The fall of Roman Empire

Some historians point out that the fall of the Roman Empire is to the metal “lead”. Romans had used lead materials in their food storage vessels and to line the channel used for transporting water. Since lead is a known neurotoxic that is proven to affect mental performance, researchers think that ancient Romans lost some of their mental capacities & abilities to make intelligent choices, thus causing their empire demise. Lead crosses the blood- brain barrier and can cause dementia and Alzheimer’s, and learning disabilities.

Big belly risk

Having a big belly in your 40s can boost your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia decades later, a new study suggest. It’s not just about your weight. While previous research has found evidence that obesity in middle age raises the chances of developing dementia later, the new work found a separate risk from storing a lot of fat around the abdomen. Even people who weren’t overweight were susceptible. That abdominal fat, sometimes described as making people apple-shaped rather than pear shaped, has already been linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

Only Sindhis have rights over Thar Coal

– Khalid Hashmani, McLean, Virginia

A news item under title “Only Sindhis have rights over Thar Coal” in Sindhi interestingly is published in web magazine “WICHAAR”. This magazine, although focused on the promotion of Punjabi and culture, has been remarkable in promoting Sindhi language and bringing Sindhi and Punjabi communities closer to each other. THe news item describes a recent demonstration in Hyderabad Sindh in which demonstrations strongly criticized federal government’s action to take over the management of huge coal deposits in Thar area of Sindh. The demonstrations also demanded that ownership of all natural resources found in Sindh including oil, gas, and coal belong to the people of Sindh.

The full article can be accessed at following link:

http://www.wichaar.com/news/199/ARTICLE/7785/2008-07-28.html

A folk song celebrating the migration of cranes (kuunja)

Two things are infinite

What lies before us, and what lies behind us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I am not sure about the universe. – Albert Einstein