A Chinese Ghost Story, also known as A Chinese Fairy Tale

               Many years ago, Yan Chixia aspired to become an excellent demon hunter, so he chose Black Hill as his place of training and fulfilling his dream. At that time, Yan was still young, and in the old Black Hill lived several demons and spirits who have existed even longer than the hill itself. Although these creatures lead a simple and primitive lifestyle, they are enshrouded in a strong aura of death and killing.

               Yan Chixia participates in battle after battle against the demons and spirits. The villagers in the vicinity are fearful of entering Black Hill and a nearby Lanruo Temple. Yan's sword and skill become more powerful and he is confident that he can defeat everything, until that day, he meets her and a tragedy begins. Many years later, all the rivers around the hill are hit by a serious drought and the villagers are forced to find a new water source on the haunted hill. It is here where human civilization meets primeval demons and a romance starts between a young scholar and a female ghost.
               A Chinese Ghost Story, also known as A Chinese Fairy Tale, is a 2011 fantasy-supernatural film directed by Wilson Yip, starring Louis Koo, Liu Yifei, Yu Shaoqun, Kara Hui, Louis Fan, and Wang Danyi Li. The film is adapted from one of the tales in Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, a collection of supernatural stories set in ancient China.
               This film is a compeling romance with its theme of "what happens when a spirit master, out to rid the world of spirits, himself falls in love with one of them." It has philosophical underpinnings also like all folk tales. What would we choose to do when faced with unpleasant choices in life? What happens when what we firmly believe in and fight for suddenly becomes untrue? What happens when we are forced to make choices in love? Do we choose to become selfish or do we do have the courage to do what must be done? Will we regret our choices or keep a straight face on them? I could go on and on, but don't become mistaken about the film. It's a delightful one and worth wathcing just for fun. How you seek to intrepret the story is entirely upto you. This is only my way of doing it.

Acknowledgement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Chinese_Ghost_Story_%282011_film%29

"Rodel Ituralde's mother, now thirty years buried in the clay hills of his Domani homeland, had been fond of a particular saying: "Things always have to get worse before they can get better." She'd said it when she'd yanked free his festering tooth as a boy, an ailment he'd earned while playing at swords with the village boys. She'd said it when he'd lost his first love to a lordling who wore a hat with feathers and whose soft hands and jeweled sword had proven he'd never known a real battle. And she'd say it now, if she were with him on the ridge, watching the Seanchan march upon the city nestled in the shallow valley below."

Bombay Natural History Society

Mission : “Conservation of Nature, primarily Biological Diversity, through Action based on Research, Education and Public Awareness”.

BNHS was established in 1883 and has been promoting the cause of a natural India for the past 127 years. Among its members were the pioneers of Indian Natural History; the most famous being Dr Sálim Ali, "the birdman of India". For more details please visit http://www.bnhs.org/

BNHS has published “Green Guide for Teachers”- a ready reference for all environmental educators. This book is a revised version of ‘Green Kit” which was developed in 2002. The book is available in English and Marathi for free distribution among secondary school teachers all over Maharashtra. It is an excellent resource material for everyone interested in their environment.

The book is divided into 7 chapters as given below:

1. Did You Know (includes 226 facts)
2. National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries (includes 12 popular national parks and sanctuaries with list 613 protected areas of India)
3. Threatened Flora and Fauna (includes 44 species)
4. Trade in Wildlife (includes 198 facts)
5. Environmental Issues (includes 16 issues)
6. Green Projects (includes 22 projects)
7. Green Deeds (109 facts and eco-calendar)

I'm reproducing below a picture from the book which I found highly informative.  You can access the full book at http://www.bnhs.org/education-mainmenu/green-guide-for-teachers.html

WHO Recommendations for Rotavirus Vaccine

• WHO recommends that Rotavirus vaccine for infants should be included in all National Immunization Programmes.
• In countries where diarrhoeal deaths account for ≥10% of mortality among children aged <5 years, the introduction of the vaccine is strongly recommended.
• WHO recommends that the first dose of either RotaTeq or Rotarix be administered at age 6–15 weeks.
• The maximum age for administering the last dose of either vaccine should be 32 weeks.
• It is recommended that 2 doses of Rotarix be administered with the first and second doses of DTP rather than with the second and third doses.
• This ensures maximum immunization coverage and reduces the potential for late administration beyond the approved age window.
• This schedule will be reviewed as new data become available.
• WHO reiterates that rotavirus vaccines are an important measure that can be used to reduce severe rotavirus associated diarrhoea and child mortality.
• The use of rotavirus vaccines should be part of a comprehensive strategy to control diarrhoeal diseases; this strategy should include, among other interventions, improvements in hygiene and sanitation, zinc supplementation, community-based administration of oral rehydration solution and overall improvements in case management.

References

1. WHO. Rotavirus vaccines: WHO position paper. Weekly Epidemiological Record, No.32, 10 August 2007.
2. WHO. Rotavirus vaccines: an update. Weekly Epidemiological Record, No.51-52, 18 December 2009.

KMTR Camp Introduction

WWF-India, Kerala State Office conducted a Three day Nature Orientation Camp at Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve from 10.09.2011 to 12.09.2011. We stayed at the renovated dormitory at Thalayani in Kalakkad. (In fact we were the first persons to stay there after renovation – so we inaugurated the new dormitory). We had a pleasant trip and stay and had some good photo opportunities and sightings. I will post some of the photos here. Also the trip was very special to me in a way. I had bought a macro lens just the previous evening (more about it later). So it was my first trip with the macro lens.

KMTR Group Photo (Source: AK Sivakumar)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

"At the end of time,
when the many become one,
the last storm shall gather its angry winds
to destroy a land already dying.
And at its center, the blind man shall stand
upon his own grave.
There he shall see again,
and weep for what has been wrought."

-from The Prophecies of the Dragon, Essanik Cycle.
Malhavish's Official Translation,
Imperial Record House of Seandar,
Fourth Circle of Elevation.