Sikh Woman Balpreet Kaur Turns Cyber Bullying Incident into Inspiration

After someone snapped a photo of her and posted it on online, Balpreet Kaur was ridiculed for following the tenants of her Sikh faith. But instead of hiding or lashing out, she politely posted a reply -- and turned a bullying situation into a inspiring example of tolerance, support, and inspiration.

Related: Teaching our Kids Tolerance After the Sikh Temple Shootings
The photo was taken apparently without Kaur's knowledge while she was waiting in line at the Ohio State University Library. In the photo, Kaur's hair is hidden by a large, black turban. She's wearing a T-shirt and yoga pants, glasses, and is looking down at her cell phone; her sparse facial hair is clearly visible. A Reddit user posted it to the "Funny" forum with the quip, "I'm not sure what to conclude from this."

Comments started pouring in, making fun of her appearance, asking if she was transgendered, and taking her to task for not plucking, waxing, or shaving.

Related: Lessons from "The World's Ugliest Woman': Stop Staring and Start Learning
After a friend told her about the thread, Kaur decided to respond to the taunts herself -- and take the opportunity to educate people at the same time.

"Hey, guys. This is Balpreet Kaur, the girl from the picture," she wrote. "I'm not embarrassed or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positive] that this picture is getting because, it's who I am."

As a baptized Sikh woman, Kaur -- who is from Ohio -- said that she is forbidden from altering her body, as it is considered a sacred gift from God.

"The over arching principal is this body is a tool for service," she explained. "We have to maintain and take care of it while cherishing its original form." That means that going to the hospital and taking medicine is fine, because one should be healthy in order to be of service to others. But cutting one's hair or removing one's facial hair is forbidden, even if societal norms dictate otherwise.

"My hair doesn't stop me from being normal or doing service so its not a hindrance," she said in a later post. "I've been to the doctor regarding this and its just a side effect of my hormone levels during my teenage years. The hormones have returned to normal but the hair is still there. That's fine :) I don't regret anything nor do I view it as an unfortunate thing."

Sikhism was founded in the Punjab region of India in the 15th century; there are approximately 30 million Sikhs in the world. Followers believe in the equality of all human beings and in a single, infinitely powerful, omnipresent, genderless God. Instead of heaven or hell, the religion promotes salvation through a spiritual union with God; ego, anger, greed, attachment, and lust are considered the Five Evils. Sikhs do not believe in recruiting converts, though they welcome those who wish to join their faith. Once baptized or formally initiated into the faith, they vow to wear five religious symbols at all times, one of which is leaving their body hair uncut.

"Yes, I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women," wrote Kaur, who is the president of the Ohio State University's Sikh Student Association. "My attitude and thoughts and actions have more value in them than my body… by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can."

Her words quickly inspired readers on Reddit and elsewhere to reevaluate their reactions. A cross-post on the Facebook page for Kaurista garnered more than 6,750 likes and more than 850 comments.

"I know that I don't have the courage to live that purely," Shannon Dolce commented on Facebook. "I am inspired to live MORE true to how my creator sees me though."

"I think we can agree that even the non-religious can benefit from taking a page from your book -- thank you," wrote a Redditor named anothertimearound.

"You are awesome. If you faith has made you this well-adjusted and positive and secure in your own skin and focused on the things in life that truly matter, then I am glad that there are Sikhs in this world." Reddit reader Anna_Mosity wrote. "The world could use more people like you."

Kaur says that she's happy to spend time explaining her religion and her appearance to people. "I do not think explaining myself and the way I am is a waste of energy because storytelling in itself is a way to fight the apathy in this world," she explained in a follow up post on Thursday. "By simple interactions like this, we can better understand each other and make this world more open and loving even if it is just one person or many."

Copyright © 2012 Yahoo Inc.

Source:
http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/blogs/she/sikh-woman-balpreet-kaur-turns-cyber-bullying-incident-203500244.html

How to recognise a heart attack

Unhealthy lifestyles combined with a ton of stress are making more and more people vulnerable to heart attacks. Here’s a low-down on signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

Often people expect a heart attack to be dramatic like it is in the movies. But in reality — most often — that is not the case. This article thus spells out the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

What happens during a heart attack?

During a heart attack, the blood flow to the heart muscle is either reduced or completely stops. This typically happens because of a blood clot that is blocking an artery.
When the heart muscle does not get oxygen-rich blood, it ceases to work.

Some common heart attack symptoms:

• A heart attack often causes chest pain.
• There is a feeling of fullness or a clasping pain in the centre of the chest. Most victims describe the pain as akin to an elephant standing on the chest (extreme pain). It usually lasts for about 15 minutes.
• One also experiences shooting pain in the shoulders, neck, arm, back and sometimes even the teeth and jaw.
• One finds increasing episodes of chest pain.
• Prolonged pain in the upper abdomen.
• Shortness of breath.
• The victim might experience heavy sweating.
• Since the heart’s pumping action is severely impaired during a severe heart attack, the victim might lose his/her consciousness.
• Nausea and vomiting
• In rare cases, as in patients who are diabetic, the heart attack may not be very painful, and sometimes can even be entirely painless.

Other heart attack symptoms

The elderly, diabetics, people on steroids as well as women are less likely to have obvious symptoms like severe chest pain (as often seen in men). These are some symptoms they are likely to have:

• Pain in the abdomen
• Heart burn
• Sweaty skin
• Unusual tiredness
• Dizziness or light-headedness
• Nausea
• Tightness or pain in the neck, shoulder or upper back

Heart attack symptoms are not the same for all…

Not everyone who has a heart attack has the same symptoms. Many a time, we also tend to ignore a heart attack thinking it might be mere abdominal discomfort due to gas pains or indigestion. If you have more than a few symptoms listed above, then you are likely to be having an attack. Get emergency help immediately.

What to do in case of a heart attack?

• Rush to a hospital: If you recognise that you or someone around is having a heart attack, get immediate medical help.
• Give Disprin (Asprin): As soon as you recognise it is an attack, crush a disprin, dissolve it in water and make the person drink it.
• Emergency numbers: Every office and home must keep a list of emergency numbers like that of an ambulance service, hospital.

A heart attack is different from a cardiac arrest

Do not confuse a heart attack with cardiac arrest. In the case of a cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops. It occurs due to an electrical disturbance that obstructs the heart’s pumping function, which results in stopping blood flow to the rest of the body.

With inputs from Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, consultant interventional cardiologist with Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore

Source:
http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/recognise-heart-attack-110038445.html

Kingfisher to decide on lifting partial lockout Thursday

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Kingfisher Airlines Ltd said it would submit a revival plan to regulators and clear pending salary dues in the coming days, after labour unrest prompted the carrier to declare a partial lockout and cancel all flights through Thursday.

The airline cancelled the flights when some employees failed to report to work following months of unpaid salaries, dealing a fresh blow to the debt-laden airline. The carrier, which has never made a profit, had already grounded most of its fleet.

Kingfisher is in talks with employees and will make a call on lifting the partial lockout on Thursday, Chief Executive Sanjay Aggarwal told reporters on Tuesday after a meeting with the country's aviation regulator.

The regulator said Kingfisher would need its approval to restart operations.

Kingfisher, which is controlled by liquor baron Vijay Mallya and was once India's No.2 carrier by domestic market share, has struggled under its $1.4 billion debt load. Banks have refused to lend it more unless it can infuse fresh equity.

Last month, India allowed foreign airlines to buy stakes of up to 49 percent in local carriers, a long-awaited policy move lobbied for by Kingfisher and seen as providing a lifeline to the country's debt-laden operators.

Kingfisher was in talks with a couple of airlines for investment and hoped talks would conclude in three months, the aviation regulator said on Tuesday.

The regulator had warned on Monday that it would not allow Kingfisher to fly if safety rules were not followed, and that it was examining the situation at Kingfisher.

Under Indian rules, an airline needs to operate at least five planes in order to maintain its licence.

Shares in Kingfisher closed down 4.95 percent, their maximum daily limit, at 15.35 rupees on Monday. Markets are closed on Tuesday for a local holiday.

(Reporting by Anurag Kotoky; Writing by Christopher Gallagher; Editing by Ryan Woo)

 

Source:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/kingfisher-decide-lifting-partial-lockout-oct-4-070812882--finance.html

Modi says Rs 1,880 crore spent on Sonia's foreign trip

Modi said the state should not be questioned when the central government has itself spent Rs 1,880 crore for Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips.

Yahoo! India News – 16 hours ago

NEW DELHI: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi criticised the UPA government for questioning his government for spending money on festivities and celebrations, saying that central government has itself spent Rs 1,880 crore for UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips and treatment abroad over three years.

Modi said the state should not be questioned when the central government has itself spent Rs 1,880 crore for Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips.

Modi alleged that the Congress president was getting all facilities like special flight, which were meant only for the prime minister and president of India.

Asking if the central government had given a special status to Sonia Gandhi, Modi said the money spent on her was being spent from the public exchequer.

The Congress reacted strongly to Modi's query as to who footed the Rs 1,880 crore bill for Sonia Gandhi's treatment abroad, terming his remark as irresponsible.

"The remark is irresponsible. It shows his frustration," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

Tewari hit back at Modi saying if the BJP leader wanted to talk about morality, he should first order a probe into various scams in the state worth Rs.1 lakh core in the past decade.

Source:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/modi-says-rs-1-880-crore-spent-on-sonia-s-foreign-trip.html;_ylt=AqEWY8TazIw8RK46rDoWw37EscB_;_ylu=X3oDMTNqa3MyOGRxBGNjb2RlA2N0LmMEcGtnAzBlOWI1OTU2LTYxOGUtMzRmYy04YTg3LTVhOTM0YjUwOGZlZgRwb3MDMQRzZWMDbW9zdF9wb3B1bGFyBHZlcgM5OGUwOTUwMy0wYmQ5LTExZTItYmJmZC0wZjczNjQwZmI1MWQ-;_ylg=X3oDMTM0MGc5ZmQzBGludGwDaW4EbGFuZwNlbi1pbgRwc3RhaWQDZmQ4OGFhMDgtOTI0YS0zNGY3LTg4NmItYjliZDU5MTI2NTYyBHBzdGNhdANuYXRpb25hbHxwb2xpdGljcwRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3

People coming together to change politics: Kejriwal

New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) People were fed up of corruption and were coming together to change the politics of the country, activist Arvind Kejriwal said Tuesday shortly before launching his political party.

Donning a Gandhi cap with "Mein hoon aam admi, mujhe chahiye Janlokpal" (I am common man, I want Jan Lokpal) printed on it, Kejriwal said: "It is a big day for the common people. They are fed up of corrupt politicians and rising prices and are coming together to change the politics of the country."

Kejriwal, who split up with Anna Hazare recently, reiterated that there was no rift between them.

Discussing his political outfit, he said: "People will give us money - they will campaign, they will fight the elections."

He said the party - the name would be announced later - would contest assembly elections in Delhi next year.

Replying to a question on Hazare supporting the outfit, Kejriwal said: "It is a test for us. If we put up good candidates, Anna will support."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the move, saying all Indians had the right to contest elections.

"There are so many political parties and it is good they are floating a party. All citizens have the right to form a party and contest elections," said BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain.

Source:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/people-coming-together-change-politics-kejriwal-065705777.html