Post Offices to Provide Visa Related Services In Remote Areas

India Post Signs MOU with M/S VFS Global to this Effect

India Post has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with M/s VFS Global to provide visa related services for different countries through Post Offices. Memorandum of Understanding between India Post and M/s VFS Global was signed here on 30.08.2011 in the presence of Secretary, Department of Posts and senior officers from Department of Posts and VFS Global. The MOU sets out broad understandings and intentions of both the parties to provide visa related services at places where they are not currently available.

Post Office counters will be used for fee collections, providing visa applications forms, dissemination of visa information, biometric enrollment and other visa application process related services. India Post and VFS are also planning to cooperate in utilizing India Post’s courier service, Speed Post for movements of passports to VFS offices and concerned embassies, and their delivery back to the applicants. Both the parties will also explore to provide any other service that India Post may want to provide through VFS global network on mutually accepted terms.

M/s VFS Global is in the business of visa application services and is working with 35 governments across the world with over 450 offices in 50 countries. India Post and VFS realize that there are many areas of mutual interest and synergy between India Post and VFS would benefit the public at large.

Currently visa related services are largely available in metros only and the people from smaller cities and rural areas have to travel long distances in order to avail these services. Lack of information is also a major area of concern as this allows unscrupulous elements to cheat unsuspecting and vulnerable people. Engagement of India Post towards provision of visa related services is expected to address this situation to a large extent.

AT

*****

(Release ID :75449)


Source : http://www.pib.nic.in/ ,September 2, 2011

Central and State Governments take various Measures to Popularize Small Saving Schemes

Central and State Governments take various measures from time to time to promote and popularize small saving schemes through print and electronic media as well as holding seminars, meetings and providing training to the various agencies involved in mobilising deposits under these schemes.

A website of the National Savings Institute under Government on India, Ministry of Finance has also been launched to facilitate interface with the public through wider investors grievances. The website address is nsiindia.gov.in.

The Committee on National Small Savings Fund has observed that 4% commission under Mahila Pradhan Kshetriya Bachat Yojna (MPKBY) is very high and is affecting the viability of National Small Savings Fund (NSSF). The committee has recognized that the Recurring Deposit Scheme requires considerable effort on part of agents in mobilising monthly deposits. However, 4% commission is distortionary and expensive. The Committee has recommended that it should be brought down to 1% in a phased manner in a period of three years with a 1% reduction every year.

Recommendations of the committee have been referred to State Governments and concerned Ministries/Departments of Central Government for their comments.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena in written reply to an Unstarred Question in Lok Sabha today.

DSM/ SS/PM
(Release ID :75479)


Source : http://www.pib.nic.in/ ,September 2, 2011

Study Leave for Fellowships offered by reputed Institutes

DOPT ORDERS 2011

No.13023/2/2008-Estt.(L)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, P.G. and Pensions
(Department of Personnel & Training)

New Delhi, 1st September, 2011

Office Memorandum

Subject : Study Leave for Fellowships offered by reputed Institutes -

The feasibility of bringing more Fellowships under the purview of Study Leave, on the same terms and conditions as the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fellowship (JNMF) has been under consideration of this Department for some time. On the basis of the inputs from various Departments/Ministries regarding fellowship offered by reputed Institutions and in consultation with Department of Expenditure. it has been decided to include the Fellowships offered by (i) K .K. Birla Foundation, (ii) Indian Institutes of Management, (iii) Management Development Institute, Gorgaon and (iv) Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology & Forensic Science on the same terms as that of the fellowship offered by JNMF at present. The following terms will be offered to Central Government employees who are awarded the said fellowship in relaxation of Rule 51, 57 and 59 of Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972 :-

i) They will be granted study leave for the entire period of the Fellowship:

ii) They will be entitled to the benefits admissible to them in accordance with the Fellowship and in addition, entitled to draw leave salary only (without allowance) equal to the pay that they drew while on duty with the Government immediately before proceeding on such leave. However, they will be entitled to Dearness Allowance at the Central Government rates on the leave salary admissible lo them:

iii) Where considered necessary, the official may be allowed during the period of the Fellowship, the continued use of the facility of the residential telephone officially allotted to him, subject to payment by him of the bills for the rental and call charges of the telephone.

2. So for as persons serving in the Indian Audit & Accounts Departments are concerned, these orders are being issued after consultation with the C&AG of India.

3. This order takes effect from the date of issue.

SOURCE-http://circulars.nic.in/

How to Pass an Interview - 10 Tips from Monster Advice

Even the smartest and most qualified job seekers need to prepare for job interviews. Why, you ask? Interviewing is a learned skill, and there are no second chances to make a great first impression. So study these 10 strategies to enhance your interview IQ from Monster's Career Advice

Practice Good Nonverbal Communication
It's about demonstrating confidence: standing straight, making eye contact and connecting with a good, firm handshake. That first impression can be a great beginning -- or quick ending -- to your interview.
Dress for the Job or Company
Today's casual dress codes do not give you permission to dress as "they" do when you interview. It is important to look professional and well-groomed. Whether you wear a suit or something less formal depends on the company culture and the position you are seeking. If possible, call to find out about the company dress code before the interview.

Listen
From the very beginning of the interview, your interviewer is giving you information, either directly or indirectly. If you are not hearing it, you are missing a major opportunity. Good communication skills include listening and letting the person know you heard what was said. Observe your interviewer, and match that style and pace.

Don't Talk Too Much
Telling the interviewer more than he needs to know could be a fatal mistake. When you have not prepared ahead of time, you may tend to ramble, sometimes talking yourself right out of the job. Prepare for the interview by reading through the job posting, matching your skills with the position's requirements and relating only that information.

Don't Be Too FamiliarThe interview is a professional meeting to talk business. This is not about making a new friend. Your level of familiarity should mimic the interviewer's demeanor. It is important to bring energy and enthusiasm to the interview and to ask questions, but do not overstep your place as a candidate looking for a job.

Use Appropriate Language
It's a given that you should use professional language during the interview. Be aware of any inappropriate slang words or references to age, race, religion, politics or sexual orientation -- these topics could send you out the door very quickly.

Don't Be CockyAttitude plays a key role in your interview success. There is a fine balance between confidence, professionalism and modesty. Even if you're putting on a performance to demonstrate your ability, overconfidence is as bad, if not worse, as being too reserved.

Take Care to Answer the Questions
When an interviewer asks for an example of a time when you did something, he is seeking a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don't answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.

Ask Questions
When asked if they have any questions, most candidates answer, "No." Wrong answer. It is extremely important to ask questions to demonstrate an interest in what goes on in the company. Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to find out if this is the right place for you. The best questions come from listening to what is asked during the interview and asking for additional information.

Don't Appear Desperate
When you interview with the "please, please hire me" approach, you appear desperate and less confident. Maintain the three C's during the interview: cool, calm and confident. You know you can do the job; make sure the interviewer believes you can, too

Courtesy : http://postmasterpunjab.blogspot.com

Important Books and Authors

● A Bunch of Old Letters : Jawaharlal Nehru
● Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : Arthur Conan Doyle
● Adhe Adhure : Mohan Rakesh
● A Week with Gandhi : Louis Fischer
● A China Passage : J.K. Galbraith
● Aesop’s Fables : Aesop
● A Farewell to Arms : Ernest Hemingway
● A Midsummer Night’s Dream : William Shakespeare
● A Million Mutinies, Now : V.S. Naipal
● An iron Will : Swett Marden
● A Pair of Blue Eyes : Thomas Hardy
● A Passage to India : E.M. Forster
● A Prisoner’s Scrapbook : L.K. Advani
● A Season of Ghosts : Ruskin Bond
● A Suitable Boy : Vikram Seth

● A Tale of Two Cities : Charles Dickens
● A Village by the Sea : Anita Desai
● A Voice for Freedom : Nayantara Sehgal
● Aenied : Virgil
● Against the Tide : Minoo Masani
● Age of Reason : Jean Paul Sartre
● A Dangerous Place : Daniel Patrik Moyihan
● A Haunted House : Virginia Woolf
● Agni Veena : Kazi Nazrul Islam
● Amar Kosha : Amar Singh
● Anand Math : Bankim Chandra Chatterje
● A Story of History : Arnold Toynbee
● Avanti Sundari : Dandi
● Autobiography : Jawaharlal Nehru
● As You Like It : W. Shakespeare


● Between the Lines : Kuldeep Nayyar
● Bhagwad Gita : Maharshi Ved Vyas
● Black Wednesday : Promila Kalhan
● Bubble : Mulk Raj Anand
● Buddha Charitam : Ashvaghosh
● Bal Gitayan : D.P. Maheshwari
● Bitter Sweet : Noel Coward
● Blind Beauty : Boris Pasternak● Broken Wings : Sarojini Naidu
● Canterbury Tales : Chaucer
● Chidambara : Sumitra Nandan Pant
● Chitralekha : Bhagwati Charan Verma
● City of Joy : Dominique Lapierre
● Confessions of a Lover : Mulk Raj Anand
● Comedy of Errors : Shakespeare
● Communist Manifesto : Karl Marx
● Comus : John Milton
● Confidential Clerk : T.S. Eliot
● Coolie : Mulk Raj Anand
● Count of Monte Cristo : Alexander Dumas
● Childe Harold : Lord Byron
● Chittirappavai : P.V. Akhilandam
● Degeneration of India : T.N. Seshan
● Devdas : Sharat Chandra
● Divine Comedy : Dante
● Discovery of India : Jawaharlal Nehru
● Don Ouixote : Cervantes
● Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde : R.L. Stevenson
● Dash Kumar Charitam : Dandi
● Dark Room, The : R.K. Narayan
● Debacle : Emile Zola
● Diana, The True Story : A. Morton
● Deserted Village : Goldsmith
● Distant Drums : Manohar Malgaonkar
● Emma : Jane Austen
● Ends and Means : Aldous Huxley
● Essays of Elia : Charles Lamb
● Emperor Jones, The : Eugene O’ Neill
● Essays on Gita : Sri Aurbindo Ghosh
● Every Man a King : Swett Marden
● Father and Sons : Ivan Turganev
● Faust : Goethe
● For Whom the Bell Tolls : Ernest Hemingway
● Flames from the Ashes : P.D. Tandon
● Friends, Not Masters : Ayub Khan
● Gathering Storm : Winston Churchill
● Geet Govind : Jaya Dev
● Ghasiram Kotwal : Vijay Tendulkar
● Gitanjali : R.N. Tagore
● Gita Rahasya : Bal Gangadhar Tilak
● Glimpses of World History : J.L. Nehru :
● Godan : Premchand
● God Father, The : Mario Puzo
● Grapes of Wrath : John Steinbeck
● Great Tragedy : Z.A. Bhutto
● Guide, The : R.K. Narayan
● Hamlet : William Shakespeare
● Harsha Charit : Bana Bhatt
● Heat and Dust : Ruth Prawar Jhabwala
● Himalayan Blunders : Brig. J.P. Dalvi
● House Divided : Pearl S. Buck
● Idle Hours : R.K. Laxman
● Idols : Sunil Gavaskar
● Idylls of the King : Lord, Alfred Tennyson
● If I am Assassinated : Z.A. Bhutto
● Isabela : Keats
● Illiad : Homer
● Inside the C.B.I. : Joginder Singh
● India Divided : Rajendra Prasad
● India Wins Freedom : Maulana Azad
● Indian War of Independence : V.D. Savarkar
● Jean Christopher : Romian Rolland
● Judgement, The : Kuldip Nayyar
● Julius Caesar : William Shakespeare
● Jurassic Park : Michael Chrichton
● Kadambari : Bana Bhatt
● Kagaz Te Kanwas : Amrita Pritam
● Kamayani : Jay Shankar Prasad
● Kamasutra : S.H. Vatsayayan
● Kaya Kulp : Premchand
● King Lear : W. Shakespeare
● Lajja : Tasleem Nasreen
● Lady Chhatterley’s Lover : D.H. Lawrence
● Leaves of Grass : Walt Whitman
● Life Divine : Sri Aurbindo
● Living History : Hillary Rodham Clinton
● Living with Honour : Shiv Khera
● Lolita : Vladimir Nobokov
● Long Walk to Freedom : Nelson Mandela
● Less Miserable : Victor Hugo
● Macbeth : Shakespeare
● Madhushala : Harivansh Rai ‘Bachchan’
● Mahabharata : Maharshi Ved Vyas
● Major Barbara : G.B. Shaw
● Malti Madhav : Bhavbhuti
● Malvikagnimitra : Kalidas
● Man and Superman : G.B. Shaw
● Meghdoot : Kalidas
● Men Who Killed Gandhi : Manohar Magaonkar
● Merchant of Venice : Shakespeare
● Middle March : George Eliot
● Midnight Children : Salman Rushdie
● Mother : Maxim Gorky
● Mudra Rakshasa : Vishakha Datt
● Murder in the Cathedral : T.S. Eliot
● My Experiments with Truth : Gandhi
● Nana : Emile Zola
● Natya Shastra : Bharat Muni
● Netaji Dead or Alive : Samar Guha
● Nine Days’ Wonder : John Mansfield
● Ninteen Eighty Four : George Orwell
● O’ Jeruselam : L. Collins & D. Lapierre
● Odyssey : Homer
● Old Man and the Sea : Ernest Hemingway
● Of Human Bondage : Somerset Maugham
● Our India : Minoo Masani
● Out of Dust : F.D. Karaka
● On Contradiction : Mao-Tse-Tung
● Pakistan, The Gathering Storm : Behazir Bhutto
● Panchatantra : Vishnu Sharma
● Pather Panchali : Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyaya
● Peace has no Alternative : Mikhail Gorbachev
● Pickwick Papers : Charles Dickens
● Pilgrim’s Progress : John Bunyan
● Prathma Pratishruti : Ashapoorna Devi
● Price and Prejudice : Jane Austin
● Prince : Machiaveli
● Peter Pan : J.M. Barrie
● Principia : Isaac Newton
● Raghuvansha : Kalidasa
● Rajtaringini : Kalhan
● Ram Charit Manas : Tulsidas
● Ramayana : Valmiki
● Rangbhoomi : Premchand
● Ratnavali : Harshavardhan
● Robaiyat : Omar Khayyam
● Robinson Crusoe : Daniel Defoe
● Rugby Chapel : Mathew Arnold
● Saket : Maithili Sharan Gupta
● Satanic Verses : Salman Rushdie
● Satyarth Prakash : Swami Dayanand
● Shakuntalam : Kalidas
● Shahnama : Firdausi
● Social Contract : Rousseau :
● Sursagar : Surdas
● Sakharam Binder : Vijay Tendulkar
● Testament of Beauty : Robert Bridges
● The Blind Assassin : Margaret Atwood
● The Emperor’s New Suit : Hans Chrishtian Anderson
● Three Musketeers : Alexander Dumas
● The Otherness of Self : Feroz Varun Gandhi
● The Elephant Paradigm : Gurcharan Das
● The Affluent Society : J.K. Galbraith
● The God of Small Things : Arundhati Roy :
● The Inheritance of Loss : Anita Desai
● The Legacy of Nehru : K. Natwar Singh
● Tom Jones : Henry Fielding
● Treasure Island : R.L. Stevenson
● Trail of Jesus : John Masefield
● Uncle Tom’s Cabin : Mrs. Haraiet Stowe
● Unhappy India : Lajpat Rai
● Utopia : Tomas Moor
● Unto The Last : John Ruskin
● Untold Story : B.M. Kaul
● Urvashi : Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar
● Uttara Ram Charita : Bhav Bhuti
● Universe Around Us : James Jeans
● Vanity Fair : Thackeray
● Victim, The : Saul Bellow
● Village, The : Mulk Raj Anand
● Vinay Patrika : Tulsidas
● Voskresenia : Leo Tolstoy
● War and Peace : Tolstoy
● Wealth of Nations : Adam Smith
● We Indians : Khushwant Singh
● Waiting for God : Thomas Becket
● Wings of Fire : Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
● Yama : Mahadevi Verma
● Yashodhara : Maithili Sharan Gupta
● Zulfi, My Friend : Piloo Mody
● Zhivago, Dr. : Boris Pasternak



Courtesy : http://postmasterpunjab.blo

Regarding payment of interest on delayed payment of gratuity

“In all cases of payment of interest on delayed payment of gratuity attributable to administrative delays action will be taken against officials responsible for such delays which may include recovery of the amount of Interest paid on account of delayed payment of gratuity from the salary of delinquent officers/officials”.

GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI
Finance (Accounts) Department
‘A’ Wing, 4th Level, Delhi Secretariat,
I.P.Estate, New Delhi.

No.F.12/9/2011-AC/DSIII/1163-1171

Dated: 29.08.2011

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Regarding payment of interest on delayed payment of gratuity.

A number of proposals are being received from various departments seeking approval for payment of interest on delayed payment of gratuity in respect of retired government servants on account of administrative lapses.

The attention of all the Departments is invited to the provisions laid down in RuIe-68 of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 and Government of India’s decisions thereunder. It has been provided that, if the payment of gratuity has been authorized later than the date when its payment becomes due, and it is clearly established that the delay in payment was attributable to administrative lapses, interest shall be paid at such rate as may be prescribed, and in accordance with instructions issued from time to time. In all cases where the payment of interest has been sanctioned by the department with the approval of the competent authority, such department shall fix responsibility and take disciplinary action against the government servant or servants responsible for the delay.

All necessary steps should, therefore, be taken by the Head of Office for ensuring that payment of interest on delayed payment of gratuity is avoided. Officials dealing with such files should be held accountable and responsibility be fixed for not taking timely action in this regard.

However, where disciplinary or judicial proceedings against a government servant are pending on the date of his retirement, no gratuity is to be paid until conclusion of the proceedings and issue of final orders thereon.

Henceforth, it has been decided that in all cases of payment of interest on delayed payment of gratuity attributable to administrative delays [barring cases where disciplinary or judicial proceedings against a government servant are pending on the date of his retirement] action will be taken against officials responsible for such delays which may include recovery of the amount of Interest paid on account of delayed payment of gratuity from the salary of delinquent officers/officials.

sd/-
(B.L. Sharma)
SpI. Secretary (Finance)

Download Circular

Source: www.delhigovt.nic.in

General Knowledge - Objective Questions on Indian History

1. The statue of Gomateshwara at Sravanabelagola was built by—
   (A) Chandragupta Maurya
   (B) Kharvela
   (C) Amoghavarsha
   (D) Chamundaraya
   Ans : (D)
   
   2. ‘Live well, as long as you live. Live well even by borrowings, for once cremated, there is no return’. The rejection of after life is an aphorism of the—
   (A) Kapalika sect
   (B) Sunyavada of Nagarjun
   (C) Ajivikas
   (D) Charvakas
   Ans : (D)
   
   3. Which one of the following usages was a post-Vedic development ?
   (A) Dharma-Artha-Kama-Moksha
   (B) Brahmana-Kshatriya-Vaishya-Shudra
   (C) Brahmacharya-Grihasthashrama-Vanaprastha-Sanyasa
   (D) Indra-Surya-Rudra-Marut
   Ans : (C)
   
   
   4. The capital of the kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was—
   (A) Amritsar
   (B) Patiala
   (C) Lahore
   (D) Kapurthala
   Ans : (C)
   
   5. In the Gandhara sculptures the preaching mudra associated with the Buddha's First Sermon at Sarnath is—
   (A) Abhaya
   (B) Dhyana
   (C) Dharmachakra
   (D) Bhumisparsa
   Ans : (C)
   
   6. The name of the poet Kalidas is mentioned in the—
   (A) Allahabad pillar inscription
   (B) Aihole inscription
   (C) Alapadu grant
   (D) Hanumakonda inscription
   Ans : (B)
   
   7. Zero was invented by—
   (A) Aryabhatta
   (B) Varahamihira
   (C) Bhaskara I
   (D) An unknown Indian
   Ans : (D)
   
   8. Which one of the following important trade centres of ancient India was on the trade route connecting Kalyana with Vengi ?
   (A) Tagara
   (B) Sripura
   (C) Tripuri
   (D) Tamralipti
   Ans : (A)
   
   9. The first Indian ruler who joined the subsidiary Alliance was—
   (A) The Nawab of Oudh
   (B) The Nizam of Hyderabad
   (C) Peshwa Baji Rao II
   (D) The king of Travancore
   Ans : (B)
   
   10. Vidhushaka, a common character in Sanskrit drama is invariably a—
   (A) Brahmana
   (B) Kshatriya
   (C) Vaishya
   (D) Shudra
   Ans : (A)
   
   11. Toramana belonged to the ethnic horde of the—
   (A) Scythians
   (B) Hunas
   (C) Yue-chis
   (D) Sakas
   Ans : (B)
   
   12. Who among the following is said to have witnessed the reigns of eight Delhi Sultans ?
   (A) Ziauddin Barani
   (B) Shams-i-siraj Afif
   (C) Minhaj-us-siraj
   (D) Amir Khusrau
   Ans : (D)
   
   13. The first Indian ruler to organize Haj pilgrimage at the expense of the state was—
   (A) Alauddin Khilji
   (B) Feroz Tughlaq
   (C) Akbar
   (D) Aurangzeb
   Ans : (C)
   
   14. Who among the following ladies wrote a historical account during the Mughal period ?
   (A) Gulbadan Begum
   (B) Noorjahan Begum
   (C) Jahanara Begum
   (D) Zebun-nissah Begum
   Ans : (A)
   
   15. The first to start a joint stock company to trade with India were the—
   (A) Portuguese
   (B) Dutch
   (C) French
   (D) Danish
   Ans : (B)
   
   16. The caves and rock-cut temples at Ellora are—
   (A) Buddhist
   (B) Buddhist and Jain
   (C) Hindu and Jain
   (D) Hindu, Buddhist and Jain
   Ans : (D)
   
   17. The significance of the Bengal Regulation of 1793 lies in the fact that—
   (A) It provided for the establishment of the Supreme court
   (B) It restricted the application of English law to Englishmen only
   (C) It accommodated the personal laws of Hindus and Muslims
   (D) It provided for the appointment of the Indian Law Commission
   Ans : (C)
   
   18. The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar was borrowed from the system followed in—
   (A) Afghanistan
   (B) Turkey
   (C) Mongolia
   (D) Persia
   Ans : (C)
   
   19. Which one of the following monuments has a dome which is said to be one of the largest in the world ?
   (A) Tomb of Sher Shah, Sasaram
   (B) Jama Masjid, Delhi
   (C) Tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tuglaq, Delhi
   (D) Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur
   Ans : (D)
   
   20. Ashtapradhan was a Council of Ministers—
   (A) In the Gupta administration
   (B) In the Chola administration
   (C) In the Vijaynagar administration
   (D) In the Maratha administration
   Ans : (D)
   
   21. The concept of Anuvrata was advocated by—
   (A) Mahayana Buddhism
   (B) Hinayana Buddhism
   (C) Jainism
   (D) The Lokayata School
   Ans : (C)
   
   22. Which one of the following territories was not affected by the revolt of 1857 ?
   (A) Jhansi
   (B) Jagdishpur
   (C) Lucknow
   (D) Chittor
   Ans : (D)
   
   23. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ?
   (A) Battle of Buxar— Mir Jafar Vs Clive
   (B) Battle of Wandiwash—French Vs East India Company
   (C) Battle of Chelianwala—Dalhousie Vs Marathas
   (D) Battle of Kharda—Nizam Vs East India Company
   Ans : (B)
   
   24. The word ‘Hindu’ as reference to the people of Hind (India) was first used by—
   (A) The Greeks
   (B) The Romans
   (C) The Chinese
   (D) The Arabs
   Ans : (A)
   
   25. Hughly was used as a base for piracy in the Bay of Bengal by—
   (A) The Portuguese
   (B) The French
   (C) The Danish
   (D) The British
   Ans : (A)

Courtesy : http://postmasterpunjab.blogspot.com/

Advantages of using CFL lighting

Compact Fluorescent Light or CFL as they are commonly known as have increasing become the lighting of choice - be it in homes or offices. Let's look at the advantages of having CFL lighting over the normal bulbs.

First consider the various environmental impacts of using CFL. I guess around 4 years back an EuropeanUnion ruling compelled all businesses in EU to dispose of most lamps, including fluorescent types in an environmentally considerate manner. This obligation now extends to USA and a host of other countries as well.

Make sure you install 10% more light than you need as the light output falls off with age, also the light output will not reach maximum until they are at running temperature.

Flicker from CFL lamps should not be an issue when they are new as the frequency at which they operate is around 20,000 Hz, however, as they age the smoothing capacitor in the power supply of the lamp circuit looses its capacity and the 50Hz mains flicker may become apparent to some more sensitive people. The solution is to change the lamp OR run them off 240V DIRECT CURRENT from a battery supply charged by your UPS perhaps.

A regular bulb creates light by heating a tungsten wire to white hot. 90% of the energy consumed by the lamp is lost as heat into the surrounding environment. A typical incandescent (ordinary) bulb has an efficiency of 12 to 15 lumens per watt (12 Lm/w). In other words you only get 15 units of light for every unit of electricity you put in. Now compare this with a CFL. This lamp creates light by exciting atoms of mercury vapour, making them give off ultra violet light. This UV then hits the white coating on the inside of the lamp and is converted into the light we see. Very little heat is produced in this process, giving this type of lamp an efficiency of 60 Lm/w which is 4 or 5 times greater than the ordinary bulb. So a 20 watt CFL will give the same light as a 100 watt bulb at one fifth of the cost (or electricity used and lower carbon emissions etc). You can also use them as Shop Work Lights.

Also, CFLs last about 5 times longer than incandescent. In addition to cost savings you're also saving electricity which reduces the demand for new power plants.

There are those that still argue against them based on their mercury content, but it's just silly. The mercury level in bulbs today is so low as to run no risk to the user. Where it is a problem is when they're disposed of, so the best thing to do is recycle them properly.

So yes, they are worth it. LEDs will probably be the ideal light in the future but for now they have many hurdles to overcome (cost, lack of fill lighting). For at least the next 5 years, CFLs are the way to go.

How to easily stay secure online? Simple and easy tips!

Every single time you connect online did you know that you face dangerous Computer security hazards. Viruses, Trojans, Root-Kits, hackers, and junk e-mail await you at every turn. The truth is that these menaces are forever going to comprise a constituent of being connected and also doing business online.

There are a number of safeguards you will be able to take to make yourself and your computer systems safe.

I will now list out to you the best proven tactics to enhance your Internet security whenever you are online:

Virus Protection. Make certain you've the up-to-the-minute virus updates installed on your system and allow the software to exhaustively scan your entire computer every day to guarantee that no computer virus are successfully embedded themselves on your disk drive. Use a modern anti-virus like VIPRE Antivirus Software to scan both your computer and your email. AVG, McAfee and Norton likewise offer similar products.

VIPRE used to initially produce CounterSpy which was a leading spyware and malware protection software online from many years.

Spam Blocker. I've a junk e-mail blocking agent that I use with Microsoft Outlook called Cloudmark Desktop that fares a excellent task of assisting my Microsoft Outlook to distinguish junk e-mail.

Use a Alias E-mail address : For instance, whenever I'm signing up for a free technology mailing list / product news, I might use something like jasonblr+technology@gmail.com, which will then end up with a special label in my gmail Inbox. Therein, you do not have to divulge your "real" e-mail address, and you will be able to ascertain whenever the list holder trades or leases your e-mail address to another. Therefore, if you all of a sudden start to get emails to your jasonblr+technology@gmail.com e-mail address from a hard disk maker you have never heard of, you'll know that the technology mailing list folks traded or leased your e-mail address to others.

Firewalls: Always make certain that you are using a firewall protection. At a lower limit, to protect your computer from being hacked while you're online you can use Windows Firewall. Or, use a free firewall like COMODO. Whenever you use a wireless router, make sure to configure a password to secure it so that anyone going past your residence or office can't hijack your signal and possibly hack your computer network. I was readjusting the wireless connection on my laptop last night and came across several unsecured wireless connections in my vicinity. I reside in a residential area without any business organizations, thus I cognize that these represented insecure wireless routers in my neighbors' residences.

Be safe and enjoy the internet super highway.

A few FaceBook Login Tips

Here are a few tips forFacebookLoginproblems that have become very common nowadays. if you follow these tips, you can be sure to reduce the number of issues you face with your Facebook login.

• You should NEVER and EVER click on links from other webpages to visit the Facebook login page. Many a times clicking a Short Url may land you on the Facebook login page - simply close the page and open a new browser session and type the url manually yourself.
• You must always remember to enter the url directly into your web browser's navigation bar to goto the Facebook login page.
• Take a few second to reconfirm the url displayed on the navigation bar and also do a check on the website before you start entering your log in information.
• It is a good practice to use a password manager to enter the login details and process yourlogin. That way no key-press for key loggers to know.
• Always ensure that you have a very secure password with consists of atleast eight characters/digits. This should include atleast one number, atleast one CAPITAL letter andatleast one special character.
• Never give your username and password to anyone - let them be your best friend or family member. You'll never know how knowingly or unknowingly that information can land in the wrong hands.
• Always make it a habit to change your online password the very minute you suspect the account has been compromised - No second thoughts. Well, that's all the gyan I could think off - if you have any other tips, do post it in the comments below - deeply appreciated.

Also you can find more Facebook login information and some very good security tips at theFacebook Official Login Helper site.