Teenage Obesity – The Silent Killer

Obesity continues to rise with about 15% of the target audience being teens. With both parents working in a fast-paced world teens often have to make their own food choices. Most of them prefer “junk food” they can grab while watching television or playing video games. Lack of physical activity largely contributes to the growing problem.

Teenage obesity usually leads to adult obesity. While it is rare that teens experience the health problems associated with obesity, they need to be aware that those problems are likely to appear at some point in their life. Studies have shown that severely obese young females could lose an average of four to eight years off their normal life expectancy. For males in the same age group the numbers are much higher at twelve to twenty years.

Teenage Obesity And Discrimination
--------------------------------------------------

Teens who are obese face ridicule from their peers. During the teenage years physical beauty is of great importance. Youth magazines flaunt petite girls along with muscular, well built males. The clothing market directed at the youth generally does not offer fashionable clothing for obese teens. This alone can lead to low self-esteem.

The most popular girls and boys are nearly always small and attractive. Studies have shown that the overweight teen is more likely to be the subject bullying and name-calling. This can lead to social withdrawal, unhappiness, and can even go as far as causing mental illness. Teenage obesity often leads to teenage depression. Depression is listed as one of the top causes for teen suicide.


Teenage Obesity – The Solution
------------------------------------------------

Parents have a responsibility to teach and guide their children, including teaching them proper nutrition. Eating habits that are formed during the teen years are likely to carry over into adulthood. Offer healthy snacks such as yogurt, popcorn, nuts, low fat chips, and fresh fruit. Avoid fried foods at meals and offer as many fresh vegetables as possible. Discourage sugary drinks and teach the importance of plenty of water.

Encourage your teen to stay active. Give them chores such as helping in the garden or washing the car. Take family hikes on local nature trails or visit the zoo. Bicycling and swimming are other family oriented activities which can help to reduce a sedentary lifestyle.

One final note to make is to always show your love. Encourage your teen to make the right choices and give them your full support. Be a good role model and focus on providing the proper nutrition at your family meals. Encourage activity and plan family outings that involve some sort of physical participation. Understand that teenage obesity needs to be addressed early in life in order to prevent complications when they reach adulthood.

Desktop Linux hurts Microsoft

Linux has kept a big chunk of the server business out of Microsoft’s hands. But in 2008, Linux will hurt Microsoft on the desktop. Here’s how.

A new computing platform
----------------------------------------

Thanks to Moore’s Law and evolving application needs, a new computing platform arrives every 10 years. Mainframes in the ’50s, minicomputers in the ’60s, PCs in the ’70s, microcontrollers in the ’80s, PDAs and cell phones in the ’90s and now sub-$400 - soon to be sub-$300 notebooks.

Small and light enough to be carried everywhere, these sub-notes provide Internet access, PDA functionality and basic mail and document creation functionality at a rock-bottom price. Asustek is expected to build 1,000,000 Eee sub-notes in Q1 ‘08 alone. Asustek’s competitors are just getting warmed up.

What can Microsoft do?
----------------------------------------

Microsoft has gotten fat on the $50 Windows tax it charges PC manufacturers. But on a razor-thin margin vendors can’t afford Windows.So they’re going with Linux. If Asustek sells 5 million Eee’s, and their competitors sell another 5 million, several million consumers will be introduced to desktop Linux for the first time.And millions of copies of Windows and Office won’t be sold.

Microsoft will skate in ‘08
--------------------------------------

For all the attention Apple gets for its growing market share, the Linux-based sub-$400 notebook/sub-$200 desktop unit sales will be several times as large in 2008. Even combined this won’t hurt Microsoft in 2008, thanks to the growing migration to Vista.

2009 is a different story. 25 million Linux desktops will take a bite out of Microsoft sales - one that Wall Street will certainly notice.

The Storage Bits take
------------------------------

Microsoft’s days as a de facto monopoly are coming to an end - and not a moment too soon. Increasingly desperate attacks on Linux will intensify, but how does Microsoft go after Wal-Mart?

Popular "'Medical myths'" Busted

Some claim drinking eight glasses of water a day leads to good health, while reading in dim light damages eyesight.Others believe we only use 10% of our brains or that shaving legs causes hair to grow back thicker.

But a review of evidence by US researchers surrounding seven commonly-hold beliefs suggests they are actually "medical myths".Some are utterly untrue, while others have no evidential proof, the British Medical Journal reports.Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis hunted medical literature for evidence on each claim.They found no evidence supporting the need to drink eight glasses of water a day.

Medical myths
------------------------
>> In fact, studies suggest that adequate fluid intake is often met by drinking juice, milk, and even caffeine-rich tea and coffee.Data also suggests drinking excessive amounts of water can be dangerous.

>> The belief that we only use 10% of our brains appears to be completely untrue.

Studies of patients with brain damage suggest that damage to almost any area of the brain has specific and lasting effects on mental, vegetative and behavioural capabilities.Brain imaging studies also show that no area of the brain is completely silent or inactive.

>> And the belief that hair and fingernails continue to grow after death may be an optical illusion caused by retraction of the skin after death.

The actual growth of hair and nails requires a complex interplay of hormonal regulation not present after death.

>> Again, illusion may be to blame for the belief that shaving hair causes it to grow back faster, darker, and coarser, report author Rachel Vreeman told the BMJ.

The stubble resulting from shaving grows out without the finer taper seen at the ends of unshaven hair, giving the impression of thickness and coarseness.

>> Again, expert opinion is that reading in dim light does not damage your eyes. And there is little evidence to support the banning mobile phones from hospitals on the basis of electromagnetic interference.

>> Finally, eating turkey - and the tryptophan amino acid it contains - does not make people especially drowsy.

Indeed, turkey, chicken and minced beef contain similar amounts of tryptophan.

The researchers explained: "Any large meal can induce sleepiness because blood flow and oxygenation to the brain decrease, and meals rich in protein or carbohydrate may cause drowsiness. Wine may also play a role."

Dr David Tovey, editor of Clinical Evidence journal, said: "The difficulty is it is often hard to disprove a theory."On the flip-side, absence of evidence does not necessarily mean absence of effect."Where reliable evidence becomes really important is in helping people make serious decisions about harms and risks."Many of these 'myths' are innocuous. However, we are still finding evidence that runs contrary to current practice and what we expect."He gave the example of the relatively recent U-turn in advice over sleeping positions for babies to cut cot deaths.
Experts now recommend babies are positioned on their backs when sleeping to reduce the risk of sudden infant death.

The Post 40 "IT" Syndrome

With just 3 years of experience and at the age of 25, I used to make more money than my neighbour who at the age of 45 used to make after some 15-20 years of experience in a nationalised bank. This of course doesn’t make me more intelligent or smarter than him, but it is just that the industry (dot com) I chose was new, which demanded more youngsters who possessed the latest Internet skills.

There are pros and cons in both the work industries. In the conventional industry, you know where your job starts and where it ends, you know the time frame for getting promoted or to get a salary hike, you know whom you should report to, and there is nothing new you need to think or do or suggest everyday to prove your presence felt. The pressure is less, and life is kind of planned well!

In the modern IT industry – most of the times you don’t know where you job starts and where it ends and when & at what time it ends, you will never know when you will be promoted, when you will be demoted, or when you will be sacked, you never know whom to report and whom you should not, and you need to give new ideas everyday, and push yourself to prove your presence felt. The pressure is more, and the life is never planned.

If money & a better life style are the only criteria then choosing the latter industry is a better option. But if you want to have a healthy, long & stress free life then choosing the former industry is a better idea.

Recently I spoke to an unmarried 32- year-old IT guy who earns 50 k a month. I asked him what is your savings in your bank he said 40 k, I asked him what is your investments – he said nil. And I spoke to a married banker with 2 kids with 20 years of experience making 18 k a month. He said he has 4 lakhs in the bank, has invested in 2 flats, has invested in 2 children, and is looking forward for a retirement with a handsome PF. Of course there is a major difference in the lifestyle they both lived – which includes the number of times they ate out, the number of times they visited a multiplex or shopping mall, owning a car, and wearing branded garments. But everything else remained the same!

So what is the post 40 IT syndrome I am talking about? Though we think that the IT industry has done a lot for the benefits of the people, it has screwed people’s life equally. First and the foremost it has screwed people’s back – by making them travel in those buses in the name of transport, and secondly they have screwed people’s sleep by making them work in odd hours! Yeah, people enjoy those things when young thinking effort leads to success, but then what if all the money you made is spent on your health related problems later?

These days the people in their 30s, who started their career coding a decade back hate to do the same. They aspire for leadership posts like Project Management, where in they can work less and guide more. There is a strict competition here, and not all who did coding can be project managers, even though the industry is expected to boom multifold in the coming years. Moreover the IT firms prefer to hire younger people, with latest knowledge & expertise than people with experiences. This becomes easier for them as the youngster are hard working, full of energies, and don’t mind taking peanuts as salary.

By the age of 40 the people who took up IT as their career will undergo a major shift in their thought process and lifestyle. They will be unsure about what they need in their life, what they want in their life, and whether they chose a right kind of career in their lives. Money won’t be the criteria – because by that time – they would have understood the uselessness of it. And this particular set of people will move towards spirituality or religiousness in a major way!

Today's Choice Of Songs

Tum Jab se
----------------------------------




aisa kabhi hua nehin
----------------------------------



kiska raasta dekhe
-------------------------------------

Its the ARTs that takes the cake here

Scientifically any woman is a bag full of bones, blood, flesh, and excreta. But the moment we think about women like Aishwarya Rai or our own girl friends we feel elated about an all-new concept called beauty, which sounds very unscientific. I donot think there would be enough scientific justification as to why a particular man falls in love only with a particular woman, and why a particular group of people get along with each other quite nicely where as they fail with some other group of people.That is where science stops and Arts begin….. and where the Arts that cuts the ICE.

Lets come to the point.I like to read astrological predictions everyweek but when i discuss anything related to astrology with any of my friends they would ask me for the scientific justification for my belief in astrology.I have also noticed that in
many books written on astrology, the author struggles to refer to many scientists who believed in astrology. They do it may be to convince the readers about the greatness of astrology and to increase the credibility of their approach towards astrology. They also mention how scientific astrology is – right from the placement of planets in the horoscope to how mind influences the lines on our palms – and how scientifically it is used for predicting human lives.

It is very true that the present generation of pseudo intellects expects some strong scientific base to accept any subject, which doesn’t have clear-cut logic. But I strongly feel that the very effort to combine sciences and arts together is wrong. They exist on different planes where science can take you till the door, while Arts can take you beyond.

Take a rose to a scientist and peep into his eyes – and he will say calyx, corolla, androecium & gynaecium. And take the same rose to your beloved and peep into his/her eyes – you will see only love!

Adobe Photoshop is a scientific tool, which is used for designing purposes. Anyone can learn the usage of this particular software with in 2 days. You can explore the menu, and study what result each function can produce. But then only a creative person can produce something worthy out of this scientific tool, and this creativity isn’t science – it is an art. And give any tool to this creative person – he will come out with a beautiful design. Creativity doesn’t come out of a science lab - it comes out of the heart! The same holds true with any musicians, singers, moviemakers, writers, and astrologers.

Go to a psychiatrist if someone ditches you in love. All that he can do is give you sleeping doses. He neither can make you feel better nor could he help you come out of it. But psychologists can bring you out of your emotional pain in a couple of sittings – and psychology is again arts and no science. Man is an emotional animal, and for him to live a better life it is art that can help him more than science.

Nitrous Oxide can make you laugh for a while, but there is no scientific medicine to make you happy, content and blissful. Hence Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s meditation course is known as Art of Living and not Science of Living. (I neither have attended the course, nor am I marketing his course – it is just an example).

There are many things in life, which we need to believe and trust with closed eyes, or I should say just for the heck of it. There need not be any strong logic or scientific evidences behind them. That simply doesn’t mean they don’t exist - Existence of God is one among them and working of astrology is another.

Your Behaviour is the secret to your Quality of Life

Let's not brand anybody as good or bad. if you operate from a lower state of consciousness, then your actions may not be proper. if you operate from a higher state of cons-ciousness , then your actions may be different.

Our inner states of consciousness are constantly changing. So depending upon your state of being, your inner state correlate to your actions. We should constantly look at our behaviour, at the state we are in within. This also helps us in softening the other's inappropriate or erratic behaviour. The erratic behaviour may be due to their states of being.

More than any amount of attitudinal change, it is behavioural change that enhances the quality of life. Without behavioural change, there is no real change. Behaviour change alone brings about true change.

Its highly acclaimed that we have to be calm and serene irrespective of situations. Only such an individual is closer to enlightenment who remains calm. The greatest discipline is in keeping our minds calm in spite of external turbulent situations. This is the core teaching of the Gita as well.

A Zen master was asked about the secret of his being always happy. He replied: "When i wake up in the morning, i ask myself whether i want to be in heaven or hell. Then I decide to be in heaven. The moment i decide to be in heaven, i create heaven in every moment of my life".

if you want to be happy, first decide to be happy. Ultimately it is your decision. And the moment you decide, things will be very different.

The law of three is a beautiful teaching. The first law states that you make your effort... it is called ‘A' force. Every action has equal and opposite reactions. The moment you make positive action, invariably a negative force will come into the picture. Then a second force, ‘B', comes into focus. if you continue to put in efforts, then the third force ‘C' will descend and support the effort. Grace will descend. What we perceive as negative will start supporting our endeavour to be positive.

Until that time we need to have patience and perseverance. The choice we make in our lives is that we let ourselves come either from commitment or complaint. invariably we find that the people who are powerful are those who operate from commitment. And those who are powerless, always ope-rate from complaint. Your state of being will be powerful if you operate from commitment.

Another dimension is to operate from selflessness. When we do something that is selfless, we find unknown forces mysteriously strengthen our hands. Patanjali who was a great yogi says: "Do something good... be in the path of goodness, and... you will find forces that mysteriously help you". We look at life from our structure of thoughts and, therefore, find the world imperfect.

A selfish person does not understand the language of the selfless person. Every monk, for instance, is invariably criti-cised because all enlightened masters wake up people from their slumber, which is seen as disturbing. Let us learn to operate from what is beyond our own selves

Google building own version of Wiki

GOOGLE is building its own version of communally-constructed online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which consistently ranks among the most visited websites in the world.

The internet search powerhouse is inviting chosen people to test a free service dubbed "knol", to indicate a unit of knowledge, vice-president of engineering Udi Manber said in a posting on Google's website on Friday.

"Our goal is to encourage people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it," Manber wrote.

"There are millions of people who possess useful knowledge that they would love to share, and there are billions of people who can benefit from it.'"

While Wikipedia lets visitors make changes to its online pages, trusting that people with accurate information will correct errors and misleading entries, Google is inviting people to author their own articles.

Pictures of authors will be displayed on their knol web pages, according to a sample provided by Google.

"We believe that knowing who wrote what will significantly help users make better use of web content,'' Manber wrote.

"Books have authors' names right on the cover, news articles have bylines, scientific articles always have authors; but somehow the web evolved without a strong standard to keep authors' names highlighted."

Google hopes knols will be written on all conceivable topics and says it has no plans to edit or endorse content. Editorial responsibility will rest with authors, whose reputations will be at stake, according to Manber.

While Wikipedia merges topic entries in single articles, knols written on the same subjects will remain separate and "compete" for the attention of visitors, who will be able to give online feedback.

Knol authors will have the option of letting Google post ads on their pages and sharing in the revenues.

Google is the world's most used internet search engine and a proven master at mining revenue from online advertising targeted at those making queries and using its free web-based services.
Luring Wikipedia users to its own community-created online encyclopedia promises to be another rich vein of ad income for the search giant.

More than a third of US internet users consult Wikipedia, according to findings released earlier this year by The Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Wikipedia is consistently ranked among the world's top 10 most popular websites by internet research firms Hitwise and comScore.

File Sharing Opens Users to Identity Theft

Surprise! When you share files on your computer with the teeming masses on the Internet, you might be sharing more than just music and video files. Numerous peer-to-peer users are learning, the hard way, that file sharing is a quick and easy way to open yourself up to identity theft.

The story isn't at all new, but the Wall Street Journal is bringing it into better focus, with specific examples and an indication that this trend is exploding. One man pleaded guilty last week to stealing tax forms, credit reports, and loan applications from more than 50 people, through the file-sharing program LimeWire. He then used the info to open credit accounts in those people's names, the usual form that identity theft takes. In September, Citigroup lost more than 5,000 Social Security numbers because one of its employees was using LimeWire and shared the wrong network. Ditto for Pfizer in June, which lost 17,000 employee records the same way.

Finding this stuff online isn't hard. Search any P2P network for hot-button words like "taxes," "resume," or "loan," and you'll come across personal information in seconds. It's also easy to misconfigure your computer to inadvertently share this information. One or two clicks is normally all it takes to share the entire contents of your hard drive instead of a specific directory intended for sharing. And no, all the security software in the world won't help you if you make a mistake like this.

What should you do? For starters, don't use P2P at all if you don't know what you're getting into. As the WSJ notes, using a computer dedicated solely to file sharing is a potentially good solution; just keep anything you don't want shared off the PC altogether. (It also goes without saying that you shouldn't share copyrighted material, either, but that's a lecture for another day.) Some networks are safer than others; certain P2P apps, like BearShare, no longer allow DOC or PDF files to be shared at all. On the other hand, in my experience, LimeWire is the network most likely to turn up private information.

The full story also has information on corporate software that can help protect you by monitoring what you're sharing, called Tiversa.Check out More on Tiversa Here ...

Today's Choice Of Songs

tere chehre se nazar nahi
----------------------------------



Tu Is Tarah Se Meri Zindagi Mein
-----------------------------------------------



Rahi Tha Main Awara
------------------------------------------------




tere mere honton pe
------------------------------




Saathi - Saathi Koi Bhoola
-----------------------------------

The Magic of Music...

Hello Friends ,

I have this question echoed thousand times a day "Why do i listen to music ?" , have this puzzled u guys also ?? .. i always wonder , what exactly attracts me towards music .. is it the sound ? the melody ? the presentation ? the voice ? ... and i am still thinking for a answer. I feel, different people try to find different things in music, according to one's mood he may find peace, sanity, calmness, sadness, joy so on ...I often feel that the feeling wich one gets from music is the reflection of his own mind. In raag marwa i see sadness , i see a lover who is deprived of his beloved , but that is my idea... you may have a different picture of it and its perfectly fine, afterall music is about creativity. Different musicians have seen something or other in their music, which they brought into life with their medium of expression may it be singing or playing any instrument etc.. its all directly related to your psychology.. Music surely has a large & invisible impact on one's personality, it has un-imaginable potential. For some people music is a form a worship, some people its a mediun to relax, some people its a form to divert their mind , for some people its a case of studying it, some people do it just for the sake of earning.

What have inspired music to take such a divine form and existence in this world ?? .. Wht is music ? .. Well for me its everything ... music is not only an art of expression, its also a feeling, i guess my soul is stuck in this body just to hear some music, some more of music and some more and more of music. Here my body is acting as a medium between my soul & music , thus infact its keeping me alive, such is the power of music. If God would have to ask my soul , whats your reason for staying behind ? .. i guess tht's the answer .. it simply wants more music ..

The irony is such that , the more and more u get to music the more you are hungry for it and incase u don't get it , you are still hungry for it. In such a case what to do ? .. How do u go about this insatiable thirst ? .. i guess by converting yourself into music would do the trick. Such a person would be a really happy soul on this earth, because he is living in true sense, whole world would call him insane, mad .. but they dont realise he is the most clever person around .. who is so strong and dedicated that he goes ahead on the path he choose to walk irrespective of the people & critisicm around him, how many of u can actually do it ? .. huh ?

Music is not only set of notes n rhythms , its a way of living, for some its life ... Those of you who have discovered their love of music are really lucky .. well what abt rest huh ??..hahahaha .. i hope they too get lucky soon.What more to write now ... what more description of music to catch in words , words too have a limitation and after its only the feeling.. So go ahead, listen n enjoy music .. music need not be specially classical .. different people have different tastes .. it may vary from jazz to pop , but all are under one roof called music. Music is a feeling which can only be understood by feeling it.... i am sure u would find it really charming and more addictive than drugs.It better to be carzy in music than doing nothing in life.. look at my state, physically i may be doing so many things, i am studying, i am meeting new people, discovering new things , experiencing life .. but mentally i am into music ... indirectly its like being a living dead. Still my advise to people is , fall in love with music once and u would not need to find anything more beautiful in ur life.


Music - Live It.....

Melodious Songs

Chandni Raat Main
----------------------------




Roz roz ankhon tale
--------------------------------



Saathiya tune kya kaha
---------------------------




Roja Jaaneman
--------------------




Mere Haath main tere haath
--------------------------------

Joy Is Your Very Nature, Make It Sustainable

What is joy about? Joy is definitively not about anything, because joy is not something that you do; joy is something that you become. If you do not disturb the basic process of life within you, joy is a natural outcome. Joy is not an achievement, joy is your original state.

In yoga, we are looking at a human being as a strata of five bodies. In the original termino-logy, we say Annamaya, Manomaya, Pranamaya, Vignanamaya and Anandamaya Koshas — physical, mental, energy, etheric and joy or bliss bodies. Bliss body is not the appropriate word. The deepest core of you is not joy. But it is the non-physical. As that which is non-physical can neither be defined nor described, we are referring to it from the context of our experience. When we are in touch with this non-physical dimension our experience is blissful and thus the term bliss body.

Most do not know joy because their physical, mental and energy bodies are not in alignment. The core of you is joy, over that there are four layers. If they are properly aligned, an overwhelming expression of joyfulness will naturally happen. People may achieve this state in different ways, but it doesn't last. Now we are looking at the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an accidental happening; joyfulness becomes a normal condition, a natural way of living for you. A sustainable state.

In yoga, Brahmanand means that Creation is joy. What you see as the physical, mental, or physical energies is just the surface; the deeper core, the source of creation, is joyfulness. If the Creator is joyful, sitting somewhere in heaven — what is the point? The Creator or what you refer to as the source of creation is not sitting somewhere else. If you look at your own body, from the moment of birth to now, how much it has grown, and this growth did not happen because of any external stretching, this happened from within; the source of creation is constantly in function.

The source of Creation is within you right now. That is joyfulness. Once this fundamental force of Creation finds expression in your life and you allow it to move out, joyful is the only way you can be. If you are not entangled with the modi-fications of your mind, joyfulness is a natural way. Misery is experienced not through externalities but through losing control of your mind. Outside situations can cause physical pain; suffering and misery are always created in the mind. When you were a child, you were joyful by nature. You did not need much to be joyful. Somebody had to make you miserable, that was your condition. But today, somebody has to make you joyful. People are hoping that someday, somebody will come and make them joyful.

If you depend on the outside to bring joy to you, only by accident you will be joyful, not by intent. Outside situations never happen 100 per cent the way you want it. Not one person in this world is exactly the way you want them to be; not your husband, not your wife, not your parents, not your children, not your friends, no one. So when this is the reality, at least this one person — you — must be the way you want to be.

If you are the way you want yourself to be, the natural choice is joy. What we are talking about as Inner Engineering or inner sciences is not seeing joy as something that you have to attain, but seeing joy as the very basis of your life. If you get in tune with your own basic existence, joyful is the only way you will be.

Today's Choice Of Songs

Gaazab ka hai din
------------------------



Neele Neele Ambar Par
--------------------------------------------



Jeevan ke Din
--------------------------



Zindagi mil ke bitayenge
--------------------------------------------

The Hidden Risk Of File-Sharing

Many of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who swap music, movies and other digital content on their personal computers over the Internet have inadvertently put themselves at risk of identity theft.

Users of popular file-sharing services such as LimeWire have found themselves victims of identity theft when their personal information was inadvertently shared on a so-called peer-to-peer network. And recent high-profile breaches via these networks have put thousands of people's financial information at risk. The problem typically arises when users set up file-sharing software and create a folder for their downloads in the same location as their personal files.

Precise data on the incidence are hard to come by, in part because personal information can be accessed many different ways, and victims may not think to blame their file-sharing activities. But identity-theft experts say the problem is real and growing.

The risk from file-sharing "will get worse before it gets better," says Don McGillen, executive director of Carnegie Mellon CyLab, an initiative of the university in Pittsburgh that develops computer-security technology.

In the latest incident, a Seattle man this week pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft for using LimeWire to steal tax forms, credit reports and student-loan applications from the computers of more than 50 people. He used the information to set up phony credit accounts to buy merchandise online.

Citigroup in September confirmed that it was looking into a data breach where the names and Social Security numbers from 5,200 customer accounts were inadvertently leaked by an employee using LimeWire. And in June, Pfizer said the names and Social Security numbers of 17,000 current and former employees were leaked after the spouse of an employee downloaded file-sharing software onto a company laptop. Both companies say they aren't aware of any identity theft linked to the breaches, but they have offered the affected employees or customers free credit monitoring.

In another case involving charges of identity theft, computer crime and racketeering against a group in the Denver area, the final defendant pleaded guilty last week to racketeering. The group had used LimeWire to access several financial records and used the money from their practices to buy methamphetamine, according to the indictment.

"Once the meth addicts have discovered it, it is in widespread use" for identity theft, says Tom Sydnor,director of the Center for the Study of Digital Property with the Progress and Freedom Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Regulators, identity-theft experts and the file-sharing services themselves acknowledge the growing risk and are taking steps to address it. Last month, the House Oversight and Government Reform committee sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging it to expand its focus on file-sharing to protect users from identity theft. At least one company, Tiversa Inc., Cranberry Township, Pa., is offering products to monitor the sharing of files online. And LimeWire and other file-sharing services say they are seeking to limit how files are shared. Many identity-theft experts, however, say the steps are inadequate or confusing.

File-sharing allows users to swap personal files on their hard drives -- from music files and videos to documents and PDFs -- via a peer-to-peer network (often called a P2P). Users download software from one of a number of services that operate on these networks, with names like BearShare, Kazaa, Morpheus and LimeWire. The software then lets users access one of several P2P networks. Once users are connected to the network, they can search for and download copies of files that other users have shared from their hard drives -- even users of other software that use the same network.

P2P networks are often disparaged by critics for enabling users to illegally download copyright material. P2Ps first came to national attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the original version of Napster battled litigation from the music industry. The possibility of identity theft wasn't really on the radar then. But now, the newer applications such as LimeWire -- which unlike Napster don't house a database of files on their own servers, in an attempt to avoid copyright litigation -- have led to a surge in popularity. At any given time, as many as 12 million people world-wide are logged on to P2P networks, according to Tiversa, and 450 million copies of P2P software have been downloaded.

With growing use has come growing abuse, say identity-theft experts. But trying to pinpoint when inadvertent disclosure occurred is extremely difficult for law-enforcement agencies, says John Lynch, deputy chief of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section with the U.S. Department of Justice. Identity theft on the Internet can come from several sources, including leaked files on a P2P network, an online phishing scam or a hacked credit-card company, Mr. Lynch says.

Here's how inadvertent file-sharing often starts: When a user sets up the software for the P2P service, one of the first steps is to create a folder for the files the user will be downloading. Often, the user will place that folder within the computer's "My Documents" folder -- where people also typically put their personal files, including tax returns or other financial documents. Depending on how the user set up the program, all the files in the "my documents" folder or whatever convenient host folder was chosen -- and all of the subfolders -- are then available to others in the network.

Someone who searches a network for, say, "tax return" may be able to download a copy of those personal files off other users' computers. If a user has a company laptop, or has access to company files on their home computer, these files can get leaked, too -- even from the corporate server, Tiversa says.

Even tech-savvy users often don't have a clear understanding of how this works and how to protect select files on their computers, say identity-theft experts. The P2P services' software can be confusing, these experts say, and sometimes users think they have limited the sharing of their files, when in fact, they haven't.

Each service requires different steps. Consumers can try to consult with their software provider, but some are located overseas, identity-theft experts say. And even some experts disagree on the correct steps to use. A recent report from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviewed several online sources that offered instructions on how not to share files on P2P networks, and said most of the instructions were dated and inaccurate.

But for people who do want to use P2Ps, some experts advise reserving a separate computer just for file-sharing.

LimeWire -- one of the most popular P2Ps with an estimated 50 million users -- says confusion is mainly a problem for neophyte users. Mark Gorton, chairman of LimeWire, says the company doesn't track how much inadvertent sharing goes on, but he says the company has been tweaking the software to make it easier for people to avoid inadvertent sharing. For instance, he says that in the latest version of LimeWire, users are no longer able to share their entire C drive. The company has also added a warning icon that tells users how many files they are sharing and will show them a list if they click on it.

Another popular P2P service, BearShare, has had trouble in the past with users inadvertently sharing files. In 2006, BearShare was bought by a unit of iMesh Inc. as part of a larger settlement between the Recording Industry Association of America and BearShare creator Free Peers Inc. Talmon Marco, president of iMesh, says that the current iteration of BearShare helps to curb inadvertent sharing: Users can swap only media files, such as those for music or movies. Other files, such as PDFs, Word documents or text documents can no longer be shared.

Marty Lafferty, chief executive for the Distributed Computing Industry Association, questions the significance of file-sharing in the total cases of identity theft. Still, he says, the organization is developing best practices for the industry with regards to inadvertent file-sharing. For example, the DCIA is advising its members to rework their programs' warnings to make it clearer when users are sharing files that they might not intend to, says Mr. Lafferty.

Tiversa offers a consumer product that monitors customers' file-sharing, for an annual charge of $24.95. If a group of files that might contain sensitive information has been designated to be shared, the company will alert the customer and explain how to stop the sharing. Tiversa can also tell the user whether a shared file has been downloaded by another user.

Some interesting facts about our body

- Hiccups happen when the diaphragm, the muscle that controls our breathing, becomes irritated and start to spasm and contract uncontrollably. With each contraction, air is pulled into the lungs very quickly, passes through the voice box, and then the epiglottis closes behind the rush of air, shaking the vocal chords, causing the "hic" sound. The irritation can be caused by rapid eating, emotional stress and even some diseases. The best cure? Breathing into a paper bag. This calms the diaphragm by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream.

- The length from your wrist to your elbow is the same as the length of your foot.

- Your heart beats 101,000 times a day. During your lifetime it will beat about 3 billion times and pump about 400 million litres (800 million pints) of blood.

- Your mouth produces 1 litre (1.8 pints) of saliva a day.

- On average, people can hold their breath for one minute. The world record is seven-and-a-half minutes.

- The human head contains 22 bones. More on the head and brains

- On average, you breathe 23,000 times a day.

- On average, you speak almost 5,000 words a day - although almost 80% of speaking is self-talk (talking to yourself).

- Einstein's brain was of average size (1375 grams - 49oz).

- Over the last 150 years the average height of people in industrialised nations increased by 10 cm (4 in).

- In the 19th century, American men were the tallest in the world, averaging 1,71m (5'6"). Today, the average height for American men is 1,75m (5'7"), compared to 1,77m (5'8") for Swedes, and 1,78m (5'8.5") for the Dutch.

- The tallest nation in the world is the Watusis of Burundi.

- If the amount of water in your body is reduced by just 1%, you'll feel thirsty.

- Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, suggested that a woman could enlarge her bust line by singing loudly and often.

- A person can live without food for about a month, but only about a week without water.

- You'll drink about 75,000 litres (20,000 gallons) of water in your lifetime.

- After a certain period of growth, hair becomes dormant. That means that it is attached to the hair follicle until replaced by new hair.

- Hair on the head grows for between two and six years before being replaced. In the case of baldness, the dormant hair was not replaced with new hair.

- Men loose about 40 hairs a day. Women loose about 70 hairs a day.

- In the Middle Ages the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow was called an ell.

- A person remains conscious for eight seconds after being decapitated.

- The first human sex change took place in 1950 when Danish doctor Christian Hamburger operated on New Yorker George Jargensen, who became Christine Jargensen.

- The muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body. It allows you to blink 5 times a second. On average, you blink 15 000 times a day. Women blink twice as much as men.

- A typical athlete's heart churns out 25 to 30 litres (up to 8 gallons) of blood per minute.

- We have four basic tastes. The salt and sweet taste buds are at the tip of the tongue, bitter at the base, and sour along the sides.

- Unless food is mixed with saliva you cannot taste it.

- The liver is the largest of the body's internal organs. The skin is the body's largest organ.

- Not all our taste buds are on our tongue; about 10% are on the palette and the cheeks.

- On average a hiccup lasts 5 minutes.

- Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails.

- It takes about 3 months for the transplanted hair to start growing again.

- About 13% of people are left-handed. Up from 11% in the past.

- In 1900, a person could expect to live to be 47. Today, the average life expectancy for men and women in developed countries is longer than 70 years.

- A newborn baby's head accounts for one-quarter of its weight.

- King Henry I, who ruled in the England in the 12th century, standardised the yard as the distance from the thumb of his outstretched arm to his nose.

- The bones in your body are not white - they range in colour from beige to light brown. The bones you see in museums are white because they have been boiled and cleaned.

- Our eyes are always the same size from birth.

- Every person has a unique tongue print.

- If all your DNA is stretched out, it would reach to the moon 6,000 times.

- Approximately two-thirds of a person's body weight is water. Blood is 92% water. The brain is 75% water and muscles are 75% water.

- The coloured part of the eye is called the iris. Behind the iris is the soft, rubbery lens which focuses the light on to a layer, called the retina, in the back of the eye. The retina contains about 125 million rods and 7 million cones. The rods pick up shades of grey and help us see in dim light. The cones work best in bright light to pick up colours.

- We actually do not see with our eyes - we see with our brains. The eyes basically are the cameras of the brain. One-quarter of the brain is used to control the eyes

Predictions that missed the mark

In 1894, the president of the Royal Society, Lord Kelvin, predicted that radio had no future. The first radio factory was opened five years later. He also predicted that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible. Today, there are more than one billion radio sets in the world, tuned to more than 33 000 radio stations around the world. The Wright Brother's first flight covered a distance equal to only half the length of the wingspan of a Boeing 747.

In the 6th century BC Greek mathematician Pythagoras said that earth is round - but few agreed with him. Greek astronomer Aristarchos said in the 3rd century BC that earth revolves around the sun - but the idea was not accepted. In the 2nd century BC Greek astronomer Erastosthenes accurately measured the distance around the earth at about 40,000 km (24,860 miles) - but nobody believed him. In the 2nd century AD Greek astronomer Ptolemy stated that earth was the centre of the universe - most people believed him for the next 1,400 years.

In the early 20th century a world market for only 4 million automobiles was made because "the world would run out of chauffeurs." Shortly after the end of World War II (1945), the whole of Volkswagen, factory and patents, was offered free to Henry Ford II. He dismissed the Volkswagen Beetle as a bad design. Today, more than 70 million motorcars are produced every year. The Beetle became one of the best-selling vehicles of all time.

The telephone was not widely appreciated for the first 15 years because people did not see a use for it. In fact, in the British parliament it was mentioned there was no need for telephones because "we have enough messengers here." Western Union believed that it could never replace the telegraph. In 1876, an internal memo read: "This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication." Even Mark Twain, upon being invited by Alexander Graham Bell to invest $5 000 in the new invention, could not see a future in the telephone.

Irish scientist, Dr. Dionysius Lardner (1793 - 1859) didn't believe that trains could contribute much in speedy transport. He wrote: "Rail travel at high speed is not possible, because passengers ' would die of asphyxia' [suffocation]." Today, trains reach speeds of 500 km/h.

In 1943, Thomas Watson, the chairman of IBM forecast a world market for "maybe only five computers." Years before IBM launched the personal computer in 1981, Xerox had already successfully designed and used PCs internally... but decided to concentrate on the production of photocopiers.

After the invention of the transistor in 1947, several US electronics companies rejected the idea of a portable radio. Apparently it was thought nobody would want to carry a radio around. When Bell put the transistor on the market in 1952 they had few takers apart from a small japanese start-up called Sony. They introduced the transistor radio in 1954.

In 1894, A.A. Michelson, who with E.W. Morley seven years earlier experimentally demonstrated the constancy of the speed of light, said that the future of science would consist of "adding a few decimal places to the results already obtained."

Perhaps the guy who got it wrong most was the commissioner of the US Office of Patents: in 1899, Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, assured President McKinley that "everything that can be invented has been invented."

Today's Choice Of Songs

Tumse milke
----------------------



Mera Chand Mujhe
----------------------------




Aisa Deewana Hua Ye Dil-
----------------------------------

Crcket's Ten Most Bizarre Dismissals ... and one that got away

Misbah-ul-Haq was freakishly run out on the second day of the first Test in Delhi. Here's a look at some other examples of batsmen being sent on their way in an unconventional manner. Remember a strange dismissal?



Graham Gooch - Old Trafford 1993
-----------------------------------------------------
As a batsman who thrived best when he backed his instincts, Gooch had one notable occasion to rue them, at Old Trafford in the opening Test of the 1993 Ashes. As was so often the case at the start of the 1990s, Gooch was leading by example as his team floundered around him, compiling a brilliant final-day century, his 18th in Tests, to give England a glimmer of a get-out clause as they struggled to avoid defeat. On 133, however, he jabbed down late on a rising delivery from Merv Hughes, and momentarily lost his composure. As the ball ricocheted off the turf and lobbed menacingly towards the stumps, Gooch used his hand to brush it to safety, and was rightly sent on his way by Dickie Bird. The following day's papers, cruelly pursuing the play-on-words and ignoring the heroics that had preceded them, were unanimous: "Gooch hands the Ashes to Australia".

Ashok Mankad - Headingley 1974
-----------------------------------------------------
The eldest son of the legendary Vinoo, Ashok Mankad was never quite able to emerge from his father's shadow. Arguably, he was given a raw deal by the Indian selectors, who would often pick him for one match per series, and then throw him in at anywhere from No. 1 to No. 8 in the order. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, accidents singled him out as well, never more so than at Headingley in 1974, during his solitary appearance of a disappointing tour of England. He had batted attractively for a rearguard 43, but was unluckily dismissed as he swayed out of the way of a Chris Old bouncer. His cap fell off as he ducked his head out of line, and landed on the stumps. India collapsed soon afterwards, to lose by an innings and 78 runs.

Andy Ducat - Headingley 1921
-----------------------------------------------------
A one-cap wonder and a Surrey stalwart, Andy Ducat's greatest claim to fame was the unfortunate manner of his maiden Test dismissal. Facing up to the redoubtable Australian fast bowler, Ted McDonald, Ducat had failed to add to his overnight 3 when he broke the shoulder of his bat as he attempted a steer through the covers. The resulting loss of power meant that an effective stroke became a tame lob to slip, and as if that wasn't embarrassing enough, the shard of bat went on to dislodge the bails as well. It was the first of these two dismissals that was recorded for posterity, and Ducat managed just two more runs in his international career, as Australia romped to a 219-run victory. Remarkably, McDonald pulled off the same stunt later in the year, when South Africa's Billy Zulch was given out hit-wicket by another piece of splintered bat.

Wayne Phillips - Edgbaston 1985
-----------------------------------------------------
The catch that clinched the match that allowed England to regain the Ashes ... and it remains shrouded in mystery to this day. With a little over an hour of the fifth Test remaining, the series was deadlocked at 1-1, and though Australia were facing an innings defeat Wayne Phillips was 59 not out and digging in for the draw. At 113 for 5, however, he cut a delivery from Phil Edmonds that clattered into the in-step of Allan Lamb, one of a host of vultures circling around the bat. The ball bounced up for an alert David Gower to swivel round and pouch it, and after a consultation, umpires Shepherd and Constant sent him on his way. The breach made, Australia crumbled, losing their last five wickets for 29 runs.

Colin Wells - Sussex v Warwickshire 1980
-----------------------------------------------------
Bowling against Sussex in a John Player League match, Geoff Humpage's attempt to stop a firm straight drive failed, but as luck would have it, fashion had passed him by. Flared trousers and other monstrosities had all but disappeared from 1980s life, but the Humpage clan were still rooted in the previous decade, which was just as well for his team-mates. The material billowing from his outstretched limb clearly brushed the speeding ball, which cannoned into the stumps of the non-striker Colin Wells. Not so much a wicket taken with flair, as one taken by flares ...

Andrew Symonds - Melbourne 2005-06
-----------------------------------------------------
It's easy to grin and bear it when you're in some of the best form of your life, and your team is rollicking towards a massive total in the opening match of a one-day tournament. That is what Andrew Symonds did at Melbourne last month, in the VB Series curtain-raiser against Sri Lanka. His tubthumping 66 from 61 balls was sawn off in a remarkable moment of misfortune, when he hammered a straight drive off Jehan Mubarak with such force that Michael Clarke at the non-striker's end had no time to react. The ball looped up off Clarke's ankle, all the way to Tillekeratne Dilshan at wide mid-on, who accepted the offering with an air of bemusement. As Symonds departed he grinned at a sheepish Clarke and indicated he was owed a post-match pint.

Michael Vaughan - Bangalore 2001-02
-----------------------------------------------------
Michael Vaughan became the seventh man to be dismissed for handling the ball - and the second Englishman after Graham Gooch - when a moment of confusion cost him his wicket against India at Bangalore in 2001. Vaughan had been blighted thus far in his career by injuries, but he had only himself to blame here. Well set on 64, he missed a sweep shot off Sarandeep Singh and the ball got trapped beneath him. Even though the ball wasn't heading towards his stumps, he brushed it away in a moment of thoughtlessness: the Indians appealed, as was their right, and Vaughan was sent packing, much to the consternation of his captain, Nasser Hussain, who claimed it was "against the spirit of the game". Had Vaughan simply tossed the ball to a fielder, it is unlikely India would have appealed. England, as was their wont back then, collapsed

Inzamam-ul-Haq - Faisalabad 2005-06
-----------------------------------------------------
Inzamam-ul-Haq had battered England en route towards another hundred in the second Test at Faisalabad, when an unfortunate, and controversial, decision robbed him of an innings of monstrous proportions. After celebrating his hundred, he played a full toss from Steven Harmison back to the bowler. Harmison reacted immediately by throwing down his stumps - something he had tried once before, nearly dismissing Shane Warne in the 2005 Ashes. Inzamam, unsurprisingly, took evasive action and replays suggested his back foot had lifted from the crease. It wasn't a good decision, and his flummoxed face as he trudged off demonstrated as much. But Inzamam even managed to upstage himself six weeks later, in the first ODI against India.

Salman Butt - Multan 2005-06
-----------------------------------------------------
Salman Butt, in the same series as Inzamam's dismissal, was perhaps even more unfortunate, although Marcus Trescothick might lay claim to that. It was the first day at Multan, during England's pre-Christmas tour of Pakistan, and Butt and Younis Khan were moving along smoothly, after Shoaib Malik had fallen for 39. Nearing a deserved century, Butt's patience ran dry and a slashed slog off Shaun Udal - who was making his debut aged 36 - sped towards Marcus Trescothick at first slip. The ball bounced off Trescothick's forehead, causing Geraint Jones to scamper and dive low to take the head-butted deflection. "I'd rather it had come in a more conventional manner," mused Udal afterwards, as he reflected on the end of a 17-year wait for his first Test wicket.

Tom Pugh - Peterborough 1961
-----------------------------------------------------
To be given out "jaw before wicket" is presumably as painful as it sounds. The man who could tell you is the former Gloucestershire captain, Tom Pugh, who suffered that indignity at Peterborough in 1961. Facing up to the Northants fast bowler, David Larter, Pugh had not yet got off the mark when he ducked into a low full-toss. Cracked on the side of the face plumb in front of the stumps, Larter appealed, the umpire upheld, and Pugh was rushed to hospital with his jaw broken in two places, as his team collapsed from 61 for 1 to 66 for 5. They coped admirably in his absence, however, successfully chasing down a target of 304 to win by four wickets on the third afternoon.

And a freakish non-dismissal ...

Mohammad Ashraful - Trent Bridge 2005
-----------------------------------------------------
Fresh from a brilliant hundred that had sealed the upset of the century, against Australia at Sophia Gardens, great things were suddenly expected of Bangladesh's young strokeplayer, Mohammad Ashraful. But his next outing could hardly have begun in less auspicious circumstances. Bangladesh had just lost two wickets in two balls to England's gangly debutant, Chris Tremlett, and when Ashraful pushed forward uncertainly to Tremlett's next delivery, he needed some divine intervention to avoid becoming the hat-trick victim. The ball looped up and landed smack bang on the top of middle stump, but somehow neither bail was dislodged. Grinning from ear to ear, Ashraful responded with an innings of pure abandon. He brought up his half-century from a mere 21 balls, and had reached 94 from just 52 by the time he was bowled by a Paul Collingwood slower ball. It was not enough to save the match, but it confirmed the arrival of a special talent.

Classic contests within the contest

A few high-voltage individual battles could make things exciting in the three-Test India-Pakistan series that begins on Thursday.

Shoaib Akhtar vs Rahul Dravid:
----------------------------------------------

This is a classic cricketing confrontation. Power, speed and swing versus purity of method and temperament. Sparks could fly when Akhtar bowls at Dravid. Akhtar is gradually regaining his rhythm, while Dravid’s form is looking up if his domestic exploits are any indication.

In the Rawalpindi Test in 2004, Akhtar sent down a blistering spell with the new ball but was blunted by Dravid’s resilience at No. 3. It turned out to be the decisive duel of a historic series. If Dravid holds firm against Akhtar’s thrust, the host will be hard to beat.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Umar Gul:
----------------------------------------------

V.V.S. Laxman’s bemused look is fresh in mind. Gul delivered a ball from wide of the crease which straightened and breached the Indian’s defence in the Lahore Test of 2004. This was a real high quality delivery.

Now, Gul has added speed and fitness to his skill. His run-ins with the in-form Sachin Tendulkar are bound to be significant. Gul can be crafty with the older ball too and it is here that India will require Tendulkar’s technical excellence in the middle-order. This is a battle that can witness momentum shifts.

Anil Kumble vs Mohammad Yousuf:
----------------------------------------------

For Pakistan, Kumble is a bad memory. The leg-spinner’s subtle variations, which have consumed the Pakistani batsmen in the past, threaten to do so again. The Indian captain’s match of skills with the solid Yousuf could set the tone for the series.

Yousuf uses the width of the crease in a precise fashion and is a fine player of spin. He also has the precious ability to milk the spinners with singles that could prevent Kumble from creating the pressure. Once set, Yousuf can ease his big shots through the gaps. Kumble faces a challenge but so does Yousuf.

Zaheer Khan vs Younis Khan:
----------------------------------------------

Here are two key cricketers. Given his ability to swing the ball away or bring it back, Zaheer is a threat to the right-handers. How Zaheer bowls to Younis, expected to bat No. 3, can be critical to the outcome. Younis is strong on the off-side. He also tends to rock back on to his back-foot.

The left-arm paceman will strive to have Younis caught at the crease with the delivery straightening into the right-hander.

He may also seek to get Younis on to the front foot by pitching the ball up and then the dreaded away movement could do the damage. Younis will have other thoughts...a perfect square-drive maybe.

Danish Kaneria vs Sourav Ganguly:
----------------------------------------------

Ganguly is one of the cleanest strikers of the spinning ball. The left-handers do have certain inherent advantages against the left-armers and the leggies since they can strike with the spin. But then, Kaneria has an effective googly and could test Ganguly with a slip in place and should be an exhilarating contest.

2008 Yearly Horoscope Predictions

Mesha (Aries)
---------------------------

The year 2008 will be an excellent year for you as far as career is concerned. You can expect impressive lifts in your career, and also promotion will come your way very easily. Substantial increase in your income and wealth cannot be ruled out. Increase in responsibility is also foreseen for you.


If you have been contemplating of taking up any new course or were wanting to learn something new (music, martial arts, painting, tattoo, astrology, Rekei, meditation) – you can very well go ahead this year.

The year will prove very lucky especially for students. Student attempting for important exams like that of board and competitive exams will do exceedingly well. They will surely get more marks than expected.

There will be considerable increase in your spiritual and religious inclination too. Visits to places of religious prominence is very much possible. Luck through elderly people, seniors, bosses & superiors will be in your favour. Meeting with spiritual and religious leaders is also foreseen for you.

Minor health problems are possible for your mother in the mid months of year 2008. Medical expenses will be more. Also problems related to house, land, vehicles and real estate property would arise.

Rishabha (Taurus)
---------------------------

Change in place of residence cannot be ruled out for you this year. Also investments in land, house, and property will yield impressive results. Purchase of new vehicles or upgradation of existing vehicles is very much foreseen for you.

You will do exceedingly well on career front. People working in MNCs and IT firms can expect long-term foreign travels. If you have been trying to immigrate or move to another country for work – then it will materialize in this particular year.

Minor health problems for mother will continue till mid months of year 2008. Expenses will be more, and few financial losses are also visible for you. Always take care of your belongings – because loss of wallet or some important financial document is foreseen. Minor health problems are visible for you too.

There will be a minor down fall in your sibling’s life. You will be subjected to many short travels. And visits to many places of religious interests are on the cards. You will also be able to cultivate a habit of reading books on spirituality and religion.

Indians working abroad will be able to settle in foreign nations. They will also be able to invest in land and property both in India and abroad.

Mithuna (Gemini)
---------------------------

This will be an average year for you. You will be subjected to many short travels, and also you will change your place of residence a couple of times this year. Change in city is also foreseen for you. Short travels to foreign nations – both for business and pleasure are very much foreseen for you.

Father’s health would need some serious attention. Medical expenses will increase too.Your relationship with bosses, superiors and seniors at work front will have minor turmoil. It will be best to avoid arguments with them at office place.

For unmarried people matters related to marriage will fall in place. Wedding bells will ring for many who are born in this particular ascendant. It will be a good year for you to fall in love and also to propose someone whom you have been seeing for some time.

Spouse’s career will boom, and luck through him/her will be more for you. New acquaintance and relationships will develop and flourish. Business partnership will yield impressive results.

Health problems related to mouth and eyes region can be expected. Also health problems related to skin allergies will give you some tough time. Be watchful about your words this year.

Kataka (Cancer)
---------------------------

For married people problems on marriage front will increase – verbal fights will be more between couples, which will lead to temporary separation from each other. For unmarried people this will be an interesting year – things related to marriage will fall in line. Engagements and marriages are possible for Kataka lagna people this year.

On the career you will witness substantial increase in your income. Lift in career and increase in responsibilities cannot be ruled out for you. Promotion will come your way.

You will be able to win through enemies, critical situation and health problems. Good things in life will happen to you after few bad events.

Your father’s health will suffer a bit. Ailing fathers will have a bad time - to the extent of hospitalization. There will be major transformation in your belief system this year. In fact this will be a year of resurrection for you – meaning a new personality will emerge out of you.

You will become more and more spiritual in the coming year. Visits to place of religious prominence and meeting with spiritual gurus will happen on its own accord.

Unconventional relationships are possible for you, and also planets will support love marriage more than arranged marriage for you this year.


Simha (Leo)
---------------------------

This will be a year of major changes in your life – which includes – change in career, change in place of residence, change in personality and also change in relationships. Increase in power and increase in responsibility will come your way. On the career front you can expect a MASSIVE growth – where in you will be able to manage a set of people.

Married couple can expect news of pregnancy, but then minor complications – in matters related to conception and delivery cannot be ruled out. Unmarried couple should be extra careful about any unnecessary pregnancy, which might lead to abortions.

This will be an impressive year for children who are studying at schools and colleges. They can expect good growth in their lives and also they will be able to perform exceedingly well on curriculum front. Winning of prizes and accolades are also foreseen for you.

Luck in and through foreign nations will be a bit less for you. Minor health problems and medical expenses cannot be ruled out for you.

There will be considerable increase in your spiritual inclination this year. And the thoughts of completely cutting off from material world will haunt you many a times this year.

Kanya (Virgo)
---------------------------

This will be an excellent year for all those who are born in the Ascendant of Kanya. There will be impressive increase in your luck in and through foreign nations – meaning if you already are in foreign nation – you will do exceedingly well there. And if you are in India then you will have great opportunities to go abroad and settle there. People working in MNCs will also do exceptionally well.

Childless couple can expect some positive news on conception front. And people needing medical assistance or people going in for artificial insemination for getting conceived can go ahead with good hope and faith in lord.

If you have been contemplating of investing in a house or property – you can very well go ahead. You will have extraordinary luck in these areas. Also purchase of vehicles is foreseen for you. Income through renting out places is also on the cards.

Your spouse can expect impressive lifts in his/her career. Luck through spouse – both on monetary front and emotional front - will be more for you this year.

Students aspiring to take up education abroad will find this year very lucky. Also students attempting for competitive exams related to foreign universities will be able crack them with good marks.

Thula (Libra)
---------------------------

You will witness minor problems on career front in the mid months of year 2008. A job change or change in designation is very much possible for you. Problems with colleagues, bosses, & superiors will increase to give you some tough time.

If you have been contemplating of investing in house, land, property or vehicles – this year will prove lucky for you. Existing owners would be able to renovate their houses. Purchase of new vehicle is also on the cards. Mother will prove very supportive - both monetarily and emotionally.

Any new course related or unrelated to career taken up this year will give positive results. Also students will be able to do excellently well. They will be able to perform good and come out with flying colours.

Many short travels are possible for you, and many of them will to places of religious prominence. Purchase of books and literature related to religion and spirituality will be more. Minor health problems related to shoulder and hands will give you some sleepless nights. You are also advised to be utmost careful about what you communicate through email or letters. Also be doubly watchful about legal documents.

People living away from birthplace will be able to invest in house in foreign nations. Settlement chances of foreign countries will increase multifold for you.

Vrishika (Scorpio)
---------------------------

This year will bring MAJOR changes on your career front for good. You will change your job, change your firm, and also change in industry of work is very much foreseen. Business travels to foreign nations will be more. Also change in place of residence, city and country for work purpose is foreseen for you.

You can expect substantial increase in your income and wealth this year. Also you will do exceedingly well on the financial front. Investments in stocks will give you good returns too.
Relationship with family and relatives will improve to a very large extent. And you will be able to exist in harmony with them.

Childless couple can expect some positive news on conception front, and women who are already pregnant can expect a safe and normal delivery. Children will be able to do extremely well on curriculum front, and will be able to bring home some accolades.

Short travels to foreign nations are very much foreseen for you. The areas you should be careful about this year are – your father health and your relationship with seniors and bosses. Medical expenses will increase for you, and also slight misunderstandings with people at work will go out of proportion.

Dhanus (Sagittarius)
---------------------------

Luck in and through foreign nations will increase multifold for you this year. If you are working in MNCs or in a foreign nation then you indeed can expect some substantial increase in your income. Your financial position will remain sound and steady.

You will be able to travel abroad both for short-term and long term assignments. There will also be impressive growth in your sibling’s life. Increase in inclination towards spiritual and religious pursuits will keep you content and happy most of year.

Support and good wishes from elderly people like father, seniors and bosses will make you perform well both on professional front and personal front.

Luck in matters related to house, land, property and vehicles would be more for you. Inherited property will reach you without any hurdles. You will also be able to donate or make some substantial contribution to some temples this year. Income through renting out places is also on the cards for you.

New moneymaking opportunities through foreign nations will open up for you. Investments in foreign brands will yield impressive results. It will be an ideal year for people who are into export/import related business. They will be able to make a killing on the profit front.

Makara (Capricorn)
---------------------------

This year will bring some major losses on your financial front. Hence you are advised not to invest in any new endeavour, where your personal money is at stake. Also refrain from investing in stock markets.

On the career front there will be major changes – which includes change in industry of work and change in place of residence.

Minor health problems and increase in medical expenses cannot be ruled out for you. This will be a year of major transformation for you, where in there will be shift in your spiritual energy and also there will be change in perception and belief system. Your relationship with relatives will get strained. Losses due to speech will lead to many problems both on professional and personal front. It would be ideal if you maintain ‘moun vrath’ at least once in 15 days.

Long distance travel is foreseen for you – this includes foreign nations. People in IT fields will be able to get some foreign assignments. The year will be promising for people associated with written communication - like writers, journalists and bloggers.

Marital problems will increase for you, and people in the verge of divorce will get the final judgment. Temporary physical separation from spouse cannot be ruled out.

Kumbha (Aquarius)
---------------------------

This will be an ideal year for you as far as matters related to love relationship, romance and marriage is concerned. All probable unmarried people will be able to find their life partners and wedding bells will ring for many of you. Lovers would be able to get a go ahead from their parents very easily.

On the career front you will do excellently well. Money flow will be good, and finances will be taken care of. You can expect impressive increase in income and lift in career in the initial months of year 2008. Visits to prominent places of worship for the first time will bring fruitful results. Blessing of God, and elderly people will harmonize your life to a very large extent.
Minor health problems in the mid months of year 2008 are foreseen for you. Also matters related to court cases will surface. You are advised to keep all legal documents up to date, and safe.

Old broken relationships will get bonded again. Also you will be able to attend some important family function.

Long distance travel is very much foreseen for you. And your luck in and through foreign nations will increase impressively. People working for MNCs will do well. People settled in foreign nations will make good amount of money and wealth.

Meena (Pisces)
---------------------------

This will be an average year for you. There won’t be much savings happening. Though there will be increase in income and revenue for you, increase in expenses cannot be ruled out. End of the day income will equal out expenses. Minor downfall is visible for your elder sibling – loss of job or loss of wealth.

On the career front you can expect positive news. Luck in and through foreign nations will increase multifold for you. Few foreign travels are also on the cards. Bad events will lead to good events for you this year.

You can expect a major breakthrough on your career front in the initial months of year 2008, which will lead to increase in fame and power for you. Visits to prominent places of worship, and meeting with religious Gurus on one-to-one basis will lead to some happy moments.

Minor health problems for children will give you some sleepless nights. Also childless couples will see conception getting delayed. Medical assistance would be needed for getting pregnant. Pregnant women will face some minor complications during delivery.

Income through foreign nations will increase impressively. Hence this year will be good for people working in MNCs and also for people who revenue depends on foreign clients.

Migrating to a Mac from Windows

If you own one of the newer Intel-based Macs, you can run OS X and Windows XP on one machine. In the spring of 2006, Apple's Boot Camp beta software shook up the computing public upon its arrival. Apple announced that Boot Camp will be featured in the next major release of OS X (dubbed Leopard), which is expected early in 2007. In the meantime, you can download a version of the software at Apple.com. It includes Boot Camp Assistant software, stored in the Utilities folder under Applications.

Boot Camp itself is free, but you have to supply your own single-disc, full-install version of the Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2. An XP upgrade disc won't cut it.

Other requirements are as follows:

* An Intel Mac with OS X version 10.4.6 or later. If necessary, run Software Update.

* At least 10GB of free space on the startup disk.

* A blank recordable CD or DVD.


If you don't run into snags, the entire installation (including Windows) should take about an hour.

Because snags are possible, back up all your important information on the Mac's startup disk. Remember too that when you transform your Mac, it becomes as vulnerable to viruses and spyware as any other Windows PC.
Getting basic training

Follow these steps to get through Boot Camp:

1. Run Boot Camp Assistant (in the Utilities folder under Applications) to make sure that you have the latest firmware on your computer.

You can find updates at Apple.com. Follow any on-screen instructions if you are updating the firmware.

2. Click Burn a Macintosh CD, and insert a blank recordable CD or DVD.

Boot Camp Assistant guides you through burning a Macintosh Drivers CD. You need these software drivers later on to instruct Windows.

3. Create a partition for Windows XP.

You are essentially carving out an area of your hard drive for the XP operating system. This partition must be at least 5GB and can swell as large as the total free disk space on hand minus 5GB. Drag the divider to set the partitions for both OS X and XP.

4. Insert the Windows XP CD, and click Start Installation.

5. When asked to select a Windows partition, select only partition C.

Failure to do so could wipe out your entire Mac OS X startup disk.

6. Format the partition in either NTFS or FAT.

FAT provides better compatibility between the two operating systems; NTFS is more reliable and secure.

7. After Windows is installed, use the Mac Drivers CD you created in Step 2 so that AirPort, Bluetooth, the Eject key on the Mac keyboard, networking, audio, and graphics are recognized by the XP operating system.

A Startup Disk control panel for Windows is also added. You have to eject the Windows XP CD to install the Mac Drivers CD. To eject the CD, go to My Computer, select drive D, and click Eject This Disk in the System Tasks list.

8. When you see the message indicating that the software "has not passed Windows Logo testing," click Continue Anyway.

Don't cancel any driver installers. The computer will restart.

9. Follow any Found New Hardware instructions.

As with any new Windows computer, Microsoft requires that you activate your XP software with 30 days.

Not everything in Windows may run smoothly (or at all) off the bat. For instance, many PC manufacturers include DVD decoders that help your machine recognize and play discs. But a DVD decoder is not included with a retail copy of XP. You'll have to separately add a DVD decoder for XP or merely watch those movies in Tiger.
Switching operating systems

You can go back and forth between Tiger and XP, but you can't run both simultaneously under Boot Camp. Instead, you have to boot one operating system or the other; thus the name Boot Camp.

Here's how: Restart your machine and hold down the Option key until icons for each operating system appear on the screen. Highlight Windows or Macintosh HD and click the arrow to launch the operating system you want for this particular session.

If you want OS X or Windows to boot every time, choose Mac menu --> System Preferences and click Startup Disk. Choose the OS you want to launch by default.

You can perform the same function in XP by choosing Start --> Control Panel and then choosing (under Category View) Performance and Maintenance. Next, click the Startup Disk control panel and click either the Macintosh HD or Windows icon, depending on your startup preference.

Today's Choice Of Songs

Dard E Dil
---------------------




Musafir hai Yarron
------------------------




Rajanigandha Phool Tumhare
----------------------------------------------



Humne Dekhi Hai Un Aankhon Ki Mehekti Khushboo
-----------------------------------------------------------------

What Really Killed the Dinosaurs

Instead of being driven to extinction by death from above, dinosaurs might have ultimately been doomed by death from below in the form of monumental volcanic eruptions.The suggestion is based on new research that is part of a growing body of evidence indicating a space rock alone did not wipe out the giant reptiles.The Age of Dinosaurs ended roughly 65 million years ago with the K-T or Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, which killed off all dinosaurs save those that became birds, as well as roughly half of all species on the planet, including pterosaurs. The prime suspect in this ancient murder mystery is an asteroid or comet impact, which left a vast crater at Chicxulub on the coast of Mexico.

Another leading culprit is a series of colossal volcanic eruptions that occurred between 63 million to 67 million years ago. These created the gigantic Deccan Traps lava beds in India, whose original extent may have covered as much as 580,000 square miles (1.5 million square kilometers), or more than twice the area of Texas.Arguments over which disaster killed the dinosaurs often revolve around when each happened and whether extinctions followed. Previous work had only narrowed the timing of the Deccan eruptions to within 300,000 to 500,000 years of the extinction event.

Now research suggests the mass extinction happened at or just after the biggest phase of the Deccan eruptions, which spewed 80 percent of the lava found at the Deccan Traps."It's the first time we can directly link the main phase of the Deccan Traps to the mass extinction," said Princeton University paleontologist Gerta Keller.

Clues in other life forms
------------------------------------------
Keller and colleagues focused on marine fossils excavated at quarries at Rajahmundry, India, near the Bay of Bengal, about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) southeast of the center of the Deccan Traps near Mumbai. Specifically, they looked at the remains of microscopic shell-forming organisms known as foraminifera.

"Before the mass extinction, most of the foraminifera species were comparatively large, very flamboyant, very specialized, very ornate, with many chambers," Keller explained. These foraminifera were roughly 200 to 350 microns large, or a fifth to a third of a millimeter long.These showy foraminifera were very specialized for particular ecological niches."When the environment changed, as it did around K-T, that prompted their extinction," she added. "The foraminifera that followed were extremely tiny, one-twentieth the size of the species before, with absolutely no ornamentation, just a few chambers." As such, these puny foraminifera serve as very distinct tags of when the K-T extinction event started.The researchers found these simple foraminifera seem to have popped up right after the main phase of the Deccan volcanism. This in turn hints these eruptions came immediately before the mass extinction, and might have caused it.

Double trouble
-------------------------

Both an impact from space and volcanic eruptions would have injected vast clouds of dust and other emissions into the sky, dramatically altering global climate and triggering die-offs. Keller's collaborator, volcanologist Vincent Courtillot at the Institute of Geophysics in Paris, noted upcoming work from her collaborators suggests the Deccan eruptions could have quickly released 10 times more climate-altering emissions than the nearly simultaneous Chicxulub impact.Keller stressed these findings do not deny that an impact occurred around the K-T boundary, and noted that one or possibly several impacts may have had a hand in the mass extinction. "The dinosaurs might have faced an unfortunate coincidence of a one-two punch—of Deccan volcanism and then a hit from space," she explained. "We just show the Deccan eruptions might have had a significant impact—no pun intended".Although paleontologist Kirk Johnson at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science called these new findings "significant," he noted a great deal of evidence connected a single massive impact with the K-T extinction event. He suggested that advances in radioisotope dating could now hone down when the Deccan eruptions occurred to within 30,000 to 65,000 years. "That could help put to bed some of the disputes regarding the issue," he said.

Keller and her collaborator Thierry Adatte at the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland detailed their findings Oct. 31 at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver.

Today's Choice Of Songs

Puchho Na Yaar Kya Hua
--------------------------




Yeh Din Kya Aye
--------------------------




Jiska mujhe tha intezar
----------------------------



Na Bole Tum Na
----------------------------