New Delhi: After 65 years of independence, the present Congress-led government is pushing the media to not speak the truth and to gag it. It is practically the Emergency revisited in India on November 27, 2012, a day that will also be known as a black day in Indian history.

While the matter is sub-judice before the honourable High Court of Bombay, to circumvent the judicial process and the orders of the honourable High Court, the Delhi Police, at the behest of a Congress MP, orchestrated the arrests of two senior editors of Zee News, Samir Ahluwalia and Sudhir Chaudhary, on the basis of a fraudulent and contrived complaint filed on behalf of his company, Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL).

The arrests have been made to sensationalise the issue and to lend a cover to the coal scam and in particular to favour Naveen Jindal, Congress MP, and his company JSPL.

This is a crude attack on the freedom of the press, a constitutionally enshrined right. JSPL is using the state machinery, controlled by the Congress both at the Centre and in Delhi, to muzzle voices of dissent and to interfere with the legitimate rights of the media in an attempt to divert attention from its illegalities and misdeeds, which the Zee News editors had sought to highlight in the public interest.

The first information report (FIR) registered against the two editors and others is nothing but a clever attempt to divert attention from JSPL's own role in the coal scam, which was exposed by the CAG and is being investigated by the CBI.

The channel vehemently denies all allegations levelled against it. The channel strongly condemns the arbitrary and illegal action of the Delhi Police in arresting its two editors and for initiating a malicious, illegal and motivated prosecution. We wish to reiterate that no offence has been committed by members of the Zee News staff.

Another fire in a Bangladeshi garment factory, over 120 lives lost and more than a hundred injured - the only difference this time from the many other factory fires in the past 30 years is the scale of the deaths and human suffering. It is this that makes it 'worthy' of comment, for a brief moment, in the international media. But fire is an occupational hazard for both bosses and workers in this industry(1). For employers - and their foreign buyers whose brand names are on the labels - it is merely part of a cost and profitability equation and an element of Corporate Image management. This particular death-trap factory was operated by Tazreen Fashion Ltd in the Dhaka industrial suburb of Ashulia and supplied, among other major brands, C & A in Europe and Walmart in the US.

 That factory fires have for decades been such a common occurrence in the ready made garment (RMG) industry means that fire risk is, in effect, factored in as an influence on decisions on how production is organised. With fast turnaround times demanded by buyers for foreign orders in the highly competitive global fashion retail markets, time is always tight and any production stoppages edge businesses ever-closer to invoking contractual financial penalty clauses for late delivery. Inevitably, corners are cut and workers' health & safety is a low priority(2). (Employers claim that fires have been reduced in recent years. But it may only be that - as production models develop and their scale increases - that though there may be less fires, bigger factories will mean their death count becomes larger when fires do occur.)
In this case the fire began at around 6.45 on Saturday evening, for reasons that remain so far uncertain, on the ground floor and quickly swept upward through the nine storey block. Survivors report hearing a fire alarm and beginning trying to leave the building; but workers claim that management told them to return to work, saying there was no fire and that the alarm was simply malfunctioning.
This lie was shortly revealed; as fire began sweeping up the stairwells of the building it ignited piles of fabric and yarn stored in corridors. Over a thousand workers were trapped in the building; trying to escape, with only three staircases and no safety exits, many found themselves trapped by locked grills separating the floors.

Workers were forced to leap from windows in trying to escape the heat, smoke and flames, many jumping to their deaths trying to reach roofs of surrounding buildings. Some managed to find their way to upper floors from where they were rescued by firefighters. Others created improvised bridges to nearby buildings or rope ladders from rolls of fabric. The rest were trapped by locked exits and the advancing fire... Dozens of bodies were recovered from various upper floors, many so charred as to remain unidentifiable.

Locked gates are another common danger workers repeatedly complain of in relation to factory fires. For security reasons - to guard against theft of fabric stock and to control movement of workers - exits are often kept locked. That this has repeatedly been noted for decades as a major contributing factor in fire deaths has made little difference to factory bosses; it remains a cost-effective measure and that's what counts. For the Tuba Group (a major garment exporter of which this factory was a subsidiary) this is probably a relatively minor set-back and temporary embarrassment. Basic factory start-up costs are low and, in one of the world's poorest countries, labour power is easily replaceable. Lost productive capacity will soon be re-established. A few cosmetic crocodile tears will be shed by employers; 

This is business as usual for the garment industry; compensation at the rate of $1200 a life will be paid out by the garment bosses and production is likely to carry on much as before.
The country is a major clothing exporter, second only to China. There are around 4 million workers in 4,000 Bangladeshi RMG factories earning the bosses up to $20 billion a year and these profits are built on these conditions. RMG workers earn some of the lowest industrial wages in the world. Exporting cheap clothing to the West has its price, cheap or dear depending on your viewpoint and material interests.
As part of maintaining the Global Brand Image, corporations employ compliance officers to check the working conditions of their factory suppliers. All sides know how this game is played; a minority of workplaces largely comply with minimum standards while the rest make some show of doing so, knowing that an attractive sale price trumps all other issues and that international brands will not let the necessary image of compliance inspection to interfere too much with the reality of a regular supply chain. Model compliant factory areas may be maintained as showpieces for compliance officer visits - while actual daily factory conditions bear no resemblance to this. A separate set of compliant books, showing fictitious higher rates of pay and safety expenditure may be kept. Compliance visits can be simple audits of paperwork rather than effective inspection. Equally, government-employed safety inspectors - who are paid lower wages on the tacit understanding that income can be 'topped up' - are easily bribed to turn a blind eye.

This shows how easy it is for RMG suppliers to appear to comply with the minimum asked of them by foreign buyers - even when concerns have been flagged up. This was not some back street hole-in-the-wall fly-by-night marginal operation. It was a major exporter's large factory supplying leading international brands; making clear how prevalent these deadly conditions are, forming the basis of the $450 billion global clothing industry. It also shows, once again, that these fires are known by workers, bosses and foreign buyers to be both entirely predictable and, if desired, largely preventable.
One might assume that such horrific scenes could become a tipping point where the demands for significant lasting safety improvements in the industry becomes irresistible; but there have been many other horrific scenes, other "worst ever fires" before this one. Meanwhile the profits keep growing.
Today, Monday 26th, there was another factory fire in Ashulia, this time with no reported injuries. 200 factories in Ashulia are closed and roads have been blockaded as thousands of workers have walked out to march to the factory ruins to protest the deaths and demand improvements in conditions.
Initial assessments by local police and fire services have stated there is no evidence for deliberate arson, suggesting that an electrical fault in the basement is a likely cause. Firefighters have also noted the absence of safety exits and that they had to cut through locked gates, verifying workers' claims.
But Bangladeshi politicians on all sides have never been slow to shamelessly mobilise the dead in the service of propaganda gains. (This is rooted in the conflicting loyalties of the nation's War of Independence that have continued to divide the society ever since(3).) The latest reports are that the government is claiming the fire as an act of sabotage by political opponents - yet with no evidence so far produced to support such a claim. Two garment workers who were arrested on Sunday at nearby Debonair factory in Ashulia have confessed to an act of attempted arson. Released factory CCTV footage shows a woman, Sumi Begum, setting fire to clothing at Debonair - which was quickly spotted and dowsed by other workers; she is reported to have later confessed that a fellow worker, Zakir Hossain, paid her TK20,000 [$246] to set the fire. But, though Prime Minister Hasina is linking the arrests with the deadly Tazreen Fashion fire, those arrested have not confessed to any involvement in it and no evidence has so far linked them.

 sorce:

Bangalore: Vimochana, a Women rights group today protested in Bangalore demanding action against the chief administrative officer (CAO) of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, one of the prestigious management college, after a lady doctor accused him of alleged sexual harassment. The lady, a medical officer of the institute has alleged that the CAO had been harassing her since 2009. Member of Women Rights' Group, Vimochana, Dona Fernandes said the business school failed to take action despite repeated complaints by the lady doctor.

‘Drama Queen’ Veena Malik is once again making news headlines for wrong reasons. An MMS video, allegedly featuring Rajan Verma and Pakistani actress, has gone viral on You Tube these days.

Microsoft has jumped on the visual device bandwagon and now plans to create their own eyeglasses.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has touted their company's innovative product at star-studded events
throughout the year and in July, news emerged that Apple had received a patent for a wearable display device -- seemingly bearing a close resemblance to Google's Project Glass.

Not to be left behind, sketches filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office show the Redmond,
Washington company has plans to create its own head-mounted display device. Though the patent application was sent on May 20, 2011, it was only recently discovered on fie at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Microsoft's product is described as being distinct from Google's device and Apple's planned version
as Microsoft's 'head mounted display...would provide supplemental information when viewing a live
event,' according to the patent application.

'A user wearing an at least partially see-through, head mounted display views the live event while
simultaneously receiving information on objects, including people, within the user's field of view.'
A drawing of a potential scene shows a user watching a baseball game and how the device could
provide statistics and additional details to enrich the viewing of the sporting event.

At least in the patent application, it doesn't appear that the device would be intended for everyday use - like walking down the street. 'The information is presented in a position in the head mounted display which does not interfere with the user's enjoyment of the live event,' the description added.

It's expected that the device would be operated by either a wrist-worn computer, eye movements or
voice commands. The discovery of Microsoft's foray into the eye wear field comes amid the massive publicity drummed up by the Mountain View, California based company for their Project Glass.

The pet project of Sergey Brin has been marketed as a fashionable yet fully functioning device that
even made its way to the runway in designer Diane von Furstenberg's show at New York Fashion
Week in September. Brin has sported the sci-fi looking accessory throughout 2012 but it isn't expected to be sold as a consumer product until 2013 or even 2014.

The very sight of the Google Glasses and the prospect of incorporating the technology into every day
life has sparked excitement among the industry. The wraparound frame has a tiny display over the left eye, that lets the wearer surf the web, make video calls, listen to music and even take notes.
The user won't even even have to lift a finger since the screen is controlled by voice commands and
even is sensitive enough to respond to the the tilt of the head. A prototype is currently being tested and reviewed by Google employees before the device will be presented to the public.

In a promotional video for the new technology, a person wearing the device walks down the street
and instantly helpful neighborhood tips and information on surrounding landmarks appear on the screen before their eyes.

Additionally, the screen will alert the user to their friends and family in the environs so the person can
pop in and surprise someone they know. Apple is also said to be scurrying its engineers to get its own eye wear available in the near future. Reports emerged in July that the Cupertino based company had filed a patent application for a 'head-mounted display apparatus for a user,' according to the application.

According to early diagrams for the device, the accessory would include one or two LCDs.
Though it is difficult to understand fully how the device would operate, according to the patent
description it would be a 'full immersion' device, not a 'walk around' device like the one developed by
Google. Apple's would likely be easily embedded in anything from a helmet, a pair of glasses, or a visor.

According to the New York Times, the company has been working on projects that could become
'wearable computers' and even hired a wearable computing engineer in 2011.

On the eve of his 100th Test match, swashbuckling batsman Virender Sehwag declared that his goal
is to play in the 2015 World Cup, and that the thought of retirement hasn't crossed his mind as yet.
"My target is to retire only after playing in the next World Cup, to be held in Australia and New
Zealand," Sehwag told Mail Today in an interview on Thursday.

Sehwag, who would become only the ninth Indian to appear in a century of Tests on Friday when he
plays in the second Test against England, said that there'd be no dearth of motivation to play in his
fourth World Cup.

"To participate in a World Cup is a great honour and achievement. I've played in three World Cups.
The whole world watches you during a World Cup and expects you to play innings to win games for
your country," said the 34-year-old batsman.

The only Indian triple Test centurion said that he was not feeling nervous on the eve of his milestone.  "I don't think I am nervous; I was waiting for this moment."

"When I was a kid my first dream was to play Test matches and the second one was to play 100 Test
matches because there are very few people who have played 100 Tests for India," he emphasised.
"And I am the luckiest one, though there a couple of my colleagues who too are close to the mark.
Zaheer Khan (86 Tests) and Harbhajan Singh (98) will, hopefully, also play their 100th Test matches
very soon. So, I'm very happy and waiting for this Test match," he said.

Sehwag's wife, two sons and a few friends have confirmed to be at the Wankhede Stadium on
Friday. The Delhi dasher's has been a roller-coaster Test journey that began when captain Sourav
Ganguly prevailed upon the selectors to include him in Tests.

Sehwag lived up to Ganguly's expectations and hammered a century on debut and went on to score
two Test triple tons. Sehwag says it was comforting to find Sachin Tendulkar at the pitch when he
went in at No.6 in Bloemfontein on his Test debut.

"The first highlight of my career is the hundred on my debut. I'll never forget that moment when I went in and Tendulkar was batting at 30 or 40-odd."

"He asked me in Hindi if I was having gudgudi [nervousness] in stomach. I said 'yes'. He then said it
happens with everybody and asked me to enjoy the game and bat the way I do," he said.

"It [Sachin's presence] helped me a lot because the bowlers were concentrating on him. They wanted
Tendulkar to get out; they were not worried about Sehwag at the time."

"When we were building our partnership, he was guiding me. I was lucky as my role model was
playing with me in the first innings of my first Test," he said. Sehwag disclosed that he and Tendulkar came closer when they returned to South Africa for the 2003 World Cup.

"Before that I was very shy. We used to go to gym together in South Africa. When he asked me to go
with him for dinner or gym sessions, it gave me a lot of confidence and comfort. That shows that he's
also a very very good human being, and not just a good player," he said.

Some former cricketers have at times opined that Sehwag tends to become complacent because he
seemed to have achieved much more than he had perhaps set out for. "If I had become satisfied I would have retired. When a person becomes satisfied, he doesn't run after things, doesn't worry about it, and doesn't make efforts.

Everyone has his opinion. Whatever one wants- whether he is a big player or a small one- he can
write and say. Everything has his own thinking, but the person concerned [player] actually knows the reality," he said.

On the occasion of his 100th Test, Sehwag remembered his late father, who wanted him to play well
for India, his coach since childhood, Amar Nath Sharma, and late Satish Sharma, who gave him an
opportunity when he picked him for his Madras Club in Delhi league cricket.

Sehwag considers the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he hit 195 in 2003-04, and the Mohali
Stadium, where he has scored two centuries, as his favourite venues.

If you haven’t already heard of SOPA or PITA, they are bills that have been presented to congress
that are designed to stop online piracy. In fact, SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act (creative,
right?). Internet sites like Google and Wikipedia are protesting SOPA and PITA because of the
monumental effects those bills would have on the internet community.

The purpose of this article is to raise awareness of what the ramifications would be if SOPA and/or
PIPA were passed into law. First, we’ll explain the basics.

The Problem with SOPA

Since we’re established that online piracy is an issue that needs to be dealt with, why is there a
problem with SOPA? The problem is that SOPA punishes the wrong people.

With the current laws, any user can post content to a user-generated site, like YouTube, Facebook,
and Wikipedia. If the contend is considered illegal, that user is then reported and punished by the site
and the content is removed. This system allows for users to post freely unless they get caught and
the sites don’t get punished if action is taken ASAP.

SOPA would change the system by punishing user-generated sites for “facilitating copyright
infringement.” In extreme cases, the government can shut down the site. Other punishments include
taking the site off search engines and preventing other site from linking to it. Essentially, the bill would
be punishing the wrong people.

To make it simple, let’s compare this situation to a library. If an illegally written book is placed in a
library, according to SOPA laws removing the book and banning the supplier isn’t enough. The
government can actually take extreme action and essentially burn down the library if they decided the
library was facilitating copyright infringement. All the beneficial information would be destroyed
because of one book.

Take Action

If you are opposed to limiting free speech on the internet, take action now and join the protest. There
are numerous petitions you can sign and links to contact your local representative. Search around and
make a stand today.

To many people, the idea of a love addiction seems far-fetched or made up to explain irrational behaviors.

However, love addiction is not a new concept, nor is it fabricated. Early literature and history are full of references to people — often very powerful and famous people — who allowed their dependence on others to destroy them.

People become so dependent on others because of emotional needs that are not met through positive relationships; they are met through negative and destructive relationships. But love addiction is more than just an emotional need unmet — there is also a potential for serious injury because of this behavior.

When a person continues in a relationship that is abusive, either physically or mentally, there is a very real danger. Women and men are abused in relationships, and unfortunately, death by an intimate partner is a very real concern in today’s society. Here are questions you can ask yourself to see if you are addicted to love:

    Have I been hurt, physically or emotionally, by my partner?
    Do I make excuses or rationalize the abuse?
    Do I tend to choose partners that are emotionally distant or do I have a history of being in abusive relationships?
    Is there a give and take in this relationship or do I give and give but seem to get nothing or very little in response?
    Can I leave this relationship and move on in my life?
Answering these questions honestly is the first step in determining if you may have an addiction to love that is potentially dangerous.

Most people need help with this very serious issue and greatly benefit from talking with a therapist or counselor that specializes in addictions and addiction recovery.

Reports about Vidya Balan getting married to boy friend Siddharth Roy Kapur, who is the head honcho of UTV movies, are true. Apparently, the wedding date for the two has also been fixed.
Vidya never denied her wedding plans but she always refused to talk about the wedding date. But friends close to the couple have revealed some information that the actress wouldn’t be too happy about. So it’s confirmed, Vidya Balan and Siddhartgh Roy Kapoor will get married on December 14.
Reports have it that the couple have asked their friends to keep themselves free between 11 to 14 december. Since Vidya Balan is a south India, the wedding is expected to be a South Indian Style. But since Siddharth is a Punjabi, there are chances of a Punjabi wedding.
Preparations are reported to be on at both the households and the wedding celebrations will begin on December 11 with a sangeet ceremony. A lavish reception will be organized for their friends in Bollywood after the wedding. However, the two want to keep their wedding a private affair with only family members and close friends.
Vidya Balan and Siddharth Roy Kapur have now been dating for about two years. Siddharth has been married twice before.

From puberty until death, men’s bodies are continuously producing sperm. Sperm are created in the testicles and remain there as they mature, a process that takes about two and a half months. When a man ejaculates, about 1-2 teaspoons of semen are released. Only a microscopic amount of that fluid is sperm, but that small amount – tiny enough to fit on the head of a pin! – contains between 100-600 million sperm.

 One of the most basic “facts of life” is that it only takes one sperm and one egg to create a new life. But each sperm itself has a limited life span, and the clock starts ticking from the moment it leaves a man’s body.
Sperm and Fertilization:

Of the many millions of sperm released each time a man ejaculates inside a woman, far fewer live long enough to make an attempt at fertilization. After unprotected intercourse, sperm can sustain its reproductive viability for several days – if it makes it up as far as the cervix.

 If the sperm gets no further than the vaginal canal, it will survive for just a few hours, due to exposure to acidic vaginal secretions. However, a woman’s body has a built-in mechanism to give the reproductive process a boost: around the time of ovulation, a healthy female body produces a particular cervical mucous that creates a protective, hospitable environment for sperm; in fact, the consistency of the mucous even helps the sperm make its way (commonly referred to as “swimming”) through the vagina to the cervix. Under ideal circumstances, if healthy sperm get beyond the cervix into the uterus and up to the fallopian tubes, they can live as long as 5-7 days after ejaculation. On average, though, sperm live about 3-4 days once they’ve made it all the way to the fallopian tubes, where fertilization takes place. (A woman’s egg, on the other hand, is viable for only about one day once it leaves the ovary.)
Sperm’s Shelf Life: Outside of the Body!

Sperm can live outside of the body for only about 20 minutes to an hour, depending on how exposed the semen is to the air and other environmental factors.

 To avoid the slightest risk of pregnancy, a woman should make sure that ejaculated semen doesn’t get at all close to her vagina. Once semen has fully dried, it no longer contains any living sperm. If couples are relying on the withdrawal method for contraception, the man must withdraw fully before ejaculation and then be careful that when he does ejaculate that none of the semen gets near the opening of the vagina, to ensure that no sperm can make their way inside the woman, where they can survive much longer.

 These couples should also remember that some fluid is emitted prior to ejaculation as a natural lubricant; this pre-ejaculatory fluid can contain sperm, and if it gets inside the woman, there is a small possibility that pregnancy can occur.
Sperm Donation

For a number of reasons, men sometimes choose to make a sperm donation – to try to produce a baby through in vitro fertilization, for use in impregnating a woman without having sexual intercourse (artificial insemination), for anonymous donation to a sperm bank or to save it for future use – in which case the man’s ejaculate is treated in a laboratory to separate the sperm from the rest of the seminal fluid. The sperm is then frozen, which preserves it for an indefinite period of time, keeping it alive and viable for fertilization by medical procedures at a later date.

VIGILANTE parents are attacking teachers and students as young as six in vicious schoolyard confrontations after their own children fall victim to bullies.

In what the NSW Department of Education fears is a growing trend, at least 20 frustrated parents engaged in "violent and anti-social behaviour towards pupils and teachers" in the first half of 2012 - most of which was fuelled by the belief schools weren't doing enough to protect their children.

In one shocking example, the father of a female student in the Hunter region allegedly approached a boy in year 11 and verbally abused him before punching him in the mouth and splitting his lip.

In another incident, a school mother allegedly threatened to assault a deputy principal's son because she was frustrated the Bourke school wasn't doing enough to prevent her year 9 son being bullied.

She then allegedly verbally abused a female teacher in the library then grabbed her by the throat.

In another outburst, police were called after the mother of a North Coast student allegedly violently and repeatedly punched, kicked and scratched her school's principal within full view of students.

Even students as young as six haven't been immune to the violence. In May, the mother of a primary school student in the Illawarra allegedly entered the school and approached a year 1 boy and threatened him before grabbing him by the back of the neck.

According to the Education Department most cases were investigated by police and led to a number of bans under the Inclosed Lands Act.

Parents and Citizens Association publicity officer Rachael Sowden said she understood some parents' frustration but taking matters into their own hands was not the answer.

"Obviously parents get frustrated when they don't feel they are being listened to and when there are concerns around their children," Ms Sowden said.

"Parents have a right to be concerned about something that's happening to their children so it is understandable that they become emotive.

"What we would suggest is if you feel the need to take it into your own hands, that you contact the school to arrange a meeting, or the children's parents rather than the children - that's never appropriate and ranting and raving won't fix the problem."

NSW Secondary Principals' Council deputy president Chris Presland said some parents had unrealistic expectations.

"Our school has a really good process making it easy for parents to make contact with teachers but I don't doubt there are parents who act inappropriately," Mr Presland said.

"Other parents expect they can speak to the teacher immediately, but the teacher is in class almost all day."

Patients want easy access to any notes their doctor has recorded about them, and they want the right to let others view their medical information, according to a pair of U.S. studies.

Advocates of open-access medical records say they are not only a patient's right but will help boost the quality of care as well.

"We believe there is abundant evidence that having patients actively participate in their care and know what's happening will improve their care," said Dr. Kenneth Shine, the executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas System, who wrote an editorial accompanying the studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Patients have not always had an easy time getting hold of their medical records, especially the notes that doctors take during a visit, said one of the study's senior authors, Dr. Tom Delbanco at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

"I think the doctors felt that they owned the notes," Delbanco told Reuters Health.

Increasingly, health systems are making it easier for patients to get access to prescription lists, lab results and, sometimes, doctors' notes. Delbanco said one reason is that "the whole world is becoming transparent ... The other is that computers make it easier."

He and his colleagues started OpenNotes, a system that gives patients an online portal to their doctors' comments from a visit.

Their study surveyed more than 37,000 patients and more than 170 primary care doctors, in advance of the debut of OpenNotes, about their expectations for the system.

The doctors and patients came from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Beth Israel and Geisinger Health System already offered online access to medical information, but the doctors' notes were a new addition.

Sixty-three of the physicians who answered the survey decided not to participate in OpenNotes.

Four out of five of them thought it would cost them more time in having to answer patients' questions, and the majority also felt that the extra pair of eyes would cause them to censor their notes regarding mental health and substance abuse.

Doctors who opted in to the program had much more optimistic views, most of them believing that patients would be more satisfied with their care. A sizeable group of the doctors thought it would make care safer.

Patients were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about OpenNotes, regardless of whether they decided to join the program or not, with more than 90 percent responding favorably.

"They were not only enthusiastic, they were all enthusiastic," said Jan Walker, the lead author of the study, who is also affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

AVOIDING MISTAKES

Dave deBronkart, a patient advocate writer and speaker who goes by the handle e-Patient Dave, said patients can be a second set of eyes to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

"It seems obvious to me that to the extent we can let patients help carry the load we can avoid mistakes," deBronkart told Reuters Health.

In some cases it's wise to withhold information temporarily from patients, said Shine, who did not participate in the research.

At the University of Texas System, patients have electronic access to their records, but cancer test results are shielded from them for seven days to make sure doctors have the opportunity to present them with a full explanation.

In Walker's study, 35 percent of the patients had concerns about their privacy, but 22 percent said they were interested in sharing their doctor's notes with a family member, doctor or other health professional.

A second study, published in the same issue of the journal, explored patients' desires to share their medical information and found an even greater interest.

Veterans Affairs medical centers have an online system called My HealtheVet that lets patients view some medical information, such as prescription lists.

The researchers asked more than 18,000 My HealtheVet users whom they would share information with, and what they would want to share.

About four out of five users would want to designate someone to have access to their records, primarily a spouse.

"Our studies suggest that health systems need to be developing these record systems that allow patients to share their health information with care givers and other providers," said lead author Dr. Donna Zulman at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.

Zulman said shared access could help family members, especially those who live at a distance and can't attend doctor visits, to participate in the care.

Making it easier for family members and other physicians to view medical information is also likely to streamline the often complex management plans for those with multiple chronic conditions, she added.

The electronic sharing of My HealtheVet and the OpenNotes system were not available at the time of the surveys.

OpenNotes went live in 2010, and for a year the researchers tracked its impact on doctor-patient relationships, physician time, and patients' adherence to medications and medical plans.

Results have not been published, but Delbanco said he's encouraged that, since the study ended, all of the doctors who participated in OpenNotes have opted to continue using it.

Meditation may influence the way the brain processes emotions -- even when you're not actually practicing it, a new study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience suggests.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Arizona, Boston University, the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies and Emory University found that meditation changes the way the amygdala brain region responds to emotional stimuli -- but that this effect on emotional processing takes place even when a person is not in a state of meditation. The amygdala is a brain region involved in emotion and memory processing.

Participating in an 8-week meditation training program can have measurable effects on how the brain functions even when someone is not actively meditating, recent study found. In their report in the November issue of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston University (BU), and several other research centers also found differences in those effects based on the specific type of meditation practiced.

"The two different types of meditation training our study participants completed yielded some differences in the response of the amygdala – a part of the brain known for decades to be important for emotion – to images with emotional content," says Gaëlle Desbordes, PhD, a research fellow at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at MGH and at the BU Center for Computational Neuroscience and Neural Technology, corresponding author of the report. "This is the first time that meditation training has been shown to affect emotional processing in the brain outside of a meditative state."

Several previous studies have supported the hypothesis that meditation training improves practitioners' emotional regulation. While neuroimaging studies have found that meditation training appeared to decrease activation of the amygdala – a structure at the base of the brain that is known to have a role in processing memory and emotion – those changes were only observed while study participants were meditating. The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that meditation training could also produce a generalized reduction in amygdala response to emotional stimuli, measurable by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Participants had enrolled in a larger investigation into the effects of two forms of meditation, based at Emory University in Atlanta. Healthy adults with no experience meditating participated in 8-week courses in either mindful attention meditation – the most commonly studied form that focuses on developing attention and awareness of breathing, thoughts and emotions – and compassion meditation, a less-studied form that includes methods designed to develop loving kindness and compassion for oneself and for others. A control group participated in an 8-week health education course.

Within three weeks before beginning and three weeks after completing the training, 12 participants from each group traveled to Boston for fMRI brain imaging at the Martinos Center's state-of-the-art imaging facilities. Brain scans were performed as the volunteers viewed a series of 216 different images – 108 per session – of people in situations with either positive, negative or neutral emotional content. Meditation was not mentioned in pre-imaging instructions to participants, and investigators confirmed afterwards that the volunteers had not meditated while in the scanner. Participants also completed assessments of symptoms of depression and anxiety before and after the training programs.

In the mindful attention group, the after-training brain scans showed a decrease in activation in the right amygdala in response to all images, supporting the hypothesis that meditation can improve emotional stability and response to stress. In the compassion meditation group, right amygdala activity also decreased in response to positive or neutral images. But among those who reported practicing compassion meditation most frequently outside of the training sessions, right amygdala activity tended to increase in response to negative images – all of which depicted some form of human suffering. No significant changes were seen in the control group or in the left amygdala of any study participants.

"We think these two forms of meditation cultivate different aspects of mind," Desbordes explains. "Since compassion meditation is designed to enhance compassionate feelings, it makes sense that it could increase amygdala response to seeing people suffer. Increased amygdala activation was also correlated with decreased depression scores in the compassion meditation group, which suggests that having more compassion towards others may also be beneficial for oneself. Overall, these results are consistent with the overarching hypothesis that meditation may result in enduring, beneficial changes in brain function, especially in the area of emotional processing."

In today's workplaces, a day off is a true luxury. With mile-long to-do lists and a frighteningly-high number of un- or under-employed hopefuls ready to take their places, more and more people are choosing not to take time off -- even when they are sick with a cold or the flu.

A 2011 survey from Career Builder found that 72 percent of people go to work sick. This year, a survey from Staples found that number may be even closer to 80 percent.

So how do you know when you're too sick to report for duty or not sick enough to call out?

At one time or another, most of us have probably felt like being present in the office was absolutely necessary, no matter the color of that mucus. Bloomberg reports:

But showing up when you're feeling lousy, a phenomenon known as presenteeism, can actually hurt your employer. Lower-than-normal, cold-medicine-fueled productivity levels can actually cost employers more than it would if you just took a sick day, WebMD reported.

In New York, One Medical's Natasha Withers, D.O., says "everybody feels like they need to go to work" and has trouble admitting it when it's time to rest. "I spend a lot of time convincing them to stay home," she tells HuffPost. "I even offer doctor's letters, to prove that they need to take this time to recover."

Doctors orders aren't always enough, however. "When you're deciding whether or not to stay home, put it into the big picture," suggests Jennifer Collins, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Allergy and Immunology at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Whether you feel guilty about leaving your work to others or overwhelmed by what would be waiting for you when you get back, ask yourself: Would you be a danger to others? Is your judgment impaired? Are you thinking clearly? Is your lack of productivity going to hurt the company? And do you think you're contagious?

In fact, greater than the cost to employers may be the likelihood of transmitting germs. If it's absolutely imperative that you go to the office, "the most important thing is to prevent spread," says Collins.

"The flu virus is transmitted through droplets from the nose or mouth," says Withers. "Anytime you're coughing or sneezing or even talking you could potentially spread the virus."

As such, the working sick leave behind a trail of germs on shared surfaces like water fountains and refrigerator door handles, making it easy for a case of the sniffles -- or worse -- to circulate among co-workers.

Collins recommends what she calls the "vampire sneeze," where you sneeze into the crook of the elbow rather than into your hand, which you'll later use to touch communal surfaces or shake hands. "Wipe down areas, make sure you're washing your hands frequently," she adds. "Viruses can live on hard surfaces hours after you're gone."

Not to mention, we don't do a great job cleaning them. In fact, about half of all employees surveyed by Staples clean their desks once a week or less, Everyday Health reported.

To be extra courteous, consider covering your hand with a sleeve when you hold on while riding public transportation or when pressing the button in the elevator, says Collins.

If you're on the receiving end of potential germs, "regular handwashing is the best defense we have," she says. Anti-bacterial gels are a good option when a sink isn't available. And as much as possible, try to avoid touching your face, which provides a direct path for germs on your hands to get into your nose and mouth.

Germs may also be lurking on things like cell phones -- give them a wipe with an alcohol pad regularly, says Collins. And both doctors recommend getting a flu shot for the best protection. "The flu vaccine takes about a week or two to work," says Withers, "so if you see a sick coworker, it won't protect you in that moment, but it may remind you to get [the shot]."

Some are more strongly urged to get vaccinated this season, including people with chronic medical conditions like asthma and diabetes, pregnant women and people over 65, according to the CDC. "If you have the flu and know that your coworkers are in one of those categories, be extra cautious," says Withers about deciding to go into the office.

Determining if your symptoms are indicative of a cold or the flu may help you make the decision. A cold typically starts gradually, whereas the flu can hit in a matter of hours. Colds usually occur earlier in the fall and winter, while the flu peaks around February. And the flu is often (but not always) accompanied by a fever. "You should certainly stay home if you have a fever greater than 100.3," says Collins.

Colds are most contagious at the onset, when you first start to notice that hint of a sore throat, says Collins, making it important to stay home early on. The flu, on the other hand, starts suddenly, and is contagious for the next four or five days after symptoms start, she says. Both can be contagious up to seven days, adds Withers, the typical length of time it takes any virus to fully run its course.

You'll also want to consider the effects of any medications you might take to quell your symptoms. Some cold medicines can make you drowsy; others can make you feel "a little hyperactive" or faint, says Collins, all of which could impact your productivity and safety on the job.

Depending on your field -- and your boss -- you might have the option to work from home. You'll reduce the spread of germs while still checking things off the to-do list, all from the comfort of your PJs. "Telecommuting is a really good option if you have something to do but can't work a whole day, or know you're just not going to be productive," says Collins. "You can work a little, nap, then wake up and do a little more work."

Just don't try to do too much, too soon. "[Working from home is] definitely a better option so you're not spreading the virus to other people," says Withers, "but your body needs time to heal and rest. If you're trying to push yourself, it's going to take a lot longer to get better."

At the end of the day, your decision to go to work sick or not may simply come down to the Golden Rule, says Collins. "If you saw a person coming into work sick, would you want to be around them?"

The Union home minister, Mr Sushilkumar Shinde, on Monday said that the Centre would not make any announcement on Telangana without considering the Naxal problem. Stating that reports had indicated that “creation of smaller states had seen the spread of Naxalism”, the minister said that with Naxal activities on the rise in smaller states like Chhattisgarh, the Centre was bound to consider the Naxal issue before taking a decision on Telangana.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, Mr Shinde, who as the home minister, deals with the formation of new states under Article 3 of statute, said that many delegations from AP had met him recently to place their views on the Telangana issue. “I have heard them carefully. It is a long pending issue. There are different opinions and we have to see all of them. We have to deal carefully,” he said.
Reacting to TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s statement that the Centre would be announcing a Telangana state before September end, Mr Shinde said it was quite common for leaders taking up agitations to talk like that. “We will take a decision before 2014 elections, that is certain,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Rao who has been camping in Delhi, met the Union minister, Mr Vayalar Ravi, on Monday. Mr Ravi said that he discussed the Telangana issue with Mr Rao and refused to give more details.
HM: no decision yet on all-party meet
Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said that he needed more time to study the Telangana statehood issue as he had taken up the responsibilities of ministry recently. "I am new to this ministry, let me get the full details of the issue," he added. When asked about the Centre convening an all party conference to arrive at a consensus on the Telangana issue, the home minister said: “It is not possible in the immediate future, it will take some more time.” Union minister and AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad had told this newspaper on Sunday that there was no consensus on the Telangana issue and as such there could not be a deadline or time limit for the Centre to announce a decision in this regard.

End of day's play. It's been another copybook day for India, in complete control of this Test here. After Sehwag's run-a-ball 117, Cheteshwar Pujara's unbeaten double century today and Yuvraj Singh's solid 74 meant there was no let up in India's scoring rate. And then the three quick strikes in as many overs towards the end of the day has given the English a lot to worry about, and not too many options to find solutions to their worries. It's only been two days but the target of 322, which England need to avoid follow-on, looks far, far away at the moment. The Indian spinners would be looking forward to tomorrow, something that cannot be said of the English batsmen.

Over 18: England 41/3; Cook 22, Pietersen 6
Last over of the day and England survive without losing another wicket.

Over 17: England 40/3; Cook 22, Pietersen 6
Pietersen is on strike and the 'pie-chucker' comes on. This may turn out to be interesting. Pietersen starts with a four pulled to deep square, and Cook ends the over with another four, rocking back to drive through cover. First good over for England this, they haven;t had too many of them on this day, either in field or batting. But there are a lot, lot more runs they need to score.

Wicket: Trott c Gambhir b Ashwin 0

Over 16: England 31/3; Cook 18, Pietersen 0
Ashwin gets his second wicket. That's three wickets in three overs, and England's worst nightmares are coming true. Ball turns just enough to take Jonathan Trott's inside edge and bounces off the pad to Gambhir at short leg. Pietersen walks out to bat. That's one of England's most stubborn batsmen gone without disturbing the scorers. Not good for England.

Wicket: Anderson c Gambhir b Ojha 2

Over 15: England 29/2; Cook 17, Trott 0
Another one goes. Anderson came out as the nightwatchman, with just over 20 minutes of play remaining, but was back as quickly. This time it's Ojha. Anderson moved forward but loops it to straight to Gautam Gambhir at short leg. England are in trouble here.

This was Ashwin's 50th Test wicket in just eight games -- the fastest to that mark. Goign by the way things are panning out here, there would be a lot more to come here before this Test ends.

Wicket: Comption b Ashwin 9

Over 14: England 29/1; Cook 17, Anderson 0
Gone! Ashwin strikes, England lose their first wicket. Compton has looked decidedly uncomfortable through his brief stay on crease, and this one spun hard. Pitched outside off and turned enough to go through the gap between bat and pad to rattle the middle stump.

Realistically speaking, this match is all about India now. Unless, of course, England avoid the follow-on, eat up enough time in that process, and do not have to bat more than half a day in the fourth innings. A lot of ifs, but theoretically, possible.

Over 12: England 25/0; Cook 16, Compton 8
R Ashwin has switched ends to replace Zaheer Khan even as Ojha comes on from the other end. Cook is rotating the strike easily enough, but that's not something Compton seems to relish. Ashwin has a big shout for LBW turned down.

Over 6: England 19/0; Cook 15, Compton 3
England are playing cautious here, taking their chances against Zaheer and leaving the spinners alone. Expected, given the ineffectiveness of seamers on this wicket. England would be furious with themselves if they lose more than a couple of wickets to the seamers here with the new ball.

Over 2: England 13/0; Cook 12, Compton 1
Zaheer starts from the other end, though given the way things have panned out in this Test so far, he could well have given it to Pragyan Ojha to start with spinners from either end. Or maybe he has been enthused by Anderson's success at long last half an hour ago. Zaheer goes up in appeal after Compton plays forward and gets huge edge of the pad, but the upmire isn't interested.

Over 1: England 8/0; Cook 8, Compton 0
R Ashwin opens the bowling for India, and that's the third time this year a spinner will start against England in Tests. First ball is too short and goes for four. The last also goes to the ropes, but it's the ones in between, that turned sharply, that would worry the English batsmen.

The Indian team is out, all ready and raring to go. Alastair Cook and Nick Compton walk out too, and they would know the huge responsibility that lies on them. England need 322 to avoid follow-on.


India declare for 521/8; innings break

Over 160: India 521/8 declared; Pujara 206 not out, Ojha 0
India finally declare. Dhoni has sent out message to call back Pujara and Ojha, and not too soon. Pujara remains unbeaten on 206, a tremendous, brilliant knock from the young man in his sixth Test. There's stil a long way to go in this Test, however, and the Indian spinners would be more than happy to come out as soon as possible.

The way Pujara is batting, he would be happy to score all the runs for Indian hereon, if only he has someone standing at the other end. And bat for the remaining three and a half days of the Test, if only the team management allows him to. It may be too early to dub him 'The New Wall' but he has shown he has the ability to reach there.

Over 158: India 519/8; Pujara 204, Ojha 0
India lose another wicket, the tail is out and England can look forward to start batting today. Or maybe not. After two days of fruitless toil in hard conditions, not sure if they would really be keen on getting out there to bat. Anderson gets another wicket, this time it's Zaheer Khan. Bowled full, Zaheer swings at it wildly, and is caught by Trott at point. First wicket to a seamer in this innings, and it leaves India short of the expected target of 550.  Pragyan Ojha is the new man in. Will Dhoni declare anytime soon or wait to be all out?

Day Two's play is following the same script as Day One. First session all about India's batting, second hangs in balance with runs for India and wickets for England, and the third begins with a milestone and a wicket. The only difference is the Star of the Day: Sehwag on Day One and Pujara on Day Two. Can't get two more contrasting players, eh!

The way Pujara is batting, he would be happy to score all the runs for Indian hereon, if only he has someone standing at the other end. And bat for the remaining three and a half days of the Test, if only the team management allows him to. It may be too early to dub him 'The New Wall' but he has shown he has the ability to reach there.

Over 155: India 510/7; Pujara 202, Zaheer 0
Ashwin goes, soon after Pujara's double ton. India lose another wicket, but it's not the one England would want. Pietersen has the ball and Ashwin goes back to cut it but manages a nick to Prior behind the stumps. Finally, Prior has done something right in this match. Zaheer Khan walks out to join Pujara, and can England be thinking of actually getting the Indians all out?

Over 154: India 507/6; Pujara 200, Ashwin 22
Pujara gets a double hundred! Anderson bowls a full length delivery wide of off-stump and Pujara simply steers it for a single that brings up the 200. The double ton came the way Pujara has played his entire knock -- sensible, matter-of-fact and completely in control. The stadium is deafening at this moment.

England have stuck with two wickets post lunch, similar to what they did on Day One, but things seem to happen only at one end. At the other, Pujara has not just dropped anchor but possibly decided to dock his boat for eternity, or as long as the team allows him. And the wicket remains as flat as ever.

On a pitch that has nothing for the bowlers, England, not the worst fielding side from any measure, have dropped almost every Indian batsman at least once. It started with Sehwag and the latest is Ashwin, who drove to Cook at extra-cover but the English captain was slow to react. Can England's batsman atleast give them something to cheer, as and when they do come out?

Tea

Over 152: India 502/6; Pujara 196, Ashwin 21
And that brings up India's 500, with Pujara just four away from an impressive 200. Samit Patel bowls slightly short and on the leg and Pujara flicks through midwicket for three runs as the teams go to tea.

England may well be sniffing at something like 550 here, and if luck holds, maybe even 500. Not much hope of that, though. It seems captain Cook takes off Graeme Swann only to give him some rest, and the others to make up for the time in-between Swann's strikes. The off-spinner has taken five of the six Indian wickets to fall, and was the catcher in the sixth, sending back Yuvraj.

Wicket: Dhoni b swann 5

Over 135: India 444/6; Pujara 160, Ashwin 0
Dhoni goes, and not surprisingly, to Swann. That's the fiver for Swann, and Dhoni little innings is over as he goes for a sweep, the ball takes the bottom of his gloves and rolls onto the stumps. Pujara, meanwhile, seems to be going strong, with little discomfort.

Over 125: India 414/5; Pujara 135, Dhoni 0
Gone! Yuvraj Singh holes out to Grame Swann at long-on, trying to club a full toss from Samit Patel. A lucky wicket if there ever was one, and Patel would not be too happy with the delivery but will welcome the wicket wholeheartedly. Real disappointment for Yuvraj, who looked well set for a fairytale comeback 100. Captain Mahedra Singh Dhoni is the new man in.

Wicket: Yuvraj c Swann b Patel 74

The way this match is going, it will be entirely up to MS Dhoni to decide when he wants to declare. it's evident that there is no chance of getting India all out, and Dhoni would want to give his bowlers enough time to make a match of it, because if there is simply too many runs on board -- something like 700 -- the English would like to simply dig in and play out a draw, without even attempting to score.

Something like a 600 by the first session tomorrow looks likely.

Over 122: India 411/4; Pujara 133, Yuvraj 73
Pietersen begins bowling in the second session after lunch, starts against Yuvraj.

If anything has been proved by this first session on Day Two, it's this: England do not seem to be taking a wicket in this innings without Swann. Samit patel has been treated with disdain, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson whipped away and punished for every delivery splayed wide on either side and Tim Bresnan has hardly got to bowl. Again, as on Day One, this session has been all about India's batting domination.

On the other hand, that may still give England some hope, given that they managed all four of their wickets post lunch. But the way the Indians are scoring, even a couple of wickets, if they do come, later in the day may be too late to undo the damage.

Lunch

Over 121: India 410/4; Pujara 133, Yuvraj 72
And that's lunch. Again a first session that's been all about runs and England trying desperately to not look already lost. Yuvraj Singh is looking solid at 72 not out while Pujara is inching, without any hurry, towards a 150.

Over 118: India 400/4; Pujara 131, Yuvraj 64
Kevin Pietersen comes into bowling, and Yuvraj Singh is at the crease to face him. An intersting battle between KP and the 'pie-chucker'. Gets straight off  on the middle and a huge shout for LBW but umpire Aleem Dar feels it was going down the legside. Maiden over from KP.

Over 117: India 400/4; Pujara 131; Yuvraj 64
400 for India. The Pujara-Yuvraj partnership has climbed to 117 runs for the fifth wicket, and there are no signs of the pitch doing anything at all here. It's completely flat, and there are a lot more runs to come. This one comes off Tim Bresnan, punched off the backfoot wide off the cover by Pujara.

Over 112: India 385/4; Pujara 126, Yuvraj 54
Finally, Bresnan comes over. He had bowled just 10 overs in this innings before this and with the ball appearing to aid reverse swing, Bresnan should hvae come on at least five overs back. Nevertheless, he is in action now. Keeps it full and on middle and off, and the only two runs conceded this over are through a misfield by Ian Bell.

Over 107: India 375/4; Pujara 118, Yuvraj 52
This one gets the emotional angle right, and how. Yuvraj Singh, returning to Test cricket after his fight with cancer, scores a 50 on comeback. And does it in style -- comes down the wicket to Samit Patel, picks up the ball in motion and sends it over mid-off to the ropes.

Pujara's ton is only the 11th Test hundred in the last one week. Besides Sehwag here, count in Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Michael Clarke, Ed Cowan, Michael Hussey, Powell, Chanderpaul, Ramdin and Hossain -- the battle between bat and ball seems to be getting more and more unequal.

Over 103: India 363/4; Pujara 113, Yuvraj 45
India get two runs more, and the English bowlers seem to be working more at choking the runs than taking a wicket here, after their early failed attempts. At least, that's what it seems, and they do seem to be doing a decent job of it. But England are seriously missing Monty Panesar here; Swann can onloy onld up so much. Of the 103 overs bowled so far, the off-spinner's share is 39 -- unst under 40 percent.

England have had five of their appeals turned down so far, and all for LBWs -- two off Broad and three to Swann. Either the wicket ain;t turning as much as was predicted, or the English are getting really desperate. At least the umpires have to only consider the turn of the ball and not the height here...the ball simply refuses to rise above the knees!

Over 95: India 345/4; Pujara 105, Yuvraj 35
It seems the Indians were only waiting for Pujara's ton. Now that it's out of the way, both Yuvraj and Pujara seem to cut loose, and Swann is the bowler at the receiving end. India get their first boundaries off the bat for the day, including a clean strike over mid-off by Yuvraj, coming down the pitch.

Over 94: India 330/4; Pujara 100, Yuvraj 25
And Pujara gets his 100. He has had to wait for it but it's come. Works a length ball from Broad to deep square leg for a single, and raises the bat with the same calmness with which he bats.

Over 93: India 328/4; Pujara 99, Yuvraj 24
Another maiden from Swann. The off-spinner seems to be carrying on from where he let off on Day One -- he had five maidens -- and Pujara has to hang around for a while for that one run to complete his century. Swann keeps the ball full, flighting it up, and Pujara decides to play safe.

Over 92: India 328/4; Pujara 99, Yuvraj 24
Broad starts from the other end, and concedes the first boundary of the day. Pitched it just outside on the leg, goes up in appeal but only ends up  adding four leg-byes to the Indian scorecard.

Over 91: India 323/4; Pujara 98, Yuvraj 24
Swann, the best English player on display on Day One, opens the bowling to Yuvraj. The second ball beats the bat, as Yuvi attempts a sweep, and draws forth an LBW appeal from the lips of Swann and Prior. It's a maiden.

India Today brings you live coverage of the first Test between India and England at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad. India finished the first day at a commanding 323/4 in 90 overs, courtesy a sparkling run-a-ball century by Virender Sehwag and a classy, stroke-filled unbeaten 98 from Cheteshwar Pujara. India's performance has brought in more spectators on Day Two, and with the weekend looming, the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera is likely to see a lot more people streaming in.

With time running out for the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, it's contemplating a series of steps to arrest the drift in the state before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The multi-pronged strategy includes revamp of the state Congress, a possible merger of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) with the party and buying peace with YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who is believed to have eaten into the Congress' support base in Seemandhra (Andhra and Rayalaseema regions).

The Telangana statehood demand is currently the biggest headache for the Congress, with pro-Telangana groups gearing up to lay siege to Hyderabad on September 30.

But hope, and an opportunity, has come in the form of signals from the TRS that it is ready to sacrifice its political identity in exchange for statehood.

TRS president K. Chandrasekhara Rao, who has been camping in New Delhi for the last 16 days, is understood to have put forth a proposal that he is willing to merge his party with the Congress if the Centre agrees to make Telangana a separate state within a specific time-frame.

Rao is understood to have discussed the proposal with AICC incharge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad and party observer Vayalar Ravi.

He is expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi soon to discuss the prospects of merger.

Though the TRS leaders are reluctant to publicly accept it just yet, they concede in private that there's indeed such a proposal. "We are ready for any sacrifice provided we get the Telangana state," TRS legislature party leader E. Rajender said.

Last Monday, Sonia had a meeting with top party leaders, including Azad, Ravi, Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and her political secretary Ahmed Patel in the wake of the feelers from the TRS.

Sources said the home ministry may call an all-party meeting after September 30 to kickstart the process of granting the statehood demand.

The Congress is under tremendous pressure from its own leaders from Telangana to take an early decision on statehood if it has to survive in the next elections.

"While the YSR Congress Party is all set to sweep the polls in Seemandhra, the battlefield in Telangana is wide open. If the Centre concedes the statehood demand and the TRS merges with the Congress, it will be advantageous for us in the region," a party MP said.

The impending revival of the statehood agitation has further pushed the Congress to a corner. Amid fears that the Telangana march on September 30 may turn violent, governor ESL Narasimhan on Thursday briefed Sonia on the latest political situation and met Shinde on Friday.