Phoolon Ke Rang Se ...

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Phoolon Ke Rang Se : Prem Pujari : Kishor Kumar : SD Burman

phoolon ke rang se dil ki kalam se
tujhko likhi roj pati
kaise bataun kis kis tarah se
pal pal mujhe tu satati
tere hi sapne lekar main soya
teri hi yadon men jaga
tere khayalon men uljha raha main
jaise ke mala men dhaga
baadal bijli chandan pani jaisa apna pyar
lena hoga janam hamen kai kai bar
itna madir itna madhur tera mera pyar
lena hoga janam hamen kai kai bar
sanson ki sargam dhadkan ki veena
sapnon ki geettanjali tu
man ki gali men mahke jo hardam
aisi juhi ki kali tu
chhota safar ho lamba safar ho
sooni dagar ho ya mela
yad tu aaye man ho jaye bheed ke beech akela
baadal bijli chandan pani jaisa apna pyar
lena hoga janam hamen kai kai bar
itna madir itna madhur tera mera pyar
lena hoga janam hamen kai kai bar
poorab ho pachchhim uttar ho dakkhin
tu har jagah muskuraye
jitna hi jaun main door tujhse
utni hi tu pas aaye
andhi ne roka pani ne toka
duniya ne hans kar pukara
tasveer teri lekin liye main kar aaya sabse kinara
baadal bijli chandan pani jaisa apna pyar
lena hoga janam hamen kai kai bar
itna madir itna madhur tera mera pyar
lena hoga janam hamen kai kai bar

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Google Storage Plan

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Old Storage Plans vs. New Storage Plans

This is an overview of Google storage plans for people who purchased a storage plan prior to April 24, 2012. If you haven't yet purchased a Google storage plan, learn how the new Google storage plans work.

Overview of old plans vs. new plans

Old storage plans	New storage plans
Free storage: 7+ GB in Gmail 1 GB in Google Docs (uploaded files only) 1 GB in Picasa Unlimited in Google+	Free storage: 10 GB in Gmail 5 GB in Google Drive 1 GB in Picasa Unlimited in Google+
Purchased storage shared across: Gmail Google Docs Picasa	Purchased storage shared across: Google Drive (synced/uploaded files only) Picasa Automatically get additional but separate Gmail storage.
Automatically renew yearly	Automatically renew monthly
Non-refundable	Non-refundable
Storage can’t be transferred to a different account	Storage can’t be transferred to a different account
Pricing structure (prices are yearly)	Pricing structure (prices are monthly)

Learn more about how the latest storage plans work, refunds and renewals, or cancellations.

How to keep your old plan

Google storage plans have changed, but you can stay on your current plan as long as you:

• Keep your account active
• Keep payment information in Google Wallet accurate and up-to-date
• Don’t make adjustments to your current plan

If your account lapses, your credit card is declined, or you choose to change your storage plan in any way (upgrade or downgrade), you’ll be switched to the new Google storage plan.
You’ll access your account information in a new place, even if you choose to keep your current plan. The new place to access and manage your account information is www.google.com/settings/storage.

What happens when you switch to a new plan

When you change your current storage plan or if your payment information lapses, you’ll move onto the new system for storage plans. Once you choose a new plan, you'll no longer be able to switch back to the old one.
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Vibration ?

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Vibration is the mechanical oscillations of an object about an equilibrium point. The oscillations may be regular such as the motion of a pendulum or random such as the movement of a tire on a gravel road.

Frequency

A vibrating object moves back and forth from its normal stationary position. A complete cycle of vibration occurs when the object moves from one extreme position to the other extreme, and back again. The number of cycles that a vibrating object completes in one second is called frequency. The unit of frequency is hertz (Hz). One hertz equals one cycle per second.

Amplitude

A vibrating object moves to a certain maximum distance on either side of its stationary position. Amplitude is the distance from the stationary position to the extreme position on either side and is measured in metres (m). The intensity of vibration depends on amplitude.

Acceleration (Measure of Vibration Intensity)

The speed of a vibrating object varies from zero to a maximum during each cycle of vibration. It moves fastest as it passes through its natural stationary position to an extreme position. The vibrating object slows down as it approaches the extreme, where it stops and then moves in the opposite direction through the stationary position toward the other extreme. Speed of vibration is expressed in units of metres per second (m/s).

Acceleration is a measure of how quickly speed changes with time. The measure of acceleration is expressed in units of (metres per second) per second or metres per second squared (m/s²). The magnitude of acceleration changes from zero to a maximum during each cycle of vibration. It increases as vibrating object moves further from its normal stationary position.

What is resonance?

Every object tends to vibrate at one particular frequency called the natural frequency. The measure of natural frequency depends on the composition of the object, its size, structure, weight and shape. If we apply a vibrating force on the object with its frequency equal to the natural frequency, it is a resonance condition. A vibrating machine transfers the maximum amount of energy to an object when the machine vibrates at the object's resonant frequency.

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Natural Gas

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Constituents	Formula	%  by Volume
Methane	CH4	92.32
Ethane	C2H6	2.46
Propane	C3H8	1.89
I-Butane	C4H10	0.36
N-Butane	C4H10	0.46
I-Pentane	C5H12	0.11
N-Pentane	C5H12	0.10
Hexanes +	C6H14	0.24
Carbondioxide	CO2	1.93
Oxygen	O2	0.00
Nitrogen	N2	0.13
Moisture	H2O	--
Helium	He	0.00
	Total	100.00
Compressibility Factor, z		0.9976
Specific gravity		0.6264
Net  Heating Value	kCal/Sm3	8637
Gross Heating Value	kCal/Sm3	9565

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Barauni Refinery

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Barauni Refinery was built in collaboration with Russia and Romania. Situated 125 Kilometeres from PATNA, BIHAR, it was built with an initial cost of Rs 49.40 crore. Barauni Refinery was commissioned in 1964 with a refining capacity of 1 Million Metric Tonnes per Annum (MMTPA) and it was dedicated to the Nation by the then Union Minister for Petroleum, Prof. Humayun Kabir in January 1965. After de-bottlenecking, revamping and expansion project, it's capacity today is 6 MMTPA. Matching secondary processing facilities such Resid Fluidised Catalytic Cracker (RFCC), Diesel Hydrotreating (DHDT), Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU) have been added. Theses state of the art eco-friendly technologies have enabled the refinery to produce environment- friendly green fuels complying with international standards.

Barauni Refinery was initially designed to process low sulphur crude oil (sweet crude) of Assam. After establishment of other refineries in the Northeast, Assam crude is unavailable for Barauni . Hence, sweet crude is being sourced from African, South East Asian and Middle East countries like Nigeria, Iraq&Malaysia. The refinery receives crude oil by pipeline from Paradip on the east coast via Haldia. With various revamps and expansion projects at Barauni Refinery, capability for processing high-sulphur crude has been added — high-sulphur crude oil (sour crude) is cheaper than low-sulphur crudes — thereby increasing not only the capacity but also the profitability of the refinery.

Railways Station : Barauni Junction is one of the important stations in Bihar. It is a junction and is connected to the all the four metropolis New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai through important Broad Gauge Routes. It takes around 15 hours to reach Barauni from New Delhi through train. It is the gateway for the North-East states, it connects the whole country with the North-East States.Barauni has three railways stations namely (1) Barauni Junction (2) New Barauni & (3) Barauni Flag.

Address : Indian Oil Corporation Limited, P.O. Barauni Refinery, District Begusarai - 861 114 [Bihar - INDIA]
Telephone: +91-06243-240128, Fax: 91-06243-240161

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Memory Loss: Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease

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The Herbal Approaches to Treating Memory Loss: 
Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease

By Andrew Gaeddert, BA, AHG

Dementia is a decline in mental functioning in which memory, thinking, judgement and the ability to concentrate are impaired. There also may be a change in personality. Dementia can develop suddenly when a severe injury, disease or toxin destroys brain cells, or it can develop slowly, especially in senior citizens.

Most commonly, short-term memory loss and the reduction in learning ability is a response to atherosclerosis in seniors. This is not dementia. Dementia is a more serious decline in mental ability. For example, people with atherosclerosis may have an inability to recall details from an event, whereas individuals with dementia may forget the event entirely.

Dementia usually develops over time. Memory and the ability to recognize people, places and objects diminish over time. Usually, there are problems with word usage and abstract gradually.

The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD). Currently, there are approximately 4 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with AD; half of those over 85 years of age have AD. Although the cause of AD is not known, genetics plays a role. Recent data suggests that those who take antioxidants in their diet, or who take anti-inflammatory medications, are less likely to suffer AD (JAMA, 287, 24: 3223-9, 2002).

In Alzheimer's disease, parts of the brain degenerate, destroying brain cells and reducing the response of the brain's chemical messengers. Abnormal plaques and proteins can be observed by autopsy. The first sign may be forgetting recent events, though sometimes it starts with depression, fear, anxiety or personality changes. Speech patterns may change. Over time, the individual may deteriorate to the point that social interaction is difficult.

The second most common cause of dementia is successive strokes, known medically as multi-infarct dementia. Although weakness or paralysis typically is not observed, these small strokes destroy brain tissue caused by interrupted blood supply, known as infarcts. Most people with multi-infarct dementia have high blood pressure and/or diabetes, which damage blood vessels in the brain. Typically, the dementia caused by small strokes may deteriorate or improve. If diabetes and hypertension can be appropriately controlled, the person may prevent future strokes and can sometimes partially recover.

Dementia may occur after a brain injury or cardiac arrest. For example, boxers often develop dementia pugilistica and may develop hydrocephalus, a brain fluid imbalance which also produces incontinence and walking difficulties. It is also found in approximately 20 percent of those who have Parkinson's disease, an infectious brain disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and AIDS. Dementia is also seen in Lewy body dementia and Picks's disease, two uncommon conditions similar to Alzheimer's. Depressed seniors may have pseudodementia. Typically, they have insomnia and loss of appetite, and complain about their memory loss, whereas people with dementia often deny there is memory loss.

Depending on the cause, dementia progresses at different rates for different people. Often, the first symptom is forgetfulness. Some people are able to hide their condition well. They may avoid activities such as balancing a checkbook, reading or working. They might forget to do important tasks like paying bills, turning off the light or stove, or have trouble distinguishing reality from fiction. For example, they can be conned or duped easily. One of our clients was convinced she had already won a million-dollar contest, when it was just an advertisement. In the most advanced cases, people become withdrawn and unable to control their behavior. They may have angry outbursts, mood swings, get lost even in familiar surroundings, or lose the ability to speak.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Physicians diagnose dementia after questioning the patient and the family, taking into account the progression of the disease and the presence of other diseases. It is essential that the patient's medication be evaluated, since prescription drugs or drug interaction can be a causative factor. Other causes may be toxic exposure; thyroid imbalance; infections; nutrient deficiencies; or depression.

MRI and CT scans may rule out brain tumor, hydrocephalus or stroke. Unfortunately, at the present time, Alzheimer's disease can only be diagnosed by dissecting the brain during autopsy.

Drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer's include tacrine and donepezil; ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs may slow its progression. Dementia caused by small strokes cannot be treated medically; however, treating co-existing conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, can slow or stop the progression of symptoms. Drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease do not help dementia, and may in fact contribute to the problem. Similarly, there is no known biomedical treatment for dementia caused by AIDS or infectious disease. On a positive note, if depression is the cause, antidepressants and counseling may help. If dementia is caused by hydrocephalus, removing excess fluid by shunting may help. Antipsychotic drugs such as thorozine or haloperidol may be prescribed if the patient has paranoia or hallucinations. They are typically not very effective at controlling agitation, and can have serious side-effects. Sleeping pills, antianxiety drugs, antidepressants and some cold remedies can worsen dementia.

Supportive measures can be undertaken to help those with dementia. For example, it is best for the person to stay in a familiar environment; changing locations, or even the furniture, can be disruptive. Establishing a regular routine provides stability. Hiding car keys, using identification bracelets and using detectors on home doors may help prevent an accident for people who wander. Have caregivers enlist the help of social agencies. Spouses and family members may have to come to terms that the relation who has dementia is not the same person. Scolding or criticizing people with dementia usually doesn't help, and may make things worse.

Planning is essential for people with dementia. Social service agencies may help provide nursing and other services to relieve stress on the family. Long-range planning may include social workers, lawyers and health professionals. In all cases, the sooner the treatment is underway, the better.

Herbal Treatments

Although the scope of this article concerns herbs, supplements that may be helpful include antioxidants, fish oil and s-adenoysl methionine (SAMe). Although best known as a treatment for depression and chronic pain, laboratory research indicates SAMe has a positive effect on brain cells. It has been discovered that levels of this naturally occurring compound are lower in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with neurological complications and AD.

SAMe supports protein methylation which, if impaired, leads to brain deterioration. It also boosts the production of phosphatidlserine, a lipid important for mood and memory, and increases glutathione, which reduces inflammation. As stated earlier, inflammation is thought to contribute to the onset of AD, and may play a role in other forms of dementia.

TCM Formulas

Traditional Chinese medicine regards treating the kidneys as particularly important in aging disorders. The spleen is also important, as qi and blood decrease over time. Because the kidney and spleen control water in the body, if their function declines, dampness and phlegm will be produced. Lack of movement may cause qi and blood stagnation. In our experience, pharmaceuticals lead to yin deficiency, which in turn leads to yang depletion. Dementia; deafness; fearfulness; low back pain; and exhaustion with a weak pulse and pale tongue are typical signs of kidney essence deficiency. A balanced formula, such as the following (containing tang kuei [dang gui]; eucommia [du zhong]; polygonum [he shou wu]; astragalus root [huang qi]; ligustrum [nu zhen zi]; ginseng [ren shen]; astragalus seed [sha yuan zi]; cornus [shan zhu yu]; cooked rehmannia [shu di huang]; and cuscuta seed [tu si zi]), will help treat these imbalances. Back formulas (such as a formula that contains psoralea [bu gu zhi]; tang kuei tail [dang gui wei]; eucommia; cibotium [gou ji]; testudinis [gui ban]; carthamus [hong hua]; myrrh [mo yao]; cyathula [niu xi]; cistanches [rou cong rong]; cornus; cooked rehmannia; cuscuta seed; acanthopanax [wu jia pi]; and dipsacus [xu duan]) can be added if there is notable kidney yang deficiency and back pain is predominate. If there is edema, a rehmannia formula, consisting of eucommia; poria (fu ling); moutan (mu dan pi); cinnamon bark (rou gui); dioscorea (shan yao); cornus; cooked rehmannia; and alisma can be added.

While qi and blood stagnation must be treated, it is important to use tonics over time, especially for seniors. One modern Chinese herbal formula with added tonics that treats qi and blood stagnation, for example, is comprised of acorus rhizome (chang pu); salvia root (dan shen); tang kuei; eucommia; pueraria root (ge gen); lycium fruit (gou qi zi); polygonum; lonicera flower (jin yin hua); rosa laevigata (jin ying zi); ilex pubescentis (mao dong qing); cistanche; mulberry (sang shen zi); zizyphus (suan zao ren); schisandra (wu wei zi); and ginkgo nut (yin xing). The classical formula gui pi tang addresses qi and blood deficiency. It may be considered for depression; palpitations; and poor sleep with a pale tongue and thin pulse.

According to TCM theory, phlegm can produce symptoms such as disordered thinking; drooling; nausea; profuse sputum; somnolence; a stuck sensation in the throat (plum pit qi); a coated tongue; and a slippery pulse. The appropriate remedy is wen dan tang. For long-term treatment, the formula liu jun zi tang (made of poria; pinellia [ban xia]; ginseng; atractylodes [bai zhu]; red jujube dates [da zao]; citrus peel [chen pi]; licorice [gan cao]; and fresh ginger [sheng jiang] can be considered to tonify the spleen, and a dampness formula, composed of atractylodes; poria; cinnamon twigs (gui zhi); alisma (ze xie); and polyporus (zhu ling) can prevent phlegm buildup. If there are signs of heat with a rapid pulse and a red tongue, a coptis formula, made of white peony (bai shao); bupleurum (chai hu); plantago seed (che qian zi); lophatherum (dan zhu ye); tang kuei; phellodendron bark (huang bai); coptis (huang lian); scutellaria (huang qin); sophora flavescens (ku shen); forsythia (lian qiao); gentiana (long dan cao); clematis armandi (mu tong); fresh rehmannia (sheng di huang); alisma; anemarrhena (zhi mu); and gardenia (zhi zi) can be considered.

Ginkgo

Ginkgo is the world's oldest living tree species. Ginkgo leaf extract has been the subject of over 50 double-blind trials for people with chronic cerebral arterial insufficiency and peripheral arterial insufficiency. It has been found to be helpful in the symptoms of cerebral vascular insufficiency including short-term memory loss and depression. Based on a review of the scientific literature, it appears that ginkgo extract helps reverse or delay the mental deterioration of early stage Alzheimer's. From a clinical perspective, it appears more successfully applied to cases of mental decline due to poor circulation and depression than treating AD. However, it should still be considered in cases of Alzheimer's, particularly the early stages, as it has numerous other benefits, including increasing circulation; antioxidant activity; enhancing the utilization of oxygen and glucose; and membrane stabilizing effects. These effects are most useful to the brain and nerve cells. Unlike other tissues, the brain constantly needs oxygen and glucose. If circulation to the brain is reduced, an unwanted chain of biochemical reactions is started, leading to cellular death. Gingko extract enhances oxygen utilization and increases the uptake of glucose to maintain brain balance. It promotes the nerve transmission rate, improves the synthesis of brain neurotransmitters, and normalizes acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus, the area of the brain most affected by Alzheimer's disease (Pizzorno, Joseph, et al. Textbook of Natural Medicine. Edinburg, NY: Churchill Livingstone, 1999, p. 752-3).

Other benefits to seniors include treatment of peripheral arterial disease, vertigo, tinnitus, and antidepressant effects. The modern Chinese formula containing acorus and ginkgo nut mentioned above contains 24% gingko flavonoids with supportive herbs such as salvia. Nine tablets per day of the formula will supply 180 mg of gingko extract, which is comparable to the dosage used in clinical studies.

Salvia

Salvia, also known as dan shen or red sage root, has become an important herb in modern Chinese medicine. In addition to its use in TCM prescriptions for pain and stagnant blood, modern scientific experiments have confirmed that salvia improves microcirculation; dilates blood vessels; improves circulation; and slows blood clotting time (Huang, Kee Chang. The Pharmacology of Chinese Herbs, 2nd ed. CRC Press, 1999, p. 94). Salvia is traditionally used for its calming effects; thus, it could be considered as part of a formula for geriatric patients to increase circulation with or without mental agitation and depression. It is said to interact with the blood thinning medication cumadin (warfarin). Salvia is found with gingko extract in the abovementioned formula.

Huperzine A

It is estimated that over 100,000 people have been treated with huperzine A in China, where it is used as a treatment for AD and other kinds of dementia. In addition to being less toxic than current drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease, it appears more effective in a number of areas.

Huperzine A is a compound that can be manufactured in the lab or extracted from club moss extract (huperzia serrata; qian ceng ta), and has been traditionally used to treat fever and inflammation. Research carried out at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica found that huperzine A improved memory significantly better than tacrine or the drug #2020 (Neuroreport 1996, Dec. 20; 8 (1): 97-101).

Fifty patients with AD were administered 200 mcg of huperzine A BID for 8 weeks. Twenty-nine patients showed improvements in memory, cognitive abilities and behavioral functions on the basis of the Wechseler memory scale, Hasegawa dementia scale, and other internationally accepted standards (Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao 1995, Sept: 116 (5) 391-395).

Huperzine A may reduce injury to cells from strokes, epilepsy and other disorders. It is being clinically used for treatment of myasthenia gravis in China. It is also being studied in Israel for its ability to be used prophylactically against nerve gas poisoning. Naturally extracted huperzine A, vinpocetine, and rosemary are combined in vinpurazine.TM Recommended dosage is 1-4 tablets daily.

Conclusion

Herbs may play a promising role in the early treatment of Alzheimer's and other conditions involving poor memory and dementia. One of the chief benefits is they have low toxicity compared with pharmaceutical agents. There is no reason botanicals could not be used adjunctively with drugs, or other complementary approaches such as SAMe, fish oil and antioxidant vitamins. A review of the literature indicates that the sooner the treatment is begun, the better the outcome. Therefore, if clients have family members with a history of Alzheimer's disease, or other states involving poor memory, they may start taking these remedies prior to the onset of symptoms to delay or possibly prevent the advent of symptoms. The acorus/ginkgo formula mentioned above (with salvia and gingko) and vinpurazine with naturally extracted huperzine A are two promising long-term therapies for people suffering from memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

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Mars ?

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The planet Mars is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, easily visible with the unaided eye as a bright red star. Every two years or so, Mars and Earth reach their closest point, called “opposition”, when Mars can be as close as 55,000,000 km from Earth. And every two years, space agencies take advantage of this orbital alignment to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. 


How long does it take to get to Mars?

 
The total journey time from Earth to Mars takes between 150-300 Days depending on the speed of the launch, the alignment of Earth and Mars, and the length of the journey the spacecraft takes to reach its target. It really just depends on how much fuel you’re willing to burn to get there. More fuel, shorter travel time.

The History of Going to Mars
The first spacecraft ever to make the journey from Earth to Mars was NASA’s Mariner 4, which launched on November 28, 1964 and arrived at Mars July 14, 1965, successfully taking a series of 21 photographs. Mariner 4′s total flight time was 228 days.

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are thought to be captured asteroids. Both satellites were discovered in 1877 by Asaph Hall and are named after the characters Phobos (panic/fear) and Deimos (terror/dread) who, in Greek mythology, accompanied their father Ares, god of war, into battle. Ares was known as Mars to the Romans.

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Bombay Blood Group ?

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Bombay Blood Group

The discovery of Bombay Blood Group was made more than 50 years ago with a patient who was admitted to KEM Hospital and required blood transfusions.  A sample of blood was sent to the Blood Bank for grouping as is the usual practice.  The red cells grouped like O group and hence O group blood was administered.  The patient developed haemolytic transfusion reaction, and therefore transfusion had to be stopped.

A detailed study of the patients blood revealed a rare genotype (blood group), which was neither ‘A’ nor ‘B’ nor ‘AB’ nor ‘O’.  Since the first case was detected in Mumbai (then Bombay), the blood group came to be called as Bombay Blood Group.  Blood from a Bombay Blood Group individual only should be transfused to a Bombay Blood Group patient.

It is now known that the precursor protein from which all blood groups are formed is termed as the ‘H’ Antigen.  The ‘H’ Antigen either translates into ‘A’ Antigen (the blood group is then called ‘A’) or it translates into ‘B’ Antigen (the blood group is then called ‘B’) or it translates into both ‘A’ and ‘B’ Antigens (the blood group is then called ‘AB’) or it remains as ‘H’ (the blood group is called ‘O’).  Earlier the detection of ‘O’ was on the basis of absence of both ‘A’ and ‘B’. In the case of Bombay Blood Group, there was an absence of the ‘H’ Antigen itself.  Therefore ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘AB’ and ‘O’ which are all different manifestations of ‘H’ are all alien for persons with Bombay Blood Group.  The Bombay Blood Group is termed as ‘OH’, which means absence of ‘H’.

Earlier, the Institute of Immuno Haematology (IIH) housed in the ICMR at K.E.M. Hospital, Mumbai, was the only referral laboratory for determining the Bombay Phenotype.  Samples from all over the country were sent to the IIH, which was the only place, which maintained a directory of persons detected with the Bombay Blood Group.  Here again, the presence or absence of  Rhesus Antigen would determine whether the person is Bombay Rh Positive or Bombay Rh Negative.  Today there are many laboratories and Blood Banks, which are able to detect and label Bombay Group.

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If you are looking for Bombay Blood Group

If you are lookng for Bombay Blood Group, it is quite likely that the required units are not available in any Blood Bank. Click here for advice on the course of action to be taken. 

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Phobias : Top 10 Bizarre.

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A lot of us have similar fears that give us the heebie-jeebies, whether we admit to facing them or not; fear of commitment, fear of getting caught with the boss's wife etc.


All of them are so common that they're more or less considered normal. But there are some other phobias, which are quite bizarre, random and unimaginable. Although, however unlikely they might be, people still suffer from them. Here is a list of the top 10 most bizarre phobias. We begin with a phobia of being stared at.

Scopophobia: Perhaps trouble-makers who start fights with "you looking at me?" have this phobia. It is a deathly fear of being looked at by others, something that we're sure isn't too easy to live with.

Symptoms of Scopophobia are individual and unique to the person coping with this phobia. Some people, may feel slightly uncomfortable, become nauseated or begin to perspire. Whereas, other people with this phobia experience anxiety or panic attacks or just won't leave home, because of the feeling that they are being stared at by someone.

Xanthophobia: This phobia is a deathly fear of the color yellow. It extends to things that are yellow in color, and in some extreme cases just the word "yellow "is enough to cause fear. Sufferers are unable to be around the color without developing deep dread and even panic attacks. Be it a daisy or a yellow rain coat.

Symptoms of Xanthophobia may include heart palpitations, dry mouth, heightened senses etc.

Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

Symptoms include shaking, feelings of nausea and sickness, sweating, and dizziness, and heart palpitations, inability to speak and work properly, and anxiety attacks. Embarrassment is at the core of the problem, which prevents the sufferers from eating peanuts any more.

Agyrophobia: This is the fear of crossing roads, which relates to the belief that it will cause you harm. It is generally different from the fear of cars.

Agyrophobics find reasons to be terrified of roads and avoid them strongly to a point that the disorder hinders their ability to accomplish normal, everyday activities like going to a grocery store, walking through a parking lot, or even going on a vacation in which there will be a significant amount of walking.

Symptoms of agyrophobia include a feeling of dread when presented with the prospect of nearing a road, automatic or uncontrollable reactions to fear, rapid heartbeat, and trembling.

Anthophobia: People suffering from this phobia are never going to stop and smell the roses as it is a fear of flowers. They know that flowers won't hurt them but get anxious at the thought of them. Some people can even get affected by just flower parts like a petal or stem.

When in the presence of flowers, or in some cases of simply thinking about flowers, sufferers may experience feelings of panic, breathlessness, dizziness, rapid heart beat, trembling etc.

Coulrophobia: People with coulrophobia have a fear of clowns, which usually starts when they are children and clowns would come near them with their made-up faces.

It is a fear of, both, happy and sad-faced clowns, and the last place these people will go to is a circus.

Oikophobia: This phobia is one of the more miserable phobias to suffer from as it can be either a fear of the home itself or things in it, like appliances, furniture, etc. Most often, it is the fear of things inside the house.

If it is a fear of house work, then maybe all of us are victims of this phobia.

Nomophobia: Fear of being without a cell or mobile phone means that someone is afraid to be disconnected from the rest of the world.

Symptoms can be checking batteries obsessively or refusing to go anywhere that is out of cell range. These days, perhaps everyone has it to some degree as cell phones seem tied to us, but the ones with the real phobia simply cannot handle any thought of being without one. They can't bear the thought of their family, near and dear ones being totally out of reach.

Koumpounophobia: Koumpounophobia is literally a fear of buttons and normally occurs in childhood, continuing to grow as they grow old. The phobia can either refer to a fear of touching a button or seeing them grouped together. It can persist into adulthood.

Usually buttons are simply avoided, but choosing clothing (everything is zipped or tied) becomes a scary task as well.

Uranophobia is the fear of Heaven, itself, and the fear of going there. Possible reasons for getting this particular phobia have to do with fear-based religions as a child where God is made to seem like a scary being that will punish deviants.

Symptoms typically include extreme anxiety, dread and anything associated with panic such as shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, inability to articulate words or sentences, and shaking.

Read more Personal Health, Diet & Fitness stories on www.healthmeup.com

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Goodbye Roaming

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Goodbye Roaming, One-Nation & One-Number Cleared

To boost transparency and revive growth in the scandal-hit sector, the government on Thursday approved a new telecom policy that aims to ultimately abolish roaming charges, besides relaxing Internet telephony rules.

The National Telecom Policy 2012, which replaces more than a decade-old rules, was approved by the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

"The target is one nation full mobile number portability and working towards one nation free roaming," Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said. Under the new policy, the government plans to remove roaming fees, allowing users to retain their numbers even if they move from one circle or zone to another.

However, consumers will have to wait for some time for this as the Department of Telecom will first work out modalities of the new scheme before it is brought into force. Consulting firm Deloitte said NTP will benefit consumers, though it may impact the operators negatively in the short term.

"Number portability is going to be boon for consumers as they would be able to retain the number even though they migrate from one telecom circle to other... abolishing roaming charges would be negative in short term for operators as they would lose roaming revenue," Deloitte Haskins & Sells Partner Hemant Joshi said.

However, in the long run, as usage would increase with no roaming charges might offset the revenue loss caused to the operators, he added. The NTP will also separate telecom licences and spectrum, against the current practice of bundling them, and will charge a market-derived price for the airwaves.

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30 Floor Hotel in 15 Days

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Up in 15 days: China firm builds 30-floor hotel in ... - Mumbai Mirror


London They’re acknowledged as a 21st century super power with super computers and a super economy that is the envy of the whole world. Now China can claim another distinction — the title of the fastest builders on the planet after putting up a 30-storey hotel in just 15 days, or 360 hours.
The Ark Hotel was built on Dongting Lake in Hunan Province by Broad Group, a Chinese construction company which specialises in sustainable architecture, the Daily Mail reported. Not a single worker was injured in construction of the hotel, and despite being built so quickly, the 183,000 square foot monster can withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake.

This was tested by the China Academy of Building Research, who claim this is five times more quake-resistant than conventional buildings. The entire material was prefabricated and sections built to specification off-site, so there was very little wastage. The whole effort was also filmed for a time-lapse video.
The builders took just 46 hours to finish the main structural components and another 90 hours to finish the building enclosure, the Mail report said. All of the structure is soundproofed and thermal-insulated. They even have air quality monitoring in every room given the pollution problem in China.

While the men didn’t work all through the night, it was often 10 pm before they packed away heir lunchboxes. China’s previous record was a smaller 15-story building constructed in just six days.

The ark hotel

All material used was prefabricated to avoid waste. Complete structure is sound proof and thermal-insulated.

Every room has air quality monitoring to deal with pollution.

China’s previous record: a 15-storey building in six days.

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Credit Card : How to Select ?

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This is yet another post from the Suggest a Topic page, and this time I am going to talk about how to select a credit card. Radhika had asked this question once quite early on as well, but I didn’t feel that I have anything really useful to say on it so never got around to writing the post.

However, searching online made me feel that in general this is an area on which not much has been written about in an Indian context. So, I thought I’d write this post and at least start off the discussion, and present you views on how I would go about searching for a credit card if I had to do it.

The first thing I did was to look at cash back credit cards in India, which give you one percent or two percent cash back every time you make a purchase, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any good cash back credit cards in India. Some of them have a high annual fee, others make you jump through too many hoops, and a lot of them have some sort of a limit on them which considerably reduce their appeal.

In the US, people with a good credit history can get a good cash back credit card which doesn’t have any annual fee and to me that’s the best kind of credit card.

Let’s see what you can look at in the absence of such a credit card.

No Annual Fee

The first thing to keep in mind is that your credit card should have no annual charges. There are a lot of good credit cards without any fee, so there is no reason for you to go and get a credit card which has an annual fee.

I believe this to be true for most people, however there will be some folks out there who feel that the benefit of a particular credit card outweighs the annual fee, and if you have such a credit card in mind then that’s fine, but if you are just looking out for a new credit card, then I’d say look for one that doesn’t have any annual fee.

No Renewal Charges

Another fee I see with some credit cards is renewal fee that has to be paid at the end of every year. So obviously this is nothing but a credit card with an annual fee, but the annual fee has been waived off for the first year.

You may want keep away from such credit cards also.

Convenience to pay off your balance

If you get a credit card from your bank then you will probably be able to link the credit card with the bank account and pay off your credit card online, and that is a big convenience. Making it easy enough on yourself to pay off the balance will ensure that you don’t miss any payments because your check reached late or you were out of town or something else like that.

Keeping no balance is an extremely good financial habit, and I’ve written about how I myself got into a bit of a credit card issue early on, and you must do everything possible to keep your credit card balance zero, and the ease of paying it off is just one factor that adds to it.

What do you spend the most on?

In the absence of a cash back credit card the next best thing to do is to look for a credit card that has no annual fee, and has good reward points in the area where you spend the most.

For instance if you are working away from your home town, and visit home say thrice a year then probably a good chunk of your credit card spending in a year is on air travel, and you should look for a credit card that has got good reward points. On the other hand if you don’t expect a lot of air travel but drive a lot then a card that helps you get rewards on petrol purchase will be beneficial to you.

Selecting a Credit Card

Given the criteria above, say you want to select a credit card now, here is an example of what you could do.

Say you have a bank account with ICICI Bank, and travel a lot. In this case go to Rupee Times Compare a Credit Card section, and select the Issuer as ICICI, Reward as Airline, Annual Fee as Zero Annual Fee, and search for your options.

In this search I got only two results, and if I don’t travel a lot by those two airlines (Kingfisher and Singapore in this case) then I will have to broaden my search by going back, and removing the issuer from the criteria.

That shows up some more options and you can see if any of them are of any interest to you or not. If you are still not satisfied then take another category and do a little more research.

Eventually you should find something that is of interest to you, and can explore that option more.

Why am I ignoring Interest Rates?

Because they are so ridiculously high.

Paying interest on a credit card should really be the last thing you do, and is the worst kind of debt because it can easily snowball into a much larger number, and is generally spent on stuff that you can easily avoid.

While it is preferable to have a lower interest rate to a higher one, you should make all attempts to have your credit card balance zero.

There is really not a lot of science behind this, and it boils down to evaluating a lot of options, and choosing one that suits you the best. I hope this post can help you give some ideas on that, and as always comments are welcome.

Oh, and since we are on the topic, Ask Mr Credit Card, who is a prominent US credit card blogger did a guest post on OneMint early this year about silly ways of using a credit card, and I highly recommend you read that post.


What is credit card interest?

Interest is a charge for providing credit. All credit card accounts have an annual percentage rate (credit card interest rate). The applicable terms and conditions describe how interest is applied on a credit card account.

The annual percentage rate differs from product to product and different rates can be applied to the different types of transactions. For instance some bank products may have a different purchase rate and cash rate, or you may receive a special rate for a balance transfer. All of this is applied to the account's monthly aggregated balance to calculate the interest charge.
Interest charged by the bank can be divided into four categories:

    Purchase interest - is interest charged on purchases such as food from the supermarket, paying bills or direct debits such as insurance premiums.
    Cash interest - is interest charged on cash transactions such as ATM withdrawals, fund transfers to another account using internet banking or telephone banking, and bills paid over the counter at the bank, or post office.
    Special interest - is interest charged on other amounts, such as a balance transfer amount from one banks credit card to another.
    Interest on interest - is interest charged on interest charges shown on a statement of account which are outstanding and generated by the three categories above. Additional interest is charged on any interest charges, which are outstanding from the last statement period.

How is credit card interest calculated?

Credit Card Interest is calculated at the end of the statement period, and then charged to your account on the last day of each statement period. The banks start by working out the average daily balance (ADB) outstanding over the statement period. This is done by calculating the ending balance at the end of each day for all the transaction types, adding up each daily ending balance then dividing this by the number of days in the statement period. The banks then calculate the daily rate, they work this out by dividing each annual percentage rate (APR) applying to your card (i.e. standard rate, cash rate or balance transfer rate) by 365, number of days in a year.

Daily Rate = APR / 365. For example 18.15% APR / 365= 0.04973% daily rate.

The bank then multiplies the ADB by the daily rate. Finally, this number is then multiplied by the number of days in the statement period.
When is interest charged?

If interest is charged on your account it will be debited on the last day of your statement period. The first and the last day of each statement period is shown on your monthly credit card account statement.
What is an interest free period?

This is a feature of some credit cards which provides the opportunity to avoid paying interest on purchase transactions, by paying the account in full by the specified payment due date each month.

If your card has an interest free period, no interest will be charged on a purchase if:

    You pay the full closing balance by the payment due date for the statement on which the purchase is listed, and
    You have paid the closing balance of the previous statement by its payment due date.
    The maximum interest free period for a low rate Visa Card is 55 days. 30 days being the length of a normal statement period, and then 25 extra days between the last day of the statement period and the payment due date in which to pay the account in full to avoid purchase interest.
    If you did not pay the closing balance on your previous statement in full by the payment due date, your current statement will include interest charges for the outstanding balance, as well as any new transactions made since the closing date on that statement.

What if you don't pay the full closing balance by the due date every month?

If you have a credit card with an interest free period, you will be charged interest on purchases and cash transactions for that statement period, as well as on any new transactions made since the end of that period. This will continue to happen on future statement periods until your closing balance is fully paid in full on or before the due date of the latest statement.

If you don't have a credit card with an interest free period, interest is calculated daily on all transactions regardless of whether you pay the entire closing balance by the due date. Interest charges are debited to your account on the closing date of each statement period.
What if I pay the entire closing balance a few days after the due date?

If you have a credit card with an interest free period and you haven't paid the entire closing balance by the due date, you will lose the interest free benefit for that period. You will also be charged a late payment fee.
Before you apply for Credit Card

Before you apply for credit card, please check our site and compare credit card interest rates.
 

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Courts Cannot Round Off Marks

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Courts Cannot Round Off Marks Even by 0.29% : Supreme Court


NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has ruled that the judiciary cannot round off a candidate's marks to make her eligible for admission to higher studies.
Frowning upon a 0.29% upward rounding off done by Karnataka High Court to allow a student to get admitted to a PG course, a bench of Justices AK Patnaik and Ranjana P Desai on Thursday said, "The division bench of the HC erred in holding that the single judge was right in rounding off 54.71% to 55% so as to make the student eligible for admission to PG course. Such rounding off is impermissible."

It added, "When eligibility criteria is prescribed in a qualifying examination, it must be strictly adhered to. Any dilution or tampering with it will work injustice on other candidates."

The eligibility criteria prescribed for securing admission to the PG course was 55% aggregate marks. The student, who secured 54.71%, approached the Indian Nursing Council requesting issuance of a certificate of eligibility to her by rounding off her aggregate marks to 55%.

The council said 0.50% would normally be rounded off to the next digit and suggested her to request the institute to which she wanted to get admitted to in a PG course. But the institute refused to admit her on the ground that she did not have 55% aggregate marks.

Without disturbing her career as she has been admitted into the institute on the basis of the HC order, the apex court bench said, "No provision of any statute or any rule framed thereunder has been shown to us which permits rounding off of eligibility criteria prescribed for qualifying examination for admission to PG course in MSc (Nursing)."
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