Ben Carson:Gifted Hands

The dilemma i had of posting about this book was whether i would do justice to explain the greatness of this man and his life in a few words. I decided to go ahead with it as i want everyone i know to read this book in their lifetime. If i would make a list of 'Books you should read before you die', this would be in the top 5.

This book begins with Ben (fondly called as Bennie by his mom) describing his childhood days and the role his mom Sofia played in his life. Sofia Carson who despite having only a 3rd grade education at that time had a strong will and determination to raise her kids into confident and successful individuals. She refused to let several financial and personal setbacks deter her resolve and she always made her children believe in themselves. Dr. Carson quotes his mom several times in the book at different stages of his life.

Ben Carson went on to study medicine at Yale and still works at John Hopkins hospital. There are several facets to this great man who continues to inspire and motivate people. At the end of the book he talks about his dream to set up a fund for talented youth and he is fulfilling his dream through Carson Scholars fund.
Whatever he has achieved and if you read this book you will know that it is a lot, is through his hard work and his strong belief in human values and God. His Mantra 'Think Big' describes him completely. If you do get a chance do read his book and give it as a gift to your kids. You wont' regret it and they might thank you in the future for this!

Japan's toughest crisis

If you ever thought you would hear EarthQuake, a Tsunami and a Nuclear catastrophe all in the same sentence, you would be called an absolute Pessimist... one who would see and expect the worst of all situations. That's exactly what a country of 127.3 million people woke up to on Friday, Mar 11th. First to strike was an 8.9 magnitude Earthquake that rocked the landscape of Japan, followed by a Tsunami that left an estimated 10,000 people dead and several missing. Just as the news of this mass destruction was being absorbed, the fear of blasts and explosions at Japan's nuclear plant were raised. Japan did continue to have a couple of blasts at the explosion and people around the area are being transported to safer areas.

The next step is for the hundreds and thousands of public workers to put their personal tragedies behind them and get to work and help those in dire need of food and shelter. International support has already started pouring in and the funds need to be streamlined to the right areas.

What does the future look like for the third largest economy in the world? It will take some time to get the complete picture of economic impact dealt to Japan by the triple blow of Earthquake, Tsunami and nuclear blast shutdown and once that is clear it will take several months for international communities to have the confidence to invest in Japan. Several economists predict a downfall for sometime but then expect the reconstruction work to pick up the economy rapidly and help stabilize this nation.

The heart wrenching pictures of 2004 Tsunami are still fresh in my mind and the destruction of the latest one is expected to be far more worse. There are several ways you can help Japan overcome this crisis..let us all do our best.