Aussie Adam Scott wins WGC-Bridgestone

Aussie Adam Scott wins WGC-Bridgestone 

AKRON: Australia's Adam Scott won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday, posting a final-round 65 to notch a four-stroke victory over Luke Donald and Rickie Fowler.

Scott, with Tiger Woods' former caddie Steve Williams on his bag, finished with a four-round total of 17-under 263.

The Australian won his first elite World Golf Championships title.

"I felt good today," said Scott, who finished with a flourish with a birdie at the 72nd hole. "I stayed so patient. I picked my moments."

Donald and Fowler both shot 66 for 267 while Japanese teen phenom Ryo Ishikawa carded a 69 to finish with a share of fourth alongside Australian Jason Day (69) on 268.

Ishikawa, playing in the last group, challenged for the lead but Scott pulled away with birdies at 12 and 14 as the 19-year-old Japanese star bogeyed 15 to fall back.

Ishikawa's bogey from the trees at the final hole cost him a share of second place.

Scott said it was a bonus having a caddie of Williams' experience. Williams caddied for Woods in seven victories at the Firestone course.

Woods sacked Williams this summer and the New Zealander, who had caddied for Scott during Woods' recent injury layoff, made his relationship with the Australian permanent.

"He knows this place better than anyone," Scott said.

Woods, who suffered left knee and Achilles tendon injuries at the Masters and aggravated them in May at the Players Championship, hadn't played a complete round since Augusta in April.  ”    

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What does the research say about coffee and health? Is coffee good or bad for me?

What does the research say about coffee and health? Is coffee good or bad for me?

“Coffee has a long history of being blamed for many ills — from the humorous "It will stunt your growth" to the not-so-humorous claim that it causes heart disease and cancer. But recent research indicates that coffee may not be so bad after all. So which is it — good or bad? The best answer may be that for most people the health benefits outweigh the risks.

Recent studies have generally found no connection between coffee and an increased risk of cancer or heart disease. Why the apparent reversal in the thinking about coffee? Earlier studies didn't always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers at that time.

However, the research appears to bear out some risks. High consumption of unfiltered coffee is associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. And another study found that two or more cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of heart disease in people with a specific — and fairly common — genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your health risk.

Newer studies have also shown that coffee may have benefits, such as protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. And it has a high content of antioxidants. But this doesn't mean you should disregard the old maxim "Everything in moderation." Although coffee may not be very harmful, other beverages such as milk and juice contain nutrients that coffee does not. Also, keep in mind that coffee accompaniments such as cream and sugar add fat and calories to your diet. Finally, heavy caffeine use — on the order of four to seven cups of coffee a day — can cause problems such as restlessness, anxiety, irritability and sleeplessness, particularly in susceptible individuals. " 

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Major loopholes of Lokpal Bill

Major loopholes of Lokpal Bill 

1. No suo moto recognition of legal cases

 According to the government's proposal, Lokpal will not have any power to either initiate action suo motu in any case or even receive complaints of corruption from general public. It also says that complaints against the Legislature Members can only be registered to the Speaker of Parliament or the Chairperson of Rajya Sabha who can decide if it should be investigated by Lokpal. As Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy puts it, the proposed Lokpal Bill will become a 'jokepal bill' if it does not have an independent prosecution commission. However, Team Anna is adamant on giving Lokpal the powers to initiate investigations suo moto in any cases.

2. PM, judiciary, bureaucrats outside its ambit


A major loophole that makes the controversial bill quite toothless and the anti-corruption exercise a sham one, Prime minister is excluded from its
purview. The Lokpal is barred from probing any allegations against the PM who is closely associated with subjects like defence, security and foreign affairs. The proposed bill excludes the Prime Minister, higher judiciary, government bureaucrats, panchayats, and all State government machinery. The bill becomes meaningless if it does not include the bureaucrats who are time and again proved to be the masterminds behind many of the major corruption scams in India.3. Lokpal is just an advisory body


3. Lokpal is just an advisory body
 The government proposal highlights the fact that the Lokpal is just an advisory body which will forward its report to the competent authority after investiga
tion. The particular competent authority will decide whether to take action on Lokpal's report or not. In this era of coalition government, it will be impossible for the PM to take any action against his cabinet members as the prime minister is the competent authority when it comes to cabinet ministers.

4. A commission of 3 retired judges

  The government's version of Lokpal will consist of three retired judges. It does not give any justifiable reason as to why the selection should be res
tricted to judiciary alone. It's so obvious that vested interests will dominate the decision of the ruling government while choosing the members of Lokpal. Jan Lokpal fights for a revised model where it demands for the inclusion of any eminent citizen who has fought against corruption. It also argues that the selection should be made by government, civil society members and judiciary.

5. Legally unsound

   The bill does not give any police powers to the Lokpal and therefore, it cannot register an FIR on any complaint. It can only conduct a preliminary enquiry. An aspect that
makes it legally unsound, the government-proposed bill ensures that all enquiries conducted by Lokpal will be equal to preliminary enquiries where many questions such as - who will file the charge sheet in the court? Who will appoint the prosecution lawyer? Who will initiate prosecution? etc remain unanswered.    

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Kraisart scorches the track

Kraisart scorches the track

Decha Kraisart made a clean sweep of the SuperSports 600cc category winning both the races in the third leg of the Petronas Asia Road racing championship at the Madras Motor Race Track, Irungattukottai, here on Sunday.

The Thai overcame a slow start to finish first after the race was red-flagged in the 11th lap owing to Michael E. Jones's crash. Kraisart was named winner based on results at the end of the ninth lap. Malaysian riders Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Md. Zamri Baba finished second and third respectively.

The second race saw Azlan crash in the 14th lap after piloting the preceding couple of laps. Kraisart then went full-throttle to script another win while Zamri came second best. Aaron Morris of Yamaha Indonesia also secured his first ever podium.

Indian rider Gautham Mayilvaganan of Moto-Rev India had a day to forget as he didn't start on both occasions. Krishnan Rajini, the other Indian in the fray from the same team, came 16th in the first race before failing to finish in the second.

In the Underbone 115cc category, pole sitter Rafid Topan Sucipto came on top in both the races.

The results (Round three):

SuperSports 600cc: Race one: 1. Decha Kraisart (Tha) Yamaha Thailand Racing 15:49.209s, 2. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Mas) Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia 15.49.505, 3. Md. Zamri Baba (Mas) Petronas Yamaha Malaysia 15:49.910.  ”    

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“Research backs English as key to development"

“Research backs English as key to development"

A study into the economic impact of learning English in developing countries has concluded that the language can increase the earning power of individuals by around 25% and that developing economies need access to English if they are to grow and position themselves in the global economy.

The British Council, the UK's education and cultural relations organisation, which commissioned the report from Euromonitor, a leading research organisation, says that it is the first statistical research into the benefits of English in developing countries.

The report, which was published last month, gathers data from five target countries: three with linguistic links to Britain through colonialism, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and two with a stronger French-language colonial legacy, Cameroon and Rwanda.

The data was gathered from existing research and through interviews with businesses and employers in each country.

While English skills levels vary among Bangladesh, Nigeria and Pakistan, the researchers found a link between even a moderate competency and higher levels of investment from countries such as the US and UK. In the three countries, investment from English-speaking countries accounts for between 33% and 41% of total FDI.

"By contrast, largely French speaking Cameroon and Rwanda lose out, with only 2% and 1% of their total FDI coming from English-speaking countries," the report said.

But the report also shows that the benefits of English are seen predominantly by urban elites, who have access to a better standard of teaching – mostly delivered through private education – and higher-paid jobs.

Professor Chris Kennedy, director of the Centre for English Language Studies at the UK's Birmingham University, welcomed the report but said that it stopped short of offering insights into the effectiveness of government policies promoting English language learning, such as using English as the medium of instruction in schools, which is hotly debated.

"The report highlights the benefits, advantages and necessity of English in the modern world, but you also need to look at the complexities of the situation when you try to take the results of the report and implement them in policy," Kennedy said.

Journalist Zubeida Mustafa, whose book about her native Pakistan, Tyranny of Language in Education, was published last month, says the benefits of English in Pakistan are restricted to a tiny minority and have resulted in ineffective education policy.

"English cannot solve our ills. There are not enough teachers who know English and can teach in English. Children cannot comprehend what they are taught," Mustafa said.

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What Electronic Records Mean for Health Care

What Electronic Records Mean for Health Care 

“Do you pay your bills online, send e-cards for birthdays, and opt for news websites over a daily paper? In this increasingly paper-free era, medical records have lagged behind, but that's changing.

You might already have encountered your family's electronic medical records (EMRs) — also called electronic health records, or EHRs — at checkups or seen your child's health records consolidated electronically between your pediatrician's office and a specialist's.

If not, expect to soon. Implementing EMR systems is costly, so many doctors and hospitals were previously reluctant to use them. But the recent health care reform legislation mandates standardized billing in which insurers must implement rules for the secure, confidential electronic exchange of health information.

Under the umbrella term "meaningful use" of EMRs, the government has established rules and financial incentives (billions of dollars in federal funds) to spur adoption of electronic records, which are expected to reduce paperwork and administrative burdens, cut costs, reduce medical errors, and improve the quality of care for patients.

Indeed, EMRs will be a critical part of quality of care standards at hospitals, who must publicly report on their care — and patients' perception of that care — starting with results relating to surgical care, health-care associated infections, and others.
What This Means to You

Having complete health information stored in one place and kept current can enhance doctor-patient communications. Your pediatrician, for instance, can instantly know the details of care provided by the specialist who also sees your child.

EHRs will change health care delivery in a number of ways:

    * health care information will be available when needed and not kept in one office
    * making a patient's health care information available to all care providers will reduce duplication of medical testing
    * when parents and patients are better informed, they can make better health care decisions
    * the safety and privacy of patients' personal health information will be ensured
    * electronically checking for drug-drug interactions and drug allergies will make prescriptions safer
    * giving an electronic copy of a child's hospital discharge instructions will ensure that parents thoroughly understand the post-hospitalization care plan and can review it at their convenience

Experts hope that EMRs will improve health care thanks to functionality that isn't possible with paper records. And having consolidated, accessible health information on both sides of the exam table can eliminate administrative steps that could distract from care.
 

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U.S. needs to borrow and spend to stimulate the economy : Natwar Singh

U.S. needs to borrow and spend to stimulate the economy : Natwar Singh    

WASHINGTON: The Chief Financial Officer of Washington DC, Natwar Gandhi, who is credited with turning around the financial fortunes of the U.S. capital, said America needs to borrow more and spend more money in order to stimulate the economy.

He was of the view that though the American economy is weak, it is not headed toward a second recession.

"I strongly believe that the economy is weak. It is not going to go into the so-called double dip recession, but it is very weak, it is limping along and what we really need to do is to have another stimulus," Gandhi told Press Trust of India in an exclusive interview.

The first stimulus, Gandhi noted, was not large enough. "We should have spent more money," he said, adding that the country's infrastructure required massive investment.

The second stimulus, he said, should be to the tune of $1 trillion.

"There is no consumer demand as we speak. The businesses are not investing as they do not see any demand out there. So the only player who can really generate demand is government. The government needs to spend money. There is a need to spend money on our infrastructure, which is abysmal," he opined.

He further said, "Unless government spends money to generate demand, I see very likely a lost decade, the kind that the Japanese have experienced over the last 10 years."

"This is the time to borrow. United States can borrow cheaply... Never have the interest rates been as low as they are now. Even with the so-called lower rating, people are still buying U.S. Treasuries," he said.

"So my sense is that they should borrow money and spend in infrastructure," Gandhi said.

He said Standard and Poor's decision to revise the U.S. credit rating downward was not very responsible, given that the Treasury had pointed out that there was a $2 trillion error in their analysis.

"Remember, these are the same guys who had AAA to Enron and other corporations and all those financial institutions like Lehman Brothers... so I think it was irresponsible," he said.

Gandhi also said there is a big question mark on the credibility of S&P's credit rating.

"I think, they (S&P) should have been more careful about this," he said.

Gandhi, who assumed the post of CFO of Washington in June, 2000, is responsible for the city's approximately $7 billion annual budget.  ”    




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Celebrate Great Indian Festival Raksha Bandhan '

 

                             Celebrate Great Indian Festival Raksha Bandhan 

Festivals are as old as mankind, arising from the innate desire to congregate and divert from the monotonous routine of life. Especially Indian festivals have socio-religious natures that provide an atmosphere of devotion and enjoyment to each individual. India is a kind of sub continent with huge population. Numerous festivals are celebrated out of which some festivals mark the seasonal changes, some are associated with religion or spirituality and some are celebrated in honour of several relationships. For example, Raksha Bandhan is the festival for enjoying the unblemished sibling relationship followed with the tying ceremony of beautiful thread called 'Rakhi' by sisters on the wrist of brothers. On the other hand the brother pampers the sister with gift and promise to protect her against any diversity of life. Sisters also present a Rakhi Gift to brother and express her sacred feelings.

Like any other Hindu festivals, Raksha Bandhan can also be traced to Hindu Mythology. This festival is mentioned as a festival of Gods in our epics. It is said that Yamuna, the sister of Yama, the lord of Death used to tie Rakhi to his brother Yama on every Shravan Purnima (Full Moon Day of the Hindu month of Shravan). Goddess Indrani tied Rakhi to Lord Indra to safeguard him from the attack made by the demons. There are some other stories as well.

We can find in history that even foreign emperors were also aware of the significance of Rakhi in the Hindu community and they always respected it. Wife of Alexander had Send Rakhi to King Porus and requested not to harm his husband. After that King Porus never harmed Alexander. Maharani Karnawati, the queen of Chittor had send Rakhi to mogul Emperor Humayun and requested him to help when Chittor was threatened by Bahadur Shah of Mewar. Humayun had accepted that request immediately.

As the deep human emotions and strong values are associated with this festival, we can understand the tremendous social and cultural significance of it. It is purely about being devoted to your loved once and celebrating your heavenly relation with your sibling.

We at Buyrakhionline.com understand your feeling for your sibling and enable you to celebrate this auspicious festival with joy and passion by sending online Rakhi to India and USA even if you are staying far from India. For a complete celebration, you need Rakhi, Rakhi Thali and Rakhi Gift if you are a sister. Buyrakhionline.com offers extraordinary collection of Designer Rakhis with more than 300 choices including options like Fancy Rakhi, Mauli Rakhi, Zardosi Rakhi, Diamond Rakhi, Pearl Rakhi, Bracelet Rakhi, Lumba Rakhi, Bhaiya Bhabhi Rakhi and Rakhi for Kids, Family Rakhi Sets and more. Designer Rakhi Thalis Collection to complete the sacred ritual of tying Rakhi with Tilak and Pooja is also available in many varieties.

Numerous Rakhi Gift options such as Rakhi with Sweets, Rakhi with Dry Fruits, Rakhi with Chocolates and many other Rakhi Gift Hampers offered Buyrakhionline.com enable the sister to express her feelings for her brother and strengthen the bond of love between them even from far distance. If you are a brother you can send Rakhi Return Gift to your sister from our large and exclusive Rakhi Return Gift collection.   

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Facebook Launches Mobile Messaging App

Facebook Launches Mobile Messaging App

Facebook on Tuesday afternoon introduced an app for mobile phones that acts as a standalone group chat client for mobile operating systems. The app, now live for download, expands the chat features in Facebook's existing mobile app to include features like location-sharing, mobile photo-sharing, and -- most importantly -- instant messaging to friends or groups on Facebook. The app is already available for Android and Blackberry phones along with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (although the app is not yet optimized for the iPad's larger screen.)

Facebook purchased messaging firm Beluga back in March and it seems that several Beluga team members have had a hand in the app's creation. The timing of the release along with its features seems like a fairly direct response to Google+ and its huddles feature that also lets you instantly chat with friends. Facebook has repeatedly denied that the flurry of recent announcements from the social networking giant and the company's chat releases, like video calling in partnership with Skype, were a response to Google's new social network, but the parallels are hard to ignore. With Google+ growing to more than 25 million users in just a little over a month, it's hard to imagine that Facebook isn't at least a little threatened.

Google+ released an update to its own app earlier this week that brought increased functionality for the nascent social network's own chat services along with iPad compatibility.Beluga's application allows groups of friends to communicate in private using their smartphones. A user can create a so-called pods, to which friends can be invited.

Within a pod, users can send messages and share images and locations, according to Beluga's website. The free application is available for Apple's iPhone and Android-based smartphones.

For now, Beluga's application will continue to function as it does today. Existing accounts and data will not be lost, the company writes.

Recently, Facebook has stepped up its smartphone push. The company has, for example, worked with HTC and INQ on smartphones with tighter Facebook integration. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent a video message to HTC's news conference at the Mobile World Congress last month -- where it launched the Salsa and the ChaCha -- to say users can expect many more phones with much deeper integration with Facebook to arrive this year.Today, there are more than 200 million active users accessing Facebook via their mobile devices.

What Facebook's plans are for Beluga and its three founders -- all of whom have at one time worked at Google -- remains to be seen, but more details will be released in the coming weeks, according to Beluga.

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RCom Rolls Out 3G Tablet

 ADAG group telecommunication firm Reliance Communications (RCom) has made entry in the tablet computer section with the introduction of Android operating sytem (OS)-based Reliance 3G Tab.

The company has set a price of Rs 12,999 for its new offering.

In a declaration, Mr. Mahesh Prasad, President, RCom stated, "We believe the unmet demand of a fully-loaded tablet at an aggressive price point will now fuel the aspirations of the evolved customers."

The newly launched Reliance 3G tablet features a 7-inch touch screen together with Android 2.3 OS.

The tablet comes packed with 512 MB RAM and a micro SD external storage that can back up to 32 GB data storage card.

The company has 3G network crosswise 333 townships in 13 Circles.

The company's report stated that the tablet will come with discounts of around 50% on the monthly and yearly data plans.

Reliance 3G Tab is being rolled out in the national capital, Mumbai and Kolkata and will be available in Reliance World and Reliance Mobile stores crosswise the 13 circles where firm has 3G network by the coming days.

At 11:05 a. m., the stock of the company gained 3.3% to rule at Rs 86.65 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

The share price has seen a 52-week high of Rs 363 and a low of Rs 149.10 on BSE.

Current EPS & P/E ratio stood at 18.35 and 11.09 respectively.  

ttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/10062208135

Famous Scientist

Famous Scientist

Arthur Hamilton Livermore (born August 14, 1915, Monroe, Washington. Died October 12, 2009, Gloucester, Massachusetts) was a science educator, He was educated at Reed College in Portland and in the University of Rochester in New York, where he worked on the synthesis of penicillin under Vincent du Vigneaud, who won the 1955 Nobel Prize in chemistry. He obtained a Ph D in Chemistry in 1944. He taught biochemistry at Cornell University and Reed College to 1963. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1954 for work in Molecular & Cellular Biology. He worked for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C. from 1963 to 1981. For 18 months, he worked in Penang, Malaysia, training educators from Asian countries. In the 1970s, he directed a program for a university science lecturers' exchange between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. He was a member of the Cosmos Club. After retirement, he continued as a science adviser, teacher and volunteer in Washington.The history of Monroe is intertwined with that of the Great Northern Railway which pushed over the Cascade Range at Stevens Pass and worked its way down the Skykomish River Valley. Prior to that time the main settlement in the area had been located about one mile west of where the downtown eventually grew up and was known as Park Place. However, the city's merchants relocated when the railroad survey was completed to have better access to the new transportation corridor. The new development was originally known as Tye City, but became Monroe when Park Place's main store, the one containing the U.S. Post Office, relocated and took up the name "Monroe at Park Place" in honor of James Monroe, the nation's fifth president. Because the U.S. Postal Department would not allow any new post offices to use double names, the post office, and eventually the town, became known simply as "Monroe." By 1893 the city had become an important stop on the rail line and was best known for the GN Greenhouses, which grew flowers for the passengers to purchase. That same year, Snohomish County built the County Poor Farm where today's Evergreen State Fairgrounds are located; the city's first hospital was built where Valley General Hospital stands today. 1894 saw the construction of the first high bridge over the Skykomish River and 1896 the construction of the first church. In 1899 the grammar school was relocated from its old site in Park Place to a new site in Monroe and the town's newspaper, The Monroe Monitor, began publication on January 14 of the same year. On September 16, 1901 a fire destroyed the only complete block of business in the city.The economic area of the city saw a series of development as well. While the city was still in its infancy, many sawmills were constructed to take advantage of the area's old growth cedar and cedar shakes became the main product. However, as the timber played out and the logging industry slowly moved away, agriculture became the area's new industry and berry farms began to flourish. Because of the lush valley grasses, dairy farms too moved into the area and soon several creameries began production. Evidence of this industry can still be seen today as the giant smokestack of the Carnation Condensery, a factory which was destroyed by fire in the 1940s, still stands in the middle of what is today a grocery store parking lot at the intersection of Main Street and US Route 2. It is a lone reminder of this forgotten industrial era and, despite its age, it remains much taller than any other structure in the city.Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness preserve at its center. Reed is known for its mandatory freshman humanities program, for its required senior-year thesis, as the only private undergraduate college with a primarily student-run nuclear reactor supporting its science programs, and for the unusually high percentage of graduates who go on to earn PhDs and other postgraduate degrees.

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Maruti Suzuki engineers to develop new 800cc vehicle in India

 

 NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki is aggressively working on an all-new car, as Maruti's engineers embark on an independent full-model change capability, something not attempted before, managing executive officer (engineering) IV Rao said.

Rao, who declined to speak about the pricing of the new vehicle, said the idea was to develop a car that would co-exist with the Alto, the country's largest-selling car with monthly volumes averaging over 30,000 units. He shot down suggestions that the new car would be a renewed version, or fresh attempt, to revive the M800 model that has already made its way out of 13 top metros (due to stricter emission norms) and will be phased out gradually from the rest of the country in the coming years.

"This will be an all-new car, though based on an existing platform. The idea is to do it in-house at Maruti, with minimal support from our Japanese parent, Suzuki," Rao said. Maruti engineers have done facelifts on some of the existing models previously while also assisting Suzuki during the development of some global models such as the Swift and the A-Star.

The car will be meant primarily for the Indian market, he said, adding that the idea behind the model was to "constantly introduce new models while also developing the company's R&D capability to develop, design and engineer a model on its own."

Also, the company wants to fill the gap created by the phase-out of the M800. "It will be no less than a milestone for us," Rao said.

"It may co-exist with the Alto and we want to have a two-model strategy at the entry-end of the market, like we have on the upper segments where we have a multi-model approach with cars like Ritz, Swift and WagonR pitched around the same price bracket," sources said.
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Maruti, Honda, Hyundai most searched car firms in India: Google

NEW DELHI: The Indian subsidiaries of Asian car giants Suzuki, Honda and Hyundai are the most searched car makers on the internet here, while Volkswagen and Fiat from Europe found berths at the bottom of a list by Google.

According to Google India's Auto Industry Report released today, vehicle-related search volume grew 110 per cent and 84 per cent (year-on-year) in 2009 and 2010 respectively on Google Search. The report shows how crucial the Internet has become in influencing purchase decisions of the consumers. More and more people are now online to research on new launches, price comparison, viewing specifications, etc," Google India Vice- President and MD Rajan Anandan told reporters here.

This has resulted in the players in the auto vertical increasing their digital advertising spends to engage car and bikes shoppers online, he added.

As per the report that considered the period between January 2010 and May 2011, Google said Maruti Suzuki was the most searched car maker in India. It was followed by Honda Siel Cars and Hyundai Motor.

The 4th most searched car maker was US giant General Motors' Indian arm. Homegrown Tata Motors found place at the 5th position. Toyota and Ford were placed at the 6th and 7th positions, respectively, Google said.

The list comprising nine top searched car firm placed Volkswagen and Fiat at the 8th and 9th slot, respectively.

Entry and mid segment cars in the price range of Rs 2-Rs 6 lakh are the most searched, while SUVs and luxury cars saw the fastest growth in terms of number of searches.

During that period Maruti Alto K10 was the most searched car, followed by Ford Figo and Hyundai i10 Next Gen.

In the two-wheeler segment, Hero Honda was the most searched company. Bajaj and Yamaha were ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively, while TVS was 4th in the list.

Indian consumers are ahead of their counterparts in the US and Europe, when it comes to use the Internet to research before buying cars and bikes, the study said.

"Compared to 65 per cent people in India, 62 per cent people in the US and Europe use online search before purchasing a vehicle, which is an interesting indicator towards consumer buying pattern," Anandan said.

He said currently auto companies in India are spending about 10 per cent of their advertising budget in digital media and the share is likely to double in the next 12-18 months.

"We have seen over 150 per cent growth in revenue from auto sector in 2010," he added.

With 84 per cent growth in 2010, auto-related queries were more searched for than other popular categories like travel and electronics. The volume of search for auto was only behind telecom, which saw an annual growth of 90 per cent.

The report also said search queries for diesel cars saw 52 per cent growth in April-May this year, when petrol prices were increased by Rs 5 per litre.
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Reports_of_Google_acquiring_Slide_emerge-nid-70410-cid--sid-.html

 

 Maxis to deploy Alcatel-Lucent's 100G n/w soln

 Maxis will deploy Alcatel-Lucent’s 100 gigabit per second (100G) optical coherent network solution, in order to cope up with increased data trafficMUMBAI, INDIA: Communication service provider Maxis Berhad has partnered with telecom networking equipment vendor Alcatel-Lucent to transform its core transmission network.

Maxis will deploy Alcatel-Lucent’s 100 gigabit per second (100G) optical coherent network solution, in order to cope up with increased data traffic.

Maxis operates its optical fibre network, covering over 10,000 km of fibre infrastructure, within Peninsular Malaysia with part of the fibre infrastructure delivered through collaborative sharing and swapping.

Maxis claims that leaveraging on Alcatel-Lucent’s 100G optical coherent network solution, Maxis will be able to address the growing bandwidth requirements and provision services faster and shorten the time to market for new services requiring higher capacities and reliability.

Mark Dioguardi, Maxis’ CTO, said: “The deployment of this optical network solution transforms our core transmission network; much like upgrading from a normal trunk road to a super highway, allowing users to enjoy faster and seamless high capacity connectivity within Peninsular Malaysia. Moreover, Maxis was the first to conduct trials for Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology successfully.”

Rajeev Singh-Molares, president, Alcatel-Lucent Asia-Pacific, said, “Our 100G optical solution gives Maxis a new architecture that will drastically reduce its cost of reliably transporting high volumes of traffic while providing a powerful platform to launch and support innovative new servicesBANGALORE, INDIA: Global telecommunications major Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise seems to be changing with time, and with its new message 'Change in Conversation', the company readies for an entirely new approach to the market.

Speaking to Akanksha Prasad of CIOL, Nicolas de Kouchkovsky, chief marketing officer, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, gives a perspective of this change, the directions for the coming years. Nicolas brings more than 25 years of IT and telecommunications industry experience to his role. He is responsible for all the marketing programs supporting the enterprise portfolio including Genesys.

As a new CMO for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, how do you plan to shape the market strategy for Alcatel-Lucent? What do you expect people to perceive when they hear about the company?

Nicolas: So, the first thing that we want to do is to establish an identity for enterprise business, build the Alcatel Lucent Enterprise further. A lot of changes have happened over the past couple of years, from products and business side. Another reason is that Genesys has been operating strongly but in a niche market. IT is largely into customer service, with some features of communication and network.

We are in the process of rolling out Genesys for business with Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), educating partners and customers about how we can leverage on Genesys and value add to the portfolio.

Unfortunately, a lot of people perceived ALU as a service provider, so it was important to explicitly talk about how we serve enterprises. This could be because, in the past, ALU was not aggressive in developing its brand, so the focus is towards establishing Alcatel Lucent Enterprise and making people understand it.We are changing the format by being more localized and regional. This also demonstrated our relationship with our customers and partners. They like us because we are approachable, focused; we are open and available to discussions about problems and challenges they are facing. We take full responsibility of the customer projects and keep innovating for new solutions.

Alcatel Lucent had a stronghold in switching and telecom equipment, but was playing a low-key role in the data center switching. Now you have new announcements and product launches around it. What was the idea behind it?

s-vbs

Hybrid Solar System Makes Rooftop Hydrogen

While roofs across the world sport photovoltaic solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, a Duke University engineer believes a novel hybrid system can wring even more useful energy out of the sun's rays.Instead of systems based on standard solar panels, Duke engineer Nico Hotz proposes a hybrid option in which sunlight heats a combination of water and methanol in a maze of glass tubes on a rooftop. After two catalytic reactions, the system produces hydrogen much more efficiently than current technology without significant impurities. The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in fuel cells.

For his analysis, Hotz compared the hybrid system to three different technologies in terms of their exergetic performance. Exergy is a way of describing how much of a given quantity of energy can theoretically be converted to useful work.

"The hybrid system achieved exergetic efficiencies of 28.5 percent in the summer and 18.5 percent in the winter, compared to 5 to 15 percent for the conventional systems in the summer, and 2.5 to 5 percent in the winter," said Hotz, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.

The paper describing the results of Hotz's analysis was named the top paper during the ASME Energy Sustainability Fuel Cell 2011 conference in Washington, D.C. Hotz recently joined the Duke faculty after completing post-graduate work at the University of California-Berkeley, where he analyzed a model of the new system. He is currently constructing one of the systems at Duke to test whether or not the theoretical efficiencies are born out experimentally.

Hotz's comparisons took place during the months of July and February in order to measure each system's performance during summer and winter months.

Like other solar-based systems, the hybrid system begins with the collection of sunlight. Then things get different. While the hybrid device might look like a traditional solar collector from the distance, it is actually a series of copper tubes coated with a thin layer of aluminum and aluminum oxide and partly filled with catalytic nanoparticles. A combination of water and methanol flows through the tubes, which are sealed in a vacuum.

"This set-up allows up to 95 percent of the sunlight to be absorbed with very little being lost as heat to the surroundings," Hotz said. "This is crucial because it permits us to achieve temperatures of well over 200 degrees Celsius within the tubes. By comparison, a standard solar collector can only heat water between 60 and 70 degrees Celsius."

Once the evaporated liquid achieves these higher temperatures, tiny amounts of a catalyst are added, which produces hydrogen. This combination of high temperature and added catalysts produces hydrogen very efficiently, Hotz said. The resulting hydrogen can then be immediately directed to a fuel cell to provide electricity to a building during the day, or compressed and stored in a tank to provide power later.

The three systems examined in the analysis were the standard photovoltaic cell which converts sunlight directly into electricity to then split water electrolytically into hydrogen and oxygen; a photocatalytic system producing hydrogen similar to Hotz's system, but simpler and not mature yet; and a system in which photovoltaic cells turn sunlight into electricity which is then stored in different types of batteries (with lithium ion being the most efficient).

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Faster_cancer_prognosis_courtesy_IISc_and_Apple-nid-70421-cid--sid-.html

 

 Steve Jobs leads Apple to world domination

 Apple has some 50,000 workers around the world, but few of them would argue that it’s a guy currently on sick leave who has done more than anyone to turn the Silicon Valley institution into the most valuable company in the world.

The California-based consumer electronics company achieved that lofty status on Tuesday when its unstoppable run helped it briefly blast past Exxon Mobil in market capitalization.

Though volatile trading quickly overturned the coup, the company’s long-term trajectories signal that it is only a matter of time before Apple takes the top spot for good.

That will be a remarkable vindication for Steve Jobs, 55, the college dropout turned technology visionary who did as much as anyone to instigate the PC revolution after launching Apple in 1976.

Now he has done more than anyone to usher in the post PC-world, where the data and content that matter most to people and companies is available at every moment on myriad devices.

The basic outline of his rise, fall and triumphant resurrection bears the hallmark of a morality tale of the digital age. He saw the future of computing when he founded Apple together with Steve Wozniak, and pioneered the use of a mouse and a point-and-click command process after seeing the concept at a Xerox research lab.

His idea was promptly copied by Microsoft, which made its Windows software available to anyone and quickly captured a dominant market share in the rapidly growing market.

Mr. Jobs’ insistence that Apple software run only on Apple machines was a large part of the reason he lost a boardroom power struggle in 1985, prompting him to leave the company.

While Apple’s fortunes dwindled to the status of a struggling niche player flirting with bankruptcy, Jobs developed Pixar Animation, which would become one of the most successful film studios, and a new computer company called Next.

He was called back to Apple’s helm in 1997 and promptly set about transforming Apple from a puny weakling reliant on the life support of Microsoft to the world’s most valuable company.

Mr. Jobs’ driving idea was that the sci-fiction vision of a digital future -- where we would video-conference with wristwatch devices and download movies and music over invisible networks -- was just around the corner.

As other companies remained trapped in gradual refinements of existing technologies, Apple would make this future happen.

The first step in the grand strategy was the iPod, launched almost a decade ago. In the whiz-bang age of the iPhone and Android, it this device seems awfully humble, but 10 years ago it revolutionized the way people listened to music, combining software and hardware in a beautiful package that for the first time made it easy and intuitive to make huge music collections portable.

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Faster_cancer_prognosis_courtesy_IISc_and_Apple-nid-70421-cid--sid-.htmlfont-size: xx-small;">

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Animation is the technique in which each frame of a film is produced individually

Animation is the technique in which each frame of a film is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model unit (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result with a special animation camera. When the frames are strung together and the resulting film is viewed at a speed of 16 or more frames per second, there is an illusion of continuous movement (due to the persistence of vision). Generating such a film is very labour intensive and tedious, though the development of computer animation has greatly sped up the process.

File formats like GIF, QuickTime, Shockwave and Flash allow animation to be viewed on a computer or over the Internet.

Because animation is very time-consuming and often very expensive to produce, the majority of animation for TV and movies comes from professional animation studios. However, the field of independent animation has existed at least since the 1950s, with animation being produced by independent studios (and sometimes by a single person). Several independent animation producers have gone on to enter the professional animation industry.

Limited animation is a way of increasing production and decreasing costs of animation by using "short cuts" in the animation process. This method was pioneered by UPA and popularized by Hanna-Barbera, and adapted by other studios as cartoons moved from movie theaters to television.[3]

Although most animation studios are now using digital technologies in their productions, there is a specific style of animation that depends on film. Cameraless animation, made famous by moviemakers like Norman McLaren, Len Lye and Stan Brakhage, is painted and drawn directly onto pieces of film, and then run through a projector.

s-rb.com

Speed Read By Scanning The Book

Teaching a child the fundamentals of reading involves helping them learn the sounds each of the letters make and then joining those sounds together to form words. It's amazing watching and listening to a child as they string sounds together and make a word. They are thrilled and excited at their accomplishment and for the parent or teacher guiding them, it's a wonderful moment.

Children use this skill to learn new words as they begin to grow. Over time they are able to recognize words and instead of sounding the letters out individually they recall the entire word from memory. As the child grows and reads more and more they are able to read at a faster rate because they recognize many of the words.

One of the principles of speed reading is very much the same. The speed reader picks out the words in the text that they are reading that are essentially keywords. They are the words that stand out and hook the reader. By focusing on these words they are able to get a good grasp of the information and can do that without reading the material word for word. Having the ability to do this would obviously speed up anyone's reading time substantially.

Another approach that some people who are adept at speed reading use is they very quickly scan the book or document they will be reading and pick out important words and phrases that give them a general idea of the information. After doing this, they read the material through briskly, absorbing more. This approach gives them an overview of the information during the first quick scan and then the second read through gives the speed reader a complete picture.




By approaching their reading in this way they are able to grasp the most pertinent information and when they are done speed reading it, they will have a good understanding of the context. This approach works well and it is used by many people who are able to speed read. It can also work for people who have to retain a substantial amount of information in a short amount of time. They may not consider themselves speed readers but they are, in the sense that whenever you scan a newspaper article or a magazine looking for specific information you are picking out certain phrases. You may not read the entire text of the piece, but you certainly have absorbed the major points of it and have a better than average understanding of it.

Everyone can gain useful information by quickly scanning text before thoroughly reading the material. Although it's a technique that aids in speed reading, it can help the average person retain more information as well. Your mind focuses in on the key phrases during the first go through and as you read through a second time you pick up and absorb even more information.

Although not everyone has the desire to learn how to speed read, there are small tips we can take from those who do, that can help in our everyday reading adventures.

s-rb.com

Social Bookmark Traffic - Is It Useful?

In the very recent past, a friend of mine [Kate] was lucky enough to get her website listed (bookmarked) on Digg, a very popular social bookmark site. With her permission, I was given an excellent chance to overlook and analyze the traffic generated from these types of sites. Read on to discover the pro's and con's of social media site traffic, and how it could be utilised in your own website or online marketing efforts.

Firstly, it should be said that any sort of internet traffic, should not be considered useless. Visitors to your site should all be welcomed, as any visitor is a good thing. In saying that, however, it should be noted that traffic in all its greatness, is not created equally. Great differences become apparent when you start to analyze its source. The purpose of this article, is to take a much closer look at the traffic generated from social bookmarking, from the perspective of internet marketing.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 2 years, you'd notice a very big trend on the web--social bookmark and media websites have become "all that" on the web. Slashdot, Stumbleupon, Digg; any of these popular sites sound familiar?

This is where a lot of social bookmark traffic will originate from. In essence, these sites are driven and "controlled" by the users. Users or members choose which content they want to bookmark, and this will lead into viewing and discussing of said bookmarked content. Sites such as these are immensely popular, and flow traffic that the average website owner can only ever imagine having. Thats a lot of traffic, isn't it? But is it really useful?

All this traffic and hype must be a good thing, right? But is it really worth your time? Should you integrate active promotion to these types of social media websites? What about concentrating all your online marketing strategies on these types of sites? The question more at point is, what are the real pro's and con's of getting your website listed on the front page of sites like Stumbleupon or Digg?

As a website owner myself, I wanted answers, and I wanted them quickly. In addition, I wondered if utilising these sites could benefit me; i.e, could they help me generate more income online?

Recently, my friends listing on Digg enabled me to have a upclose look at these sites, and the effects they brought to a website owner. This was a chance for a first-hand, upclose study; I was not about to pass this up.

However, this didn't happen by chance. Kate took the action of placing the free "Addthis.com" bookmark to all her pages. You can also do this quite easily. Using this simple bookmark "button", you can start to attract these sites. However, be warned; a site featured on the front page of social media sites can almost instantly generate 100,000's of visitors to your website; this in essence is enough traffic that it may overload your server. Not good!

So be careful; active promotion to these social bookmark sites should only be taken upon if your servers or web hosting company can withstand the sudden influx of traffic.

With Kate's permission, I utilised Google Analytics and started to analyze these types of visitors and social bookmark traffic generated. Interestingly enough, some very important factors were realised. The Majority of this traffic will:

- Simply bounce back.
- Very few visitors will stay on your site; even for a short period of time.
- Very few visitors will actually go into the depths of your site.
- If you have a newsletter or similar, you'll notice that very few sign-up for these.
- If you utilise any type of marketing follow-ups, etc, very few will enter.

(In saying this, an unknown variable is the content of your site. Is it well written? Does it perform well? Is it useful or attractive to the visitor?)

Traffic from these sites does pose a very common problem, however; its temporary traffic, to say the least. The mass amount of traffic generated will usually only last a few days at most, that is, until your listing or bookmark is removed from the front page. Most of these visitors will rarely remain on your website for long, and the majority leave within seconds. In saying that, you may have a few sign-up's to your newsletter or Ezine, or visitors that explore your site. But keep in mind, this number will not be very high.

Social media site traffic can be likened to customers in the drive-thru sections of fast food restaurants; they come and go as quick as they came. The visitors will basically view your content, and before you know it, have already left, surfing back to the main site to venture onto the next item or listing. Social bookmark traffic will always behave differently, to a large extent, when compared to organic search engine traffic, or your newsletter traffic, for instance. Very differently.




Visitors from Kate's article posts will generally add up to 50 to a 100 new sign-ups a day; much different when compared to social bookmark traffic. In addition, readers and visitors to her articles are actually interested in her content, and therefore have been previously exposed to similiar content upon reaching her website. So in this case, there was no comparison.

The choice of traffic will always lay in the visitors generated from search engines, atleast when comparing to the traffic from social bookmarking sites. A question still remains, however-- is social bookmark traffic really all that useless?

Firstly, as previously mentioned, you need to remember that no traffic should be considered useless. Any type of visitor to your website should be counted as a good thing. Any website owner should realise that getting traffic and visitors to your website is a must; otherwise its game over.

When someone searches for a particular term in a search engine, and they end up at your website, this means that your visitor is there because you have what they're looking for. This type of traffic is essential to your website. Visitors like these are considered to be "targeted traffic"; that is, they're more likely to read your pitch-page, overlook your information, sign-up to a newsletter, or even buy a product. Additionally, they may also become repeat visitors. Traffic like this is ideal. These are the types of visitors you really want.

However, its not all bad news. Social media or bookmark sites do have a bright side.

How would you like the possibility of your website gaining exposure to millions of people? Sounds good, doesn't it? Even though you may not get sales, for instance, this traffic can assist in getting your websites name out there; branding it, creating a buzz.

If your website appeals to a more mass market, then you are even more in luck. Social bookmark traffic in this case can be an excellent source of traffic and visitors.

Social sites such as these also have another added bonus; gaining a link on high PR7 and PR8 websites, with high traffic flow, can't hurt your search engine rankings. After your website is featured on a social media site such as Digg, your link can also appear on a large number of secondary websites on the web, as much as 1000 or more. Much of this traffic will also be using the Firefox web browser, which is embedded with the Alexa toolbar-- what does this do for you? Your Alexa traffic rank will be improved. As much as 50% of the visitors hitting Kate's website we're running the Firefox browser.

Something worth pointing out, is that the traffic generated from Stumbleupon was much different. Longer stay durations were the common thing in this traffic, that is, this traffic behaved more like organic traffic. This could possibly be attributed to the fact that Stumbleupon is a higher quality site, and this was reflected from the higher quality of the visitors originating from there. This also made me come to the realisation that not all social media/bookmark traffic can be measured with the same stick. This experience also pointed me out to something important; the content featured on Kate's website is geared towards targeted visitors from search engines and articles, and is generally not suited to the mainstream net-surfer.

An idea to better take advantage of this type of traffic, is to gear your website and its content to more mainstream internet users. Whether or not this enables you to achieve a greater level of success, is largely dependant on what you offer and how it is offered. Another unknown variable, unfortunately.

In the near future, I hope to gain the chance to further study social bookmark traffic, and its long-term effects on websites. In specific, the effect it would have on keyword rankings and link popularity rankings in search engines; only then can I come to any type of real judgements. However, for now, my mind is being kept open, and the idea is being tossed up as to whether social media and bookmark traffic is actually worth the time or the effort. Is the time taken away from your usual day-to-day marketing efforts worth it?

Guess there is only one way to find out, really.
s-rb.com

Renew And Update Your Antivirus Software Today

PC users are facing new computer viruses every day. Computer viruses not only affect home PCs, they clog up internet traffic and disrupt the business of big corporations, causing billion dollars worth of damage each year. To protect your computer and stop the spread of these malicious programs on the internet, you should renew your antivirus software and update it regularly.

The number of computer viruses is increasing at a shocking rate. In 2003, 7 new viruses were unleashed each day. In 2004, more than 10,000 new viruses and their variants were identified. These new viruses include viruses, worms and Trojan horses and they attack the computer in many different ways. Some cause damage to the boot sector, hardware, software or data files. Some create security leaks in the system. Others may use the computer to spread spam e-mails.

Viruses, worms and Trojan horses also spread by different means. Viruses are usually transferred from one computer to another by sharing infected files or e-mail attachments. Worms replicate and spread by e-mail programs. Trojan horses are often downloaded and run by computer users who do not know the true nature of these programs.

The best antivirus software detect and remove viruses, worms and Trojan horses before they infect your system and use advanced script stopping technology. Although there are many new antivirus programs available these days, consumers should remain vigilant. Beware of all the free scans and free downloads from unknown software publishers. Some claim to be antivirus software but in fact, they add adware to your computer.

If you are looking for an antivirus software, you should only buy from reputable software publishers such as Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, etc. Remember to renew the license annually and enable the automatic update. This ensures that you are using the most updated detection database.

s-rb.com

Heading For Dreamland

It all started when my friend, John, resigned from his previous job where he worked as a lay-out artist in a publishing house for three years due to burnout. For two long months, John considered it a long vacation of sorts and took the liberty to enjoy such freedom from the stress and anxiety brought upon by his work, not worrying about anything. For him, being jobless can be a time for unwinding and relaxing from all the hassles and bustles of having a dormant career, and a time to assess his next career move. So it was party-all-night for John, either with the gang or just by himself. Going on the third month, John felt he had enough of the fun that he decided to start applying for a job. John is a smart and sharp guy who got used to getting hired right away. More often than not, opportunities were the ones to knock at his door and run after him. However, this time, John noticed that most of his on-line applications were not getting noticed and that most job vacancies prefer people a lot younger than his age. Later on, after four months of being jobless, reality dawned on John that he was no longer as in demand as before when he was quite younger. John wasn't ready for the situation he was in. He started to have sleepless nights as well as anxiety attacks. At first, John thought that his insomnia was due to the late nights which he had gotten used as a "party animal." But as the nights went by, John found himself tossing and turning in bed until about four or five in the morning, trying to force himself to sleep. When John developed eye bags and started experiencing migraine attacks, he decided to take over-the-counter sleeping pills.
It is most likely that John had insomnia, a sleep disorder that is characterized by an inability to get some sleep or to stay asleep for long periods of time. The most common cause of insomnia is stress. However, other conditions that can lead to insomnia are physical discomforts such as having a stuffy nose due to colds or the pain of a headache; emotional troubles like family issues or relationship problems; or even an uncomfortable sleeping environment like a room that's too hot, cold, or noisy and a bed that is too soft or to hard to sleep on. People with a sleep disorder have difficulty in concentration and are unable to work effectively. They can also experience emotional problems like depression and anxiety.
Most people experience having insomnia from time to time. But if insomnia lasts for a month or longer with no relief, it becomes chronic insomnia. People with chronic insomnia can often get help for their condition from a doctor, therapist, or other counselor.



Several over-the-counter sleeping pills are available in any pharmacy. Many of these medications contain antihistamines, which induce drowsiness by working against the central nervous system chemical histamine. Sleeping pills are most effective for an occasional sleepless night. However, the more often you take them, the less effective they become.
In the old days, herbal potions and opiate laudanum were used to induce sleep until the introduction of barbiturates in the early 1900s. Benzodiazepines entered the scene in the 1960s and succeeded by a safer class of insomnia drugs known as nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics in the 1990s.
Nowadays, sleeping pills are no longer as risky as it used to be in the past where cases of dependence and lethal overdoses were rampant. Yet, the use of sleeping pills is not recommended for people who have certain medical conditions such as liver and kidney disease. That is why it is very important to consult with your doctor before taking any medications to avoid any adverse drug interaction.
In the case of my friend, John, his insomnia was brought upon by stress and anxiety. Even when he found a new job, he still could not beat his insomnia. He still had a hard time getting sleep and it almost affected his performance at work. But his new job as a graphic artist in an advertising agency gave him a new perspective in his career. And because he was no longer feeling depressed about his situation, the feeling of anxiety began to wear off. Slowly, his sleeping cycle returned to normal and the stress gradually went away. It wasn't long before he finally stopped taking sleeping pills just to induce sleep.
If you're also having trouble getting sleep, it may be useful to consider these tips on how to get some quality shut-eye:
· Try to stick to a regular sleep schedule.
· Make sure to exercise regularly but not before bedtime.
· Refrain from taking caffeine and daytime naps.
· Keep stress under control.
·
When your best attempts to get a good night's sleep have failed, prescription or over-the-counter sleeping pills may be an option. Be sure to use them safely and only with advice from your physician. If your doctor suspects a sleep problem, he or she will look at your overall health and sleep habits. Everyone deserves a good night's sleep.


s-rb.com

The Difference Between Satellite Internet And DSL

What is Satellite Internet? Getting high speed internet through satellite is called as satellite internet. Satellite internet is much faster than DSL or cable internet. Satellite internet can be accessed even in remote corners of the country. They are easy to install and operate. The internet speed is higher than DSL or cable internet. Satellite internet is also called as lightning fast internet connection. You can download heavy files in quick time and even listen to online radio uninterrupted. The internet speed is constant and does not fluctuate.

What is DSL? The full form of DSL is Digital Subscriber Line. DSL internet is faster than cable internet. It is a broadband internet connection and files can be uploaded and downloaded quickly. The most important point is you need not require any new cabling to be connected to DSL internet. You can simultaneously connect through the phone lines for accessing internet and receive and make calls too. DSL internet is much more faster than dialup internet. While you opt for a DSL internet connection, you get a DSL modem for connecting to the internet.

The differences between Satellite Internet and DSL:

· You can stay connected to the internet always with the help of satellite internet. The satellite internet service provides two way internet access, which provides internet speed without fluctuations in bandwidth. While in DSL internet, the internet speed is not constant.

· Satellite internet does not require huge cabling or telephone connection to access the internet. The speed of the internet is also constant as satellite internet uses two way high speed internet. In DSL internet the internet speed depends on the telephone wires and in case there is some cabling fault then your DSL internet would come to a stand still. The better the quality of your telephone cable the better your internet speed.




· Satellite internet service is accessable anywhere at any time. You can use satellite internet even in remote places. DSL internet can be accessed where there are telephone lines.

· The downloading speeds of audio and video files are smooth while in DSL internet the files take a lot of time to download.

· If you stay in a city or a rural area the speed of the satellite internet would be the same while with DSL internet the speed would be high if you are near the main office of the DSL service provider. The farther you are located from the main office of the DSL service provider the lower the internet speed.

The best Internet solution: With technology improving day by day, the demand for internet with faster bandwidth and downloading speeds has increased and this in turn has led to satellite internet. Satellite internet can be accessed anywhere which is the most important part of this technology. No cable and no hassles for internet connection and installation. Satellite internet connection is more reliable than a DSL or dial up internet connection. If you feel that there is a need for changing your internet connection opting for a satellite internet connection would be the ideal solution.

s-rd.com

Team Anna Hazare burns copies of Lokpal Bill

As government introduced the Lokpal Bill in Parliament, Anna Hazare and his team members today burnt copies of the "anti-poor, anti-Dalit" law with the Gandhian asserting that he would go ahead with his fast beginning August 16 till a strong law is brought in.

Hazare and his supporters burnt copies of the bill introduced in Parliament this afternoon in Maharashtra's Ralegaon Siddhi while his supporters Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi led the protest in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi area in Ghaziabad.

Amidst sloganeering against government, Hazare said it was the last chance to eradicate corruption from the country and that the protest should be organised all over to ensure that a strong Lokpal Bill is brought in.

"This is a bad and weak bill which is introduced in Parliament. We need a new and strong Bill. I trusted them when they said they will bring a strong law and ended my fast in April. They cheated me.

"But at the protest starting from August 16, I am not going to withdraw from my fast on some assurances. What we need is a strong bill," he said.

He claimed the government would have fallen if he had continued his fast then for another three days. The government does not fear fast or protests but they fear the voice of people, he said, adding that people should acquire this power to overthrow governments.

However, he said, his protest is not to change the government but system.

Alleging that it was an insult to Parliament and people, Kejriwal described the bill as "anti-poor and anti-Dalit" which does not help the poor in fighting corruption.

By bringing a "weak" Lokpal Bill, Kejriwal alleged the government was challenging the countrymen.

He said they expected the government will come out with a stronger version of the bill but they were cheated.

Countering suggestions that the bill can be further debated in the Standing Committee, Kejriwal said the panel cannot alter or change the provisions as it can only give suggestions.

"Parliament has been given a fait accompli. This is insult of the people and Parliament," he added.

Bhushan and Bedi said what they were demanding was an independent agency which could probe corruption.

s-in.com

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast.


During the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking.

Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" (sawm) literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.

During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast.

Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God.
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More About Ramadan
When will Ramadan start this year?


Ramadan in 2012 will start on Friday, the 20th of July and will continue for 30 days until Saturday, the 18th of August.

Based on sightability in North America, in 2012 Ramadan will start in North America a day later - on Saturday, the 21st of July.

Note that in the Muslim calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Muslims will celebrate Ramadan on the sunset of Thursday, the 19th of July.

Although Ramadan is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, since the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar and the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. This difference means Ramadan moves in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year. The date of Ramadan may also vary from country to country depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.

The dates provided here are based on the dates adopted by the Fiqh Council of North America for the celebration of Ramadan. Note that these dates are based on astronomical calculations to affirm each date, and not on the actual sighting of the moon with the naked eyes. This approach is accepted by many, but is still being hotly debated.

The Ramadan, a period of fasting for Muslims, begins with the start of a new moon today. It will continue for a month until the next new moon is sighted according to the Muslim lunar calendar. The Ramadan is a month of celebration but also a month of discipline and self-control. What does it mean for Muslims living in Malta? What challenges do they encounter when living in a country which is predominantly Catholic?

Imam Mohammed El Sadi told The Malta Independent that Muslims in Malta and all over the world are longingly waiting for the Ramadan and they welcome it with great joy because for them, it is the month of divine forgiveness


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