Multi Cast

Valentines Day Special in Seville

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:38:06 PST

The restaurant Sevilla Triana Abbots offers you a very special dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day watching the best view of the city to the river Guadalquivir and the Tower of Gold The guests will participate in a drawing for a weekend for two at a luxury hotel in Granada.

The chef Willy Moya, who leads this project under the current gastronomic coined as "Educated Andalusian cuisine" has been commissioned to design this menu consisting of : Mi-cuit foie gras with apple jelly and gingerbread, carpaccio octopus, mullet roasted saddle with ham and wild rice with garlic mayonnaise and Iberian sirloin with potato strudel, cheese and apple. Finally, Pionono chocolate ice cream and rice soup with milk and a glass of French champagne Moet Chandon. To accompany dinner, a bottle of wine to choose between a young white Andalusian, raising a red Rioja or Lambrusco.

This Valentine's Special menu will be available the nights of 13 and 14 February for a price of 100 € per couple (tax included). In addition, guests will participate in a drawing for a weekend for 2 at the 4-star hotel Saray Palace in Granada, or 4-star hotel Abades Guadix (Guadix - Granada).

Abades Triana, which opened last July, is one of the most important culinary innovations of the Andalusian capital. A street is the main hall, with capacity for 360 diners, which must be added that can accommodate 20 The Cube, the most exclusive private corner of the restaurant. It also has an outdoor terrace where you can enjoy when the weather permits, a peck in a relaxed atmosphere.

Handmade Jewellery For Connoisseurs

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:50:10 PDT

Step outside of the modern world of machine-made jewelry and experience unique, handmade jewelry. Many fine jewelry stores have a special section where you can actually have unique pieces handmade just for your individual desires.

These pieces are unique treasures that come from the hands of artisans who feel and love their craft. They design the piece from gold or silver and create it as a handmade treasure, unique to the person who will wear it. These unique, handmade pieces of jewelry will oftentimes take much longer to produce than commercially made jewelry.

Indian hand made jewellery is a rage in the global market, especially with connoisseurs who prefer handcrafted handcrafted treasures to their machine-made counterparts. Inspired by nature, fuelled by beauty and belief, Indian handcrafted jewelry is an eternal process of artistic imagination and fine craftsmanship in India, that has been developed throughout history. Even today jewellery is used by different tribal societies. Excavations at Mohenjo-Daro and other sites of the Indus Valley civilization have unearthed a wealth of handmade ornaments. Both men and women of the time wore jewellery made of gold, silver, copper, ivory, precious and semi-precious stones

A major chunk of jewelry in the country is still made by independent craftsmen. Big and feudal families used to have their personal jewelers, who would entertain their demand. These jewelers were expected to design ornaments, keeping in mind the individual needs and desires of customers.

Though the old pattern is shattering and new trend of full-fledged jewelers have come up, the traditional patterns are still followed in rural areas. In case of occasions such as weddings, jewelry is often specially designed to match perfectly with the wedding outfit. The major USP of handmade jewelry is they are really aesthetic and hold a lot of appeal. Mastery of craftsman shines through the jewel, in the form of myriad designs, which is most admirable.

Traditionally, Indian goldsmiths are usually men and are referred to by a variety of names depending on the region-sonar, swarnakara, panchallar, or thattan. In the Vedic period, goldsmiths had a much higher standing than most other artisans, perhaps because they worked with a precious metal. The goldsmiths had royal patrons. Historical records show that Indian jewellers mastered quite early the various skills required to make fine jewelry-mixing alloys, moulding, drawing fine wires, setting stones, inlay work, relief, drawing gold and silver into thin wires, plating and gilding. The goldsmith may perform all the processes involved in producing a finished piece. In cities, the different operations are undertaken by separate people-the goldsmith prepares the skeletal framework, the chatera engraves, the kundansaaz or jaria sets the stones while the meenasaaz enamels it.

Pros & Cons

. Although not as well-finished as machine-made jewellery, handmade jewellery is extremely valued and priced using the artwork and proficiency Handmade jewellery carries a specific charm and elegance to it and therefore would make for just the best gift somebody special.

But machine produced jewellery low-end options are usually trendy and provide attractive broad variety of styles Repairing machine-made jewellery is hard and usually leaves ugly scars only to leave your beneficial product worthless. Finishes and polishes that make this jewellery attractive, are truly a limitation when it has to be repaired. The polish melts away effortlessly and gives about irreparable harm using the articles. Recycling the metals then is almost not possible and cannot be regarded as an investment. But as almost all machine made jewelleries are hall marked as to their purity /carat, it is a distinct advantage.

3. Handmade jewellery can be an purchased and will effortlessly be repaired whenever essential usually with minimum amount effort. The metals and stones could be recycled or rearranged in to a producer new design altogether at considerably decreased costs. Beautiful, genuine and specifically handcrafted trendy jewellery could be produced utilizing almost all metals and gemstone combinations. It offers you most effective worth for money. However, experienced artisans are essential to produce and restore these attractive pieces of art.

However, caution should be exercised when buying hand-made jewellery. Below are some factors to help you recognize the genuine handmade jewellery. Silver or gold should usually be marked for their carat excessive weight or quality. Stones could be natural, treated or stabilized and will effortlessly be identified utilizing effortless methods,like for example wanting to scratch a diamond which by implies no scratches or searching for bubbles within a Swarovski crystal which could be by no impurieites present.

Most important A composed disclosure indicating all components of your handmade jewellery in a write-up attached to your receipt, while buying can ensure a genuine purchase.

End of the Desktop PC

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:51:02 PDT

We announced many years, the PC will die sets. Why? And especially what our future will be made computer?

A change of habits
In recent years, consumer habits and desires have changed. We have seen a sharp decline in sales of fixed pc (tower / monitor / keyboard / mouse) in favor of a higher proportion of sales for laptops.

This problem has increased in 2008, when could have seen an explosion in notebook sales worldwide. It is from this year that sales of laptops have overtaken in volume sales of desktop PCs. The notebook laptop are of a size ranging from 9 to 12 inches, which perfectly reflect the new expectations of consumers (mobility, small footprint).

A recent Deloitte study found that in 2011 it would sell 375 million smart phones and tablets of 50 million against 390 million PCs (200 million laptops, 150 million desktop PCs and 40 million notebooks).

Today's computer manufacturers must cope with new challenges, and begin a new turn because a new future computer seems to be emerging.

"The PC is a truck"
Steve Jobs (Apple boss) announced in June 2010 during an interview: "When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks. But from the moment when the population began to migrate to cities, people began to use cars. I think the PC will suffer the same fate as the trucks. Less and less people will be in the utility. "

Today Mac sales represent only 33% of Apple's business. The ipad and iphone now accounts for Apple, our future with computers. Consumers do not want to complicate things, everything should be done naturally. His music, applications, photos must accompany and be accessible anywhere in seconds. It is widely noted that Apple's touch pad in front. Moreover, with its App Store model, these new mobile devices are a source of income more important for Apple. For Apple, the key now is software.

A system in "the cloud"
For Google, the approach is slightly different. In addition to Android, which has now surpassed Apple in terms of overall sales, the leading Internet search engine is preparing its own operating system. After launching in 2011 Android 3.0, software specifically dedicated to touch pads, Google will launch Chrome OS. This operating system completely turned to the internet has simply dethroned Microsoft's ambition and Windows. All user data will be stored online, email and internet will be available in seconds without having to install applications, or configure anything in a notebook computer type.

In addition, there are whispers in the IT industry that Google is also preparing its own touch pad nothing surprising really.

Microsoft
Leading operating systems ever since, Microsoft seems to want to start too fast. A shelf of windows 7 does not meet a great success, because the system does not really seem suited to the desires of mobile users. The first rumors for Windows 8 show a convergence between Windows and its latest operating system for smart phones, Windows Phone 7. In addition, Windows 8 will be fully adapted to new architectures (processor, memory, etc...) Mobile.

How would we use computers in the future? Only time will tell. But the shift seems well underway. Sales of touch pads explode worldwide, we are connected to the internet 24 hours 24 with our smart phones, and desktop PCs are becoming increasingly rare in homes.

Diet For Gastritis

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 23:04:05 PDT

In general, to keep your digestive system healthy, it is recommended that you practice good eating habits. As important as what you eat is how you eat. Eat moderate portions, eat at regular times and relax while eating.
Gastritis in a high percentage has been linked with a bacterium H. pylori.

Although not always possible to prevent infection by H. pylori, these dietary suggestions
can help reduce the risk of gastritis:

Eat wisely. If you experience frequent indigestion, make an effort to eat smaller portions but more frequent meals to help alleviate the effects of stomach acid. Here are foods to avoid and recommended to combat gastritis.

Foods to avoid:

Heavy or spicy foods (especially at night, try to eat at least 2 hours before bedtime)
Spicy
Vinegar
Citic fruits (sour), lemon, orange, pineapple, strawberries, etc.
The fried
Soft drinks
Coffee, caffeinated tea
Alcohol. Excessive use of alcohol can irritate and erode the mucous membrane of the stomach, causing inflammation and bleeding.
Foods that contain fat, especially saturated animal fats, red meat, fatty cheese, whole milk, etc.
Food or drink very hot or very cold.
Canned
Sausages
The use of prescription drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen.
Recommended Foods in gastritis :

Lean meats: beef, chicken, turkey or fish raw. All baked, broiled or grilled without the skin.
Fruits: apple, pear, banana, peaches, apricots and cantaloupe at first steamed, stewed, mashed or baked. Then to feel better, little by little texture can be increased until natural consumption.
Eggs: Boiled, poached or hard, never fried.
Breads: those that are lighter and contain no added sugar, preferably low or no fat.
Vegetables: Cooked Only, carrots, cored, tomatoes without skin and seeds, pumpkin, zucchini, asparagus, artichoke hearts, potatoes, etc. (All but the flatulent)
Milk: skimmed milk, whole yogurt, nonfat cheeses and unheated.
Sugar: integral, honey.
Oils: vegetable oils.
Pastas, such as pasta, ravioli or cannelloni filled only with soft and recommended.
Drinks: defatted broth, fruit juices and vegetables are allowed, water.
Cereals: rice, oats, polenta, etc.
Seasonings: sea salt, herbs such as parsley, rosemary, basil, cumin, oregano, etc..
General recommendations:

Do not smoke. Smoking interferes with the protective lining of the stomach, making your stomach more susceptible to gastritis and ulcers. Increases the secretion of stomach acid, which delays the healing
is a risk factor for stomach cancer.
Follow the advice of your doctor. Your doctor may recommend that
take a counter antacid or acid blocker to help prevent
recurrent gastritis
Practice good eating habits.
Maintain a healthy weight. heartburn, bloating and constipation tend to be more common in people who are overweight.
Get plenty of exercise.
Control stress.

Elizabeth Taylor

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:39:36 PDT

The recent death of Elizabeth Taylor shocked the world and Mexico is no exception, as it was in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, where the actress lived moments of your life and soon it will perform a tribute to the protagonist The Night of the Iguana.

In an interview with the Assistant Director of Art and Culture of Puerto Vallarta was reported that there will be an event, including the American community in Jalisco, to pay tribute to legendary actress.

"Definitely if it's going to do, hopefully soon, a well-deserved tribute for her because she was instrumental in the discovery of Puerto Vallarta and it was very important part of his life," the official confirmed.

It was in 1963 when he was shot in the Mexican port tape The Night of the Iguana, Photography by Gabriel Figueroa, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor lived one of the happiest moments their romance before marrying for the first time.

The actor bought a property, Kimberley House, who gave the actress on her 34th birthday. The couple helped make Puerto Vallarta one of the most important tourist spots in Mexico.

According to a report made by Sharon Stadja, after two divorces Elizabeth Taylor with Richard Burton, the actress visited the Casa Kimberley few times and the last was after the death of the actor: "He could not even spend the night in home. The memories were too painful. "

Even if the Casa Kimberley is impaired, there are still tours where they tell stories of the time that Burton and Taylor lived in Mexico.

Visit to Taj Mahal

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 22:49:28 PST

That is what we find in Agra. From the most luxurious to the most miserable. From the most lavish to the most degrading.On the one hand, the majesty of one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. On the other hand, Agra, a chaotic, confusing, where travelers can hardly walk twenty feet without being harassed by a seller or a child begging.

The visit to the Taj Mahal, which must exist, we will enter a world of luxury and perfection, that Shah Jahan wanted to stage in memory of his late wife, for the construction of such divine treasure held in honor of it was his second wife, died giving birth to her fourteenth child.

This sublime mausoleum is the most admired monument in the country and is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture.

The entry is exactly cheap (about 12 euros), but coming to Agra and not seeing this beauty in white marble would be a crime.
In fact, the vast majority of travelers who come to this town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, it is with the only motivation to look at this work of art and his visit to Agra takes less than a day ... As our point of view is a mistake because the area offers a number of other treasures, overshadowed by the omnipresence of the Taj Mahal, are condemned to an undeserved indifference.
We would be talking, for example, the Agra Fort. Without a doubt, elsewhere, this monument would be the jewel of the city ... but being the neighbor of the Taj Mahal is not easy, even when it is one of the most notable strengths of Mughal India.

Akbar also highlight the Mausoleum erected in honor of the greatest of the Mughal emperors. Its structure, sandstone and marble, will be well portrayed if we have to make pictures to the setting sun.

And just 40 km west of Agra, find a magnificent fortified ghost city, Fatehpur Sikri, which for only fourteen years was the capital of the Mughal empire.

But the merits are sometimes not enough, and Agra is still considered, in view of many, just as the city where the Taj Mahal.

Perhaps if it were not so chaotic Agra, so dirty, so complicated. If I had the odd decent hostel in which to stay ... travelers stay longer than 24 hours and would have the opportunity to see and know a little bit of this city whose poverty and dirt contrasts paradoxically with the grandeur and cleanness of the monument which has become famous.

Valentine Day Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 02:06:16 PST

Valentine's Day looming on its horizon. Let's not talk now about the need for daily instead of once a year to show their love, as well as the feasibility of this celebration, which evil tongues is called "UN-Russian" and dwell on how well this day, make interesting and memorable.

To begin, we divide the gifts that you can give on this day, a few categories:
1. The main gift.
2. Supporting small gifts and tokens.
3. Situation.

Ideally, embody the ideas of all kinds. However, if for whatever reason (money, for example), you can not, do not worry. Select then the idea that the most you will attract and attach to it the soul!
The main gift.

The main gift - it is the fulfillment of a cherished desire favorite rights. I do not think that many men have a deep desire regular razor, or a set of socks, and women - a new vacuum cleaner or tea service. Presented a similar gift in any ordinary day. And in an unusual - let's think about the incarnation of desire.

Idea 1. Observation.
The main way to get information about the cherished desire - is communication, plus observation. Usual daily interaction, from which you learn that love, and you do not like your loved one. What he dreams that it inspires, that it is amazing. You can hear a hint in one month, and realize it is quite different. If you get the hand, then you may never need to think hard over the main gift - just look at his notes or remember the feelings and emotions of your partner.

How do you know that your loved one is something like:
- In his eyes appear shiny when he talks about it;
- Hear the excitement in his voice, and joy;
- He is holding his breath, looks at the thing or event, and draws your attention to this;
- He talks about it with their friends and girlfriends on the phone.
Supporting small gifts and tokens.

Idea 2. Handicrafts.
This year, do not buy a valentine, and make it their own hands. This will be a great way to show what you think about the loved one, investing your feelings and love. Signature also advise you to use their own compositions. If the verse - all wonderful. And even if it's simple little rhyme, "Sasha, Masha," "love-carrot", it is still important lines of what exactly you came up with them!

The idea of 3. Resourceful.
Romantic coupons. About a year I try to impart this idea to the Russian-speaking readers. On its authorship, I do not pretend - Podgorica himself in a foreign Internet. The meaning is: you first create a small card on which is written some desire. For example, "house cleaning", "trip to the restaurant, breakfast in bed," "massage", etc. This is called a coupon. Next, you give these cards a beloved person. And he may at any time ask you to fulfill what is written on the coupon (i.e present the coupon for execution). Valentine's Day

The idea can be strong enough to change and beat. For example, give a blank, and the man himself wrote the desire, you can negotiate the terms of presenting the coupon to the execution, you can use the coupon as a prize winner in the card, desktop, or your other games, you can just pile on the morning of the upturned scattered coupons to pull out one at a time

Valentines Day Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:21:33 PST

You have to prepare a romantic environment. Try to insert much red as possible because red in the color of Valentine’s Day and make most of the atmosphere. First of all you need red candles. Two or three red candles. Get a good bottle of red wine. Cover the table with a red cover and be inventive like on the edges of the table attach white rose’s petals. White because the cover is red and obviously it will be more seen on the red cover.

Prepare a romantic soft music to be played while you two are eating. Try to know what she likes to eat and prepare it for the special event. If you do not know how just ordered it or get help from a friend. Try to not make too much food.

Dress smart for the occasion but no to much. You can dress a pair of black trousers, a white or red skinny shirt and a black blazer on. Put on a good fragrance on your neck and near your ear. Put the three roses were she can see them.

When she arrives and you open the door stare at her as if she is the most beautiful creature on earth and look deep in her eyes and tell her something romantic about her eyes, face, dress or smile. While you two are eating try to keep a balance dialogue. After dinner tell her if she wants to go for a walk under the moon light or continue talking on the roof watching at the stars. Let her kiss you if she want too, try to not force her and keep it always romantic.

This all is a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. Keep always in mind that it is not how much the gift costs but it is how the gift was made and how much time you dedicate for the gift you made for the one you love. For a woman that means much and as a woman she feels that is important for her because the man she loves spend time to prepare the gift. Try to be simple and spend time on the gift.

Cheese Cake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 03:42:40 PST

This cheesecake recipe is a base to build on for any of your favorites cheesecake recipes. With a consistency of medium cream to NY Style, you can turn a simple recipe into an extravagant one in minutes.
Filling recipe

    * 1 1/2 lbs cream cheese
    * 1 1/2 cups sugar
    * 1 1/2 cups sour cream
    * 5 eggs
    * Any flavoring that you want.

Method
   1. Cream the cheese’s and sugar together with your kitchen aid mixer or an electric handheld mixer.
   2. Slowly add one egg at a time. Let them incorporate fully.
   3. Pour batter into a spring-form pan over your crust of choice.

Depending on if you want to stop there, you can bake this cheesecake at 325 degrees for 2 hours in a water bath.

Crust Ideas
Less is more when it comes to crusts for cheesecake. You’re are displaying the flavors of the cream and not the crust so keep it simple with a graham cracker crust.

If you need recipes for a simple graham cracker crust for your cheesecake here is the simplest way to produce the perfect outcome.

    * 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
    * 2 tbsp brown sugar
    * 1 tbsp butter

Method
Blend all of the ingredients together is a mixing bowl and press into a oiled spring-form pan. Pre-bake the crust for at least 5-8 minutes on 350 to set the crust.

Christmas all year

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:24:13 PDT

Christmas is primarily a Christian festival. But for many people, Christmas is simply a celebration of love and family, regardless of their faith and their religion. Even the period before Christmas is for many very thoughtful and comfortable. The apartments will be festively decorated, and all are preparing for Christmas. Many people get now consider the Christmas gifts and what they in Christmas want dish of culinary delights. At Christmas, then usually meets the whole family and enjoy a Banquet. But Christmas is also a time of stress. Finally, many preparations have to be and to do shopping.

storm, especially on the days just before Christmas Eve, people in the business, many are still in search of the last gifts. The real reason for Christmas is here, unfortunately, mostly forgotten. The children look forward to their Gifts and the adults on the delicious food. Meanwhile, however, many people flee the hustle and bustle of Christmas and would rather spend this time on holiday. Since the Christmas holidays are yes, of course, offers a family vacation as well as Christmas gift. Many German spend the holidays and the Christmas season abroad, but often you get to hear then "there is no place like home." No matter where and how to celebrate Christmas for many is the finest and most comfortable time of year. Often these contemplative season is used to time vesammeln again the whole family at a table. It's at Christmas is not always just about the gifts, but the generally bask sense of community. In many families it is still tradition to go to church at Christmas. Even a visit to a Christmas Market is part of the Christmas season as mulled wine.

Personality Websites

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 01:54:10 PDT

So you checked. You don’t suffer from halitosis, no body odour problems, and you’re not even bad-looking , but you just can’t seem to make any breakthrough with people at social gatherings. Why? Well, it’s probably because you’re bad at conversations. You don’t know where to begin, and when you do, you mostly don’t have anything interesting to say.

Mostly, you’re the person nursing a drink at the periphery of a party conversation, nodding sagely, at least that’s the look you’ve been going for so far. But why stand at the edge when you can be bang in the middle of all the action; holding court, narrating anecdotes, and generally just appearing well-informed on anything and everything.

Here are seven websites, equipped with which, you can appear intelligent to almost anyone. Well, not everyone, but at least it’s a start...

www.thefreedictionary.com
This resource is one of the best places in Cyberia for any information of any sort. Besides dictionaries in English and 13 other languages, the site boasts of a thesaurus, a section for abbreviations, idioms, an encyclopaedia, as well as a literature reference library, and all supported by a nifty search engine.

Daily visitors can also expect regular features such as word of the day, quote of the day, article of the day, this day in history, and so on. But my personal favourite has got to be the word game section, which includes Hangman and Spelling Bee. But I digress. Equipped with this resource, you can wax eloquent on practically anything under the sun.

www.acronymfinder.com
Every now and then, someone might try to appear smarter by spewing out an acronym or abbreviation at you with a condescending smirk. But if you have bookmarked Acronym Finder in you browser, that’s one less tactic they can use to make you feel stupid.

Now, while it won’t keep you informed about everything there is to know, at least it will help you mitigate your losses. This site has more than 7,50,000 ‘human-edited’ definitions, abbreviations and acronyms about computers, technology, telecommunications, and the military. So bookmark it ASAP before people start ROTFL at your ignorance.

www.etymonline.com
This site is all about polishing you into a fairly decent wordsmith. You know you can’t have a conversation without being equipped with the right linguistic skills. Also, it always helps to know the root of words so you don’t trip while trying to appear smart. Enter Etymonline.

This resource will help you understand the origin, development, and the ‘true sense’ of a word. In simpler language, if you need to know the basis of any word in English, then this is the place to go to. Heck, it even covers “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” . You might want to look that one up while you’re at it.

www.biography.com
Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people . But how will you ever discuss people, if you know nothing about them? I suggest you make haste to this resource. Whether it’s Pope or Martin Luther King, or , Genghis Khan or the Great, Princess Diana or, you’ll find all their biographies here; complete with photographs, videos snippets, etcetera. And on those nights when you don’t have any social invites, visit Biography.com anyway. It definitely makes for interesting reading.

wolframalpha.com
How do I put this mildly without sounding like a fanboy? Wolframalpha is a with a difference. Enter your birth date as a search parameter, and the engine will throw up details like the number of years, months and days you have spent on this planet; famous personalities that were born on the same day; the phase of the moon on the day you were born, etc.

Enter in a colour, say ‘pink’, and it will throw up its RGB value, its hexadecimal code, complementary colours and the like. But don’t take my word for it, go on, type in Mumbai and Tokyo in the box, and see what you get. Useless facts and statistics can be a great conversation opener.

www.pantheon.org
Everyone likes a story, and mythology has always a good subject to mine for conversations . So for your fill of gods and demons, check out Pantheon.org and Theoi.com; both excellent places to start. While the latter only covers Grecian divinity (and does it exceedingly well), Pantheon includes mythological characters from across the globe: From our own Ganesha to the Greek Zeus, the Roman Jupiter to the Nordic Freya, from the Egyptian Anubis to the Aztec Quetzalcoatl.

The gods, it seems, have made these two URLs their personal domain. So if the exploits of the gods has always been your Achilles’ heel, then this site is your river Styx.

www.brainyquote.com
So you’ve tried a few Siddhuisms, and you’ve managed to get a few guffaws out of your soft-headed friends. But now it’s time to up the ante. If you’re looking to impress people with higher IQs than your cronies, you must take recourse to BrainyQuote.

The site is a repository of quotations from humourists, playwrights, presidents, authors, humanitarians and practically everybody who is anybody. Like someone famous said and I don’t remember who, but you’ll probably find the quote on the site itself: “Next to being witty, the best thing is being able to quote another’s wit”.

Fertility Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:48:29 PDT

Fertility is the ability of the conception of the offspring. Man becomes fruitful, when his body sex hormones become active during puberty. Nowadays, more and more couples struggling with infertility. It has many causes.

In women, these are: ovulation disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, ovarian failure, hiperprolaktynemiachoroby thyroid cancer, radio and chemotherapy, systemic illness, as well as medication.

In men, the cause of infertility may be: improper construction of sperm, testicular damage, improper construction of the penis, hormonal disorders, severe systemic illness: cancer, pituitary failure, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, hypertension, drugs, alcohol and drugs: marijuana, steroids , medicines for hypertension, genetic diseases: Klinefertera team.

In recent years, however, is becoming increasingly apparent that this problem is the result of niesprzyjającemu healthy lifestyle, including poor diet. More and more commonly occurring cause of obesity is excess production of estrogen. Nutrients affect many body functions: build tissue, form enzymes condition the proper conduct of many biochemical processes of the system. Their deficiency causes a number of serious health problems.
Especially important for fertility nutrients are:
- Antioxidant vitamins A, beta-carotene, E, C,
- B vitamins: vit. B1, vitamin. B2, vitamin. B6, vitamin. B12, pantothenic acid (wit.B5 ), folic acid (one condition the proper conduct of ovulation, the construction of sex hormones, the synthesis of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA and the development of the endometrium),
- Iron (to prevent anemia hypochromic)
- Zinc (responsible for creating the correct of the ova, and as an antagonist effect of heavy metals has odtruwajace)
- Selenium (determines the quality of sperm),
- Magnesium (its deficiency causes abnormal menstrual cycle)
- EFA-essential fatty acids (normal condition the child's brain development).

To keep so proper sexual function and prevent infertility resulting from inadequate nutrition, should be used appropriately balanced diet, supplying these nutrients in appropriate quantities and proportions. Foods that are particularly rich in the "components of fertility, are:
- Green leafy vegetables (folic acid),
- Cereals: wholemeal bread, cereal, brown rice and black pasta, legumes, peas, soybeans, lentils, beans, nuts (magnesium, pantothenic acid, zinc, essential fatty acids, vit. B1 )
- Vegetables: red, orange and green, like green pepper, tomato, carrot, potato, pumpkin, spinach (beta-carotene, vit. B6, vitamin. C)
- Fish, especially oily fish of the sea (EFA, zinc, selenium, iron, pantothenic acid, iodine, vitamin. B12)
- Poultry, egg yolk, fish, vegetables, cereals, fortified (iron, vitamins Gr. B)
- Dairy products (Vitamin B12, vit. B2 )

- Bananas (selenium, zinc, folic acid).

In addition to diet is very important to eliminate from the diet drugs, like alcohol and cigarettes, because they disrupt the body's hormonal balance, negative effects on fertility, as well as child development. Alcohol may be the cause of FAS or fetal alcohol syndrome, which may be disclosed irrespective of the number and frequency of alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy. Any woman planning to become pregnant should be three months before pregnancy to take folic acid supplements of 0.4 mg per day. It is very important to ensure proper development of the nervous system and prevent our children's neural tube defects, rozszczepowi spine. Supplementation is also recommended for men, and every woman of childbearing age who live because of the possibility of becoming an unplanned pregnancy. Please note that the increased demand for this vitamin occurs in women who zazywaly hormonal contraceptives.

Proper nutrition should be started a few months before pregnancy, a woman had the body to store adequate supplies of all essential nutrients to ensure proper development of the child and prevent the symptoms of deficiency in the mother.

Treat her like a princess

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:22:44 PDT

Be healthy

A guy, who is continuously complaining about his health, can be very bugging. Though she loves the person in you, your looks also matter a lot. The concept of tall, dark and handsome still exists. A broad shoulder on which she can lean for support is very romantic. Baby sitter: Looking after the baby is a 24x7 job and can get very hard for your love. Step in to be a baby sitter and relieve her of all the tension.

Tell her she is beautiful

Every girl on this Earth craves to look the most beautiful. No matter how many times the mirror confirms the fact, the truth for her is, 'beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder'. She wants to listen to it from you and see the praise in your eyes. Show her your love: Love till the time not expressed, is not complete. Share sweet nothings, spend quality time with her, a peck on her cheek, a careless hug is all which will assure her of your love.

Connect with her

Two different human beings will have different understandings and views. The mantra of success in a relationship is to understand her views and reasons. Connect with her thoughts and ways of life. Know what you want to: She does not expect you to know everything. Your asking her the silliest thing won't spoil anything. Ask her if you don't know. Even if it is a doubt, speak it out. A clear relationship is always successful.

Buy the right size

What puts a girl off is that her guy buys her a dress which does not fit her. It may be quite obvious but if you buy her the right size, she will feel you know her so well. Listen to her: It is the characteristic of girls to have their own opinion on every topic. Even if you don't find it interesting, just listen to her. Girls love to be listened to. This will assure her of your complete attention. The smile on her face will make you happy too.

Raja Todar Mal

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:08:58 PDT

Raja Todar Mal was the Finance Minister in Akbar’s court. Raja Todar Mal revolutionized and changed the revenue system of Akbar’s Mughal Empire. He was from the Khatri community of Punjab (some consider him to be belonging to Kayastha community). He was a Khatri and not a Kayastha is also supported by the fact (as found in his many paintings) that he wore a secrate thread, which is traditionally worn only by Bhahmins, Kshatriya and Kharis but not Kayasthas.

Early days Raja Todar Mal’s Life: Raja Todar Mal became well versed in his administrative skills while working under Sher Shah. He joined the Akbar’s court as a clerk. Akbar was impressed with his administrative capability and gave him the post of ‘Wazir’. As a finance minister he transformed the land revenue collection and assessment into a systematic process. Reconstructing the land tax structure and introducing compensation for crop damage were also his ideas. His systems were so effective that all the others and even the British followed it later on.

Raja Todar Mal’s role in Akbar’s court: In 1560 A.D, Raja Todar Mal became the Finance Minister in Akbar’s court. Before that Khwaja Malik I’timad Khan was in that service. Raja Todar Mal introduced standard weights and measures, a land survey and settlement system, revenue districts and officers. He can be counted as one of first statisticians in India and perhaps in the world.

Akbar gave the title, ‘Diwan-I-Ashraf’ to Todar Mal in 1582 A.D. Todar mal’s systematic land reforms of 1582 A.D, popularly known as the ‘Bandobast’ System, gave way to the framework of subsequent land taxation systems, including that introduced by Thomas Munro.

Todar Mal was also an able soldier and General. He accompanied Raja Man Singh to crush the Afghan rebels in Bengal. Todar Mal did foresight the significant importance of a single language for all administrative works to be effective. So he promoted Persian as the language for official purpose.

Raja Todar Mal’s family: Todar Mal was born in a Khatri family and he was told to be abandoned by his parents and he grew up somewhere else. He had two sons.

Last Days of Raja Todar Mal’s life: Raja Todar Mal constructed a new temple on the site of the destroyed Vishwanath temple in Varanasi in 1585 A.D. In 1586 A.D Akbar shifted to Lahore and so was Todar Mal. And Todar Mal died in Lahore in 1586 A.D, the same year as Akbar’s other navaratna Raja Birbal.
Why was Raja Todar Mal Popular?

Many of the fundamental data collection schemes as practiced by Todar Mal were used thereafter in the Indian subcontinent and neighboring countries.

Todar Mal’s genius was recognized by one and all and his popularity can be seen even these days. He was also featured in the video game Sid Meier’s Civilization 4: Beyond the Sword as a “great merchant” available in the game.

Raja Todar Mal’s palace at Fatehpur Sikri: Raja Todar Mal’s place at Fatehpur Sikri is called ‘Todar Mal Barrahdari’. This double-storeyed building is made up of red sandstone and is square in shape with chamfered angles.

There is a tibara dalan in the middle of each showy piece of the front of building on the ground floor and the arches are synchronized well with pillars and brackets on the upper storey. The corner rooms are given delicate tower like forms and are inter-connected. The upper storey has rectangular corridors overlooking the hall below. The central hall has a vaulted underside of a building; this building presents harmonious fusion of different architectural traits.

How to keep kids safe online

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:46:33 PDT

Staying safe while using the Internet can be a daunting task for children who are unaware of many risks. Here's how you can protect your kids:

Create a list of rules for Web usage, and post it near your computer.
Keep your home computer in an open area of your home, not behind closed doors of your child's bedroom.
Set parental restrictions in your Web browser.
With many free email accounts, you can also set parental controls that allow you to block messages that contain offensive language or come from specific people.

Know which sites your kids visit. Check your browser's history once a week to mitigate any unpleasant surprises.

Establish clear rules about making purchases, and monitor your credit card activity.

Help your kids create their screen names and passwords. Make sure the screen names are nondescript and don't identify your kids as young children. Explain the importance of keeping passwords confidential.

If your children visit social networking sites, monitor their profiles and contacts list for inappropriate material. Talk to them about whom they are connecting with online - particularly new friends.

Speak to them about what is not acceptable to post, including personal information like your phone number or address. Some parents take this a step further and restrict their kids from posting their last name.

Don't allow your child to set up a face-to-face meeting with an online friend unless you're present - even if it's with a friend from school.

Let your kids know that if they come across anything that makes them feel uncomfortable - whether it's objectionable material or a social situation where they feel bullied - to immediately alert you.

If your kids have an e-mail address, don't allow them to give it to Websites, online contests, or people they don't personally know. Email addresses are bought and sold every day to criminals perpetrating phishing, spamming, and spoofing schemes.

Benefits of Massage Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:07:50 PDT

While the profession of Massage Therapy has been ridiculed and criticized, the benefits and effects of treatment have time ands time again been proven in case studies and experiments. Many people, who believe in massage therapy as a legitimate medical profession, still don’t know all the amazing benefits it can have on the body.

In this article I will give you just a few of the many advantages of Massage Therapy. First the body has many immune factors and many massage techniques can increase those factors. Long strokes of massage increase blood flow and increase the circulation of blood and the immune cells in the blood, speeding up healing times of patients with injuries or diseases.
Sedating techniques such as stroking and light touch can decrease the sympathetic nervous system resulting in relaxation, decrease in fight-or-flight response and slowing many conditions that involve the sympathetic nervous system’s over-activity. Massage to an area of inflammation can help reduce the swelling and pain, light stroking away from the area and specific positioning of limbs with swelling can reduce the inflammation and help the area heal faster.

In specific cases such as tendonitis, adhesive capsulitis, ligament sprains, muscle strains, scar tissue from surgery and many more, a technique called fractioning is used. This application is used to stimulate receptors in the tissue, bring more blood flow to the area of injury or adhesion and help heal the area and decrease restriction on the tissues. This technique is also used to lengthen muscle or ligament tissue which has become adhered or shortened abnormally; this will increase motion of a joint or muscle and will eventually benefit the patient in their daily life.

Many cases of carpal tunnel syndrome are treated immediately with surgery; this is usually not the safest and most effective way to treat it. Massage can decrease carpal tunnel syndrome nearly 100% of the time and nearly 100% of the symptoms will be gone without use of surgery which can cause other problems related to scar tissue. Sometimes carpal tunnel syndrome is a misdiagnosis of pronator teres syndrome, a condition which only a massage therapist can fix.

Postural difficulties affect every person, whether there are directly aware of it or not. Low back, neck, shoulder and head pain are usually indirectly caused by postural imbalances, massage is most likely to help in most of these situations by restoring postural balance. Of course the therapist’s given homecare will help the patient improve postural imbalances in daily life.

Headaches are usually caused by postural problems in the neck or back; tight muscles can refer pain into the temple or about the eye and sometimes even into the jaw causing the illusion of a toothache. These special points on tight muscles are called trigger points, and the only way to relieve these muscle knots is with massage pressure techniques as well as other related techniques. The patient’s willingness to do homecare stretches to reduce the trigger point size and effects are also tantamount.

Yet another benefit of massage that many of you may not know is constipation, the infrequency of bowel movements can be a great health concern in many people causing diseases of the intestinal system, pain, inflammation, back pain and increased weight. Massage techniques applied to the abdomen, down past the organs and directly onto the colon through the abdomen can move intestinal contents through the colon and can commonly result in a bowel movement right after treatment. Decreasing bowel obstructions in the colon is a common and incredibly beneficial treatment for many people.

The effects and benefits of massage are endless and unimaginable; I suggest that skeptics try a treatment or two for themselves, and enjoy.

Khol For Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:04:50 PDT

The kohl is a black powder made from natural ingredients that Arab women used to highlight and beautify his eye in its origins.

Can bring out the whiteness of the eyes with them embellished, and even protects them from external factors such as dust, the rays of the sun, the smoke. Set the line for the inner eye, the top and in the inferior.

It is a dry powder that normally comes with a stick for its application and makeup must soak in water or oil for this use before switching to the dust. It employs tear, closing the eye and slides for the entire eyelid, along the shape of the eye.

It is recommended, coat if you are a beginner in the use of kohl to apply before makeup because it is very easy to stain the skin with kohl.

If behind your application there is a feeling of coldness, or even a slight itching is normal as it can also be used to refresh the eyes, although this in no sense be prolonged nor very strong. If so, withdraw quickly, as would be produced by an allergy or reaction to the product.

Kohl also is sold in paste, and usually receives, among other names, that of kajal. Lately it has become one of the most requested beauty products to beautify their eyes.

Ateet Ki Ek Dheeth Khirki

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:58:18 PDT

After so many years, sometimes between life's struggles and responsibilities of mind after a very stubborn when I started this past Kidkhi brash, little ten-year-old Raghu's found standing there on that stage, that one evening in Jhutpute withdrawal sad .... and dreams were left unfulfilled gone from Begane ones with the pain. Slipped and stopped doing the same mode Jhhan Raghu Raghav ear Umet took his life on the street Tede Mede ...

That evening I sat on Grandma's bed got school homework was completed. Grandma's new sweater, his old eyes and sitting Yuniform my fingers hurt after were completed. Aruna was engaged in playing Stapu left unfinished homework. Then along with Aruna Bau law Saikl voice full of enthusiasm,

Bau came''G! ''
Shop''suddenly came Amma G Bau today? ''

Grandma was silent. Bau-law had come in, sit me on the head soon began Ferne hand,

Re''Why did not meet Raghu homework today? ''
Bauji was''more.''
Not tell you today that Raghu to his''most Bauji highest number received in all subjects in class.''
Amma''true! Raghu Why? My son will one day raise my name. Came to the shop were telling your headmaster Sir Hindi and English both in recitation Rfst you came. Next year I will put you in the Army school.''
''Yes! They all will be seen, suddenly got up from the shop you today?''Amma Bid
Amma has come''to printed cards.''
''''
''Hey Raghu - Aruna you go out and play.''
Little is left my homework''Amma! ''
... I talk to you later,''is Bauji.
Just two minutes''son.''

What I was thinking about taking books that Grandma and the kids behind Bauji we have to. It never happened then. .... There's something strange in the house is bustling. Last several days he returned home from school some people have come to see grandma sitting. So last Monday evening, people were coming home from the shop and we Bau G Yane shop two hours I sat and Aruna. But Grandma was home, sweet feed.

I came out and sat on the platform, at Mude grandmother. Aruna started playing again Stapu with starling, starling from the great big eyes saw me and started asking Aruna,''what happened today to Raghav? Aruna Ucka''given the shoulder. Mynah is one name that all my calls here in the neighborhood. Have read in my class. Given to me by jumping from leg Lngdi starling became Aut.

What starling'', then you play you go. ''

I was laughing and Aruna Ghyi Cid. Then came and we both call the Bauji left in the house.

''Let's both get ready, many days have you got to turn. Connaught Place will go before some shopping today, then from there, bring your favorite place to feed dosa and Colebhature.''

We both glowing with excitement lying. Aruna grandmother repeatedly insisted was the top Bnwate --

Amma's not fun''.''
Nabeta does not''walk away from me.''
Are not you always Mummy''Talti Hohmari and not leave you that.''
Amma Amma saw the Bauji Bau G, then said,
If all correct''Narayan, your wish will be fulfilled it.''
Children do not insist''Aruna. But we can not Saikl four.''
Bauji''! My Homework ...''
Come and get''''

We shopped a lot of my Aruna Knat Place and new clothes, Jhute, toys, care Gubbareaj Bau live without economic worries kept open heart for us. Turn heat came hungry and when we come to your restaurant dosa and Novlti mind like Cole did Bhature order.

There's been sitting up suddenly from Bauji something like I'm stuck inside. Mommy had me after passing from one who was closest to Bauji. His solitary, pain and struggle mind sharing. Even in the seven-year-old mother of Omar cremated with him when I was standing in a cemetery. Mother's death made me extra sensitive. His face his limitations all made sense until I Bigdte little - would get a sense. Today was something that was confusing them.

Aruna was busy grooming her doll's hair. And I've kept my toys beside - B - am my father's hands tied on a table sat in the currency. During the wait for orders to serve some say pose G Bau in my eyes, my deep brown eyes झाँकाघनी Brunion knows what that moment was not that he went back reluctantly.

Raghu''.''The father's voice seems to come from somewhere far away.
''yes! ''
The card out of shirt pocket they put in front of me.
The marriage is''coming Sunday.''
Bauji''Who? Aruna Chki''.
I have seen card was reversed by Pult. Grandma's name, home address, father's name and''to feel''with a stranger named Juda. If dad says do not trust myself not to.
What is''married, just in gurdwaras ritual, to bring home your new mom. Then Bss party.''

But I did not know what that Aruna had a moment. I was shocked, New Mommy! How can a mother's name unknown? Mom was a Mom Hin, new mom can come? Many say were cold Bauji Bhature Cole ... not even half that landed neck.

We returned. At that moment two years younger to me suddenly like Aruna Sayani became lightheaded. She put the doll toys and bringing my unaltered Amma's bed asleep Khr Kes Od. I understand that the secret of why new Ktole Amma used to sleep last several days I was different. Today I made without insisting on the close Ghya Ktole. We both brought two glasses of milk Amma refused. When grandma told not to go, stepmother and their children read the stories in the book reminds me not to come and Ludkh Rhindo tears when asleep.

Late morning and the school could not be awakened, Aruna was gone. Her breakfast time explained,''Raghu, see Son, your dad are very lonely. They need partners. Today I'm on my death to you tomorrow, who will?''

Amma's a one sentence would take thousands of questions. Then it could not explain Raghu after thousands of Amma, being in that big Khutumb, is one adult man in spite of how his momma and kids can be alone? Amma was also filled a young widow, she must also looking for any? Stepfather was not the law of Bau for their children then they were bringing new mother why? Social practices which they could not understand Raghu woman without a husband and wife without a man not to pause? The man did not think Raghu loneliness and anguish and fragility of women and power within ourselves to be whole. Today, he understands why his momma forever for that one became Ards Woman, why did he say at times in life sentences for his sentence proved divine!

But one evening that made me a grown-up had to Thajo happened. Homework that night she left the new mother did .. I often felt escape was thrown into the Army school ... but my mind once the studies were Thavo never thought Uct. True, the ... life of elderly discount intelligent Raghuvhin ear which he tried to get on the path Khr catch rebels, on ways I get stubborn Raghav life could not Thapta or not but on my terms, I've already hooked to life. Today when I am successful, satisfied ... then past the outside of the brash Kidkhi mode in my eyes but often stand Raghu is standing for this question that --

If that day is not exactly what would have happened if Raghav's life? So what happens when today's successful life is so learned? In which every position of being able to own pride makes it occurs high? Much more secure and spend all your childhood like a child's unique life lessons quickly Pdata whose childhood is?

Kisan Call Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:17:37 PST

Transfer of technology is what keeps the wheels of agricultural development moving. The success of agricultural and rural development strategy, initiated, planned and developed by the policy maker, the planner and the scientist, hinges on the effectiveness of the extension machinery and personnel, whose task is to transfer the technology from lab to the land. Technology transfer has brought a transformation in the lives of the people in the countryside and the farmers and others who have adopted the new technology and the methods of cultivation are happy to share their experiences with others.

A limitation in transfer of technology model continues to remain a challenge for the public and private extension systems. With the availability of telephone and internet, it is now possible to bridge this gap to quite a large extent by using an appropriate mix of technologies. With this objective in focus, the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India launched Kisan Call Centres (KCCs) on January 21, 2004 across the country to deliver more effective extension services to the farming community. The purpose of these call centres is mainly to respond to issues raised by farmers instantly in the local language on continues basis. The farmers can dial the toll free helpline number 1800-1551, identified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, either from telephone or mobile from 6 A.M. to 10 A.M. on all the seven days of a week, from any part of the country, to get solutions for their problems in agriculture and allied sectors.

Concept of Kisan Call Centre
A Kisan Call Centre consists of a complex of telecommunication infrastructure, computer support and human resources organized to manage effectively and efficiently the queries raised by farmers instantly in the local language. Mainly, Subject Matter Specialists (SMSs) using telephone and computer, interact with farmers to understand the problem and answer the queries at a call centre.

Operational Mechanism
The Kisan Call Centre is a synthesis of two hitherto separate technologies namely, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Agricultural Technology. Both have their specialized domains and work cultures. To optimally utilize the strengths of both these systems, it was proposed to take full advantage of professionally managed Call Centre mechanism and dovetail it with the specialized Subject Matter Specialists knowledge of Agricultural Scientists and Extension Officers, so as to facilitate its reach to the farming community. The Kisan Call Centre consists of three levels, namely.
Level-I: The call coming to the call centre is picked by an operator (Level-I functionary) who after a short welcome message takes down the basic information and query of the caller. These details are fed into a computer located next to the operator by the operator himself. The level receiver of the call would also feed into the computer the question being asked by the farmer. The first level operators preferably would be an agricultural graduate with rural background knowing local language. They should also possess good communication skills. They would be in a position to answer a majority of the questions likely to be asked by the farmers.

Level-II: The level-II consists of Subject Matter Specialists (SMSs) who are located at their respective places (Research Stations, ATICs, KVKs, Agricultural colleges), of work. In case the first level operator is not able to answer the question, the operator forwards (in call sharing mode) the call to the concerned Subject Matter Specialist. The data relating to the caller including the question asked is also transferred to the Level-II functioning on his computer along with the call. Hence, when the specialist takes the forwarded call, his computer also shows the data and question asked so that there is no repetition. It is envisaged that in normal cases, the entire spill over question from the first level get answered at this level. In case, it is not possible to answer, there is a system to revert back to the caller by post/fax/e-mail or by phone in 72 hours.

Level III: The level III consists of a dedicated cell located the Nodal Office. This would receive the questions that have not been answered at the first and second levels. Appropriate replies to these questions would be then framed in consultation with the concerned specialists available within or outside the State, by the nodal cell. The replies would be sent to the farmers promptly by post/e-mail/fax/telephone etc. within 72 hours of receipt of the question.

Monitoring and review: The nodal institutions monitor and review the various activities of the Kisan Call Centres on a regular basis. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India will review the functioning of all the Kisan Call Centres with the Heads of Nodal Institutions every month to start with for first six months and subsequently for every quarter in each of the Nodal Institution on rotation basis.

Conclusion: The Kisan Call Centres will thus enable the establishment of close linkages and seamless communication mechanism among the key stakeholders in the extension system namely - Farmers, Agricultural Scientists, Extension Functionaries and Marketing Agencies.

Innovation Creates Values

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:09:48 PST

In the second decade of the 21st century, it is imperative that governments increase the quality of life for their citizens, and companies drive sustainable, profitable growth to compete effectively in the global economy. They do this through innovation.

Innovation is critically important but is it clear what innovation is? It can be many things: Doing things differently, thinking out of the box, coming up with new ideas and products, taking risks, being creative. The ability of an organisation to innovate is not only a function of processes and tools but also the organisation's culture and stakeholder behaviour. It is easy to see why innovation is misunderstood.

There's a commonly held belief that innovation and R&D investment are linked. This is a myth. There are companies which do not invest in R&D but are very innovative. Examples include Southwest Airlines (now the largest airline in the world based on the number of passengers flown), Walmart and Virgin Group. There are companies that have made huge investments in R&D and have little to show for it.

Examples include Ford [ Images ] and GM. Both companies were the largest investors in R&D at their peak, investing Rs 36,000 crore (Rs billion) a year. Investment in R&D and technology enables innovation; it is not an innovation metric.

The best example is Apple. Most would agree Apple is the most innovative company in the world. Its products are very appealing, deliver great value and are user-friendly -- the iPod, iPhone and the new tablet, rumour has it, iSlate. Does Apple invest heavily in R&D? No. Apple uses technology from multiple sources to enable the innovative lines of products and services that it produces.

There are at least eight forms of innovation being practised globally today: Customer-centric, disruptive, management, open, outcome-driven, radical, strategic, and value. The three most widely adopted forms are: Disruptive, open and value innovation.

Disruptive innovation
Disruptive innovation has been described in three books by Clayton Christensen of the Harvard Business School. Christensen's contribution is that companies need to define their value chains, understand the jobs their products or services are hired to do and be aware of the technologies that enable higher-value solutions to a customer group's problems.They could disrupt the existing market. We have seen disruptions in the past -- steam ships replacing sailing vessels, computers replacing typewriters, jet aircraft eliminating travel by ship.
Today we see disruptions occurring at a much faster rate: Tata Motors brought out the low-cost Nano for people who could not afford a car.

Is this a disruption? What are the implications for global automobile manufacturers? The print media is being attacked on all fronts, for example, by social computing and Google. The result is that major newspapers and periodicals are downing their shutters.

Low-cost, point-to-point airlines (Southwest Airlines and Ryanair) with no-frill service and very low fares are putting pressure on the major airlines who operate on the hub-to-hub model and have much higher operating costs.

Open innovation
Open innovation is probably the most popular form of innovation today. A recent development is that people are starting to question its real value. Henry Chesbrough of the University of California, Berkeley, is the leading proponent of open innovation and has published three books on the subject.

Chesbrough shows that today's organisations do not have the resources to do everything themselves. He recommends organisations put in the resources to access ideas from external experts, universities, members of the public, patents and scientific literature. Procter and Gamble's Connect + Develop programme is the most fabled example of open innovation.

Nabil Sakkab, the retired chief technology officer of P&G's fabric and home care business, claims Connect + Develop has allowed P&G to keep R&D investment flat, while significantly increasing contribution of new products to top-line growth. P&G's growth goals require it grows its top line annually by Rs 18,400 crore (Rs billion) with new products and services. Put in perspective, P&G needs to create a new Gas Authority of India every year.

Value innovation
Value innovation is the universal form of innovation. It is not restricted to just developing new products and services. It focuses on delivering value in any form and, therefore, has far less risk associated with it.The term value innovation was first introduced by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne in the early 1990s and was popularised in their bestselling book, Blue Ocean Strategy, published in 2005.Today Value Innovations, Inc is at the forefront in delivering value innovation methodology to the global market.Value innovation is defined as delivering exceptional value to the most important customer in the value chain all the time, every time. Unlike other forms of innovation, the most important customer can be internal or external to the organisation.

Exceptional value can be delivered in many other ways besides a new product or service. It could be a new process, a new way of going to market or business model, a new way of delivering the product or service, new packaging, or new services.

Any organisation of any size, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, an association, a government agency, a school board and so on can use the value innovation methodology. Support groups within an organisation such as IT, finance, purchase and human resource can use these tools to deliver much greater value to the most important customers in their business units.

In 2006, Don Paul, then Chevron's chief technology officer, brought in Value Innovations, Inc to determine if value innovation methodology and tools could help three Chevron technology subsidiaries deliver greater value to the business units, the internal customers.

A research project was selected to pilot the tools. With Value Innovations' facilitation and innovation tools, the project team collaboratively identified the most important customer, the asset manager. Value Innovations interviewed these asset managers using a contextual interviewing approach. A value curve with metrics was developed from the interview outputs.It took just five months to reduce a very complex research project down to four primary areas of focus. The Chevron project team sees many benefits to using value innovation methodology.

More global companies besides Chevron are now using Value Innovations' methodology and tools with great success. They include Alcan Pharmaceutical Packaging, Bekaert, Genencor, Ingersoll-Rand, and Procter & Gamble.

Central to the successful implementation of innovation is an organisation's culture and stakeholder behaviour. Air Products & Chemicals, Alcan Pharmaceutical Packaging, Boeing, Milliken, and Solvay Advanced Polymers, partnering with the Center for Innovation Management Studies at North Carolina State University, focused on how the potential for value innovation could be assessed in an organisation.

The outcome was a robust, reliable and statistically validated 33-item, web-based, value innovation process assessment tool. This tool provides scores on nine statistically independent factors influencing an organisation's culture for innovation:

    * Meaningful work
    * Open communication
    * Risk-taking culture
    * Empowerment
    * Customer orientation
    * Business planning
    * Agile decision-making
    * Learning organisation
    * Business intelligence

The tool includes an open-ended question where respondents can provide additional thoughts. The conclusion, from the answers at Alcan, Milliken and Solvay, was the three most significant cultural and behavioural challenges in order of importance: Open communication, empowerment and risk-taking culture.

Risk is a double-edged sword. Organisations are at risk if they stand still but see themselves taking risks if they decide to innovate. The chairman and managing director must take the lead. The chairperson sets the tone and makes it clear the company will take risk. Steve Jobs at Apple, James Dyson at Dyson, AG Lafley at Procter & Gamble and Richard Branson [ Images ] at Virgin have made it clear that risk is a part of doing business.

An organisation that uses value innovation methodology is lowering the risk associated by focusing on delivering greater value to the most important customer.

To drive India's annual GDP growth at over 10 per cent now and well into the future, the Indian government and companies, from Navratnas to small businesses, must make innovation critically important. To do this, they must:
# Assure that investments in R&D will enable value innovation in core and key growth industries,
# Assure that government ministers and company CEOs champion innovation and understand the proactive role it plays in setting the right tone and expectations,
# Recognise the significant impact an organisation's culture and people's behaviour have on promoting or inhibiting innovation,
# Identify the cultural promoters and inhibitors in their organisation and minimise the impact of the inhibitors,
# Make measured risk-taking acceptable at all levels of the organisation and reward those who take risks, and
# Adopt the use of value innovation methodology to develop breakthrough new products and services, business models, processes, support services, delivery methods, processes and packaging concepts; and increase the value delivered by all support functions to their internal customers.

CNG Myths and facts

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:26:06 PST

While CNG is fast becoming the ideal alternative to maintain a pollution free environment, there are many self proclaimed 'mechanics' so to say, who are neither certified nor capable of installing CNG kits the right way. In view of the alarming levels of pollution, the government has made it mandatory for commercial vehicles to run on CNG. CNG is being accepted as an alternative fuel but with a caution - accidents are being reported with vehicles being run on CNG. It is important to mention here that these accidents are not because of the CNG but due to the sub standard parts and kits used by unauthorized companies or agencies, mushrooming in all corners of the city. These companies work under the façade of being booking centres or car mechanics, and tend to misguide the public who is still in the process of fully understanding the work of CNG kits. These companies lure the public by charging less and offering discounts, whereas, in reality, they compensate by putting in sub standard or faulty parts.

The Delhi Transport Authority, after due research, gives licenses to companies/firms fit to install CNG kits. The also regularly conduct check ups to ensure compliance with safety and other statutory norms. The department has drawn up a list of all companies authorized to install CNG kits.

The CNG kit should always be installed by authorized companies/firms, which are well equipped with trained and educated technician and which deal with approved kits. The dream of clean Delhi - Green Delhi can only be attained by expanded usage of CNG, a cheaper and a much safer option.

Kiran a Ray of Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:16:14 PST

Say goodbye to kerosene lamps, here's Kiran!

Their mission is to bring light to millions of households that do not have access to electricity. Betting big on solar lighting products, Sam Goldman and his team have embarked on an enduring journey to remove darkness from the remotest corners of the world.Sam was moved by an unfortunate incident, while working as a US Peace Corps volunteer in the West African nation of Benin between 2001 and 2005, which led him to focus on this segment.

"My neighbour's son in Benin was badly burned by a kerosene lamp. It was disturbing to see that when we made so much progress in terms of technology, we still did not have a solution to this grave problem. So I had made up my mind to provide a source of light that is safe and cheap."He then joined Stanford University to pursue an MBA in social entrepreneurship. The idea got a fillip at the 'Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability' class at the Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.

Sam Goldman then joined hands with classmate Ned Tozun to start D.Light Design, a company that makes affordable solar lighting solutions to serve the bottom-of-the-pyramid households in India and other markets across the globe. The initial research and early prototyping of what became D.light products, began in 2006.

The company was officially founded in mid-2007 with the ambitious mission to reach out to about 1.6 billion people in the world without electricity, and another billion or more who have unreliable electricity.The company's latest product, Kiran (which means a ray of light), is a low-cost solar lighting solution, designed especially for households without access to electricity. Dubbed the 'kerosene killer', Kiran is priced at Rs 499 ($10) making it the most affordable, quality solar lantern in the world.

The company's mission is to replace every kerosene lantern with clean, safe and bright light. "The Indian market is complex, competitive and difficult to tap. By 2010, we plans to serve 10 million people across the world," says Sam Goldman.A Silicon Valley venture, the company has received a funding of $6 million from both US and Indian investors, including Mahindra & Mahindra, Nexus India Capital, Acumen Fund, Garage Technology Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Gray Matters Capital.

For Sam, India is an exciting place to be in, a land of infinite opportunities. No other country is as diverse, complex and as interesting as India, he says. There are fantastic ideas among start-ups in India and in the social entrepreneurship sector as well, he adds.Sam Goldman, CEO and co-founder, D.Light, and Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, director (communications), share their views on how the company plans to transform the lives of people with simple and cheaper solar-powered gadgets.

How is the experience of being a social entrepreneur?

I was really lucky to find like-minded people to help me in this venture. Everyday we deal with brand new ideas and I learn new things. It is satisfying to hear that many people in the rural areas have hugely benefited by our products.Most people find finance a major constraint to start a venture. How was it for you?We were fortunate as we sought funding prior to the current economic crisis. At that time, we found a significant number of venture capitalists who were very interested in investing in social enterprises. Investors were also attracted to the phenomenal social returns on such an investment, given that fairly straightforward solar lighting solutions can benefit families by increasing household income, reducing expenditures on kerosene, and improving education and health outcomes. In addition, the market potential is huge. Kerosene is currently a $38-billion-a-year industry. So investors clearly saw the great potential of D.light and were actually very enthusiastic about investing. I, along with Ned Tozun, participated in several business plan competitions and won $275,000 in prize money, which helped kick-start our funding.

What are the challenges that you face?

D.light is trying to do what no one has done before: to build a global consumer products company that is focussed exclusively on serving bottom-of-the-pyramid households.One of the most significant challenges for D.light is distribution. Our customers are naturally in some of the remotest areas of the world, many of which have never even seen electricity, let alone solar-powered products. Therefore, we need to be especially innovative in our marketing and distribution strategies in all our markets.We have rural marketing campaigns in, both, India and East Africa. We have also developed a thriving and fast-growing rural entrepreneurship programme in India, whereby individual people sell our products to their family, friends, and neighbours on a commission.This significantly increases our reach into the most rural areas and provides the important supplementary income for rural households.

Are you looking at making products cheaper?

The challenge is always to keep the price as low as possible to tap a large market. We continue to look at ways to make our products more affordable and accessible. We have done several pilot projects with microfinance institutions and have found this to be an extremely effective strategy to make our products more affordable.We haven't yet been able to do financing on a large scale, though, and we still want to develop products that are even more affordable.

What was the reason for developing a product like Kiran?

D.light has strategically chosen to first focus on solar lighting because we have found that bright, modern lighting has huge benefits. We have invested our resources in building out an entire product line of solar lanterns, offering products with different features and at different prices.The Kiran is our most affordable product yet, and was based on hundreds of hours of field research. We wanted to develop a low-cost product that still had the features that our customers most desired.

Each feature of the Kiran -- its two light settings, the brightness, the colour, the shape, the handle -- were deliberate decisions based on customer feedback. Our desire in developing the Kiran was to make a 'kerosene killer', an affordable and high-quality replacement for kerosene lanterns.

Could you tell us more about the making of Kiran? How many people were involved? How long did it take to develop it?

It took several months for Kiran to move from concept to completion. Both our product design team (based in India at the time -- they have since moved to Hong Kong) and our product engineering team (based in China) were closely involved in the process to ensure that the product was well-designed, functional, and affordable.There were also scores of potential customers involved in providing feedback to us in every step of the product development process.

How has the response to Kiran been?

The response to Kiran has been incredibly strong in India and elsewhere. We find that customers really like the look of the product and are more willing to adopt this new product because of the lower price point.

What kind of impact has Kiran created in countries like India? How has Kiran changed the lives of villagers in India?

Like all of our products, the Kiran has had significant impact for our customers. We are focussing on Western and Northern India. We have found that children are now able to study more effectively and for longer hours.They are able to increase their income through the extended workday. They are saving money because they no longer need to buy kerosene as Kiran is a bright, clean alternative to polluting kerosene lanterns. Our customers appreciate the light and portable Kiran which can be easily used in the field, at home, or while travelling. Besides helping the needy, it is very satisfying to see that people who are selling the products have been able to lead a better life. . . They tell me that this is a great product and it has helped them change their lives, helped them get a good income, helped them send their children to better schools.

How is the market for low-cost solar lighting solutions? How is the market in India?

There is incredibly high demand for low-cost solar lighting solutions throughout the developing world. Most of our customers have not previously been exposed to high-quality lighting products, and so they are very receptive to our products.The greater challenge is ensuring that our products can reach these customers regardless of where they live. The market in India is also very promising, though it does tend to be more competitive than our markets in East Africa and elsewhere.There are already quite a few solar lighting products on the market in India, but we believe that our products offer the best value for the prices that our customers pay.

Which are the other products on offer?

The Nova Mobile provides high-quality light while doubling as a mobile phone charger. The Solata provides up to 15 hours of light on a full charge and uses highly efficient LEDs. It is 5 to 6 times brighter than a kerosene lantern, and performs exceptionally well for tasks where light is required from specific angles.

How do you make these solutions cost-effective? How durable and user-friendly is this product?

We know our customers very well, so we are able to design extremely useful, quality products without over designing. We understand what features are important to our customers.We work closely with our contract manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that we are getting the best prices possible for our components and manufacturing. Our operations in China ensure that we will be able to make our products at high volumes and low cost without compromising quality.All of our products are designed to be extremely durable. We understand that our customers live in rugged environments, in which there may be severe weather conditions (heat, typhoons, etc.) and dust. Our products are designed to last at least 1-5 years (depending on the product and the level of usage).We believe that all of our products are extremely easy and safe to operate (we find that children are some of the biggest users of the products), and that the little touches we've added, such as ergonomic, multiple-setting handles, make them highly functional for our customers.

Which countries will you be targetting?

Currently, our primary markets are India and the 13 countries within East Africa, with Tanzania being our main base of sales and marketing operations.D.light products are already being sold in nearly 30 countries around the world, in regions as varied as the Caribbean, Pacific Islands, South America, Southeast Asia, and West Africa.

Is this a profitable business?

The kerosene is a $38-billion-a-year-industry. So we certainly entered into this business expecting to be profitable. We expect to break even in the near future.

How important is innovation for a start-up to be successful?

Innovation is essential in giving a start-up a competitive edge, and in keeping ahead of the curve. D.light is not the first company to develop portable solar lighting products, but we believe we are on the leading edge due to our creative product design process, distribution strategies, and business model.A part of innovation is also flexibility; when customers respond in a way you don't expect, or new market opportunities suddenly open up, it is imperative for a company to be able to adapt and capitalise on these opportunities.

What is the future for innovative solutions like Kiran?

We believe that there is room for tremendous growth in the solar lighting industry in general, and the bottom-of-the-pyramid space in general. We expect competitor products to continue come onto the market in the coming months and years, and so D.light will continue to push the envelope in terms of product development and distribution.

What are the five things entrepreneur must have to succeed?

Entrepreneurs must have flexibility as everything is constantly changing. One must be committed and be tough as the path is often very difficult. They must be able to tell a compelling story. It is good to have mentors and advisors to guide you. One must be very passionate about the venture.

What are your company's future plans?

D.light wants to become the leading consumer products company for bottom-of-the-pyramid markets. Therefore, we will continue to develop innovative, high-quality, low-cost solutions that encompass light but also other important needs of our customers.We also plan to expand distribution significantly in all of our markets in the coming months and years. D.light's goal is to impact 10 million people by the end of 2010, and to reach 50 million by 2015.

Linux Windows Virus

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:50:41 PST

There are so many versions of this observation. One view is that Linux is new, and hence virus people have not had time to get to it. Of course, Unix has been around far longer, so it is not clear if there is any truth here. Second, Windows for various reasons have got more targetted specifically (may be because it is far too commercial compared to Unix bases). What interests me is the comment that Linux (perhaps Unix in general) architecture is lot harder for virus like stuff to penetrate and create much havoc. Can anyone post anything technical to support or contradict this claim - I would prefer a technical answer, than a general comment? I have also heard some remarks saying there are a few virus created for Linux. Any one has any pointers?

To put it simple :

NO Linux can have no viruses (like Windows).

Now, a bit more technical :

As a virus in Linux would have to gain root rights and know the root password to damage the system, it's highly unlikely (probably impossible) to get serious virus infections in Linux.

A virus should have root rights under Linux (or sudo), which it can only gain, after it has infected a system by using root rights.

This is somewhat like: what was first, the chicken or the egg.

However, on badly configurated systems (that's the users choice) a worm might damage the system by inadvertently spreading itself. There once was a Linux virus called Ramen (a Dutch word, meaning 'windows' in English. A lab experiment, which did not survive outside the testing grounds. Again not having root rights causes Worms (which could only be created in lab environments) to simply propagate within a part of the filesystem.

There's is ample literature about this on the Internet. E.g. check www.ubuntulinux.org about viruses or any other major / minor distribution.

And it is not because Windows has a larger userbase than Unix or LInux. That has nothing to do with viruses being more prominent on Windows systems.

Windows systems just are far more easy to infect, hijack, a.s.o.

In my opinion Windows will be the end of the Internet as we know it and some MS sponsored studies are circulating by which MS would like to :

a) create a new Internet, dropping the IP-protocol
b) patenting it

There are 2 reasons that Windows is more often infected. First, that it's a more standard build: for example, a virus can target iexplore, outlook express, outlook etc. The second, far more important reason is that it's a business... why target < 1% of the market?

Also, any services running on a port number < 1024 requires root privileges, so any virus successfully attacking a local web service on port 80 ) for example ) will automatically gain superuser privileges.

Linux isn't harder to hack. It has multiuser privileges built in from the start, rather than being bolted on later, which is a good starting point. However, the real reason its not being hacked *that* much is that the money isn't in it at the moment so resources aren't being applied. But software is written by us mere mortals, and we make mistakes, and don't cover all the bases. Open source software tends to get patched faster ( see the latest breaches in DNS, libpurple... ), but it still gets broken. IIRC one of the first trojans was a C program sent by email, along with instructions to automatically compile and run it on reading, and was sent a long, long time before Bill Gates started Microsoft.

Assuming that this will stay the same in the future is a recipe for disaster. Especially as linux is becoming more popular all the time...

Three words

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:40:19 PDT

SORRY THANK YOU & PLEASE

Very often, in life, we come across situations and circumstances that are adverse and demoralizing. Years ago, I too, went through a similar situation and the times were tough and the future bleak. During that period I read the story below which has changed a lot of things for me and I have overcome all the difficulties. A simple story that has taught me lessons in life that actually pushed me into another orbit. It is here that I learnt the importance of three words, SORRY, THANK YOU & PLEASE. Now I sit back and watch as so many youngsters have forgotten the meanings of these three important words. Most lessons in life are learnt in adversity and that is the time one actually finds the true self and recognizes true friends.

Shopping for love
I am flat broke from overspending at Christmas time. But I need to go shopping again soon because I am completely out of self-respect. I've said things I wish I could take back and I am not feeling too good about myself.

I also want to exchange a carton of self righteousness for an equal amount of humility. I hear that it is less expensive and wears well, and while I'm at it I'm going to check on tolerance and see if there is any available in my size.

I must remember to try to match my patience with the little I have left. My neighbor is loaded with it and it looks awfully good on her. I was told the same department has a repair shop for mending integrity. Mine has become frayed around the edges from too much compromising. If I don't get it refurbished soon, there won't be any left.

I almost forgot the most important thing of all -- compassion. If I see some-no matter what the color, size or shape -- I'm going to stock up heavily regardless of the price. I have run out of it so many times and I always feel ashamed when it happens.

I don't know why it has taken me so long to get around to shopping for these items. They don't cost nearly as much as some of the frivolous things I bought at Christmas time. And I'll get a lot more satisfaction from them.

Yes, I'm going shopping today and I can leave my checkbook and credit cards at home! The things I'm looking for have no price-tags. What a joy!

Roles Responsibilities of Software Developer

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:38:03 PDT

Being a software developer are mostly Involved in performing any or all of the following activities

* Architecture and design
* Coding / implementation / construction
* Component testing
* Runtime analysis

The point of discussion are:
To know up to what extent a software developer need to involve in requirement analysis, analysis on the technology part (WPF, WCF etc), designing of UI (When its a Web application (ASP.NET)) etc.

In my experience the best developers will get involved in all aspects of software delivery. Teasing out user requirements is, I believe, far more accurate and efficient when those who are doing the work are not required to go through a middle man. This does nit necessarily negate the need for a BA, but I feel BAs and developers should work collaboratively with the users.

There is a caveate however. Developers who interact with users need to be able to separate their discussion of user requirements from the technical implementation or limitations. Typically a user does not care HOW something is achieved, but that it meets their requirements. A good developer will be able to discuss in layman's terms and then convert those requirements into the best (pragmatic) technical solution.

In terms of UI design, many developers do not have a design flair, but will have knowledge about usability and UI patterns. Once again I believe a collaborating with designers works best. The key to this collaboration is to reckonise that, just as writing good code is important to you, so things like alignment, font size and color is important to the designer! You may be one of those developers who loves the tech and the 'crayons' (as a designer friend of mine used to call it). If so, your job may be easier as you also will consider the look and feel important.

In summary, i'm a great believer in evolutionary software design where all members of the process interact from day one. I believe in short iterations where users can see working (but incomplete) software early and regularly. Above all, I think the traditional 'roles' have somewhat blurred and that everyone on a project should work together to do whatever it rakes to deliver great software.