WEEKEND Splendour
Pg3
email us at weekendsplendour@herald-goa.com
Sunday, 9 Jan 2011
I
W E E K LY
attended a meeting of an organisation that brings successful businessmen and potential young entrepreneurs together. The talks ranged from management, how to make the existing fields better and how to find and keep customers, etc standard stuff that you can find in a business help group. I can think of fifty new areas of self employment that one could make a lot of money and get happiness, that have to do with animals and environment. One of them is to start an institution, training service dogs for the disabled. Autism is a difficult disorder to diagnose in the beginning. The child seems distracted, bad tempered, withdrawn, moody, etc. It is with a great deal of bewilderment that parents finally realise that their child is autistic. The disorder is not uncommon. In America it is one in nine children with the disorder. In India, every city has a special school for the autistic. When I was Minister for Social Justice, I paid for one in Chennai, which quickly filled up. Autism is a severe disorder that affects the way a child sees and interacts with the rest of the world. It effects sensory, memory, motor and postural control. The child has virtually no social and communication skills and is soon isolated both within the family and with other people. Many autistic children display a tendency to run away in open spaces, making going to a public place almost impossible. Many autistic children also experience difficulty sleeping and suffer from insomnia. Children with autism are often misunderstood because their brains process information differently. While they understand facts and numbers they cannot understand concepts or ideas at all. Their brains process information in a very detailed way - they take in major and minor stimuli all together, for instance, a car driving by, the smell of their clothing and the sound of a dog barking to make a decision. Too many details cause them to become confused , frightened and angry. They express little or no attachment to humans, the concept of mother or brother is not immediately apparent to them. Dogs have been proven to be an asset for children diagnosed with autism and their families. They provide a social ‘bridge’ for children who are often excluded by others because of their behavior or lack of social interaction. They provide comfort as well as calm autistic children down. Autistic children who run away and hide can also be quickly and easily found by assistance dogs that are trained to locate them. Dogs have been used for many years by the blind. Abroad, most old age centres and some hospitals have dogs specially in the children’s wards because they have realised the benefits of the human-animal interaction. They have found that patients heal faster, the elderly suffer from fewer physical problems. Now dogs are being trained to help those with autism. Families say they have seen marked improvement in their children. The support group Autism Speaks includes a list of dog-training groups. A person with autism is a person with a disability and
H O R O S C O P E
ANIMALWorld
Dogs to assist Autistic Children?
Mar 21 - Apr 19
At the start of the week, act on a spontaneous notion, take the initiative and watch your infectious enthusiasm catch on. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, your challenge is to put on the brakes and give your world some measured consideration. From Friday evening through the weekend, your charisma's seriously amped up. You're very likely to make progress toward getting what you want.
Apr 20 - May 20
Relationships may go either spectacularly well at the beginning of the week, or may seem to implode. Be ready for extremes, and be ready to say how you really feel. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, harmony returns. When it comes to work, you might want to reexamine the motives of key parties. If you're looking to augment your income you may have a profitable new idea
a service animal is any dog or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to someone with a disability. Guide dogs for the blind provide visual help, taking them through dangers invisible to the human. Guide dogs for the deaf are trained to alert their owner to important noises or other things requiring human intervention, such as a smoke alarm, a crying baby, a telephone ringing, a knock at the door. People with autism are easily confused by minor sights and smells and their brains become confused on which is important to deal with: the smell of a cloth, the car passing by, the sound of a bird – all these get equal attention and cause the brain to overstimulate and create panic and withdrawal. Autism service dogs are trained to help the human prioritise information and to take them through potentially dangerous situations. A normal dog will calm the child, divert him from harming himself, correct his balance, alert him to important sounds, steer around obstacles for instance. Having a dog with an autistic child has many benefits : the child is safer and stops running away when frightened; the child’s social skills become better; the family can go out together safely and confidently; the child become calmer giving them an increased attention span and a greater aptitude for learning. These dogs are companions that increase the safety of the child and reduce the stress level of the family. These dogs are naturally interesting which often draws the attention of the autistic child as well as others. The child is drawn into social interaction. Dogs are taught to nudge a child that is performing repetitive behaviour, this touch is often all that is required to redirect the child from this behavior. Dogs can provide independence by allowing the child to walk with the dog as opposed to constantly holding the hand of a parent or adult. Autistic children are noticed to have an increase in vocabulary after being paired with a dog. The children seem to be more comfortable in speaking with the dog. Dogs provide a certain level of comfort that can often improve a child’s ability to sleep more throughout the night. Autistic children with dogs have been documented to feel less anger and experience less acts of aggression compared to the time before receiving an assistance dog. Assistance dogs are taught to track the child in the event that they run or go missing. This ability to locate the child quickly, greatly reduces the risk of serious harm A study by the University of Montreal shows that trained service dogs can actually reduce anxiety levels in autistic children. Forty-two children were measured for the amount of cortisol in their saliva – a hormone that is produced by the body in response to stress – after they were given dogs. The findings published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, showed that stress levels went down. Five per cent of India suffers from disability. They have very little help. Training dogs for the disabled is very big business abroad. Why not start it here? Normal Indian dogs, from the roads, as it were, will get a new chance at life and so will the child and the family they protect. In 1996, National Service Dogs for Children with Autism was created and they train organisations round the world. For more information on NSD, visit www.nsd.on.ca. If nothing else , think of it as a business opportunity.
May 22 - Jun 20
You may feel pushed at the beginning of the week, whether from external forces or your own amped-up drive, passion or ambition. Then from around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, you're likely feeling just plain good. If romance is a priority now, that can go your way too! More communication is required from Friday evening through the weekend, particularly before you make any big plans or big moves. Talk it through.
Sept 22 - Oct 23
BY MANEKA GANDHI
Take a proactive approach to whatever you do at the beginning of the week; boldness will be rewarded. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, though, you'll want to downshift and go slow. Your personal path may have some twists and turns now, and concentration is key. Then, coming up with a revolutionary concept is a distinct possibility from Friday evening through the weekend.
Nov 22 - Dec 21
Oct 24 - Nov 21
It's best to set your own ambitions and any kind of aggressive approach aside at the beginning of the week. Nip conflict in the bud with charm and compromise. You'll likely be involved in some intense stuff from around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek. Be courageous but don't bluff. From Friday evening through the weekend, what seems to be a minor factor may actually be the crux of the matter. Be happy through the weekend.
It's child's play for you at the beginning of the week. Enjoy yourself and improve your life! From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, you may be saddled with some unwanted chores or responsibilities, but what are you gonna do? Plow through and get some help if you can. There's a lot going on from Friday evening through the weekend, and you'll need to set your priorities. Make one of them having fun.
(To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in)
Jun 21 - Jul 22
Your memory plays a key role at the beginning of the week. Understanding what's gone before and making the connections to what's happening now gives you a much clearer vision for your life's path. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, you can charm anyone and everyone. Projects this weekend demand a patient, step-by-step approach. Break the tension and kick up your heels!
Jul 23 - Aug 22
You're all heart and all kinds of fun as the week begins. Learning something new or helping someone out feels extra good. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, beware of extremes. Seek out the middle way, for yourself and in others. Then from Friday evening through the weekend, life's a party - though you'll love a fete with intriguing conversations and exciting ideas far more than a crazy blowout.
Dec 22 - Jan 19
Feeling secure is extra important at the beginning of the week. Let loved ones know you need some support and make yourself indispensable at work. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek happy stuff is coming your way, including the possibility of a hot romance! Enjoy the world's embrace. This weekend, in order to see a situation for what it is, disregard the fluff and noise and look to the core. It's simpler than you might think.
Aug 23 - Sept 21
Jan 20 - Feb 18
Will you compromise or get combative at the beginning of the week? Finding a way to cooperate may still involve some conflict, but it's likely of the healthy, productive kind. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, you've got a stellar opportunity to go deeper. Your usual attention to detail may slip from Friday evening through the weekend, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.
Feb 19 - Mar 20
At the beginning of the week you make breakthroughs look easy. Forge forth and discover all sorts of things. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, life may be a bit of a yawn by comparison. Spice it up by feeding your brain with a lecture, a book, the arts or whatever psychs you up. Then you're simply hot stuff from Friday evening through the weekend. Individuals fall at your feet, while you're the sizzling centre of any group.
At the beginning of the week get to the nitty-gritty and exercise some prudent caution. From around Wednesday afternoon through the end of the workweek, you're a master of communication, and you're not too shabby when it comes to romantic matters, either. Consider letting your heart's desire be known. Settle down from Friday evening through the weekend; staying home may be a better idea than a big party or running errands all over town.
GRANDMA’S
Casa Moeda - The Mint at Panjim
A
BY SANJEEV SARDESAI
VIEW Finder
s one enters the Panjim City along the new Patto Bridge, you see a beautiful mansion to the left of the end of the bridge, between the GPO. The over architecture of this one-storied mansion is very har- t h e monious to the cityscape, with its lower floor decorated w o r l d . The idenwith beautiful, semi circular arches. Set in a precinct of the city which was once called tity of the curas the “Tobacco Square” (Largo da Estanco), this cute rency minted here was house has a very rich history. Primarily, it was a building Rupiya, Meio Pardau, Cinco Reis, Tanga, Meia Tanga. which housed the Portuguese Mint, which minted the While the Rupiya was minted in Silver, the remaining coins were of copcoins for a period per. of seven years, beThe year 2009 tween 1834 and was celebrated as 1841. It has to be the 175th year of noted that in this this mint, with mint, only metal seminars and precoins were minted. sentations organNo paper money ised by the was printed here. No present resident ruins of original edand owner of the ifice of the mint at place Dr Luis Old Goa is traceable. Dias. S e c o n d l y, t h e building has been the Dias family residence since 1904. This was the residence of Dr. M. C Dias (9/7/1854 – Casa Moeda/Casa da Moeda 26/7/1936), who was the first Goan Dean Now residence of Dr Luis Dias of the Escola Medico de Cirurgico de Cidade de Goa or Goa Medical College. A statuette bust of Dr. Dias was shifted, in a cute garden opposite the GPO from the GMC Building to this square in memory of this great surgeon. Initially, this mansion had its entrance facing the The quaint South; but later renovations created a stair cased entrance facing the West. A granite plaque fixed on the staircase of the outer wall of the verandah on the first floor denotes house a date of 1834. The mint in Goa or Casa Moeda was amongst the five established by the Portuguese all (E-mail your feedback to sanscritic@sify.com)
Kitchen
Goan Home-Style Snacks HERALD FEATURES he late Joyce Fernandes was a culinary wizard. Though no more, she has left behind a culinary legacy. According to Joyce, “Home style cuisine is all about a simple, economical and satisfying way to cook. The recipes in my book, Home Style Cuisine are endlessly varied, some invented, others gleaned from a variety of sources, but changed to give t h a t g re a t a p petite appeal.” She continues in her book, “High-sounding cuisine can come and go, but what most families like, is a good, hearty, oldfashioned fare.” Her book boasts of more than a hundred ways to put the zing back into everyday cooking with easy-to-prepare snacks, main dish recipes, deserts etc, which will make family meals and casual weekend entertaining, extra special. When it comes to the Goan palate, who does not want to bite into some crisp delicious croquettes as starters or snacks? Here are a couple of her recipes to cater to both the vegetarian and the nonvegetarian.
T
RICE CROQUETTES Ingredients 2 cups boiled rice 3 tbsp milk 2 tbsp butter 2 eggs (beaten) 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves 2 green chillies (chopped)
½ tsp chilli powder 2 tbsp chopped onion Salt to taste Breadcrumbs Oil for deep frying Method Mix all the ingredients except the last two. Cook on very low flame till almost dry, stirring continuously. Cool, shape into 2” croquettes, roll in the breadcrumbs and deep fry in hot oil.
BEEF CROQUETTES ½ kg beef 1 tsp salt 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp spice powder 2 tbsp vinegar 2 onions (sliced) 1 large spicy sausage (boiled) Method Cut the meat into 2 inch cubes. Apply the next four ingredients and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Cook the meat till soft. Cool, grind the meat along with the next four ingredients. Mix the ground stuff with an egg, salt and vinegar to taste. Form into 2 inch rolls, roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and roll into breadcrumbs. Deep fry in hot oil.
2 green chillies 2 slices bread 2 eggs 1 cup flour Fine dry breadcrumbs Oil for deep frying