Posts by Neena Bhandari

Calculating Breast Cancer

0 Comments read Cancer, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 18.11.2007 (Women’s Feature Service): The reminder for a mammogram had been staring her in the face for a while now. There was no pain or lump in her breast so she had been ignoring the reminders for a free mammogram, sent to all women above 60 years of age. When Gladys Roach finally, decided to get it done five years ago, she was in for a rude shock.

After the mammogram, the doctors conducted an ultrasound, but were still concerned and so performed a biopsy. After four hours of various tests, Gladys says, “I was told I had breast cancer. I was stunned and cried my heart out as I took the train home.”

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Asian cinema should be properly recognised: Shabana Azmi

0 Comments read Arts, Entertainment & Lifestyle

By Neena Bhandari

Gold Coast (Australia), 12.11.2007 (IANS):  “Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an idea whose time has come, both politically and culturally. It is only fair that Asian cinema which comprises nearly three-fourths of the world cinema is properly recognised and represented”, says acclaimed actress and activist Shabana Azmi.

Shabana is in Gold Coast, one of the favourite tourist destination for Indians, as president of the international jury for the inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) being held here.

In an exclusive interview to IANS in the plush Sheraton Mirage, where the awards will be presented on Tuesday, Shabana said, “What has happened with Oscars, assuming the importance that they have over the years, the Oscar awards seems to be the definitive award filmmakers aspire for. We are going to create in the times to come an alternative to that so that Asian cinema gets the recognition it deserves,”

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Veena Sahajwalla makes world first “Green” steel a commercial reality

0 Comments read Environment & Development, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 10.11.2007 (IANS): Millions of tonnes of waste plastic will be recycled into steel. The breakthrough Australian “green” steel technology which cuts coke and coal demand and reduces emissions has been invented by University of New South Wales materials scientist Professor Veena Sahajwalla.

Sahajwalla, an alumni of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, told IANS “Plastic is simply another form of carbon. In making steel there’s essentially no difference between the polyethylene plastic in shopping bags and a natural resource like coal.”

Polyethylene plastic contains carbon, an essential raw material in electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, which recycles steel from scrap metal and accounts for 40 per cent of the world’s steel production. Annual steel production is around 1.1 billion tonnes globally.

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