Barossa – Sweet, Savoury, Sinful

0 Comments read Travel
Fresh almond blossom and wild fennel meringue matches perfectly with Hentley Farm's Sticky Botrytis Riesling 2013. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Barossa (South Australia), (National Geographic Traveller India & Khaleej Times): South Australia has become a melting pot of culinary experiences from around the world, where chef’s inspired by the region’s rich heritage and strong traditions are serving up a smorgasbord of innovative dishes created from fresh seasonal produce with a very distinct local flavour.

The cuisine resonates with sensual local wines created by experimental winemakers, making this fourth largest Australian state a much sought after destination for passionate gastronomic travellers.

The state’s unique combination of soil, rainfall and climate has put it on the map alongside the Napa Valley, Tuscany and Bordeaux. It prides itself for its clean, green, fresh produce, which has encouraged a continual evolution of artisan producers, who are making new products by absorbing international influences and adapting to the local produce.

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After eradication: India’s post-polio problem

0 Comments read Disability, Health & Science, Poliomyelitis
Polio survivors performing Sufi dance on wheelchairs. Photo Credit: Ability Unlimited

By Neena Bhandari

New Delhi, 31.03.2014 (BMJ): As India celebrates three years of being polio free there is an urgent need to invest in medical care for the thousands of people who made the most of life after having had poliomyelitis but are now facing the debilitating post-polio syndrome (PPS).1 2 PPS describes the sudden onset of muscle weakness or fatigability in people with a history of acute paralytic poliomyelitis, usually occurring 15 to 40 years later.3 Many thousands of polio survivors experience muscle weakness, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, intolerance to cold, and difficulties in sleeping, breathing, or swallowing.

The March of Dimes, an international non-profit agency based in the United States and founded in 1938 by President and polio survivor Franklin D Roosevelt, warned in 2001 that as many as 20 million people worldwide are at risk of PPS, which could leave them using wheelchairs or ventilators for the rest of their lives.

After eradication_ India’s post-polio problem _ BMJ

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Women truckers making a mark in resource-rich Australia

0 Comments read Business and Trade, Gender
Trucks parked at a mine near Karratha in Western Australia. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Karratha (Western Australia), 15.11.2013: Growing up on a farm, Rosalie Hann would watch the haul trucks come in to collect wool bales and livestock. She would dream of one day driving these mammoth lorries herself. Today, the 39-year-old is an owner operator of a truck, subcontracting to Toll Energy in Dampier in the resource rich Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Rosalie is delighted to own and operate her own equipment in what is otherwise a very male-dominated industry. While women comprise about 50 per cent of the Australian population, they only make up around 10 per cent of the mine workforce. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Labour Force Estimates for February 2010 quarter, there were 23,260 women employed in the mining industry and 4,483 of them were truck drivers.

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