The state government’s new security council is pointless in its current form

You praise the firm restraint with which they write. I am with you there, of course;/ They use the snaffle and the bit all right, but where’s the bloody horse?”

Roy Campbell’s remarks on some South African novelists accurately describe the true character of the state government’s security council which the government of Maharashtra set up on December 2, 2008. It was a poor response to the terror attacks of 26/11 and was designed to allay public disquiet about the government’s management of the police force.

Aishwarya Nair has a sense of humour and a pleasant disposition that relieves you of the pressure of how to present yourself when meeting with the youngest generation of the Nair clan, the family behind the Leela chain of hotels.

Trust Facebook to make the connection, something that brings the formality quotient down a good couple of notches. I was slated to be in Mumbai on wine work and plans for dinner were made.

Now I hate doing two things. I absolutely detest writing about the food I am served at any event, no matter how good it is. Worse still to wax eloquent about the company from such evenings.

The modern Indian youth, especially in urban areas in India is credited with being a product of the knowledge age with information on every subject at their finger tips. They are aware, clever and focused. Most of all, they are liberated and sexually far more adventurous than previous generations.

Life would have been very different with fewer misery makers that we ourselves invent or create. Here are some of the common ones:

“Others make me miserable.”

No one can make you miserable. You create your own feelings. Hold yourself responsible for your feelings and decisions.

“If I do anything, I must do it perfectly or not at all.”

Impossible to be perfect all the time. Do you unnecessarily worry about your performance? Do you sacrifice fun getting stressed about your goals? Perfection is a worthy goal but do not kick yourself for not arriving there. Perfection tendencies carried to the extreme can make you seem like a failure.

“I constantly criticise myself.”

The new Tobacco and Primary Medical Service (Scotland) Bill includes various plans to save future generations from clutches of smoking and smoking related diseases.

Under the new bill, cigarette vending machines and tobacco displays in shops would be banned. It also includes a registration scheme for retailers. It will also grant trading standards officers the power to fine retailers selling tobacco to under-18s.

Public health minister Shona Robison said that the health risks associated with smoking are both enormous and well documented advertisements.

A recent study showed that number of teenage girls getting pregnant in England and Wales have risen for the first time in five years.

Report revealed that number of underage births has fallen because of increased use of abortion in last ten years but Britain has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe.

In 2007 there were 41.9 conceptions for every 1,000 under-18 girls as compared to 40.9 the year previously and the first rise since 2002.