SNOW BRINGS ENTIRE UK TO A STANDSTILL

The entire UK is covered under snow and the weather men have warned of severe conditions lasting until Sunday. Life across UK is getting into a standstill with the northern part including Scotland most severely hit.

The transportation across UK is the most severely hit due to the severe weather. Bad transport conditions influences a common man’s life and people have been stranded in different parts of the country because of blocked motorways and trains. London underground network which serves more passengers than any other network has been affected too. Several tube stations have to be temporarily shut and tubes did not run on several lines in the past few days. The snow has created problems including blocking of the tracks, signal problems and electricity shot circuit. The officials at London underground insist that they had been working overtime to maintain the normal running of tubes. They claim that several thousands of workers are physically scraping the ice off the tracks and hundreds of de-icing machines have been working day and night. All these efforts seem insufficient as the passengers are kept waiting on different parts of London underground for several hours.
SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITIES HIT
All the schools and most of the colleges across UK have to shut down in the event of severe weather conditions. Several schools have been shut indefinitely and the students left with uncertainty about the important exams. 227,000 students are to appear for GCSE exams (bbc news) and they are unsure whether the date has been postponed. Several university colleges are using the social networking sites like twitter and facebook to inform the students about closure because of bad weather.
GAS SUPPLIES
The government officials have warned that the gas demand has reached a record high figure and public should start cutting down on the use of gas in the event of the severe weather continuing the situation may get worse where the govt won’t be able to fullfill the heightened demand. Govt on their part reassure of taking every possible steps that they can take to maintain a healthy supply of gas to everyone.

While the common man is getting affected adversely, for some people this extreme weather has given a reason to rejoice. People on the highlands are indulging into skiing sports and sledging. There are others who are enjoying frozen lake swimming.

Airport scanners: can they get acceptance?

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian educated in London, was foiled in his attempt to blow up a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day.It threatened the governments worldwide so much that now everyone wants to install x-ray scanners in the airports all over.


They are being tried at Manchester airport, following tests at Heathrow from 2004 to 2008. These scanners reveal everything under the clothing and show a clear outline of a passenger’s body. The scanner uses a low energy x ray to reveal object or metal under a person’s cloths including the body features. This technology will enable the airport staffs instantly to identify any weapon or explosives on a passenger’s body.

Those who oppose the introduction of airport scanners have two main complaints. Firstly, they think these scanners are ineffective. They may not pick up low-density objects, such as the explosive carried by the Christmas bomber and they are very expensive too. The same amount of money can be invested in something that works better.

Secondly, they don’t want their bodies to be so clearly scanned. They find it embarrassing. It might gain more public acceptance if the face and genitals of the passenger are blurred.

Yet another issue
Apart from these, there is yet another issue acting as hindrance in the installation of these scanners.
The child protection experts have warned that the image produced by these scanners may break the law which prevents the creation of an indecent image of a child. Hence, it should not be used to scan anyone under-18. But, isn’t it necessary to scan the youngsters as well? They can be used as an easy medium for passing explosives and other deadly substances.
This technology can definitely add up to the security of the airlines but, there are people who find it unacceptable and controversial.

The good times are here!

Bihar, a poor, underdeveloped and backward north Indian state has shown a miraculous 11% rise in its GDP growth rate. Bihar has proved itself as the economic outperformer in the last five years.


Who would have thought that a state whose economic condition had been constantly declining and which had 5.15% negative GDP growth in 2003-04 could change so much in so little a time. Its more surprising in a time when the global economic slowdown has pulled down the country’s GDP to 6% from 9%. Bihar’s economy is still based on mainly agriculture and other primary sectors and its very surprising to see such a change without the contribution of industries.

A fresh breath of air

Until a few years ago, Bihar had always been in news for all the wrong reasons. It was one of the most backward portion of India with high poverty ratio, unemployment, and illiteracy. Transport was impossible because of bad roads which were the worst in the country. On top of all that, it was in a state of anarchy and corruption due to a notorious government which ruled Bihar for more than 15 years. With the establishment of a new government in 2004 things started changing in the long neglected state.

Everyone had hoped a better future from the new government and it has stood up well to everybody’s expectations. It seems the dark ages are finally reaching its end in Bihar but, this little unfortunate state has still a long way to go. Brighter future is waiting ahead.

PUFF FOR PUFF

Smoking weed can be fatal, can lead to addiction and can cause health and psychological disorders as severe as schizophrenia.
Still, weed is the most commonly abused illegal drug all over the world. When smoked, weed affects the brain immediately, increases the rate of heart beat, relaxes the muscles, make the eyes look red. It affects the person psychologically by giving a feeling of high and hallucination. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form—levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke (research report-National Institute on Drug Abuse). These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may be more harmful to the lungs than smoking tobacco.Governments all over the world spend millions to stop weed trade and on numerous awareness programmes. Even though the sale, possession or consumption of weed is illegal in the UK, this trade seems to be flourishing right under the nose of the caretakers of law and order.

In The Making: An International Journalist

This charming young lady in her early 20s, is all geared up to take life up on her sleeves and hit for a career in the ever exiting and lively field of journalism. Being raised by a single mother, Amanda has had a childhood different from others. She is the first person in her family to go for masters and has lots of dreams in her eyes, oozing confidence and a very positive approach towards life and future.

Career, passion and life:
Music and journalism are her passion and she blends the two really well. She was 18 when she had her first stint with journalism. While acting as the in-charge of the school music show she interviewed Jhony brawl, the lead singer of her favourite band Razor light. For her, it was like a dream come true, nervously shaking sitting in the backstage on an amplifier on a cold san fransisco night she conducted her very first interview and since then there was no looking back.
She made several short documentaries in a very short career span and a few of them aired on television as well. The aspect of going out, meeting new people, exploring new places and experiencing the unexpected are the few things that thrills her towards a career in journalism. “Music makes me calm and happy”, says she. Though, rock is her favourite genre and bands like Kaiser chiefs, specials, good shoes and north-westerns are her favourite bands. She loves going for concerts and never misses on the gigs in town. Music and journalism seems to be the joy of her life and with a very focussed approach towards life, she hasn’t got time for love or flings. Presently, she is in London persuing her masters in journalism and exploring the fantastic world of opportunities around her. She wishes to work all over the world, under different circumstances and situations- the traits of a true international journalist.

The New Moon: Is It Worth Watching?

The Twilight saga proves it can keep on magnetizing audiences as New Moon receives remarkable results at the Box Office.

The film received the highest opening day gross in history, cashing more money than Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Spiderman 3 and even Dark Night.
But New Moon is also generating controversies amongst parents. The film lingers on a number of mushy scenes and little action but violence and sex are not the issue this time. However, what worries are the behaviors and the system of thoughts that the characters expose:

* The main female character of the movie ‘Bella’ is completely obsessed with her vampire lover.

* Edward has total control over Bella.

* Bella doesn't care about school, all she wants is to live forever with Edward.

* Bella is capable of taking the highest risks to be with Edward

As CNN reported "many parents of teen girls are on the fence about letting their daughters see the vampire romance, saying they are worried the film sends the wrong messages about self-esteem to young girls".

Claire McCarthy, MD at Boston's Children's Hospital, expressed her worries in her blog. She worries for young girls because:

* "they will wish to emulate the relationship between Edward and Bella."

* "they will think it’s good to be obsessive, to think only about their boyfriend and nothing else at the expense of other relationships, schoolwork, or other activities."

* "if a boyfriend is controlling or wants to be with them all the time, they will think it’s romantic instead of seeing that it’s a warning sign for date violence"

* "taking extreme physical risks might be appealing to some readers who will associate it with being in love and that teens will be hurt."

But it has become a hard task for parents to keep their teens away from the Twilight sequel. Kimberly Noe, 46, says "as a parent I'm not just competing with the movie in the movie theater, I am competing with the millions of advertising dollars that has inundated every nook and cranny of my daughter's life."

The movie has received a lot of negative review by its critics, but, it is the audience who have the last say as they are the ones putting all the money in the box office.

A Glimpse Into The Indian Broadcast Media

Broadcast media has great potential in a vast country like India. It is the ideal medium for removing illiteracy and distance. Radio and Television were introduced in India for entertainment and education of the general public.

Radio broadcasting commenced in 1927, and was labelled as a suitable and cheap medium to reach a large number of people even in remote regions. Very recently, the opening of FM channels introduced new entertaining programs and highly increased the popularity of Radio, even in the urban areas.


Television made its beginning in the country in September 1959. Thus began the audio-visual era in Indian media. Television initially started for social change, national unity, to uphold high social values and involved the whole community in an open dialogue. Its main aim was to promote special educational programs in 2400 villages in six Indian states. In spite of the noble initiatives of the initial years, television gradually steered away from its goal and started concentrating on mainly entertaining the audience.

Rapid Growth
Since the 1980s, India has witnessed a rapid growth of television broadcasting that has helped shape popular culture and the course of politics. After the broadcast of first television program in 1959, it became popular and proper extension took place only during 1982 Asian Games. Later, keeping in view the need and popularity of television broadcasting, the government took initiative to expand its access to 90% of the population.

The coverage of Gulf War by CNN in 1991 proved to be a turning point for the beginning of a new era in this field. The Indian media reached its zenith with the coming of cable television. Five new channels belonging to the Hong Kong based STAR TV gave Indians a fresh breadth of life. Zee TV was the first private owned Indian channel to broadcast over cable. By 2001-2003, other international channels such as Cartoon Network, Discovery and VH1 came to India. 2003 onwards, the Indian subcontinent saw a boom in the number of news channels.

With the coming of computer and Internet technology, emerged the aspects of web journalism. However it is in its nascent stage and still a long way to go to proclaim as a separate medium just like print, radio and television. Indian media is an epitome of diversity and variety as reflected in the whole identity of Indian tradition and cultural scenario.