'127 Hours' earns high marks from doctors

Twenty-seven-year-old Aron Ralston ( James Franco) is a mechanical engineer and thrill-seeker. He is in Utah's Blue John Canyon when he falls down a narrow canyon, and his arm is pinned by a large chalkstone boulder. He watches as his fingers turn blue and gray from insufficient blood flow (ischemia). Though he doesn't appear to be in pain, he is unable to free himself. He has very little food and water, and finally, as he grows dehydrated, he drinks his own urine. After 51/2 days and facing certain death, he manages to free himself by breaking his bones at the forearm and amputating his lower arm by sawing through it with a blunt pocket knife.

Medical questions

How could a man stay alive for 127 hours with his arm wedged by a rock with only a liter of water and urine to drink? How could he then cut off his own arm with a pocket knife without fainting, going crazy with the pain or bleeding to death?

The reality

When faced with certain death, primordial instincts take over, says Dr. Leon Pachter, chief of surgery at New York University Langone Medical Center. "Man is often able to achieve the unachievable, taking on an almost Superman persona," Pachter adds. Physiologically, a person experiences an acute stress reaction with an outpouring of hormones. Adrenaline and noradrenaline keep the heart pumping strongly and direct blood flow to the vital organs, including the brain, liver and kidneys. Glucagon stimulates glucose release, so that a person has more energy. Cortisol keeps the metabolism in overdrive, and endorphins (the body's natural opiates) are released in the brain to decrease pain and allow the victim to function.

With massive willpower combined with the hormonal surge, such a person could survive in some pain with only small amounts of water — no more than three days, however. The body's daily water requirement is approximately 2.5 liters, so surviving more than five days on one liter is extraordinary.

Drinking urine would probably worsen dehydration because of the salts it contains (called urates). Several sources, including the U.S. Army Field Manual, advise against drinking urine in survival situations. The effect is similar to that of drinking seawater, in which more fluids must be excreted than taken in to get rid of the excess salt introduced.

In the operating room, amputations are done using a modified saw. "Sawing away without benefit of a saw," Pachter said, would take many passes before the arm would be severed, and the marked pain of breaking one's own bones would certainly cause a person to black out, at least temporarily. This is, in fact, how Ralston described the actual event in Outside magazine in 2004 and WorldWide magazine in 2009, though the film did not show this.

The film shows Ralston applying a tourniquet before removing the arm, although in his real-life account he reveals that he forgot to apply the tourniquet. Dr. Nader Paksima, hand surgeon and chief of orthopaedic surgery at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in New York, believes that the blood vessels would be mostly clotted from the initial injury and there would be little bleeding — and that therefore the tourniquet might not be completely necessary. Dr. Mark Adelman, chief of vascular surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, agrees and says that — as the film shows — some bleeding would occur during the cutting because the arteries would not yet have gone into spasm. But once the limb is off, he adds, almost all the bleeding would stop as the arteries spasm and contract. So the film's rendering of the self-amputation appears mostly accurate.

Amputating the forearm would involve breaking the radius and ulnar bones. This, Paksima says, is the hardest part — because they are very strong at the middle of the shaft. The film shows Ralston using his body weight as leverage, which is believable. The radial, ulnar and median nerves would then be cut, along with the muscles and tendons of the forearm, as well as the radial and ulnar arteries and their branches.

Ralston said in his accounts that he had developed a " compartment syndrome" from the trapped limb — a condition in which the muscles, nerves and blood vessels are crushed together in a closed space. Pachter says that this is hard to believe, however, because it would make it far less likely that Ralston could survive 127 hours. If there were enough muscle damage from a compartment syndrome, a patient could develop rhabdomyolysis, a release of muscle fibers into the blood, which can cause kidney failure and death. After several hours, as the tissue began to die, there would be reduced feeling — which, on the plus side, might have made it less excruciatingly painful for Ralston to cut off his own arm, but it would also have made it far more likely that he would die before he had the opportunity to do so.

THE 68TH GOLDEN GLOBES, AND THE WINNERS ARE...

So the 68th Golden Globe Awards were last night in America, hosted once again by controversial comedian Ricky Gervais who was his usual self with a barage of Charlie Sheen and finacial crisis gags.

As predicted it was a good night for The Social Network taking the drama screenplay, score, director and film awards while The King's Speech took the drama actor win for Colin Firth.

Natalie Portman continued to dominate at the awards taking home the award for dramatic actress for her stint as ballerina Nina in Black Swan.

Other big wins came for The Kids Are All Right, taking the comedy/musical picture award and the comedy/musical actress award for Annette Bening.

Unsurprisingly, Glee was the big winner of the night taking the musical/comedy show award, actor for Chris Colfer and actress for Jane Lynch.

Hollywood legend Robert De Niro took home the lifetime achievement award and Toy Story 3 was the deserving winner of best animated feature.

The full list of winners are below:

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA

The Social Network

BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
The Kids Are All Right

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
In A Better World, Denmark

BEST DIRECTOR

David Fincher, The Social Network

BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR
Colin Firth, The King's Speech

BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Fighter

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

ANIMATED FILM
Toy Story 3

SCREENPLAY

Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

ORIGINAL SCORE

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network

SONG

‘You Haven't Seen the Last of Me’ (music and lyrics by Diane Warren), Burlesque

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

DRAMATIC TV SERIES

Boardwalk Empire

BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Katy Sagal, Sons of Anarchy

TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Glee

BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Laura Linney, The Big C

BEST MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Carlos

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Jane Lynch, Glee

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Chris Colfer, Glee

CECIL B. DEMILLE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Robert De Niro

What is Marketing?

1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" - That's Direct Marketing"

2. You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: "He's very rich. "Marry him." -That's Advertising"

3. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says: "You are very rich! "Can you marry ! Me?" - That's Brand Recognition"

4. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. - "That's Customer Feedback"

5. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband. - "That's demand and supply gap"

6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say: "I am rich, Marry me!" your wife arrives. - "That's restriction for entering new markets":

Enjoy the growth !!!!

Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Orissa. It was constructed from oxidizing and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I (1236-1264 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is one of the most well renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site. It is one of the Seven Wonders of India (as per the poll collected by NDTV).

The temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka), the sun god, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels.

The entrance is guarded by two giant lions, which are each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in turn lies on top of a human body. The temple symbolizes the majestic stride of the Sun god. At the entrance of the temple is a Nata Mandir. This is where the temple dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun god. All around the temple, there are various floral and geometric patterns.The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "here the language of stone surpasses the language of man."

The Sun Temple, built in the thirteenth century, was conceived as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God, with twelve pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven pairs of horses. Majestic in conception, this temple is one of the most sublime monuments of India, famous as much for its imposing dimensions and faultless proportions as for the harmonious integration of architectural grandeur with plastic allegiance. Every inch of the temple is covered with sculpture of an unsurpassed beauty and grace, in tableaux and freestanding pieces ranging from the monumental to the miniature. The subject matter is fascinating. Thousands of images include deities, celestial and human musicians, dancers, lovers, and myriad scenes of courtly life, ranging from hunts and military battles to the pleasures of courtly relaxation. These are interspersed with birds, animals (close to two thousand charming and lively elephants march around the base of the main temple alone), mythological creatures, and a wealth of intricate botanical and geometrical decorative designs. The famous jewel-like quality of Orissan art is evident throughout, as is a very human perspective which makes the sculpture extremely accessible.

The temple is famous for its erotic sculptures, which can be found primarily on the second level of the porch structure. It will become immediately apparent upon viewing them that the frank nature of their content is combined with an overwhelming tenderness and lyrical movement. This same kindly and indulgent view of life extends to almost all the other sculptures at Konark, where the thousands of human, animal, and divine personages are shown engaged in the full range of the 'carnival of life' with an overwhelming sense of appealing realism. It is admittedly the best in Orissa. Its fine traceries and scrollwork, as well as the beautiful and natural cut of animal and human figures, give it a superiority over other temples.

The Sun temple belongs to the Kalinga school of Indian temples with characteristic curvilinear towers mounted by cupolas. In shape, the temple did not make any major departure from other sikhara temples of Orissa. The main sanctum which (229 ft. high) was constructed along with the audience hall (128 ft. high) having elaborate external projections. The main sanctum which enshrined the presiding deity has fallen off. The Audience Hall survives in its entirely, but only small portions of the Dancing Hall (nata Mandir) and the Dining Hall (Bhoga-Mandap) have survived the vagaries of time. The Temple compound measures 857 ft (261 m) by 540 ft (160 m). The alignment of the Sun Temple is on the east-west direction. The Temple is located in natural surroundings, abounding with casuarina plantations and other types of trees such as mahogany, rosewood, eel which grow on sandy soil.

Kingfisher dives for its prey in spectacular photograph

The spectacular image was captured by photographer Charlie Hamilton James and is one of a series in the November issue of the National Geographic magazine .

Kingfishers can dive at up to 25mph and are capable of catching fish two feet below the surface of the water.

They are so fast that often the only glimpse of them is a blue flash as they strike.

Each individual bird protects an area that will offer it steady fishing to feed it and a good nest site.

"These tiny little birds have got to hold down a whole mile of river," said Mr Hamilton James.

Both males and females are quite solitary and very defensive of their territory.

"They're very loud, and they tell everyone they're coming," said Mr Hamilton James. "I suppose they are quite arrogant."

The photographer has been dedicated to recording kingfishers since first spotting one 20 years ago near his home in Bristol.

"Everyone in England who has ever seen one will remember where they saw it," he said. "I saw my first one when I was a boy. I've been completely obsessed ever since."

Kingfishers are found mainly in central and southern England and are found by still or flowing water where they feed on fish and aquatic insects. There are estimated to be between 4,800 and 8,000 breeding pairs.

PSEs shed Rs 1,300 cr on Modi's welfare call

In a controversial order, the Gujarat government has asked all profit-making public sector enterprises (PSEs) in the state to contribute up to 30% of their annual profit before tax to Gujarat Socio-Economic Development Society (GSEDS), set up to support weaker sections of society.

The request has had a cascading effect on several PSEs that have lost Rs 1,336 crore in terms of market cap since the Wednesday directive.

Confirming the Gujarat government’s decision, state commissioner of Bureau of Public Sector Enterprises, Arvind Agarwal, told TOI , ‘‘Because these companies earn good profits, their contribution to Gujarat’s socio-economic development will help the state achieve its social objectives.’’

But in the last two trading sessions alone, the market capitalisation of Gujarat Mineral Development Corp (GMDC), Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals (GACL), Gujarat State Fertlizers and Chemicals (GSFC), Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Corp (GNFC), Gujarat Industrial Power Corp (GIPCL) and Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL) has fallen by Rs 1,336 crore.
And the value of government’s holding in these companies got shaved off by Rs 721 crore.

GMDC, which has declared in its annual report that it would contribute nearly Rs 123 crore for social causes, continued to fall sharply, down by 17% in two days since the decision. While the managing directors of the six listed PSEs have made a strong representation to the state government that the move would erode the rating of PSEs, the government has remained undeterred in its pursuit to milk the profit-making PSEs for its social goals.

While bureaucrats manning these PSEs are disturbed by the slide in the stocks, a government spokesperson told TOI that ‘‘there’s no question of going back on this.’’

‘‘It’s a retrograde step from the capital market point of view. A better way to implement CSR is to ask PSEs to increase the dividend payouts so that the Gujarat government receives higher sum to donate to any society of its choice,’’ said V K Sharma, the head of Anagram Securities.

PSEs shed Rs 1,300 cr on Modi's welfare call

In a controversial order, the Gujarat government has asked all profit-making public sector enterprises (PSEs) in the state to contribute up to 30% of their annual profit before tax to Gujarat Socio-Economic Development Society (GSEDS), set up to support weaker sections of society.

The request has had a cascading effect on several PSEs that have lost Rs 1,336 crore in terms of market cap since the Wednesday directive.

Confirming the Gujarat government’s decision, state commissioner of Bureau of Public Sector Enterprises, Arvind Agarwal, told TOI , ‘‘Because these companies earn good profits, their contribution to Gujarat’s socio-economic development will help the state achieve its social objectives.’’

But in the last two trading sessions alone, the market capitalisation of Gujarat Mineral Development Corp (GMDC), Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals (GACL), Gujarat State Fertlizers and Chemicals (GSFC), Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Corp (GNFC), Gujarat Industrial Power Corp (GIPCL) and Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL) has fallen by Rs 1,336 crore.
And the value of government’s holding in these companies got shaved off by Rs 721 crore.

GMDC, which has declared in its annual report that it would contribute nearly Rs 123 crore for social causes, continued to fall sharply, down by 17% in two days since the decision. While the managing directors of the six listed PSEs have made a strong representation to the state government that the move would erode the rating of PSEs, the government has remained undeterred in its pursuit to milk the profit-making PSEs for its social goals.

While bureaucrats manning these PSEs are disturbed by the slide in the stocks, a government spokesperson told TOI that ‘‘there’s no question of going back on this.’’

‘‘It’s a retrograde step from the capital market point of view. A better way to implement CSR is to ask PSEs to increase the dividend payouts so that the Gujarat government receives higher sum to donate to any society of its choice,’’ said V K Sharma, the head of Anagram Securities.