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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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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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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What You Should Write Down During a Class Lecture

photo www.lifehacker.com

Your professor says an awful lot of things during class. You can't possibly write it all down, nor should you. To take the best notes (and ace your exams), pay attention to your professor's cues—conscious and subconscious. 

Part of a great guide on note-taking strategies by Brett and Kate McKay on The Art of Manliness, these are the tell-tale signs that you should be writing down what your professor is saying.

o        Anytime the professor says, "You need to know this," or "This will be on the test."     Duh.

o         Anytime the professor repeats himself.

o         Anything the professor writes on the board or includes in a Powerpoint slide.

o         Anything the professor repeats very slowly so that it can be taken down word for word.

o         If your professor starts talking more quickly, or loudly, or with more emphasis.

o        Watch for language that shows relationships between ideas. These sorts of points are often where professors get their exam questions from:

o        first, second, third

o        especially, most significant, most important.

o        however, on the other hand.

o        because, so, therefore, consequently .

   

o       Another great tip is to write down any examples or hypotheticals the professor offers, because you'll probably see a similar one on your final, especially if you're taking math or science classes or are in law school. Examples are also key in computer science/programming classes.

Sometimes, depending on the professor, paying attention is the hardest part. But keep your ears perked for these keywords and points and you might find yourself with more effective notes.

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Some of Internet Ethics which Govern the Internet Usage

Some of the internet ethics which govern the internet usage and you should always follow are:

1. You should never use bad language on the internet while using any service like email, chatting, blogging or anything else like this.

2. Email and instant messaging is meant to chat and talk with the friend and relatives. It is not meant to talk with strangers. You should avoid talking with strangers as it can be a great risk. Avoid forwarding emails to unknown persons.

3. You should not try to be someone else or we can say that you should not try to take someone else’s identity as it can be a crime. Do not try to fool others by giving a wrong identity. You should not break copyrights. You can listen or watch songs, can watch movies etc on the internet but do not download them.

4. Do not steal anyone’s information. It is a crime under cyber laws. Do not hack anyone else’s account.

5. It can lead to the loss of important information to the user of the account and the second thing is that it is a crime too.

6. You should respect copyright laws and all the other cyber laws. Keeping all that in mind, you should use internet and computer. If you need to gain access to a file which is not your own, then first seek permission from the owner of that file and only after that make use of that file.

7. You should avoid displaying pornography on the internet. This is the major and the biggest concern today. You should avoid being obscene on the internet.

8. You should respect obscenity laws. Avoid sending viruses and spam emails to the people. This is also one of the major concerns for the people using internet today.

9. All the above mentioned norms should be strictly followed. Respect the cyber laws and keep them in mind.

10. Respect privacy of others and as you want others to respect yours. Internet is an open medium of knowledge for the people. Use it properly and in a healthy way.

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Top 55 Quotes of Albert Einstein

A Short Introduction about Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein ( 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). While best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc² (which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation"), he received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory

 

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
"I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.""Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
"The only real valuable thing is intuition."
"A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
"I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
"God is subtle but he is not malicious."
"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
"The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
"Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
"Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
"Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
"Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
"God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates
empirically."
"The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
"Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
"Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
"In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep."
"The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead."
"Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."
"Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!"
"No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
"Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."
"The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."
"Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
"One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year."

"one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought."
"He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.""Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)
Copyright: Kevin Harris 1995 (may be freely distributed with this acknowledgement)
 

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