India 2nd most `ignorant' nation, Mexico 1st: Study

London





India has the dubious honour of being the second most ignorant nation in the world after Mexico, according to a survey which posed questions on issues like inequality , non-religious population, female employment and internet access.The survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, a London-based market research firm, polled 25,000 people from 33 countries and found that while people “overestimate what we worry about“, a lot of major issues are underestimated.
“Mexico and India receive the dubious honour of being the most inaccurate in their perceptions on these issues, while South Koreans are the most accurate, followed by the Irish,“ the survey said.
The rankings of the nations were based on the “index of ignorance“ which was determined by questions about wealth that the top 1% own, obesity , non-religious population, immigration, living with parents, female employment, rural living and internet access.
Most Indians “underestimate“ how much of the country's wealth is concentrated in the hands of the top 1%, the survey said, adding that the top 1% actually own an “incredible“ 70% of all wealth.
The survey also found that most Indians “hugely overestimate“ the proportions of non-religious people in the country to be 33% when the true figure is under 1%.
While Israel significantly underestimates the proportion of female employment (by 29 percentage points), people in countries like India, Mexico, South Africa and Chile all think of more women in work than really are, it said.India fell in the list of nations which overestimate representation by women in politics.
Countries like Columbia, Russia, India and Brazil all think there is better female representation than there really is, the survey said.
However, the Indian population seriously underestimates the rural population of the country and thinks more people have internet access than in reality .
In India, the average guess among online respondents for internet access is 60% -an overestimation of the true picture of 41 percentage points, the survey added.

Source: Times of India, 7-12-2015

Global diet is getting sweeter: study

The global diet is getting sweeter, particularly when it comes to beverages, a trend that could negatively impact global health, researchers have warned. Previous research has shown that consuming foods and beverages with added caloric sweeteners is linked to an increased risk of weight gain, heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Currently, 68 per cent of packaged foods and beverages in US contain caloric sweeteners, 74 per cent include both caloric and low-calorie sweeteners, and just 5 per cent are made with low-calorie sweeteners only.

The added sugar comes from hundreds of different versions of sugar, all of which have the same equal health effect, according to Barry M Popkin, from the University of North Carolina in US. He expects that in the absence of intervention, the rest of the world will move towards a similar pervasiveness of added sugars in the entire packaged food and beverage supply, with added sugars of all kinds increasing rapidly in the diets of people living in developing countries, while many high-ncome countries, despite being among the highest sugar consumers, are beginning to see a slight decline in sugar consumption. After analysing nutritional datasets from around the world, the researchers, including Corinna Hawkes from the City University London in UK, found that trends in sales of sugar-sweetened beverages around the world are increasing in terms of calories sold per person per day and volume sold per person per day.

“Consumption is rising fastest in low-and middle-income countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania,” the researchers said.

“The four regions with the current highest consumption are Latin America, North America, Australasia and Western Europe, though intakes are beginning to decline in the latter three,” they said.

Due to the major health risks, particularly weight gain and increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and many cardiovascular problems associated with added caloric sweetener consumption, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is promoting major initiatives to reduce intake. Many governments have already implemented policies with this goal, including taxation, reduction of availability in schools, restrictions on marketing of sugary foods to children, public awareness campaigns and front-of-pack labelling, the researchers said. While the latest data show that many countries consume high levels of sugar-sweetened beverages, and other countries with lower intakes are seeing steep increases, the authors did find that consumption seems to be decreasing in countries with taxes on such products (eg Mexico, Finland, Hungary and France).

The study was published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal.

Keywords: Barry M Popkin, caloric sweeteners

Source: The Hindu, 4-12-2015

 Liberate the Intellect

SHRI SHRI ANANDAMURTI





Only when an entity attains liberation -whether in the physical or subtle sphere -its natural development takes place. You may say that intuition is more valuable than intellect. Perhaps you're right. But the fact is that intuition is generally of the spiritual world, whereas the domain of intellect is both of the physical as well as subtle worlds. In the process of evolution, when the ego, part of the elementary mind, has a greater area than that of the subtle mind, then, the enlarged area of aham ì tattva is called Buddhi or intellect.When the existential `i' feeling or mahattattva becomes larger in area than the aham ì tattva, then the enlarged area of existential `i' feeling is called Bodhi or intuition. Intuition establishes the link between the physical and subtle worlds, thereby guiding us along the path of spirituality .
How does one liberate the intellect? Intuition is an inborn faculty , so no effort is necessary for its liberation. When individuals develop some kind of `i' feeling after coming in contact with matter, then that initial stage of undeveloped mind is termed the citta.And when there arises a subtler `i' feeling in the citta which does something more than merely establish a link with matter, that is, which acquires the capacity to direct matter according to its own desire, it is termed buddhi or intellect. With intellect, people have made hundreds of scientific discoveries and have learnt much from the practical world.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR LAPTOP FROM THEFT...

Your laptop is probably the most expensive portable device you own. What makes it even more valuable is the data ­ personal and official ­ that you store on it. But, if you carry your notebook PC on work trips and holidays, there's a chance that you might misplace it ­ or worse, it could get stolen.Thankfully, there's useful anti-theft technology that could not only prevent someone from stealing it, but could even help you track your laptop if it's stolen and also keep your sensitive data safe from prying eyes. KENSINGTON LOCK I f you look at the side of your laptop, you might find a little slot that's called the Kensington Lock (usually marked with a padlock sign). This slot is a metalreinforced hole using which you can tether your laptop to a table or other immovable furniture.

To do this, you will require the Kensington Lock, which can be bought from online stores for as less as `200. The lock comprises a metal anchor attached to a metal cable with a loop at the end.

To secure your laptop, all you have to do is loop the cable around a heavy or immovable object like a table leg, and push the metal anchor into the laptop's slot. This anchor can then be locked into place with a key or a combination lock.

The Kensington Lock is useful when it comes to protecting your device from thefts at locations like airports, public libraries, hotel lobbies and coffee shops.It is the first step in protecting your gear when you leave it unattended.

TRACK YOUR LAPTOP

In the event that your laptop is stolen or misplaced, it would help if you had a `tracking' software installed on your computer. And the cheapest way to do this is to install Prey ­ a free tool from the Prey Project.

First, go to preyproject.com, download and install the software on your laptop. This utility is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and even UbuntuDebian machines.

After installation, the software will require you to create a free account by registering with an e-mail address and password.

Once you've logged in, Prey will immediately be up and running on your computer.

Now, in case you've lost or misplaced this machine, simply go to preyproject.com from another PC, and log in with your account details. You will be taken to a web page that displays your lost laptop's location on a map (see screenshot).

From this page, you can indicate that your laptop is missing and Prey automatically generates reports on its whereabouts. The dashboard even lets you trigger a 30-second alarm on your device (provided its volume control is on); send a message to the person using your laptop asking them to return it to you (if it has been misplaced), and even remotely lock the laptop with a password.

A free account lets you register and track up to three devices, but if you opt for a paid Pro account, Prey lets you track anything between 10 to 500 devices (ideal for corporates). It also promises you accelerated tracking, priority support, as well as the option to delete files remotely.

It should be noted, that in order for your laptop to be tracked, it will need to be switched on and connected to the internet.

Alternatively , you could visit http:www.lockittight.com and try the free tool that's available for laptops running Windows XP , Vista, Win 7 and 8. Its installation procedure is similar to Prey ­ and while its user interface is not as intuitive, it packs in extra features such as letting you remotely use your laptop's camera to shoot a picture of the person using the device, capture a screenshot of what it is displaying, access browser history , and more from its Settings option.

ENCRYPTING DATA

Tracking your stolen laptop is one thing, protecting the data stored on it is quite another. File encryption to the rescue. To safeguard your sensitive data, you should make it a practice to encrypt all your important files on the laptop.This will make it tougher for an intruder to gain access to the data on the hard drive.

The simplest way to encrypt files and folders is with the Encrypting File System (EFS) in Windows. You will be able use this feature if your laptop runs on Windows XP7 Professional, Vista Business, or Windows 88.110 Pro. This encryption technology is linked to your computer login, so anyone with access to your computer's password will have access to the encrypted files. It is therefore advised that you create a guest account for other users who might be using your machine if you don't want them to access your confidential information.

To encrypt...

Right-click the file or folder you want to protect and click Properties.

In the dialog box that appears. Select the General tab, and click on the Advanced button.

This will open the Advanced Attributes dialog box.

Here, select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box.

Click OK twice to return to the file folder you have just encrypted.

You will now be presented with the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box. Choose between Apply changes to this folder only or Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files. The latter is selected by default.

Click OK.

Windows will start encrypting the file or the folder con tents. This will take some time as it depends on the amount of data it has to encrypt. The file or folder name will now be displayed in green, so you know the contents are protected. Adding new files into an encrypted folder is a simple drag-and-drop affair. The contents will only be accessible when you login to Windows with your user name and password. Alternatively, you can use the free VeraCrypt tool ­ available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux platforms ­ from veracrypt.codeplex.com.

For a step-by-step guide on how to use the tool, go to veracrypt.codeplex.comdocumentation and click on Beginner's Tutorial.Note: Before your encrypt something important, do a trial run of this tool with dummy files. This will help you understand the process better. If you're going to use this tool with official files, please seek the help of your office system administrator. That said, the documentation for VeraCrypt ­ complete with screenshots ­ is extensive, and very simple to follow.

Also, after adding files to an encrypted VeraCrypt volume, the original unencrypted files should be moved to an external hard drive or deleted altogether. When you use Windows EFS to protect your files, an “encryption certificate“ and a key will be created in the system. You should save a copy of these credentials in case you have to reinstall Windows.To know how, visit: windows.microsoft.comen-inwindowsback-up-efs-certificate

Source | Time of India | 21 November 2015

Created: New substance harder than diamond

Jonah Bromwich

NYT NEWS SERVICE





New Tech Helps Develop Q-Carbon At Room Temp; Can Also Make A Carat Of Gems In Just 15 Minutes

Until recently, diamond was the hardest known naturally occurring ma erial. But a new process appli ed to carbon has uncovered a substance that a group of scien ists say is even harder.Researchers at North Caro ina State University say they have developed a technique for creating a substance they are calling Q-carbon, which repre sents a third phase, or distinc orm, of carbon alongside grap hite and diamond. The discove ry could have many applica ions, notably in the fields of me dicine and industry .
But Jay Narayan, the lead scientist of the study, has made a stunning claim. “In 15 minu tes, we can make a carat of dia monds,“ Narayan said. A carat is 200 milligrams.
The process of creating Q carbon produces minuscule synthetic diamond “seeds,“ which can yield gems. While the amount of diamond is tiny com pared with traditional industri al techniques, the process can be carried out at room tempera ture and air pressure, the rese archers say , meaning it could be easier to reproduce on a large scale than other methods. But Narayan says the poten tial for creating synthetic gemstones pales next to possib le applications of Q-carbon which the researchers said is magnetic, fluorescent and electroconductive.
A tiny laser beam is trained onto a piece of amorphous carbon for 200 nanoseconds, hea ting it extremely fast. The spot then cools in a process known as quenching, creating Q-carbon.
Wuyi Wang, the director of research and development at the Gemological Institute of America, said , “if they are true, it will be very exciting news for the diamond research community .“
Narayan described possible uses for Q-carbon in creating synthetic body parts, improving tools like deep-water drills, and producing brighter, longer lasting screens for televisions and cellphones.
Casey Boutwell, who works on commercial licensing for sci entific discoveries at the university's office of technology transfer, said he was bracing for strong interest in the technique. “We don't know exactly how this can be best applied, and we're excited to get the market's input,“ he said.
Neil Krishnan, the director of technology platforms at the Swedish industrial toolmaker Sandvik Hyperion, called Mr.Narayan's discovery “extremely interesting.“ “I still think it's at a nascent stage for us to consider it a competitive threat per se,“ he said. “But it would definitely be a new technology that we'd be interested in.“

Source: Times of India, 4-12-2015

To See And Hear, Silence Your Mind

J Krishnamurti





The act of listening completely to something that is factual ­ without opinion, without judgment, condemnation, without any interference of the word ­ is extremely arduous. It requires total attention, and so also does the act of seeing. I wonder if we ever see anything at all ­ a tree, a mountain, a river, the face of one's spouse, of a child, or of a passerby? I question it because words, ideas, formulas, interfere with what we are seeing.You say , “What a lovely mountain!“ and that very expression prevents you from looking ­ which is again a psychological fact. To see something completely, your mind must be quiet, without the interference of ideas. The next time you observe a flower, notice how difficult it is to look at it non-botanically ­ particularly if you happen to know something about botany . You know the species, you know all the varieties of that flower, and to look at it without any interference of the word, without the intrusion of your knowledge, of your likes and dislikes, is again very arduous. The mind is always so busy , so distracted; it is constantly chattering, never seeing, never listening. But when the mind is quiet, to listen and to see does not require effort. If you are actually listening to what is being said now, and therefore understanding what is being said, you will find that your listening is without effort.
Inward or psychological revolution implies a complete transformation, not only of the conscious mind, but of the unconscious as well. You can easily change the outward t pattern of your existence, or the way you think. You may cease to belong to any church at all, or you may leave one church and join another. You may or may not belong to a particular political or religious group. All that can be changed very easily by circumstances, by your fear, by wanting greater reward, and so on. The s superficial mind can easily be changed, s but it is much more difficult to bring about a change in the unconscious ­ and that is where our difficulty lies. And the unconscious cannot be changed thro ugh volition, through desire, through will. It must be approached negatively .
To approach the total consciousness negatively implies the act of listening; it implies seeing facts without the interference of opinion, judgment, or condemnation. In other words, there must be negative thinking. Most of us are accustomed through training and experience to conform, to obey, to follow established moral, ethical, ideological authorities. But what we are discussing here demands that there be no authority of any kind, because the moment you begin to explore, there is no authority. Each moment is a discovery . How can a mind discover if it is bound by authority , by its own previous experiences? So negative thinking implies the uncovering of one's own assertive, dogmatic beliefs and experiences, one's own anxieties, hopes and fears; it implies seeing all these things negatively , that is, not with the desire to alter or to go beyond them, but merely observing them without evaluation.
To observe without evaluation is to observe without the word. We are conditioned by words. We say of a person that he is a communist or a Catholic or an Englishman or an American or a Swiss, and through that screen of words we look and listen; so we never see, we never hear.

When it comes to adoptions, Indians prefer the girl child

Himanshi Dhawan

New Delhi:





The famed Indian preference for boys is turned on its head when it comes o adoption. It appears that when Indian parents, deprived of a child by nature, go seeking an offspring -it's usually for a girl. Data for the ast three years reveals that a significantly higher number of girls are adopted than boys.According to Central Adoption Resource Author ty (CARA) records, 1,848 boys were adopted in 20122013 as compared to 2,846 girls. Total adoptions in the year were 4,694. Since then, adoptions declined in 2013 but he preference for girls has persisted. In 2013-2014, prospective parents adopted 2,293 girls as compared to 1,631 boys while in 2014-2015, 2,300 girls were adopted as compared to 1,688 boys. While total domestic adoptions have come down from 4,694 to 3,924 in 2013-2014, it has increased marginally to 3,988 this year.
While lesser availability of boys for adoption is a factor which could be driving this trend, it is also true that couples who have given up hope of having a child of their own do not mull too much over gender since adoption in India continues to be a long-drawn process.
However, the number of adoptions is still way below the demand. There are about 9,000 prospective parents registered with CARA. Adoption data however paints a dismal picture so far. The highest number of children adopted was 6,593 in 2011-2012. Since then, the numbers have steadily declined till this year. There are an estimated 50,000 children in need for a secure home and care and protection. Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi has set an ambitious target of 15,000 adoptions for this year.
Gandhi has in recent times been severely critical of the functioning of adoption agencies. In fact, the ministry introduced fresh guidelines for adoption in August this year. The norms mandate all agencies involved to be registered online with a central database of children.
According to experts, one of the reasons why girls may be preferred for adoption could be the increasing number of single women keen to complete their family . “In case a single woman adopts, the preference is for a girl child,“ an NGO representative said.

Source: Times of India, 4-12-2015