How to Deal With Exam Stress

                                                                                  Dr Rachna Khanna Singh

As is true with every game, there are certain rules to study well without getting stressed. Certain methods, ways and techniques to study better and also practice relaxation. When one plays the game of study with these rules, it becomes beautifully simplified and extremely easy. And that’s what you, as a mother, need to teach your child.

There are many challenging situations that one comes across and to tackle them effectively can be quite daunting but nevertheless, we will try to bring solutions to challenging situations that are mostly experienced by mothers and children

Problem 1: The child is either sleeping too less or too much, or eating too less or too much.

Reason: the child’s sleep and appetite may have been disturbed due to high stress levels.

Solution: DO NOT FORCE HIM TO SLEEP ‘N’ EAT …HE TOO WANTS TO Try to understand what is causing the stress, talk about his fears and apprehensions . Make him feel understood. Provide adequate support to him. Try to establish consistent sleep and meal times. The child should be encouraged to indulge in some physical activities and relaxation exercises like deep breathing or recreational activities.

Problem2: The child usually spend hours cramming the night before and complain that he is not able to complete his syllabus.

Reason: Here, the child maybe suffering from high anxiety and also, mental block due to inefficient ways of studying pattern.

Solution: Here, memory enhancement in the form of PQ4R is recommended. A study conducted by Swashrit society on 5000 students from public schools in Delhi and NCR have shown a definite improvement in recall abilties..

The PQ4R method is to P:Preview (the summary) the chapter,Q: question (what you have learned?),R:re- read, R:reflect,R: recite, R:review .Mnemonics may be used. Mnemonics are the triggers of memories.. These include use of the below to remember better:

• images •           colours
• structures •           sounds
• smells             •           tastes
• touch •           positions
• emotions •           language

Problem 3: Complains of not being able to concentrate on studies.

Reason:  Here, the child maybe suffering from high anxiety, stress and mental fatigue which may prevent him from focussing on his studies.

Solution: Help your child to practice deep breathing exercises\ meditations twice a day for 10-15 mints. Auto suggestion is also an effective exercise which instils positive thoughts and mental frame of mind. This is done by repeating to one self positive and encouraging statements. This is a relaxation self-therapy which should help the child attain a mental relaxation free from worries and stress. Here, it is important that your child gets enough breaks in between his studies to prevent him/her from having a mental saturation or fatigue.

Some tips:

• Set aside a place for study and for study only!
• Choose a specific place
• Always study at that specific place
• Study area should be conducive to studying
• Avoid certain things in the study area like tele. , t.v. etc.

Problem 4: Your child has become very moody and irritable.

Reason: This may be due to hormonal changes during puberty ,or an inability to deal or cope with the pressure of studies and the hassles of growing up. It is also a period of high insecurity with regards to his capacity and goal.

Solution: As a parent ,try to be more tolerant of his mood swings .Also make your child understand these mood swings may be due to physiological changes in the body   Don’t be too quick in your reaction (negative reaction eg. anger out-burts) towards his hostility due to his mood swing.Teach him appropriate ways of managing his emotions like open communication , sharing his state of mind with peers ‘n’ parents , appropriate anger management techniques etc.

Problem 5: Your child seems to be putting in all his efforts and yet not being able to perform well.

Reason: Too much of performance anxiety  is overstraining his mental capacity.

Solution:

• Help your child stay active! Maintaining a good balance between intellectual and physical activity is a good way of dealing with stressful situation. Staying active will allows the body to find its normal level of tension. Swashrit Society , a NGO started Get Active, a lifestyle enhancement program in the schools across India and after working with over a 100schools found physical exercise as one of the best ways to improve performance (Reasearch : 2005 , N= 1,00,000 students )
• Eat well! Do not try to perform on an empty stomach and avoid junk food. Fresh fruits and vegetables are recommended to reduce the stress level.
• Breaks in between his studying are essential to motivate and enhance his productivite the child.

Problem 6:  Your child makes excuses for avoiding school.

Reason: Your child maybe avoiding the situation as this may cause him to feel too anxious or tensed.

Solution: Try to understand his reasons for acting the way he/she is acting. Then try to address his anxiety and fears.They may be personal or academic reasons or both.  Help him to express and share his worries through life or self example and also talk to his teachers and peer about his problem and find solution through their help.

Problem 7: Your child often complains of getting lost in the details of reading and have trouble identifying the main ideas!

Reason:High level of distractability and monotony is the prime reason.

Solution:

• Here it is important for the parent to explain to the child the Essentials of READING that include
• Recitation: saying out loud and running a finger along the lines , while one is reading and memorizing,

(you may initiate sitting with him while he reads to encourage him and occasionally read out to him also )

• Writing: taking notes as they go through the notes ,
• Visualization at the end of reading such that he remembers the location of what he read
• Questioning your child to reinforce his reading and recall:

Problem 8: your child seems to be thorough with his/her preparation and yet fails to perform in the exams.

Reason: Exam anxiety is at its highest.

Solution: Help your child to practice the following cues so as to boost his performance.

  Help your child to learn deep breathing in neutral situations such that he starts his exam by deep breathing and normalises his anxiety…

Encourage him to strategise by the foll. rules :

• Make yourself comfortable ,Your task is to do best you can now
• Take your time to read through all the questions and instructions carefully
• Pick out the questions that relate well to your revisions
• Plan your answers Do your best to ignore everyone else while planning
• Manage your time, estimate the time needed to answer each questions or each sections of your exam.
• Answer questions in a strategic order by answering the easiest questions before going on to the difficult ones. This will have an effect of building the level of confidence.
• To answer essay type questions, prepare a broad outline of the important ideas and the order in which one wants to present them before writing the answers.
• If your panic gets worse ; put down your pen and relax \deep breathe.
• If you feel unwell , ask the invigilator if you may leave the room for a short while.

Problem 9: Your child is having problem with time management with regards to his study.

Solution: Prioritize the work \ studies according to the table below:

Urgent and important\

Q1Urgent but not important

Q2Not urgent but important

Q4Neither urgent nor important

Q3

It is the aim of this time management grid to help us maintain an optimal level stress by helping us to prioritize the studies \work . A daily record is to be made for effective productivity.

Encourage making daily ,short term and long term goals with adequate reinforcements at the comp[letion of these goals

Problem 10: Your child, sometimes, suffer from dizziness, fatigue, nausea, fast and shallow breathing…

Reason: this maybe due to the child’s habit of being cooped up in his room for too long with out having time relax.

Solution: Here, it is important to explain to your child the importance of physical exercise, going for walks in the morning or evening, as this helps to refresh the mind

With the increase in suicides and depression among students , the crippling effect of academic stress is now making waves in the life of students. While bags are getting heavier and the syllabi slightly tougher the maximum amount of pressure is felt right before exams or at the time of approaching of exam results. This results in major lifestyle changes such as smoking , disturbed sleep , taking medication and increased intake of caffeine.

Hence it is time that we sit down with our children and tell him that it’s not really as tough as it seems. Enjoying academics is not unattainable , it’s just a bit  challenging. We easily say life is a game so in that case why should studies be any different , it is a game too and just like every other game there are certain rules to study. There are certain ways and techniques to study better. Only when one plays the game of studies according to the rules and techniques does studying become beautifully simplified and extremely easy and to our astonishment we find ourselves being one the the ‘envied scholars’.Not every one of us is a born book worm or one who enjoys studying but it is something that can be inculcated in a child if the right approach is taught to him or simply the right technique.. Learning should be made fun and we’re going to elucidate some ways of how exactly that can be done

"GOCO” – free gifts for private sector

• The Indian Army is facing an acute deficiency of ammunition and spares. Almost 60-70 % of the army’s inventory is out-of-date and unserviceable due to lack of spares for repair, maintenance, and overhaul.
• According to an internal audit - the Army is facing a critical shortage of artillery ammunition, tanks shells, fuses, and spares for all types of weapons.
• The Indian Army’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which is the lifeline that supports the troops at heights above 20,000 feet and minus 50 degrees temperature in Siachen glacier – are themselves in trouble due to non-availability of spares. This is because HAL can produce only 10 % of the required spare

By Ankit Mahajan

These are just a few symptoms of a bigger problem faced by the Indian Armed Forces. But instead of admitting the problem – the Army Base Workshops which repair, maintain and overhaul the Army’s vehicle, weapons, radars, helicopters, night-vision devices and other electronic equipment are being ruthlessly truncated and revamped as suggested by the Lt Gen Shekatkar Committee under the "GOCO” (Government-Owned Contractor-Operated) scheme.

The Committee of Experts was mandated to scrutinize all organizations and every person paid out of the defense budget and find ways to cut down manpower by bringing in the private sector. This was the logic behind the "GOCO” (Government-Owned Contractor-Operated) scheme.

Towards this end, the Lt Gen Shekatkar Committee recommended shutting down all the eight Army base workshops (ABWs) – the jewels in the Corps of Electronic & Medical Engineers’ (EME) and Indian Army’s crown – which will cease to exist in their present form by this year-end. Though some of these establishments may be shut down permanently, the rest will be handed over– as a free gift under the government-owned contractor operated (GOCO) model.

Though MoD officials claim to be acting on the basis of the recommendations of Shekatkar committee report, the said report is not being shared with the public, resulting in doubts about the exact number of Army Base Workshops proposed to be shut down or privatized.    

Some defense analysts maintain that initially the Ministry of Defence (MoD), was planning to restructure just two army advanced base workshops, one static workshop, three ordnance depots, and four army base workshops (ABWs). These included the 506 Army Base Workshop (Jabalpur), 508 Army Base Workshop (Allahabad), 510 Army Base Workshop (Meerut) and 512 Army Base Workshop (Kirkee).

Subsequently 505 Army Base Workshops (Delhi), 507 Army Base Workshops (Kankinara), 509Army Base Workshops (Agra) and 515 Army Base Workshops (Bengaluru) will be corporatized in the second phase. Other establishments on the chopping board include two Advanced Base Workshops at Narangi (Guwahati) and Udhampur (J&K); ordinance depot in Shakurbasti (Delhi), static workshop (Delhi), Central Ordnance Depot in Chheoki (UP) and Vehicle depot in Panagarh (WB).  

This was as per a MoD communique which read, “The government will provide land, infrastructure, plant and machinery, equipment system support, oversight and facilitate the contractor... The contractor operates and utilizes the facilities available, manages all types of work and is also responsible to get required licenses’, certifications and accreditations to deliver mutually agreed targets and maintains the plant machinery and services integral to the venture.”

The content leaked-so-far, doesn’t explain why the command and control of the 8 Army Base Workshops need to be handed-over to Defense PSUs and private sector companies in the first place? Also, what is the rationale behind not asking the private sector companies to pay a single rupee for the land, plant, tools or machinery? Significantly the Army Base Workshops have hundreds of acres of land, in prime locations all over the country. Why is it being ‘offered’ to the civilian management in the private sector on the platter as a ‘free gift’?

“The above decisions have been taken in the overall interest of the Army and the Nation,” Minister of State for Defense Dr. Subhash Bhamre wrote to Kodikunnil Suresh, (MP, Lok Sabha) in a written reply. “How would shutting down depots and workshops or handing over businesses to private sector affect the national interest in the long run,” an All India Defence Employees’ Federation (AIDEF) office bearer was quoted as saying.

According to a senior EME officer, all this is a sort of game being played by MoD to clip the wings of EME and place the 8 Army base workshops (ABWs) under the control of MoD as the civilian defense officers may be easier to manipulate than the Army Officers. This is exactly what happened in case of Military Farms – where everything from imported cows and huge lands is now being made to dance on the tips of bureaucrats in MoD.

While the Lt. Gen. Shekatkar Committee projected a saving of Rs 25,000 Crore over the next five years – the Government of India found only 65 of its 188 recommendations fit to be implemented. This clearly shows how the babus in the MoD only wish to see or hear what they like and what they don’t – is not worth knowing. Another pointer towards this is how even before the Shekatkar Committee submitted its report in Dec 2016, MoD officials had already started looking for PSUs and Civilian Companies to run the Army Base Workshops.

As per the saying, “more you sweat in peace, less you bleed in war” –the Army needs all its weapons and equipment in perfect working condition during day or night in war or peace. The ABWs help to maintain a powerful, mobile and combat-ready Army. The Army needs someone to not only repair the old or defective weapons and equipment – but also pick up a gun and fight like a soldier. This is the importance of EME and the ABWs in any ‘techno-mobile’ battlefield today or in the future.

The Army simply cannot do without the Army base workshops which repair things as soon as the defect is detected and maintain it there and then to ensure that there is no brake-down. This is the importance of the Army Base Workshops which repair, mend, modify and maintain the old, worn-out, unserviceable or unusable equipment – from a needle to tank, radar or helicopter and bring them back to life by periodic overhauling. This is also the concept behind "Zero Hour, Zero Kilometre-Restoration," which means stripping and reassembling all the nut-bolts to give new life to the old weapon system—to make it usable for a few more years.

 “This is the difference … the teeth you are born with last mostly till the end, but a denture may not last so long. Similarly, no artificial device can support our body structure like the backbone. You can’t compare an original with an artificial”, said a former EME officer. This is precisely the reason why the Army, hasn’t even depended upon the ordnance factories to take care of weapons and equipment.

The problem here is not lack of human effort or inefficient working style but untimely availability and inadequate quantity or quality of spares. Till that happens; can even the privately held companies run the ABWs efficiently and effectively– without any transfer of technology or production, as well as appropriate and adequate quantity of spares in their pocket or stores – from day one?

Do the PSUs or Private Companies have the expertise or experience of running the ABWs?  Will the private companies be able to give better results– without any transfer of technology or production of appropriate or adequate spares– from day one? This is something that concerns both India and the Indian Army. Hence, we cannot dismiss the whole affair lightly.

Schools are pushing sale of property in Pune

Pune has more hospitals, clinics and healthcare facilities per square kilometer than most other cities in Maharashtra. A cursory study of pricing trends indicates that residential properties which are near to good secondary schools appreciate better than others.

 

By Kishor Pate

The Oxford of the East title is commonly used in context with Pune because of the number of reputed schools, colleges and management institutions in the city.Apart from the real estate spaces required for the many educational institutions seeking to make an entry or to expand in Pune, this fact has also served to drive demand for residential real estate.

Many families prefer living in Pune because of the variety of schools and colleges available within easily commutable distances. Reputable developers make it a point to source plots in areas that have ready access to these institutes by private and public transport. Large schools too have responded by ensuring that their own school bus services reach all parts of the city.

In fact, access to schools and colleges is an important criterion for families who are looking for homes in Pune. For that reason, property prices also tend to be higher in locations which are close to established educational institutions.Nevertheless, the marginal premium that home buyers pay for this convenience is still far lower than it is in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. Nor does proximity to schools and colleges necessarily carry the same market clout in all cities.

In a city like Mumbai, home buyers are primarily concerned with buying flats that allow them to travel to and from work. In smaller cities like Pune, reaching work is not as serious a challenge.

Read more: http://taazakhabarnews.com/schools-are-pushing-sale-of-property-in-pune/

Post Office for sending letters to God Ayyappa

A unique post office near the famed Hindu temple at the Sabarimala hills allows you to post letters to God. It is used by people to post invitation cards for weddings and shop openings, seeking divine blessings from Lord Ayyappa
 

By Sanu George

Located near the famed Hindu temple at the Sabarimala hills, the post office may perhaps be the only one in the country which doesn’t work round the year. It comes alive when the peak pilgrimage season of the Ayyappa shrine begins on the first day of the Malayalam month in November, and the period ends towards the middle of January.

 

The post office is also open for 10 days during the Vishu season.

Functioning six days a week from 8 in the morning to 8 at night, the six employees, led by 23-year-old Sai G. Prakash, have a lot to do.

Prakash is happy to be here, and says he was a devotee of Lord Ayyappa.

“Our post office mostly gets invitation cards for weddings and shop openings addressed to Lord Ayyappa, obviously to seek divine blessings,” Prakash said.
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Most such mail come from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, he said.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/post-office-for-sending-letters-to-lord-ayyappa/

Why people fear the police, in India?

People in India fear the police as much as the criminals. Today many police officers are facing charges like brutality, torture and helping criminals or politicians – frame or eliminate opponents– to get promoted. This may lead to total breakdown of values and erosion of confidence in the criminal justice system.

By Samant Sekhri

 “The police force is far from efficient; it is defective in training and organization; it is inadequately supervised; it is generally regarded as corrupt and oppressive; and it has utterly failed to secure the confidence and cordial co-operation of the people– Indian Police Commission (July, 1902) under the chairmanship of Sir A.H.L. Fraser concluded.

 “yeh andar ki bat hai, Police hamarey saath hai . (Inside news: behind the scene support of police is with us) a graffiti left behind on the charred walls of a madrassa in Sundaramnagar, Gujrat read. In another incident, a policeman extracted diesel from his vehicle and offered it to the mob to set fire to a slum. In Orissa Police remained mere spectators as mobs looted and burnt Christian’s properties in curfew bound areas.

 What is the role of the police in a democracy? Is it to protect the people or torment them? Can there be a society without any police? – A plethora of questions come to mind. But before we answer these questions let’s look at the image and perception about the police today.

 The policemen in general are personnel empowered to enforce the law, protect property and reduce civil disorder – even to the extent of using legitimate force to do so. The term Police denotes purposeful maintenance of public order and protection of persons and property against commission of unlawful acts. In short one of the foremost purpose and role of the police is to instill a feeling of confidence – a sense of security in the people that they are safe and can sleep in peace because there is someone to protect them.

 In spite of all this citizens in India can trust the police and fear the police as much as the criminals.

 Despite catchy slogans and jargons like “With you, for you, Always”– most people refuse to accept it as a “protector of the people”. Their perception is of it is that of an intimidating instrument of the government in power.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/why-people-fear-the-police-in-india/

Why foreigners are creating trouble in Goa?

One of the most popular beach tourist destinations in India, Goa is facing a serious problem. Today, many of these beaches are called ‘Israeli’ or ‘Russian’ village where Israeli and Russian tourists openly indulge in drug and sex trafficking.

 

Russian and Israeli tourist enclaves in Goa are a threat to the state’s security, according to a think tank patronised by an RSS ideologue.

Dattesh Parulekar, vice president of the Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS) in Goa, was speaking about regional enclaves popular with foreign tourists from Russia and Israel along Goa’s coastal belt.

“Obviously, we see this as a threat, but this threat can best be handled by popularising the issue, creating awareness about the issue with the common man,” he said at a press conference here to announce an annual lecture series.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue Indresh Kumar is the chief patron of FINS.

Parulekar also said the think-tank was working on a Goa-based defence academy, for which budgetary allocation has already been made by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government in the state.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/why-foreigners-are-creating-trouble-in-goa/

Modi & Imam Husain’s sacrifice

The month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, brings alive the sacrifice of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson (daughter Fatema’s son) Imam Husain, his family and followers at Karbala. The dead included less than 100 men, women and children including his sister Zainab, his little daughter Sakina and wife Shahr-i-Banu. His own body had 45 wounds due to enemy’s swords and javelins. His left arm was cut off. A javelin had gone through his breast and some 35 arrows were struck in his body.

By Taazakhabar News Bureau

“The teachings of Imam Husain are still relevant today…. Imam Husain always stood against injustice and attained martyrdom for the sake of peace and justice,” Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi said while addressing a gathering of Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community in Indore.

Every year lakhs of devout Muslims take part in Ashara Mubaraka (lit. the ten blessed) a 10-day long period of mourning over the demise of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson (daughter Maulatona Fatema’s son) Imam Husain and his followers at Karbala. This also marks the first ten days of Moharram.

Imam Husain attained martyrdom on the 10th of Moharram in the year 61 AH after a 9-day ordeal in Karbala. On 7th Moharram, the armies of the incumbent caliph Yazid – who was in Damascus – cut off access to the river leaving Imam Husain AS and the men, women and children without food or water for the next 3 days.

On the 10th of Moharram, known as ‘Ashura’, the opposing army commenced battle slaying 72 of Imam Husain’s followers and Imam Husain himself in the late afternoon. The tragic events that unfolded that day defined Islam and its history ever since. The supreme sacrifice by Imam Husain and his followers was a rare unifying event in the history of Islam. It shook the Muslim world out of the apathy that engulfed it following the Prophet’s death and rekindled the dormant spirit of Islam in their hearts and minds.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/modi-imam-husains-sacrifice/

New EU initiative may create hell for secret and anonymous shell companies

A new EU initiative might make life miserable for corrupt individuals and companies to hide their identity behind a maze of anonymous shell companies. The new move might make it easier for investigators and the public to uncover the source and intended destination for funds stolen from the public or given and accepted as bribes for winning public contracts. Many secret companies are now being used to hide illicit funds. 

 

By Taazakhabar News Bureau

In a move with far-reaching consequences, the European Union has agreed to create national registries that name the true owners of companies and trusts.

If the agreement is passed by the European Parliament next year, as seems likely, it will mean the end of secret companies in 28 European countries. There’s a catch, though.

The agreement states that these central registries will only be accessible by people or organisations with a “legitimate interest.” We think everyone has a legitimate interest to know who owns, controls or benefits from companies.

Because secret companies are used to hide the source or destination of illicit funds in so many global corruption cases, the legal advance is nevertheless significant. It will make it more difficult for corrupt individuals to hide their identity behind a maze of anonymous shell companies. It will also make it easier for investigators and the public to uncover the source and intended destination for funds that are stolen from the public or given and accepted as bribes for winning public contracts.

Transparency International, has welcomed the new landmark legislation to tackle money laundering through secret companies in the EU. However, it is concerned that the final legislation will fall short of full transparency of the real “beneficial” owners behind companies and trusts demanded by anti-corruption activists worldwide. The identities of many individuals involved in grand corruption have been concealed through the use of anonymous companies, trusts and other entities.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/new-eu-initiative-may-created-hell-for-secret-corrupt-and-anonymous-shell-companies/

Pakistani film industry rises like Phoenix

There is much that Pakistan’s filmmakers can be proud of. From production quality to the range of subjects taken up, the variety and evidence of the potential to be mined is heartening.

Pakistani film industry seems to be doing well and this is “nothing short of a Phoenix-like rise from the ashes”, said a leading Pakistani daily.

An editorial “Film revival?” in the Dawn said that just a few years ago, anyone making the prediction would have been dismissed for building castles in the air: “that cinemas across the country would be doing booming business and feeling confident in investing hard cash, large amounts of it, into infrastructure”.

It added that nobody could have then guessed “that shows would be running to packed capacity with even a queue for tickets; and, what would have seemed most far-fetched of all, that audience would be able to take their pick from new, locally made films for the silver screen, some of them of a quality to hold their own against imported fare”.

“Serendipitously enough, though, this magical moment seems to have come to pass. Over these Eid holidays past, so many new Pakistani films were scheduled to be released that the screening dates had to be phased,” it said.

Describing it as “nothing short of a Phoenix-like rise from the ashes”, the daily said that the local film industry, which suffered sometimes justified criticism for poor quality from the late ’80s onwards, was more or less declared comatose once the television landscape was liberalised and turned into a viable and paying profession.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/pakistani-film-industry-rises-like-phoenix/

Bhubaneswar tops the list of first 20 smart cities

While temple city Bhubaneswar in Odisha topped the smart city competition, Pune came second. Bottom up approach has been the key planning principle under the mission.

 

By Taazakhabar News Bureau

Bhubaneswar bagged the first rank among 20 smart cities announced by the Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. These cities are among the first round of smart cities challenge competition.

The other winners are Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Vishakhapatnam, Solapur, Davanagere, Indore, New Delhi Municipal Council, Coimbatore, Kakinada, Belagavi, Udaipur, Guwahati, Chennai, Ludhiana and Bhopal.

According to the Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu a total investment of Rs 50,802 crore has been proposed in the selected smart cities and towns during the next five years.

Naidu said Smart City challenge required cities to come up with integrated plans, proposals, so that there is maximum analysis, and planning. A total of 1.52 crore citizens participated in the preparation of Smart city plans at various stages.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/bhubaneswar-tops-the-list-of-first-20-smart-cities/

Education inequities in all U.S. school districts– study

Stanford researchers review more than 200 million test scores to spotlight communities with the nation’s worst academic achievement gaps

By Jonathan Rabinovitz

Almost every school district enrolling large numbers of low-income students has an average academic performance significantly below the national grade-level average, according to Stanford Graduate School of Education research based on a massive new data set recently created from more than 200 million test scores.

The research also revealed that nearly all U.S. school districts with substantial minority populations have large achievement gaps between their white and black and white and Hispanic students.

The data, which were made available online April 29, provide the most detailed account yet of academic disparities nationwide. They comprise reading and math test results of some 40 million 3rd to 8th-grade students during 2009-13 in every public school district in the country, along with information about socioeconomic status, school district characteristics, and racial and economic segregation.

“We don’t administer a single standardized exam to all U.S. students, so a clear picture of the differences in academic performance across schools and districts has been elusive up until now,” said Sean Reardon, the Stanford education professor who devised the statistical methods that make it possible to compare the mandatory tests administered in different states. “It’s now much easier to identify school districts and communities where performance is high, compare them with demographically similar ones that do less well and try to determine what’s behind the differences.”

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/education-inequities-in-all-u-s-school-districts-study/

Remembering Pancham: R.D. Burman’s 76th birth anniversary

R.D. Burman is immortal. Even two decades after his death his lilting melodies and soulful tunes continue to inspire and influence musicians and music aficionados alike

By Ankit Sinha  

His death in 1994 left a void in the Indian film music industry, but even over two decades later, R.D. Burman’s lilting melodies and soulful tunes continue to inspire and influence musicians and music aficionados alike, members of the fraternity say.

Among the several veteran music directors who have graced the Indian film industry over the years, Burman, fondly called Pancham Da, would have turned 76. But he passed away when he was just 54.

Filmmaker Brahmanand S. Siingh, who has released his latest work “Knowing Pancham” – an extensive collection of anecdotes, insights and observations on Burman – says the interest around the seminal music director’s life and legacy continues to grow.

“Everybody is wanting to know more about R.D. Burman, the hunger never dies,” Siingh said.

http://taazakhabarnews.com/remembering-pancham-r-d-burmans-76th-birth-anniversary/

How Onion makes hair grow faster & prevents aging?

Applying onion juice on the scalp and consuming onions is helpful in controlling hair loss and other problems related to hair such as dandruff, fungal infections and yeast infections. Onion juice has proved to be effective in preventing premature graying of hair.

By Taazakhabar New Bureau

Premature aging and hair loss is a common problem. On an average losing about 50-100 hair per day is considered normal. Excessive hair loss can affect the appearance of a person and causes mental stress and their confidence levels.

Scientific studies prove Onion is a safe, inexpensive and easily available home remedy for hair loss & premature graying for decades. Onion helps in hair growth without any side effects or causing allergies. It has been shown to reverse grey hair when applied to the scalp. A study published in the Journal of Dermatology reported the efficacy of onion juice for alopecia areata (an autoimmune disease that causes patchy hair loss) in 2002. Almost 84% of participants who applied onion juice twice daily for two months experienced much better hair re-growth rates than those who only used tap water. Men had a higher success rate than women.

Various scientific studies have proven that applying onion juice and consuming onions is helpful in controlling hair loss and other problems related to hair such as dandruff, fungal infections and yeast infections. Onion juice has proved to be effective in preventing premature graying of hair. Onion contains an enzyme called catalase which is an anti-oxidant that can prevent premature graying. You can also use onion as a natural and safe method for promoting hair growth if you have receding hair line or bald patches

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/how-onion-makes-hair-grow-faster-prevents-aging/

Bajirao Mastani – at par if not better than Mughal-e-Azam?

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Bajirao Mastani’ can easily be compared to K Asif’s magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam which remains an all-time favourite of viewers of good cinema across the world even after five decades.

 

By Amitabh Srivastava

Critics have tried to decode the epic that immortalised the power of love like it never had been done on screen. Each character of the film, including the artist who sings ‘Hai Mohabbat Zindabad’ knows fully well ruthlessly emperor depicted by Prithviraj Kapoor will be annoyed.

Each of the 12 songs of the film has been picturized so well that it brings out both the innocence and the defiance of the lovers who know that their love story is star-crossed.

But for me, the most enduring memories of the film that was as much a hit in its coloured version in 2004 as its black and white version released in 1960, are its powerful dialogues.

Who can forget the epic confrontation between Jodha Bai and her rebel son Salim in which she says “Khudaar Mughlon ki aabroo itni halki nahi ki ek naacheez laundi ke barabar tul jaye. Aur humara Hindustan tumhara dil nahi ki laundi jiski malika bane” to which he replies in style “Toh mera bhi dil koi aap ka Hindustan nahi jispe aap hukumat karein.”

Read More : http://taazakhabarnews.com/bajirao-mastani-at-par-if-not-better-than-mughal-e-azam/

India’s loss is foreign varsities gain

Many Indian students who are unable to find a course of their choice at Delhi University, are going abroad to pursue their graduation in the US.

By Shweta Sharma

Unable to find a course of his choice at Delhi University, Ankit Khullar, 27, decided to pursue his graduation from the US. Armed with a degree in finance, he returned to India for his masters. But after “two wasteful years”, he returned to the US for further studies.

“The primary reason (to go back to the US) was the low perceived quality of education offered in India and my interactions with graduates from various universities. The idea was not just to attain a degree, but to learn,” Khullar told IANS.

He added that the courses being offered in the MBA programmes lay emphasis on subjects he had either already covered as a part of his bachelor’s degree or were “outdated” as compared to those offered in the US.

Like him, many Indian students are opting to study at international varsities owing to better living environment, high-quality teaching and the opportunity to receive world class education. While the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Australia and Singapore are the most favoured destinations, Indian students are now also exploring other countries such as Sweden, Italy and Ireland.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/indias-loss-is-foreign-varsities-gain/

Digital infidelity is the leading cause of marital discord

A new study by researchers at the University of Indiana found that half the women have a ‘Plan B’ – a man in whose arms they can run into if their current relationship turns sour.

By Vishal Gulati

Digital relationships are resulting in the collapse of family ties, it would seem.

As more and more youngsters and newly-weds are logging on to e-relationships, family life appears to be indulging more and more in what is being called ‘digital infidelity’.

The virus has apparently left many a couple looking for solutions and programmes to reboot their matrimonial life, said CRISP president Kumar Jahgirdar.

Bangalore-based NGO Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP) is working for gender neutral family laws.

“We keep getting a lot of complaints on infidelity from the spouses who indulge in cheating by having an extra-marital affair,” Jahgirdar told IANS on the phone.

He said now the digital world, via social media or smartphone, is more responsible for this unnatural intimacy.

“The victims, mostly husbands, often show us how the spouse is communicating frequently with a stranger through SMS, email, Facebook, whatsapp and the like, using filthy text. Most often they will end up indulging in adultery,” he said.

And adultery, he said, is often cited as grounds for divorce.
 
Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/digital-infidelity-leading-to-rise-in-marital-discord/

Mind your business in my space

Till lately, the outer space was a no man’s land. Things moved there but slowly. Only a handful dared to even imagine going there, fewer still set foot on it. All this, is set to change. With a new set of players minding the business of inter-galactic travel nothing is going to remain private or unexplored… Even the sky is not the limit 

 

By Cara Benette 

Even five decades after the first human being stepped into the outer space, space travel, has been an exclusive preserve of governments, out of reach of a bulk of the planet’s seven billion people who hardly get an opportunity to travel freely or earn their astronaut wings. Till date only 546 humans from some 38 countries have traveled beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. A majority of them remained just a few hundred kilometers above the Earth’s surface, three of them only completed a sub-orbital flight; 533 reached the Earth orbit, 24 traveled beyond low Earth orbit and only 12 walked on the Moon.

All those who wished to go there had to hitch a ride in a Soviet, American or Chinese spacecraft. Even today, a handful of government organizations like NASA, Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), China National Space Administration (CNSA), European Space Agency (ESA), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) dominate the outer space.

Since Vostok 1’s first human spaceflight in 1961, each visit ignited the human desire to stay longer each time and come back again. From a few hours to days and months, the Apollo, Salyut, Skylab, Mir and International Space Station programs taught humans to stay longer in the outer space. There was a time when Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov held the record for the longest single spaceflight in human history. He stayed onboard Mir space station for more than 14 months (437 days 18 hours) during one trip. Sergei Krikalev broke his record and holds the record spending the maximum 803 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes, or 2.2 years in space over the span of six spaceflights on board Soyuz, Space Shuttle, Mir, and International Space Station. As on date, the longest period of continuous human presence in space is 14 years and 20 days on board the International Space Station.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/mind-your-business-in-my-space/

World’s longest ski slope & largest fountain will be in Dubai

The Meydan One project will cover an area of 3.5 million square metres. It will be located between the 829 metres-tall Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, and the Meydan racecourse in the emirate’s centre.

 

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum launched Meydan One, a tourism development project expected to feature a 1.2 km-long ski slope, an ice rink along with the world’s largest fountain, said the ruler’s media office.

The project will cover an area of 3.5 million square metres. It will be located between the 829 metres-tall Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, and the Meydan racecourse in the emirate’s centre.

The project’s phase one is slated to be completed by 2020, the year Dubai will host The World Expo as the first ever Arab city.

Local newspaper SevenDays tweeted its first impressions of the Meydan One project. Aside from the planned ski slope and ice rink, the development will also introduce the world’s largest fountain, capable of shooting water up to 420 metres high, according to Xinhua news agency.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/worlds-longest-ski-slope-largest-fountain-will-be-in-dubai/

Tobacco kills over 1.3 mn every year in Southeast Asia: WHO

Tobacco use kills nearly six million people annually with over 600,000 deaths due to exposure to second hand smoke

By Kavita Bajeli-Datt

Over 1.3 million people die of tobacco consumption in Southeast Asia every year, with the region consisting of 250 million smokers and nearly the same number of smokeless tobacco users, according to a senior official of World Health Organization

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director for South-East Asia, said: “We know that tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths.”

She was speaking at the inauguration of the WHO’s South-East Asia regional committee meeting here where health ministers and officials of 11 countries are meeting to set health priorities and discuss the health agenda for the region.

“Worldwide, tobacco use kills nearly six million people annually with over 600,000 deaths due to exposure to second hand smoke,” she said at the inauguration, attended by Timor-Leste Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araújo, who was earlier the country’s health minister.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/tobacco-use-kills-over-1-3-mn-every-year-in-southeast-asia-who/

Why teenage girls do better in single-sex schools?

Most psychological studies suggest that girls and boys develop at different rates and that girls are far in advance of boys through the teenage years: it is in a girl’s best interest to be educated separately, at least until boys catch up with them

 

Single-sex education is better for teenage girls as it takes the pressure off to try and impress boys in a “sexualised world”, the headmistress of one of Britain’s best boarding schools claimed.

Rhiannon Wilkinson, head of Wycombe Abbey in Buckinghamshire, suggested it was best for girls’ education to grow in a “boys-free” environment.

She added single boys hold girls back because girls mature faster.

“My wide educational experience in both mixed and girls’ schools has shown me clearly that girls are best served educationally in their teenage years in a boys-free work environment,” she was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

“Most psychological studies suggest that girls and boys develop at different rates and that girls are far in advance of boys through the teenage years: it is in a girl’s best interest to be educated separately, at least until boys catch up with her,” she added.

Read More: http://taazakhabarnews.com/why-teenage-girls-do-better-in-single-sex-schools/