due to pollution and threats from the fishing industry. The Baiji Dolphin has been listed as critically endangered since 1996, but in 2007 scientists flagged it as possibly extinct.

Uzbekistan is the second largest cotton exporter in the world. Every year, the government of Uzbekistan forces thousands of children and teachers out of the classrooms and into the fields to harvest cotton.  They work under harsh conditions, live in crowded barracks and miss out on valuable time in school.The cotton these children are forced to pick ends up in the clothing we buy.  While many companies have agreed to stop sourcing cotton from Uzbekistan, some are lagging behind.

Please join our efforts today to eradicate the use of forced child labor in Uzbek cotton fields and demand that Abercrombie & Fitch, Fred's, and Gymboree stop sourcing cotton from Uzbekistan.

According to a New York Times article from Thursday, complaints of sexual abuse in the New York City subway are up by four percent this year. The NYPD police chief, James Hall, told the City Council that sexual harassment is "No. 1 quality of life offense on the subway."  He added that this number isprobably low - for a variety of reasons, people are unlikely to report sexual abuse or harassment in the subway.  But New York citizens are slowly beginning to demand more accountability for the high incidence of ogling, groping, flashing, harassing and even attacking on the subway.

The average age of the man who commits sex offenses on the subway is 39, and the vast majority of victims are women over the age of 17.  The New York Transit Authority started a public awareness campaign last year against subway sexual harassment, including ads, printed brochures and on-board announcements.  But many people question their effectiveness, and say that more concrete action needs to be taken.

There have been long debates about the merits of an all-girls school education or the benefits of attending a trade or vocational high school.Well, what about a charter school that prepares teenage girls for careers as welders, plumbers, carpenters,
electricians and other trades? Check and check.

The school, Rosie the Riveter High, is located in Long Beach, CA and is actually attended by both girls and boys although its intent and mission is to open doors for women seeking nontraditional careers largely dominated by men.

Lynn Shaw, one of the women who helped start the school, has worked as a miner, steelworker, and longshoreman over the years. Today Shaw heads the board of directors for Women in Non Traditional Employment Roles, a nonprofit
economic development group that sponsors Rosie the Riveter High, and is a professor of Electrical Technology at Long Beach Community College.

"Women in nontraditional jobs earn 20% to 40% more than women in what are considered 'traditional' women's jobs." says Shaw. "That's $1 million over a lifetime."On top of hands-on vocational training, students take a full range of academic courses to earn a high school diploma and often receive college credits that are transferable to any 4-year university.

Rosie, a fictional character in American history, represents the American women who worked in war factories during World War II to replace the male workers who joined the military. In 1942 Rosie was made famous after she was depicted in a motivational poster with the slogan "We can do it!" calling on women to help fill the manpower
shortage in factories while the men were at war. Unfortunately, when the war ended and then men returned home, the women were quickly forced out of their jobs and "back to the kitchen" but that injustice is for another post on another day.

Shaw herself serves as an example of the  "can do" spirit the school embodies. Her determination to create a worldwhere women don't have to worry about being the only one on the job, has created a unique space for young girls to receive the training, skills, and confidence  they need to enter these male dominated fields.

This "can do" spirit is also echoed throughout the school with reproductions of the 1942 Rosie the Riveter poster around every corner.

Barbie is 50 years old this year (which means she's turning 21 again in doll years), and to celebrate, she's doing something a little different. She's putting on MORE clothes, and a lot of people are unhappy.It's Barbie in a burka, as it's been dubbed by the yellow press.

Wearing the traditional Islamic dress with a mesh eyehole, she went under the hammer along with 500 other Barbie dolls dressed in unique outfits at an auction in Florence, Italy, at the renowned auction house Sotheby???s to raise funds for Save the Children. The auction, held in late November, was part of the celebrations put on for Barbie this year as she celebrated her 50th anniversary.The doll has started a feud between those who think it is important for every girl, regardless of her cultural background, to feel that she can have a doll that represents her, the the other camp, who feel that the doll is a ???'mockery of disempowered women' who...have been 'stripped of human dignity.'"

Is dressing Barbie up in what many consider to be the symbol of oppression of women in the Muslim world justified by the idea that every girl deserves to have a Barbie that "looks like me?"  Perhaps.  But I've noticed no one seems to use that as a reason to, say, make a doll with a little more realistic proportions.

Maybe when she turns 100.

Life was bad enough for animals in Bali.The tropical climate leads to nasty skin problems and parasites. Dogs are killed and maimed every day by crushing traffic. Poverty prevents people from getting the medical care and food they need for themselves, let alone for dogs, and some restaurants still serve dog meat. Add to this backdrop the arrival of rabies Nine people have now died from the disease in the capital area of Badung/Denpasar. The government???s initial reaction was to ignore international recommendations for a comprehensive vaccination campaign, electing instead to kill thousands in a mass culling.

Meeting regularly with government officials, Girardi and her staff are trying to convince the government that BAWA could play a key role in that implementation, and they are making some headway. So far, officials have agreed not to kill any dogs in the affected area who have orange collars, signifying that they have been vaccinated by BAWA, which is catching, tagging, vaccinating and collaring about 600 dogs a week. Girardi has begged the government to let BAWA take on the whole island.

A highly acclaimed jewelry designer, Girardi creates collections for Sundance, Red Envelope and other high-end outlets and puts most of the profits into BAWA, an organization whose programs include a 24-hour clinic that provides low-cost treatment to local animals and cares for rescued puppies and kittens until they can be rehomed, and the ambulance, which is staffed with a vet and dog-catchers (mercifully adept at using a net). The ambulance responds to calls from around the island and treats street dogs for skin and internal parasites, wounds and starvation.

Certificate course in Community Driven Development for International Participants from 18th January to 14th February, 2010 at Bala Vikasa People Development Training Center, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Bala Vikasa is an Indian non-profit, secular, non-government voluntary organization, extensively involved in Community Development since its inception. Bala Vikasa is the Indian counterpart of Canadian INGO-SOPAR.

Bala Vikasa PDTC is happy to announce the 4th one month special training program in Community Driven Development (CDD) from 18th January - 14th February, 2010. The content of the course consists of both theoretical and practical aspects of Community Driven Development to be facilitated by expert faculty.

This programme is designed for social entrepreneurs including senior program e managers from the civil society organizations (NGOs) and corporate organizations looking for long term engagement with the civil society. It is also beneficial for officers from Central and State Governments, and international development organizations who are interested in getting an understanding of the Community Driven Development.
Number of seats: The maximum intake for the training program is only 25 from 6-7 countries. The admissions and eligible scholarships will be provided on the first come first served basis.

Course Fee: Rs.40,000 ( 800 USD)  (includes registration Fee). Scholarships are available on request to the deserving participants

Accommodation and Food: To encourage the participation of International NGOs, Bala Vikasa is providing boarding and lodging at free of cost to all the participants.

Travel:  Travel to and from the training centre to be borne by participants.

Venue: The training will be held at Bala Vikasa People Development Training Centre in the city of Kazipet, Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh, India.

The Kazipet city is 135 Kms by road from Rajiv Gandhi International airport, Hyderabad  capital city of Andhra Pradesh.

Nominations: Nomination form to be filled and send by email balavikasapdtc@gmail.com.

Nominations forms also can be downloaded from www.balavikasa.org. The last date for receiving nominations is 30th December, 2009.

For further details contact Ms. Sunitha on 9849844868 or 0870-2453255.

December 2009 the Kentucky Supreme Court will hear argument in a case involving the prosecution of a pregnant, drug-using woman. 
In this case, the state arrested a new mother who, according to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, ???ingested cocaine???while her daughter ???was in utero and thereafter gave birth.??? The daughter was healthy but, according to the Commonwealth, both the mother and newborn tested positive for cocaine. The new mother wasn???t charged with a drug crime ??? rather she was charged with the crime of ???wanton endangerment.??? Kentucky alleges that she engaged ???in conduct which created a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to??? another person ??? her ???unborn??? child.

Threatening pregnant women with arrest is bad for babies. Babies have the best birth outcomes when their mothers are not afraid to come in for health care, not afraid to talk honestly to their health care providers.This explains why threatening pregnant women with arrest and prosecution is bad for babies. While using drugs, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and many other things can create risks, the good news is women who get health care during pregnancy can have healthy babies. This is one
reason why every medical group in the country has to address the issue, including the March of Dimes and the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose prosecution of pregnant women.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to caribou, snow fox and millions of migratory birds. It is also the most important onshore denning habitat for America's vanishing polar bears.

But this natural treasure is constantly under siege. Time and time again, the oil industry and their allies in Congress have sought to open this special place to harmful new drilling, threatening all of the wildlife that depend on it for survival.

We need to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge. Tell Congress to reject drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to permanently protect this special coastal plain.

Aashayein Foundation is pleased to invite you for WalkON 09, a walkathon to create awareness for the cause of education in our society. It is a walk for a cause on 13th Dec, at 7:00a.m. at Jalvihar, Necklace Road, Hyderabad.

Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan is the chief guest for the event.

Invite you all for walk of approx 5km from Jalvihar to Prasadz and then back to Jalvihar. There would be approx 100 children walking with all of us.

Come Hyderabad, Walk for the Cause....

Tickets can also be booked at Walden book store, Begumpet and www.bookmyshow.com

For more details please contact Suyash Chopra       9948440643
                                                  Dhanraj Konduru    9985301985