Net addiction
>> Monday, January 30, 2012
The brains of "internet-addicted" teenagers may differ significantly from those of non-addicted teens, a small study suggests.
MRI scans of their brains appear to show damage to white matter as well as the fibres that connect it, suggesting that heavy internet use, like alcoholism and gambling, may be linked with cognitive impairment.
Internet addiction, though not officially recognized by health-care authorities, has been defined in several studies as an impulse-control disorder. It has been characterized by an overwhelming desire to stay online and impairs an individual's ability to function on a day-to-day basis. Going offline leads the addicted individual to experience withdrawal symptoms similar to those of alcohol and drugs.
The study of 17 adolescents apparently addicted to the internet and 16 controls was conducted by Chinese researchers and published in the Wednesday issue of the journal PLOS One.
The researchers used a technique called fractional anisotropy (FA) to measure the organization of the brain, which is greatly influenced by the number and location of white matter fibres. Those study participants who had displayed addiction symptoms showed lower FA values in a variety of regions of the brain, such as as the orbito-frontal white matter, corpus callosum, cingulum, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and corona radiation. Lower FA values indicate that the nerve fibres are not functioning properly.
"Overall, our findings indicate that internet addiction disorder has abnormal white matter integrity in brain regions involved in emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making and cognitive control," write the authors. "The results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders."
The researchers theorize that the myelin, a protective sheath around nerve fibres, is disrupted in a variety of regions of the brain in people with IAD. They also believe that fractional anisotropy may eventually become an effective way of detecting the severity of internet addiction.
Slapped by a ghost
>> Wednesday, March 3, 2010
If you are interested in a haunted hotel, you may want to seek out the Raj Kiran Hotel in Maharashtra, Lonawala. Bed sheets have been known to be removed from the beds of guests that stay on the ground level, as well as during their sleep. In Thane, there is a Vrindavan Society where in their #66B building, a man who committed suicide is the source of numerous oddities. A security guard who was in charge of the area has reported many strange things. Physical encounters have occurred where an unknown force slapped one guard so hard that he blamed someone who was near him that did not commit the act.
Read more...Deccan Chronicle March 3rd
You don’t have to wait for Halloween to experience close encounters of the spooky kind in the city. Take a moonlit walk through any of Hyderabad’s haunted hot spots and even a sceptic might become a believer. In a recent incident, the cabin crew of an international airlines had quite a fright when they were put up in a hotel located in Shamshabad.
“The crew members switched off the lights of their room and they could see something outside their window. On a closer look, it looked like a man hanging upside down. They started screaming and soon the hotel management came to take charge of the situation,” exclaims an airhostess from the city But that’s not all. Other guests at the hotel too complain about the usual horror fare — creaking windows, leaking taps and light switches with a mind of its own. When it was brought to the hotel management’s attention, they tried to downplay it and calm the agitated guests. Some were even offered huge discounts.
Ramoji Film Studios may be in the list of places to see in Hyderabad. But what many don’t know is that the film city is mentioned in the top 10 haunted places in the world! Sites like www.rameysrealm.com and innumerable blogs online talk about this tourist spot’s spooky tales.
Certain areas in the heart of the city too score high on the paranormal activity radar. The graveyard on Road No. 12, Banjara Hills has quite an eerie reputation. Rehan Khan, a 23-year-old student of NIIT says, “After partying, we usually go over to a restaurant on that road to eat as it is open till late in the night. many a times, when we passed by the graveyard, the streetlights have just switch off by themselves. One can actually feel the temperature there drop by five degrees. My car tyre got punctured there thrice. Now I avoid taking that route.”
The infamous “bhoot bungalow” on Road No. 1, Banjara Hills is said to be haunted by its centuries-old tenants. Jitesh K., a student of CBIT who got a little too adventurous one night says, “My friends and I thought we’ll check the house out ourselves. It was 12.30 in the night and we all stepped into the dilapidated building. I could feel something touching me throughout, apart from hearing muffled sobs, whispers and screams. We ran out. Once I got home, my friends and I were down with fever for two weeks and even doctors couldn’t diagnose the cause,” he says.
Also, once you step into Secunderabad, watch out for spectral hitchhikers. Ronald De’Souza, an employee of HSBC says, “On the MCEME road that goes towards Alwal, I once encountered a strange, forlorn looking old man asking for a lift as I zipped past. Took pity and reversed my car to find him gone. The image of that man still haunts me.”
The Bhongir fort has the reputation for being infested with period ghosts. Krishna N., an employee of Tata Motors says, “We went on a bike trip to the fort and decided to climb the abandoned fort on the hill even though it was dark. When we reached the top, we heard anklets and wind chimes. We thought there were other tourists present. But there were none.” Eerie creatures of the night seem to have a thing for the railway tracks, the most infamous one being the one near Safilguda. Mahesh Mohandas, a resident of Hanumanpet, says, “When I drive back that way late in the night, I often see a woman in white smiling at me. it’s a miracle I am not possessed.”
Ramoji Film City
DO WE HAVE A BHOOT BUNGALOW'S ? -INDIA
Picture this. A young, successful husband; a beautiful, stay-at-home wife; a haunted house. What follows is two hours of chills and thrills and a hit Bollywood movie.
But wait, ‘Bhoots’ aren’t limited to the make-believe world of the big screen. Kyunki,
The fact of the matter is that what are otherwise suitable residences are believed to be bhoot bungalows haunted by tenants who nobody has a ghost of a chance of seeing! In GK I, for instance, House No W-3, situated opposite the police station there, has acquired the dubious distinction of being haunted by supernatural forces.
The history of the house reveals that an aged couple was murdered at this address more than a decade ago. As this couple had no children, advertisements published in newspapers asked legitimate relations of the couple to show up. Certain people did come forward to lay claim to the house, but due to want of substantial proof, nobody was granted possession.
‘‘Various sounds, ranging from sobs to screams, emanate from the house. Also, certain people claim to have seen an apparition there. Children, in turn, are too scared to even go near the house,’’ says Gaurav Kapoor, a software executive who lives in the locality.
Similarly, a ‘numberless’ house in Defence Colony’s C-Block has been lying vacant for more than 20 years now. Apart from claiming to hear eerie sounds, residents of the area maintain that they have seen physical proof of the presence of ghosts.
Incidentally,
‘‘Even after we moved in, neighbours insisted that they often spotted Phoolan Devi in the house. We conducted a puja and everything is fine now,’’ says Deepak, the minister’s nephew.
Close encounters of the spooky kind are also linked to a tree near the DDA flats in Qutub Enclave Enclave Phase II. People claim to have sighted a corpse hanging upside down from the tree. According to old-timers, the land on which the DDA flats stand today was once a graveyard. ‘‘Though I have never seen the corpse myself, many of my friends contend that they have seen it,’’ reveals Amit Kaul, a resident of the area.
According to a senior estate official, ‘‘Some spacious bungalows in Lutyen’s Delhi lie vacant because bad omens are associated with them. We do not want to publicise this since these houses are situated in prime locations such as BD Marg, Talkatora Road, Lodi Estate and Pandit Pant Marg. Since these sprawling bungalows are believed to be haunted by the ghosts of the dead, they are mostly used for wedding ceremonies or parties.’’
While the existence of ghosts finds its believers, psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh, MD, maintains that such a line of thinking is irrational. ‘‘Rumour works on deletion, distortion and generalisation. A simple example of this is provided by the monkey-man scare. During a state of emotional arousal, people are vulnerable and likely to believe in any explanation, however improbable it might sound. In this context, if somebody has been murdered or committed suicide at a particular address, the house concerned is immediately branded as being haunted.’’
Too many spooks spoil the broth. Or so seems to be the flavour of haunted houses. Of course, real home truths are easier to live with than imaginary skeletons in the cupboard!