Easy Ways To Save Money

Money, the second most important thing on Earth after happiness. Rather, happiness too sometimes depends on money. But exactly how much money is sufficient for a human being? The answer is difficult to find because the thirst to earn more never ends. However, to earn as much money as you want, legally, is not easy. The right way to make the best out of the money you have is to save the money.

Money is not of stagnant nature and tingles your desires. You fall prey to it and thus, the bank balance soon falls short. The mantra to maintain your bank balance and to live a happy life lies on the perfect way to save money.

Lets look at some ways to save money -

1.Divide Your Money – The day you get your salary, divide the money for your bills. Make separate bundles for different bills and pay them off before you use them for your own purpose. This will let you know exactly what amount you are left with and how will you run the number of days left before the next salary comes.

2.Make A Shopping List – Make a list of what all you want in the month. Divide the list into most important things and the not so important things. This will give you a clear picture as to what to concentrate at first.

3.Buy In Bulk – People tend to buy in small quantities looking at the small amount he has to shed at present. Well, one of the most important way to save money is to buy in bulk. Generally, buying products in bulk costs less than when you buy in many times in small numbers.

4.Saving Bank Account – You should always have two bank accounts. One from which you spend and one where you save your money. Money should never be withdrawn from the account in which you save money. The amount you decide to save should be deposited into that account at the starting of the month.

5.Daily Expenditure – Calculate your daily expenditure and try to stick to it. If some day you save some amount from your daily expenditure, then keep it aside in a piggy bank. You will be surprised to know at the end of the month the fortune you would have collected.

6.Differentiate Between Need And Desire – There are things you need and there are things you desire. Don't compromise on the things you need but try to control your desire. This will help you to save a lot of money.

7.Avoid Loans – It's best not to take loans from friends. To repay the loan becomes an additional expense and gets carry forward to the nest month too.

8.Cut Down Expense Where Possible – Some expenses are self imposed. Try to track them and avoid them. If you can carry lunch, no need to buy it. If you have four pair of jeans, no need for the fifth one etc.

These are few simple ways to save money. Saving money soon becomes a habit and you will be surprised to see, how much you can cut down on your expenses.

Extracting water out of thin air now possible

London, Sep 12 (IANS) Getting water out of the thin air is now possible, thanks to a new technology.

'Drinking water can be extracted from the humidity in the air even in the desert or in the middle of a megacity,' thanks to a technology developed by the Fraunhofer Alliance SysWasser, Germany.

The principle behind it is a salt solution that runs down from a tower-shaped system and absorbs water from the air, known as hygroscopic brine. This brine is then pumped into a tank that stands a couple of metres high and contains a vacuum.

Then, energy from solar collectors heats up the brine and the evaporated salt-free water condenses over a distillation bridge. The brine concentrates again and flows down on the surface of the tower to absorb humidity in the air, according to a Fraunhofer statement.

This process is exclusively based on regenerative sources of energy such as simple solar collectors and photovoltaic cells, meaning that this method is completely energy self-sufficient.

That means that it functions in areas where there is no electrical infrastructure. This process is particularly well suited for extracting drinking water in arid and semi-arid areas where more water evaporates than precipitation falls.

Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

t’s really exasperating to see fuel prices skyrocketing, right? We can only feel helpless in the face of recurring and economy-driven price fluctuations. Seeking measures to improve fuel economy is the only way to combat rising fuel prices. Do not disregard these simple guidelines; each little step can really start adding up to significant savings to your budget.

Check Tyre Pressure

Keeping the tyres well inflated is one of the simplest things you can do to help improve your car’s fuel efficiency. You can improve the mileage by about 3.3 percent if you keep your tyres inflated properly, according to the DOE.

Lighten Your Load

Empty out your boot of unnecessary items. For every extra 45 kg you carry, your fuel efficiency can drop by 1-2% in a typical vehicle.

S-L-O-W D-O-W-N

The faster you drive, the more fuel you use. Driving within the speed limit recommended by the manufacturer helps save fuel. Driving just 5mph over the speed limit can affect fuel economy by up to 23%. Likewise, quick acceleration consumes too much fuel; accelerate slowly and gradually.

Do Fuel Quality/Types/Additives Help Mileage?

Petrol pump attendants often try to convince you to go for ‘Speed petrol’ or ‘X-tra Mile diesel’. But this need not necessarily help improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Always use the grade recommended for the vehicle by the manufacturer. Higher octane fuel may not only be a waste of money but may harm the vehicle, as well. However sticking to one brand of fuel is always good for the engine. Know more about Octane Ratings

Tune Your Engine

A well-tuned engine can improve fuel economy by up to 4%. So change your oil and follow your car manufacturer’s recommendation on servicing.

Clean the Air Filters Regularly

Air filters keep impurities from damaging your engine. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve fuel economy by as much as 10%.

Keep the Windows Closed

Driving with your windows open considerably reduces mileage, far more than keeping the AC on while driving along highways. So preferably keep the windows closed and the AC on if you want to keep cool. Of course the air-conditioning decreases fuel efficiency considerably, so use it judiciously.

Clean Spark Plugs

Ensure your spark plugs are in good condition. Renew the plugs and wires at intervals specified by the manufacturer. This will keep all cylinders firing properly resulting in higher efficiency.

Don’t Be a Clutch-Driver

Never keep your foot on the clutch while driving. When you do this, pressure is being placed on your clutch, and it not only reduces mileage, but also wears out the clutch plate, replacing which is not cheap.

Keep the Car in Showroom Condition

It’s always prudent to keep the car in the showroom condition. Remember that any modification to the car, such as broad tyres, diffusers etc., will adversely affect the mileage.

Top 3 most expensive bikes in the world

MV Agusta F4 CC

Topspeed (km/h): 315
Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 3.0 sec.

Topspeed (mph): 196
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.0 sec.

Cylinders: S4
Displacement: 1078 ccm (1.1 l)
Engine Power: 200 hp (149 kw)

Gears: Manual, 6-speed

Weight: 187kg (412 lbs)

Weight/Power ratio: 0.94 kg/hp
Power/Displacement ratio: 185.53 hp/l

Cost: $133,745 US

MTT Turbine Superbike

Topspeed (km/h): 365
Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 

Topspeed (mph): 227
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 

Cylinders: Turbine
Displacement: 0 ccm (0 l)
Engine Power: 320 hp (239 kw)

Gears: Automatic

Weight: 227kg (501 lbs)

Weight/Power ratio: 0.71 kg/hp

Cost: $185,000

Dodge Tomahawk

Topspeed (km/h): 675
Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 2.5 sec.

Topspeed (mph): 419
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 2.5 sec.

Cylinders: V10
Displacement: 8277 ccm (8.3 l)
Engine Power: 500 hp (373 kw)

Gears: Manual, 2-speed

Weight: 680kg (1499 lbs)

Weight/Power ratio: 1.36 kg/hp
Power/Displacement ratio: 60.41 hp/l

Cost : $550,000

The 10 Most Amazing Flowers in the World

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The 10 Most Amazing Flowers in the World

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CAT 2010: How you should start your prep

The Common Admission Test or CAT for admission to the country's top B-schools is one of the most competitive examinations in India. Lakhs of students and working professionals across the country vie for the few thousand coveted seats. To help these B-school hopefuls give CAT 2010 their best shot, Rediff.com launches its CAT 2010 coverage which will include expert tips and chats, topper experiences, section-wise analysis and many other useful articles and features. Kicking things off is an article by Rahul Singh, who scored in the 100-percentile in CAT 2010.

A lot of you would probably be starting out now on your preparation for CAT. Five to six months is a lot of time if utilised properly and should be spent on building the basic skills required to crack an exam of the form of CAT. I believe that a lot of us commit the mistake of prematurely concentrating on the so called "tips, tricks and strategies" for cracking CAT without paying enough attention to the fundamentals.

So if you want to go about preparing in a more sensible and steady manner, now is a good time to start. I have given below my section-wise approach to preparation in the first three or four months.

Quantitative ability
Start by revising your basic class X mathematics. Make sure you have a fair idea of how the so-called 'shortcut formulas' mentioned in the umpteen CAT guidebooks are actually derived.

Initially concentrate on the accuracy part of things. You should aim to solve almost every problem you come across, even if it's in an inefficient and time-consuming manner occasionally. This is probably easier for students with an engineering background as they stay in touch with maths throughout their coursework, but three-four months of sincere and steady preparation ought to bring most students up to this level. 

It is highly inadvisable to start memorising the 'tips' and 'tricks' at this stage as they are no substitute for a good grasp of the concepts. Almost all CAT problems can be solved quickly enough from basic principles themselves, irrespective of whether you know the relevant tricks and shortcuts or not. 

Once you become fairly confident about solving problems you can start working on the speed factor. Even after you have successfully solved a problem, critically analyse your solution and see if you can make it any shorter by removing redundant steps or if a totally different approach is possible. This is quite often possible in time and work, speed, probability, permutation and combination based problems.

Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation
This is one section where almost every candidate starts preparing from scratch unless he has taken CAT before. At the same time I believe that this is the section where consistent hard work pays off the most. The best way to begin is to set aside a fixed number of hours each day (or every week if you don't want to be so rigid in your schedule) for attempting DI problems. There are a few things you can pay special attention to while working on this section:

Spend ample time analysing the solutions. In fact I often spent more time reviewing solutions than I did solving problems. Pay special attention to how the information is represented in a more readable and analysable form through tables etc. This is particularly crucial in solving problems where all the information is just written in the form of a simple, continuous piece of text.

Learn to identify the problems in a set which could have been solved by using just a couple of lines of information from the whole paragraph. This ability proves critical in tackling a tough DI set or when you are running out of time.

Some problems tend to be calculation intensive. In most cases making rough assumptions and rounding off gives the correct answer. Herein the knack of simplifying ugly looking fractions, calculating percentages easily, etc comes in handy.

I was never too good at calculations so I attempted these problems in the very end, but I have seen some of my friends who bank heavily on these problems and it pays off well. I often tried to round off three-digit numbers to the nearest five or ten and two-digit numbers to nearest multiple of two or four in order to simplify my calculations. 

Verbal Ability
This is usually the section that engineering students struggle most with and it can get awfully tough for students at times. I often hear students complaining that their vocabulary is not good enough for CAT, which I believe is a very narrow approach. CAT is not about your vocabulary or your grammar per se; in general it tests your reading experience. So a 'start from the basics' approach is absolutely essential in this regard, if you are not an avid reader to begin with.

The first step is to increase your appetite for reading. Newspapers are an obvious place to start, but if you find them heavy reading then you can start with some light fiction. I know most of my friends picked up reading after their first Harry Potter or Chetan Bhagat. You will find that your speed picks up considerably as you near the end of such books. As you move on, you should gradually increase the amount of stuff you read in newspapers every day. Their advantage is two-fold: they tell us both about contemporary issues and contemporary language.

Being well read on a variety of topics is a huge bonus while attempting RCs in a CAT paper. You will soon realise this once you start taking mock CATs; you can glide through passages faster if it's about something you have already read about, and it's not uncommon to find such passages in your exam paper.

As it is in the DI section, analysing solutions to RC passages is a very beneficial exercise. Writing down new words that you come across every day is very helpful in remembering them. Spending time memorising word lists and grammar rules would be futile at this stage as the amount of information will become too overwhelming. Hence, the focus should be on developing your reading habit at this stage. If you are already a keen reader, then you can work on your reading speed and grammar.

To summarise, I would like to say that patience is a key factor here. In the beginning one must patiently work on building the aforementioned basic skills before attempting to augment them with tips, tricks and strategies. Initially progress might be slow and unrewarding, but this steady foundation will assure you of a good CAT score irrespective of how tough the individual sections are in the paper or how different the test format turns out to be from your expectations.

10,000 Hindus to attend Toronto temple opening

Toronto, June 15 (IANS) About 10,000 Hindus from Canada and the US will join week-long ceremonies here Friday for the opening of a unique south Indian temple modelled on the 9th century Sringeri Peetam.

Built at a cost of $11 million and named after the goddess of wisdom Sri Sharadamba, the temple will be consecrated with water from more than 250 rivers around the world.

These include the Ganga and the Yamuna and the Manosarovar Lake.

The temple, which will also have nine other deities, has been built with marble and granite imported from India.

'Apart from serving as a religious shrine, the temple will also house a museum on the life of Adi Shakaracharya who set up four matts in all four corners of India,' temple president Lucky Lakshmanan told IANS.

Twenty pandits have arrived from Sringeri in Karnataka for performing the consecration ceremonies. They will be joined by 10 priests from North America.

'The statues of the deities have also come from Jaipur,' temple publicity committee chairman K. Sundaram said.

The consecration ceremonies will begin Friday, with the chanting of mantras from the four Vedas to 'energise' the water from over 250 rivers.

'The chanting will continue for two days after which the holy water be fully energised. We will start the actual ceremony June 20,' temple religious affairs chief Raghu Ranganathan said.

Called Mahakumbhabhishekam, the consecration ceremony will include the chanting of mantras and bathing of the deities with the holy water to pass the 'energy' to the deities.

'This ceremony will make the deities divine and powerful to bestow their blessings on the devotees,' says Ranganathan.

The ceremonies will continue till June 27 during which havan will be performed to propitiate the deities. These will conclude with the pouring of 1,004 vessels of 'energised' waters on the deities.

Famous Indian singers, including Narendra Chanchal, will sing bhajans during the ceremonies.

Many Canadian leaders, including Indo-Canadian minister Harinder Takhar, will attend the ceremonies.

Will the Earth blackout in 2013?

If you’ve had your fill of apocalyptic scenarios, earthquakes, volcanoes and global warming, here comes a new threat which may wipe out the world in 2013.

Imagine a scene from any of Hollywood’s disaster films. An eerie scene where mobile phones go on the blink, GPS is knocked out, TVs go blank and the world is plunged into chaos.

Looks like disaster flicks aren’t too removed from reality since all this could well be the potential result of a gigantic solar storm, according to a new report by NASA. The report, a warning, says Earth and space are coming together in a way that’s new to human history.

A solar storm, which is essentially violent eruptions in the sun, can eject destructive radiation and charged particles into space. These are closely connected to magnetic fields – which are hazardous for satellites and space stations.

There are reports of a geomagnetic storm sparked by a huge solar flare that swept over the Earth in 1859. Telegraph wires shorted out and set houses on fire. A brilliant aurora was seen in Hawaii—so bright that “people could read newspapers by [its] red and green glow.” Scientists predict that in May 2013, the sun’s solar cycle will peak at about the same level as in 1859. (This content courtesy a post onGawker.com)
High-tech systems are critical for life as we know it today. Everything that we depend on and take for granted – air travel, GPS navigation, banking services (even a credit card transaction uses a satellite) and emergency radio communications – can all be knocked out by intense solar activity.

To get an idea of scale, a massive solar storm could result in 20 times more damage than the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina which hit south-eastern US in August 2005. The storm killed 1,800 people and caused damages worth $81 billion.

Some good news is that some of the damage and destruction can be avoided with warning of an impending solar storm. There is technology to put satellites in ‘safe mode’ and disconnect transformers to protect them from destructive electrical surges.

The task of accurately forecasting a solar storm lies with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US. “Space weather forecasting is still in its infancy, but we’re making rapid progress,” said Thomas Bogdan, director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado.
The key for Bogdan lies in NASA and NOAA collaborating. “NASA’s fleet of heliophysics research spacecraft provides us with up-to-the-minute information about what’s happening on the sun. They are an important complement to our own GOES and POES satellites, which focus more on the near-Earth environment.”

Says Bogdon, “I believe we’re on the threshold of a new era in which space weather can be as influential in our daily lives as ordinary terrestrial weather.”

So far, we’ve been lucky to escape any big solar storms. I guess we could send Bruce Willis (a la Armageddon) to save us from the Sun in true Hollywood style. But then I would rather wait for NASA and NOAA to save us from space weather.

Images: A hyperactive sun

TN state board books are online in PDF and downloadable

Please pass this information to your friends. Whose children are studying in the state board. Now the TN state board books are online in PDF and downloadable. From std 1 to std 12. All subjects... Any good heart person can print this material & handover some poor people.


http://www.textbooksonline.tn.nic.in

Nokia unveils 4 cheap phones, bicycle charger

 Nokia Oyj unveiled on Thursday four new cheap phone models, and a first bicycle charger from the world's top cellphone maker, aiming to protect its dominant market share on emerging markets.

Nokia controls more than 50 percent of phone sales in India and Africa, and has a strong prosition on most other emerging markets.

"Tens of millions of these products will be sold, but competition is intensifying as Chinese vendors aggressively target the ultra low cost segment," said Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight.

"With all the focus on its smartphone woes it is easy to forget that Nokia is a power house in entry level products."

Nokia has struggled to keep up with rivals like Apple and RIM in the high-end of the market, and its ailing smartphone offering has hurt the stock price over the last few months.

The four new simple phone models sales prices, excluding possible operators subsidies and local taxes, range from 30 euros ($36.9) to 45 euros.

Two of the new phones, including the cheapest 30 euro model, will enable usage of two different SIM cards -- helping sharing a phone between family members or friends.

Nokia introduced also its first bicycle charger, targeting especially consumers with limited access to electricity, and it will go on sale for roughly 15 euros price, depending on market, later this year, said a company spokesman.

How credit cards can make money for you

Credit cards of late have a negative connotation, and are pronounced as complete no-no by many, because of the high interest rates that are charged on late payments/defaults.

Don't let this negativity cloud perception of the product. You would be surprised to know that, if you are judicious in using this product, you stand to benefit monetarily, and of course it eliminates the need for you to carry cash everywhere.

More often than not the problem is that people do not understand the product well and hence are not able to use it to their advantage.

The credit card company offers you a 'free credit period' of around 50-55 days. The misconception most people have is that this free credit period is from the date of purchase. It is actually from the date of billing. E.g. Mr Anand's billing cycle date is December 28 to January 27 and his credit free period is 50 days.

If his purchase was on January 22, he would enjoy credit for 25 days. However if he made the same purchase on say Jan 1, he would enjoy credit free period of 47 days. So if you plan properly, you can enjoy maximum credit every month, which will help you manage your cash flows effectively, and will also help you earn the extra bit of interest on the cash that you have currently not spent on making the purchase.

In addition to the free credit period, every purchase made on your credit card, earns you reward points which when accumulated to a big amount can be exchanged for a range of items such as electrical appliances, flight tickets, home ware etc. These rewards will differ from company to company.

Also credit card companies offer discounts, promotional offers with respect to shopping, entertainment etc. For example, if you buy petrol from a particular brand of petrol pump, you get a small percentage of money credited back to your account after a certain number of days.

For the credit card to make money for you, two key things you need to keep in mind

Cost of default: The interest rate on defaults ranges from anywhere between 2 per cent-3.5 per cent per month. So in effect it is a whopping 24 per cent-42 per cent p.a. Also, the interest starts from the date of purchase and not the billing date i.e. you do not get any interest-free credit period and all future purchases also start attracting the interest charges from the date of purchase.

So use the credit card if and only if you're sure of having the means to pay the bills in time. Also, don't forget that your credit score will get impacted too which will impact your future borrowing.

Credit limit: Keep a tab on your credit limit. Overshooting your credit limit will also have dire consequences for you with respect to the interest charged and your credit score.

How do you ensure that your credit card makes money for you?

Widen the usage of your credit card (small and big purchases): You might as well earn bonus points and interest on the cash that you have not currently used, to make the purchase. You can use the credit card to pay monthly rentals, grocery bills, utility bills, gift expenses, subscription expenses etc.

So the cash that you have not used to make the purchase will earn interest for you or will be used for fulfilling other immediate needs. For example, Maitali purchased an electrical appliance for Rs 28,000 using the credit card she possessed. The purchase was made such that she could enjoy a credit free period of 45 days. The cash that she would have used to purchase this appliance is now lying in her savings account which is earning her an interest of 3.5 per cent p.a.

So if she decides to pay the bill after enjoying 40 days of free credit, she earns an interest of Rs 107 in her savings bank account. Not only that, she has also earned some reward points on the purchase. The other advantage of using the credit card is your payments are recorded which makes it easier for you to keep track of your expenses.

Appropriate use of bonus points: Use the bonus points that have accumulated on buying necessities (house hold appliances, clothes, groceries etc.) rather than using it on things (luxuries) that aren't really important to you. Only if the bonus points are used practically, you are actually saving cash.

Conclusion

Credit cards if used prudently will help you in managing your cash flow better, and at the same time, will provide you monetary benefits. That's because you get interest free money for some period of time and you also earn reward/bonus points on the same.

But if you use it without deliberation, it can prove to be disastrous as interest rates charged on payment delays are very high. Also, your credit rating will take a beating, as banks report these things to the credit rating agencies, which in turn will include it as part of your credit report.

Don't forget that credit score will not only determine whether you will get a loan but will also determine at what interest. Let not easy availability of credit and attractive rewards offered fool you into making impulsive purchases. It will prove to be rather costly.

The simplest diet secret: Eat less to weigh less!

If you control your portions at mealtimes, you're bound to lose weight -- it's a principle that cannot fail. But how much is enough? Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Most of us attempt to lose weight by forcing a self-imposed blanket ban on incriminating foods. But sooner or later, as our patience wears thin and resolve crumbles, we go for these very foods with a vengeance. The result is that we are back where we started -- or even worse.

Another, better, option would be to follow a path of moderation -- where we continue to eat all foods, but in an amount where they are not harmful. Portion control essentially involves knowing how to select servings of each food item, so that the overall calories consumed are not in excess. It is about combining different types of foods in controlled portions so that the overall balance is not tipped.

These are a few practical tips on implementing effective portion control:

• Cut it by half: You can cut the calories of your favorite foods by 50 percent without changing anything about them by eating only half the portion. For example, if you usually eat a toasted cheese sandwich, eat only half of it. If you are still hungry, eat some fruit, which -- because it contains fibre and takes longer to eat and digest -- will help you feel satisfied with far fewer calories. Eating at a slower pace will also help you feel full when you've actually eaten much less.
• Avoid upsizing: Resist all offers to supersize an order, however tempting the offer. In fact, steer clear of all 'meal deal' offers altogether. If you must, have a salad accompany your order.
• Buy small: We all occasionally succumb to the temptation of snacks like wafers or chips. But the key is not to overdo it. One way you can do so is by buying only smaller-sized packages. If you buy budget bags, then simply ration out the stock into smaller zip bags and store. This way you'll always know how much you are eating and avoid over-eating.
• Store less: If you store a lot of food within easy reach, you are bound to keep helping yourself to it. Therefore, one way to help yourself eat less is to store only one individual serving of each food at a time where you can easily get at it. If there's more, you can store that separately and keep it strictly out of bounds. Follow this whether you are storing leftovers or fresh supplies.
• Visualise portions: Mentally associate acceptable food portions to everyday objects you are familiar with to help you remember not to exceed your limit. For instance, a slice of cake could be the size of a deck of cards, a serving of cheese, the size of a matchbox and a cup of rice or pasta, the size of a tennis ball.
• Start with salads: Eating salads before lunch or dinner is one way to keep from overeating. The fibre in the veggies will satiate you without adding to your calories and help you eat less of the other dishes.
• Ban seconds: Discourage seconds at the table. Following a system where food is served away from the dining table will help. It takes about 20 minutes to feel satiated so giving yourself a 'breather' will help you realise you are not hungry any longer.
• Indulge occasionally: Treating yourself to 'forbidden' foods once in a while will keep you from feeling deprived, which can induce uncontrolled binging.

These few general rules will help too:

• Set realistic goals to control portions: If you set very high standards you are likely to fail and get dejected. It helps to fix goals you know you can achieve.
• Involve a helpful person: Take a close friend or family member into confidence. The involvement of a third party will keep you from succumbing to temptation and keep you on track.
• Keep a journal: Recording your eating habits in a journal will help you to set and achieve your goals more systematically.
• Celebrate success: Remember to celebrate successful achievement of any weightloss related goals. This will keep you mentally and emotionally ticking.

Drink more "Water"

Whatever the season, keeping oneself hydrated is imperative. However, the chances of getting dehydrated are the most in the summer heat. One tends to lose around 2.5 litres of water simply by sweating, breathing and waste removal.

Along with water, you lose electrolytes and minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium, which help maintain the balance of fluids in the body. Although one can replenish the lost water and electrolytes through diet, food and liquids. If the amount of water lost exceeds the amount that can be replaced, you get dehydrated.

Why do you need it

1. Detoxification. Water helps wash out the toxins from the body, cleansing the system. This results in healthy functioning of the kidneys and liver along with easy circulation of blood, fluids and other necessary elements inside the body.

2. Not having enough water might lead to the formation of blood clots, especially in the summer as water is lost faster during this time of the year.

3. It regulates bowel movement. Drinking enough water prevents constipation as it helps quick digestion of food.

4. It moisturises skin. Water controls and regulates the skin's natural balance. When water is warm, it has the power to revitalise, detoxify, and oxygenate the skin. Warm water also gets rid of blackheads and makes large pores smaller.

5. Drinking water invigorates the body, replacing the moisture lost due to everyday activities.

6. Water is the best thing to drink, since it has no sugar, sweeteners and preservatives in it.

How to make sure you get enough

1. One should avoid having water along with the meals. Ideally a small amount of water should be had hourly.

2. Drink six to eight glasses of fluid every day. This is the minimum amount required by the body.

3. Increase your fluid intake if you are active. When exercising, drink something every half an hour.

4. Make sure you consume water first thing in the morning. Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day because the body has been fasting the whole night. It's the same with water.

5. If you know you are going to be out in the sun the entire day, carry a bottle of water with you.

6. Drink before you feel thirsty. If you're thirsty, it means that you are already dehydrated.

Fact Box

Everything in your body contains water.

·         The muscles are 75 per cent water

·         The human brain is 76 per cent water

·         The blood has 82 per cent water

·         The lungs have 90 per cent water

Plants can't help cool earth if CO2 is in excess: Study

Contrary to the belief that plants could help cool land, scientists have found that plants will directly warm the land surface when there is excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.


A recent global scale model study points to an emerging consensus that the physiological effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 on plants on land will increase global warming beyond that caused by the 'radiative' effects of CO2, Prof Govindasamy Bala, one of the authors of the study from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore said.

Carbon dioxide warms the earth because it is a greenhouse gas. However, elevated CO2 in the atmosphere causes plants to transpire less and provide less 'evaporative cooling', he said.

"For scientists trying to predict global climate change in the coming century, the study underscores the importance of including plant biology in their climate models," Bala, jointly with Long Cao and Ken Caldeira, of the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, said.

Explaining the plant physiology, Bala said, "The CO2-physiological effect arises from a change in plant transpiration rate under elevated atmospheric CO2".

"On a hot day, we sweat more, release more water through pores in our skin and cool ourselves. Similarly, while doing photosynthesis (food production process in plants using photons from sun), plants cool the environment by releasing water through the pores called stomata on the surface of leaves," Bala said.

"But stomata opens less widely and the canopy sweats less when CO2 is increased which causes a decline in planttranspiration and thus warming of the land surface," he said.

"Plants do photosynthesise and remove CO2 from the atmosphere and thus could help to cool down the warming planet," Bala said.

Plants have a very complex and diverse influence on the climate system, Prof Ken Caldeira from Stanford said, adding "plants take CO2 out of the atmosphere, but they also have other effects, such as changing the amount of evaporation from land surface. It's impossible to make good climate predictions without taking all of these factors into account."

An increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration influences climate both directly through its radiative effect (trapping longwave radiation) and indirectly through its physiological effect (reducing transpiration of land plants), he said.

"We compare the climate response to radiative and physiological effects of increased CO2 using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) coupled Community Land and Community Atmosphere Model," he said.

The paper is published in the latest edition of May 3-7 online edition of Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences.

"The scale is important when we deal with global climate change. For average land, plants transpire about 25 cm of water each year. With doubling of CO2, this amount goes down to 20 cm. This change of 5 cm is about the same magnitude as decrease of evaporation from deforestation or annual global water extraction by humans for irrigation and other consumptive use," the scientists said.