30 January 2016

Hoia Baciu Forest – World’s Most Haunted Forest

About Hoia Baciu Forest
About Hoia Baciu Forest
The Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) is situated near Cluj-Napoca, Romania covers an area of ​​over 250 hectares and is often referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of the country. Hoia Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ), has a reputation for intense paranormal activity and unexplained events. Reports have included, ghost sightings, unexplained apparitions, faces appearing in photographs that were not visible with the naked eye, and in the 1970s, UFO sightings were reported.
Visitors to the forest often report intense feelings of anxiety and the feeling of being constantly watched. Moreover, the local vegetation is somehow bizarre in appearance, like something out of a make-believe story with strangely shaped trees, and unexplained charring on tree stumps and branches.
The forest was named after a shepherd that disappeared in the area with a flock of two hundred sheep. Most people who live near the forest are afraid to enter it due to the stories and legends that have been handed down. They believe that those who visit the site will never return back home. Many of the locals who have been brave enough to venture into the forest complained of physical harm, including rashes, nausea, vomiting, migraines, burns, scratches, anxiety, and other unusual sensations.
This dense forest first gained notoriety in the late 1960s when a biologist named Alexandru Sift snapped several amazing photos of a flying disc-shaped object in the sky above the forest. On August 18, 1968, a military technician named Emil Barnea captured a famous photography of a saucer flying over the Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) . The, in the 1970s, the area was a hotbed for UFO sighting and unexplained lights.
People who have entered the forest to this day get inexplicable rashes or they begin to feel very light-headed and ill. Moreover, the electronic devices are known to malfunction when introduced into the area. Some paranormal investigators have associated these strange malfunctions with supernatural activity.
The Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) has a reputation for paranormal and unexplained activity and people have witnessed numerous strange events on the land. The most common phenomenon includes the sudden appearance of mysterious orbs of light. People also report hearing disembodied female voices breaking the heavy silence, giggling and even apparitions, Thereare many cases of people reportedly being scratched. All these things happen with no reasonable explanation.
Some people believe that the forest is a gateway to another dimension. Within the dark interior ofHoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) , people have been known to disappear, strange lights have been seen, the wind seems to speak,. Several stories tell of people entering the forest and experiencing missing time. Some have known to be missing for quite some time with no recollection of how they had spent that time.One such story focuses on a 5-year-old girl who wandered into the woods and got lost. The story goes that she emerged from the forest 5 years later, wearing the same untarnished clothes that she wore on the day she disappeared with no memory of where had happened in that interval of time.
Another story of the The Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) has been telling about the strange paranormal phenomena which have been recorded and researched for nearly 50 years. The woods are thought to be notoriously haunted by the Romanian peasants who were murdered here. It is believed that the souls of these tormented ghosts are trapped within the wooded confines of Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) and that these entities are enraged by their predicament. Visions of these tormented spirits are sometimes observed by terrified travelers. Pairs of haunting, observing green eyes and a heavy black fog have been observed here. Many people report a feeling of being watched as they travel near the forest’s edge.
More recently, the paranormal energy of the forest is taking on the form of poltergeist and ghost activity. In one paranormal television series an investigator sitting in this clearing in the forest was scratched and thrown on the ground by an unseen force. People also claim to have seen unexplainable bright lights coming from within the woods.
This paranormal activity seems to be focused on an inexplicable clearing in the forest that is a vegetation dead zone. It is nearly a perfect circle in the woods where nothing ever grows. Soil samples have been taken from the site and analyzed but the results show that there is nothing in the soil that should prevent the growth of plant life. Locals believe that it is a hub for this paranormal activity. They consider this circular plateau deep in the forest to be the “home” of these ghosts. Photos taken here have revealed hovering shapes and outlines of human forms, further backing up the claims
UFOS, a dead vegetation zone, lights with no logical source, poltergeist activity, EVP activity, and malfunctioning electronics are the documented paranormal happenings of this creepy forest. While some of the stories about this legendary location may be exaggerated, it is hard to ignore the fact that something is going on in this forest that we may not completely understand. This is especially true, given the recent well-documented occurrences of unexplained poltergeist activity.
Many people who live near the Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) have reported seeing a large collection of orbs of light coming from inside the tree line. When using a thermal detector, these lights don’t seem to be producing any heat signatures. Some people who enter the forest report that they suddenly remember all of their past experiences, but then forget the memories after leaving the land.
Specialists from around the world are fascinated by the forest. Researchers from Germany, France, the United States, and Hungary have all spent time studying it’s mysteries. Some have managed to capture bizarre manifestations on film, including faces and apparitions. Some of these images are reportedly seen with the naked eye and others only show up in photos or videos.
There are many people who strongly believe that there are paranormal phenomena and appearances of UFOs in this place.
The mysterious Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) is beginning to compete more and more with the Dracula legend in Transylvania…It has become more famous because of unexplained phenomena, which are considered by some as manifestations of the paranormal. This forest’s fame is spreading worldwide.
Prestigious publications such as Travel & Leisure magazine or BBC have included this among the most interesting forest haunted areas on the planet. And its fame continues to attract tourists from all walks of life. Two years ago, the famous actor, Nicolas Cage, was shooting a film in Sibiu. Cage came to Cluj specifically to see this mysterious forest. Is Hoia-Baciu Forest haunted? Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) , attracts many amateurs of Yoga, Wicca and the paranormal. They are attracted by the numerous long-told legends in connection with this forest. Some of the trees have grown crooked and there is speculation that their shape was influenced by mysterious energies.
There are people who believe that within Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) there is a portal that provides access to other universes. There are also countless legends and stories about contact with entities outside our known world occurring here every year.
We cannot say for certain if  any of this it’s true or not. If you are brave enough, visit Hoia Baciu Forest to discover for yourself….

29 January 2016

The history of Virgin in 114 seconds

I always prefer looking forward than looking back – but sometimes a quick spin down memory lane can be a lot of fun. With that in mind, we put together this animation. 
@ajaysnairtweets had challenged me to "show the world in a simple video how you started everything". Hopefully this video does the trick and is another #ChallengeRichard ticked off.

The history of Virgin in 114 seconds

From our roots with Student magazine and Virgin Records, right up to the present day with Virgin Hotelsand Virgin Galactic, this cartoon caper gives you the rundown on more than four decades of business in under two minutes.

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We initially put this video together to celebrate the launch of Virgin Hotels, and it went down a storm with our guests. So I thought it was time to share my animated side with you all.

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What’s more, it is an apt time to take a glance into the past, just as we move into the future with our new website. I’m looking forward to blogging every weekday and sharing my thoughts with your all on social media as we continue the Virgin journey.

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-Source www.virgin.com

Ever Wondered Why We Have To Open Window Shades During Take-Off & Landing In Airplanes?

If you have ever been on a plane, I'm sure you have been asked to fasten your seat belts, put your seat back in the upright position, close all trays and, the one that has always confused me, open all window shades. But why is that? Pretty sure it isn't to enjoy the view outside. 
If, like me, you're also wondering why we have to follow this practice of opening window shades during take-off & landing, here's the reason behind it:

First, it is very important to know that the most vulnerable time for a mishap in aircrafts is during landing and take-off. The cabin crew is given specific instructions to keep passengers safe. In case of an emergency, the crew has only 90 seconds to evacuate the people on board.


Source: smartcabincrew

So preparing for any kind of emergency before hand can help save vital time and those 90 seconds can be the difference between life & death.

Same reason why they make only Able Bodied Persons (ABPs) sit next to emergency exits.

Source: thrilllist

Well, opening window shades during take-off & landing is also part of the standard emergency protocol and passengers are asked to do so majorly for the following reasons:


If an emergency occurs during day time, with the shades up and cabin lights on, it will be easier for a passenger to adjust to the light outside while evacuating. A sudden change in light can cause temporary blurred vision. Same goes for night time, when shades are open but the cabin lights are dimmed.


Source: travel.aol

The crew can assess the situation outside and plan the evacuation accordingly, like which side to disembark from, because during emergencies, every second counts.


Source: dailymail

In case something goes wrong on the outside, a passenger can also report it quickly. Like any damage to the wings or an engine catching fire.

It is always good to have an extra pair of eyes, especially because passengers are also very cautious of the smallest details while flying.

Source: abc15

Open window shades can also help the emergency ground staff see inside the airplane.  


Source: usatoday

Apart from the emergency process, it can also help passengers brace themselves during a bumpy landing.


Source: traveller.au

So there you have it, you know why the cabin crew keeps reminding you to follow these rules. It is for your own safety!


Source: globalindonesianvoices

STARTUP INDIA – What? Who? When? and Where?

The initiative
Startup India initiative have a lot of small embedded schemes in it. The fund of funds’  is proposed at INR. 10,000 crore (about $1.5 billion). The corpus will be deployed in tranches of INR. 2,500 crore over a period of four years ( all is not invested in a go and not going directly invested in the startups, as explained below). Government has setup committees to resolve a lot of ‘ifs and buts’ that have risen along with the initiative. This is a fund of funds so the investment from government is into those venture capitals (VC) funding which are helping the startup initiative. The fund of funds will invest in venture capital funds registered with markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), so essentially for startups to avail a portion of this fund they ought to approach the venture funds registered with SEBI. A snapshot view of what it means to the new entrepreneurs and the VC's is given below. Also we will have a quick glance at all the other embedded initiatives which are in essence the drivers of this initiative.
What it means to an entrepreneur, can they avail it all?
Who are these entrepreneurs who will get to walk the talk – for this we need to understand what we mean by a ‘startup’. Now this is critical as a ‘startup’ gets the access to governmental schemes. Reading the DIPP document will not give the definition of what a governmental scheme is, some have interpreted them as only tax related schemes. But essentially all those schemes provided by the government would ideally be covered here, so we are looking at:
  • Self-regulatory compliance of labour and environmental laws.
  • Quicker patent filing and rebates on patent costs.
  • Tax exemptions to -
    1. Investors on capital gains;
    2. Startups on profits in first three years;
    3. Investors investment when the value invested is above Fair Market Value (earlier taxed in the hands of investor).
Startup means an entity, incorporated or registered in India not prior to five years, with annual turnover not exceeding INR 25 crore in any preceding financial year, working towards innovation, development, deployment or commercialization of new products, processes or services driven by technology or intellectual property.
The business should be aiming to develop and commercialize a new product or service or process; or a significantly improved existing product or service or process that will create or add value for customers or workflow.
Startup should -
  • be supported by a recommendation (with regard to innovative nature of business), in a format specified by DIPP, from an Incubator established in a post-graduate college in India; or
  • be supported by an incubator which is funded (in relation to the project) from GoI as part of any specified scheme to promote innovation; or
  • be supported by a recommendation (with regard to innovative nature of business), in a format specified by DIPP, from an Incubator recognized by GoI; or
  • be funded by an Incubation Fund/Angel Fund/ Private Equity Fund/ Accelerator/Angel Network duly registered with SEBI that endorses innovative nature of the business; or
  • be funded by Government of India as part of any specified scheme to promote innovation; or
  • have a patent granted by the Indian Patent and Trademark Office in areas affiliated with the nature of business being promoted
What are the initiatives essentially for the ‘startups’ defined above:
Step 1
The first step taken to make life simpler for Startups is reducing the regulatory burden. The how of the thing is, self-certification compliance of 9 labour and environmental laws, which on reading are the most critical one’s, so yes that is a good step forward, especially as the same would be done through the startup app, soon to be launched (April 2016, expected timeline).
Step 2
Ease of doing business is expected to be improved by formation of the “Startup India Hub”, where all the players would be encouraged to come together, mainly like a super massive incubator. Though on a critical note this would take a lot of initiative on the government front to enable the platform and not simply put it out there for others to take the stage.
Step 3
Patents, patents and patents. New business or innovation means the idea creator is worried to ensure that this idea is not stolen. The solution under the scheme is to fast-track startup patent applications. The best part of the same is that facilitation cost of the service is being born by the government to make it easy for the already challenged entrepreneur. There is also facilitation of rebate on filing of application, startups shall be provided an 80% rebate in filing of patents.
Step 4
Boost to new firms/companies by letting them compete for the tenders without any ‘prior experience/turnover’.
Step 5
Tax exemption for first three years of profit-making years, only if no dividends are distributed.
To encourage seed-capital investment in startups, where a startup receives any consideration for issue of shares which exceeds the Fair Market Value of such shares, such excess consideration is no more taxable in the hands of investor like earlier.
The question of fund of funds – Venture Capital, are they simple enough?
Fund of funds is aimed to grow local venture capitals. Although it is claimed that the boom in startups is only aimed towards e-commerce since majority of the venture capital are funded by foreign investors and they aim to replicate the successful business ideas from their home countries. Though more than that it seems that the e-commerce approach is quicker and growing, which has led to new entrepreneurs looking at internet as their domain to expand and outreach. If one take a glance at the list of venture capital listed with SEBI and their activity portfolio, we have a small yet not minuscule proportion of Venture capitals which are funded by Indian businesses.
Government wants to make the VC's strong, the help that is being offered in terms of corpus is being given with one of the complex condition. The condition for the venture capitals being that government intends to contribute up to 50% of the stated corpus of a SEBI-registered venture capital fund only when the VC’s raise their part of the corpus.
This is complex because the market to raise the funds from market is very limited for VC’s, Banks and insurance companies are allowed to invest only 10% of the overall corpus of the VC’s. Pension funds are not allowed to invest in VC’s, as the risk factor is high. Mutual Funds would take long time to look at them as potential and safe investment option. This leaves them with High net worth individuals (HNI), who out of compassion and yearning to see something new & creative are looking towards VC’s. The incentive aren’t much and risk takers are few, so the corpus gearing up to that 50% mark is a bit tedious.
What are the other initiatives meant to boost the impetus?
Using “Make in India” here -
As a part of “Make in India” initiative, Government proposes to:
  • Hold one fest at the national level annually to enable all the stakeholders of Startup ecosystem to come together on one platform.
  • Hold one fest at the international level annually in an international city known for its Startup ecosystem.
There is also the launch of Atal Innovation Mission aimed on promoting entrepreneurial work by supporting them through setting up of ‘Tinkering labs’, incubators, training and funding.
Private sector boost -
Promotion of private sector to step up the game in Incubators setup, 35 new incubators in existing institution and 35 new private incubators both with a grant or fund support up to Rs. 10 crores.
Educational institution as a part -
Using the existing infrastructure to boost setting up of innovation labs, by setting up innovation centres at various IIT’s, NIT’s and others.
Bio-tech startups on the rise -
5 new Bio-clusters, 50 new Bio-Incubators, 150 technology transfer offices and 20 Bio-Connect offices will be set up in research institutes and universities across India. There will also be a Biotech Equity Fund setup to provide financial assistance.
 Conclusion
The step is a bold one which is challenging the new minds to come up with new ideas and have a foundation to work with. Although going deep into technicalities one may call this “Innovation India” as essentially that is a key factor in the whole initiative, you cannot just be a startup or you should be smart to sell your idea in the definition of a startup. But in any of the way it’s a start, with government pushing to lay the foundation it can only make the ground merrier for the private entities to improve on the start and enjoy the fruits. Lastly, there is a lot which still would be required to be done by the governmental bodies, as there are these grand schemes announced within the large sphere which will be driven by the efforts of these bodies (the innovation scheme, working with existing platforms, grand innovation fairs, and hubs for discussion). So we wait and watch how this moves and in which direction it eventually moves.
(Source: DIPP document on Startup India Action Plan - 16 January 2016).

21 January 2016

16 Inspiring Quotes By Barack Obama That’ll Make You Believe You Can

Seven years ago today- on January 20th, 2009- Americans created history when they placed their faith in Barack Hussein Obama, the first African-American to be sworn in as the President. His election was a defining moment for the political as well as social scenario world-wide. The 44th President of USA, Barack Obama, a charismatic leader, won hearts with his remarkable election victory speech. 

Source: andes

During the first term of his presidency, he made people believe in his vision, which won him a second term as the President. Obama is a skilled orator, and his speeches invoke inspiration among people. Today marks the seventh year of the historic day when Barack Obama became the first non-white President of America. 

Here are some of the quotes from his speeches that are inspiring and motivational, both:


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You don't become the president of the United States of America twice without being an inspirational & motivational leader.

Conquering the Heights: A Successful Bike Trip to Ladakh

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