All posts by Surendra

Depression

When you suspect some loved one is depressed

Gently extend your support – it makes a difference and most of the times it is the only thing that’s needed. Read on….

Is it a gene?

Have I inherited the gene that has robbed her of so much of life’s joy? Read on….

Should states cut funding for mental-health     c are? Hey no.

Three years after the Sandy Hook mass shooting…..Read on

San Bernardino shooters long were radicals …. Read on

 

Flight 9525

Flight 9525 Crash was not an accident (3_26_2015):
Flight recordings point to a deliberate act by co-pilot. Read on

Co-pilot in jet crash said to have had depression(3_27_2015). Read  on

Lively Arts

Classical Music & Dance

If not lively, these forms of art do not fully touch audience heart. The survival of an art needs appreciation from the supporters and sponsors.  The article to follow here describes a sponsor and why he sponsors it.  The most important point here is that the sponsor couple’s $33 M investment in the community is because of the fact that the family cannot fully appreciate, even a classical performance of “The Nutcracker” in Kennedy Center without live music. They say, “We noticed that there is no live musics recently.  And a ballet without live music is very difficult, because it’s a kind of communication between the musicians and the dancers.” Read on

Social Issues

Marijuana decriminalization – a perspective

The push to legalize marijuana is very intense.

India is one of many countries where marijuana is legalized. Many Odias living in North America may have first hand experience of socially using this. In not too distant past when alcoholic drinking was not socially acceptable, marijuana was in forms of delicious mixes. As a matter of fact there were some religious days (Pana Sankrati) on which it was a drink for celebration. In some temples it is a regular drink of choice by priests and public. In modern days both alcohol and marijuana drinks are legal. From this point of view we may have direct experience with both. Can we comment? Read on

What is Marijuana?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Read on

From the pen of a Heroin user

An overdose almost killed me.  But I could not make myself stop.  Read on

Pot-smoking parents: What about the kids? Read on

 

A sustainable Odia Community practice plan

A sustainable Odia aging Community Plan in practice

In recent past decades, with a higher longevity factor almost all over the world  combined with detached supporting children pursuing better careers away from parents, all elderly parents face similar problems when retiring.  The special challenges for displaced elderly parents away from their own parental birth places, sometimes in a different continent, presents another dimension of  adjustment to navigate the life style.

Another important factor is the rapid shift of demographic make up of the society in a number of countries including USA, Japan, and Europe due to necessities (birth rate decline and political instability as examples).  The individual countries or United Nations have not been able to keep in pace with these changes.  Once a sizable group of people establish themselves in a foreign country social demands warrant changes ( example:  Muslim Holiday in the Montgomery County, Maryland).

We need to develop a sustainable community mutual support system, beyond social stigmas of religious and pseudo in nature. The least we should do is experiment with a system hoping that it can present us an opportunity to tinker with further.

Most of the needs, according to the reference quoted in this article, of the aging people are rather simple.  Those are  accompanying or driving  to the doctor’s office or hospital, assisting for grocery, driving to a movie, driving to a temple, or changing a light bulb in the apartment or house they live in.  Then demand of driving is about 80% of the time.  People needing the assistance most of the times are capable of paying and appreciative of the assistance provided.  Conceptually “paying” formula is better appreciated, without guilt of becoming dependent, by elders.  How about also performing a little musical program for them occasionally, arranging a playing card game session, and a little coffee time in a McDonald (here senior coffee is discounted 60-70%)?  Senior people have no attitude to steal our hard earned money, they appreciate our love and even better we connecting with their golden days in the childhood.

This article formulates a sustainable community network with mutual trust and exchangeable benefits to some extent. A group of us have already started it in practice and gradually it is taking some traction we want to share with you.  We are inviting your actionable participation to further the cause.

The base line is taken from what is working in America, re-parameterizing it with  our ancestral and adapted  practices in a foreign country, and install and improve the system as we go.  For an easy reading we refer you to a recent article published in the Washington Post.

In the last stop of the career an average American probably has spent longest time in a dwelling, after all children gone away on their pursue, we call it “our home” and we have gotten used to it so much and unwilling to look for another new house or apartment.  The friends and neighbors gradually appear to be the most people we know, occasionally say “hi” or complain about the weather etc., and hang around.  At this juncture of life we also have located a few of our own type, friendly, socially and culturally very connected who also originated from the same place as us and definitely is a comfort that cannot be ignored.  The only problem is due to various reasons the host country could not completely integrate us in their culture not we adapted it (unlike our children who most probably were born here) completely.  So, we need to formulate a different way to learn to live after retirements.

When we first came here (starting around later part of the sixties) the assumption in America was that they would move to nursing homes or assisted-living facilities.  “But aging looks different now, and along with embracing dating sites and Zumba classes, today’s older Americans – 88 percent of those 65 and up, according to AARP study – prefer stay in their residence for as long as possible” according the Washington Post article.  The general attitude is people don’t want to get old and sick and isolated.

The Odia specific problems arise from non uniformity for various reasons including social, economic, and  other issues.  In the past people from other advanced countries like Italy used to go back and manage a better life in the counties of their origin.  But in the past decade for Odias there is no safe haven going back.  Rather than feeling lonely and depressed we ought to find ways to mitigate the issues and unify our thoughts for a mutual cooperation for a happier life.

Fortunately many issues are common to Americans as well and there are solutions supported by the government and society that we have to capture as opportunities.  This includes real estate (senior housing), mutual supporting groups, volunteer groups, and grants to be innovative.

We are trying to develop a formula that can develop a mutual support group based on culture, trust, and respect.  The most we have now are the religious institutions and luckily more or less all Indians are aligned by Hindu temples.  That resource is already over subscribed.  Our thoughts are to go beyond and formulate using other shared resources.

We are fortunate to have a large group of technically qualified people in all aspect of life and education.  We got to get these resources together for supporting each other.  We have well educated people in the government, industries, and business.  We want to develop a sustainable plan with openness.  We want to service each other by exchange of work, voluntarism, and shared knowledge and capabilities.  There still will be gaps  that can be closed by outside services through interacting and exchanging with  other entities.

We are trying to develop a monetary formula so that overall needs support can be normalized without over burdening any particular volunteer.  The monetary model which will have a currency system to normalize services is not new.

While trying to institute this, some of us have started work in this direction.  We have a few projects completed among those are light plumbing, door lock replacements, home inspection, gardening, lawn maintenance, house painting, and handyman work etc.  We are expanding it to periodic educational classes given by professionals  in weekends.  We’re looking for businesses to be a part of this who can provide their services being a part of community.  We are inviting volunteers to join us. Please stay tuned.

 

 

Sour & Sweet DC

SOUR

An interesting visit day to DC for Indian Visa related work.  The OCI Visa is contracted to and processed by an Indian company, BLS International with offices in major US cities.   The US consular offices and India government coordinate activities through BLS.

Being frustrated by lost passport, lost application, automatic e-mail replies, waiting for total about 5 months on promised 2 month processing I was sought for help by my out-of-Washington  friend family.  It was after failing to physically locate BLS-DC address:

BLS International USA

Suite 100, 110 220

I Street NE

Washington, DC 20002, USA

through US Postal Service, FedEx, and Google maps, WMATA map for Metro transportation etc., I decided to venture out driving in this cold morning (January 13, 14).  The GPS lead me to an attended parking lot. The attendant told me it was a government parking lot and he had no idea where to look for the I Street NE or BLS. But he told me to try at the newly opened Walmart.  Thinking uncertainty about a restroom there and whether there was just a name and yet to open (because there was a lot of “Politcs” on the issue of opening) Walmart, I asked if I could just park anywhere else.  It that vicinity there was no sign of a city called DC the way I had known (1971) even lived for last 34 years.  From my look, I guess, the attendant was very kind to say that I could get a free parking space (it was 7:30 AM) on the road side around here!  Wow free parking in DC! What a good luck!  Quickly I tried to grab a space on the road side, and in a couple of minutes while talking to him I came out of the government parking and the spaces were gone.  I of course was prepared for  any parking space, free or not. With my stupidity I  drove in a one way only road, in the opposite direction, got ended up in an empty (there was only one car parked there) parking lot.  First I thought it must have been a mistake, so I read all instructions, plus I saw quarter accepting spots ( an old novelty) and due to other pressures in mind (u guess) quickly parked and started walking east to get to I NE (I actually parked in I NW where my GPS led me to remember?). At that point I figured out where I was that was one end  of I NW and naturally I headed east driven by logical reasons. But good lord going east was leading to another parking lot and a couple of people cutting through and I could not venture to talk to them.  But I am a Physicist so I had this strong conviction that opposite direction of West must be the East.

Once I was past the lot there was this H Street, NW and the cross streets were H and K.  I practiced recollecting from my memory the relative position of I with respect to H &K.  So, I entered to 4 visible and world famous company (NOMA, DC Community College, CNN, Federal Energy Commission, and DC government or something) only buildings and the security people led me how to find I east.  After criss cross walking and not getting it I entered to the CNN building and explained to the security that I may kindly be introduced to a reporter if he could not help me find I east even before asking the intended question.  He was really a nice guy (the lady before was also and she was trying to physically leave her sit to show me the direction but I gave her the impression that I had been living in the metro area for 34 years and she was very kind to believe me!) and told me with two right turns blindly will get me to I east.  The rest was not too difficult and less confusing.   It was 9:10 AM and I got a waiting n umber (5). The ticket issuing guy must have seen me disoriented and made it clear there is no need for me to be in rush, because I probably will not be called till 10 AM and I could buy a cup of coffee next door (I went out but did not see any shop and came back but felt guilty to showing him that his instruction was not right and so I went out again walked about a quarter mile grabbed coffee and came back).  When I came back he was waiting at the reception desk (I believe he must be a manager type and the only guy running the steps) and he before even looking at my number (he must have been pleased that his instructions for coffee was successful) the ticket said to wait a little and at 10:10 AM I was called.

SWEET

These BLS contractors working at the desks were superb!  Unlike the e-mail behavior, even before I showed the entire paper work she (Usha) quickly reacted to the fact that she remembered the case of lost passport got remembered the name of the applicant etc., very pleasant talking to, and I thanked for her responsive personality.

Walmart – I now knew entire geography of the place, found it and went inside for the restroom.  Another gentleman followed me and was vocally praising the neatness of a bath room in DC.  I agreed. And so much that I felt obliged to buy and carry some fruits home.

My old GPS – Wow I made it to home on time as the GPS predicted.