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Showing posts from October, 2015

Series of international summits gives Trudeau little time to settle in as PM

  OTTAWA – Justin Trudeau’s fledgling government will have less than a month to get up and running before the new prime minister takes off for the first in a whirlwind series of international summits. The international schedule will drive the speed with which the transition from Stephen Harper’s Conservatives to Trudeau’s Liberals takes place. First up is the G20 summit in Turkey, from Nov. 15-16. That’s followed immediately by the leader’s summit for Pacific Rim countries, in the Philippines on Nov. 18 and 19. The Commonwealth heads of government summit is scheduled for Nov. 27-29 in Malta. And then there’s the United Nations climate change conference in Paris, Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. At some point prior to that conference, Trudeau will have to squeeze in a meeting with Canada’s premiers, with whom he’s promised to develop a national plan for cutting carbon emissions in time for Paris. All that suggests Trudeau will want to swear in his cabinet and get

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian socio-educational reformer who challenged traditional Hindu culture and led conservative Indian society towards progressing India. He is also called the "Maker of Modern India" He founded the Brahmo Samaj   at Calcutta in 1828, which was initially known as the "Brahmo Sabha." Raja Rammohan Roy was a great scholar and an independent thinker. He advocated the study of English, Science, Western Medicine and Technology. He was given the title 'Raja' by the Mughal Emperor. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born in a Bengali Hindu family in Radhanagore, Hooghly, West Bengal 1772. His family background displayed religious diversity; his father Ramkanto Roy was a Vaishnavite, while his mother Tarinidevi was from a Shaivite family. He  was sent to Patna for higher studies. By the age of fifteen, he had learnt Bangla, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit. He studied Hindu scriptures like the Vedas, the Upanishadas etc. and books of other rel

Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar

Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanager empire was the most popular and successful ruler. He ruled from 1509 to 1529. This was the golden period for the Vijayanagar Empire and during its zenith the empire extended its influence on its neighboring rulers too. He defeated the Bahamani Sultans of Deccan and annexed Bijapur, Gulbarga and Bidar. He subdued the local rulers and extended his kingdom to Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri rivers. He defeated the Gajapatis of Orissa to control much of Andhra including Telangana region. The defeated Gajapati King offered his daughter in marriage, who became Krishnadevraya’s third queen. His relations with the Portuguese were friendly. The Portuguese had established them selves in Goa. He used their expertise to improve the water distribution in Vijayanaager city. During its time Vijayanagar was the best provided city in the world. Kannada and Telugu were the official languages of the court. He considered the ruler should alw

Emperor Ashoka The Great

Lion Capital with Ashoka Chakra Emperor Ashoka is considered one of the most influential figures in India's history. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya , the founder of the great Mauryan empire. He is believed to have lived between 304–232 BC. Popularly known as Ashoka The Great, he ruled over most of present-day India during the years 269 - 232 BC. After numerous conquests, including the powerful Kalinga empire, his kingdom stretched from present-day Pakistan & Afghanistan in the west, to the present-day Bangladesh and Assam (Indian state) in the east, and ranged as far south as northern Kerala. His empire was headquartered in Magadha (modern day state of Bihar). Ashoka, his name meaning "painless, without sorrow" in Sanskrit, was born to King Bindusara and Queen Subhadrangi, the daughter of Champa of Telangana. He had several elder siblings, all of whom were his half-brothers from other wives of Bindusāra. From a very young age, Ash

Kalpana Chawla - Biography of a Shining Star

Our tribute to a great Indian lady, Dr. Kalpana Chawla…. Kalpana Chawla's story is an absolutely inspiring one! It’s the story of an ordinary girl who dreamt big and reached for the stars…literally. As most people know, Kalpana Chawla was an astronaut and space shuttle mission specialist for STS-107 (Columbia). She was killed in a spacecraft accident when at the end of its mission, Columbia disintegrated after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Born in Karnal, Haryana, India on July 1, 1961 to Banarasi Lal Chawla and Sanjyothi, Kalpana was the youngest of four siblings, after 2 sisters, Sunita and Dipa, and a brother, Sanjay. She completed her earlier schooling at Tagore Public School in Karnal. Chawla's mother has mentioned in an interview that her daughter was "different." "She used to cut her own hair, never wore ironed clothes, learned karate." One of her teachers remembered a project she had done on the environment, making &q

Shivaji - Meeting with Afzal Khan

Shivaji was born on February 19, 1630 at Shivneri fort, Junnar, about 60 kilometers north of Pune. His mother Jijabai named him Shiva after the Goddess Shivai. At this time the major players in the Deccan were the Nizamshahs of Ahmednagar, Mughals of Delhi and the Adilshah of Bijapur. Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor attacked Nizamshah. Nizamshah was defeated and the war weakened the Ahmednagar kingdom. Shahaji tried to raise the banner of his independence but was crushed by the combined forces of Mughals and Adilshahi. After the defeat, he was inducted into the Adilshahi and was allowed to keep his old land tenures around Pune. Shivaji was born during these turbulent times. At the age of 17, Shivaji carried his first attack on Bijapur and captured the Torana fort in 1645. By 1647, he captured Rajgadh and Kondana forts and had complete control of Pune region. Of all his exploits my favorite has always been the Battle of Pratapgadh when he defeated and killed Afzal Khan

Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi

Jawaharlal Nehru was fondly known as Chacha Nehru and was very popular with kids. He was born on November 14 1889 to Swarup Rani and Motilal Nehru. He was the first Prime Minister of Independent India. His birthday is celebrated in India as Children's day. Jawaharlal Nehru was born in a very wealthy family. Just as birthdays are celebrated by cutting cake and singing happy birthday to you, in those days, birthday's were celebrated by doing a “Tula”. In a huge balance just like the one you see in the hands of the blind folded idol of justice, the birthday boy would sit on one side of the balance or the Tula. On the other side, they filled it up with either grains or new clothes or gold coins depending on how much some one wanted to spend. Once the needle of the balance swung in the center, the grains or the new clothes or the gold coins would be distributed amongst the poor and the needy. Nehru loved the Tula so much that he celebrated his birthd

Sarojini Naidu - The Nightingale of India

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu, The Nightingale of India, was a famous Indian poet and a famous freedom fighter. She was the first Indian woman to be appointed the President of the Indian National Congress and the Governor of Uttar Pradesh in India. Most of all, she was a noted child prodigy and a master of children's literature. Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879 at Hyderabad in a Bengali Hindu family. She was the eldest daughter of scientist, philosopher, and educator Aghornath Chattopadhyaya, and Barada Sundari Devi, a poetess. Sarojini was a very bright girl. At a very young age of 12, she topped the entire Presidency in Matriculation examination from Madras University. Due to her passion for reading, she took a break from studies and involved herself in extensive reading on various subjects.   In 1895, at the age of sixteen, she traveled to England to study first at King's College London and subsequently at Girton College, Cambridge.

Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Lokmanya Bal Ganagadhar Tilak was born in Ratnagiri on July 23 1856, a year before the first war of Independence fought in 1857. Lokmanya was a title conferred on him by the public. As the British put it, he was the “father of Indian unrest”. He was a freedom fighter, teacher, journalist, editor, Sanskrit scholar, authority on Vedas and mathematician. “Swaraj ha maza janmasidha adhikar aahe ani to mi milavinach” “Swaraj (self rule) is my birthright and I shall have it.” His statement made in the court addressing the judge is still remembered today. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a bright child and very good at mathematics. The problems the teacher gave to work our on paper, Bal would do them mentally and give the answer. He also had a sense of fairness and justice from very early age. He was very independent minded and did not falter at expressing his opinions. One day the teacher came to class and found peanut shells on the ground. “Who ate peanuts in the class and create

Pain epidemic

Photo: Big Stock Pain: it's your intimate enemy. You can't see it, smell it, describe it, measure it, MRI or X-ray it. If you talk too much about it, doctors throw up their hands, branding you an attention-seeker, while friends avoid you. In medical textbooks, it's an "unpleasant sensory and emotional experience". It trips your vital signs: temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure. It unleashes a cascade of negative hormones that target your immune system. And it triggers a storm of teeny-weeny molecules, cytokines, that attack and inflame your body. You and your pain: it's all about winning the war within. Also without. For, India is a nation in pain. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in six people and one in three families suffer from arthritis in India. That means, about 15 per cent to 17 per cent of the Indian population. There's more: chronic pain affects 30 per cent of the adult population, about 20 per

TRAI fixes call-drop compensation at Re 1; Telcos not happy

S M obile users will get a compensation of Re 1 for every dropped call from January 1, even as the telecom operators cried foul saying the new rules can cost them nearly Rs 150 crore a day. However, this compensation would be provided to a subscriber for a maximum three dropped calls in a day. The new norms, announced today by the telecom regulator TRAI, follow a huge uproar over the menace of call drops. Welcoming the TRAI's decision, which would be binding on the mobile operators, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hoped that the companies would improve their services so that they do not have to pay the penalty. "We welcome it and hope that it will go a long way in addressing the concerns of the consumers. I appeal again to all operators to address the issue seriously. I hope the issue of call drops will become a thing of the past at the earliest so that the penalty provision of the regulations will not be required to be invoked," Prasad said.

RIL's 4G LYF handsets by Nov, co to share spectrum with RCom

  The company holds the highest amount of liberalised spectrum R eliance Industries on Friday announced that it will provide 4G services through its own LYF brand smartphones that will allow customers to make Internet-based calls. "Reliance Retail will soon launch its own brand of 4G LTE smartphones under the brand LYF. The brand built on the premise of unmatched user experience will offer high-performance handsets that deliver a true 4G experience comparable to the best in the world," RIL said in a statement. According to sources, LYF will have a dual SIM slot and is expected to be available in the market from November -- a month before the scheduled launch of its commercial 4G service. The 4G smartphones will enable customers to make Internet-based calls like Voice over LTE, Voice over Wi-Fi, High Definition Voice and High Definition quality video calling on Reliance Jio Infocomm network. Gearing up to the commercial launch, RIL said it has inform

Maruti launches updated Ertiga @ Rs 5.99 lakh

The vehicle, which enjoys a market share of over 20 per cent in the MPV segment, is available in petrol, diesel (SHVS-Hybrid) and CNG fuel options. M aruti Suzuki India on Friday launched an updated version of its multi purpose vehicle Ertiga, with introductory price ranging between Rs 599,000 and Rs 925,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). The petrol variants of the car are priced between Rs 599,000 and Rs 826,000, while the diesel variants are priced between Rs 755,000 and Rs 925,000 (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). The diesel variants of the vehicle come with Smart Hybrid technology which was earlier introduced by the company in its mid-sized sedan Ciaz. "With SHVS technology, Ertiga diesel is the first smart hybrid MPV in India, delivering best in class fuel efficiency of 24.52 km/l," MSI Executive Director, Marketing & Sales, RS Kalsi said in a statement. The company has also introduced safety equipment such as dual airbags, ABS with EBD, seatbelt with p

5-minute morning yoga to seize the day

  Editor's note: Dana Santas is the creator of Radius Yoga Conditioning , a yoga style designed to help athletes move, breathe and focus better. She's the yoga trainer for the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Orlando Magic and dozens of pros in the National Football League, National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. (CNN) Most of us don't have the luxury of starting our days with the easy-going, sunrise-watching, coffee-sipping routines depicted in commercials. It's usually more about hoping the caffeine kicks in quickly as you juggle getting yourself ready with responding to the demands of your household and buzzing phone. That said, like we're told during inflight safety demonstrations, it's important to put on your oxygen mask before helping others. That's why I recommend five minutes of yoga every morning to set your body and mind right --

Top pregnancy exercise myths debunked

Life, Interrupted: The 100 Day Project

For the better half of my early twenties, I was Bubble Girl. When I was diagnosed with leukemia at 22 my world suddenly dwindled to four white walls, a hospital bed, fluorescent lights and a thicket of tubes and wires connecting me to an IV pole. My immune system had been annihilated by chemotherapy. Sex, a common cold, fresh-cut flowers, a handshake, a paper cut — these were all things that could kill me if I wasn’t careful. Unable to have a job, go to parties, travel or achieve any of the rest of the big and small milestones of early adulthood, I started asking myself important questions, like, “What in the world did I want to do with my life? What could I do with my life from a hospital bed?” Being sick and young is hard in all the ways you might imagine and more, but mostly it can be incredibly boring. “You need a project,” people kept telling me during my first few weeks in the hospital. “Something to keep you from going stir crazy.” Hospital volunteers offered

Have Atrial Fibrillation? Blood Thinners Can Prevent Strokes, Save Lives

If you’re one of the 2.7 million Americans who have atrial fibrillation, you have an increased risk of a stroke. You can greatly reduce the risk of a stroke by 50% to 60% by taking a blood thinner (anticoagulant). A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked by a clot, depriving brain cells of oxygen. In people with atrial fibrillation, blood flow is sluggish in the top chambers of the heart, and blood clots can form there. When a piece of a clot breaks off, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. That’s where blood thinners come in. Blood thinners, or anticoagulants, decrease the chances of blood clots forming in the heart, reducing the risk of stroke. But as many as half of the people with atrial fibrillation who could benefit from a blood thinner don’t take them. There are two main reasons for this: Anticoagulants don’t affect how patients feel, and they can cause bleeding. “Most drugs are used to improve how patients feel or function, but anti

Ebola crisis: Two new cases confirmed in Guinea, WHO says

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed two new cases of Ebola in Guinea, ending a two-week spell in which no new infections were reported. One case was found in the capital Conakry and the other in Forecariah, a town in western Guinea. The week before last was the first week that the three worst-affected countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia - had seen no new infections . The virus has killed more than 11,000 people in nearly two years. The case in Forecariah appeared to be linked to a previously known chain of infection, while the one in Conakry seemed to be new, authorities in Guinea said. "On the bumpy road we keep talking about - the high risk of recurrence - once again we are navigating a few bumps," said WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris on Friday. "Of course we didn't want it, but we did expect it. Guinea hadn't got to the stage where we were looking at 42 days". A country is considered to be Ebola-free after 42 day

DIY Nail Art Tools with 5 Easy Nail Art Designs! How to Paint your Nails at Home!

Six home remedies to fight viral fever

Viral infections are one of the most common illnesses that can affect anyone at any age including infants and children. Symptoms can vary from fever and cough to sore throat and body aches. While there are many non-infectious causes of fever, a fever is one common symptom of a viral infection - affecting different areas of the body such as intestine, lungs, airways, etc. Fortunately, there are various herbs that are effective to relieve the symptoms associated with a viral fever due to the presence of anti-bacterial, germicidal, anti-biotic and fungicidal properties in them. Following are five natural remedies for viral fever: Tulsi leaves: Boil fresh Tulsi leaves with half a spoon of clove powder in one litre of water. Boil it till water reduces to half. Allow it to cool and drink this solution three to four times a day. Garlic and olive oil: Both olive oil and garlic are wonderful home remedies for fever. Crush two cloves of raw garlic and mix them with

Google rewarded the guy who bought Google.com, and he donated it all to charity

Sanmay Ved thought his real reward was just being  the guy who bought Google.com for a minute . When Google first told him he wouldn't get any money as a result of the accidental transaction, he said it was fine - he'd rather it be donated to charity anyways. "I don't care about the money. It was never about the money," Ved told Business Insider. "I also want to set an example that it's people who want to find bugs that it's not always about the money." Google changed its mind after acknowledging that he had managed to buy the domain name and decided to actually double Ved's reward since he was giving it to charity. In a stroke of luck,  Ved had been searching Google Domains , Google's website-buying service, when he noticed that Google.com was available for purchase on Sept. 29. Ved bought the domain for $12 and, he claims, momentarily gained access to its webmaster tools before Google canceled the sale. An ex-Googler himsel

IT'S OFFICIAL: Dell just bought EMC in the biggest tech merger ever

Dell is buying EMC, a $50 billion publicly traded IT giant for around $67 billion in one of the tech industry's biggest mergers ever,  according to Bloomberg , which said the terms of the deal looked like this: Dell plans to pay $24.05 a share in cash plus tracking stock in EMC's prize holding, VMware Inc., valued at about $9 for each EMC share, the companies said in a statement Monday. The price of $33.15 a share is 28 percent above EMC's closing level on Oct. 7, just before reports surfaced that a deal was in the works. News of the deal first  leaked last week . It's not just the biggest tech merger ever, it's actually  twice as big as the previous largest , which was the Compaq-HP deal, valued at $33.4 billion. A complicated merger The merger will be complex and costly to execute, given the sheer size and scope of both companies. But the payoff could mean that Dell gets a broader enterprise business, while EMC gets some breathing room after its recen

EPA and the regulation of greenhouse gasses

This week, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy joined private and public sector leaders for a second annual White House roundtable discussion about the progress made and new steps taken to curb emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Administrator McCarthy announced several new actions the agency will take to help support a smooth transition to climate-friendly alternatives to HFCs. "EPA is working closely with industry leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition to climate-friendly refrigerants, and deploy advanced refrigeration technologies,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “The powerful combination of EPA’s regulatory actions and innovations emerging from the private sector have put our country on track to significantly cut HFC use and deliver on the goals of the President’s Climate Action Plan.” Among the actions announced today, EPA proposed a rule that would improve t

Why India and China Are Key to Ending Asia's Haze

The thick haze that's blanketed much of Southeast Asia for the last month carries the ashy remains of Indonesian forests and peatlands - burnt in many cases to clear land for producing palm oil, the world's most popular edible oil. It's an annual occurrence dating back decades, and this year it's particularly bad: According to one report, the 2015 fires have emitted enough greenhouse gases to rival Germany's annual output of CO2. And they're growing worse. Many proposals to fix the problem target the palm oil supply chain - from farmers and refiners, to the bankers and politicians who fund and license companies. That's crucial. But to be successful, such efforts have to address demand as well. Unless consumers insist on buying palm oil that's been sourced sustainably - and are willing to pay for it - companies and middlemen will continue to look for the cheapest possible ways to clear land, which means burning. For several years now, campaigns promoti