Places with bad weather, a lack of racial diversity, high divorce rates and few children, have been penalized in this research. The results range from established high-income neighborhoods to growing middle-income communities. Despite their differences, all these places offer young families an attractive location to raise children and remain close to employment opportunities. Here, I present the top 7 most affordable suburbs in the US, which won’t let you down:

7. Roxborough Park, Colo.

Nearest major city: Denver
Population: 8,211
Median family income: $94,084
Median home price: $230,000
Unemployment rate: 5.9%
Violent crime index: 16

The red rock formations near Roxborough Park, a community that developed in the 1970s, are considered some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in Colorado. The 3,339-acre state park offers residents hiking and biking trails, cross-country skiing and educational programs for Colorado geology and wildlife. The Douglas County School District is one of the best in the state.

6. Hales Corners, Wis.

Nearest major city: Milwaukee
Population: 8,235
Median family income: $83,179
Median home price: $198,000
Unemployment rate: 9.3%
Violent crime index: 12

This village, only 3.2 miles square, provides residents with access to shopping centers, two pools in the Hales Corners County Park, Whitnall Park Golf Course, Boerner Botanical Gardens and Wehr Nature Center. It is a short drive to General Mitchell International Airport and the shore of Lake Michigan. It is part of the Whitnall School District, which has four public schools and a charter school.

5. Montgomeryville, Pa.

Nearest major city: Philadelphia
Population: 11,848
Median family income: $108,071
Median home price: $258,750
Unemployment rate: 6.8%
Violent crime index: 11

Shopping is plentiful in Montgomeryville. There are several malls in the vicinity, including the Water Tower Square Shopping Center and the Montgomeryville Five Points Plaza Shopping Center, near Five Points, the spot where five roads intersect. The upper-middle-class neighborhood also has outdoor amenities such as its own golf course and is constructing a new trail system. The area’s schools are part of the North Penn School District.

4. Huntersville, N.C.

Nearest major city: Charlotte
Population: 43,917
Median family income: $103,394
Median home price: $205,500
Unemployment rate: 11.2%
Violent crime index: 25

A fast-growing suburb 10 miles from Charlotte, Huntersville is along Lake Norman, a manmade lake with 520 miles of shoreline. There is an entertainment and shopping center, nature preserve and amusement park, and the mountains and beach are a short drive away.

Education here is also exceptional: Huntersville Elementary School earned a Blue Ribbon Award in 2008.

3. Mililani Town, Hawaii

Nearest major city: Honolulu
Population: 26,790
Median family income: $98,384
Median home price: $370,000
Unemployment rate: 5.3%
Violent crime index: 3

This planned community has a golf course, tech park, community centers and shopping malls. There are several schools in this upper-middle-class area, which serves as a bedroom community for Honolulu. The area also has upscale communities, such as Mililani Mauka, and a very low crime rate. It was considered by Money magazine to be one of the best places to live in 2005.

2. Papillion, Neb.

Nearest major city: Omaha
Population: 16,428
Median family income: $92,077
Median home price: $145,000
Unemployment rate: 4.5%
Violent crime index: 13

Papillion was one of the best affordable suburbs overall on this year’s list. Golf courses, nature trails, parks and recreational opportunities near Papio Creek and Walnut Creek can be found. Many residents of this bedroom community commute to Omaha, about 20 minutes away.

Students in the Papillion area score above the national and Nebraska average on the American College Test, according to the city’s Web site.

1. Fishers, Ind.

Nearest major city: Indianapolis
Population: 58,856
Median family income: $108,086
Median home price: $174,438
Unemployment rate: 6.5%
Violent crime index: 12

With reasonable property prices, an unemployment rate lower than average and a good grade for safety, Fishers is the best affordable suburb overall in this year’s survey. The school district here has grown in recent years to accommodate the expanding population, and now includes 12 elementary schools, several intermediate and junior high schools, and two high schools. The town, on the West Fork of the White River, has 12 developed parks, five undeveloped sites totaling 152 acres, and more than 65 miles of multipurpose trails.

Please write your opinions in the comments section below.

By April 28, the new strain was confirmed to have spread to Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Israel, and the virus was suspected in many other nations, with a total of over 4,400 candidate cases. As a result, WHO raised its alert level to“Phase 5″ out of 6 possible, which it defines as a “signal that a pandemic is imminent.  ”  

The new strain is an apparent reassortment of four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. One swine strain was widespread in the United States, the other in Eurasia. 

In industrialized countries most of these annual deaths occur in people aged 65 or older.

Initial outbreaks

First recognition

The new strain of swine flu was first recognized as such when the CDC received a sample on April 14 from a patient who fell ill on March 30 in San Diego County, California.

Spread within Mexico

The outbreak was first detected in Mexico City, where surveillance began picking up a surge in cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) starting March 18. The surge was assumed by Mexican authorities to be “late-season flu” (which usually coincides with a mild Influenzavirus B peak) until April 21, when a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alert concerning two isolated cases of a novel swine flu was reported in the media. Some samples were sent to the U.S.-based CDC on April 18.

Seasonal variation

The high humidity of summer and the increase in exposure to ultraviolet light typically leads to the end of the flu season as the virus becomes less likely to spread.

Genetics and effects

Genetics

In this video, Dr. Joe Bresee, with CDC’s Influenza Division, describes the symptoms of swine flu and warning signs to look for that indicate the need for urgent medical attention.

Pigs are susceptible to influenza viruses that can also infect both humans and birds, so they may act as a “mixing vessel” in which reassortment can occur between flu viruses of several species. Reassortment is a process that happens if two different types of influenza virus infect a single cell and it can produce a new strain of influenza.

This new strain appears to be a result of the reassortment of two swine influenza viruses, one from North America and one from Europe. But the North American pig strain was itself the product of previous reassortments, and has carried an avian PB2 gene for at least ten years and a human PB1 gene since 1993.

Symptoms and severity

The CDC does not fully understood why the U.S. cases’ symptoms were primarily mild while the Mexican cases had led to multiple deaths. However, research on previous pandemic strains has suggested that mortality can vary widely between different countries, with mortality being concentrated in the developing world.

 In 1918, influenza weakened the infected, and it was then lung infections such as pneumonia which killed 3% of them. Such co-infection can be reduced by the use of antibiotics.

International cases and responses

The new strain has spread widely beyond Mexico, with confirmed cases in eighteen countries and suspected cases in forty-two. Many countries have advised their inhabitants not to travel to infected areas. Countries including Australia, China, Iceland, India,Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand are monitoring visitors returning from flu-affected areas to identify people with fever and respiratory symptoms.

Government actions against pigs and pork

Although there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted by food, and influenza A viruses are generally killed by heating, some countries banned import and sale of pork products “as a precaution against swine flu”.

Several countries, including Serbia, China and Russia banned the import of pork products from North America in general as a response to the outbreak, despite assurances from the WHO that the disease is not spread through pork.

Possible transmission of flu virus from man to animal

In Alberta, Canada, provincial and federal officials announced on May 2 that a 2,200-head pig herd in central Alberta was under quarantine after preliminary findings indicated some of the animals were infected with swine flu.

Pandemic concern

WHO and CDC officials are concerned that this outbreak may become a pandemic, for the following reasons:

• New strain

The virus is a new strain of influenza, from which human populations have not been vaccinated or naturally immunized. In the United States, cases infected 25% of family members. Seasonal flu tends to sicken 5% to 20% of family members.

• Widespread human transmission

The virus infects by human-to-human transmission. Investigations of infected patients indicated no direct contact with swine, such as at a farm or agricultural fair.

• Virulence

All but one of the fatalities to date have been in Mexico. In Mexico, according to the New York Times, the deaths from the illness have primarily been young, healthy adults. Most other influenza strains produce the worst symptoms in young children, the elderly, and others with weaker immune systems.

• Lack of data

That other crucial factors are still largely unknown, such as transmission rates and patterns (epidemicity) and effectiveness of current influenza treatments, combined with the innate unpredictability of influenza strains, means that reliable forecasts cannot be made.

Media response

Since the outbreak began, there has been a week of near constant media attention.

Epidemiologists caution that the number of cases reported in the early days of an outbreak can be very inaccurate and deceptive. This can be due to several causes, including selection bias, media bias, and incorrect reporting by governments.

Furthermore, if national governments and local health care services for whatever reason do not accurately report their own data on suspected cases and deaths this will produce a garbage in garbage out bias in conclusions drawn from such data by any agency downstream, whether private or governmental, the media or official. For example, World Health Organization accused China of under-reporting cases of SARS during the 2002 SARS outbreak. 

Gathering accurate data for the flu outbreak is further complicated by the possibility of further mutations of the virus, and because laboratory facilities to perform swift genetic tests on patient samples are not widely available.

The Avian Flu claimed at least 500 human lives in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Romania, China, India, Turkey and Russia in the past 3 years. Epidemiologists are afraid that the next time such a virus mutates, it could pass from human to human. If this form of transmission occurs, another pandemic could result.

Full-scale production of a vaccine that could prevent any illness at all from the strain would require at least three months after the virus’s emergence to begin, but it is hoped that vaccine production could increase until one billion doses were produced by one year after the initial identification of the virus…

Well, at this point of time, this may not be your favorite topic to discuss. Also, at any point of time, given a choice, you would avert this topic to your last breath. But, believe me! I had gone through a tremulous time when I was first asked this question by a sweeper in my college hostel. That was about 8 years ago. But till now, people tend to stick to either being a North Indian or a South Indian. If you are not an Indian, or you have not visited to all parts of India, this might sound crappy to you. But, once you travel in India, you will know that this is no crap; but a hard to believe FACT.

I used to have this friend called Srinivasan Padmanabhan (from Karnataka), and another, called Saket Kaul (from Delhi). Both were very good friends of mine. But just see how different their mentalities were. I will take the topics one-by-one and their responses.

Topic 1: Culture & Traditions

Sri: We South Indians are very traditional. We have a great culture, and each one of us follow that with utmost discipline. Our girls don’t go to late night parties, nor do they have multiple boyfriends. We believe ONLY in arranged marriage.

Sak: Even we have great traditions. We are also very cultural. We are just taking the western culture along with us. This is called globalization. We are not only Indian citizens anymore, we are also Global citizens. Although we have taken in a lot from the western culture, we have not yet forgotten to value relationships and respect elders. Of course, our girls go to late night parties, and might just have more than a single boyfriend! But, that’s quite common, isn’t it!

I told Saket, “ Yaar, I think it is common for all of us. But this kind of a gesture, I think, is more than what is required to prove that you are a global citizen.” To this, he replied, “Grow up, Suman. Won’t you have a back up plan for everything, in case the Plan A doesn’t work out? This is called planning. We also have a rich heritage.”

Topic 2: Color of people

Sri: Why are you guys so obsessed with your color? I mean, it’s okay to be black.

Sak: Go wash your face, man! Why is it that there is a uniform color all over? And, that is Black. Man, there is no end to this. But, one thing is for sure, if we go out in the sun, we become black; and in the winter, we come back to natural. But, you guys are hopeless! Summer or winter, spring or autumn, you remain same.

I told Saket again, “Does this seem to be a problem? What is his fault if he is black? Tomorrow if someone tells you that it is wrong to be fair, then where would you go?” Saket, as usual, has every thing ready in his head. He said, “That will never be the case, kiddo. Coz, Americans are white.”

Topic 3: Climate and weather

Sri: Now, why are we discussing this? We do not have any control over this. Still, I would say that Karnataka and Kerala have the best climatic conditions in India. Please excuse the other South Indian state, Tamil Nadu; I am sure they must be truly jealous of this fact. They don’t seem to have a winter.

I told Sri, “Guys, I think, here Sri has won the battle.”

Sak: Man, you guys only have average kind of weather. You don’t know the fun of going to extremes. You might have a pleasant weather, but we enjoy the peaks.

I told Saket, “Yeah, yeah, I know. The grapes are sour.” And, this time, there was no reply.

Topic 4: Politics

Sri: We have very good politicians by way of Kumaraswamy and Naidu. Nobody has helped their respective states so much in over the last few decades.

Sak: Yeah! Because you don’t have anything else to boast about, that’s why you talk about politics.

I: Sorry guys, not interested in Politics.

Topic 5: Professionalism

Sri: We are professional to the core. We go to office only to work and nothing else. We work really hard all day long; and sometimes we end up working on weekends as well. Our clients also have high expectations from us. But, I don’t know why the North Indian guys get more promotions. Is it because the Head Office is there, or, because the CEO is also a North Indian!

Sak: That’s right! You go to office only to work. You get bored, go to cafeteria, crap about the company, and come back to your hot seat. We get more promotions because we do the work happily. Whenever we feel crappy, we do some good activity, and come back in a cheerful mood. That’s why we are seldom bored.

I: I fully agree to Saket in this. There are so many activities going on all around in the facilities in north India. Here in the South, people have taken up responsibilities, still do not conduct anything. Even if some of them conduct, others feel shy to go and attend, or even be an audience to those activities.

Topic 6: Entertainment

Sri: We have our cultural programmes for entertainment. We have a great film industry, which is making waves nowadays. You Hindi films also copy our films.

Sak: Bullshit! Just because some movies have copied, you can’t say that overall Hindi films only copy your South Indian movies. I mean, how can you guys make, and more than that, even see such crap! Bald people of over 60 years of age put up wigs and dance around the trees with 20-yr old chicks. And, what sense! What makes you guys such BIGGG fans of all the fatty ladies!

I: Here, we go again! Guys, Hindi films are not only for people in the North. Bombay Film Industry is for India as a whole. It is only the regional films that are far away. Agreed that some Hindi movies have copied from South Indian movies, but most have gone as big flops. Moreover, if you are to fight over the film industry, why don’t you put up a fight between the Karnataka Film industry and the Punjab Film Industry. Doesn’t that sound healthy!

Topic 7: Who is a better Indian?

Sri: I don’t know that, but I had heard from our parents and grandparents that we (from Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu) are the sole South Indians. We can even take in Andhra to our group. But, we want a different existence altogether. We don’t want to be a part of your India. And also, we don’t want you Northies to come to our states and spoil our culture with your lifestyle.

I told to Sri, “What the hell, man! Do you know what you are talking about!”

Sak: Just shut up, man! Even we don’t want you to be a part of India. You Blackies! Go and stay in Sri Lanka. And, yes Suman, you wanted to know who is a better Indian, right! Here you go. We are the better Indians. We stay in Delhi, the capital city. We are the ONLY Indians. All you South Indians and Bengalis are a bane to India. You make the black spots at the Indian face, and we are the ones who try and make up for all the shit that you spread.

I: Well, that’s it! I wanted a healthy environment. Just for timepass. Anyways, the power has come back, let’s get back to our rooms and cool ourselves.

This was a session that I had with two of my best friends in college. This was the day, when I decided that I would visit all over India, and see for myself, how diverse are we? Towards the end of this discussion, I could see the fury in both Sri and Sak.

To this day, the question still arises in my mind! We say that India has both Unity and diversity. Here, all I could see is diversity. Where is the so-called Unity? Or, does it only come into existence when terrorism shows up, or we see a Cricket match!

After taking a poll for all your favourite topics on my blog, I have decided to change the future contents of this weblog. Hereafter, my blog will only contain reviews, articles and news related to automobiles. In other words, I will be changing this blog into an Auto-blog, and the contents will be updated every weekend.

Shortly, I will also publish another blog which will contain my other favourites.

Thanks for visiting,

The Ultimate Renaissance

Only a few of the many endangered species actually make it to the official lists and obtain legal protection.

Many more species become extinct, or potentially will become extinct, without gaining public notice. The greatest factor of concern is the rate at which species are becoming extinct within the last 150 years.

While species have evolved and become extinct on a regular basis for the last several hundred million years, the number of species becoming extinct since the Industrial Revolution has no precedent in biological history. If this rate of extinction continues, or accelerates as now seems to be the case, the number of species becoming extinct in the next decade could number in the millions.

While most people readily relate to endangerment of large mammals or birdlife, some of the greatest ecological issues are the threats to stability of whole ecosystems if key species vanish at any level of the food chain. One such endangered animal is the Black Rhinoceros.

The Black Rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis also colloquially Black Rhino is a mammal in the order Perissodactyla, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Although the Rhino is referred to as a “Black” creature, it is actually more of a grey-white color in appearance. For most of the 20th century the continental black rhino was the most numerous of all rhino species. Around 1900 there were probably several hundred thousand living in Africa. During the later half of the 20th century their number severely reduced from an estimated 70,000 in the late 1960s to only 10,000 to 15,000 in 1981.

In the early 1990s the number dipped below 2500, and in 1995 it was reported that only 2,410 black rhinos remained.

According to the International Rhino Foundation, the total African population has since then slightly recovered to 3,610 by 2003. According to a July 2006 report by the World Conservation Union, a recent survey of the West African Black Rhino, which once ranged across the savannahs of western Africa but had dropped to just 10, concluded the subspecies to be extinct.

10. Getting caught while drinking / smoking

To many men (non-IT), drinking still remains a taboo. And now, after a ban being imposed on liquor in India, I guess this will be eased out a bit. Many times, men fear getting caught by girlfriend / parents, while drinking / smoking. When I used to smoke and drink, I myself was many times caught by this fear. It’s really a pain.

9. Free falling

This generally happens to acrophobic people: those who are afraid of height. Some people also avoid taking the elevators, just because of the fear that the wire might trip.

8. Small children and babies

I am pretty good with young kids, but I found many people so much afraid of their own li’l ones. This is weird, but true. Most of the guys simply avoid getting married just due to this untold reality. They say, “I love everything about marriage, excepting the ‘kid’ factor.” I feel this is not that a dreadful fear, but should be avoided.

7. Large insects

Yes, I used to have this fear when I was a kid. Large insects in the most weirdest of nightmares.

6. Meeting girlfriend’s parents

What can I say about this? This is indeed one of the greatest fears for all of us. The fear that one wrong answer, and everything will be finished. In the process, we also start predicting what will be the next question, and frame answers for that; but when the next question happens to be something else, we get tensed even more.

5. Being rejected when asking a girl on a date

More than a fear, I feel, this is an insult. An insult to one’s emotions, skills and judgment.

4. Losing job

Joblessness is one of the biggest fears for any Indian. This has propped up very recently, following the Global Economic Meltdown. That’s why, most of us, no matter how worse their present job is, are thriving in the present situations in their workplaces.

3. Hair Loss / Ageing

Again, most think that men don’t care about their looks and appearance. But, frankly, that’s not right. Although, we are surely not that self conscious about our looks n all, but we do fear losing our hair and looks, post a particular threshold, and become restless.

2. Proposing to girlfriend

This happens to be the most dreaded fear among most of us, and may very well qualify to be the No.1 in the most dreadful men’s fears. Most people end up in a break-up just because they were unsure of the right time, and were afraid of losing their girlfriend.

1. Relegation of the Indian Cricket Team / player(s)

This is the most common fear of most of Indian guys. If I take a poll, this might just lose out to the point no.2, but believe me, there are so many emotions surrounding the Indian cricket team and its players. May it be the national team or our domestic teams; we are just too much reluctant to let it go to hell. Some cricket frenzies even dream of cricket every night! Weird! Most facts happen to be weird!

Instance 1

I had trouble downloading an operating system upgrade for a PDA, so I called tech support.

• Me: “I can’t seem to get this download to complete. What might be causing it?”
• Tech Support: “What operating system are you running?”
• Me: “Windows NT.”
• Tech Support: “Well, you have to be running Windows 98 or better in order to download it.”
• Me: “Ummm, I am. I’m running Windows NT4, SP5.”
• Tech Support: “Are you on a PC or a MAC?”

Instance 2

My school required me to do some of our reports on laptops and print from a single printer. After a few months the laptop they provided me ceased to work with the printer. I spoke with the IT Manager.

• IT Manager: “I don’t know if the problem is a hardware problem or a software problem.”
• Me: “Ok.”
• IT Manager: “So I can’t solve the problem now.”
• Me: “When can you solve it?”
• IT Manager: “I told you: I don’t know if it is a hardware problem or a software problem. I can’t fix it until I know.”
• Me: “Ok. I need to print my reports. When will I be able to?”
• IT Manager: (angrily) “Look, if it’s a hardware problem I can’t fix it! I don’t know if it is a hardware or a software problem.”

I made several more attempts to communicate with the IT manager about this problem over the next few weeks, only to find myself in the same conversation. Finally, I sent a memo to my boss, explaining that I was having difficulty getting tech support and could not print out my reports. My boss wrote back:

• Boss: “Please do not harass the IT Manager anymore. He has already explained to you that he doesn’t know whether it is a software problem or a hardware problem.”

Instance 3

There’s this quite major company called Hewlett Packard over here in India. I bought a system from them, and then five months later I hear a “Pfoo!” noise, and my display went all fuzzy and strange.

Here’s the conversation I had with tech support about it, with a lot cut out:

• Tech Suppport: “What seems to be the problem, sir?”
• Me: “Well, my screens all fuzzy, and my video card seems to have exploded.”
• Tech Support: “Well, right click on the desktop.”
• Me: “Before you say anything, I’ve tried the monitor on another computer, and on this computer on Windows 98, 2000, Linux, and BeOS, and it’s definitely something wrong with the video card, because the monitor worked on the other computers, and it didn’t work in any of the operating systems in this one, and when I tried another video card, it worked.”
• Tech Support: “Right click on the desktop.”
• Me: “…”
• Tech Support: “Right click on the desktop.”
• Me: “Well, I’m in Linux right now.”
• Tech Support: “Right click on the desktop.”
• Me: “I’m not in Windows.”
• Tech Support: “Right click on the desktop.”
• Me: “Do you know what an operating system is?”
• Tech Support: “Yes, sir.”
• Me: “Ok then, because, I’m not in Windows. I’m in Linux, which is another operating system. Right clicking on the desktop won’t do anything you think it will, I promise. Do you want me to reboot into Windows?”
• Tech Support: “Right click on the desktop please, sir.”

I sighed, gave up, rebooted into Windows, and right clicked on the desktop.

• Me: “Do you want me to click on ‘Properties’?”
• Tech Support: “No sir, please click on ‘Properties’.”
• Me: “…”

After a while, “we” determined that, no, it isn’t my resolution, and installing new drivers won’t help. After a very long discussion, I learned that to replace my video card, they would “have to” (or so policy dictates) take the entire computer away (monitor and all) for 5-7 business days to replace the faulty video card. I protested this, because the computer was being used in a business. They told me there was “nothing they could do.” This seemed bad enough, but then:

• Tech Support: “Have you backed up recently?”
• Me: “No, why?”
• Tech Support: “You should…”
• Me: “Sure, ok, I’ll remember.”
• Tech Support: “…because as part of our policy, when servicing a computer, we delete everything on the hard disk.”
• Me: “What the $%* *%(@ $%? WHY???”
• Tech Support: “Company policy.”
• Me: “But it’s a broken video card! Even you admit that!!! It has nothing to do with the hard drive!”
• Tech Support: “That’s company policy, sir.”

After about an hour of arguing, we didn’t get anywhere. I am living with the video card up to this day, months later, and was not refunded in anyway.

Turns out to be rather more tragic than funny, actually.

But, it was only since April this year that I got some real responsibilities. Then, I got power and I was satisfied. Slowly, I got more power and more responsibilities, and I was happy. Gradually, I became a workaholic.

It was only since the last 1 month that I started getting sick. I was hospitalized for about 2 weeks. Then, I made this research to find what went wrong. The following are the 7 worst habits of workaholics:

1. Forgetting to relax

 While some stress can be good because it keeps you alert and motivated, too much stress or chronic stress will take its toll on your body.

2. Eating on the go

Between meetings, conference calls and deadlines, workaholics forget to take out time to sit down for a healthy lunch. But a good meal is exactly what a person needs to stay mentally sharp throughout the day.

3. Putting off sleep for work

Even busy professionals need seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Missing out on sleep can lead to irritability, difficulty concentrating, memory problems and poor judgment. It has also been linked to obesity.

4. Not making time for exercise

Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise most days is very important to immediate and future health.

5. Working even when sick

Many people come to work despite being ill. But there are three common sense reasons to stay home — nobody wants your germs, you’ll be less productive and you need your rest to get better.

6. Drinking (too much)

Excessive drinking can lead to alcoholism, liver disease and some forms of cancer.

7. Skipping annual medical check-ups

In order to detect problems early, prevent others from developing and get the best treatment if you have a condition, you need to know what’s going on in your body.

Although, I had taken care of the last 3 points; I am yet to take care of the first 4. Once I take care of all 7 of these, I guess, I can call myself a healthy workaholic.

Rank 10: Nagpur

Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, has for long suffered due to lack of strong leadership and political will. Thus the manufacturing boom that many other Indian cities embraced with elan bypassed Nagpur. However, as if to compensate for this ‘loss,’ the city has turned into a major trading hub.

Rank 9: Jaipur

The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is a major IT-BPO centre. The city has seen large investments by Genpact, Infosys, etc in the IT BPO sector, making it a vibrant destination for such companies. The boom in the IT sector in Jaipur has also led to a mushrooming of shopping malls, large retail outlets, entertainment facilities, etc. The boom has also attracted big funds into the city’s real estate sector too.

Rank 8: Mohali / Chandigarh

Mohali sits cheek by jowl to Chandigarh. The Punjab and Haryana governments’ incentives and friendly policies have seen many an IT-BPO firm set up base in the two cities. A vibrant IT talent pool, apart from impressive infrastructure attracts IT-BPO companies to these cities.

Rank 7: Kolkata

Often termed fondly as the cultural headquarters of India, Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal has a population of 5 million. The city has seen a surge of investments in the housing infrastructure sector.

Several new projects have come up in recent times. Kolkata has been ranked as the one of the most attractive destinations for investment, especially in the IT-BPO sector. The city has good infrastructure, great manpower and talent pool that make it an attractive base for many an IT-BPO firm.

Rank 6: Mumbai

Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, is one of the world’s top ten trade centres. The city contributes 25 per cent of industrial output and 70 per cent of capital transactions to India’s economy.

Rank 5: Pune

Pune, in Maharashtra, has emerged as not just a major automobile and manufacturing base, but also as a powerful software industry hub. Already IT giants Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, Infosys and Tech Mahindra have their base here. The booming information technology industry has seen Pune come forth as a force to reckon with. The city has good infrastructure, great talent pool, an enabling business environment, government support, etc have boosted the city’s image as one of the best to set up IT-BPO centres in India.

Rank 4: Hyderabad

Hyderabad, the financial capital of Andhra Pradesh, is also known as ‘Cyberabad’ because of the rapid progress it has made in the field of IT. As per 2006 statistics, the per capita income of Andhra Pradesh was at Rs 25,625 (less than Rs 200 of national average). The city, that used to be a service city, is now the seat of many businesses, including trade, transport, commerce, storage, communications, and most importantly IT. Like Bengaluru, Hyderabad too has witnessed a real estate boom in recent times, mainly because of the growth of IT and retail business in the city.

Rank 3: Chennai

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, has emerged as a major exporter of software, IT, ITeS services in India.

Rank 2: Bengaluru

Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, is also called the Silicon Valley of India due to its towering stature in the field of information technology. For long considered one of the best places to do business in the wired world, Bengaluru’s creaking infrastructure is taking some gloss off its image. Yet, IT and BPO firms keep making a beeline for the city, because of the availability of talent and a great business environment. Bengaluru is home to India’s best known IT firms like Infosys and Wipro.

Rank 1: Gurgaon

Gurgaon is the best city for setting up a software or a business process outsourcing centre in India. The Haryana city is home to dozens of top BPO firms, earning it the sobriquet: India’s outsourcing hub.

Great physical and supporting infrastructure, availability of ample talent, impressive real estate boom, affordable cost of living, good governmental support, etc make Gurgaon the ideal choice for an IT-BPO centre. Beside this, workforce and proximity to the airport are some other crucial factors that are heavily considered by most investors before starting a BPO in Gurgaon. However, Gurgaon on its own might not bag the honours: other areas like Delhi, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, put together make this region a powerhouse when it comes to BPOs. Some of the BPO companies that are housed in Gurgaon include Wipro, HCL Technologies, HTMT, 24/7 Customer, Inc, Infosys BPO, Convergys, Accenture, MphasiS, Daksh, IGate Global, Transworks, Genpact, and WNS.

By measuring a peak in the temperature of hot gas in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4649, scientists have determined the mass of the galaxy’s supermassive black hole. The method, applied for the first time, gives results that are consistent with a traditional technique. Astronomers have been seeking out different, independent ways of precisely weighing the largest supermassive black holes, that is, those that are billions of times more massive than the Sun. Until now, methods based on observations of the motions of stars or of gas in a disk near such large black holes had been used. “This is tremendously important work since black holes can be elusive, and there are only a couple of ways to weigh them accurately,” said Philip Humphrey of the University of California at Irvine, who led the study.

NGC 4649 is now one of only a handful of galaxies for which the mass of a supermassive black hole has been measured with two different methods. In addition, this new X-ray technique confirms that the supermassive black hole in NGC 4649 is one of the largest in the local universe with a mass about 3.4 billion times that of the Sun, about a thousand times bigger than the black hole at the center of our galaxy. The new technique takes advantage of the gravitational influence the black hole has on the hot gas near the center of the galaxy. As gas slowly settles towards the black hole, it gets compressed and heated. This causes a peak in the temperature of the gas right near the center of the galaxy. The more massive the black hole, the bigger the temperature peak .

This effect was predicted by two of the co-authors — Fabrizio Brighenti from the University of Bologna, Italy, and William Mathews from the University of California at Santa Cruz — almost 10 years ago, but this is the first time it has been seen and used. The black hole in NGC 4649 is in a state where it does not appear to be rapidly pulling in material towards its event horizon, nor generating copious amounts of light as it grows. So, the presence and mass of the central black hole has to be studied more indirectly by tracking its effects on stars and gas surrounding it.

This technique is well suited to black holes in this condition. “Monster black holes like this one power spectacular light shows in the distant, early universe, but not in the local universe,” said Humphrey. “So, we can’t wait to apply our new method to other nearby galaxies harboring such inconspicuous black holes.” These results will appear in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

Air pollution is a broad term applied to any chemical, physical (particulate matter), or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.

The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on planet earth.

Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the earth’s ecosystems. Worldwide air pollution is responsible for large numbers of deaths and cases of respiratory disease. Enforced air quality standards, like the Clean Air Act in the United States, have reduced the presence of some pollutants. While major stationary sources are often identified with air pollution, the greatest source of emissions are actually mobile sources, principally the automobile. There are many available air pollution control technologies and urban planning strategies available to reduce air pollution; however, worldwide costs of addressing the issue are high.

The most immediate method of improving air quality would be the use of bioethanol fuel, biodiesel, solar energy, and hybrid vehicle technologies. The World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution. Many of these mortalities are attributable to indoor air pollution. Worldwide more deaths per year are linked to air pollution than to automobile accidents. A Research report published in 2005 suggests that 310,000 Europeans die from air pollution annually. Direct causes of air pollution related deaths include aggravated asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies..

When NASA returns to the moon — the space agency has set a target date of 2020 to do so — astronauts won’t be able to use a global positioning system (GPS) to find their way around, explained Ron Li, the Lowber B. Strange Designated Professor of civil and environmental engineering and geodetic science. The moon doesn’t have satellites to send GPS signals. So NASA has awarded Li $1.2 million over the next three years to develop a navigation system that will feel a lot like GPS to the astronauts that use it, but will rely on signals from a set of sensors including lunar beacons, stereo cameras, and orbital imaging sensors.

Li described the project in a poster session Monday at the NLSI Lunar Science Conference, held at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. The new grant grew out of Li’s ongoing development of software for the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Researchers have learned a lot about navigation from exploring the red planet.  New technology — sensors, inertial navigation systems, cameras, computer processors, and image processors — will make the next trip to the moon easier for astronauts. People are used to having certain visual cues to judge distances, such as the size of a building or another car on the horizon, Li explained.

But the moon has no such cues. Getting lost, or misjudging a distant object’s size and location would be easy, and extremely dangerous. He described incidents during past lunar missions when astronauts were traveling to a target site such as a crater, and got within a few yards of it — but couldn’t see the crater because of difficult terrain. “They were so close, but they had to turn back for safety’s sake,” he said. Keeping astronauts safe will be a top priority for Li‘s team, which includes experts in psychology and human-computer interaction as well as engineering. “We will help with navigation, but also with astronauts’ health as well,” Li said.

“We want them to avoid the stress of getting lost, or getting frustrated with the equipment. Lunar navigation isn’t just a technology problem, it’s also biomedical.” Li explained how the system will work: images taken from orbit will combine with images from the surface to create maps of lunar terrain; motion sensors on lunar vehicles and on the astronauts themselves will allow computers to calculate their locations; signals from lunar beacons, the lunar lander, and base stations will give astronauts a picture of their surroundings similar to what drivers see when using a GPS device on Earth. The researchers have named the entire system the Lunar Astronaut Spatial Orientation and Information System (LASOIS).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers will design the touch-pad that astronauts will wear — possibly on the arm of their space suits, Li said — to view their location and search for new destinations. University of California, Berkeley, researchers will work out the visual cues that astronauts will need to find their way, and study the kinds of psychological stress they will experience.

According to Li’s plan, the team will create a prototype navigation system, then travel to the Mojave Desert to test and refine it. The third year would possibly be spent testing the system on NASA astronauts.

NASA would then have several years to incorporate the navigation system into its other lunar technologies before 2020.