Confirmed: April Is the Cruelest Month - Time Magazine

• Jessica Roy @JessicaKRoy
 

2:24 PM ET

Anybody wanna hibernate until May?

 “APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.”

That’s a quote from a T.S. Eliot poem, but according to everybody’s favorite astrologer Susan Miller, April 2014 is going to be an absolutely horrific month for almost all of us. Of course, that’s only if you believe in astrology.

New York Magazine points out that in an interview given to theGuardian in January, Miller noted that two “angry eclipses” destined for us in April will cause some intense emotional upheaval, particularly for anyone born between April 15 and 29. From NY Mag:

Eclipses have a mission to expose truths, Miller writes, and thereby sweep away elements that are no longer relevant in your life. You might think they are relevant or important, she notes, when they are taken from you on April 15 or April 29, but they’re not.

And it gets worse. From the Guardian story:

“Look at 29 April!” I look. “Some people feel the stock market is…” She pauses for such a long beat that I offer to complete her sentence: “…going to crash?” She shakes her head. “This is even worse – we’ve not had this since the American Revolution.”

Miller also said that April looks so scary she’s “giving classes on it.” 

At least Mercury won’t be in retrograde?

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Apple Wins Big Against Samsung In Court in South Corea

Samsung lost its bid on Thursday to ban sales of Apple's older iPhone and iPad models in South Korea. A court dismissed a lawsuit, filed in March 2012, claiming the U.S. firm had infringed on three  of Samsung's mobile patents.

The lawsuit was another part of Samsung's global courtroom war with Apple dating back to 2011 when the iPhone company first sued Samsung for copying the look and feel of its products.

"We are glad the Korean court joined others around the world in standing up for real innovation and rejecting Samsung's ridiculous claims," Apple Korea spokesman Steve Park said.

A judge at the Seoul Central District Court said that Apple products did not violate Samsung patents on the display of short messages and group messaging features. The court ruled against a sale ban on the products and subsequently threw out Samsung's claim for $95,100 (£58,000, AU$105,000) in damages.

Necessary measures

Samsung said it would carefully review the ruling before deciding on whether to launch an appeal. "We are disappointed with the court's decision …. Apple has continued to infringe our patented mobile technologies [so] we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights," Samsung said in a statement.

Similar rulings in the past have gone in Samsung's favour. In August last year the same South Korean court ordered Apple to pay $38,000 (£23,100, $AU42,000) in damages for infringing on wireless technology patents.

Thursday's court ruling comes after a German court in Mannheim dismissed Apple's claim that Samsung infringed on a utility patent. Apple and Samsung have gone to trial twice in the past two years in California, where juries awarded Apple $930 million (£567 million, AU$1 billion) in damages.

Here’s the complete ruling courtesy of FOSS Patents:

14-01-21 Apple v. Samsung Summary Judgment Order

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Where the world’s biggest coffee drinkers live

Not all coffee drinkers are made equal. By Roberto A. Ferdman @robferdman January 15, 2014

America might be famous for running on coffee, but it doesn’t run on much. Not compared to a handful of other countries, anyway. When it comes to actual coffee consumption per person, the US doesn’t even crack the top 15.

For much of Europe, and especially Scandinavia, the story is quite different. In a review in 2010 about Stieg Larsson’s hit Swedish trilogy, the New York Times wrote incredulously about how the books’ scenes seemed to always revolve around endless servings of coffee:

…everyone works fervidly into the night and swills tons of coffee; hardly a page goes by without someone “switching on the coffee machine,” ordering “coffee and a sandwich” or responding affirmatively to the offer “Coffee?”

But as it turns out—and as the Times soon thereafter learned—the coffee obsession has much less to do with Larsson than it does with Sweden. Or really, with all of Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, and bits of Eastern Europe. The Netherlands’ per-capita consumption of 2.4 cups a day is almost the same as those of the US, UK, Spain, and France combined.

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Is this the end of christianity ?

Christianity today is the most widespread religion of the world. Want to know how this
religion got such a popularity ? Well I am not talking about Jesus Christ. There are
lots of unanswered questions, and dozens of things still remaining to be proved, before
his existence can be proved, if you leave the blind faith apart, few have failed to bear
the testimony. The christianity religion got a huge support from very powerfull roman empire.
It assisted and involved itself in many activities such as rewriting of the bible, setting up
of religious head in Vetican city, and also initiating the crusades(religious war). The process
was further proceeded by the mighty british empire. They conquered, enslaved and colonised the
world , and they are the reason why we have churches and missionaries all around the globe.
Had they not been supported by these two, I personally doubt that christianity would had spread
as it has today. What do you think. I mean look at the other religions, Islam for instance. What
do you think ? Okkk...!

What you actually need to do is dig in deep down history, get some names, follow the trail,
study the cultures and compare them carefully with the minute details provided in the bible, and
you will come up with hundreds of mistakes. Study the history of Vetican city and Pope, look at the
series of events if you wish to know their intentions. Dig further deep in history and you will come
up with almost fifteen names whose biography is very much similar to that of Jesus Christ. "Horus" is
one among them who has biography 100 percent similar to that of Jesus Christ. Looks like someone has
created a religious figure for the world to worship.

"David Icke".

Hold onn my dear readers before you think that there is no God in the Universe. If a blind is not able
to see red color then does that denies the existence of red color ? No ! We have no extra senses to 
actually feel God, and very similarly that does not denies the exixtence of God. So what does that mean ?
Do Jesus Christ exists ? Search and thou shalt find...!

Note - Searching the history might take some unwilling effort, so I advise you all to go to "David Icke".
       Apart from getting the information about some extremely wierd stuffs going around the world, you
       will very closely come to know about Christainity. The name of book - "Biggest secrets of the world"

Warning - If you are afraid of change, then never read this book.

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10 Quotes That Will Inspire You to Have the Best Year Ever

If you're like me, you're probably wondering where the past year went. You probably feel a sense of accomplishment about the things you did — and you should! But there are probably other things that you didn't get to and wish you had.

It's true that you can't do everything, but sometimes, you need some extra inspiration to put yourself out there and do the things that you really want to do. It could be to try something you've always dreamed about, like starting your own business, or skydiving, or taking on last year's winner in the New York state hot-dog eating contest (um, what? Let's move on).

Either way, you can make this your year. On this beautiful day, go get inspired.

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7 Tips to Revamp Your Job Search for 2014

Here are seven tips to help you refresh and refocus your job search in 2014:

1. Don't be a copycat candidate. Job searches are a very personal experience and one-size-fits-all strategies will not help you stand out among the competition. Even though a certain interview tactic or style was successful for one candidate doesn't mean it is the best strategy for you. Take into consideration your personal experiences, preferences and career goals and use them to position yourself as a unique candidate.

2. Learn to look at job titles differently. Be open-minded about your preconceived notions of job titles. Roles in compliance, human resource, or administration, for example, are often perceived as being boring, career-limiting or otherwise undesirable. Such preconceptions, however, about the scope, strategic importance and long-term potential of these positions are not always true in today’s market. In many cases I’ve seen, these jobs offer exceptional opportunity for influential and attractive long-term careers. 
3. First impressions are everywhere. With 92% of employers using social media in the hiring process, the content of your social profile forms an employer’s first impression before you even sit down with for an interview.

You should take special consideration to job-proof your social media profiles. For example, use a picture that represents you as a professional. Don’t rely on privacy settings to keep your personal information safe. Your best bet is to assume everything will be seen by a potential employer, so clean up your content and edit your pictures accordingly. Ask yourself the age old question, "What would my grandmother think of this?"

4. Be prepared to land the job. Here’s one job seeker mistake that’s definitely worth kicking to the curb this year — the idea of an interview being just informational. You should go into every interview prepared to land the job, not just learn more about the organization. You only get one shot at your first interview, and this mistake will get you caught looking unprepared and unprofessional. Instead, always come ready for a formal interview; you will never regret being prepared.

5. Be strategic with social media. Social media is a vast resource for job seekers. The amount of content and connections thrown at you every day can become overwhelming and a time-suck if you’re not careful.

Be strategic with how you use social media to seek out job opportunities. First, know where recruiters and hiring managers for your desired industry spend most of their time. For example, in you’re looking for a job in finance, LinkedIn might be a more valuable social media site to keep updated as opposed to, say, Twitter. If you are looking to land a job at a media company, on the other hand, Twitter is a great resource. Be sure to also connect with the profiles or pages of companies you want to work for to stay up to date on job openings and announcements.
6. Network with your peers. You should aim to network with your peers, in addition to your more senior team members. Find ways to be the person that comes to mind when recruiters ask them who they’d recommend for the job. Your peers can also offer off-the-cuff, honest appraisals about your performance and work reputation when referring you for a job. These connections have the power either to open or close doors and your relationships with them will have a direct impact on which way the opportunity swings.

7. Be realistic. Be honest about what you can realistically offer to a new employer. It's tempting to apply for a more challenging and prestigious role, but make sure you have both the skills and the commitment to be successful. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes shooting for the stars really does pay off! However, this becomes a risky strategy when you promise more than you can reasonably deliver.

Take a candid look at your current lifestyle and think about how it would be impacted by the position you’re considering. Just because the perfect opportunity has come along doesn’t mean it is the perfect time to accept. Holding back from applying for this job right now will prevent you from burning bridges for a role that may be a better fit later in your career.

Looking for a job can often be challenging and frustrating. Taking into account these seven tips can best position you for success in a competitive job market. Good luck and here's to a successful 2014!

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Top 10 Best Charts OF 2013

The 345 days that have passed in 2013 (94.5 percent of the year) have, necessarily, been the 345 most-technologically advanced in human history, meaning that this year's crop of interactive infographics can be considered among the best the world has ever seen. Here, the best of the best.

1. The PRISM Slides

On June 6, The Washington Post published the first in an ongoing series of files leaked from Edward Snowden to the paper. Included among them was this, apparently created either in late 2012 or early 2013, demonstrating how the world's most popular websites were collaborating with the NSA to facilitate surveillance of targets.

2. The Map of the Internet

The Internet map uses data on website size and activity to present a unique way of looking at the internet — as a series of larger and smaller planets around which other bodies and constellations swarm. The depth of its scale is one of its most remarkable features; it allows you to take even the smallest site and see how it compares to the rest of everything online.

3. The world sets a new carbon dioxide record

Earlier this year, the observatory at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, for the first time recorded a reading of 400 part-per-million carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As TheWashington Post put it, it marked the highest level of atmospheric CO₂ in 800,000 years.

4. America's favorite porn [NSFW]

The adult site Pornhub (which does what it says on the tin) figured out what porn Americans in every state liked the most. That is a more interesting map than the chart above, which shows the states that spent the most time on the site (do you need a hobby, Mississippi?) — but it also contains language that might make some people a bit uncomfortable. Because it is about porn.

5. The other Earth-like Planets we know About

Another great Times interactive, this one shows each of the 150 Earth-like planets that have been discovered by NASA's Kepler mission — their size, their orbits, their temperatures. It's pure data, just representations, but it's still enormously suggestive of what could be.

6. How much various people make in one minute

Speaking of professional basketball players, CNN Money's interactive video shows the relative earnings of various people and occupations over the course of 60 seconds. If you are not Kobe Bryant, this will be humbling.

7. The web's love affair with charts

This is how often an increasingly chart-obsessed internet has created postsdedicated to proving something "in one chart." We prefer long articles with multiple charts, ourselves

8. The GOP civil war, mapped

Another one we had to update multiple times. In the wake of the government shutdown, we created this map of the two sides in the increasingly hostile civil war in the Republican Party.

9. Wired's breakdown of Food Network recipes

Wired magazine decided it wanted to run an experiment in scraping content off the web. So Dylan Fried created a script that pulled in information from Food Network's 49,000-plus recipes, building a variety of beautiful graphics with the resulting data.

10.

All of the Obama conspiracy theories

We created this graphic (zoomed-in version here) to try and categorize the various theories about why or how President Obama was purportedly involved in scandals. The premise at the heart of each? That Obama hates America.

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Architectural Watercolors by Maja Wronska

I’m really enjoying the use of structure and color by Poland-based watercolor artist  

Maja Wrońska who has captured some lovely scenes from Paris, Venice, Prague, and elsewhere. Catch more of her work over on DeviantArt. (via my darkened eyes)

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10 Visa Free Destinations for Indian Citizen

Indian travellers may rule the declining rupee but there are other perks to being an Indian citizen. Holders of Indian passports have visa-free and visa-on-arrival access to about 52 countries and territories around the world. At least 28 of these nations allow Indian passport holders to visit without a 

pre-issued visa. 

In many cases, an Indian citizen's country of residence determines the degree of access to other countries. Indian citizens holding permanent resident (Green Card) status in the United States do not require visas to visit Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean islands. Indians of particular professions with a residency in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are exempt from visas to enter the United Arab Emirates. Indian citizens do not, similarly, need a visa to enter Nepal or Bhutan.

1. BHUTAN

Bhutan, the happiest little nation in the world, is among the most sought-after Himalayan destinations for tourists but the Himalayan mountain kingdom is very conservative when it comes to tourism. Travel writer Pico Iyer mentioned it in his book, Falling off the Map, as one of the world's remotest places. Until recently, Bhutan restricted tourist numbers. Though that has changed.

2. BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Most Indians need to look up the British Virgin Islands on a map. They lie in the Caribbean Sea, and include over 60 islands and keys, of which about 43 are uninhabited. Indian citizens are granted a 31-day visa-free stay in the British Virgin Islands for tourism purposes. One of the best ways to visit the islands is by cruise ship, as many cruises operate from the United States to the nearby US Virgin Islands. There are no direct flights between India and the British Virgin Islands. 

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,60,000 (via Paris and Saint Maarten) 

3.COOK ISLANDS

The Cook Islands lie in Polynesia, off the coast of New Zealand. They are named after Captain James Cook, who discovered them for the western world in 1770. Since 1965, the islands have been self-governed with free association to the government of New Zealand, which controls the islands' defence,Rarotonga International Airport, the main port of entry to the Cook Islands, is connected to Auckland via daily flights and weekly flights from Sydney, Fiji and Los Angeles. 

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,60,000 (via Singapore and Auckland).

4. DOMINICA

Not to be confused with the Caribbean nation known as the Dominican Republic, the island of Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by the British. It has beautiful hiking trails, rainforests and beaches with great opportunities for snorkelling. Indian citizens are allowed to stay for 22 months without a visa. 

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 2,00,000 (via Paris and Saint Maarten)

 

5. EL SALVADOR

El Salvador, the most densely populated country in Central America, lies between Guatemala and the Honduras. Volcanoes, mountains and cloud forests offer plenty of nature discovery and hiking opportunities. Old colonial towns and UNESCO World Heritage Sites beckon heritage tourists. Indian nationals are permitted to stay for a maximum of three months without a visa. 

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,44,000 (via Paris and Miami)

6. GRENADA

The beautiful Caribbean islands of Grenada offer much to tourists in the form of beaches, waterfalls, historic forts and spice gardens. Indian tourists can travel visa-free in Grenada for up to 90, but must show proof of sufficient funds to cover the cost of their travel.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1.60,000 (via London and Miami).

7. HAITI

Haiti is off the travel map for most tourists owing to the devastation left by the 2010 earthquake. One of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere, its current political situation and concerns over the safety of tourists has prompted many countries to issue strict travel advisories. That said, Indian tourists are welcome without a visa for a maximum stay of three months.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,52,000 (via Dubai and New York)

8. JAMAICA

Jamaica is the most populous of the English-speaking Caribbean countries and its easygoing culture, cuisine and music, besides its many beaches, are attractive to tourists. Indian tourists can stay without a visa on producing a passport valid for six months and sufficient proof of funds and onward travel. 

Approximate cost of round trip flight: 1,53,000 (via Dubai and New York/ Toronto)

9.MONTSERRAT 

Not to be confused with the Spanish region of the same name, Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean southeast of Puerto Rico and once a popular resort. Since 1989, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions forced its closure but the island is slowly limping back. Indian citizens must show proof of citizenship but can travel visa-free on furnishing proof of onward travel and adequate funds. 

Approximate cost of round trip flight: 1,30,000 (to Antigua, via London) and a 15-minute air-hop from Antigua to Montserrat (about INR 5,000)

10. MICRONESIA 

The far-flung Federated States of Micronesia are a group of 607 islands in the Western Pacific Ocean, comprising the states of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It is considered one of the most remote and beautiful places in the world, with pristine coral reefs, quaint cultures, exotic food and picturesque islands. Indian citizens can travel visa-free for 30 days upon producing proof of sufficient funds, onward travel and accommodation. 

Approximate cost of round trip flight: 2,04,000 (via Hong Kong, Guam and Truk) 

 

image credit :- http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com

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