LIFE SPAN OF EARLY MAN SAME AS NEANDERTHALS

Longevity in early modern humans and in Neanderthals was about the same, according to a new study, suggesting that long life was not what helped the population of early modern humans increase.

Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia. Neanderthals are either classified as a subspecies (or race) of modern humans (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) or as a separate human species

Erik Trinkaus, an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis and the study’s author, reported his findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“There must have been something else happening because the populations of early modern humans were expanding,” he said. “The last Neanderthal we know of lived about 40,000 years ago.”

Dr. Trinkaus studied fossil records of humans from across Eurasia and of Neanderthals from the western half of Eurasia to estimate adult mortality in the two groups. He found that there was approximately the same number of adults in the 20-to-40 age range and over-40 age range in both groups. About 25 percent of adult humans and Neanderthals survived past 40.

With longevity being equal, scientists may need to better understand fertility rates and infant mortality rates to determine why human populations expanded and thrived while Neanderthals dwindled to extinction.

“It means that we need to look for the reasons elsewhere, of which survival rates for children may be one answer,” Dr. Trinkaus said.

The research also brings up other interesting questions about how humans passed on knowledge over the years, said Julien Riel-Salvatore, an anthropologist at the University of Colorado, Denver.

“The oldest people have more life experience and the largest body of knowledge,” he said. “So was there an increased reliance on symbolic artifacts, on ornaments and paintings?”

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calories

Q. Will you burn more calories sitting at your desk if the thermostat is turned down?

A. Yes, caloric expenditure will increase if one stays lightly dressed, but not much, said Wayne Askew, director of the division of nutrition at the University of Utah. A more effective way would be to walk up and down a few flights of stairs, he said.

The basal metabolic rate increases slightly in colder climates, and Dr. Askew said there might be a very small increase in calories burned from the warming of cold air by the lungs and from the rewarming of skin that has been exposed to the cold.

A more significant increase can be expected if it is cold enough to cause shivering, which warms the body through quick involuntary contractions and relaxations of muscles.

This is not an ideal weight-loss technique, as a person insulated with plenty of body fat is usually less likely to shiver. “And it is very difficult to perform work requiring fine motor coordination, such as writing or using a computer, when shivering”.

When the core body temperature gets dangerously low and the shivering response is maximally stimulated, Dr. Askew said, energy expenditure can be as high as that from work requiring 40 percent to 50 percent of the person’s maximum aerobic capacity. But if the core temperature drops low enough, the shivering response ceases and hypothermia rapidly sets in.

Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as 35.0 °C (95.0 °F). Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of 36.5–37.5 °C (98–100 °F) through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation. If exposed to cold and the internal mechanisms are unable to replenish the heat that is being lost, a drop in core temperature occurs. As body temperature decreases, characteristic symptoms occur such as shivering and mental confusion. 

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Saffron terror

Saffron terror is a controversial phrase used to describe acts of right-wing terror in India, allegedly inspired by Hindu nationalism. The phrase "saffron terror" is a neologism which entered public debate in India following the 29 September 2008 western India bombings.

Investigations and allegations

Bomb blasts in India which have allegedly been perpetrated by Hindu extremist organizations include 2006 Malegaon blasts, Mecca Masjid bombing (Hyderabad), Samjhauta Express bombings and the Ajmer Sharif Dargah Blast.

It was in the aftermath of the September 29 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in Maharashtra that the terms Saffron Terror and Hindutva Terror came to be used widely in various Medias. However, the accused parties confessed to police on narco-analysis that they conspired with Muslim groups for the blasts. However, Purohit allegedly admitted that a splinter group with tenuous ties to him had executed two blasts in India, which prompted investigators to look into the blasts in Ajmer and Hyderabad

Three men accused of the 2006 Malegaon bombings, including Lt Col Shrikant Purohit of the India army and Pragya Singh Thakur, have been described as representing Saffron terror. Purohit was also accused of being involved in the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings until the role of Pakistani terrorist Asif Zamani was unearthed. A United States Department of the Treasury report links these bombings to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al-Qaeda. 

While the United Progressive Alliance-led central government has claimed that Abhinav Bharat was behind the Mecca Masjid bombing, the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, the United States, and the United Nations has asserted that the Islamic outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami was actually behind the attacks. Noting this, security analyst Bahukutumbi Raman has questioned "the two different versions that have emerged from Indian and American investigators." On September 22, 2010 a report submitted by the United States National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to the United States Department of Homeland Security, named HuJi responsible for the blasts. The CBI claimed in their response that the NCTC "do not seem to be updated with developments in the case".

Members of Abhinav Bharat have recently been alleged to have been involved in a plot to kill Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh President Mohan Bhagwat. Allegedly with the help of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. Headlines today released a recorded video tested by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory which indicated the uncovering of an alleged plot to assassinate the Vice President of India Hamid Ansari. Tehelka also released audio tapes transcripts of main conspirators of Abhinav Bharat which indicated involvement of Military intelligence officers with the Abhinav Bharat group in their January 2011 edition. 

It was in the aftermath of the September 29 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in Maharashtra that these terms came to be used widely. In late 2008, Indian police arrested members of a Hindu radical cell allegedly involved in an attack Malegaon which killed 7 Muslims. For incidents like these, Saffron terror has been used synonymously with "Anti-Muslim terrorism" or "Anti-Muslim reprisals".

Kanchan Gupta and Swapan Dasgupta, have accused investigators of leaking statements about saffron terror to the media to promote the agenda of the Indian National Congress, 

The BJP's former president, Rajnath Singh, has denounced claims of Hindu terrorists as "vilification of Hindu saints and army officers in the name of Hindu terrorism".

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh had been raising the issue of "Hindutva terrorism" at least since October 2008 when he wrote about it to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, statements that earned criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party and a show-cause notice from the Election Commission of India. P. Chidambaram urged Indians to beware of "Saffron terror" on August 25, 2010. This was the first time the word was "officially" used by the Indian National Congress-led government. Since making the remark, a Hindu Swami in the Patan district has filed a defamation lawsuit against Chidambaram, on the grounds that the saffron color is a conventional Hindu symbol and worn regularly by Hindu religious clergy, and that Chidambaram has hurt the sentiments of Hindus by linking the symbol to terrorism. Chidambaram responded by stating "I cannot claim patent on the phrase." On September 6, 2010 a Gujarat court ordered a probe into the use of the term by Chidambaram. Chidambaram was also criticized by members of his own party (the Indian National Congress) for the use of the term, with Congress spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi claiming "terrorism does not have any colour other than black".

In 2010, the internet whistleblower organization Wikileaks released documents attesting to the Indian National Congress using anti-Hindu and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories of "Hindu and Jewish terrorist involvement" in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as a propaganda tool to gain votes from Indian Muslims. The rhetoric of "Saffron Terror" was prominently used by Congress party members in this campaign.

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Eris...

Eris, formal designation 136199 Eris, is the most massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the ninth most massive body known to orbit the Sun directly. It is estimated to be approximately 2300–2400 km in diameter, and 27% more massive than Pluto or about 0.27% of the Earth's mass.

Eris was first identified in January 2005 by a Palomar Observatory-based team led by Mike Brown, and its identity verified later that year. It is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) native to a region of space beyond the Kuiper belt known as the scattered disc. Eris has one known moon, Dysnomia. As of 2010, its distance from the Sun is 96.6 AU, roughly three times that of Pluto. With the exception of some comets the pair is currently the most distant known natural objects in the Solar System.

Because Eris may be larger than Pluto, its discoverers and NASA initially described it as the Solar System’s tenth planet. This, along with the prospect of other similarly sized objects being discovered in the future, motivated the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term planet for the first time. Under the IAU definition approved on August 24, 2006, Eris is a "dwarf planet" along with Pluto, Ceres, Haumea and Makemake.

In 2010, preliminary results from observations of a stellar occultation by Eris on November 6 suggested that its diameter may be only 2320 km, which would make it almost the same size as Pluto. Given the error bars in the different size estimates, it is currently unknown whether Eris or Pluto has the larger diameter. Both Pluto and Eris are estimated to be about 2330 km in diameter.

Eris is classified as a plutoid; a trans-Neptunian object that is also a dwarf planet. Eris' orbital characteristics more specifically categorize it a scattered disk object (SDO), or a TNO that is believed to have been "scattered" from the Kuiper belt into more distant and unusual orbits following gravitational interactions with Neptune as the Solar System was forming. Although its high orbital inclination is unusual among the known SDOs, theoretical models suggest that objects that were originally near the inner edge of the Kuiper belt were scattered into orbits with higher inclinations than objects from the outer belt. Inner-belt objects are expected to be generally more massive than outer-belt objects, and so astronomers expect to discover more large objects like Eris in high-inclination orbits, which have traditionally been neglected.

Because Eris may be larger than Pluto, it was initially described as the "tenth planet" by NASA and in media reports of its discovery. In response to the uncertainty over its status, and because of ongoing debate over whether Pluto should be classified as a planet, the IAU delegated a group of astronomers to develop a sufficiently precise definition of the term planet to decide the issue. This was announced as the IAU's Definition of a Planet in the Solar System, adopted on August 24, 2006. At this time, both Eris and Pluto were classified as dwarf planets, a category distinct from the new definition of planet. Brown has since stated his approval of the "dwarf planet" label. The IAU subsequently added Eris to its Minor Planet Catalogue, designating it (136199) Eris.

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How to choose a specialization?

MBA has wide options now like Finance, entrepreneurship, IT/IS, Human Resource, Health management, hotel Management, Agri Business, Wealth Management, Marketing, International Business, Technology Management, Banking, Insurance and Many more… Some people think that prospective employers are reluctant to hire people from major specialized programs only but that’s not true.

Which way to go?

The two major factors of selecting the specialization is Interest & Knowledge of the specialization & Industry you wanted to enter into… as without interest you would not be able to up your 100% into it. And if you don’t have knowledge of specialization or industry you are selecting then might you have to regret after spending years into what you are doing and suppose to do.

Most of the B-schools give the option of selecting your majors and minor in your 2nd year of post graduation which gives you an opportunity to understand the area of specialization you should enter.

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Why Business Schools prefer Work Experience?

Business schools preference to experienced candidates because one learns more when he/she interacts with people from varied backgrounds.

MBA gives a learning environment, B’ Schools prefer students with different cultural, personal, and professional backgrounds. Most MBA programs consist of case discussions, advertisement analysis and GD’s, were they judge you in your team work efficiency. Hence, B-Schools want candidates from working background who have already demonstrated an ability to work well in groups.

Students’ having working experience gives diversity and adds an edge to the class room and also increases the competitive level amongst the students.

Though it’s not mandatory to have work experience to enter in most Business Schools.

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Socialist Economics

Socialist economics are the economic theories and practices of hypothetical and existing socialist economic systems.

A SOCIALIST ECONOMY IS BASED ON PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OR INDEPENDENT COOPERATIVE OWNERSHIP OF THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION, WHEREIN PRODUCTION IS CARRIED OUT TO DIRECTLY PRODUCE USE-VALUE, USUALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS, COORDINATED THROUGH ECONOMIC PLANNING AND A SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTING BASED ON CALCULATION-IN-KIND OR LABOR-TIME. THE TERM SOCIALIST ECONOMICS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO ANALYSIS OF FORMER AND EXISTING ECONOMIC SYSTEMS THAT CALL THEMSELVES "SOCIALIST", SUCH AS THE WORKS OF HUNGARIAN ECONOMIST JÁNOS KORNAI.

Socialist economics have been associated with different schools of economic thought, most notably Marxian economics, Institutional economics and Evolutionary economics. Early socialism, like Ricardian socialism, was based on Classical economics, and some forms of market socialism are based on the Neoclassical school of economics.

A socialist economy is a system of production where goods and services are produced directly for use, in contrast to a capitalist economic system, where goods and services are produced to generate profit. Goods and services would be produced for their physical utility and use-value, eliminating the need for market-induced needs to ensure a sufficient amount of demand for products to be sold at a profit. Production in a socialist economy is therefore "planned" or "coordinated", and does not suffer from the business cycle inherent to capitalism. In most socialist theories, economic planning only applies to the factors of production and not to the allocation of goods and services produced for consumption, which would be distributed through a market. Karl Marx stated that "lower-stage communism" would consist of compensation based on the amount of labor one performs.

The ownership of the means of production varies in different socialist theories. It can either be based on public ownership by a state apparatus; direct ownership by the users of the productive property through worker cooperative; or commonly owned by all of society with management and control delegated to those who operate/use the means of production.

Management and control over the activities of enterprises is based on self-management and self-governance, with equal power-relations in the workplace to maximize occupational autonomy. A socialist form of organization would eliminate controlling hierarchies so that only a hierarchy based on technical knowledge in the workplace remains. Every member would have decision-making power in the firm and would be able to participate in establishing its overall policy objectives. The policies/goals would be carried out by the technical specialists that form the coordinating hierarchy of the firm, who would establish plans or directives for the work community to accomplish these goals.

However, the economies of the former Socialist states, excluding SFR Yugoslavia, were based on bureaucratic, top-down administration of economic directives and micromanagement of the worker in the workplace inspired by capitalist models of scientific management. As a result, socialists have argued that they were not socialist due to the lack of equal power-relations in the workplace, the presence of a new "elite", and because of the commodity production that took place in these economies. These economic and social systems have been classified as being either Bureaucratic collectivist, Coordinatorist, State capitalist or Deformed workers' states, the exact nature of the USSR et al remains unresolved within the socialist movement.

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Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a cartel conformed by the countries of the European Union, plus Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland and the United States. So it is, basically, a club of wealthy countries that includes the members of the G7 who, in turn, have created organizations such as the Financial Stability Forum and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and with decisive influence in the economic organizations of the United Nations. 

The genesis of the so-called "black lists" is found in documents of the OECD which evidences that they came to existence as a reaction of its members to the lawful competition that small countries and jurisdictions, aided by the technological revolution, started against the traditional financial centers, mainly England and the United States. Fearing competition, the brains of the OECD designed strategies that may only be called Machiavellian, seeking total destruction of the viability of emerging financial centers. To such end, they resorted to all kinds of imaginable resources, without any moral considerations, among them, the fabrication of fallacies and all sorts of tricks to hinder and discredit their new competitors. These plans, designed in the seventies, were kept secret until the year 2000 when the Committee of Financial Affairs of the OECD decided to make them public in a document called, Improving Access to Bank Information, which may be consulted at the OECD's Internet site (www.oecd.org). The plot's confession is particularly obvious in paragraphs 36, 37 and 38 of this lengthy document where they state, with the impudence characteristic of their arrogance, that the liberalization of the financial markets was promoted by them as "a response to the threat to financial markets posed by offshore financial centres. Such financial centre’s in the 1960's and 1970's were able to attract foreign financial institutions by offering a minimally regulated banking system and minimal taxation at a time when technological advances made them more readily accessible. As capital flows to offshore financial centers threatened to undermine the traditional financial markets, a number of regulatory reforms were undertaken to level the playing field between onshore and offshore banking. Exchange controls were eliminated. Some countries established markets to compete directly with the offshore financial centers. In addition, efforts were made to harmonize the regulation of financial markets on a global basis." (36) In paragraph 38, they acknowledge that "although the liberalization of financial markets has facilitated economic growth, it also has increased opportunities for non-compliance with the tax laws. Once most of the non-tax barriers to the integration of financial and capital markets had been removed, individuals and legal entities gained access, at little or no cost, to banking systems around the globe through which to conduct both legitimate and illegitimate transactions. This access has made it easier for them to avail themselves of the benefits offered by jurisdictions that limit access to bank information for tax purposes. It also has made it harder for tax administrations to detect non-compliance unless they have adequate exchange of information with the relevant jurisdictions.

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Winter Effect!!!

Increase in heart attacks reflecting in  death rate in these winters. The cold temperature raises our blood pressure & also increases level of certain proteins resulting in blood clotting. The heart diseases are more common in 2-3 in every 5 deaths. The greater concern is for the diabetics’ patients because they have more probability of getting silent attacks where they don’t feel pain and a feeling of acidity or congestion in breathing, resulting in major heart attack or leads to death. These heat diseases are more common with a age group of above 45years. So physicians suggest having little exercise and get a regular check up of BP, cholesterol & Basic EMI test in winters for all middle age & old age people.

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Google Docs...

The best part about using the internet is the value added services that are just too efficient, effective, and fast and of utmost reference, provided and is stored in the world wide search engine-Google. What Google gives, is commendable as it acts as the prime source of information just for free. Treated from the perspective of an SEO, that is, search engine optimization what is most enduring about Google is its various segments and individual functions. Where there are social networking sites, to personal mail accounts (Gmail) or chat rooms (gtalk) and other information sources, Google has provided a list, category and a plethora of useful info that perhaps serves the best literal meaning possible for the word- search.

Google Trivia.

It was created by a person called Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1997 where the "Google" itself suggests a mathematical connotation. The word is "googol" originally used for numerical 1 followed by a series of 100 zeros. So there arises Google devised as a search engine for optimum use. Google today has crossed all barriers in money making and providing the best and the largest search engine on the web totally relying on the comfort and feasibility of the user. The main objective of Google can be considered the utmost utility of the users who could place in any search phrases on the search bar and get their desired results. The employees of Google constantly usher the change that the daily stances of the world show and run on a constant update basis. The users are always given the best, the newest and the latest updates on their search, and Google opens thousands of pages for them.

Google- the buyer

Taking into account, the enormous popularity of social networking sites, Google projects a business model. Google is the buyer of certain social networking sites, and it has its own browser-Google chrome. With all these advantages the growing demand for this search engine has made it the first page saved in every computer. Google surely knows how to do business as their focus does not lie mainly upon ads, or sponsors but the main objective of being a search engine ready for optimum use is guaranteed. Google operates in a complex business overtone where it coins terms and other rankings to make their users search for the best pages on the first ten links. Next, is the Google provision for ads where according to your search relevant ads are displayed with all the links and hyper links on the search page? What Google does is, charges the ad posters with every click, and generates its greatest revenue. Well with a little business info you can surely understand Google works its models over and still stands as the best search engine.

Google services

This is not unknown to any of you, Google owns and provides an array of services like, YouTube--an online broadcasting sphere where you can create your own account and share live videos or videos you made, Google buzz that is similar to that of Facebook or other networking sites, then, comes Google docs. You can share your documents online through e-mail using the online version of a similar Microsoft Word with all its versions. Gtalk, your pop-up chat box, Gmail- your e-mail account that is just too popular that gives you options of archives and other facilities without any complex usage. Google is user friendly.

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Business-Ethics

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UID – UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION PROJECT (AADHAR)

Planning commission has conceived this project as to provide identification to each resident of the country so that the welfare programs can be delivered effectively to each resident. Initially when this project was conceived in 2006 it was meant to BPL families and to be implemented by National Informatics Centre. Later on it was decided that the two schemes – National Population Registration and Unique Identification number project. On 29th July 2009, Mr. Nandan Nilekani has joined UID project as the Chairperson. The Planning commission has authorized UID to build its own database by any means.

To beg this IT led project every big IT company applied with government and it was awarded to Mahindra Satyam and Morpho. The project cost estimated is US$ 1.41 billion. Finally any Indian with the relevant documents required by registrar can apply for the UID. The three phases of the process are --

 

1- Verification & Data entry.

2- Biometric data scans

3- Signoff and acknowledgement.

But till now the registration for UID is optional.

 

Now UID is called “AADHAR”.  Below are the benefits of this Aadhar—

 

1- It’s a guarantee of Unique identification for multiple purposes.

2- Foundation for effective enforcement of Individual rights.

3- Will be the identification infrastructure for financial organizations.

4- Will be the basis to provide the state & central welfare programs fo the citizens.

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Indian companies acquiring agriculture land in Ethiopia

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has come up as the fast growing non oil dependent African country. Government efforts have but the economy on a growth speed of 10% from 2003 to 2008. Currently it is at 7 %.Major contribution comes from agriculture (45% of GDP) which also employee over 80% of the population. Ethiopia also has the greatest water reserve in Africa, with 14 Major rivers flowing but only 2.5% of the total supply is used for power production & irrigation.

Duty free imports of capital goods and the zero duty on agriculture exports offered by Ethiopia as encouraged many Indian companies to invest in Ethiopia. For example group of potato growing famers from Punjab are looking forward for cultivate over 50000 hectares of land with cash crops. Karuturi Global Ltd, one of the world’s top agribusiness company  has acquired nearly 765,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia. Other than this Bharti group also has acquired about 36000 hectares of land.

This has a mix feeling in the Ethiopia people also believe that this policy is a method of looting the country fertile land by government & this will also create an ecological imbalance. Time will tell that how this will be of mutual benefit for India & Ethiopia

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