March 2010

The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinajad has called 9-11 a “big lie” saying among others things that the number of casualties has been exaggerated and never published. Earlier he had denied the Holocaust. In both instances one is amazed by a denial of proven facts, particularly by the head of state of a country with such a rich history. Closer to home, a home school mom in Kentucky discovered that the science texts she ordered disputed Darwin’s evolution. As an individual she wasn’t able to buy textbooks issued by mainstream publishers and had to buy them through the company which caters mainly to home-schoolers who are usually Christian. While Christian activists have and are contesting evolution, the accepted view of creation in scientific circles is based on Darwinian evolution.
We now live in a world where one’s opinions and ideology can be promulgated often with greater ease than the facts that would refute them. It is no longer something only rogue leaders spout nor something fundamentalists espouse. Bending or inventing facts to suit one’s own agenda seems to be used by anyone wanting to make their point of view prevail. That places upon us a greater onus to be aware that facts do matter and cannot be misused, and an even greater responsibility to discover what those facts are.

The Jaipur foot comes from the Blagwan Mahaveer Viklang Shayata Samiti organization, no doubt unknown to most of us. Nevertheless, it does something worthwhile, important and wonderful. It provides artificial limbs for people who have been victims of work accidents or land mines, and it provides those limbs free of charge. It’s based in the western desert state of Rajasthan whose capital is Jaipur, hence the name. The person usually goes there and workers take a day or two to fashion an artificial leg or foot. It’s crude, made from locally available materials but it serves its purpose and some can even learn how to run with their new foot. Since it began in 1975 it has fitted around one million people. It costs them about $40 per prosthesis but they do not charge. Now MIT has heard of their work and is trying to adapt it and improve upon it. Problem is in the US cost becomes a major issue, a prosthesis would cost $8,000 or $9,000. It is hoped MIT can provide funding as well as an upgraded technology. Still, it’s remarkable what can be done when profit does not determine outcome.