BE A LIFE SAVER...

	Dog Adoption and Cat Adoption Did you know that approximately 4 million adoptable dogs & cats are killed each year due mainly to overpopulation? Did you know that 25-30% of dogs for adoption in animal shelters are purebred? The other 70-75%, of course, are lovable, wonderful mixed-breed pets, just waiting for a chance to be your perfect new friend. In an effort to help people make good choices when they adopt a dog or cat, many humane societies, SPCAs and pet rescues provide adoption counseling to help match you up with a pet for adoption. If you have your heart set on a specific breed, before you check out a dog breeder or pet store, why not adopt a pet from a breed rescue organization? Breed rescues are groups that specialize in a particular breed of dog or cat. Don't be fooled into thinking that animal shelters and pet rescues are filled with dog or cats that were discarded because they're "bad". Shelter pets for adoption are wonderful companions who became the victims of family tragedy, unlucky circumstances or irresponsible owners. Did you know that many backyard dog breeders and pet stores who supply the majority of purebreds simply are selling inbred pets without care for preventing genetic problems? Mixed breed pets have less inbreeding, generally less inherited genetic disease, and therefore overall lower vet bills and happier pets! And the best place to find a mixed breed dog or cat is at an SPCA, a humane society or an animal shelter.

	THEY NEED YOUR LOVE :
	25% of pet dogs put to sleep in animal shelters are purebred. Approximately 4 million pet dogs and cats are put to sleep each year due to overpopulation. Adopting a dog or cat from a humane society, an animal shelter, an SPCA, or a dog rescue or cat rescue group saves a life!

HERE COMES THE TIME TO RECREATE OUR HISTORY....

Transforming India Into an Economic Power & Developed Nation

SOME SUGGESTIONS TO TRANSFORM OUR LOCAL STATUS INTO A GLOBAL ONE....

Priority 1
Relevant HRD, Education & Training

1. 100% Primary Functional Literacy - Learn to read & write any Indian Language in 40 to 60 hours @ 1 hour per day for 5 days a week. Nearly 500 million people need to learn the 3 R�s. Which means reading, writing & arithmetic. As per the government of India, the average literacy rate is 63%, based on the indian definition, if you can write your name. If one uses the international definition, like minimum primary education as the criteria, the actual literacy rate could come down to 40%! We need to achive 100% functional literacy in the next 5 to 10 years!
2. Primary & Secondary Education - The dropout rate of 90% to 94% in schools, from kindergarten to class 12th, must be reduced to less than 10%. This includes children who have never attended school.
3. Enterprise Skills Development or ESD- We suggest that this should be started from class 5th right upto class 12th. ESD is 'about enterprises and how the real world works'. Help's decide future choice of profession for the youth. Build�s confidence in one self. Only two hours per week are required.
4. Vocational Education & Training or VET-VET teaches the youth a skill or a competence or a trade. One learns to do some skilled job! In developed countries, 80% of the youth from age of 14 to 35 should go in for VET. This would mean about 50 million people per year.
5. Excepting for I.T- which is 2.0% to 2.5% of world�s GDP, where there may be 50,000 private training centres operating in India; where are the training centres to run the balance 97% of the skills, trades, competances required to run the nation?
6. Liberalize Education - Decontrol and privatize all forms of education like business was in 1991! Make India a Hub for Education.
7. The I. T. business- Ever since inception, has been outside the control and regulation of the central and state governments. Market forces, fierce competition, and constant innovation has allowed Indian I. T. education to be world class.
8. Private and NRI participation in Education - Government should concentrate up to high school only, from class 1 to class 10 only. The rest thay should leave to the private sector.
9. Entrepreneurship Institutes in each Block- Entrepreneur promotional institutes, in all the blocks of the states. 97% of new employment is in the unorganized sector and SME�s. We need skill sets for the youth.
10. India will only prosper when the Godess of Learning, �Saraswati� is unshakled and unchained as was the Godess of wealth �Lakshmi� in 1991.

Priority 2
Good Governance

Benefits of leadership & good governance are highlighted in ten different articles. If one looks at the contents page, one will notice that nearly 70% of our articles are �People Dependant�, Nine on Governance and eight on Human Resource Development and three on Employment Generation! One can understand Good Governance, only if we understand the effects of bad governance. Many such examples have been given in our articles for this very reason

Priority 3
Central government policy changes

1. Removal of SSI (small scale industry) reservation. Reservation does more harm than good.
2. Amend 'Labour and Employee Laws' and give local enterprises and organizations a level playing field on par with other developing Nations of Asia.
3. Encourage "labour intensive" technologies for employment generation.
4. Recognize the meaning and importance of 'SME's (small medium enterprise) and not 'SSI's (small scale industry). We must understand the importance of the 'M' and the 'E' in SME's as 'SME's account for 90% of the Indian Economy against 7% in SSI. This recognition should also be understood & supported by the Government of India, financial institutions as well as trade & business. World over SME�s are the main drivers of the world economy. Large organizations sub-contract most of their non-core business to highly productive and cost effective SME�s.

Priority 4
Export activities of the Economy, other than software

Software and I.T. is 2.5% of the World's GDP, we need to look at the balance 97.5% of the economic sector! The five areas of economic activity, mentioned below, are only some examples, there are many others.
1. Trading, Wholesale & Retail, is 15 times bigger than I.T. (big employment and GDP generator)
2. Manufacturing, as an enterprise, is 11 times bigger than I.T. (generates about 75% of government revenues)
3. Health Care, as an enterprise is 4 times bigger than I.T. (big employment and GDP generator)
4. Travel & Tourism, as an enterprise is 6 times bigger than I.T. (big employment and GDP generator)
5. Education,as an enterprise is 4 times bigger than I.T. (big employment and GDP generator)

Priority 5
Funding Infrastructure (US$ 500 Billion)

Infrastructure needs funding at 5% to 7% per year, rate of interest. The tenure of borrowing needs to be extended to at least 10-15-20 years, since it takes nearly 5 years for 'Building' and another 5 years for 'Gestation and Break-Even'. These bonds should be of low-interest but with incentives and tax breaks.

We still have a few good human beings around who are doing some yeoman service without expecting anything in return.... God Bless Such Souls !!!!!

'I don't feed beggars. They can look after themselves. The mentally ill won't ask anyone for food or money,' says N Krishnan who has been feeding them thrice a day for the past seven years.

Left 5-star job to feed the mentally ill
N Krishnan feeds 400 mentally ill people on the streets of Madurai three times a day, every day, all 365 days of the year.
The 28 year old has been doing this for seven years via a charity called the Akshaya Trust.

A look into the kitchen reveals a spotlessly clean room.. Sparkling vessels stacked neatly, groceries and provisions all lined up in rows -- rice, dal, vegetables, spices -- all of the best quality.. One would think this was the kitchen of a five star hotel.

Maybe Krishnan achieves that effect because he was once a chef at a five star hotel in Bengaluru.

"Today's lunch is curd rice, with home made pickle, please taste it," he says, serving me on a plate made of dried leaves.
The food is excellent.

"I change the menu for different days of the week. They will get bored if I serve the same food every day," he says with an enthusiastic and infectious smile.


Krishnan feeds 400 mentally ill people every day
Krishnan cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner with the help of two cooks. He takes it himself to his wards on the street each day.

"I don't feed beggars. They can look after themselves. The mentally ill won't ask anyone for food or money. They don't move around much too. I find them in the same place every day."

That morning he put the food in a large vessel, the pickle in a smaller one and loaded it into a Maruti van donated by a Madurai philanthropist.

Ten minutes later we stopped near a man lying on the ground by a high wall. Krishnan put the food next to him. The man refused to even look at it, but grabbed the water bottle and drank eagerly. "He will eat the food later, looks like he was very thirsty," said Krishnan.

At the next stop, he laid the dry leaf-plate and served the food. He then scooped some food and started feeding the mentally ill man himself. After two morsels, the man started eating on his own.

We then crossed a crowded traffic signal and stopped the vehicle. On seeing Krishnan, four individuals moved slowly towards the Maruti van. They stood out in the crowd with their dirty, tattered clothes and unshaven beards.
They knew this Maruti van meant food. But they did not hurry, knowing that Krishnan would wait for them.
Krishnan served them under a tree and carried water for them. "They are not aware enough to get their own water," he explained.

And thus we went around the city till the Akshaya patra was empty. Of course, it would be full again for dinner later in the day.
Image: Krishnan's wards often approach him when they see his food-laden van


Past 7 years
As we returned, a startling fact hit me. Not a single mentally challenged person had thanked Krishnan. They did not even smile or acknowledge him. Still Krishnan carried on in a world where most of us get offended if someone doesn't say thank you, sometimes even for doing our jobs.

The food costs Rs 8,000 a day, but that doesn't worry him. "I have donors for 22 days. The remaining days, I manage myself. I am sure I will get donors for that too, people who can afford it are generally generous, particularly when they know that their hard earned money is actually going to the poor. That is why I maintain my accounts correctly and scrupulously."
He then pulled out a bill from the cabinet and showed it to me. It was a bill for groceries he had bought seven years ago. "This bill has sentimental value. It is the first one after I started Akshaya."

The economic slowdown has resulted in a drop in the number of donors. Earlier, they sustained meals for 25 days.
Software giants Infosys and TCS were so impressed with his work that they donated three acres of land to him in Madurai . Krishnan hopes to build a home for his wards there. He has built the basement for a woman's block which will house 80 inmates, but work has currently halted due to a lack of funds.


Five idlis
This, however, is not the sum of his good deeds. Krishnan also performs the funerals of unclaimed bodies in Madurai . He collects the body, bathes it and gives it a decent burial or cremation as the need may be.

He gets calls, both from the municipal corporation and general hospital for the funerals.

He recalls with a little prompting how one day he saw a mentally ill man eating his excreta. He rushed to the nearest restaurant and bought the man five idlis. The man ate voraciously, and then smiled at him. The smile made Krishnan want to do it again and again.

Krishnan has not married and wonders if anyone would want to marry a man who spends his days cooking food for others. He is firm that his life partner has to agree to this kind of life.

His parents were initially shocked, but are now very supportive of their son. They advise him about the cuisine and also about how he can streamline the process.
One wonders why he left his job in a five star hotel to bury the dead and feed the mentally ill. To this he just smiles and says, "I like doing it."
For more information on N Krishnan's trust, log on to: http://www.akshayatrust.org/

WEAPONS UNDER THE ARMS OF PEACE!!!!!!!!!!

SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN:

A ‘child soldier’ is any person under 18 years of age
who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed
force or armed group in any capacity.Some boys
and girls might have been abducted or forcibly re-
cruited; others have been driven to join by poverty,
abuse and discrimination, societal or peer pressure,
or to seek revenge for violence against them or their
families.

FACTS ABOUT CHILD SOLDIERS:

• latest estimates suggest that more than 250,000
children are currently serving as child soldiers.
• in Colombia, an estimated 14,000 girls
were used as child soldiers2 by illegal armed
groups.

• in Somalia, an estimated 200,000 children have
carried a gun or been involved with a militia since
the 1991 collapse of central government.

• in Sudan, in March 2004, an estimated 17,000
children were associated with armed forces and
groups.

PREVENTING MEASURES:

COMMITMENT OF GOVERNMENT:

Advocacy is required on all levels, including promo-
tion of ratification of the optional Protocol on the
involvement of children in armed conflict, reform
of national laws and awareness-raising campaigns.
in times of armed conflict, effective control often
lies with non-State entities or armed groups, and it
is essential that they respect standards of interna-
tional law in the same way as governmental actors,
including the ban of recruitment and use of children
in hostilities. Several provisions of international law mediation
can be essential for family reunification
and the reintegration process.

RESPONSIBILITY OF FAMILY:

capacities must be built to help families and
communities ensure that their children do not become
involved with armed forces during conflict. Family
reunification at the earliest opportunity is a key
factor for social reintegration. Follow-up care for
demobilized children, focusing on long-term social
reintegration for all war-affected children in a com-
munity and embracing the community rather than
the child in isolation, is essential.

ATTITUDES,CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES:

When these encourage or tolerate the involvement
of children in conflict, changes are needed to pre-
vent recruitment and re-recruitment of children,
and to support their return to their families and
communities.


MONITORING,REPORTING AND OVERSIGHT:

Violations of the laws of war need to be reported,
so that perpetrators can be held accountable
before tribunals or through other truth and recon-
ciliation mechanisms. Adequate monitoring will
provide better data on the numbers of child sol-
diers and the conditions they are living in


LEGISLATION AND ENFORCEMENT:

international treaties must be respected, imple-
mented and enforced by governmental and non-
governmental actors involved in armed conflict.

itz the time for u to help these innnocent orphans...........

Dear Humanitarian,

Elena's Eagerly Waiting for Her New Parents to Take Her Home.

And because of people like you, she now has a chance that 10 million children like her never have.

She has a chance to live her dream.

It's really a simple one. Elena doesn't ever ask for much.

She just wants someone to hold her tight when she's upset, kiss her scrapes when she falls, praise her with heartfelt applause when she does something great, and someone who will bathe her in love and tuck her in at night with a sweet bedtime story.

She doesn.t need a fancy house or special toys . although she would love her very own baby doll. She just wants what every child deserves . loving parents.

Parents who can put an end to her nightmares.

Parents who can give her a safe life.A life away from the poverty and humiliation that so many orphans must face as adults.

Want to know the saddest part of all?

Elena's dream of new parents may never come true because people simply can't afford the cost of adoption. At over $20,000 per child, it.s no wonder so many men and woman who want to adopt-- never do.

What's worse?

Because she's an older child, many who do adopt will pass Elena up. Don't let Elena go through life as an orphan. Every child deserves a family.

Kind hearts can save Elena.

But because of people like YOU and A Child.s Desire, Elena still has a chance.

How can YOU help?

A Child.s Desire creates adoption grants that help older children and children with special needs live their dream.

No child should have to grow up impoverished and unwanted.

That.s where you come in. With a small donation of $25 or $50, you can take a dent out of the exorbitant costs of adoption. Think about how often you spend money on something that you didn't really need, imagine if you had put that money towards sweet Elena. You could have saved her life. If you can't afford $25, then donate $15, anything helps.

Additionally if you.re in business and donate $100 or more, you can earn ad space as a child sponsor. This relationship helps YOU, your business, a sweet orphan and our organization.

Everybody wins.

So don't wait another moment. Donate today and help her new parents bring her home.

Want to know where 100% of your money goes? Here's a short list of the expenses A Child's Desire helps parents pay for during adoption:

Medical Costs Home Study Fees Visas and Immigration Paperwork Agency and Legal Fees Orphanage Donations

Even if you can't make a donation, there are many ways YOU can still help. Order or renew magazine subscriptions below and 40% of your subscriptions will support adoption grants. Or click here to learn about our other popular affiliate programs.

Contact Us by E-mail A Child's Desire
1735 1/2 Washington St. Natchitoches, LA 71457

Dear Friends,

The below 4yrs baby name POOJA was kidnapped by a person at some place and now she is under Kerala Police custody . Since the baby could not communicate her identification clearly, Police is struggling to find her parents. The flg information was given by the baby which may or may not be correct also. Requesting all to forward her photograph to the maximum people in India to identify her parents / relatives.

Hope this will cost only your time and will help one life.

Information given by the baby:

POOJA


Father's Name : Mr. Rajkiran
Mother's Name : Mrs. Munny Devi
Language : HINDI
Place : Nagaluppi (this was pronounced by the baby which Police could not find such a place. The place must be related to the mentioned name). She is having one younger Brother & Elder Sister.

Pls do not ignore this....plz pass dis info to all u know...
It will cost you nothing more than few minutes...

A life is at stake

wanna be a guardian for the supreme power..................

just visit dis and help those pure hearted ones...... http://www.helpapoorchild.com/index.htm?hapcpage=children