How harmful is your smartphone to the environment?

A HTC smartphone with a ST Ericsson Nova A9500 application processor chip is shown at the Consumer Electronics Show opening event in Las Vegas January 8, 2012. The chip runs augmented reality applications such as the demonstration showing the contents in the box which can be seen in the background. REUTERS

There is no way to judge the impact that your smartphone has on the environment as there is no unifying or international rating or certification currently awarded for it. Though a smartphone doesn’t cost much to keep charged; questions like how much energy went into its creation, was 

it made from recycled materials, and what happens to it once it is no longer fit for purpose or until a better model comes along, are left unanswered.

A ranking of smartphone brands released in November 2012, according to Greenpeace’s latest Guide to Greener Electronics, states which tech companies create environment-friendly phones. The ranking is done in terms of sustainability, greenhouse gas emissions, recycling and use of precious earth minerals, as well as on issues such as a product’s energy efficiency.

And the rankings are

1) Nokia: Ranked as the world’s greenest phonemaker by Greenpeace and as the 14th greenest company anywhere in the world by Newsweek, Nokia recently hit its target for 40 per cent renewable energy and also scores highly for its commitment to sustainability. Its latest handsets all use recycled plastics in their manufacture.

2) Apple: Apple has some of the industry’s most robust policies regarding the use of conflict minerals. Its smartphones are some of the most energy-efficient on the market and it was one of the first tech companies to produce polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) and brominated frame retardant (BFR) free products.

3) Samsung: The South Korean company wins praise for its approach to product lifecycle, helping consumers hold on to their existing devices for as long as possible. The company is also completely open about not only its own greenhouse emissions, but those of its supply chain partners.

4) Sony: Sony already uses 8,500 tonnes of post-consumer recycled plastics a year in its products and has phased out the use of PVC. It has also committed to a 5 per cent drop in the use of virgin oil-based plastics by 2015. Sony also scores well for the energy efficiency of its products.

5) Lenovo: Lenovo has invested heavily in the use of recycled plastics and at the time of the last Greenpeace report — published in November 2012 — it was in the process of setting ambitious targets for cutting its greenhouse gas emissions. Whether it remains on track will be revealed in May, when the latest edition of the 

pressure group’s bi-annual report is published.

6) LG: According to Greenpeace, all LG mobile phones are free of PVC, BFRs, phthalates, antimony trioxide and beryllium oxide. The company scores highly for its commitment to sustainability, which includes a phone buyback system in 52 countries for obsolete devices.

7) BlackBerry: Over the last year, the company, formerly known as RIM, has made significant progress to improve the energy efficiency of both its devices and their chargers. All of its smartphones are free of brominated and chlorinate substances. The company also surveys its own suppliers on their sourcing of conflict minerals.

Source: HT

Woman Arrest Law:

An incident took place in Pune - a young girl was attacked by a man posing as a plain clothes officer; he asked her 2 come 2 the police station when she & her male friend didn't have a driver's license 2 show. He sent the boy off 2 get his license and asked the girl to accompany him to the police station. Took her instead to an isolated area where the horrendous crime was committed.

The law [which most of us are not aware of] clearly states that between 6 pm and 6 am, a woman has the right to REFUSE to go to the Police Station, even if an arrest warrant has been issued against her. It is a procedural issue that a woman can be arrested between 6am and 6pm, ONLY if she is arrested by a woman officer & taken to an ALL WOMEN police station. And if she is arrested by a male officer, it has to be proven that a woman officer was on duty at the time of arrest.

Please fwd this 2 as many girls you know. Also 2 boy's coz this can help them protect their wife, sisters and mother. It is good for us to know our rights. 

Three Ways To Keep Your Cool

http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-articles/lifestyle/three-ways-to-keep-your-cool?track=1&uid=85323&date=20120613

MONA MEHTA takes the cue on how to cope with life’s challenges from two divine mice visiting the big, bad city
 

Sita and Gita, two little mice, lived high up in the mountains in the cave of a great rishi. Proximity to the master ensured that a bit of his tapa rubbed off on them, as they scurried about in his cave all day. The rishi treated them like his children, but he wanted them to learn more. So, he packed them off to the city one day for more exposure.
Mice being mice, they were scared. The rishi promised them that if ever they were in a jam, he would be there to help. “But how?” they squeaked. “Join your hands together, as if you are in a satsang; take a few deep breaths, and connect with me,” he told them, reassuring them that help would then reach them in a trice.
And poof! Without further ado, the two mice found themselves in a busy metro, in the middle of a busy road. It was June, and the heat was unbearable. Around them, people were honking madly in their big cars, overtaking each other and cursing pedestrians and cyclists in their way. The light was red and along with a host of harried pedestrians, Sita and Gita scurried to the far side of the road, when a four-wheel drive jumped the lights and almost ran them over! They looked indignantly at the driver, but he sped away, phone to his ear.

Just Let It Go
Hearts pounding, they watched the SUV disappear down the road, and the two mice shouted, “Can’t you see the red light!” Recalling the words of their beloved rishi, they joined their hands, and taking a few deep breaths, connected with him and asked how best they could deal with the crisis.
“Let go — don’t carry your anger with you.” The driver was gone and they could do nothing, could they? “It’s not for you to judge; it is between him and the Supreme. Let Him handle it, rather than getting locked in another endless karmic cycle of action and reaction,” the sage advised, and added, “why must you spoil your face for other’s follies.”

This Too Shall Pass
Sita and Gita now ran into a media office nearby, and found themselves in the middle of a staff meeting. It was election time and reporters and editors were huddled together strategising on how to cover the elections. There was talk about redesignation of duties, of leave being cancelled and of late working hours.
A reporter was looking tearful and gloomy, wondering how he would manage it all, given the fact that his wife was battling a tough pregnancy, and the baby was due any time. The fellow needed divine intervention and the mice connected once again and channelled this to him — “This too shall pass!” This was lesson No 2. A crisis would eventually blow over. Meanwhile, what you needed to do was to keep your mind from ‘spinning’, and be rooted to the present moment.

How Does It Matter?
Back on the road, the mice hopped into the handbag of a woman, piggy riding their way to her home. She was surprised to see her husband home —sad and gloomy; he had had a tiff with his boss who had asked him to quit! Would his wife’s salary see them through till he found another job? But even as he sat there, his countenance changed. He could strike out as a freelancer, find a part-time job, till something came up. It would hit his ego, yes, making just a quarter of the salary he was earning till now. Sita and Gita had once again put their hands together for an answer and this is what they got: ‘How does it matter?’
Okay, so the guy did not have a dream job, was making less money than before but there was the promise of abundance ahead, for he would be undergoing enriching experiences. Perhaps it was time for him to switch to something new, by mowing down his ego. After all, nothing in life is random.
The mice now had three mantras to help them deal with the June madness in the big, bad city:

• Let go
• This too shall pass
• How does it matter?

Tips to flatten your jelly belly

The first step to flattening your jelly belly is to figure out its type. Here's how you can get a midriff makeover

For most women, the biggest body hang-up is often their stomach. But before throwing yourself into a heap of sit-ups and crunches, figure out your belly type as there's no one-size-fits-all solution to getting wasboard abs.

Tummy type one: Bloated tummy

If you wake up with a flat stomach but go to bed with a swollen one, you're probably suffering from bloating. This is caused by sluggish bowels, a poor diet, food intolerance or eating too quickly (you end up swallowing too much air). The solution is to make a note of what bothers your tummy and avoid this for a few days to see if it leaves you looking any flatter. Keep your bowels healthy, eat plenty of fibre-rich foods (wholemeal bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables), chew thoroughly and drink around two litres of water a day to aid digestion. Instead of stuffing your face thrice a day, eat three mediumsized meals with healthy snacks in between.

Tummy type two: Stress tummy

Too much stress can also give you a fat stomach. Higher stress levels mean a lot of cortisol, which dumps fat all over your stomach. To slim down, you need to calm down. A stress tummy is easy to identify - women who have them tend to have slim arms and legs but a little swollen tummy. Besides cortisol, stress causes you to make the wrong food choices and thereby making you fat. Sugar and heavily processed foods up your body's stress levels. Put calming, wholesome foods into your body instead, such as lean protein (turkey, chicken, fish) and lots of vegetables for more energy and better health.

Tummy type three: Post-baby tummy

If you've had a baby in the last few years, your tummy probably isn't your favourite body part. However, help is at hand. The most effective post-baby exercise is working your pelvic floor muscles, which are the ones you'd use if you wanted to stop yourself from peeing midflow. Clench them for a few seconds and release, then repeat. Do them every day if you can.

To encourage fat burning and improving your energy levels, take fish oil supplements.

Good fats have the same effect, so include plenty of nuts, oils, olives, oily fish such as mackerel in your daily diet.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/Tips-to-flatten-your-jelly-belly/articleshow/12849714.cms