Looking for a striking new way to tell the time? Secretly harbouring pangs for a sci-fi tomorrow? Oddly attracted to LED lights and neon colours? Then the Neon LED Guru Watches are going to make you extremely happy (at least when you want to know the time). With their scrolling LED display, their amazing build quality and bold colours, you’ll have difficulty finding a cooler watch between here and, well, anywhere. What’s more, you can even programme them to display any message you want – simply input your message, press the button and watch it scroll across the display (as well as the time, obviously).

Don’t let those neon colours fool you – far from being the preserve of ex-ravers and nu-ravers, these unisex wrist-dwellers are perfect for any lovers of anything quirky and ever-so-slightly geek-chic. They’re manufactured by Black Dice, so they really are quite exquisitely made, as well as being water-resistant up to a 50m depth (in case you fancy taking a dip). The one-piece plastic strap is nice and chunky and perfectly adjustable if you have a particularly slinky wrist girth.

So if you want to have the upper hand (but obviously not – this is digital) over all your friends’ watches, then the Neon LED Guru Watches is the time-teller you need.

Available here priced at Rs.4,878

Features:

* A chic and stylish one-piece watch.

* Scrolling LED display.

* Press button to illuminate display.

* Programme your own short message (10 characters or under).

* Also displays date with a second button press.

* Unisex neon colour design.

* Available in yellow, pink or black, all with white LED.

* Stainless steel back panel.

* Water-resistant up to 50m.

* Excellent Black Dice build quality.

* Suitable for right-handed folk of all wrist-sizes.

* Suitable for ages 8 years +.

Size:-

* 23.5 x 0.8 x 3 cm.

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The Punjab Biodiversity Board has started work on the conservation of Inami Bagh, an orchard in Bassi Umar Khan village in Hoshiarpur district with over 165 mango trees and about 30 rare native varieties, some represented by only one tree.

Officials of the board have surveyed the area for ground work, prepared a map and verified the revenue records, as the land may be acquired for conservation. They were accompanied by officials of the district administration, horticulture wing, PAU and the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology.

The team has worked out the market price of the land and the biodiversity board will seek Rs 1.75 crore from the state government for acquisition and conservation, says board’s Member Secretary Dr Neelima Jerath. “This orchard will be listed as a special item on the agenda of the next board meeting,” she says. On June 2, The Indian Express had highlighted the rich biodiversity of the ten-acre orchard, which is off the beaten track and needed a sound conservation plan. It is important to save the orchard as it is located in the ecologically-fragile kandi area.

On its visit to the Inami Bagh, the board team also studied another mango orchard in the neighbourhood, Chakdhari Bagh, and discovered rare varieties and a high degree of biodiversity. A member of the team says they will also include this orchard in their plan.

Earlier, the board officials had information that the Inami Bagh was owned by two NRI brothers, but after studying the records they have found a third owner who has sold off his share. The challenge before the board now is to bring around the NRI brothers and the owner of the neighbouring orchard for acquisition.

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Lauki juice or bottle gourd juice can be harmful for health? Yes, says doctors at a private hospital.

A CSIR scientist died after consuming bottle gourd and bitter gourd juice on an empty stomach in New Delhi. The 60-year-old scientist Sushil Kumar and his wife had been consuming the bottle gourd juice for more than four years to keep their diabetes in control.

According to the couple had diabetes problem. But Sushil Kumar passed away after the consumption of bottle gourd juice, whereas, his wife complained of vomiting blood and severe diarrhoea, but had a narrow escape. The doctors conducted an endoscopy on his wife and found her entire stomach was inflamed. There were ulcers in her stomach.

Dr Sharma said the vegetables and fruits from the cucumber family have harmful toxins called tetracyclic triterpenoid cucurbitacins compound, which is responsible for the bitter taste.

However, the doctor suggests that old people having diabetes and other problems may go for bottle gourd juice removing the bitter part of the vegetable. Because higher levels of cucurbitacins compound causes harm to health due to either improper storage of vegetables or high temperature. Dr. Sharma said that the bitter parts of fruits are traditionally cut apart and not consumed. In case of vegetables, cooking helps to destroy such toxins.

Doctors said that two more such cases have been reported earlier in India — one at the Himalayan Institute in Dehradun and another from Ahmedabad. “Higher levels of cucurbitacins compounds are triggered by high temperature, wide temperature swings and also due to improper storage of vegetables,” said a doctor.

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Warning for women: Your favourite red lipsticks that make you look attractive, composed, sexy and ready for the world, may in fact be causing you more harm than good.

Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration conducted tests on 22 red lipsticks and found lead, a neurotoxin, in every single lipstick sample studied.

The highest levels were in three well-known and common brands: Cover Girl, Revlon, L’Oreal.

While the FDA is continuing lead research on additional cosmetic brands and colours, it is reassuring consumers that the lead levels it found in the red lipsticks are very small and not a health threat.

The FDA does not regulate lead in finished cosmetics, only in colours added to the products.

None of the products exceeded the 20 parts per million limit on colours, the agency said.

An industry trade group, the Personal Care Products Council, said manufacturers did not add lead intentionally.

”Because lead is found naturally in air, water, and soil, it may also be found at extremely low levels as a trace contaminant in the raw ingredients used in formulating cosmetics, just as it is in many thousands of other products,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted the group as stating.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is, however, not convinced.

It is calling on the FDA to require cosmetics manufacturers to reduce lead to the lowest achievable levels.

[Source]