Theatre Workshop For Working Proffessionals tomorrow

The Asmita weekend theatre workshop, conceptualised by Mr Arvind Gaur Director Asmita theatre group, is the first of its kind. This workshop provides working professionals a platform to pursue theatre on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
The uniqunes of this workshop lies in the selection of its content, chosen to study contemporary acting. Socio-political issues become a subject of discussions, improvisations and script reading.Voice and speech work, quintessential in acting are taught by means of physical exercises, street plays and monolouges.
15 years of knowledge and experience of Asmita Theatre Group is carefully filtered into the minds of students by the senior most actors of Asmita, under the critical guidance of Mr. Arvind Gaur.
Finally the three month workshop culminates in a public production.
"Kharashe" a play based on short stories by Gulzar was performed by the second batch of Asmita Weekend Theatre Workshop at I.H.C on the 26th and 27th of july.A comprehensive documentation of this play is available at the Asmita Weekend Theatre Group on Facebook.

For More Details Contact: Shiv Chauhan-9958793683,Shilpi Marwaha-9540656537, Arvind Gaur-9899650509

CMC Hospital successfully organized 8th Ophthalmic quiz

Ludhiana, 9^th September: The Department of Ophthalmology, Christian Medical College and Hospital successfully organized the 8^th Ophthalmic quiz for undergraduate medical students in the hospital auditorium on 9^th September 2011. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Dr.A.G.Thomas, Director, CMC and Hospital. He encouraged the participating teams and appreciated the efforts of the department in making this academic venture a much awaited annual feature of the institution.

Among the 30 undergraduate teams, 5 teams qualified for the quiz following the preliminary round. Dr.Nitin Batra and Dr.Gurvinder Kaur conducted the finals. Anjali B Susan and Anu Sara Philip (Batch of 2008) were the winner & Nayana Sebastian and Dona George (Batch of 2006) were the 1^st runner up.

Dr.S.M.Bhatti, Principal CMC, was the guest of Honour and presented a special Award of Merit to an outstanding student, Geetika Gera (Batch of 2007). Gayatri Bhatia (Batch of 2008) presented an interesting talk titled ‘Hall of Fame’, which gave a brief history of legendary ophthalmologists.

First Responder: 9/11 Transformed National Guard

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service FORT MEADE, Md., Sept. 7, 2011 - On Sept. 11, 2001, Army Spc. Qiyu "Steve" Luo was fresh off active duty and preparing for his first weekend drill with the New York Army National Guard. Army Sgt. 1st Class Qiyu "Steve" Luo, a member of the New York Army National Guard who was among the first responders to the 9/11 attack in New York, said the event changed him, his unit, and the National Guard as an organization. Courtesy photo  Hired as a full-time administrative specialist, Luo had some preconceived notions at the time about what he considered to be a club of weekend warriors.The focus of the upcoming weekend drill was to be civil disturbance training. What Luo and his fellow 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment soldiers didn't realize was that they were about to embark on what he called "the ultimate civil disturbance training" as first responders to the 9/11 attack just 40 blocks from their armory. "I hadn't seen my first drill yet, but then I guess I had the biggest drill of my life," he said. Reflecting back a decade later, Luo said the experience forever changed him, his unit and the National Guard he continues to serve today. News of the 9/11 attack swept quickly across the unit, with members arriving for duty that morning even before they were called, Luo recalled. Even a couple of the soldiers who had been away without leave appeared, ready to do whatever was needed. "Just out of nowhere, everyone showed up," Luo said. "This is where everyone knew they needed to be." By the following morning, the guardsmen were on the scene at ground zero, Luo said, setting up a security perimeter around the site and supporting the rescue and recovery effort. The unit members, many personally affected by the attack, worked tirelessly as they helped fire and police department officials search for victims and doing whatever tasks were required to support the effort. "Every day we were doing different things," Luo said. "The first day, I was helping dig out. The next day, I was guarding the mortuary or escorting people who lived in the area" so they could retrieve essentials from their homes. After the first week, Luo began rotating in and out of the area over the next six months. When not physically on the scene, his focus was on ensuring Guard members who had been called to active duty were getting paid. Morale was high, Luo recalled, higher than he'd ever anticipated. "Everyone was doing their job, what they had joined to do," he said. "People felt a calling." That calling, the Guard members realized, would extend long beyond the 9/11 response mission. Ultimately, almost all would deploy to combat, either to Afghanistan or, like Luo, to Iraq, from November 2004 to August 2005. Now a sergeant first class still serving with the 42nd Infantry Division, Luo said 9/11 changed the National Guard in ways he never imagined possible. "It triggered a dramatic change in the Guard," he said. "It went from being a 'frat boy organization' to a professional fighting force. We went from being a strategic reserve to an operational reserve." Since 9/11, the New York Army National Guard has sent almost 8,000 soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan, noted Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, New York's adjutant general. Among those who have deployed are members of the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters, the first Guard division headquarters to deploy to combat since the Korean War. Today, the New York Guard is preparing to send more than 2,000 soldiers overseas in 2012 and 2013, Murphy said. These include the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team -- the same unit that deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and will return there next year. "The 8,000 soldiers and airmen who've joined the New York National Guard since the events of Sept. 11, 2001 probably wouldn't recognize the National Guard that existed on Sept. 10, 2001," Murphy said in a message to his command. "The National Guard today is a more demanding organization to belong to," with greater expectations on it from the state and nation. Luo said his personal role as a 9/11 first responder, and as a soldier in that operational National Guard force has changed his view of the world. "I went from being there at ground zero picking up body parts to actively engaging in combat in the war on terror," he said. "For me, being there to witness all that in person, up close and personal, has definitely been a life-changing experience." �

Related Sites: Special Report: Remembering 9/11

9/11 Teen Recalls Father With Pride

By Elaine Sanchez American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2011 - Nine-year-old Zachary Laychak walked into his house after school one day to a house full of family and friends. Zachary Laychak is pictured here with his father, David Laychak, who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Laychak is now a 19-year-old college student. Courtesy photo  A fire had broken out at the Pentagon, they told him calmly, and they were waiting to hear from his father, who worked there as a civilian budget analyst for the Army. He felt a twinge of concern, but quickly dismissed the thought that something bad had happened."He'll be fine," Laychak thought. "He always is." Two days later, two men came to deliver the devastating news: 40-year-old David Laychak was one of the 184 people who had died Sept. 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. It was nearly a decade ago, he said, but the moment remains vivid. His mother sat him and his 7-year-old sister down and told them their father had been killed. They screamed and sobbed as the news sunk in. "I remember my mom saying it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to tell," said Laychak, now a 19-year-old college student. "For me, at least initially, I felt disbelief. I couldn't understand how it could happen." As Laychak struggled to come to terms with his loss, Americans struggled to comprehend the extent of damage to the nation. Terrorists had taken nearly 3,000 innocent lives here and in New York and Pennsylvania. They destroyed and damaged buildings and shook the nation's sense of security to its core. But to a 9-year-old who had just lost his dad, the attacks weren't a national incident; they were a personal affront. "I couldn't understand what would make someone want to do this to my dad," Laychak said. "I was just angry, so mad." The attacks, he added, changed the course of his life forever. He lost, not only his father, he said, but also his best friend. Bonded by a love of sports, his father, a former college football player, would rush home each day so they could toss a football out in the front yard. His dad coached every sport he played, he added, whether it was basketball, baseball or lacrosse. Laychak could hardly believe his strong, capable father was gone, he said. He recalled leaving his house that afternoon and heading over to a friend's house across the street for a sleepover. He woke up at around 6 a.m. and peeked out the window at his house. Relief washed over him when he saw his dad's car parked in the driveway. He later found out his aunt had driven his dad's car home. In the wake of his dad's death, Laychak tucked his feelings aside to focus on his family. He assumed the "man of the house" role to take care of his mother and sister, he said. "It definitely made me mature a lot quicker," he said. "I figured things out on my own and tried to just be there for my mom and sister." But along with this maturity came a growing sense of isolation. He felt like an oddity at school and was flooded with questions upon his return. Close friends shielded him, he said, in a surprising show of maturity for a group of 4th graders he had met less than a year earlier. As time passed, his initial anger evolved into a deep sense of patriotism -- born of resentment against those who dared to attack his nation and his family. "I became a fan of us fighting these battles overseas," Laychak said. "It made me proud that America didn't just let the attacks happen [without responding]." He also focused on keeping his father's memory alive. He bought a silver bracelet engraved with his father's name, which he rarely takes off. And whatever sport he plays, he wears the No. 4 in honor of his father, who wore that number when he played football at Brown University. His house is strewn with pictures of his dad in his college uniform, along with a framed No. 4 jersey given to him from his dad's alma mater. Laychak now is establishing college memories of his own. He's studying communications at the University of Arizona and plans to pursue a job with a sports organization. He even chose the college in memory of his father, he said, who took him to sports events when they lived in the area. He's also heavily involved with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, an organization for military families of the fallen, as well as Tuesday's Children, an organization that provides support for children of 9/11 and others impacted by global terrorism. Laychak's uncle, Jim Laychak, also is intent on keeping alive the memory of his brother, as well as all victims of the Pentagon attack. He spearheaded the fundraising and creation of the Pentagon Memorial, a serene spot next to the Pentagon that features an engraved bench for each of the 184 people killed there. The years have soothed much of his anger related to that day, Zach Laychak said. Still, he rejoices in each victory in the war on terrorism. One of the happiest moments he's had since his father's death, he said, was when Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was killed in May. "I felt pure joy and happiness," he said. "I had friends from high school calling me. Even they knew it was something important to me." As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 draws near, Laycheck said he'll remember his father with love and pride. "As terrible as this whole situation was, I know he was a very patriotic person and that he died serving his country," he said. "That's a way he would have been proud to go." �

Come to help & save Pema

Pema is 30-year old lady from Leh, Ladakh, with four children, who recently underwent a urinary bladder reconstruction operation in the Department of Urology, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana. She had a diseased urinary bladder which was small in capacity and could not store urine due to tuberculosis of the kidney and bladder. Her left kidney was also diseased and non-functioning due to tuberculosis. Her right kidney was also obstructed due to tuberculosis and this was also set right surgically.

Pema had urinary incontinence and she was always wet and stinking with the smell of urine. Her clothes were always wet due to dribbling of urine without her knowledge. It was an embarrassment for Pema to meet her friends & family, and she could not move out of her home. She then decided to come to CMCH for further treatment. Dr Kim Mammen, Professor & Head, Department of Urology, CMCH

, and his team of doctors and Nurses performed reconstruction of the urinary bladder using an intestinal segment and increased its capacity to store more volume of urine for curing her urinary incontinence. As she was recovering from this major surgical procedure, she developed weakness of all her four limbs due to tuberculosis affecting a portion of her brain, making her unable to walk and use her hands. She is on treatment for her TB and on rigorous physiotherapy and rehabilitation therapy to get the function of her limbs back to near normal. Doctors, Nurses and Physiotherapists at the CMCH are working very hard to get Mrs Pema back to normal. Her husband went back to Leh, Ladakh, to sell all the jewelry and household assets to bring some more money for Pema’s treatment. The hospital authorities have subsidized her treatment and given her a lot of financial assistance, writing off a significant portion of her escalating treatment bill.

Her total cost of treatment would come to Rs 2.5 Lakhs. Pema and her husband had come to CMCH from Leh with only Rs 30000.00

 and nothing more. This was the maximum amount they could collect from contributions from their family and friends. Kind hearted philanthropists and well-wishers can help this poor and truly deserving lady by sending in their contribution to the Medical Superintendent, CMCH, by a crossed cheque in favor of “CMC Ludhiana Society” with PEMA’s name and C/O Urology Department mentioned at the back of the cheque, along with a covering letter. All contributions are exempt from income tax under Section 80 G of the Income Tax act. 

Dr Kim Mammen,

Professor & Head, Department of Urology,

Christian Medical College & Hospital,

Ludhiana-141008, Punjab.

Mobile: +91 9814034185.

Airman Enters Space Camp Hall of Fame

By Air Force Maj.Vanessa Hillman  U.S. Air Force Space Command PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Aug. 29, 2011 - An Air Force officer recently became the first U.S. Air Force space and missile operator inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame. Air Force Lt. Col. William Burke Hare III recently was inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame. Courtesy photo  Lt. Col. William Burke Hare III, the chief of operations for the Flight Test Execution Directorate at the Missile Defense Agency at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., was selected as one of three inductees out of 60 nominees for the 2011 Space Camp Hall of Fame.Hare said the honor came as a surprise. "I am truly humbled that my career accomplishments met the standards of the [Space Camp] Hall of Fame," he said. "I really was shocked I was selected." According to the Space Camp website, the Space Camp Hall of Fame was established to honor outstanding members of the Space Camp family, including graduates and former employees who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers or friends who have made considerable contributions of personal time, effort or resources to further the goals of the Space Camp programs. Hare, originally from Atlanta, graduated from Auburn University in 1992 where he received his commission from ROTC Detachment 005. Having studied political science there, he earned his master's degree in space studies from the University of North Dakota. However, Hare said his interest in the space program started much earlier. "Since I was very young, 5 or 6 years old, I thought the idea of going into space as an astronaut would be the greatest adventure anyone could have," he said. "I wanted to try it out firsthand and see if space was a line of work for me. My Space Camp and Aviation Challenge experiences set the stage in guiding me toward Air Force space and missiles as the career for me." Hare attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., in 1984 and 1986 as a camper, and also worked there from 1992 to 1993 in the Aviation Challenge program as a Space Camp counselor. "My Space Camp and Aviation Challenge experiences reinforced my desire and drive for a career in the Air Force and in Air Force space missions," he said. "I have great memories from my time as a participant and counselor in the programs. They provided inspiration for what the future might hold. Those programs still do to this very day." As much as Hare was shocked at his selection, it came as no surprise to his previous leaders. "Lieutenant Colonel Hare has always been an airman that gave 100 percent to the military space mission and 100 percent to the civilian side in educating all comers on space as a whole," said Air Force Col. William Burton, Hare's former supervisor at Air Force Space Command and the chief of staff of 24th Air Force. "Burke spearheaded the relationship that AFSPC developed with Space Camp and many civilians and military members alike prospered," Burton said. "This honor is well deserved and should solidify future military-civilian education efforts in the future." Hare gave words of encouragement to young space enthusiasts who are looking to work in space as a career. "There is a way," he said. "If you really want to be in the space business, you can get there. You may have to take alternative routes along the way, but if you stay true to your main goals, you will get there. Have faith and never, ever give up." The Hall of Fame was instituted seven years ago. Its inductees include Dr. Werner von Braun, who is considered the father of manned space flight, as well as Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen and Oscar Holderer, two of the original members of the von Braun rocket team.

Military Bases Prepare for Hurricane Irene

By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2011 - Military bases along the eastern seaboard are securing for the Category 3 winds and rain of Hurricane Irene, and the Defense Department is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the U.S. government response, defense officials said today. A GOES-13 infrared satellite image provided by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, Calif., shows the status of Hurricane Irene at about 6 a.m. EDT, Aug. 24, 2011. Irene crossed over the Bahamas with 115-mph winds. The storm could strike the U.S. East Coast between Florida and the Carolinas as a Category 3 hurricane. U.S. Naval Research Laboratory image  The Defense Department is providing air and ground transportation experts and defense coordinating officers to work with state, local and other federal agencies, process mission assignments and coordinate DOD resources in support of FEMA, the lead federal agency.DOD facilities in and near Irene's forecast path are taking actions to alert, prepare and secure for the storm, officials said. The storm was in the northwest Bahamas this morning, National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said during a telephone briefing, moving over the Abaco Islands with sustained winds of 115 mph. "The next area of concern as [Irene] exits the Bahamas is what the impact will be in North Carolina," he said. "We have a hurricane watch up now for most of the North Carolina coast [and a] tropical storm watch through most of the South Carolina coast," Read added. The storm is expected to maintain major hurricane status -- winds of at least 115 mph -- as it approaches the coast of North Carolina the morning of Aug. 27, he said. As the large storm passes through North Carolina, Read said, residents should expect very high winds and tropical-storm-force and hurricane-force winds over a large area. With the National Hurricane Center's next advisory at 5 p.m. EDT, Read said, "we'll probably extend watches northward into the mid-Atlantic region." After it crosses North Carolina, he added, Irene is expected to continue moving toward the north-northeast, potentially bringing into play the Tidewater area of Virginia, the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia peninsula and the lower Chesapeake Bay, at a minimum. "Any further deviation to the left could bring direct center impacts as far inland as the Washington-Baltimore area," Read said. "After that, the rest of the eastern seaboard is well within the path of this storm." Irene will bring into play "all of the northeast corridor for heavy rains, high winds and coastal storm flooding," he added. Impacts on the morning of Aug. 28 are expected to be on the Delmarva peninsula and the New Jersey shore. That afternoon and into the following morning, the impacts will be in New England and New York, he said. North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York have begun preparations. State officials have ordered mandatory evacuation for people in Hyde and Dare counties and on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina. In North Carolina, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Marine Corps Air Station New River have set Destructive Weather Condition 4, defense officials said, which means they project hurricane impact within 72 hours. Navy squadrons in Virginia's Hampton Roads area will hangar or evacuate aircraft tomorrow. Navy Vice Adm. Daniel P. Holloway, commander of the 2nd Fleet, today ordered all ships in Hampton Roads to be ready to get underway to avoid damage if the storm is expected to produce at least 50 knots of wind and a 5-to-7-foot storm surge. Navy Rear Adm. Mark S. Boensel, commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, and Navy Rear Adm. Patrick J. Lorge, commandant of Naval District Washington, ordered emergency conditions of readiness for their areas of responsibility. Defense officials say about 101,000 National Guard members are available if needed to governors of the affected East Coast states, territories and the District of Columbia. In Puerto Rico, where Irene struck Aug. 21, members of the National Guard's 190th Engineering Battalion have been activated to clear roads and debris, transport equipment, support communications, perform urban search and rescue, and support public safety. U.S. Northern Command will support FEMA efforts along the East Coast and to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with resources and experts. FEMA has provided $8 million in funding to support the assistance, which includes military experts, air and ground transportation experts, emergency preparedness liaison officers and others. Northcom officials have asked that the Joint Staff put 18 utility helicopters in a 24-hour prepare-to-deploy status to help with incident awareness and assessment. The command also requested that U.S. Transportation Command put a mobile public affairs detachment on 24-hour prepare-to-deploy order status. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said his agency is pre-positioning supplies at military bases in North Carolina, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Supplies include heavy-duty generators, communications equipment, bottled water, shelf-stable meals, baby and infant supplies, tarps and durable medical goods to support shelter operations, Fugate said. "Our role right now is focused on supporting governors as evacuations are being ordered, as we've seen already on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and as we anticipate may be required further up the East Coast," he said. FEMA then will prepare for initial response to the aftermath of the hurricane by moving supplies into these areas to have them ready to go. "We oftentimes focus on the coastal residents, but ... this will not just be a coastal storm," Fugate said. "We can see impacts well inland, both from winds that can cause widespread power outages as trees come down, especially due to the saturated soil, and also flooding." �