ECONOMY. Thailand has a pro-business market economy driven by strong foreign investments and export oriented manufacturing especially in electronics, foods and automobiles. Thailand’s exports account for 60% of the country’s GDP. Thailand experienced strong economic growth prior to the Asian economic crisis of 1997 with GDP growth averaging 9.4% annually. However, the crisis adversely affected businesses in Thailand and saw the value of the Thai Baht decline by more than 50% against the US dollar. Since the crisis, the economy has grown on a growth path.

Thailand’s GDP was US$163.5 billion with a GDP per capita of US$2,537 in 2004. Thailand’s GDP grew by an average of 4.6% annually from 2000 to 2004 driven mainly by exports of high technology products mainly electronics. Inflation remained below 2.0% from 2000 to 2003 but increased to 2.8% by 2004. However, unemployment showed a declining trend from 3.6% in 2000 to 1.8% by 2004.

Nearly 60% of Thailand’s workforce is involved in the agriculture industry but contributed to only 9.8% of the country’s GDP in 2004. The services industry contributed towards 46.1% of Thailand’s GDP and manufacturing 44.1% during the period. Major industries include tourism, electronics, textiles and garments, processed foods, beverages, agriculture produce, jewellery, furniture, plastics, vehicles and vehicle parts and mining of tungsten and tin. Major agriculture products include rice, tapioca, rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybean and milk.

DEMOGRAPHY. Ethnic Thais account for 75% of Thailand’s 65 million population and another 11% are Chinese or Sino-Thais who have assimilated into the Thai culture or are from mixed marriages. Minorities include Malays who lived mainly in southern Thailand and account for 4% of the population. Others include the Mon, Lao, Khmers, Puan and Karen minorities and immigrants from India. Nearly 95% of the country’s population are Buddhists while Malays in Thailand are predominantly Muslims. Thai is the national language while languages used by the minorities include Malay, Isan and Khmer. Schools teach English but proficiency is low and generally, the educated elite are more proficient with the language.

The majority of the Thai population still live in the rural communities though the proportion of the urban population is increasing. Thailand’s urban population increased from 22% of the total population in 2000 to 31% by 2004. Thailand’s capital and major city Bangkok accounts for nearly 8% of the country’s total population. Other major cities include Nonthaburi, Pak Kret, Hat Yai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai and Udon Thani.

Thailand successfully reduced the poverty level from 27% in 1990 to 10% by 2004. The proportion of the population categorised belonging in the low-income household is estimated at 60% while middle and high-income households account for 30%. The average household income in Bangkok is twice than the national average.

INFRASTRUCTURE. Telecommunication services to the general public are overall adequate. Internet broadband services are mostly concentrated in Bangkok. Cities and towns are well connected by roads but lacks super highways connecting Thailand’s cities and major towns. Cities the major towns are served by airports and well connected by buses and rail system.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE. Thailand’s major trading partners include Japan, US, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Main exports from Thailand include electronics, vehicle and vehicle parts, textiles, garments, footwear, seafood, processed foods, rice, rubber, jewellery, electrical appliances including computers. Main imports include machineries and equipments, raw materials and finished products, consumer goods and fuels.

CONSUMER USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY. There were nearly 17.3 million installed fixed-line telephones in 2004 giving a penetration of 40% of all Thai homes installed with telephones. The penetration of mobile phones increased from just 7% of the population in 2001 to 42% or 27 million mobile phones by 2004. The penetration of computers is still low but increased from 5.1% of the households in 2001 to nearly 12% by 2004. The number of internet users reached an estimated 8 million in 2004 but most of the internet users are concentrated in Bangkok and the major cities and towns. The penetration of television in homes in 93% indicating many low-income homes have televisions.

RETAIL MARKET. The retail industry in Thailand totalled an estimated US$24.5 billion in 2004. There are nearly 300,000 traditional “mom and pop” stores in Thailand accounting for 65% of the total retail sales. However, there are 4,500 modern retail establishments (hypermarkets, supermarkets, department stores and convenience stores) accounting for 35% of the total retail sales. Most of the modern retail establishments are located in Bangkok. Shopping in modern retail establishments is increasingly popular and more establishments expected in the near future.

FOOD CULTURE. Rice is the staple food but while those in central and southern Thailand prefer white fragrant rice those in northern Thailand prefer the glutinous variety. Thai dishes are generally hot and spicy but foods from the northern region are generally milder. Thais are less adapting to western foods even if they could afford it compared to consumers in Singapore and Malaysia. However, bakery and coffer shop chains are gaining popularity among young professionals who have adapted to western culture.

An ecosystem is generally understood to be the combination of biological, physical and chemical factors that makes up a particular locality and can be anything from a pond to a rainforest to a desert.

There are two components in an ecosystem, the abiotic components, such as sunlight, temperature, temperature, water or moisture and the soil chemistry, and the biotic, the living organisms from plants to insects, animals to people, all of which interact together.

Ecology is a way of describing how the the various component parts of an ecosystem interact and function whether it is the amount of energy produced by photosynthesis or how energy and materials flow along the food chain.

Energy transfers in a continuous cycle from growth to decay and back throughout an ecosystem and the rate at which it does so depends on a number of factors. However, energy transfer through the food chain becomes more inefficient as it develops from what is called primary producer level (plants) through herbivore primary consumer level and on to carnivore level.

This is all fine when the various elements of an ecosystem are in balance and functioning well together but it doesn’t take much to destabilise it.

Climate changes, such as prolonged drought or rainfall, can affect the balance or a change in the animal population so that perhaps there are too many predators that can be supported in a given area.

Human activity has arguably one of the most significant impacts on an ecosystem in a variety of ways. Once an area of land is being used for a specific purpose, such as farming, it can lead to several problems.

Once populations begin to collect in communities and the economic system depends more and more on urbanised living, along with greater scientific understanding of public health and medicine, the death rate declines and the population begins to grow.

This puts more pressure on those working the land to produce food to become more efficient and again innovations like farming machinery – and eventually methods such as chemical and mineral-based pesticides and fertilisers have to be used to control pests and crop diseases and increase the yield from the land.

Meanwhile ever newer and more “efficient” farming methods create a hostile environment for wildlife, including pests and for their natural predators, perhaps because the areas where they live and shelter such as hedges have been removed to allow for larger farm vehicles to operate efficiently.

Equally too intensive farming means that there is no time for the land to recover and restore nutrients naturally through the cycle of growth and decay. The human population continues to grow as life expectancy and birth rates increase and add to the stress on the ecosystem.

It is the result of many centuries of such “improvements” in food production and in population survival and growth that has led to current worries about food scarcity and the need for farmers to increase food production.

But it has also become clear that increasing food production has to be done in a sustainable way as the drawbacks of previous farming methods have become evident, not only because of the effects of the residues of some of the old generation of fertilisers on human health but also because of the damage that has been caused to the ecosystems in which they have been used.

Hence the current emphasis on sustainable farming methods and integrated pest management but if the world is to support a population expected to reach more than 9 billion by 2050 without further damage to the world’s ecosystems something has to change.

Biopesticides developers have been in the forefront of the search for solutions, researching more natural (aka low-chem) agricultural products – using natural ingredients to create biopesticides and yield enhancers that will both protect the land and help increase yields from the finite amount of land available by minimising the waste caused by crops lost to diseases and predators.

It is the work of such innovators that will hold the key to providing enough food and protecting the land and its vulnerable ecosystems for the future.

Wow, just writing this title excites me. Partly since I have such a passion for bringing together practitioners and patients for better health outcomes. But mostly because when we add a powerful mission that inspires real action that is based around population health management, I believe we can make some real progress in creating healthier and happier lives. To me, that’s exciting because what it takes is us working together to implement a system that engages patients to become participants in their health. And this, my dear heart-centered friends, is where you as a holistic and wellness practitioner enter the traditional health care scene with your subset of skills and heart-centered characteristics that can lead health care teams toward new clinical benchmarks never before experienced in a clinical setting. Yes, that’s a bold statement but one that I am convinced is not just possible but necessary.

So how does one undertake such a task? How can integrative practitioners not only be viewed as a viable part of the health care team but as a real contributor to the patients’ health outcome?

I see population-based health care as a type of stone soup. If you remember the original folktale, villagers are tricked out of their greed and fear and into sharing and enjoying life with their neighbors. All thanks to a soup that didn’t even exist… until everyone, unsuspecting even to themselves, contribute their one and only ingredient; that alone wouldn’t amount to much. If each of us is truly interested in spreading our mission in which we all share the same outcome goals of healthier and happier people, then we must be willing to participate as a team. We must be willing to see, not only how our own “ingredient” brings value but how each member of the team brings value to the ultimate outcome of restored health and happiness. We must move past the “we against them” mentality that has plagued our health care system. We can no longer afford to see the split between social determinants of health and the physical manifestations of disease. The lifestyle medicine movement is already verifying the need to include what many holistic practitioners have known for decades, that individuals are not separate from their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and habits which have a direct impact on health outcomes. We are not so different and clinicians are more open than ever to understanding all determinants of health.

There are several things that we must take into consideration first before we take on such a task and one of the biggest challenges I see from holistic and wellness practitioners is the willingness to speak and understand the same language as our clinical colleagues. It would be like moving to a foreign country without knowing the language. This most often happens because in our passion and excitement for giving witness to our mission, we tend to hyper focus on the techniques of our modalities rather than on the intended health outcome. Can you imagine a surgeon giving the details and methods of using a scalpel to cut into our flesh? Ugh, who wants to hear that but another colleague? All I want to know is if I’ll get better and how! Not the details of the technique. Focus on the health outcome that your modality offers which in turn is your mission!

The next thing is that we must step up and position ourselves and our scope of practice so it’s aligned within the standards of care for a specific disease state. For example, if you are a certified or licensed massage therapist and you have additional certification in lymphedema treatment then you would focus on chronic conditions that are known to cause lymphedema such as cancer treatments or diabetes among others. Obviously, your scope of practice must align with the chronic conditions in which you are certified. I’ll be discussing in greater detail how to position your scope of practice to build stronger relationships with clinicians in future postings. But for now, it’s important to know that not being clear on how your scope of practice aligns with standards of care for a specific disease state, may be the reason for your difficulty in getting clinician referrals or collaborations.

Lastly, we need to get a clear understanding of the “lay-of-the-land,” of not only within the clinical health care setting but the new payment system that rewards doctors and hospitals for improving the quality of care. Pay-for-Performance is a term for initiatives aimed at improving the quality, efficiency, and overall value of health care. These arrangements provide financial incentives to hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers to carry out such improvements and achieve optimal outcomes for patients.

Pay-for-performance has become popular among policy makers and private and public payers, including Medicare and Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act expands the use of pay-for-performance approaches in Medicare in particular and encourages experimentation to identify designs and programs that are most effective. I see this as another opportunity to expand your mission by demonstrating how you can help increase quality measures, efficiency in care, diminish gaps in care, and provide value in optimal health outcomes.

Therefore, in part 2 of this posting, I will clarify what we mean by population-based health management within the constraints of an integrative health practice. In fact, we may need clarification on several terms that are now being used in the health care settings such as integration, quality measures and how understanding these key components within clinical settings can help establish you as a viable member of the health care team and secure your position as the expert in your field.

Until then, be well my friends as you help move people towards the truth of well-being with hope, love and laughter!

“Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the virus dies, or both die.” – Gore Vidal, American novelist and critic.

The world is bursting at it seams thanks to the burgeoning global population. According to the present estimates, the world population is approximately around 6.5 billion. And India’s population alone is approximately 1.17 billion, which is one-sixth of the world population. So what’s the big deal? Well, its simple logic! When the world grows in numbers so does it problems! Bigger the numbers bigger the problems get! More people would mean more food to be grown to feed, more resources to provide quality health and education, more jobs to be created to provide employment, more cities and towns to accommodate and many such things! Unfortunately, the current global economic meltdown will not allow this to happen too quickly as it ought to be. In fact, it has already put the brakes on several important global issues the primary being health and education.

This twin-problem of increasing population and the global financial and economic crisis threatens to reverse hard-won gains in education and health in developing countries and the worst to be hit by this are women and girls, feels the United Nations. Even before the crisis happened, women and girls represented the majority of the world’s poor. And now this crisis has only aggravated their situation pushing them deep down into poverty, exposing them to increased health risks, especially if they are pregnant, and to hunger, malnutrition, and unemployment. The world cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the problems of the women as this has the ominous potential to spill over to affect the global community at large. Hence, rightly so, the focus of this year’s World Population Day on July 11 is investing in women and girls. The UN is urging member nations to continue to invest more in empowering women to help us get out of this global turmoil. This way the United Nations believes that the world will be put back on the path in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Origin and purpose of the World Population Day (WPD)
The need of the hour is to create awareness among global communities about the population crisis amid the economic meltdown and the worst repercussions it will lead to, particularly to women and girls and how addressing these issues will help the world! And the world will have to unite to act and continue to brainstorm to come out with innovative and safer ways to tackle the inequality between available resources and the increasing population! And this year’s World Population Day on July 11 seeks to do exactly this.

This year is the 20th anniversary of World Population Day. And what started as an annual event by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989 which itself was inspired by the Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987 when the world’s population reached five billion, has now probably assumed greater importance like never before. Apart from honouring the customary way of celebrations to raise awareness of global population issues, set goals and seek ways by organising events, workshops, rallies and seminars and debates, this year’s WPD has a bigger task on hand as the world reels under the recession!

2009 WPD theme can help tackle recession-induced inadequacies and world population control
The theme for this year’s United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) World Population Day is “Fight Poverty, Educate Girls.” With banners that declare “When girls stay in school and get an education, poverty has no chance,” this year’s campaign urges every man and woman to ‘join the anti-poverty movement and educate girls.’ This year, the World Population Day aims to build awareness of the importance of educating girls to help solve the vicious cycle of repercussions starting from development issues, to poverty, to human rights and to gender equality.

The global economic meltdown has been a cause of additional concern for a world that is already facing the acute problem of increasing population. What started as a financial crisis in rich countries is now deepening into a global economic crisis that is hitting developing countries hard. Recession basically means a sense of insecurity resulting in deep cutbacks on expenditure including on existing and new investments leading to unemployment, increasing protectionism which means that more and more people employed in foreign countries and institutions becoming jobless, governments spending less on public welfare projects like education, health, nutrition, which results in disempowerment of people and women in particular. All these will only make the situation go worse.

According to the UNFPA, the key lies in empowering women and children particularly those in developing countries as they will bear the brunt of the impact of the recession. The key lies in educating girls and empowering women to meet these challenges by way of policy responses that build on women’s roles as economic agents. The governments across the world should also continue and increase investments in public health, education, child care and other social services as these will help lessen the impact of the crisis on the entire family and raise productivity for a healthier economy.

What’s at stake!
The UNFPA sponsored International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) has warned that in times of recession, the sexual and reproductive health services will likely suffer as health expenditures are cut back. However, it is a fact that each dollar invested in reducing unmet need for contraceptive services will avoid about $2-4 in expenditures on maternal and newborn health. Also at stake is the well being of the children that can be dramatically impacted due to loss of jobs for women in both formal and informal sectors. This coupled with restricted access to family planning services and health services could force them to take recourse to abortion, including unsafe abortion.

Empowered women and control of population
The UNFPA sees the reproductive health and gender issues as critical determinants of population dynamics. Fertility is driven largely by reproductive and health decisions that individual women can or cannot make, depending on the information, services and supplies that are available to them, the cultural context in which they live, and the educational and economic opportunities given to them. Empowered women can make these significant choices of spacing births by effective use of contraception, plan smaller families and healthier communities. And empowerment begins with proper education, access to better health services, and employment and economic freedom which would signal the beginning of effective population control and help reduce the impact of the global economic meltdown. Additionally, empowering women will result in improved maternal health, adequate nutrition to themselves, their children and families.

As the U.N Secretary General puts it, let us urge our decision-makers, at the national, state, district and at our homes, to protect women’s ability to earn income, keep their daughters in school, and obtain reproductive health information and services, including voluntary family planning. Let us help advance the rights of women and girls, and empower them as highly productive members of society capable of contributing to economic recovery and growth. There can be no better investment on this day or any other.

With the earth’s population growing by 95 million a year, the world is trudging towards overpopulation and may result into the rapid depletion of the planet’s resources. This in turn may lead to widespread famine, global warming, acid rain, and other major ecological problems.

(Global warming, acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer, vulnerability to epidemics, and exhaustion of soils and ground-water are all, as have been proven by numerous scientific studies, related to population size).

We have today, arrived at the crossroads of survival for a livable life over the entire world. One road leads to the continued depletion of resources, pollution and reduction of the ability to meet basic human needs. The other leads to an improved way of life where population sizes are in balance with the sustainable supply of resources. We need to realize and accept the fact that we have reached the point where our population is rapidly increasing while our basic natural resources are declining essentially because many of our renewable resources are being used faster than they can restore themselves.

The concept of sustainable development subscribes to the principle of living within the carrying capacity of the environment. Unfortunately, as in the case of all less developed countries, sustainability is hardly possible since the birth rates in these countries far exceeds their GDP growth. There is therefore an urgency to implement population control programs specially in these less developed countries!

Artificial birth control, or the use of contraceptives, is the easiest way to address the population problem. Unfortunately, efforts to implement any population control program that promotes the use of contraceptives is being met with stern disapproval from the catholic church. (In the Philippines, the newly installed president who is a staunch advocate of population control, was even threatened with ex-communication by some catholic bishops for supporting the Reproductive Health Bill now pending in the Philippine Congress!)

At the center of the catholic church’s unwavering stance against artificial birth control is the

Humanae Vitae (Latin for “Of Human Life”) – an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and promulgated on July 25, 1968. Subtitled “On the Regulation of Birth”, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding abortion, contraception, and other issues pertaining to human life. The encyclical totally banned all forms of contraceptives!

Although Pope Paul VI, when he wrote this encyclical, did not invoke the doctrine of “Papal Infallibility” (the dogma in Roman Catholic theology that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error when he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals as being contained in divine revelation, or at least being intimately connected to divine revelation.) It was none-the-less embraced by the catholic bishops worldwide as if it was gospel truth believing the pope was preaching “ex-cathedra”. Thus, the encyclical was the subject of debates and controversies from then on up to the present!

(I shall not discuss the equally controversial doctrine of “Papal Infallibility” here as I want to focus this discussion on the encyclical!)

The threat to the catholic church brought by the growing global concerns on population explosion and the corresponding technology being developed to correct the problem was recognized by the catholic leaders decades ago. That is why the Papal Commission on Population and Birth Control was convened by Pope John XXIII in 1964. It completed its work under Pope Paul VI in 1966. The commission was given the task of finding a way to modify the Church’s position on birth control without destroying papal authority which was considered as essential for the survival of the catholic church. Evidently, the commission failed to find a way that will not compromise church teachings. This, then, gave birth to Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae!

Pope Paul VI knew that Humanae Vitae would be controversial. But, he declared, the Church “does not, because of this, evade the duty imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical.” Like Christ, the Church “is destined to be a ‘sign of contradiction.'”

To many, like Pope Benedict XVI, Humanae Vitae is controversial because it upheld the Church’s traditional condemnation of contraception. Pope Benedict argued that the case against contraception is based not on sectarian beliefs but on the natural law. “The transmission of life is inscribed in nature,” he observed, “and its laws stand as an unwritten norm to which everyone must refer.”

Accordingly, Humanae Vitae declares that we must uphold the natural law which reveals that the marriage act has both unitive and procreative aspects, which cannot be separated. It further declares that “An act of mutual love which impairs the capacity to transmit life… contradicts the will of the Author of life.”

Paul VI teaches in the first sentence of Humanae Vitae, that the transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. This is divine partnership, so Paul VI does not allow for arbitrary human decisions, which may limit divine providence.

This is where the Humanae Vitae basically became controversial and flawed. Because after declaring that there should be no room for arbitrary human decisions in the marital act, after declaring that the marital act has both unitive and procreative aspects which can not be separated, it goes on to declare that:

“If therefore there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile, thus controlling birth in a way which does not in the least offend the moral principles which We have just explained.”

Does this(allowing marital intercourse during infertile periods to control birth) not separate the unitive aspect of the marital act from its procreative aspect? Does this not reduce the marital act to a mere act of sexuality which it condemns throughout the encyclical? I thought the encyclical has just professed that “An act of mutual love which impairs the capacity to transmit life… contradicts the will of the Author of life?”

In the past, the catholic church had slightly modified its teachings on marital sexuality several times throughout its history. A modification giving permission to the use of contraception would have just been a welcome and legitimate (and appropriate) doctrinal development of moral norms for marital intercourse necessitated by a deeper appreciation of the values of conjugal love.

Unfortunately, as the debate on contraception rages, it is also becoming clearer that a change in the catholic church’s teachings on contraception will not merely require a slight modification nor a logical development of church honored teachings but may also have radical implications on other fundamental claims of the catholic church.

To sum it all up, we can say that Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae provides no sufficient or convincing arguments for the teachings it has enumerated. Rather than present new insights into why it condemns contraception, it simply reiterates the same old unconvincing arguments based on a moral theology which is grounded in an antiquated theory of natural law!

Located in Vindhya Hills of Central India in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh National Park derives its name from an ancient fort ‘Bandhavgarh’, perched on a hilltop in the middle of the park. Spreaded over total area of @450 Sq Kms, with core zone of just 105 Sq Kms, makes Bandhavgarh is one of the smaller tiger reserves in India compared to its larger counterpart in Kanha 255 kms away.

Forest around Bandhavgarh was a popular hunting ground for Maharaja of Rewa, which was later handed over to the state government for Tiger conservation. The ruins of the fort make great hideouts for wild animals. After the success of Project Tiger, Bandhavgarh National Park is considered to have the densest population of tigers in India, making it easiest place to spot tigers in India.

The wild life:

The National Park is home to wide variety of animals and birds, including Royal Bengal Tigers, Leopards, Jackals, Hyenas, Sloth bears, Spotted deer, Chinkara, Langoors and Nilgai.

Jungle Safari:

For safari purpose, Bandhavgarh National Park is divided in to 3 areas of Tala, Maghdi and Khitauli zones. Most of the jungle is covered with dense Sal and Bamboo vegetation, but grasslands can be found on higher planes. Spotting of animals & birds can be explored using open air jeeps. Lush green foliage and rocky terrain make these jungle safaris a thrilling experience!

Safaris can be taken in the early morning at the break of the dawn as well as in the late afternoon leading into dusk. These are the best time zones when animal activities and movements are at peak.

Besides spotting wild life during jungle safaris, one can also visit ‘ Bandhavgarh’ fort to explore the ancient ruins. The fort is considered to be almost 2000 years old and has been mentioned in some of the ancient Hindu texts. ‘Shesh Shaiya’ is another place of interests inside the park, where a 65 feet long statue of Lord Vishnu is found reclined horizontally, on a seven headed serpent, called Shesh Naag. River Charanganga originates from this point. The river gets its name from shallow water levels, which come only up to one’s feet (Charan)! Mahouts gather around Charanganga in the morning to bathe their elephants, and it is makes a visual delight for wild life enthusiast while returning from an early morning safari.

Best time to Visit

The park is open to visitors from 15th October to 30th June. The best time to visit Bandgavgarh National Park is during late November and Late march when the weather is not too cold or hot, and the number of tourists are less as there are no long holidays around that period, like any other National Parks in India.

Tiger sightings are relatively easy in April & May because of the drying of some vegetation. Unlike Kanha, thick forest of Sal in Bandhavgarh keeps it cooler in compression, during summer months, though high humidity levels in May and June are not as welcoming.

Tips:

The safaris should be booked well in advance to avoid disappointment at a later stage. The number of jeeps allowed in the park has been reduced drastically and chances are that one may not get any safari under current booking during heavy tourist seasons.

Elephant safari should be considered only if the tiger or any wild animal is spotted in a particular area of the park. This is when the Forest Department organizes ‘Tiger Show’ for a closer look at the wild animal.

Stay at one of the properties of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation, situated right inside the core zone of the park, animals can be heard and spotted right from the resort balcony. It completes a true wild life experience.

Do make friends with one of the guides or resort owners and spend an evening of ecstasy around bon fire, listening to their stories of fights between tiger & a bison, a leopard chasing a bison or a leopard stealthily following one of the forest guards on duty!

How to get there:

Bandhavgarh is accessible by road from towns of Jabalpur, Satna, Umaria and Khajuraho. Jabalpur is 200 kms from Bandhavgarh, and it is one of the main cities with the nearest airport. Umaria is 35kms away and is the closest railway station from Bandhavgarh. Umaria is well connected by train with major cities by train. One can also travel from Kanha National Park, which is 250kms away; though it is not advisable as the road conditions are very poor.

DOs and DON’Ts of Wild Life Viewing for National Parks in India:

1) It is advisable to take open air jeeps or cantor safaris, instead of taking personal vehicles. Chances of spotting wild animals are far greater by driving slowly in open air vehicles than in a super cool fancy SUV.

2) Hiring a guide is must in almost all the national parks. Guides and jeep drivers are well versed with jungle terrain, trails and are well experienced in spotting animals and birds in the forest. It makes sense to hire their services and trust their instincts.

3) Camouflage outfits or earthy/ neutral colors are best suited while in the jungle. Bright colors can alarm the wild beasts, and they should be left behind for a beach vacation!

4) Patience is one of the most important requirements, while visiting any National Park. One may have to wait for hours before spotting a wild creature. It is advisable to trust the guide and keep calm as they have the eyes and ears to sense the presence of any wild animal around.

5) It may even take more than one safari to spot wild animals in larger parks. Jungle safari is not only about spotting a tiger or a leopard. There are many other fascinating animals and birds that can make these safaris interesting. Driving through Lush green vegetation and rocky terrain provides a unique experience.

6) Keeping calm is extremely vital in the forest. It is not your home! Noise or hyperactivity could disturb the movement of animals and scare them away, or in worst case, alarming them could jeopardize the wild life experience for others as well.

7) Getting down from the vehicle is absolutely forbidden in any wild life sanctuary. Respect the rules of the jungle. The guide can direct you when and where it s advisable to get off the vehicle.

8) In case of spotting a tiger or any wild beast, keep safe distance, so not to disturb the animal. Getting off the specified trails is not advisable; it may disturb the flora and fauna of the jungle.

9) Stories from the previous sightings can be discussed later while lounging around the bon fire in the evening. While in jungle, stay alert and focused to maximize chances of spotting various creatures/ birds and enjoy the nature at its best!

10) Do not forget to carry binoculars, it will help in not only spotting birds but also in spotting presence of any wild animal or fort ruins in the distance.

11) Avoid littering around in the forest. Carry an empty bag to bring the rubbish back to the hotel.

12) Smoking or lighting fire is prohibited inside the jungle; a little mistake can bring the forest down in no time.

13) Respect park entry and exit times. Driving around forest after sunset can be dangerous for self and for the animals.

14) Photography enthusiast must carry all the possible equipments to avoid disappointments. Ensure smooth and soft movements while changing lenses, avoiding any noise or disturbances to not only animals but fellow passengers as well.

15) Morning safaris in open jeeps/ cantors in winter can be very painful with frosty air piercing through the body. The best would be to wrap up in a blanket from the hotel room! It is advisable to carry extra layers, gloves, mufflers even during evening safaris to protect against the chills on the way back.

16) During summer months it could get extremely hot inside the forest. It is worthwhile to carry hats, light scarves, sunglasses and extra bottles of water.

Tiger Sighting Experience!

The experience of a tiger sighting starts with listening to bird calls and monkey calls. One can hear hyper activity and chatter of birds and monkeys in a particular area, which is a signal that an animal is lurking somewhere close by. These calls help deer and other animals to be on guard and change their course. Spotting pug mark is another sign of the presence of a wild animal. Guides and drivers are skilled at identifying these pug marks and follow the route which the animal may have taken. Presence of a carcass or any dead deer or monkey point towards when the beast had its meal and if it is going to visit the same area soon. Loud growling or snarling sounds are a sure shot indication of presence of a Tiger! These are some of the things which make tiger sighting an exhilarating experience!

Bird populations of many species are in serious decline across the US. Recent studies report that approximately one-third of the US bird species border on endangered or threatened status. For the most part, humans take the blame for the reduction in numbers, for a variety of reasons.

NESTING

The biggest contributor in the population decline is the loss of habitat. The building boom in the United States in the past century has virtually destroyed the natural nesting grounds of many of the birds in question. Birds that are native to or migrate through highly populated areas, such as coastal regions, seem to have the biggest drop in population.

ENVIRONMENT

The other major factor, tying humans to the slow extinction of birds, is the impact on the environment. Air and water pollution are also placing the birds in grave danger. Smog, pesticides, and other environmental issues are affecting the air, water and plant life that birds rely on for survival. Food sources are dwindling or contaminated. Climate change is driving them from their natural habitats. Accidents, such as oil and chemical spills, are killing birds off. People are not only destroying their own natural habitat, but also that of every living thing, including birds.

HUNTING

Surprisingly, hunting is not to blame for the majority of the problems in this recent discovery, though continuing to hunt some of the affected species could be detrimental. Unlike past problems with species becoming endangered in populated areas, the intentional killing of birds has not caused a significant reduction in the numbers. People who hunt might add to the problem, but they are not the base of the issue.

It is certainly possible for humans and birds to coexist in the United States, but not without some serious changes. Protecting established nesting areas and reducing the environmental impact on natural resources would help to slow the decline of the birds. Everyone must take part in these efforts, for there to be hope for the future of the dropping numbers of birds.

Pretty bad. From 1987 to 2007, the U.S. prison population nearly tripled. The American prison population in 2004 was eight times larger than it was in 1954. In 2008, it was 40 times greater than it was in 1904. On a per capita basis, there were 15 times more sentenced prisoners in 2008 than in 1904. At the beginning of 2008, 2,319,258 Americans were in prison or jail, more than in any other country in the world, and a greater percentage of our population is in prison or jail than in any other country in the world. At the start of 2009, the total incarcerated population in the United States was 2,424,279. That is just the number behind bars, four times more people than are in the U.S. Army, more than Utah in the last census. With 5% of the world’s population, the United States has 25% of the world’s prisoners. In 2010, more Americans are serving life sentences than ever before. Prisoners now have their own inspirational lifestyle publication, “Prison Living Magazine.”

In 2007, the entire U.S. correctional population, which includes jail and penitentiary prisoners plus those on probation and parole totaled 7,328,200. By the end of 2008, the number of probationers and parolees rose again. Add in ex-convicts who have completed sentences, parole, or probation, and all who are slaves to their addictions, and the number of living Americans who are now or have ever been enslaved exceeds 10,000,000. Every year, some 13.5 million people spend time in jail or prison, and 95% are released. Reducing the number behind bars does not directly decrease the correctional population. Over two-thirds of the correctional population is outside prison, on probation, on parole or awaiting trial. When the prison population peaks and then declines, it will probably just mean more offenders are on the outside.

The hyper-incarceration statistics for African-American males are much worse. We incarcerate one in nine African-Americans between the ages of 20 and 34. By 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice estimated that African-American males have a 32% chance of going to prison or jail – becoming slaves – in their lifetimes. Young black male high school dropouts are almost 50 times more likely to wind up behind bars than the average American, and 60% of that demographic cohort eventually goes to prison.

Prison costs put major holes in state budgets but don’t improve recidivism. The total cost exceeded $49,000,000,000.00 in 2007, and fairly recent figures show a national per prisoner operating cost of $23,876.00 per year. One study pegged the total costs at over 60 billion dollars. Costs are still rising, taking ever-larger shares of state general funds and crowding out other priorities. Forward thinking criminologists, recognizing the lack of good answers in penology, actively seek new evidence-based techniques from other disciplines. The State of California pays $49,000 per prisoner per year according to its governor at mid-year 2009, who also said the national average is now $32,000 per prisoner per year. With more inmates serving life-without-parole and longer sentences, incarceration costs continually increase due to rising healthcare expenses for older convicts.

Not just the prisons are overcrowded and expensive. Officers supervising parole and probation often have more cases to handle than earlier thought optimal. At the start of 2008, over 5.1 million adult men and women were on probation or parole. Each of those probationers and parolees costs thousands of dollars per year to supervise. Direct expenditures on police and the judicial system increased by several hundred percent over the last 30 years, too, and now cost a total of about $150 billion dollars per year.

Americans of both parties thought we ended welfare as we knew it when work was required of welfare recipients – but we forgot the biggest group of unemployed welfare recipients. The millions of social parasites we fully support in prisons and jails went almost undetected during welfare reform. Very few prisoners pay for more than a tiny fraction of their upkeep; most pay zero. Unlike welfare recipients who may receive some money for food, clothing, and shelter, we provide prisoners with all of their balanced and regular meals, decent clothing, shelter, utilities, court-mandated medical and dental care, medication, education, limited franking privileges, recreation, toiletries, bedding, various forms of treatment or therapy, and for those in isolation their own private cells with room service. Many enjoy TV, radio or music devices. President Clinton announced in 1998 that inmates would be stopped from receiving Social Security checks, but thousands of prisoners received U.S. government stimulus package checks in 2009, many by mistake. According to the Inspector General for Tax Administration in 2010, 1,295 prisoners fraudulently received first-time homebuyer tax credits, averaging over $7,000 per prisoner. Of this group, 715 were serving life sentences. Mass incarceration increased the size of the American welfare state through direct costs and the collateral welfare costs caused by family members going to prison. The costs of crime and punishment are much greater than the expenses of incarceration. There are huge personal costs for the victims and the families of the perpetrators. Victims lose heavily in dollar terms. Crime victims lose billions of dollars every year. Every year, U.S. gun violence costs society an estimated $80 billion. Black victims greatly outnumber white victims on a percentage basis. Almost half of gunshot victims are black. Blacks victimize their own race. In 2005, about 93 percent of black victims were murdered by blacks.

Mass incarceration harms the country in multiple ways. It simultaneously creates more actual unemployment, because prisoners are vastly under-employed, labor shortages outside prison, regularly filled by foreign workers, and new welfare recipients inside prison, because each prisoner is in essence on full-ride welfare. It produces extra welfare recipients outside prison as well. Families of prisoners lack financial support. Prisoners have greater legal and correctional expenses generally and suffer from more suicide, self-mutilation, gang influence and racism. Mass incarceration broadens widespread unhappiness and societal disruption. The 2010 Census will arguably count a couple of million prisoners in the wrong place. Uncontrolled government spending misled us into thinking we could afford mass incarceration. As it turns out, we cannot. It’s a significant drag on our entire economy. Over two million people are in prison, and it takes millions of citizens outside prison, working hard, just to support them.

The good news from history is that nations eventually do what makes economic sense with their prisoners. Change is therefore coming, because our current systems are wasteful in many ways. The fairly recent Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Plata may help grab the necessary attention.

When guys get together in a bar they often start talking about the size of their erections. And after a few cold ones the lying starts. In these situations it’s good to have some hard facts in your head to shoot down your friend’s lofty claims of their epic members.

So what is the average erect penis length and erect penis girth, and how many guys are really 9 inches long?

The most accurate statistics that we have show that the average erect penis length is right around, or just under, 6 inches long. And the average erect girth is known to be 5 inches. The percentage of men with 9 inch erections is under 2% of the population. How far under is a question of much controversy. However, based on these findings it is very unlikely that you personally would know someone that big, so it is a safe bet to assume that your friends are lying when they start throwing around huge numbers.

8 inch erections are the next most common number that a man claims is the size of his manhood when it is aroused, and these erections account for about 3% or under of all men in the general population. The next most common erection size is 7 and 1/2 and 7 inches flat. Now these numbers are more believable and the data reflects this, as the number of men with 7 inch erections is right around 10%. However, 7 and 1/2 inches drops to just under 4%. So we can see how large of a decrease occurs when you go up just a quarter of an inch or a half an inch in size. After 6 inches, which about 25% of men are, the next most common size is 6 and 1/2 inches which consists of 15 percent of the population.

Optimum population may be defined as the type of population which when combined with the available resources and the given level of existing technology secure a maximum return per head. Optimum population is neither too small or too large. In other words, optimum population stands in between the two other extremes of over population and under population. It is the best type of population and it differs from country to country and from time to time. Optimum population is dynamic, hence it changes according to the changing quantity and quality of a country’s available resources.

Implications

1. At a given level of technology, it balances population with available resources.

2. The management or control of economy that has optimum population is very easy.

3. An optimum population ensures or secures a maximum return per head.

4. An optimum population is the population that produces full employment.

5. Optimum population is a dynamic population that changes with the changing quantity and quality of a country’s available resources.

6. Optimum population also ensures the highest standard of living in a country.

Malthusian Population Theory

The Malthusian population theory is the outcome of an easy title “An Essay on Population” written in 1798 by Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus, an Anglican clergyman and a well known political economist. The essay he wrote was influenced greatly by the rate at which the population in Europe at that time was growing at a very fast rate. In his essay, he highlighted the relationship between population and means of subsistence.

The main features of Malthusian theory

The main views or features of the Malthusian theory about population are:

1. That population was growing at a geometric progression such as 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc, while food production or supply was growing at an arithmetical progression such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc.

2. That there is a tendency for all living things to grow beyond the food available to them.

3. That unless population increase is matched with means of subsistence, negative and positive checks will come into force.

4. That the checks can be war, diseases, epidemics and famine

5. That population is essentially limited by the means of subsistence.

Developments or events that have proven Malthusian theory wrong

Developments or events that have rendered Malthusian theory wrong or irrelevant in present day situation is found in developed countries such as England, America, Japan, Germany etc. These developments include:

1. Development of technical knowledge and mechanization: The development of technical knowledge and mechanization of agriculture in advanced or developed countries has helped to increase food supply.

2. Changes in social attitude: Changes in social attitude like family size and family planing or birth control in these countries.

3. Efficient transportation system: Increased efficiency in the transportation system enables more materials to be provided to areas that needed them.

4. Industrial revolution: The industrial revolution, especially in Europe, also changed the idea of land as a fixed factor of production.

5. Medical improvement: Medical improvement by way of efficient health care services also enables people to enjoy long life thereby proving Malthus theory wrong.

6. Opening of new colonies: The opening of new colonies like America, Canada, Australia etc provided the necessary land for human habitation.

7. Interdependency of nations: The interdependency of nations for goods and services available in large quantities as a result of international trade.

Developments or events that have proved Malthusian theory right

Developments or events that have proved Malthusian theory right or valid in developing countries in Asia and Africa. These events are as follows:

1. Negative attitude: Negative attitude like practice of polygamy, giving birth to many children, etc, have made the population of many developing countries increase on daily basis.

2. High population and low food production: The population of many developing countries is growing at a geometric progression while food production is growing at an arithmetical progression.

3. Difficulties in eradicating poverty; Poverty, which is inherent in a given society according to Malthus, has proven extremely difficult to be wiped out of many poor countries.

4. Poor economic development: Rapid population growth militates against rapid economic development and it grows faster than per capital income.

5. Fallen standard of living: The standard of living of many developing countries has fallen as a result of increase in population.

Demographic transition theory

The theory of demographic transition is the latest attempt made to provide a historical analysis into the population problems of developing countries. It tends to explain the reasons why all developed countries several years ago went through three identical stages of population history. The demographic transition theory puts up a model which recognizes three main stages in the process of population growth or demographic transition. The three stages are:

Stage 1: The pre-industrialization stage: The main feature of this stage is high birth rate and high death rate. The population at this stage is either static or increasing or decreasing at a very low rate. The population transition remains fairly stable.

Stage II: Transitional stage: This stage is characterized by high birth rate accompanied by low death rate. This stage leads to high population as a result of a number of factors such as industrialization, urbanization, better diet, higher income, improved medical services, etc. This stage marks the beginning of demographic transition. Many developing countries are currently at this stage of population growth.

Stage III: Post transition stage: This stage is characterized by a low birth rate and low death rate. In other words, there is a relatively stable population with an older and larger population. This stage is associated with developed countries.

Criticism against demographic transition theory

1. It is completely wrong to use the theory for general applications as it varies from one country to another.

2. Crude birth rate widely used in the theory is not the only way to measure fertility.

3. The main causes of decline in population may be different countries.

4. It fails to predict the levels of birth and death rates.