Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Innocent Boy
Saturday, June 8, 2013
5 Money Moves Everyone Should Make By Age 30
Millennials, the current generation of 20-somethings perhaps best known for their tech-savvy ways, are growing up. The oldest members of the group are now turning 30, which means they increasingly have adult money issues on their minds. The need for long-term savings accounts, retirement funds, debt payments, mortgage payments, and family-related costs are among the responsibilities weighing them down.
The good news is that the financial services industry wants to help. Eager for younger customers’ business, they have been busy analyzing millennials’ financial challenges and trying to figure out how they can best reach out to them. As a result, a handful of financial services companies recently released money tips for millennials. Here are five of the best ones:
Save like it’s 2009. Savings rates tend to go up during recessions, which is why personal savings rates shot up in 2009. The fear of financial instability appears to motivate people to squirrel more money into the safety of bank accounts rather than squander it on new shoes or a new smartphone. Millennials could use some of that motivation, since many have yet to start padding their bank accounts or saving for retirement.
A recent Wells Fargo Retirement Survey found that 2 in 3 millennials consider themselves “savers,” with men more likely than women to do so. Still, just over half of the group says they haven’t started saving yet — but plan to by age 30. The reason for that lack of saving? Most respondents said they simply didn’t have enough money.
Those who had found a way to start saving tended to have some help from their employers; most of those saving for retirement are using employer-sponsored plans, the survey found. Around half of those saving are putting away between 1 and 5 percent of their income, 31 percent are saving between 6 and 10 percent, and 14 percent are saving more than 10 percent. (Financial advisers generally recommend saving between 10 and 20 percent of your income over your working years, with the goal of replacing 80 percent of your income during retirement.)
Karen Wimbish, director of Retail Retirement at Wells Fargo, urges millennials to get started with saving as soon as possible in order to benefit from compounding interest. Having more money in the bank, she says, can also provide a confidence boost when it comes to achieving long-term goals.
Get over your fear of the market. Given that millennials came of age in the era of Bernie Madoff and the subprime mortgage crisis, it’s no surprise that more than half profess a lack of confidence in the market, according to the Wells Fargo survey. Women are particularly wary, with two-thirds saying they are not confident in the market. The problem with this distrust of the market is that millennials could lose out on the chance to benefit from its long-term growth. After all, millennials saving for retirement have decades to ride out any bumps.
Confront loan stress. Student loans are a huge source of worry for millennials. Most respondents cited it as their biggest financial concern in the Wells Fargo survey. The survey also found that millennials were about twice as likely as boomers to feel overwhelmed by their debt (42 percent versus 22 percent).
Chat about money on dates. Okay, maybe not the first date, but USAA financial planners suggest talking about money, and credit histories in particular, with long-term mates. USAA put out a release urging millennials to ask their partners how much debt they have, as well as get an overview of assets, before exchanging vows. The reason? A bad credit score can derail post-marriage plans, from buying a house to purchasing a new car.
Get a job, not a degree. Obtaining advanced degrees can make sense in a lot of situations, but USAA financial planners also warn against using school as a second-best option when the job market doesn’t work out. Returning to school often means building up more debt, and if the degree isn’t directly related to your future career, it might not pay off in the long run.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Rain Drops Fall From Heaven
Rain drops falling in my head,and never knowing when it will end.Should I run for cover,or let another rain drop fall in my head again?I would love to dance in the rain,and knowing somehow it’ll help erase the pain.
Futuristic Home Design – Box House Interior Designs
Box house designing is a simple yet innovative concept in modern house design. Box houses are the houses of future. Modern and elegant box houses can be built using pre-fabricated standard modules with custom architectural design. These modules can be arranged in a number of ways. An architect can play with infinite number of ideas arranging them aesthetically. There is no limit how a house can be designed using these modules and decorated. The box house design is cost effective and it reduces construction time without compromising building quality. Here is an award winning box house located at Portland, Oregon, designed by PATH Architecture. The house is a twin row house, designed in such a way that privacy of both the units is maintained. Each unit has a large private deck on opposite sides of the lot. The box house design utilizes natural light and offers beautiful view of the park. Floor to ceiling windows are placed in such a way that the residents can enjoy the natural light and view of the garden without attracting direct view from the outsiders.
Each room has a floor to ceiling glass window. Windows are placed on the side of each room, so that privacy of the residents is not violated. The repeating pattern of windows and solid wall on each unit gives a beautiful look and sense of symmetry to the entire structure. Windows on the main floor give the view to the park. View of trees, grass and sky gives you a feeling of living in a meadow rather than being in midst of a bustling urban neighborhood.
On the East side of the twin units, there is a big Douglas Fir Tree. The East unit hasmaster bedroom on upper level, extended over the deck below. This gives a large covered space for an outdoor dining space. Main floor window on the East unit is placed on the large stair landing. Natural light floods through the window illuminating interiors of the house.
The interior of the house has minimum design. Wooden flooring and elegant staircase give contemporary look to the interiors. The decor is minimalist. Color scheme of the interiors is pale and neutral. The interiors are relaxing and clutter free. Upholstery and rugs are of soft and subdue hue. Accent colors are used for dining chairs and art pieces on the wall. Whole space looks tidy, clean and simple. Minimalist interiors coupled with green exteriors give an aura of serenity and tranquility.
Social Media Social Ignorance
This appeared in The Indian Express on June 01, 2013
Twitter outrage over the mannequin ban does not reflect Mumbai’s many conflicting moralities
Applying Western liberal standards of gender equality to Indian society is perhaps premature. Being the world’s largest democracy is no mean achievement. However, political democracy and equality alone is cited as a measure of its relative success. Social and economic equality, emancipation and empowerment have failed to follow political equality. One aspect of this socio-economic parity was the cause championed by B.R. Ambedkar (somewhat diluted and distorted today by his successors). Lamentably, in the context of gender, the issue didn’t quite get the same impetus.
Unequal socio-economic development is not only a function of class and caste, but of gender as well. And herein lies the root of our present predicament. Gender issues are just as deep-rooted as class and caste divisions, and cut across caste/ class divisions. This is a phenomenon that has existed in Western society as well. Plato for instance, advocated the communism of wives, along with property. Enough has been written and said about the position of women in our patriarchal society. However, what needs to be pointed out is that this is merely the result of a lack of social development. It is worth noting that there exist multitudes of demographics in India (often oversimplified as Bharat and India). Starting with that section of society that genuinely believes in the cause of female emancipation, followed by the section that mouths equality in public but manipulates the sex of their child through the use of technology in private, right down to the section that sees women as nothing more than cattle. The deeply traditional (read patriarchal) nature of a large section of our population, juxtaposed with those of scientific (and cosmopolitan) temper, clearly makes for a heterogeneous culture and value system. And it is this heterogeneity that the law must sadly cater to.
Mumbai is arguably India’s most cosmopolitan city. However, the thousands who come to the city seeking a better life are quite removed from the liberal culture of the city. Is it possible to compare men from a place where they don’t speak to a member of the opposite sex (unless she is a relation) with those who are part of Mumbai’s “upwardly mobile” crowd? And it is not only the migrant workforce that has attitudes and values different from what we consider Bombay culture. It is also the plurality of Bombay culture itself. So, do I agree with the ban on lingerie-clad mannequins? Most certainly not. But I do understand that a lingerie-clad mannequin will probably mean different things to my husband and to my 8th-class-pass Man Friday from rural Bihar. Banning things is the flavour of the season, and is easier than implementing much-needed social development and reform programmes. But, deep down, I can understand where Ritu Tawade, the BJP corporator, is coming from. Sadly for us, the social media voice of outrage is not quite representative of the actual value system in Mumbai.
I often hear the argument that women can wear what they like in Mumbai, and so Mumbai is liberal and progressive. Being an “outsider” from Delhi, I agree about the relative freedom to dress the way you want. But just because no one leers at a girl in shorts in Mumbai doesn’t mean the polity is progressive. What it means is that people have become desensitised to the way different women dress over the years. For example, just because one no longer reacts (overtly) to the sight of an elephant ambling along on our roads, it doesn’t mean that we are ok with it and don’t have an opinion on it. It just means that we are used to such sights. However, foreigners are completely awestruck at the very presence of a pachyderm.
My cook, a thoroughbred Mumbaikar, doesn’t react to girls in skimpy tops and shorts, or to lingerie-clad mannequins for that matter. But you have a conversation with her on the subject, and she will lash out at the “erosion” of moral values in our society and the impact on young men of the titillation that these girls and mannequins “provide”. According to her, the overt display of sexuality entices young men, whether in flesh-and-blood models or plastic ones. She sees it manifesting in the way young men covertly gaze at the girls dressed in non-traditional clothes. She also has an opinion on the roadside male vendors who sell lingerie, as well as the mostly male salespersons in generic shops that sell lingerie along with other items. But she feels powerless to do anything about it. She supports the mannequin ban and sees it as a way to check “moral erosion”. Coming from where she does, I find it hard not to see merit in her argument.
The writer is Mumbai-based actor and activist
Twitter outrage over the mannequin ban does not reflect Mumbai’s many conflicting moralities
Applying Western liberal standards of gender equality to Indian society is perhaps premature. Being the world’s largest democracy is no mean achievement. However, political democracy and equality alone is cited as a measure of its relative success. Social and economic equality, emancipation and empowerment have failed to follow political equality. One aspect of this socio-economic parity was the cause championed by B.R. Ambedkar (somewhat diluted and distorted today by his successors). Lamentably, in the context of gender, the issue didn’t quite get the same impetus.
Unequal socio-economic development is not only a function of class and caste, but of gender as well. And herein lies the root of our present predicament. Gender issues are just as deep-rooted as class and caste divisions, and cut across caste/ class divisions. This is a phenomenon that has existed in Western society as well. Plato for instance, advocated the communism of wives, along with property. Enough has been written and said about the position of women in our patriarchal society. However, what needs to be pointed out is that this is merely the result of a lack of social development. It is worth noting that there exist multitudes of demographics in India (often oversimplified as Bharat and India). Starting with that section of society that genuinely believes in the cause of female emancipation, followed by the section that mouths equality in public but manipulates the sex of their child through the use of technology in private, right down to the section that sees women as nothing more than cattle. The deeply traditional (read patriarchal) nature of a large section of our population, juxtaposed with those of scientific (and cosmopolitan) temper, clearly makes for a heterogeneous culture and value system. And it is this heterogeneity that the law must sadly cater to.
Mumbai is arguably India’s most cosmopolitan city. However, the thousands who come to the city seeking a better life are quite removed from the liberal culture of the city. Is it possible to compare men from a place where they don’t speak to a member of the opposite sex (unless she is a relation) with those who are part of Mumbai’s “upwardly mobile” crowd? And it is not only the migrant workforce that has attitudes and values different from what we consider Bombay culture. It is also the plurality of Bombay culture itself. So, do I agree with the ban on lingerie-clad mannequins? Most certainly not. But I do understand that a lingerie-clad mannequin will probably mean different things to my husband and to my 8th-class-pass Man Friday from rural Bihar. Banning things is the flavour of the season, and is easier than implementing much-needed social development and reform programmes. But, deep down, I can understand where Ritu Tawade, the BJP corporator, is coming from. Sadly for us, the social media voice of outrage is not quite representative of the actual value system in Mumbai.
I often hear the argument that women can wear what they like in Mumbai, and so Mumbai is liberal and progressive. Being an “outsider” from Delhi, I agree about the relative freedom to dress the way you want. But just because no one leers at a girl in shorts in Mumbai doesn’t mean the polity is progressive. What it means is that people have become desensitised to the way different women dress over the years. For example, just because one no longer reacts (overtly) to the sight of an elephant ambling along on our roads, it doesn’t mean that we are ok with it and don’t have an opinion on it. It just means that we are used to such sights. However, foreigners are completely awestruck at the very presence of a pachyderm.
My cook, a thoroughbred Mumbaikar, doesn’t react to girls in skimpy tops and shorts, or to lingerie-clad mannequins for that matter. But you have a conversation with her on the subject, and she will lash out at the “erosion” of moral values in our society and the impact on young men of the titillation that these girls and mannequins “provide”. According to her, the overt display of sexuality entices young men, whether in flesh-and-blood models or plastic ones. She sees it manifesting in the way young men covertly gaze at the girls dressed in non-traditional clothes. She also has an opinion on the roadside male vendors who sell lingerie, as well as the mostly male salespersons in generic shops that sell lingerie along with other items. But she feels powerless to do anything about it. She supports the mannequin ban and sees it as a way to check “moral erosion”. Coming from where she does, I find it hard not to see merit in her argument.
The writer is Mumbai-based actor and activist
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Why You Need To Learn HTML5
If you already write computer code or are planning to enter the IT industry then you might know about the buzz surrounding HTML5. This is the latest version of HTML which is the most popular code that powers the internet. The current focus of internet technology is to enable people to watch videos with the greatest amount of ease from any device of their choice (and there are a whole lot of devices in use these days).
If you are still wondering whether you need to learn HTML5 then you'll find the following details very interesting:
- This new language is very versatile when compared to older versions. It ensures that both audio and video can be handled by an internet browser. This makes plug-ins unnecessary for all sorts of videos and animation. Websites launch faster as a result of this.
- Websites that use this language will be accessible using any mobile device. Currently, there is no uniformity in this, leading to the use of various third party applications. Many sites miss out on viewership because of this reason.
- It is set to be a replacement for Flash which has many detractors because it takes too much of power and also because it causes browsers to crash. Apple is putting its considerable weight behind HTML5 because it is not a supporter of Flash. Since iPhones and iPads are very popular and are here to stay, many websites will be switching to this language.
- There will be high quality video streaming across various devices, enabling users to watch television, videos etc without any interruptions, even on their mobile phones.
In addition to the many benefits it offers, this language has excellent interactivity and is therefore being embraced by many web designers. Websites that use it can be modified very easily and quickly. Your employment prospects will definitely look brighter if you learn HTML5 since many websites are going to switch to it. As a matter of fact, many websites are expected to re-make their animations and video players in this language as they abandon Flash. It goes without saying that many websites will stick to Flash, but there will still be immense demand for HTML5.
You'll need to put in a bit of effort to learn HTML5 but this is definitely a good strategic move on your part. Make sure that you learn from the right source so that you can finish with the program in the shortest possible time.
Author bio: The latest buzz in the IT industry surrounds the newest version of HTML.
What Is Python Web Programming?
The python programming language is a modern web programming language that was originally conceived and developed by Guido van Rossum in the 1980s. Since that time, Python has evolved into a high-performance programming language that is modular and extensible. Some of the largest websites in the world are utilizing Python such as YouTube, Disqus, and Reddit. Python offers a number of features that make it an attractive programming platform including stability, portability, object-oriented development, a powerful standard library and a wealth of third-party modules or packages.
Stability
Python has been under active development since the late 1980s and is considered a mature programming language. The developers of the Python language conduct extensive functionality and regression testing to ensure the language remains bug-free and stable with each new release.
Portability
Python programming offers a number of features that make it an attractive option for web application development. Python applications are portable due to the fact that python interpreters are available for all modern operating systems and some embedded computing systems.
Object-oriented Development
The object-oriented nature of Python makes it an ideal first language for new programmers and easy to learn for programmers migrating to Python from other object-oriented languages. Python programming is intuitive and reinforces good program structure and object-oriented methodologies.
Standard Library
The standard Python library offers developers a plethora of features comparable to more complex languages such as C++ while maintaining simple and approachable language syntax. Comprehensive file-based I/O, database interactivity, advanced exception handling and a host of built in data types make Python appropriate for both web applications and general purpose programming. This makes python web programming an easy task for application developers seeking to transition to web application development.
Third Party Modules
Python is known for being a comprehensive language with extensive functionality included in the standard library. However, the growing popularity of python programming has led to a vast array of third-party packages, or modules, that extend Python's functionality and allow the language to deal with unique programming challenges. For example, modules are available for handling non-standard database interactions and advanced cryptography functionality. There are also modules available for dealing with common tasks such as reading file metadata, rendering charts and compiling Python applications into standardized executable applications. Python web programming is made easier due to the availability of many web-centric modules to handle tasks such as e-mail, maintaining HTTP state, interacting with JavaScript, and other common web development tasks.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7755306
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