Thursday 31 May 2012

" Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams"



I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg.No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away."Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging on to a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?
" Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams"

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Let's stop pretending there's no racism in India

An Article published in THE HINDU written by 
Yengkhom Jilangamba  
who  is a Visiting Associate Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. 

Click the link below to read the article


INSENSITIVE MAINLAND: Students from the north-east protesting instances of discrimination. Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Friday 25 May 2012

11 Habits That Will Help You Live to 100




Healthy Steps to a Longer Life 
One of the biggest factors that determines how well you age is not your genes but how well you live. Not convinced? A study published in 2009 in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks shows that you can cut your risk of having a stroke in half by doing the following things: being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol.

While those are some of the obvious steps you can take to age well, researchers have discovered that centenarians tend to share certain traits in how they eat, move about, and deal with stress—the sorts of things we can emulate to improve our own aging process. Of course, getting to age 100 is enormously more likely if your parents did. Still, Thomas Perls, who studies the century-plus set at Boston University School of Medicine, believes that assuming you've sidestepped genes for truly fatal diseases like Huntington's, "there's nothing stopping you from living independently well into your 90s." Heck, if your parents and grandparents were heavy smokers, they might have died prematurely without ever reaching their true potential lifespan, so go ahead and shoot for those triple digits. Follow these 12 habits and check out Perls' lifetime risk calculator to see how long you can expect to live.

1. Don't Retire
"Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement," says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time. "After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables," he says. "They're never really inactive." Farming isn't for you? Volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corps, a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week.

2. Floss Every Day
That may help keep your arteries healthy. A 2008 New York University study showed that daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth. This bacteria is thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. Other research has shown that those who have high amounts of bacteria in their mouth are more likely to have thickening in their arteries, another sign of heart disease. "I really do think people should floss twice a day to get the biggest life expectancy benefits," says Perls.

3. Move Around
"Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists," says Jay Olshansky, a professor of medicine and aging researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It's like the oil and lube job for your car. You don't have to do it, but your car will definitely run better." Study after study has documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. "And the benefits kick in immediately after your first workout," Olshansky adds. Don't worry if you're not a gym rat. Those who see the biggest payoffs are the ones who go from doing nothing to simply walking around the neighborhood or local mall for about 30 minutes a day. Building muscle with resistance training is also ideal, but yoga classes can give you similar strength-training effects if you're not into weight lifting.

4. Eat a Fiber-Rich Cereal for Breakfast
Getting a serving of whole-grains, especially in the morning, appears to help older folks maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, according to a recent study conducted by Ferrucci and his colleagues. "Those who do this have a lower incidence of diabetes, a known accelerator of aging," he says.

5. Get at Least Six Hours of Sleep Each Night

Instead of skimping on sleep to add more hours to your day, get more to add years to your life. "Sleep is one of the most important functions that our body uses to regulate and heal cells," says Ferrucci. "We've calculated that the minimum amount of sleep that older people need to get those healing REM phases is about six hours." Those who reach the century mark make sleep a top priority.

6. Consume Whole Foods, Not Supplements
Strong evidence suggests that people who have high blood levels of certain nutrients—selenium, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E—age much better and have a slower rate of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that taking pills with these nutrients provides those anti-aging benefits. "There are more than 200 different carotenoids and 200 different flavonoids in a single tomato," points out Ferrucci, "and these chemicals can all have complex interactions that foster health beyond the single nutrients we know about like lycopene or vitamin C." Avoid nutrient-lacking white foods (breads, flour, sugar) and go for all those colorful fruits and vegetables and dark whole-grain breads and cereals with their host of hidden nutrients.

7. Be Less Neurotic
It may work for Woody Allen, who infuses his worries with a healthy dose of humor, but the rest of us neurotics may want to find a new way to deal with stress. "We have a new study coming out that shows that centenarians tend not to internalize things or dwell on their troubles," says Perls. "They are great at rolling with the punches." If this inborn trait is hard to overcome, find better ways to manage when you're stressed: Yoga, exercise, meditation, tai chi, or just deep breathing for a few moments are all good. Ruminating, eating chips in front of the TV, binge drinking? Bad, very bad.

8. Live Like a Seventh Day Adventist

Americans who define themselves as Seventh Day Adventists have an average life expectancy of 89, about a decade longer than the average American. One of the basic tenets of the religion is that it's important to cherish the body that's on loan from God, which means no smoking, alcohol abuse, or overindulging in sweets. Followers typically stick to a vegetarian diet based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, and get plenty of exercise. They're also very focused on family and community.

9. Be a Creature of Habit
Centenarians tend to live by strict routines, says Olshansky, eating the same kind of diet and doing the same kinds of activities their whole lives. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is another good habit to keep your body in the steady equilibrium that can be easily disrupted as you get on in years. "Your physiology becomes frailer when you get older," explains Ferrucci, "and it's harder for your body to bounce back if you, say, miss a few hours of sleep one night or drink too much alcohol." This can weaken immune defenses, leaving you more susceptible to circulating flu viruses or bacterial infections.

10. Stay Connected
Having regular social contacts with friends and loved ones is key to avoiding depression, which can lead to premature death, something that's particularly prevalent in elderly widows and widowers. Some psychologists even think that one of the biggest benefits elderly folks get from exercise the strong social interactions that come from walking with a buddy or taking a group exercise class. Having a daily connection with a close friend or family member gives older folks the added benefit of having someone watch their back. "They'll tell you if they think your memory is going or if you seem more withdrawn," says Perls, "and they might push you to see a doctor before you recognize that you need to see one yourself."

11. Be Conscientious
The strongest personality predictor of a long life is conscientiousness—that is, being prudent, persistent, and well organized, according to The Longevity Project, coauthored by Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin. The book describes a study that followed 1,500 children for eight decades, collecting exhaustive details about their personal histories, health, activities, beliefs, attitudes, and families. The children who were prudent and dependable lived the longest, Friedman says, likely because conscientious types are more inclined to follow doctors' orders, take the right medicines at the right doses, and undergo routine checkups. They're also likelier to report happier marriages and more satisfying work lives than their less conscientious peers.

Improving Brain Memory & Brain Damaging Habits


If our brains were computers, we'd simply add a chip to upgrade our memory. The human brain, however, is more complex than even the most advanced machine, so improving our memory isn't quite so easy. Just as it takes effort to build physical fitness, so too does boosting brain power.


Sharp and Strong memory is natural desire of every person. Either you are a student,or professional or an aged person.A strong memory depends on the health and vitality of your brain.it is better to do something about it and try to follow given Tips which will definitely help you to enhance your brain memory.

Try to adopt a habit of regular exercise because it increases oxygen to your brain and reduces the risk for disorders that lead to memory loss.

Proper sleep of at least 6 to 8 hours is essential for proper functioning of brain cells.
Make time for friends and fun because smiling and laughters involve multiple regions across the whole brain and have positive effects on brain cells.

Reduce the stress level because it has adverse effect on brain cells.

Try to intake food which is essential for proper nourishment and growth of brain cells.
Fish oil is also effective for improving memory loss. It contains Omega-3 fatty acids that help your brain and body work better. It is also good for improving the body's functioning by helping you think better.Omega-3 fatty acids are found in wild-caught, deep sea fish (wild salmon, tuna, mackerel and herring). Other non-fish sources of omega-3 fatty acids include walnuts, ground flax seed, flax seed oil, pumpkin seeds, and soybeans.

B Vitamins improve memory by creating a protective shield for the neurons in the brain. B vitamins break down homocysteine, which is an amino acid that is a toxic poison to nerve cells. These vitamins also help in the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen, an important brain nutrient.

The most important B vitamins for memory include B6, B12, and Folic Acid (B9). You can increase the B vitamins in your diet by taking vitamin supplements and by consuming healthy, natural foods such as spinach and other dark, leafy greens; broccoli, asparagus, strawberries, melons, black beans, leeks, and other legumes, citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit, and soybeans.

Vitamins C, E, and beta carotene are antioxidants and are also important vitamins for memory. Antioxidants protect brain tissue by breaking down free radicals, which are toxic forms of the oxygen molecule naturally found in the bloodstream.These vitamins can be found in naturally occurring foods such as blueberries, strawberries, and other berries; sweet potatoes, red tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, green tea and other types of tea, nuts and seeds, and citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS 

 

1. No Breakfast:- People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration. 
2. Overeating:- It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power. 
3. Smoking:- It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease. 
4. High Sugar consumption:- Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.
5. Air Pollution:- The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our 20 body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.
6. Sleep Deprivation:- Sleep allows our brain to rest... Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells...
7. Head covered while sleeping. Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.
8. Working your brain during illness:- Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.
9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts:- Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.
10. Talking Rarely:- Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.




Also Read : 

11 Habits That Will Help You Live to 100

Thursday 24 May 2012

Petrol prices hiked by Rs. 7.50 per litre - Sardar ka revenge


Petrol prices hiked by Rs. 7.50 per litre. Aur karo Santa Banta ke jokes. Dekha sardar ka revenge! what a wonderful gift to a common man by UPA which turns 3,Below poverty line which earns INR 26 per day can now afford a single, yes single liter of petrol after 3 days of fasting. !Incredible! Hiking the petrol seems to be plan by the UPA Government to reduce obesity in India, Now Everyone, take your bicycles to work,or u can sing 
BHAAGH BoseDK! Bhaagh.... while running to the Office, and before that sprinkle petrol in your car and lit it up , Gaadi say darr nahi lagtha Saheb, Petrol say Lagtha hai

This time it will not be the same old game where they will rollback to Rs 6.57 or some weird no. Suddenly it would look cheaper, by the way Drink and drive should not be a problem now. After all how many will be able to afford alcohol and petrol on the same day?
Does Manmohan was thinking of the Thumsup Ad "aaj kuch toofani karte hain" while Hiking the petrol price,With the speed at which price of petrol is increasing,thieves would very soon start specializing in how to steal petrol and for that matter Long drives itself are gonna be the ultimate GIFTS for girlfriends now!! Ok i just waana ask ,if i put a viagra pill in the petrol tank will the fuel tank indicator stays up! now i know why the MONK SOLD his Ferrari.
With the Frequent Petrol Hikes this will be the only choice left

Last petrol hike was not long ago, it was in November 2011, there is no use to discuss failure of gov over and over again, let them do whatever they want to do, we will do, what we want to do.


'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari' knew about the Petrol Price Hike!
Please note: Now the government employees are accpeting bribe in form of petrol 


The problem with the petrol hike is not so much the hike itself. It's a feeling that those contributing to our governance are not in touch with us. They live in a different world, doing little, accountable for less. They don't understand us. Worse, they don't want to.




Related Article  Is there anybody out there?

Tuesday 22 May 2012

What To Do If You Lose Your Wallet

Having your wallet get lost or stolen is certainly a distressing event. Following several precautions as a general rule in case of loss or theft can help to minimize the damages in case this unpleasant event happens to you. If you do lose your wallet, you should also take quick action so that you'll suffer fewer repercussions.

Cancel Your Credit Cards
To minimize thieves' opportunities to use your cards and rack up charges, you'll want to be particularly proactive when it comes to canceling your credit cards. Even though you may not be required to pay fraudulent charges that are made with your cards, you do have a responsibility to report the cards missing or stolen as soon as you realize that they're gone. Call the phone numbers for all of your credit card providers and report it to them. Remember to call the providers of your retail credit cards as well as your major credit card providers.

Report It to the Police
If you do find that fraudulent charges have been made on your card, you will definitely want to call the police immediately. Fraud is a criminal offense, and the police can take steps to intervene if someone is currently attempting to commit fraud with the use of your credit cards and personal information. Reporting the missing wallet to police is also wise in case your wallet happens to be turned in by an honest citizen. Be sure to get a copy of the police report as well. You may need the police file number when reporting the incident to other agencies.

Contact Your Bank and Insurance Companies
You definitely want to let any financial institutions and insurance companies you deal with know that your wallet's been stolen and that your personal information has been compromised. Your bank can note the incident on your account and help you to close any accounts that have been affected. You should monitor your bank accounts closely in the weeks and months that follow to ensure that your accounts are not being used without your knowledge. Also, you will need to change your PIN as soon as possible if the thief has somehow obtained it. Your insurance company may also provide some kind of protection against identity theft, so you should alert them to the incident as well.

Contact the Credit Bureaus
It is especially important to contact the credit bureaus if your credit information or your Social Security card was in your wallet, because you don't want to be the victim of identity theft. Thieves can use this information to obtain new credit cards in your name, thus damaging your credit rating in the process. The primary credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and Transunion) can place restrictions on your credit record so that if anyone attempts to apply for credit using your information, the creditor will have to contact you first to verify that it is you who is making the application.

Replace Your Identification
Since most people tend to keep their driver's license, health insurance information and a variety of other forms of identification in their wallets, you'll need to obtain new copies of all these documents. Report the loss of your driver's license to the Department of Motor Vehicles and obtain a new card. If you have any other forms of identification that were present in your wallet you'll need to obtain new copies of these documents as well. Government documents typically require you to go through a formal application process where you will have to provide proof of identity. The type of identity required depends upon the type of document you'll be replacing, so you should check with your state's guidelines on this. For this reason, it's a good idea not to carry all forms of identification in your wallet at the same time.

Take Stock of the Contents
Write a list of everything that was in your wallet. You probably have a number of store loyalty cards, membership cards and rewards cards. You can contact these card providers and ask them to issue new cards or membership numbers so that whoever has your wallet can't use them. Keep in mind that some cards may operate similarly to a credit card - such as a library card. Someone who obtains your wallet illegally can use your library card to borrow items from the library under your name, which you'll later be responsible for.

Before You Ever Leave Home
There are a number of things you should do before you ever leave home in order to ensure that if your wallet is lost or stolen that the process will be much less of an inconvenience. First and foremost, remove all unnecessary identification and store it in a safe place. Don't carry your Social Security card with you. This card makes it far too easy for dishonest people to take advantage of you. Also, remove any store credit cards that you rarely use. This way you won't have to report as many missing cards. You should also make detailed lists of the items you typically carry in your wallet, including card numbers and phone numbers to call should your card go missing. Making photocopies of cards and identification can make quick work of this process. Just bear in mind that you'll need to store copies of this information somewhere secure as well.

The Bottom Line
Being the victim of theft, any kind of theft, is stressful. Be smart about what you carry around in your wallet so that you can avoid unnecessary stresses. You should also keep your records at home complete and up-to-date so that you won't have to search all over the house for the documents and information you need to make all your reports and to obtain replacement copies of your lost identification. Keep in mind that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more you do to prevent theft, the less likely it is to occur. Carry your wallet in a safe place - a pocket or inside a purse that's not easily reached into. Close any zippers and buttons to ensure that your belongings are as well concealed as possible. It only takes a few extra moments to put things away carefully, and those few seconds of time could save you hours of heartache and inconvenience in the long run.

Monday 21 May 2012

The Aamir Khan Columns


The Aamir Khan Column: Health care for the poor, a dream worth dreaming Read More




If you've missed yesterday's India and dowry episode on Satyamev Jayate (didn't miss much, honestly), this column on the Hindu, should give you a feel Aamir Khan's take on the issue.he says It's your entire life — not just an event Read more
Actor Aamir Khan.
(The column is by Aamir Khan and will be published in The Hindu every Monday.)


Sunday 20 May 2012

Reading the picture correct - NEW YORK PERSPECTIVE

Wednesday nights picture from Wankhede Stadium may not suggest the sharafat of Shah Rukh Khan,but he said he was protecting his daughter and her friends.And that sounds like a right thing to do 
On Thursday I woke up to see two photographs online two very different faces of Indian cinema,31 years apart.The first,a black and white photograph was making the rounds on Facebook.It represented the innocence and simplicity of an era long gone.The second,a photograph from Wednesday night,showed a very angry face of Bollywood.
The black and white picture is from the shoot of the 1982 comedy Chashme Baddoor and features Saeed Jaffrey and Farooq Shaikh as they lovingly stare at their director Sai Paranjape.The setting is a road side shop and Paranjape is showing Shaikh how to light a cigarette using a coir rope.
Paranjape inhales the smoke,her eyes closed.Her face,her hands,her entire being in a trancelike state.Jaffrey,with his chin resting on his left wrist,leans against a metal ice box that states two words in the script format Campa Cola.And Shaikh,apparently a non-smoker,has a fresh youthful smile,reflecting the sense that an adult is allowing him to break a taboo smoking a cigarette.
There is so much joy,bliss,a sense of fun and purity in that black and white picture that one wants to live in that moment.It may have been a long,hot,tiring day on the shoot,but none of that shows in the picture.The truth as it seems is what we see and what we are being made to believe,in that ideal setting.
The second picture is that of a very angry Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday night at Mumbais Wankhede Stadium.The picture was reproduced by practically every media outlet in India.
We see a sweaty Khan.His body is focused in the direction of a security guard who is blowing whistle,perhaps clearing the cricket ground.Khans right hand is closed in a fist,aiming directly at the guard.His neck with bulging veins,and his head are also leaning towards the guard.
Khan appears extremely furious.The picture appears to show the dark side of Bollywoods biggest star as he seems to be saying,I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore. 
A lot has been written about the infamous event.Many people have read into the picture and talked about the arrogance of the rich,the famous and movie stars who often believe that they are above the law.I was even asked by someone on Twitter whose story I believed the spokespersons for the cricket stadium or Khan,who called a press conference at his residence,but did not deny that he got angry.
The photograph seems to show one truth.It is certainly not a moment I would like to live through.Anyone seeing the picture could believe that Khan was belligerent,perhaps drunk,even though that statement has been disputed.
I do not know where the real truth lies,but I would like to judge the picture based on certain other truths.
A few years ago,London-based writer and filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir said this to me in Urdu: Shah Rukh bahut sharif aadmi hai. Her words the result of the time she spent with Khan making the documentaries The Inner/ Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan have stayed with me.
Over the years as I have interviewed Khan and heard him speak at press conferences,the man has impressed me with his earnestness,as he again and again talks about his children and the loneliness he feels without his parents.It is rare for an adult man to talk so intimately and with honesty about these personal details.But Khan,despite his cockiness,and his steadfast belief in his star status,never fails to talk about his family.
The picture from Wankhede Stadium may not suggest the sharafat of Khan,but he later said he was trying to protect his daughter and her friends.And that sounds like a right thing to do.I still do not know what the truth is,but this much is clear the picture with Khan may not represent the complete truth.
A moment from the shoot of the 1982 comedy Chashme Baddoor and (right) a very angry Shah Rukh Khan at Mumbais Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday night 
ASEEM CHHABRA 
OFFERS A WEEKLY NEW YORK PERSPECTIVE ON INDIAN ISSUES 

Source ; Bangalore Mirror 20th may 2012 Pg 14


Friday 18 May 2012

In search of Ambedkars Parliament


Below is the interesting Article is written by GAUTAM PATEL published in Bangalore Mirror on 18th May 2012
GAUTAM PATEL 
who according to "Bangalore Mirror" WHEN HE's NOT ON FACEBOOK,HE CLAIMS TO BE A LAWYER


The uproar in Parliament over a 60-year-old cartoon lacks objectivity and a sense of proportion 



The conceit of Indias Republic is founded on one major premise: equality.It is this premise that underlies the thinking of our Constituent Assembly,and it is this premise that,perhaps in the interest of retaining its collective sanity,led the Constituent Assembly to believe that the elected representatives of the people who were to form Parliament would be not materially different from themselves : men and women of understanding,some learning,stature,maturity,committed,with a sense of purpose and public service,and also with the ability to laugh at themselves.

A look at the Constituent Assembly Debates (CAD) of over 60 years ago and the Parliamentary proceedings of today shows just how far wrong we have gone,just how wrong the Constituent Assemblys assumption was.The Assemblys debates show remarkable intellectual rigour,discipline,intensity,concern for a common future,a shared vision.There is also a certain distancing of the self from the subject,an objectivity,and a sense of proportion.Today,all this seems lost.What else can explain the absurd spectacle of the uproar in Parliament over a 60-year-old cartoon and the claim that it insults Dr Ambedkar,and a craven governments capitulation to populism The cartoon was published in Dr Ambedkars lifetime.There is nothing to indicate that he was upset by it.Our Parliamentarians claim umbrage by a proxy that was never given to them.
Cartooning dates back to the Middle Ages when it referred to a preliminary sketch for a larger artwork.In that sense,the stained glass windows of cathedrals,Ajantas frescoes and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were all based on cartoons;and,arguably,they are cartoons in that limited sense even now.The modern usage,of humorous or mocking art,coincides with the advent of newspapers and magazines.And such is their power and influence that no newspaper does without them.
Cartoons exaggerate to emphasise: facial features and bodies are bigger or smaller than the actual.Incidents are given an importance they do not otherwise deserve.Typically,they contain text that is short,simple and easy to read and grasp.In the social and political arena they are of special value for,more than any other art form,they force us to confront ourselves and see our foibles and gaucheries.They hold up a mirror to ourselves.This is a distorting mirror to be sure,but within it lie truths about the way we are.In joco veritas: In jest there is truth.Cartoons teach us civility by forcing us to laugh at ourselves.
A cartoon by R K Laxman.Cartoons teach us civility by forcing us to laugh at ourselves 
Except for a 22-month hiatus between 1983 and 1984,Garry Trudeaus Doonesbury comic strip has chronicled social and political life in America for over four decades.Many of the satires are explicitly political and use existing political players,and their depictions are delightfully wicked.Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger were faceless voices.George Bush was shown as a floating Stetson hat,Bill Clinton as a waffle,Dan Quayle as a feather with nothing under it and Schwarznegger as a groping hand.One entire series was later compiled into a book called In Search of Reagans Brain where Reagan was shown as an artificial intelligence.So strong was its reception that some papers moved it to the editorial page.When others (notably the Guardian) dropped it due to space constraints,the protests led to its reinstatement.
Berkeley Breatheds Bloom County ran from 1980 to 1989.In 1987 it won the Pulitzer for editorial cartooning.Breatheds characters,including the irresistible penguin,Opus,was also irreverent: feminism,cinema,pop culture,cults (Bill the Cat became Bhagwan Bill ),politics,labour unions and,of course,the US Presidency.
Nobody thought to ban these strips altogether.Certainly nobody who hadnt read them.And yet that is precisely what our Parliamentarians seek.On television,four politicians were asked if theyd actually read the text book in which the so-called offending cartoon appears.Three had not.One said he was proud of his ignorance.This,it seems,is to be the standard of debate in the house that Ambedkar built.
Cartoons and illustrations have a particular importance in teaching for the very reason that makes them appealing: they simplify,they distil the essence.A 10th standard civics text book has this memorable line regarding the right to property : the right to property is no longer a fundamental right.It is a constitutional right. What on earth is anyone,let alone a student,to make of this Or take the phrasing of Article 14: equality before the law and equal protection of laws.Why two phrases How do they differ Why would one not suffice How do you get this across to a 15-year-old student And Article 19: every citizens right to the indefinable freedom of speech and expression.Expression of what A thought,an idea,a story,a joke 
If you could illustrate this,a student would understand it and never forget it.And then perhaps become a better lawyer.Or a better Parliamentarian.Perhaps of the kind Dr Ambedkar imagined.




http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?pageid=14&pagesize=&edid=&edlabel=BGMIR&mydateHid=18-05-2012&pubname=&edname=&publabel=MM

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Five Settings to Save your Battery

Click here

If it seems like you’re plugging in your smartphone to recharge everyday (or worse yet, more than once per day), it might be time to adjust a few of your settings to make that battery last just a little bit longer. Here are the top five settings to change :
1. Dim your screen: 
You don’t need it to be at full brightness all the time.

2. Close apps when you’re not using them: 
Many continue to run and continue draining your battery.

3. Turn off GPS, Bluetooth & WiFi: 
When you’re not using them, turn them off. The constant scanning for networks and your location wastes power quickly.

4. Change your vibration settings: 
Many touch screen phones respond every time you touch the screen,
if you don’t need that to tell what you’re doing, turn it off.

5. Shorten your screen’s time-out time: The faster your phone goes to sleep the more battery power you’ll save.

Sunday 13 May 2012

6 Tips for Better Portraits

Dear friends are you often unhappy withe way you look in photos? somehow, you friend always manage to look so much better in pictures dispite people saying you are the pretty one. it's usually amatter of knowinghow to face a camera, here i present an informative article about facing the cameraBy ROY FURCHGOTT
Why do people look so blank, so vacant, so unnatural in portraits? Peter Hurley, a leading head-shot artist for actors, celebrities and executives, said people look like badly embalmed cadavers because they try to pose, but lack the skill to look natural doing it. Even professional models, experts at a certain haughty look, seldom know how to look natural. “I have to deprogram them into something that is more real,” said Mr. Hurley.
How does Mr. Hurley get the personality to shine through in a flattering way? Here are some of his top tips from those offered in his instructional video, “The Art Behind the Headshot.”
Keep your chin up. People have a tendency to tuck their chins in photos, creating an unflattering neck wattle. The simple way to fix it, said Mr. Hurley, is “bring your forehead toward the camera.” From the side it looks like they are doing an E.T. imitation, but from the front it cleans up the neck and jaw line.
The trick is to get the subject comfortable with the unnatural posture. Mr. Hurley often shows subject their before and after forehead forward shot with the encouragement, “Feels weird, looks good — just go with it.” For shots from the side he instructs, “Bring your ear toward the camera.”
People tend to tuck their chins in photos, said Peter Hurley. It is more flattering to  “bring your forehead toward the camera.”People tend to tuck their chins in photos, said Peter Hurley. It is more flattering to  “bring your forehead toward the camera.”
Show your good side. People’s faces aren’t perfectly symmetrical and one side usually photographs better than the other. How do you find the good side? Most people subconsciously find it for you by parting their hair on their good side, said Mr. Hurley. Most people also have one eye that is larger than the other. To even them out, ask the subject to turn three quarters of the way toward the camera with the larger eye further away. “I usually put the small eye in front and drop the head down, so they look up and it opens it up,” said Mr. Hurley.
Get your Eastwood on. Mr. Hurley said that people always look better when they squint slightly. The crucial word is slightly – not a pained expression as if reading fine print. The real trick is to squint with the lower lids only – think of the expression Clint Eastwood makes when assessing Lee Van Cleef before a showdown. “In my opinion, fear and uncertainly comes from the eyes,” Mr. Hurley said. “If someone wants to look confident, have them squint.”
“If someone wants to look confident, have them squint,” said Mr. Hurley.“If someone wants to look confident, have them squint,” said Mr. Hurley.
Have a laugh. Most people tend to have a fake grin, with pursed lips, or they squeeze the mouth tightly as if trying to keep a secret from escaping. Mr. Hurley’s goal is to get his subjects looking confident but approachable. “I will tell them to allow a little space between their lips,” he said, just enough to breathe. “The mouth is where all of the approachability comes from.”
To get a range of expressions he will give non-sequitur directions. “I like throwing things from left field. I like to say ‘look perplexed,’ which they try, it gets a laugh and it’s usually good.” In fact, it doesn’t matter what you discuss, as long as it makes the subject less self-conscious. “People can’t think about how messed up their mouth is if you are asking about the score of the game last night.”
Frame it up. The most important visual element of a good head shot is the eyes. Mr. Hurley frames his subjects to the rule of thirds. That rule of composition means if you were to draw a tic-tac-toe board on your finished photo, the major elements would be on one of the lines or intersections. Mr. Hurley gets in close enough that the top of the subject’s head is often out of the frame. “If I want the top of the head,” he said, “I shoot more of the chest so the eyes are still one third from the top.
In the end, it comes down to learning how to make people comfortable positioned in a way that feels uncomfortable. “I’m 90 percent therapist, 10 percent photographer” said Mr. Hurley. If all else fails to get a pleasant expression, “I say, ‘Don’t look so miserable,’” he said.” “If they don’t smile at that, you have a serious problem on your hands.”

Marry these kind of women





1. The Patient :The woman who remains patient in all circumstances, and never whines, moans and complains. When some trouble or affliction hits her, she turns to Allah for help.

2. The Protector; The woman who protects her husband's wealth & her chastity When he is away from home. When he returns , she does not burden him with the day's problems , but listens attentively to his needs and does her best to take his tiredness away.

3. The Lover:
The women who adores her husband & craves for his children to the extent that whenever her husband glances at her, duaa pours for her from the bottom of his heart.

4. The Do-Gooder:
The women who has an excellent reputation in society - for being kind, caring & courteous to all.
She is good with her neighbours & relatives and never backbites or displays jealousy.

5. The Content;
The women who never casts her eyes at material things and is content with whatever little her husband gives her. She is thankful to him for every morsel that he feeds her, every clothe that he gifts her, including the roof over her head. She makes her gratefulness known to him in words & action and thus, soothes her husband's heart.

6. The Pious:
The women who spends much of her day in dhikr, tilaawat-e Quran & Salah and her nights in praying
tahajjud & crying to Allah for forgiveness. She encourages her husband to give daw'ah in his spare time.

7. The Sweet Smiler: The woman who smiles excessively..esp. when her husband is at home. She always talks gently that it seems that pearls are dripping from her mouth. She never raises her voice while talking to her husband. If her husband is angry with her for some reason & shouts at her, she does not answer him back but maintains a dignified silence. When he has calmed down , she offers him cool water & apologizes to him even if she wasn't at
fault.




(http://www.PureMatrimony.com/)

Watch Videos of Satyamev Jayate

Aamir khan Indian actor and one of the best personalities in Bollywood, has come up with this superb idea, hopefully more celebrities like him can initiate something like he did to improve our society's flaws.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyamev_Jayate_(TV_show)


Pl click the Link Below to watchEpisode 1 : 
Satyamev Jayate -  Daughters Are Precious: Female Foeticide 6th May 2012

Pl click the Link Below to watch

Saturday 12 May 2012

People Want A P J Abdul Kalam As President Of India

Royal Challengers to No. 3 in IPL table

 
Sourav Ganguly, the under-performing Pune Warriors captain, sat out of the game; Steven Smith took over the leadership; and the hosts made as many as five changes to their XI in an attempt to avert a seventh consecutive defeat. None of it dowsed the powder keg that is the Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up, though. Chris Gayle launched half a dozen deliveries into the crowd; Tillakaratne Dilshan anchored the innings and then accelerated it; and even Saurabh Tiwary converted an iffy start into a useful performance. A total of 173 was much too large for Pune Warriors' misfiring batsmen
The chase was severely damaged in the first over, when Zaheer Khan struck twice, and almost certainly done for in the fourth, when Michael Clarke was dismissed. Warriors were 22 for three. The Royal Challengers bowling has struggled this season - they are the most expensive unit - and tonight's performance, albeit against a weak opponent, would have lifted them. Nine is the most wickets they've taken in an innings this season. Virat Kohli's side steamed past Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to No. 3 in the league.
Steven Smith led the side in absence of Sourav Ganguly, Pune Warriors v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL, Pune, May 11, 2012There had been rain before the toss but the shower after it was the one that delayed the start by an hour. The strong crowd stayed patient, though, and when play finally began, they were thoroughly entertained. By Gayle. He began carefully, playing three consecutive dots in debutant medium-pacer Krishnakant Upadhyay's first over. Having sussed the rookie, Gayle bookended Upadhyay's second over with long-arm sixes over extra cover and midwicket.
Gayle barely ran. Of his 31 balls, 13 were dots and nine were singles. There were no twos or threes. When he hit the ball along the ground it was brutally hard to the fielders. In the sixth over, Gayle destroyed Bhuveneshwar Kumar with four sixes - straight, midwicket, long-on and long-off. He got to his half-century in 24 balls, his quickest this season. Royal Challengers were 66 for 0 at the time and Dilshan's contribution was 11 off 13 deliveries.
Only Angelo Mathews kept Gayle quiet. After conceding three runs in his first over, Mathews had Gayle caught on the long-on boundary in his second. Mathews would finish with figures of 1 for 14 in three overs
Warriors began to fight after Gayle's dismissal, the next 27 balls cost only 19 runs and produced Kohli's wicket. Royal Challengers' acceleration, however, resumed in the 14th over, when Dilshan and Tiwary, promoted ahead of de Villiers, scored 16. Dilshan then took a hat-trick of fours off Upadhyay.
At one point it seemed Tiwary would stagnate and de Villiers might not get to bat. Tiwary, however, began to muscle boundaries and Dilshan's dismissal for 53 brought de Villiers to the crease. After three quiet balls, he launched the final one of the innings over the straight boundary.
Ganguly's replacement, Mohnish Mishra launched the chase by driving his third ball past mid-off for four. He was trapped lbw by Zaheer Khan with the next. Zaheer then handed Manish Pandey his fourth duck of the season with one that straightened off the pitch from round the wicket and uprooted the off stump. Clarke and Gayle use the same bat-maker but Clarke's attempt at clearing the boundary ended in deep midwicket's hands. Warriors were floundering.
Robin Uthappa has had an indifferent tournament for someone who takes home $2.1 million a season, but he sparkled today. Unfortunately for Warriors, it was just that - a sparkle. They needed a searing furnace.

Bangalore Hathway Digital Channel List

Bangalore Hathway Digital Channel List 2012
1 STAR PLUS
2 STAR ONE
3 COLORS
4 SONY
6 ZEE TV
7 STAR UTSAV
10 SAB TV 
12 IMAGINE
14 DD 1 - NATIONAL
16 SAHARA ONE
17 UTV BINDASS
20 ZEE SMILE
24 ZOOM
50 STAR WORLD
52 AXN
54 ZEE CAFE
56 BBC ENTERTAINMENT
60 FOX CRIME
62 BIG CBS PRIME
64 BIG CBS LOVE
104 STAR GOLD
106 SET MAX
108 ZEE CINEMA
110 SAHARA FILMY
111 UTV ACTION
112 UTV MOVIES
114 B4U MOVIES
125 STAR MOVIES
128 HBO
130 WB
132 MOVIES NOW
134 ZEE STUDIO
136 SONY PIX
138 UTV WORLD MOVIES
140 LUMIERE
142 DIVA
150 ESPN
152 STAR SPORTS
153 STAR CRICKET
157 TEN SPORTS
158 TEN ACTION
160 NEO SPORTS
161 NEO CRICKET
164 DD SPORTS
200 STAR NEWS
202 NDTV INDIA
204 AAJTAK
207 ZEE NEWS
213 DD NEWS
250 NDTV 24X7
251 TIMES NOW
252 BBC WORLD
253 CNN
254 CNN IBN
255 NEWS X
256 NEWS 9
269 BLOOMBERG UTV
270 CNBC TV18
271 ET NOW
272 NDTV PROFIT
274 HEADLINES TODAY
300 MTV INDIA
302 CHANNEL V
306 ETC
308 9XM
309 B4U MUSIC
312 SS MUSIC
315 VH1
344 UFX
400 CARTOON NETWORK
402 NICKLODEAN
403 POGO
410 DISNEY
411 DISNEY XD
412 HUNGAMA
413 CBEEBIES
414 ANIMAX
415 SPACE TOON
450 NGC
452 DISCOVERY
454 ANIMAL PLANET
460 DISCOVERY SCIENCE
465 DISCOVERY TURBO
470 FOX HISTORY
481 DD LOKSABHA
483 GYANDARSHAN
485 CARE TV
500 STAR PRAVAH
502 ZEE MARATI
504 DD SAPTHAGIRI
506 ETV MARATI
508 MI MARATI
514 STAR MAJAH
530 ETV GUJARATI
531 DD GUJARATI
550 SUN TV
552 STAR VIJAY
553 POLIMER
555 VASANTH
557 MEGA TV
558 JAYA TV
559 IMAYAM TV
560 KALAIGNAR TV
562 MAKKAL TV
563 WIN TV
564 DD PODHIGAI
570 ADITHYA
571 SIRIPOLI
574 SUN NEWS
575 KALAIGNAR SEITHIGAL
576 JAYA PLUS
583 ISAI ARUVI
584 SUN MUSIC
586 JAYA MAX
588 KTV
589 JAYA MOVIES
592 CHUTTI TV
593 ASEERVATHAM TV
594 ANGEL TV
595 GEMINI TV
596 MAA TV
598 ETV TELUGU
599 ZEE TELUGU
601 DD SAPTHAGIRI
604 SITARA
610 TV9
611 ETV 2
614 NTV
618 TV5 TELUGU
621 SAKSHI
626 GEMINI MUSIC
627 MAA MUSIC
630 GEMINI MOVIES
635 SVBC
636 BAKTHI TV
637 ARADHANA
640 UDAYA
642 ETV KANNADA
643 SUVARNA
644 DD CHANDANA
645 ZEE KANNADA
646 KASTURI TV
650 DD MALAYALAM 
654 UDAYA COMEDY
656 JANA SRI
657 UDAYA NEWS
658 TV9 KANNADA
659 SUVARNA NEWS
660 SAMAYA TV
663 UDAYA MUSIC
667 UDAYA MOVIES
669 SRI SANKARA
672 SURYA TV
674 ASIANET
676 ASIANET PLUS
678 KAIRALI
680 AMRITHA
681 JEEVAN TV
682 DD MALAYALAM
685 MAHUA
688 PEOPLE
689 INDIA VISION
690 ASIANET NEWS
691 MANORAMA NEWS
696 KIRAN TV
698 SHALOM
700 ZEE BANGLA
701 STAR JALSHA
702 ETV BENGALI
704 DD BANGLA
706 AKASH BANGLA
708 STAR ANANDA
709 24 GHANTE
714 ETV RAJASTHAN
720 ETC PUNJABI
721 PTC PUNJABI
730 ETV ORIYA
734 OTV
740 ETV URDU
742 DD URDU
744 PEACE TV
750 MAHUA TV
760 NEPAL 1
770 SANSKAR
772 AASTHA
786 GOD
800 FTV
807 NDTV GOODTIMES
808 TLC
820 DW TV
821 TV5
822 RUSSIA TODAY
824 AUSTRALIA NETWORK
850 C- BANGALORE
852 BSL
853 RMV
855 TV 21
860 AMN
870 SALVATION TV
871 NEW HOPE TV
875 RADIO VIVIDH BHARATI
876 RADIO TAMIL
877 RADIO TELUGU
878 RADIO KANNADA
879 RADIO MALAYALAM
886 FM GOLD
889 RADIO PUNJAB
890 RADIO DW -M
891 RADIO DW -2
892 RADIO DW - 1
893 RADIO FRANCE INTERNAT.
899 WHAT'S ON HATHWAY