Stalkers on the prowl

A creak of the door, foot falls heard in the corridor behind you, the phone rings and the caller says “I love you, I will kill you”. The first question that crops up is “Am I being stalked”?

Who is a stalker? A stalker is a person who follows or watches another person over a period of time in a way which is annoying and frightening.  A person who derives sadistic pleasure when his victim cringes with fear. This tendency to get under the skin unnerves even the strongest person.

Though India was once supposed to be free from such problems but after the movie ‘Darr’, some sadists got ideas. Many theories have been written on this phenomenon but no one has come up with a cure for this mental and emotional sickness, as it is called. There are a lot of people who have this tendency but the most prominent of them are jilted lovers who try to scare their ex-lovers into coming back.

The psychological maniacs who go around stalking people for no apparent reason do it just for the taste of power. More than 90 per cent of these stalkers are personally known to their victims and appear normal when confronted by the authorities. They live a dual life as if they have some kind of multiple personality disorder.  As insecurity increases amongst people so does the number of stalkers.

They know the daily routine of their victims and are angry if this cosy set up changes. It is a proven fact that out of every five stalkers, four are men who mostly stalk females but in certain cases even men are targeted. The stalkers seem to be like shadows, who do make themselves known but physically disappear into oblivion.

A new class of stalkers is emerging with time changing. Most of them are harmless; only in rare and extreme cases is a murder committed.

In several countries, stalking is not considered a crime till some serious consequence takes place. But if a person does feel insecure and the feeling of being victimized by a stalker (or any one) does come, it is advisable not to venture out or stay indoors alone. Talk to a friend or a colleague to walk you home if it gets late and notify the police at the first instance you get such a threat from someone.

Toning your body

Body toning exercises concentrate on specific areas of the body. For example, sit-ups are done to tone the abdominal muscles. Other examples include jumping jacks, any floor exercises or gymnastics and leg lifts.

Leg Raise:

Step 1: Lie flat on your back, with your hands under your lower back.

Step 2: Raise your legs a few inches above the floor, slowly. By lifting slowly, you do not gain momentum from the upward swinging. Slower the legs are raised, the more work your muscles do, thereby giving you a better work-out. When raising your feet, raise them to a point so that they form an angle of 30 – 45 degrees. Beginners may need to raise their feet to form an angle of about 15- 20 degrees.

Step 3: Lower your feet to the floor, without your heels touching the floor.

Step 4: Repeat steps 1 to 3.

It is recommended to repeat the steps 20–30 times. As you gain endurance and strength, increase the repetitions by increments of 5 to 10.

Crunches:

According to a recent study four of the top-selling abdominal machines show “no significant differences in muscle activity for the basic crunch, oblique crunch and reverse curl with the devices when compared to the same exercises performed without them”.

Basic (Front) Crunch:

Step 1: Lie on your back (belly-side up) with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips behind your ears, or cross your arms across your chest.

Step 2: Contract your abdominal muscles and tilt your pelvis up toward your knees.

Step 3: Raise your shoulders off the floor so that your head and the ground form an angle of 30-45 degrees.

Note: Do not bend your back out of the normal posture (flat and slightly curved inward,) as it may cause back injury.

Step 4: Lower your shoulders back to resting position.

Rock Street Journal -A magazine dedicated to music

The founder of one of the best rock magazines covering the rock scene of India and South Asia died recently. Amit Saigal, a musician, promoter and publisher, founded the Rock Street Journal in 1993 in Allahabad. It is a monthly journal which aims at providing news on one of the most popular genres of all time.

The magazine, like any other, features stories based on rock music. Over the years, the magazine has published the stories of unknown bands, which otherwise would not have got a chance to get noticed. Interestingly, the magazine promotes popular genres like metal, jazz, blues and others as well. 

The website of the magazine (www.rsjonline.com) has a section where amateur singers and musicians can upload their songs. Besides providing opportunities to budding rockstars, it also provides information on forthcoming rock concerts and college fests throughout the country.

Some Rock Street Journal events which are popular among youngsters are Red Romanov Pubrockfest, Seagram’s Fuel Great Indian Rock and others. These concerts are held annually and attract huge crowds.

In one of the issues of the magazine, the north-eastern part of the country was explored to report the spread of a vibrant music culture. It was found that the growth of the culture was tremendous in the last decade or so. It is the only magazine to have spread information among people who have little or no idea about the region and its rock bands.

Amit Saigal’s death under mysterious circumstances is a jolt to the rock industry. But, thanks to his contribution, rock has become hugely popular in the last few years in the country. Reading about bands and listening to their songs and experimenting with music have opened new doors of creativity and expression.

It’s no longer a tough ‘job’

Searching for a good job, either by a fresher or for an already employed individual seeking a change, is no longer a Herculean task provided you fulfil the eligibility criterion of recruiters. The evolution of Internet has made the task easy for job seekers. There are many sites that provide innumerable options to search for jobs that suit your interest and requirements. Besides providing information on openings in almost every profession and city, there are different sites specially designed to provide career-related information and openings for engineers, media professionals, teachers and others.

There are sites such as Employmentnews.gov.in or Sarkarinaukari.com to tell you about openings in government sector and once you are registered with them you will get regular updates of every recruitment schedule. Some sites also send messages on mobiles about openings.

Career-related websites not only inform you about new openings but also help you to improve your resume to make it job-specific. There are sites like resunate.com, resumesimo.com and rezscore.com that help build up your resume, keeping in mind certain professional criteria. There are sites that provide an option to upload video resumes too.

With the financial year ending, annual appraisals in almost all corporate houses are over. Some are happy to get salary hikes and promotions and many are wondering why they haven’t been rewarded for their hard work. If you belong to the latter group, it means you need a change. Finding a new job while already in one can be difficult and if your boss comes to know about it, it may jeopardize your current job.

Fearing such an outcome, many people avoid using social networking sites to look for a new job. There are a few Do’s and Don’ts to follow when you are searching for a new job. The rule of thumb is that one should not search for a new job at his or her current work-place. There are employers who monitor emails and online activities. People should not announce that they are seeking for a new job. Use your connections online and display your efficiency and knowledge in professional communities.

According to a survey, one out of six persons employed by Information Technology (IT) companies found their job online. People must spruce up online profiles in social networking and professional networking sites such as Facebook, Google Plus and LinkedIn. One should read the social media policy of their companies. Many companies do not allow their employees to indulge in unnecessary online activities using office bandwidth. 

Choose the right colour to look good

It is difficult for all women to put up a makeup that works best for them. But certain rules of makeup can help you have that best look you want for your face.

Foundation should exactly match the skin colour so that there are no lines of demarcation.

Concealer should be only a shade or two lighter than the foundation.

Powder should match the foundation or go on without it so that it won’t affect the colour of the foundation in the least.

Eye shadow colours (when used as a brow tint) should match the exact colour of the eyebrow hair.

Eyeliner on the upper lid should be of darker colour (all the way to black, depending on the look you want) than the line along the lid, which should be of softer shade of beige or brown.

Blush can be of almost any colour as long as it coordinates in some logical fashion with the lipstick colour, but it must be blended on softly without any noticeable edges.

Women with smaller lips should wear brighter shades of lipsticks than those with larger lips.

To create a tanned appearance, use golden brown and chestnut shades for your blush, eye shadows, contour and lipstick, but under no circumstance apply a foundation or a bronzer all over the face as it leaves a line of demarcation at the jaw or hairlines.

If you are wearing clothes of an obvious colour such as red or pink, it is an option to match your lipstick with that colour. However, try not to clash colour tones. For example, if the outfit you are wearing is peach or coral in colour, your blush and lipstick should have the same underlying colour tone or be neutral enough not to clash.

The ‘halo’ of English

“The sun never sets on the British Empire” was a very famous saying. For a little over a hundred years, from the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century it was almost true. How a nation, less than half the size of Rajasthan, managed to extend its sovereignty over a better part of the globe was sheer grit and excellent managerial skills. Now, that the sun has finally set on the Empire, the British do not reign supreme but their language does.

The vice –the grip that the English language has cast on the societies across the demographic barriers is astonishing. So much so that people not conversant with its usage are considered illiterate and unsophisticated.

The present generation is compelled to learn the language because of sheer economic necessity. Our struggle for freedom against the British was pioneered by despising this very language and developing a feeling of bonding with Hindi and our mother tongues.

 A lot of pride was taken at one time in associating oneself with Hindi, but with increasing foreign participation in our industrial growth and a shift of job preferences from the public sector to the private sector, Hindi is losing its glint in comparison to English. 

The importance of English is evident from the very fact that you lose half the value of your qualifications and their credibility if you cannot reply in English during an interview.

With the onslaught of multinationals, which have forayed in India in a big way, the need for fluent and flawless English has amplified. People working with multinational companies say that to work with such companies you have to be fluent in English to complement your qualification. Students, on the other hand, feel that being fluent in English can make the difference between your being selected in an interview or not. Teachers and enlightened citizens opine that good English is not only important for communicating but also in socializing and provides a boost to career opportunities.

In the present context, it is very important to encourage our forthcoming generations to be well versed with this language however ironical it might seem for Hindustanis. Because it is better to blend with the changing times rather than lamenting afterwards.

Piano: Mother of keyboard instruments

Piano is used widely in Western classical and jazz performances and also as an accompanying instrument in concerts and recordings. Derived from the Italian word, Pianoforte (Piano means quiet and Forte means loud), it has an octave range of seven -and –a- half (found in modern pianos).

The credit for the invention of modern piano goes to Bartolomeo Cristofori of Italy in 1700 (the date is not certain as some believe it was 1698). Earlier, instruments like Clavichord and Harpsichord were used. However, they had their limitations. While the Clavichord was too loud, the Harpsichord was too soft for stage performances. The Industrial Revolution brought changes in the design of the piano. During those times, the octave range of the instrument was five.

Piano is a keyboard instrument and the modern synthesiser is based on it. The synthesiser uses electricity and can produce the sounds of other instruments also. However, its soul is the piano. The Grand Piano is still used in affluent Western homes for solo performances. As the name suggests, the instrument is bigger than others. It is a symbol of elegance, style and in some cases, tradition.  The White House has a Grand Piano which is used occasionally to entertain important heads of states and other dignitaries during banquets.

Legendary Western classical composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven used the instrument to compose some of the most memorable symphonies.  Recall the jingle of the Titan watch advertisement. It was originally composed on the piano by Mozart and is known as Symphony 25 (composed in 1773).

Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the band Queen, was known for his terrific stage performances. He played the instrument himself occasionally during his concerts. Sir Elton John also uses it extensively. The song “Candle in the wind” was composed using the piano as the main instrument along with other modern accompaniments. The song was his tribute to Princess Diana, who died in a tragic car crash in 1997.

Although, its use is limited nowadays as it has been replaced by the synthesiser, it still has retained its old charm. Some notable manufacturers of piano today are Aeolian, Yamaha, Zimmermann and others.

Dynamic Denims

Dynamic Blues are rocking the fashion streets. The shops are flooded with brands, old and new, inviting to take your pick. Jeans was once considered the single most potent symbol of American style on planet Earth. Jeans have come a long way, from a time, when some schools in America had actually put a ban on them.

Despite travelling through many eras, Jeans are here to stay. Who would have imagined two decades ago that more weary, woe-be-gone and faded pair of jeans will look the most fashionable. In fact, innovations and new styles have always revived them, given them a new look and made them hot favourites for anyone and everyone. Jeans have weathered many storms since its inception in 18th   century. The California Gold Rush in 19th century, war in 1940, the cold war in the 60s and 70s and the latest recession in the 1990s, all passed by, leaving Jeans still in demand.

Earlier, Jeans was looked upon as a symbol of rebellion. Guys, who used to wear Jeans, were not considered decent. With time, the taboo was broken and perceptions changed. Jeans have been accepted as a universal outfit for every generation. People do not mind legging in these, even in social gatherings and parties. This overwhelming response from public has compelled fashion designers to work on Denim, for newer styles and fits.

Top-rank fashion designers are introducing new designs of Jeans, every now and then. New-fits are being introduced, which cater to every age group. Tight-fit Jeans attract younger generations and basic comfort-fits suit the middle-aged and above.

During the last decade and so, the Denim has evolved into an all time selection. Even the young mothers of 1990s were totally swept by it as it offered a whole lot of kid’s wear which are both, rough and tough.

Lee Coopers, Lee, Wrangler, Levi’s and Pepe, are some of the most popular brands doing the rounds. Most Jeans companies are growing at the rate of 20 to 25 percent, annually. However, in India the market is not too roomy. The competition in this circuit is stiff, making it hard for every company to strive for profit sharing.

New trends are evolving as customer’s choice is changing. The need for variety wardrobe is fast catching up. Stylized Jeans are making new waves. Revolutionary cuts, shapes and styles, authentic, vintage and ethnic, cotton, lycra and polyester blends, and varied colours are all in the business, as long as it clicks and shelves keep off-loading.

People are now going in for more light weight, relaxed jeans suitable for conditions of tropical countries like ours. The feel and look of these are totally different from those conventional heavy jeans. Some of the popular brands are hitting the markets with more experimentation —carving zardosi, bead work, swarovski crystals, sequine, hand embroidery, metal studs, buckles and flairs. These styles give a unique Indian look to this western clothing.

Recently, ‘boot cut’, a new style in Denim has stormed the streets. A great hit with the youngsters, it kept the sales chart moving upwards. Also, flat fronts, cross pockets, three overlapped pleats, all this and much more is happening for the fashionables.

With plenty of varieties and styles to pick from, Denim remains the longest lasting fashion statement.

Denim Details

LAST DECADE of the 20th century saw a complete makeover of technology and lifestyles. Even in India, people are becoming more and more conscious of their appearance.  The dress sense is shifting towards comfortable, yet trendy dressing, and Denim has become a ‘must-have’ in the wardrobe. Denim dominates the youth fashion mantra as nothing before. Despite being so popular and widely worn, very few people know much about it.

Jeans is not a fabric and even the word ‘Denim’ is often misunderstood. Jeans is a pair of trousers made out of cotton fabric, called Denim. Denim is a twill-weave fabric with distinguishable diagonal lines made by weaving. Originally, Denim was made only in indigo and blue colours but, today it is available in variety of colours and shades, usually over-dyed on the fabric.  Different shades of blue are obtained by washing Denim fabric with different chemicals and other processes. These washes are called acid wash, stone wash and peach finish. Any thick cotton fabric in indigo or blue colour is not Denim.

New names are emerging in the market for trouser materials, like khakis, chinos and gabardines. They all are basically cotton or blended twill-weave fabric of different thickness, yarn count or colour; khaki is a khaki-colour gabardine. They are different from Denim.

Jeans were initially made out of a thick canvas fabric as a work-wear for miners, and it eventually developed into a fashionable casual wear.

A basic Jeans has five pockets, two at the back, two in front and one small pocket. The others are adapted styles, according to use and fashion. These are called by different names like cargo, six or eight pocket trousers or baggies.

A Jeans may or may not have topstitching which can be in contrast or matching. It also has a variety of fits that change with fashion fads. These fits are suited to different figure-types. Some of these are:

Classic fits— they are semi-fitted and suits on most people and are the most comfortable.

Tight fits—they can be stretchable and suits only on long and thin legged persons.

Boot cuts— the trousers are tight at thighs and hips but widens at the hems.

Straight fits— these have an overall parallel-fit and suits on people with heavier hips and waists.

Anti fits—it is the latest trend and it looks best on very thin people, giving them a little volume.

Low waists—trousers that generally fit around the naval, it is called natural waist. A little below waist level is called low waist. If one wears a 24-size natural-waist jeans, the size of the low waist should be 26, i.e., one size larger.

Last but not the least, jeans is a casual wear garment, though a number of designers have used Denim for formal wear also, it still does not qualify for a formal or party wear. Now that it is the most happening fashion statement, many yuppies can be seen sporting Denims in the evening, as well. The more faded and worn out they look the better it seems to get, by the day.

Blue Print

The Jeans cult was named after sailors from Genoa from Italy. It is believed that it has originated from a European material called jean. As far as Denim is concerned, it originated from a French material called Serge de Nimes.

Denim is unique in its singular connection with one colour as warp-yarn is dyed traditionally with a blue pigment extracted from indigo dye. Before 20th century, synthetic dye was not known and indigo was the only dye used in manufacturing of Jeans.

Denim offers durability, but cannot sustain frequent washing as colour fades away with every wash.

Lee Jeans introduced the first pre-washed Jeans whereas Francois Girband was the first to introduce stone-washed Jeans.

Did Wikipedia kill the Encyclopaedia Britannica?

Wikipedia has information on almost all subjects under the sun. So has Encyclopaedia Britannica. After 244 years of publishing, it seems, Encyclopaedia Britannica that provides irrefutable facts has lost battle to Wikipedia (and to other online sources) that provides unconfirmed and many a time bogus information. Britannica will not be printed any more. However, the encyclopaedia lovers who decorated their libraries shelves with 32-volume set of the encyclopaedia will be able to access its digital edition by paying an annual subscription. The complete set of Encyclopaedia Britannica weighs about 58 kgs while you can access the complete version on an i-pad that weighs 635 grams without flicking through pages for your desired topic. Is this an example of online world expanding its horizons in publishing sector?

The reason for its print run closure, it is believed, is a drastic plunge in its sales from 1, 20,000 copies in 1990 to 8,000 copies of its latest edition since June 2009. And its total revenue from online subscriptions to selling printed copies (Since June 2009) is 11m USD and meanwhile Wikipedia has collected over 60m USD.

A 32-volume set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica costs around 70,000 RS; an i-Pad edition monthly subscription costs 100 RS and its annual online subscription costs 3500 RS. On the other, Wikipedia is free.

Wikipedia is flourishing for a few simple reasons. It is free and easily accessible. Anyone can write articles and edit articles on the site; corrections are made public after moderation. The site not only provides information in English but in over 270 languages—ranging from Sanskrit to French. 

More than 400m people visit the site every month. Wikipedia has over 38, 90,000 articles in English written by over 7, 51,426 contributors. While the latest edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica has 65,000 articles written by 4,000 prominent writers including five former USA presidents and 110 Nobel laureates.

The credibility of the content available on Wikipedia is doubtful because of anonymity of writers. Information on the site can only be verified through sources referred at the end of articles. The credibility of content is an important aspect for any reader.

On the credibility of content on Wikipedia, Founder Jimmy Wales says: "You shouldn't really use Wikipedia as the sole source for anything, ever. You shouldn't use anything as the sole source for anything, in my view." His statement is apposite for the digital age when we refer to online sources for our queries. Wales has clearly stated that ‘check and re-check’ before using any information available on the Web.

Talking of your teen and mine

So much said and still untold, the talk of teen is still a voluminous affair and the circles continue to rotate around their common centre. Call it ‘the centre of gravity’, or ‘the centrifuge’, or ‘the centre of centipede’. It is called an age (or should we call it span) that had occurred to us, and must have occurred/be occurring/ about to occur to you. 

Those who have passed this phase aren’t even, in their senses, aware of it. But then, this age is vicious in character and makes itself obvious through different means, it might have happened through T.V., your home, neighbourhood relations, or for that matter anywhere that can strike your imagination. In any case, it does consume a part of your thoughts. Let’s talk about the ‘teen’ then.

Teens are, generally, a different species; in the sense that they are in the process of complex physical and emotional upheaval. When we talk of such upheavals, we are actually talking about changes that eventually decide the ultimate being of the person. As the steering can either deflect or set straight, the direction of the person’s future. Most often than not, the society isn’t much observant of the peculiarities that a teen possesses and they are taken as they are without giving a second thought.

The intensity of any subject is decided by ‘when, what, why, who, where and how?’, and of course, the physical changes. The individual approach is further additive to the intensity of the subject.

Coming first to emotions, the nerve that throbs most as soon as the word hits your ear drum isn’t a nerve at all, it is an artery that pumps straight into your heart. Indeed, we are talking about love. To most teenagers, the distinction between love and attraction isn’t much obvious and the two things are taken to have branched out from each other. Moreover, emotional hangover is the other most often observed phenomena among the ‘teen community’. 

Although this thing can’t be helped, it is always possible to minimise the aftermaths, and the best way to do so is a talk that ‘involves’. Next in emotion, comes the emotional jeopardy. It can be out of emotional insecurity or the surrounding effects and can have its impact in the form of various mental and physical disorders with complex psychological terminology, both of mild and grave consequences.

Busy parents, empty houses and a lot of unknown feelings are enough to make a teen feel like ‘an outcaste’.  A lot of distractions constantly work to evade the teen from his/her path.

‘Career’ is another word that echoes in the circles of teen. Young graduates and undergraduates are always uncertain about their career and ever tensed for it.

The other most intriguing aspect of ‘teen-hood’ is physical in nature. Teenage is characterised by reshuffling of the hormonal levels, leading to the changes in the physical state of the individual. The general sense of attraction towards the person of opposite sex is a consequence attributed to the ‘hormone bank’ of the person concerned

Lack of proper guidance and moral support results in multiple numbers of suicide (attempts at least!) cases. Emotional depression engulfs the conscious brains of the teen and they ultimately lose hold of their self control. Jealousy, envy, hatred, malice and more of such unpleasant emotions pile up when a teen encounters his public and personal drag-downs.

A lot of cases regarding methods of unfair competition have been put in to ‘topple over and trod’ theory.

A clearer understanding of the personal interest right from the early childhood and its constant boosting through the teen can surely help in doing away with undesirable happenings.

Nonetheless, you only begin somewhere to end somewhere, from where another thing begins. But all said and done the matter remains the same. ‘Teen-ache’ doesn’t really ache with sound; it lies hidden and needs care and cure. 

Rabindra Sangeet: Connoisseur’s Delight

Rabindra Sangeet is a form of music composed by Rabindranath Tagore. It is inspired by Indian Classical and folk music. Tagore wrote some 2,230 songs during his lifetime.

The collection of these songs is known as Gitabitan (garden of songs). There are four parts of this book— Prem (Love), Pooja (Worship), Prakriti (Nature) and Bichitra (Diverse).

Rabindra Sangeet has a great influence on the Bengali culture, which is equal to or even greater than what Shakespeare had on the English speaking world. The genre, like Shakespearean plays, requires a selected audience who can understand the nuances of the music.

The musical instruments used in the performance of Rabindra Sangeet are the harmonium, dhol, tabla, sitar and others. The emphasis during its performances is given on the lyrics, as they convey a lot of emotions ranging from love to nationalism.

Some renowned singers of Rabindra Sangeet are  Suchitra Mitra, Pankaj Mullick, Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Debabrata Biswas, Kanika Bandopadhyay and others.  

What are Quick Response (QR) Codes?

You must have seen black square mazes of odd patterns in a white square box in newspaper or magazine advertisements. It is not a fancy box to add beauty to ads. These fuzzy boxes are known as QR Codes. They contain useful information such as contact details and information about the product or company. It can also direct persons to a web address or give them some information such as contact numbers, some message or any such details as text when one decodes it using a code reader.

QR Code is a kind of matrix bar code and contains more information than the Universal Bar Codes (UBC)—you must have seen white and black striped UBCs on the back of books and greeting cards or for that matter even on the packet of a washing powder or biscuits. The usage of QR codes began in the automobile industry to identify vehicles while manufacturing in 1994. Later, these codes became popular for their usability and utility.

QR codes are used everywhere in the USA and European countries. People use them even in business cards these days. A non-profit organisation in the USA used QR code to provide walkers information about a park and make them aware about their environment. Similarly, artistes use in their paintings to give art lovers information on painting and artiste. There are several other usages of QR codes and different people use it in different ways to suit their requirements.

The easier readability of these codes has made them popular. QR codes can be decoded using QR code readers in smart phone camera and a code-reading application. Many Android, Nokia, Blackberry handsets and other smart phones with high-end operating system are available with pre-installed QR Code readers. It is the first time that the bar code readers have become handy. Mobile users those do not QR code readers can download free code reader applications like QR Droid, Scan Life and Red Laser to their phone from Internet. You can download free QR code readers for Android phones from http://market.android.com; for Apple phone from http://appshopper.com and for Blackberry phones from http://appworl.blackberry.com.

There are many sites where you can create your own QR codes providing needful information you want to give in a QR Code. There are several sites where you can generate QR code for your company. A few useful website for generating QR codes are http://qrcode.kaywa.com , zxing project, delivr, QR stuff, maestro, etc.

Some websites provide features such as allowing users to add colours or pictures to these codes.  There is a website http://qrhacker.com where you can create a colourful QR code and can even make one uploading a picture and feeding information into the given dialogue boxes.

Here is a QR code that will provide readers with contact information of Yuva Sambad.  (Picture: YS QR CODE)

Dance to the tunes of Trance

Trance music was developed in the 1990s. Germany is the birth place of trance. It is electronic dance music generally characterized by a tempo between 125 and 150bpm (beats per minute). It is a combination of various forms of music like electronic, techno, house, industrial and others.  

Historically, the most popular DJs (disc jockeys) around the world played trance music. A different type of trance, called ‘Uplifting trance’ has become popular lately. This is characterized by buildups and breakdowns which are more progressive than subtle. Uplifting vocals especially by female artistes have become common lately.

Some notable trance musicians or artistes are Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond, Paul van Dyk and others.

The musical instruments used are basically electronic with heavy usage of synthesizer, electronic drums, turntables and electronic mixers to generate the feeling of the music in which rhythmic beats are stopped in the middle of a number to let the melody stand on its own for a few seconds. Since 1995 trance has maintained its position of being the most popular form of dance music.

U2 can be creative

Yes, you too can be creative, but how? At the outset, one has to be original. You have to shed off the myth that only artists and scientists are creative. A child crying to get a toy is as creative as a painter or a sculptor planning their masterpieces. Recall the last excuse you gave to your school teacher for reaching late to school. Wasn’t that creative? Creativity can be manifested in an idea for cooking, creating a new game, launching a product or unique advertisement copy, just anything.

Pre-requisite for creativity is surprisingly, not a high IQ, in fact, illogical bizarre thinking gives birth to creativity. Experiments are not conducted with results in mind, so also in case of any new design or a style. The easiest thing coupled with creativity is, there is no age-barrier. At any point of life, a person can be creative, though the output may be low with growing years but the quality becomes more refined. Be prepared to be called a neurotic or crazy even eccentric. Galileo, Aristotle too were called the same. CRAZY and CREATIVE, both begin with ‘C’. innovative, isn’t it?

Steps to be creative

1. Birth of an idea:  Think of new ideas, the nascent ones.
2. Gather and assess:  Do your research, visualize the obstacles and appraise the results.
3. Act:  Explore in actual, put it into practice, face the hardships—let people criticize, be a good critic yourself.
4. Incubate:   Use your imagination to communicate with your subconscious. If you get stuck up somewhere—take a break, distract yourself from the monotony—take a shower or a walk –it helps.
5. Illuminate:  Check when you are most creative? Do ideas come to you while having a bath (Eureka), running, going to sleep, playing? 
6. Polish:  Check how to improve, refine yourself.

Mission completed—relax and celebrate. It is always good to suffer from a ‘buyers regret’, it helps you to move on—go ahead.    

Chat Room Etiquette

Helpful Tips:

1. Don’t give out any personal information like telephone number, home address, school name or parent’s office address.
2. Use any name, other than your real one as your log-on name.
3. Sometimes you may meet a friend online and discover that you both live in the same city. Do not start setting up meetings or telephonic conversations without your parent’s supervision! If you are talking on phone, make sure you have blocked your caller ID so that the other person cannot track you.
4. Stay cool and calm when you think that someone is getting rude or is causing trouble.
5. Learn how to use ‘smileys’ to show how you are feeling.
6. Since you can’t see or even hear the person you are chatting with, it would be easy for someone to fool you (You know that because you too can do it, right?). Someone can even use your log on name and pretend that it is you. Your friends will think it is ‘the real you’ by just asking some questions only known to you and your friend.
7. How to stay cool when someone is rude?
8. Ignore the person completely. Don’t even speak about that person to others in the room. Don’t send rude messages back to the person unless you are ready for a flame war! Remember, they want your attention. Don’t give it to them.
9. Report the incident in writing to the administrator of the chat room. Tell him what the problem is, which room you are in, what day and time, what his/her name is, and any other details you feel are important. If you are specific with all these details, it will be easy for you to find relevant information about the person.
10. Don’t give them the pleasure of knowing that you are upset due to them. Remember, they want your attention. But fortunately trouble-makers are a sad minority. Don’t let them spoil your fun!
11. You can always just log-off and do something else. It’s your keyboard and you have the control over it. Just calmly exit from the chat room.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Safety:

Internet Relay Chat is a method of communication in real time over the Internet. When you type something on the window it gets immediately posted to the rest of the people currently tuned in to your channel of conversation. IRC will never be a safe place to chat programmes among net-heads. It will be hard to totally prevent a user from using it. So what is the goal? We need to empower users in Internet safety education. The most important thing is to take permission from your parents or guardian before downloading or using IRC. 

Sharing is fun

Sharing is always fun. Sharing updates, pictures, videos, bookmarks and scholarly articles with friends and relatives in the virtual world is possible in many ways. You can tag your Facebook friend in your pictures and you can send links of your web albums or blogs to your group of friends or you can share your favourites such as web pages, communities and similar content available on the web with others by sending them your Delicious or Digg community. 

The process of sharing online resources with others is called social bookmarking. It is a method for Internet users to organize, store, manage and search for bookmarks of resources available online. There are many sites which provide a variety of features for sharing.

Deli.cio.us, Digg, Tumblr and Stumble upon are a few popular social bookmarking sites which allow users to save web bookmarks and access them from any computer from anywhere. People who read articles on the Internet must have seen a sharing option available below the articles in almost all popular sites. If you stumble upon an interesting content on the Internet then you can share it with others by just clicking the share button.

Pinterest is a site that allows online users to organise and share with others  things they find interesting on the web.Registered users can browse pinboards made by others. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and be inspired by people who share your interests. For example: some interior designer from Australia loves to design houses in a particular fashion and she has saved several resources such as pictures, videos and text to get help for her work. You can get help from the same resources.

Flicker and Picasa are among a few photo-sharing websites where users can share their pictures without sending them as attachments. They just need to make an album on the site and send a URL (Universal Resource Locator) link to a group of people whom they want to send. Similarly, users can send videos through video-sharing websites like YouTube and metacafe.

Facts about fat

We are all aware of the wonders that fat does to the palatability of food. Research repeatedly link a diet high in fat with a wide array of long-term health problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Health organizations advise to reduce the intake of excess fat and calories as an important step towards improving overall health. But, would it be fair to eliminate the fat element totally from your diet? Dietary fat has gained a bad reputation with no real fault of its own.

  Why we cannot ignore fat

·         Absorption of vitamins:

Helps in absorbing essential vitamins -A,D,E and K much needed by our body.

·         Protects against cold and shock:

Underneath the skin, we have a layer of fat, which helps us fight cold. Also we have a protective layer of fat around some organs of the body like liver, heart and intestines to protect them against shock.

·         Tide over minor falls and injuries:

It is this friendly fat, which acts as a cushion for minor falling shocks.

 However, these virtues of fat should not drive us towards an uninhibited fat consumption drive since it can be harmful too. For instance, while excess quantity of good fat causes obesity, excess bad fat causes heart trouble. Therefore, you have to be cautious not only about the quantity of fat but also the quality.

The good fat

The best and most healthy fat are mono-unsaturated fats found in olive and peanut oil. Other good fat is poly-unsaturated fat that increases the artery clearing lipids or good cholesterol in your body which removes any plaque clotting your arteries.

The bad fat

Fat, commonly called cholesterol is found in foods like egg and meat. Cholesterol is a fat that is also formed by the liver in our body by using saturated fats present in cooking mediums like ghee, butter, coconut and palm oil. It is harmful as it increases the formation of artery-clogging plaque which narrows the arteries and in turn reduces the supply of blood and nutrition to the heart. When the arteries get completely blocked, it causes a heart attack.

 Smart cues to trim the fat

      Instead of whole milk, drink skimmed milk.

Use two egg whites in place of one full egg.

Substitute low fat cheese and margarine for ordinary cheese and butter.

Eat lots of fruits and raw vegetables.

Avoid opting for dishes with rich gravy.

Instead of coconut chutney, eat coriander chutney.

Adopt alternative methods of cooking like microwave baking and grilling.

Take small meals, at least six meals a day to avoid binge eating.

Make dinner the lightest meals as it is known that most of the fat gets deposited in the body during long periods of inactivity, especially in the night. If dinner gets too late, try and eat more salad.

So, before you decide that you need to lose weight, remember to consider that fat consists of both good and bad. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic and remember to lose only the bad fat.