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Google compiles 8 magical World Cup moments

From a coach staggering backwards to the fastest goal in under a minute, Google tracks 8 moments fans loved this World Cup.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

After four weeks of anticipation, excitement, aggressive performances, tears of disappointment and some crazy instances, the FIFA World Cup has finally reached the finale stage. As fans await to see the strongest football teams play in  the ‘Battle de finale’ and lift the FIFA Cup this year, Google Search recaps some of the crazy yet entertaining moments the fans cherished again and again during their journey to the finale.

Kroos#1) Highest score in a World Cup victory. An historical battle by all counts, with an exhilarating performance by the German squad that delivered a shocking record World Cup defeat for Brazil, German midfielder Toni Kroos, who scored two back to back goals in the first half’, epitomised Germany’s improved game.  Germany searches for “highest score in a World Cup victory” spiked by 370x during the match.

#2) Klose to history. German striker Miroslav Klose became the World Cup’s all-time record scorer with his 16th goal during their semifinal against Brazil.

#3) Falling coaches. Another such moment emerged during the recent Argentina- Belgium match where Alejandro Sabella, the Argentina coach, quickly gained Internet fame after he became so engrossed in a chance for his side during their World Cup quarter-final against Belgium that he almost fell over.

#4) Cheers and tears. During the round of 16 battle, Argetinian commentator Pablo Giralt could not hold back his tears as he summed up the feelings of many Argentineans after Angel Di Maria’s Tears118th minute winner goal versus Switzerland, letting his emotions take over him in an epic live on air match commentary. After an enormous “ggggggoooooooooaaaaaaallllllll” came the tears!

#5) Full paisa vasool. Piojo Herrera is by far, the most entertaining coach to watch at the World Cup, managed to grab everyone’s attention with his celebration style. Fans searched for Mexican Coach “Piojo” online after his epic side-line celebrations during Mexico- Croatia match.

Japanese fans#6) Clean and clear. Japanese fans, armed with blue rubbish bags scoured the stadium for any mess and made sure the Football Arena was left in good condition as the Japanese team played their set of matches during FIFA. The positive gesture from Japanese fans was appreciated by Football fans across the globe.

#7) Quicker than Maggi noodles. The fastest of this World Cup and one of the quickest goals in the tournament’s history was up on show for fans as USA captain Clint Dempsey wasted no time against Ghana, scoring the 2014 World Cup tournament’s fastest goal a mere 32 seconds after kick-off.

#8) Torres wardrobe malfunction. And finally, from the fashion ramps to the Football Arena, Fernando Torres wardrobe Wardrobe malfunctionmalfunction during the first half of Spain versus Australia match did bring some unusual cheers among the crowd. Fans continued to search for the player and the incident online after the match.

 (Text and graphics courtesy Google Inc.)

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Elder abuse on the rise in Mumbai

Most Mumbai senior citizens complain of verbal, physical abuse and neglect from sons and daughters-in-law, as also from their daughters.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is a trend that is showing disheartening upward signs – each year, the extent and intensity of abuse against the city’s and country’s elderly population is on the rise. Even worse, most of the abuse is meted out by immediate or close family members.

Elder abuseAs per a three-year survey and study carried out by HelpAge India and titled ‘Elder Abuse in India (2014)’, Mumbai is showing a rising propensity towards verbal and physical abuse, as also neglect, of its elders. As per the survey, which was conducted in 12 cities and which included Mumbai and Nagpur in its study area for Maharashtra, several traditional myths that Indian society holds about its elderly have been shattered over the years. “All general assumptions on elder abuse i.e. it does not exist in India and is a Western phenomenon and that it is a metro-centric phenomenon which does not exist in small towns, and does not occur in the educated middle-class strata, have been proven wrong. The most common assumption that in old age the son would be the main caregiver has been completely shattered. The son, along with the daughter-in-law, is increasingly turning abuser. Surprisingly, there is an emerging trend of the daughter also turning abuser,” the preface to the report reads.

As per the figures compiled for the report, “There has been a marked increase in the percentage of elders who reported experiencing abuse from 23 per cent in the previous year to 50 per cent now. Verbal abuse, disrespect and neglect continue to be the three major types of abuse. Economic and emotional dependence of the victim on the abuser have been cited as the major reasons for abuse. Strangely, economic dependence of the abuser on the victim is also cited as a major reason,” the report reads.

While abuse has gone up, unfortunately still 41 per cent of those abused, did not report the matter to anyone. ‘Maintaining confidentiality of the family matter’ was cited to be the major reason behind not reporting abuse (59 per cent). However, “more numbers of people are reporting abuse, (59 per cent) in 2014 as against 30 per cent the previous year,” the report says.

Findings for Mumbai

– Mumbai has the highest proportion of the elderly with self-owned homes (92 per cent), along with Guwahati (88 per cent) and Mangalore (84 per cent). The rate of abuse in these cities is also high.

– While the national average on ‘Perceptions on extent of elder abuse’ is high at 34 per cent in India, Mumbai rates it at 65 per cent.

– In Kanpur, Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai and Madurai, higher percentage of elderly reported beating and slapping as a prevalent form of abuse. Economic exploitation was also reported in cities like Mumbai.

– ‘Economic dependence of the abuser’ is seen as an important reason for elder abuse in society. Mumbai ranks first in this, with Kanpur and Guwahati.

– Awareness of police helplines is high, but exceptionally high in Delhi and Mumbai.

– In Tier I cities, Mumbai ranks highest in rating the daughter-in-law as the main perpetrator of abuse (92 per cent) while sons are rated lowest (21 per cent).

– Mumbai’s abused elderly did not report abuse because, a) They lacked the confidence in ability of any person or agency to help; b) They did not know how to deal with the problem; and c) They wanted to maintain confidentiality about what they felt was essentially a family matter.

(Pictures courtesy archives.deccanchronicle.com, www.siliconindia.com. Images used for representational purpose only)

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Mumbai population expected to hit 1.48 crore by 2021?

A recently released white paper by the Praja Foundation also predicts that Mumbai’s population will touch 1.55 crore by year 2041.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s a city that continues to grow at a staggering pace, and it also continues to draw people from all over the country. However, how long can Mumbai sustain this pace of population growth?

A recent white paper on the state of Mumbai’s population growth released by Praja Foundation pegs the city’s projected growth at a staggering 1.48 crore in year 2021 and 1.55 crore by year 2021. Going by this rate of population growth, the paper estimates that Mumbai “requires at least 11.1 lakh affordable housing units to be constructed.” The Report recommends that to meet this growth, Mumbai must increase affordable housing, regulate standards for SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority), prioritise and actively promote public transport over private transport, and increase pedestrian-friendly zones, among other measures.

Already densely populated city

Overpopulation in MumbaiPraja Foundation and UDRI (Urban Design Research Institute) have also come out with a handbook – ‘Planning for Mumbai – The Development Plan (DP) for Greater Mumbai 2013-2034’. The handbook mentions the population densities of major metropolitan cities in the world thus: Singapore: 83 persons/ha; New York city: 106 persons/ha; Hong Kong: 64 persons/ha and Mumbai: 270 persons/ha.

When it comes to the availability of open space per person, Mumbai currently affords less than 1.24 square metres per person.

What needs to be done

The report suggests a few ways and means to combat the burgeoning population growth by offsetting it with the availability of open spaces, opportunities to use available open space, preserving the fast-depleting natural resources, etc. It states, “Public spaces such as notified open spaces, water edges, paths, urban squares and plazas shall be sacrosanct and not built upon. Mangroves must be retained in their natural habitats. [There is a need to] protect and enhance all reserved spaces, as well as completely freeze all reservations in the current DP.”

(Pictures courtesy knowledge.allianz.com, jackcollier7.com)

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Country gets latest vitrification procedure from France

In a workshop, doctors from France demonstrate a new but expensive egg freezing technique that is a must-follow in Europe.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

India is home to over 30,000 egg and embryo freezing procedures every year, as per research figures. As more and more hospitals and clinics offer egg and embryo freezing options to women today, it is natural that the latest technologies in the area be put to use.

Recently, two doctors from France demonstrated the use of a cutting-edge technology in egg freezing at Delhi’s ISIS IVF Hospital. They presided over a workshop of over 35 Indian doctors from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, who had all turned up to see a demonstration of the ‘High Security Vitrification’ process by the French embyologists.

It turns out that the technology is a must-follow in Europe if a clinic wants a CE certification, and is already used by most clinics there. “During freezing in the current systems, there is a risk that liquid nitrogen can come in contact with the embryos and this could compromise the safety of the embryos. In the High Security Vitrification system, the ends of the straw in which the embryo is placed are sealed and closed so that liquid nitrogen doesn’t come in direct contact with the embryos. This will increase the cost of the procedure and depending on case to case basis cost could be Rs 10,000 more per patient,” explained Dr Shivani Gour, Director, Isis Hospital.

Doctors also said that the risk of damage to precious gametes and also the risk of infection in this high security system is next to nil. “The shelf life is approximately eight weeks, which is longer than conventional media,” said Dr Jean Louis.

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Mumbai slum dwellers against ban on plastic bags?

World Environment Day: Findings from a survey by TERI show Mumbai in poor light, while revealing other expected and grim truths.
by Humra Quraishi

On the occasion of World Environment Day today, June 5, there are several events, book releases and talks lined up all over the country to mark the day. Yesterday, however, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) released the findings of its Environmental Survey 2014.

The findings of the Survey don’t come as a shock, though that doesn’t take away from their grimness. This time, TERI has widened its survey area and brought within its fold several smaller cities as well. The Survey comprised a sample of 11,234 citizens spread over eight urban agglomerates across the geographical span of India – Coimbatore, Guwahati, Indore, Jamshedpur, Kanpur, Pune, and of course, the country’s most populated metros, Mumbai and Delhi. In general, the survey focussed on the environment, and in particular, on water and health.

World Environment DaySaid a spokesperson for the event, “The survey also attempted to gauge the awareness levels and opinion of the people on Government policies in different environmental domains, the role of various actors in environment protection and their opinion in development versus environment debate.”

It turns out that most respondents were aware of the deterioration in air quality, the state of the green cover, that diversity of birds had reduced in all cities (except Coimbatore and Pune, where it was perceived to have improved), that poor environmental quality adversely affected health, that global warming was a reality, and of the hazards of e-waste.

An interesting finding was that there was an “overwhelming” response to the ban on polythene bags in all cities by all income groups, except in Mumbai, where slum dwellers were not in favour of the ban.

The survey also tried to “understand people’s opinion on the global debate on whether the environment hindered development.” A majority of respondents felt that the two went hand in hand, as seen in Pune, Coimbatore and Coimbatore, and felt that environment should be prioritised over development.

However, about 25 per cent respondents in Mumbai and Delhi and a higher share in others, like Pune and Jamshedpur, felt that development should be prioritised over environment.

(Pictures courtesy ibnlive.in.com, www.eea.europa.eu)

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Chris Gayle still dangerous…in cyberspace

West Indies sensation is ‘Most Dangerous Cricketer’ in cyberspace; used by cyber criminals to lure fans to sites with malware.

McAfee, part of Intel Security, recently unveiled results of its ‘Most Sensational Cricketer’ study which researched this season’s top players of the cricketing world on their popularity and related risk quotient in the Indian cyberspace.  Chris Gayle, regarded as the most explosive batman in modern cricket has been named the ‘Most Sensational Cricketer’ online in Indian cyberspace. This is the second time in a row, the Jamaican cricketer who has a reputation of playing long innings, has topped a similar list last year titled ‘Most Dangerous Cricketer’.

The study highlights the trend of cyber criminals using cricketers to take advantage of fans seeking more information about their idols. Cybercriminals often capitalise on the public’s fascination with cricketers to lure them to sites laden with malware that can potentially result in identity thefts, stealing of passwords and confidential personal information. This year, searching for a ‘cricketer name’ combined with the search terms like ‘wall paper’, ‘free download’, ‘hot pictures’, ‘selfie’, ‘videos’ resulted in the highest instances of malicious sites.

Commenting on the findings of the study, Venkat Krishnapur, Vice President of Engineering – Consumer, Business Group, McAfee India Centre, said, “Leveraging the current cricket fervor, cyber criminals tend to exploit the popularity quotient of sports celebrities and time their attacks to coincide with famous events. Cricket crazy fans are highly motivated to search for photos, videos, match scores and interesting stories of their favourite cricketers online and in that moment of weakness they are lured into clicking malicious links that could lead to transmission of malware onto their owned devices and potential compromise of data.”

(Picture courtesy www.theguardian.com)

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