Greater Austin Malayalee Association	Volume 5, Issue 6. Oct 25^th, 2010

Christmas ‘2010
Gear up for the final spectacle of the year 2010 from GAMA – Christmas ’10.
Stay tuned for further details….	Christmas bells are about to chime. Santa has started packing the Christmas gifts. The reindeers are gearing for their descent from the North Pole. Let’s celebrate Christmas together this year. Exciting stage performances from the community members and a mouth watering Christmas dinner awaits you. The annual GAMA Christmas celebrations will be held on December 4^th 2010, Saturday.
	Venue: Performing Arts Center St. Michael's Catholic Academy 3000 Barton Creek Boulevard Austin, TX 78735.	Date/Time: December 4th, 2010 starting at 4 pm.
	Note: If you wish to participate in any of the events at GAMA Christmas ’10, email your entries no later than November 14^th to – gamaxmas2010@gmail.com with the following details: 1. Program name (as required to be printed on brochure or announced) 2. Program description (as required to be announced by MC) 3. Program Type 4. Program duration 5. Contact person 6. Contact phone number 7. Names of Participants (if available now) 8. Music for the program (if available now) 9. Program credits (choreographed/directed by etc, if to be announced) 10. Any special requests for light and sound crew If you have any questions, please contact one of the following directors-in-charge or send an email to webmaster@gama-austin.com : Raji Johnson (512-336-8835) Rajesh Sukumaran (512-484-9537) Shibu Abraham (949-309-0071) Antony Sebastine (512-203-3321) Manasi Menon (512-771-4453) Rules for submission: 1. Preference is given for group events to maximize participation. 2. All program details (including participant info & music) have to be submitted at least 2 weeks before the event. 3. GAMA reserves the right to decline a program request based on program content, time duration, slot availability etc. Be sure to sign up at the earliest to reserve your spot.

Update on Onam ‘2010
With spellbinding performances and a grand sadya, Onam was celebrated on August 28^th, 2010 in Klett’s performing Arts Center, Georgetown Texas. Beautiful display of pookalam, exhibition of paintings by artist Sreedevi Nair, exciting stage performances etc., were some of the highlights of the event. The show culminated with a spectacular finale performance called ‘Memories of Onam’. In the finale, while some Austin Malayalees shared their childhood experiences of Onam in Kerala, several dancers danced to the tune of Poovili, Pulikali and Tiruvathira. At the end Mahabali visited us with the entourage of ‘Chenda Melam’ and girls holding ‘Thaalams’.
If you would like to order a copy of GAMA Onam ’10, contact any GAMA director or send email to webmaster@gama-austin.com. The DVD copies are available for $5.
Images from Onam ‘2010
	Salvation Army Volunteering
			If you are interested in this volunteering opportunity, do contact GAMA Webmaster at webmaster@gama-austin.com. This is also an opportunity for school going kids to earn some credits.
	Next Date: Saturday, November 20th, 2010. Time; 10:45 AM to 12:30 PM Venue: Salvation Army Center, 501 East 8th Street, Austin, TX 78701
	GAMA Director Board 2011
	Do you have a passion to serve the community members in Austin? Do you find fun in organizing events and promoting Malayalee culture? If you can set aside some time in your busy life for community related activities, GAMA invites you to serve on the GAMA board for the years 2011 and 2012. If you are interested to be part of GAMA board or would like to nominate someone else, email to webmaster@gama-austin.com with the person name and contact information.

Editor’s Desk
	October ’10 was a memorable month for India. India hosted a successful International sports event – the 15^th Commonwealth games.  The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events. It was the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. With 38 Gold medals (total medals – 101) India did set new standard in International sporting arena. As always, Malayalee athletes did make the state and the country proud with gold winning performances at the event.
	Dr. Geetha Gopinath appointed Professor at Harvard University
		Important Dates to remember
		October 2^nd Gandhi Jayanthi		November 1^st Kerala Day	November 5^th Diwali

Community News
	Births On June 1^st 2010 Benjamin was born to proud parents, Shiney and Binu Thomas. Jincy and James Mathew were blessed with a baby girl on June 23^rd2010, named Jessia.  Aumkar Vel Hari was born on August 24^th 2010 to Suchitra and Hari Mony. Congratulations!
Do send your community news with photos (births, weddings, obituaries, graduations etc) to webmaster@gama-austin.com to be added within the next edition of GAMA Times.

Get Creative!
Articles from Community Members
	Got Milk? Got Acne? … and other kiddo stuff – by Tinku Davis
	Q: My mom is constantly nagging that my having acne has something to do with my food choices. Is she right? A: YOUR MOM IS RIGHT!!
	Contrary to the popular belief that diet has nothing much to do with acne, recent research has shown that a low glycemic index diet proved effective in treating acne. Also, a recent Harvard University study found milk consumption to be positively associated with acne in teenage boys. Various hormones released from cows, especially pregnant cows, are metabolized into substances which eventually produce oil-making cells among teenagers.
			Q: I’m afraid my baby is going to run a fever after his shots. Is it a good idea to give him some Tylenol® beforehand? A: IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA!!*
	Although the use of acetaminophen along with vaccination may reduce the incidence of fever in pediatric patients, a new analysis has demonstrated that this practice may also reduce the effectiveness of the vaccines. Patients who received acetaminophen (Tylenol®) had lower antibody levels after vaccination compared with patients who did not. Additional studies will be required to understand fully whether this finding has any clinically relevant effect on the immune responses of individual children. A suggestion has been put forward to reconsider routine use of antipyretics after all immunizations. * If your baby is among the few who have a tendency to develop febrile seizures, it may be worthwhile to prevent fever with Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen has not been shown to have the same effect on antibody levels as Acetaminophen. Ibuprofen is not recommended before 6 months of age.
	Q: I don’t like the milk-based formula as it makes my 2 month old baby cry all the time/makes her spit up all the time/everyone in our family has been allergic to cow’s milk since my great-great grandpa’s time/blah blah… Is it a good idea to switch her to soy based formula? A: IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA!!
	According to the NIEHS, infants go through developmental stages that are sensitive to estrogens and are more likely than adults to be vulnerable to the estrogen-like effects of the phytoestrogens in soy. A number of studies in animals and one study in humans reported effects related to the reproductive system. Do not just switch to a soy-based formula without any clear indications or before discussing with your pediatrician.
		Q: Is it a good idea to start applying some moisturizer to my 1 month old baby? A: IT’S A GOOD IDEA (FOR SOME BABIES, AT LEAST)!!
		There are reports emerging from studies under way that using an emollient like Aquaphor® or Cetaphil® from birth can prevent eczema. A subset of infants who had at least one sibling with clinically confirmed eczema received emollient therapy from Day 7; it’s been over a year now since the study was initiated, and only 9% of those babies have developed eczema; whereas, previous studies have demonstrated that 40% -50% of infants with an affected sibling develop eczema. There have been no reported adverse events related to emollient therapy initiated at this young age.
	Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Names of products and organizations as well as article citations are provided for information only — not for the purpose of endorsement. Tinku Davis MD FAAP is a Board certified pediatrician with Scott and White Healthcare System. She resides in Temple with her husband, Sajan & her li’l ones Leah and Sean. Visit Dr. Davis at http://fridayblogs.com/tinkusajan.

Photo of the month

"Om Mani Padme Hum" (Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus, Location: Ahmedabad, India)

By Gayathri Kollassery

Naattile Varthakal
	Kerala tourism Film premiers in UK In order to promote Kerala as a top tourist destination, the film called ‘Your Moment is waiting’ will be premiered in London’s Saatachi Gallery. This film was shot in Thekkady, Alappuzha, Munnar, Thalassery, and Kannur. The film was produced by Stark communications. The premier will be attended by several celebrities from the world of cinema and football like Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Gary Linekar, Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionare, fame, and Bill Nighy star of “Love Actually”.			Actor/Director Venu Nagavalli Dies at the age of 61			Famous, actor, writer, director Venu Nagavalli passed away on September 10^th. He has acted in over 50 movies and directed about a dozen of Malayalam movies. He was the scriptwriter of the latest Sathyan Anthikad movie ‘Bhagyadevatha’. Some of his other movies are ‘Arante Mulla Kochu Mulla', 'Ulkkadal’, ‘Chillu', 'Adaminte Variyellu', 'Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flash Back', 'Shalini Ente Kootukari', 'Meena Masathile Sooryan', 'Omanathinkal' and 'Vartha'
	Mammootty’s movie ‘Kuttysrank’ wins national award Malayalam movie, ‘Kuttysrank’ starring Mammootty won the National award in the Best Feature Film Category. KuttySrank is the first movie produced by Reliance Entertainment under its banner Big Motion Pictures. The movie also bagged the awards for  best special jury, best costume designer, best cinematography and best original screenplay. Other winners of National Award from Kerala: Best Sound Designer: Rasool Pookutty for the movie Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja Best Music Direction: Illayaraja for the movie Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja Best Feature Film in Languages: Movie,Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja Best Film Critic: C.S. Venkiteswaran
Cine Trivia
		Q1) Which was the first Malayalam movie to win the best national film award? Q2) Guess the celebrities: a) First/Oldest well known Superstar of Kerala Cinema who won close to 250 awards including the ‘Padmashree’ award from Govt of India. b)  The director whose movie won the first ever national recognition for Malayalam films ‘President’s silver medal’. This director is also a famous Malayalam poet and a lyricist Q3) Guess the names of the movie that these scenes belong to:
		(a)	(b)			(c)
		Answers for Cine Trivia Aug 2010 edition: Quiz Answers: 1 a) Thaalavattom 1 b) Arayannangalude Veedu Winner: Tona Mathew			2 a) Jagathi ( Midhunam) 2 b) Innocent ( Azhakiya Raavanan) 2 c) Mamukoya (Vadakku nokki yanthram ) 2 d) Pappu ( Vellaanakalude Naadu) 2 e) Philomina (Kudumba puranam)
		Email your entries to webmaster@gama-austin.com Winners will be announced in the next GAMA newsletter. So Hurry up!

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