Spark Network

Creative Creativity

2009-12-08T17:45:00.001+05:30

1:01 (10 mins before the nelson figure 111!!), sitting on the 15° inclined chair in my papered cubicle, seeing towards the blue screen of my LAPI (cluttered with docs) like watching “AAG” (of course of RGV). Time were there 4 lunch, so to bear this for 15 more mins I opened my FireFox and started surfing through the recent blogs of some of my blog pals. I found some very good and interesting stuff. Those creative articles pleased me a lot. I felt creativity has a power to change the mood of ne1. I suddenly thought why don’t write a post on creativity itself ! ! ! So here it is, a creative blog on creativity itself.

Creativity as per Wikipedia: “Creativity is a mental and social process involving the discovery of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.”

Hence, going by this, it seems that in the creativity, the way things being done by the one is different than rest of the persons. Hey guys read the underlined portion carefully and apply your creative mind; doesn’t it seem to be a familiar sentence? Yeh, you are right, it is the definition of madness/insanity.

Let’s check the Wikipedia again. As per the Wikipedia: “Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity.” So, can you conclude the matter, creativity is madness and the vice versa is also true if it excludes the italic part above!

Hence to create CREATIVITY you should become made for MADNESS.

Mobile Phone Guide - 2009

2009-11-13T11:22:00.001+05:30

Recently, I lost my mobile in the rush of the Mumbai Locals. As it was my official mobile it was an urgent need for me to buy a new one. Hence, on the following day I went to Croma Shop to buy a mobile having similar features of my previous mobile ie camera, mp3, FM etc. I have found lots of the handsets for these features in different budgets. However, as I am having budget constraints as per the reimbursement guidelines of my company, I bought the mobile according to that.

But, I got an idea that why not to write a post to help my readers purchasing handset having specifications of their choice and budget. Hence, I have noted down the features, specifications and prices of many mobiles and started taking reviews amongst my colleagues, friends, shop keepers and other persons who are having these mobiles.

Usually most people don't have an exact idea of what they are going to buy and often end up buying something that the shopkeeper suggests; a suggestion driven more by the commission he would earn than the actual need of the customer. Some persons pick up gadgets by looking at the spec sheet. This, according tome, is one of the most inaccurate ways to judge something.

Here in this blog, I simply wanted to ensure that you buy only the best that is available in your budget. So, I put together a list of handsets that are the best of the lot as per the reviews I got.

Let me how to go about in this guide. First of all I have categorized phones based on different budgets. Under a specific budget I have picked four phones from four categories; best music phone, best camera phone, best business phone and the best all-round phone.

So guys, with that out of the way, go through the guide and please don’t forget to give your comments;

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Phones Under Rs. 10,000 /-

Best Music Phone - Nokia 5130 XpressMusic (Rs. 5,800)

This is in fact a younger sibling of the best-selling Nokia 5310 XpressMusic.

It is having a 3.5 mm headphone jack and dedicated music key which makes it highly crystal clear when it comes to playing music.The superb audio quality just confirms it. Further, it is having the display of QVGA quality which a rarity in this segment. This is typically the best music phone that you can buy for as little as Rs. 5,800 and that will finally rid you of having to carry around your iPod. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Camera Phone - Sony Ericsson C510 (Rs. 10,000)

Having a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, lens cover and the Cyber-shot name on top. The Sony Ericsson C510 has all the ingredients that make a good camera phone. The camera performs well even in real life and I found the camera performance the best in the segment. In fact, the camera performance was better than even the more expensive Sony Ericsson phones such as the C903 and even the W995, which only have higher resolution but poor quality. The camera software also has plenty of features such as Smile detection and Face detection. For camera phone lovers there is nothing better that you can buy in this budget. The phone is priced at Rs. 10,000. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best All-round Phone - Samsung Star (Rs. 9,400)

Touch screen phones, in one time, were a expensive novelty, which now became a common sight. Credit goes to the low-cost touch screen phones like STAR of Samsung. However, low-cost here doesn’t mean high compromise, as it is packed with a fair amount of features.

Its having a 3.0" WQVGA full touch screen display, which hard to find at this price. Also a quad band GSM handset and Bluetooth connectivity. The Star utilizes Samsung's Touch Wiz UI that has features such as widgets, etc. Overall for the price the Samsung Star offers good all-round performance and gets my personal recommendation for the same. To know more about this mobile click here.

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Phones Under Rs. 15,000:

Best Music Phone - Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (Rs. 13,600)

The phone has stereo loudspeakers that are loud and have great quality. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can connect any headphones of your choice. The audio quality, almost as good as any dedicated music player out there.

The phone also comes with an 8 GB memory card bundled with the phone, which should be more than enough for all your favorite music and if you need more then the phone also supports up to 16 GB of cards. But that's just for the music. The phone is also packed with other features such as GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G and a full touch screen interface running Symbian S60 5th Edition. Overall, an excellent music phone in this price range. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Camera Phone - Motorola ZN5 (Rs. 14,800)

Let me be honest with you. Nokia N82, which was on sale sometime before, was the best camera phone under 15k. But since that is not the case I have to move on to the next best and that is the Motorola ZN5. Now let me be clear here, for still photography the ZN5 is as good as the N82, and may be even better. However, only in video recording N82 trumps over the ZN5.

The ZN5 has an auto-shutter that protects the lens and also starts the camera when slid open. The camera is a having 5 Megapixel with autofocus and a brilliant xenon flash provides assistance under low-light conditions. The ZN5 captures high quality images with great colors and details. The xenon flash makes the ZN5 a great tool for shooting pictures in the dark, such as in a club.

Unfortunately, the video recording quality is poor but that is excusable considering the superb still image quality. Overall a very good camera phone in this price range. To know more about this mobile click here.

Business Phone - Samsung B7320 OmniaPRO (Rs. 14,800)

Just a week ago I would have gladly put the Nokia E63 in this category, but then I got the Samsung OmniaPRO for review last week and the performance that it delivered managed to convince us that in this price range it truly is the best business phone to buy.

The phone covers all aspects from a full QWERTY keypad to connectivity features like 3G, Wi-Fi as well as GPS. It also has support for push mail and all the IM applications. It runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Edition and can be upgraded to version 6.5 later when it comes out.

The phone also sports a 3.2 Megapixel camera, not that hardcore business users would care much about it. However, they might take exception to the brown color. Still if they are willing to overlook the aesthetics then the Samsung OmniaPRO is an excellent phone for business users. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best All-round phone - Nokia N79 (Rs. 15,000)

The Nokia N79 was a brilliant multimedia phone to begin with, but after the recent price drop, it makes it excellent value as well. The superb 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus and flash is also capable of recording videos in VGA resolution at 30 FPS. Music playback with 3.5mm headphone jack and good audio quality, N-Gage support for high quality games all make it a great buy for multimedia phone buyers, especially at the current price of Rs. 15,000. To know more about this mobile click here.

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Phones Under Rs. 20,000:

Best Music Phone - Samsung M7603 Beat DJ (Rs. 16,100)

Imagine a phone that lets you mix your own tunes and fulfill that little dream of yours to become a DJ someday. Well, you don't need to imagine anymore for Samsung has just the phone for you. The Samsung Beat DJ has a unique Beat DJ application that lets you add various effects to your music as you play it and even scratch the virtual vinyl for the ultimate DJ experience! The audio is provided by Bang & Olufsen, renowned hi-fi audio equipment manufacturer and the phone comes with a brilliant pair of stereo speakers that are very loud and provide great sound quality. The phone also has a 3.5mm headphone jack to allow use of any headphones with it. The phone supports expandable memory up to 16 GB by microSD cards.

Overall, a superb phone for music lovers, especially for those who like to be more creative with their music instead of just listening to it. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Camera Phone - Samsung Pixon (Rs. 18,100)

The first phone to come to India with an 8 Megapixel sensor, the once expensive Pixon has now seen a major price cut, which brings it under the 20k barrier, making it more accessible than before.

There isn't much to say about the camera except that it's hands down one of the best camera phones you can find in the market today. The only thing we could complain is the lack of a xenon flash as the Pixon deserved more than the standard LED flash it comes equipped with. The phone can also record videos in WVGA (720 x 480) resolution at 30 FPS, the same resolution as that you find in DVD movies. In other words you just cannot get a better camera phone at this price. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Business Phone - Nokia E71 (Rs. 19,000)

Well its younger brother - the E63 - might have lost the best business phone under Rs. 15,000 title to the OmniPRO, but there is nothing yet out there to challenge the mighty Nokia E71. Despite being in the market for almost a year the Nokia E71 remains unchallenged for its superb performance. Business phones were always known to be thick and bulky with a boring design, however, the E71 changed all that with its slim, stylish metal body. Here was a business phone that people wanted to buy just because of the way it looked and not because it had great business phone features, which it anyway does.

The E71 also has several communication features such as 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS. It has a full QWERTY keypad which is great for typing emails on the go. The E71 runs on Symbian S60 3rd Edition which makes it a great smart phone with a huge application support and the ability to multitask. The browser is possibly one of the best on any mobile phone and makes browsing sites on the go a pleasure.

The Nokia E71 is not just a brilliant business phone but a great phone overall. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best All-round Phone - Samsung Jet (Rs. 20,000)

I recently got my hands on the Samsung Jet and was immensely happy with the way it performed. It has a blistering fast 800 MHz processor, a brilliant 3.1", 480 x 800 pixel OLED display, a 3.5mm headphone jack, DivX/XviD playback and excellent audio quality. You couldn't possible ask for anymore in a multimedia phone. The phone is also priced well at Rs. 21,000, which is great considering the features and performance on offer. To know more about this mobile click here.

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Phones Under Rs. 25,000:

Best Music Phone - Sony Ericsson W995 (Rs. 24,000)

An 8 Megapixel camera in a Walkman phone! Not something you see too often, but Sony Ericsson has made it happen in the new W995. The phone also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a first on any Walkman phone, along with stereo speakers and dedicated music keys. Sony Ericsson is even kind enough to give you a set of snap-on portable speakers and an 8 GB memory card for all your music. Along with this the phone has a large 2.6" display and a kickstand at the back to support the phone while watching videos. The audio quality is great, the display is brilliant and overall the Sony Ericsson W995 is a superb all-round multimedia device for Rs. 24,000. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Camera Phone - Samsung Ultra Touch (Rs. 22,000)

One look at the Samsung Ultra Touch and you can tell this is one of those stylish fashion phones that will be all show and no go. However, that can't be farther from the truth in case of the Ultra Touch. The Ultra Touch has the same 8 MP camera found on the Pixon and the INNOV8, which in other words is guaranteed to deliver excellent performance.

Now it might seem odd as to why one would want to spend more over the Pixon to get the Ultra Touch as it has basically the same camera quality. However, for the added price you do get a better design and the fabulous AMOLED display which is far better than the one on the Pixon. So if you want a camera phone in the 20-25 thousand price bracket, then the Samsung Ultra Touch is the one to go for. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Business Phone - BlackBerry Curve 8900 (Rs. 24,000)

A full QWERTY keypad, the BlackBerry mail service, Wi-Fi and a good web browser, and a document viewer for your office document files. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 has all the right ingredients that make a good business phone. But the 8900 is a pretty decent all-round phone with a nice and attractive design, a high resolution display and impressive multimedia performance, which makes its slightly premium pricing seem pretty decent value. Still, even if you don't care much about the multimedia performance, do remember this is a BlackBerry phone after all and it won't disappoint you when you need to send that important email to someone. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best All-round Phone - Nokia N86 8MP (Rs. 24,000)

The N86's spec sheet speaks for itself about its multimedia capabilities. However, what is more impressive is that its performance manages to stay true to the promises that the spec sheet makes. Easily one of the best all-round phones that you can get today, the multimedia performance of this phone is also nothing short of being impressive. Whether it is the 8 Megapixel camera, the superb display quality, the excellent music playback - thanks to the 3.5mm headphone jack, dedicated music keys and wide audio format support, 8 GB built-in memory or the N-Gage gaming support.

Add to it the fact that it is a smart phone, which means you can install video players for playing more formats than what the phone supports and you have a winner in your hands. And one more thing; there is a little stand at the back to prop up the phone on a table, so you can enjoy your videos at a nice angle. All this for about Rs. 24,000. To know more about this mobile click here.

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Phones Over Rs. 25,000:

Best Music Phones - Apple iPhone 3G (Rs. 31,000)

A list of top mobile phones can hardly be complete without the mention of the Apple iPhone. Sure the iPhone 3G may not have a really high resolution camera or a powerful set of loudspeakers. However, it does have a brilliant, large touch screen display, which makes your photos, videos or album art come to life. The phone has the best audio quality and the music player interface, especially the Cover Flow is a joy to use.
The integrated iTunes store lets you download content such as podcasts, etc. directly to your device. The YouTube app lets you watch your favorite videos online by streaming them to your iPhone. These things make up for what the iPhone might lack in other areas making it one of the best multimedia phones that you can buy today. The Apple iPhone 3G is priced at Rs. 31,000.To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Camera Phone - Samsung Pixon 12 (Rs. 29,990)

The country's only 12 Megapixel phone so far, the Samsung Pixon 12 enjoys some amount of exclusivity. But it isn't just because of the extra megapixels why the Pixon 12 finds a place in this list. The Samsung Pixon 12 has a 28mm wide-angle lens which means you'll be capturing a wider area, great for those landscape shots. The phone also comes armed with an auto lens cover that slides open when the camera starts and a xenon flash for low-light photography.

It also comes armed with the latest in camera software features, which include tracking touch focus, face, smile and blink detection, beauty shot, image stabilization and geo tagging. The phone can also record videos in WVGA (720 x 480) resolution at 30 FPS. Overall, a very high quality camera phone for those who won't settle for anything less. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best Business phone - BlackBerry Bold 9000 (Rs. 33,000)

The big brother of the Curve 8900, the Bold does everything that the 8900 does and more. For starters it has a more spacious keypad than the 8900 which makes it more conducive to typing long messages. It also has a slightly bigger display and more importantly 3G and HSDPA connectivity. The rear cover has a more premium feel thanks to the leather finish. A true blue business phone that also works as a good multimedia phone at a pinch. The BlackBerry Bold 9000 is our choice for the best business phone above Rs. 25,000. To know more about this mobile click here.

Best All-round Phone - Nokia N97 (Rs. 31,000)

The N97 is Nokia's flagship multimedia phone and not without a reason. It incorporates features such as a huge 3.5" touchscreen display, a 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus and flash along with Carl Zeiss optics, 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers for music lovers and a massive 32GB of internal memory and the ability to expand it further by 16 GB to an absurd 48 GB of storage.

But it isn't just multimedia that the N97 is adept at. The full QWERTY keypad which slides out from under the display makes typing emails and SMSs a pleasure and the phone has an excellent web browser that makes the Internet look just like it would on your computer with full Flash support. Then there are other features such as GPS, Wi-Fi and a built-in digital compass.

It would be hard to find a phone with as broad range of talents as the Nokia N97 combining multimedia, business, Internet and navigation all in one phone with absolute ease. And it is for this reason I believe the Nokia N97 is the best all-round phone to buy for those with a budget of more than Rs. 25,000. To know more about this mobile click here.

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So there you have it, the top phones that are available in the country today. I really hope this guide helps you in getting the right phone. In the end all that really matters to us is that our readers make an informed choice when it comes to buying a technological product and enjoy it to the fullest.

Disclaimer : Prices are indicative only, author don’t take the responsibilities of prices and/or the specifications of the products. :)

Meet the teens CEOs…

2009-11-09T10:20:00.001+05:30

Some days before, one of my friends have shared with me a great article about the new teens CEOs of India which was published on Economic Times website. The article was very interesting and inspirational. Hence, I would like to share the same with you guys….

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After the daily grind of school and tuitions, most kids prefer to wind down by harvesting virtual strawberries on Farmville.

But some would rather make money. Meet a new breed of teens who are already CEOs of their own companies. Their success shows that you don’t need a fancy MBA to be an entrepreneur, only broadband and some out-of-the-box thinking.

MOOLAH ROUGE: Mohnish Nagpal, 17 years

Mohnish doesn’t take a break after college. He starts work at 5.30 pm when his target audience in the US wakes up and logs on to the internet. Nagpal makes money online by telling others how to make money online. His blog: Sensonize.com.
One of his posts, for instance, gives tips to teens who can do with some extra money. It lists blogging , affiliate marketing, paid surveys and writing articles for directories as some of the ways of making money. “Very few people know that you can even earn by tweeting,” he says. With a steady five-figure income, he doesn’t have to worry about pocket money. He even bought himself a six-gear mountain bike recently. “Every time someone clicks an advert on my blog, I get paid for it,’’ he smiles.
This year, Nagpal, who first earned Rs 5,000 off the internet at 13, started Limespace Networks, a website-hosting company that caters to 35 customers . A student of commerce and IT at MMK College in Mumbai, the teenager, who wants to retire at 25, doesn’t think about the future much. His wish may well come true. He has already made it to a list of top international bloggers aged 21 or under on Retireat21.com, a forum for internet entrepreneurs.

GEEK GOD: Monik Pamecha, 13 years

If you don’t find 13-year-old Monik Pamecha in his room at his Santa Cruz home, look for him at his Wi-Fi-enabled terrace. For, when it gets noisy, this blogger likes to escape upstairs, sit on the water tank and dash out posts to his subscriber base of 16,000.
The self-proclaimed geek runs technology website etiole.com, a networking site for “geeks” called iluvtech.org and URL shortening service hop.im. Pamecha’s sites are so popular he’s regularly visited by PR executives of gadget companies who deliver their latest products at his doorstep in anticipation of a review on his five-year-old blog, Etiole. The blog has 26 other authors who he has recruited from around the world. Each gets paid from the advertising income generated by the website traffic they attract. Apart from reviews, Pamecha posts technology tips. One of his posts is on “five places where you should not keep your iPhone” .
Not content with three websites to his name, Pamecha, a student of Lilavatibai Podar School in Mumbai, is all set to launch a media-sharing website. But he says he couldn’t have achieved so much without his father’s support. Manoj Pamecha bankrolls his son’s ventures, buys him gadgets and advises him on how to take “calculated business risks”.

MEDIA PLAYER: Farrhad Acidwalla, 15 years

Founder-CEO of Rockstah Media, Farrhad Acidwalla has converted his Dadar Parsi Colony house in Mumbai into a workstation for his web development and media company. Staying up all night on his Mac Book Pro is a habit he’s acquired after three years of juggling business and homework . Acidwalla earned his first cheque at the age of 13.
“I created an aeromodelling and aviation website that attracted a lot of attention and sold it later,” says the HR College student who has a long list of clients including corporates. “I have just bagged clients from the education industry in UK,” he says.
Today, the self-taught web-developer works with a team of web designers, developers, search engine specialists and social media marketers to build and promote websites. He swears by his company’s slogan, “creating awesomeness” , and looks up to fellow web-based businessmen like Ayush Software’s Karamveer Singh, Kratee’s Annkur Agarwal and Mouth Shut’s Faisal Farooqui. “Being young is an added advantage as I can come up with many innovative ideas,” he says.

LOGO MOTIVES: Tanay Jaipuria, 16 years

Tanay Jaipuria runs TJ Dzine, a company that provides web design, graphic design and search engine optimisation services . He spends 20 hours a week on his business and occasionally sacrifices eating out and catching a movie with friends to meet deadlines. Last year, the Mumbaikar designed 25 logos and created ten websites . He charges between $75- $100 for a logo and $250- $300 for a website.
But for NGOs, he designs websites for free. Last year, Jaipuria earned a fourfigure income, that too in dollars. He used a third of it to buy the latest software and cover business expenses. “I saved most of the rest, although I have used some of the money to buy games for my PlayStation,’’ he admits.
Jaipuria dreams of studying computer engineering and starting a business venture in the manner of Silicon Valley start-ups . His idol is 13-year-old Jason O’Neill , who became an entrepreneur at nine when he started Pencilbugs. “But my role model is Apple’s Steve Jobs,” he says. “He has taught me a valuable lesson — that technology and management are both important for any successful product.”

IT boy: Suhas Gopinath, 23 years

Suhas Gopinath is not a regular 23-year-old . At the age of 14, he was recognised as the world’s youngest certified professional web-developer . Today he is the chairman and CEO of Globals Inc, an IT consulting company that specialises in web-related services.
Gopinath began his journey at an internet cafe in Bangalore where he struck a deal with the cyber cafe owner and offered to run the place during lunch if internet use was made free for him. “With internet charges at Rs 10 per hour and pocket money of Rs 25 a month, I needed to maximise every opportunity I got,” he says. Of course, things were not easy back then. “It was very hard for me to convince companies to take my services,” says the boy who once dreamed of becoming a vet. “Every one of them asked for my academic qualification and would feel insecure when they realised a high school kid wanted to be their freelance web developer.”
The first website Gopinath created was called Coolhindustan. “But, of course, Hindustan is much cooler today, thanks to the power of the youth,” he says.

Creativity at its Extreme..... Njoy...

2009-10-15T14:35:00.002+05:30

I Loved You……

2009-09-28T10:05:00.023+05:30

After the last post of Thursday (Regarding Hieroglyphics), I was quite happy as I was going to my hometown day after tomorrow to be with my sweet family. Recently my company declared 2nd and 4th Saturdays as holidays hence I got three continue offs which was like a celebration for me after the hectic work load. However, as usual I was not able to book my ticket for the trip due to my unplanned working pattern. Fortunately at the last moment I got reservation in the bus of a travel agency.

The bus was like the Dhanno (Horse cart) of Basanti (Remember Shole?). The co passengers were also Basanti type, I mean continuous speaking, quarreling. The great chaos like “Subjimandi” or “Machhibazar”. I thought before reaching home I will either be mad or have a heart attack. I put the ear phones of my mobile and started listening some nice songs. All of a sudden I put on the FM radio of the mobile and to my great surprise the signals were loud and clear. That time I was on the highway where normally no radio signals shall be received. And further the song playing was my favorite “My heart.. go on.. – Titanic”.

This incident pulled me towards the past and I was surrounded by the remembrances of my girlfriend (may be EX – girlfriend !!!) with whom the memories of this song were attached. Everything around stopped and I lost. Song finished with wet eyes. I found that the emotions were taking a shape in mind and I started putting them down on paper. Finally, it has taken a shape of a poem but still lots of the VOCAB and grammatical corrections were required.

After reaching home I again worked on the same and finally I was able to wrote down my very first poem and I wanted to share the same with you my dear friends. Please don’t go through the words or other mistakes instead go through the emotions. And ya, give your honest comments on the same.

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I Loved You…

One day, I realized out of the blue

I found lots reasons for choosing YOU;

Gradually had couple of grounds for staying,

Merely with YOU was worth everything;

Thousand precious moments I found,

Certainly proved our love had abound;

The reason why with YOU I was enjoying,

Coz’ each moments with YOU were worth keeping.

Great struggles and pains fly with a mere kiss,

That’s why with each other we found genuine bliss;

Simple things together were the best things,

Especially the lovely and sweet nothings;

I could never afford to lose you BABE.

I even wished that goodbyes you would never bade;

I knew that tomorrow is quite unsure,

However, I’d keep and hold you at all measure.

Until this very day,

I don’t want you astray,

Hope that you will always stay,

Simply because I love you,

I truly do.

- Saurabh (" ")

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Hieroglyphics – Sacred Carving

2009-09-24T16:35:00.001+05:30

Hi pals.. a few days back, I was interacting with some Egyptian Executives. We were discussing about the recent news of the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC), the nearly monopolist electricity company of Egypt, requires around 1500 MW of projects every year. Out of this as per the Egyptian Government, around 145 MW of projects every year should be from renewable energy such as Wind, Solar etc.

After finishing our conversation regarding the energy projects I have asked them about Hieroglyphics, the word I have read in History subject during my school days. Meaning of Hieroglyphics is “Sacred Carving”. It was the ancient formal written language of Egypt. This is the same language which was written on the Pyramids and Sphinks and other ancient Egyptian structures.

They were quite happy by hearing this word from me as it was a very holistic language for Egyptians. They given me lots of interesting and useful information of the language and also sent me a mail which was showing the meaning of each alphabets of Hieroglyphics in English. I have posted it here to share with you guys.

The written Egyptian language, hieroglyphics, is made up of three types of symbols. Alphabetic signs correspond to a letter or sound produced by that sign. Syllabic symbols stand for sounds produced by a group of letters, a syllable. Determinative signs relate to a specific object or idea, such as man, woman, and water. Hieroglyphics can be read from left to right, right to left, or top to bottom. The direction depends on the direction the symbols are facing.

Below is the flash file, sent by the Egyptian executives, which shows the alphabets of Egyptian language and their English Counterpart.

After reading this stuff, you must be eager to know that How your or your loved one’s name will look like in Hieroglyphics Language. Below is the link where you can enter your name in English and find out how your name will be written in Hieroglyphics. My name in Hieroglyphics is:

http://www.discoveringegypt.com/e-name.htm

So guys, have fun with Hieroglyphics and pl not forget to comment about the post. And hey don’t write any bad word for this post otherwise remember Mummy Returns ! ! !?

References

http://www.greatscott.com/hiero/

China’s Border Violations – Trade Politics?

2009-09-20T14:58:00.001+05:30

Last night when I came from Office, I was tired like anything. As per the policy of my office, work load comes un-noticed that too in unexpected quantity. Same was happened with me on Saturday. As it was the first day of one of my favorite festivals “NAVRATRI”, I was eagerly waiting for the evening to come so that I can go to play “Dandiya”. But, due the hectic work of the day, I decided go to the next day. I came home and thought to go to sleep after dinner. However, while watching TV during dinner I seen news of recent tussle between India-China and thought to do a little research on the same. So after dinner I sat on my DELL Laptop and started searching news regarding the tussle between Dragon and Tiger. I got a lot of interesting information and decided to put on the blog to share with you guys.

India and China, as they say the two rising super powers of Asia Pacific Region. Together accounting for 2.5 billion people, China and India are today the engines of growth in the midst of rapid economic transformation in the global economy. In fact, driven by India and China, the emerging Asian economies are no longer witnessing a slump, as per a report by the UK financial services major Barclays. According to most of the economists, in the fight with the recent recession, India and China played a major role.

Comparing the India and China, both the countries are superior to each other in certain things. Hence, being two major economies of a continent and being neighbors, they compete each other in the remaining things.

India is currently a IT Super Power in world. Also, India has overtaken China in Auto Exports. There are numbers of other things where India is growing rapidly to overtake China.

Among the most encouraging recent developments in India China Economy and India-China ties is the rapid increase in bilateral trade. A few years ago, India Inc had a fear of being swamped by Chinese imports. Today, India enjoys a positive balance of trade with China.In 2004, India's total trade to China crossed US $13.6 billion, with Indian exports to China touching $ 7677.43 million and imports from china at US $ 5926.67 million. But major industry players in India feel there is no need to give the Chinese a free ride into the domestic market so early. This is particularly, when India and China have been directly competing across several product categories. And that too, when both the applied and bound import tariffs are higher in India compared with China. Indian industry's ambivalence over the proposed Indo-China FTA stems from concerns over previous FTAs signed by the government. There's a feeling that some of these FTAs were signed in haste, and without adequate homework. Result: There has been confusion about the country of origin issue as well as the items to be put in the early harvest lists.

India and China are gearing up for a showdown, one that might go all the way to the World Trade Organization, over India's increasing reluctance to allow Chinese imports to flood the Indian market. The seemingly incongruous export item that raised hackles this time around? Chinese plastic toys, which have captured anywhere between 60% and 90% of its $2.5 billion toy market, depending on whose numbers you trust. On Jan. 23 the Indian government imposed a six-month ban on the imports of Chinese-made toys.

Toys may be just the beginning. Officials in India's Ministry of Trade confirm the Indian government has been collecting data and passing them to Chinese counterparts in several sectors where New Delhi plans either to ban or restrict Chinese imports. Whether India proceeds with such restrictions depends in part on its success at the WTO dispute settlement hearing that China threatens against the toy ban. India already has 10 anti-dumping investigations under way into Chinese-made products as varied as penicillin, steel used for car manufacturing, and even linen.

In retaliation, on Feb. 4 the official Chinese government newspaper, the China Daily, reported that Beijing is considering appealing to the World Trade Organization to overturn the measure as an unfair trade restriction.As being superior in military power, China also tried to pressure India by doing border violations. The Indian Army recorded 270 border violations and nearly 2,300 cases of “aggressive border patrolling” by Chinese soldiers last year.

China is also trying to abase India using its trading powers. Earlier this year, it has tried to block a $2.9 billion dollar Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to India. It said part of the loan was intended for water projects in Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Tawang, an area which the Communist nation says is disputed. Also, China, in May 2007, refused to grant visa to an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh.

India has publicly said that it is committed to improving infrastructure along its border with China in order to help its armed forces. Could the Chinese be warning India not to go any further and give a comfortable passage to enter in domestic market?

Friends give your honest comments on the same…….

Wanna do business ? where?

2009-09-10T14:33:00.001+05:30

Internal Finance Corporation (IFC) a member of the World Bank Group publishes report on ranking of various economies around the glob in terms of ease of starting and doing business. The publishing of the report has been first started in the year 2004. A latest report on “Doing Business 2010” has been published recently. This report is significantly important following the recent backdrop of a global economic crisis. Accordingly, the report has covered almost more than 70% of the 183 economies around the world. According to the report, governments have set new trends in business regulation reform as a record 131 economies around the globe reformed business regulation in 2008/09.

‘Doing Business 2010: Reforming through Difficult Times’ recorded 287 reforms between June 2008 and May 2009, up 20 per cent from the previous year. Reformers around the world focused on making it easier to start and operate businesses, strengthening property rights, and improving commercial dispute resolution and bankruptcy procedures.

Following are the top 10 economies as per the report.

1. Singapore, a consistent reformer, has emerged as the top-ranked economy on the ease of doing business for the fourth year in a row.

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 1
Starting a Business Rank - 4

2. New Zealand as runner-up

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 2
Starting a Business Rank - 1

3. Hong Kong, China

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 3
Starting a Business Rank – 18

4. United States

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 4
Starting a Business Rank – 8

5. United Kingdom

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 5
Starting a Business Rank – 16

6. Denmark

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 6
Starting a Business Rank – 28

7. Ireland

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 7
Starting a Business Rank – 9

8. Canada

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 8
Starting a Business Rank – 2

9. Australia

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 9
Starting a Business Rank – 3

10. Norway

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 10
Starting a Business Rank – 35

133. India

Ease of Doing Business Rank – 133
Starting a Business Rank – 169

So Guys, decide where you wanna start your business ! ! ! ! !

Twine - organize, share, discover info of interest

2009-09-05T14:37:00.001+05:30

Hi guys, I have found an amazing website, TWINE, which understands your interests and helps you to discover, organize and share the information related to your interests.

The features I have explored about Twine are:

keep track of interests. Twine is a new way for you to collect online content – videos, photos, articles, Web pages, products - and bring it all together by topic, so you can have it in one place and share it with anyone you want.

Beauty of Twine. It helps you collect information in a new, highly personalized, convenient way. You can use Twine alone, with friends, groups and communities, or even in your company.

Smart. It’s powered by semantic understanding, which means Twine gets to know you. It automatically learns about your interests and makes connections and recommendations tailored to you. The best part: The more you use Twine, the more useful it becomes.

Also, Twine ties it all together

Collect content. Join a twine on any subject or start your own to track your interests. Twine organizes your content by topic, so you can keep track of it and share it with anyone you want.

Share interests. The Twine community is interested in the same things you are. Find people who are passionate about your interests. Join conversations. Learn something new. Share things you find with relevant communities.

Get custom recommendations. The more you use Twine, the smarter it gets. Fill out your profile to discover new info and interests through Twine’s personalized recommendations.

So Guys, I recommend to use Twine to explore and keep track of the information of your interest.

To join my Twine, click on this link.http://www.twine.com/user/ssm4683.

Coolest Collection of ‘404 Error’ Images

2009-09-05T12:40:00.001+05:30

404 error pages play extremely vital role in bringing natural guests back. Keeping a excellent informative picture + link to home page/some well-liked article is not a bad idea. So here is the coolest collection of 404 images.

Wish you enjoyed the album. Making use of 404 error page is a good solution and keep website guests back. Happy Blogging!!

Payment Transfer Job Scam Emails - Laundering Scams

2009-09-05T11:24:00.001+05:30

Summary:
Scammers are using unsolicited email "job offers" to trick recipients into falling for payment transfer scams. The victim is promised a percentage of the payments transferred. However, the scheme is usually a method of "laundering" stolen money and victims may be unwittingly participating in illegal activities

Subject: PART-TIME JOB OPPORTUNITY
Dear Sir,Madam,
We are small new firm engaged in export of goods to overseas outside my country.We have won various small exports contract at one time or the other, recently we were (engaged) contracted to supply financial programs for market analyzing, management project software in USA which was successfully done.
Unfortunately we have faced some difficulties while receiving payment for our software in our country as need 10-30 days to get a payment from your country. We do not have so much time to accept wire transfers and can't accept cashiers checks and money orders as well. So we need your help to accept this payments in your country faster. If you are looking to make additional profit we will accept you as our representative in your country. You will keep 10% of each deal we conduct.
Your part is very important to accept funds and forward it to us. It is not a full time work but a very convenient and fast additional income. We therefore solicit your assistance to help remit this money , I would want you to submit to us via mail to [Address removed] the following information which includes
1 Your Full Name
2 Your Contact Address
3 Telephone number/Fax
4.Yahoo or MSN ID.
Your country of living
Please respond ASAP and you will get additional details on how you can become our representative. Joining us and starting business today will cost you nothing, just some extra income for you.
Thanks for your vivid co-operation.
Manager,
SMITH BAMI
Director of ENFOSOFT Marketing Dept.

Commentary:
Bogus "job offers" like the one shown above are becoming increasingly more common. These "job offer" emails usually ask recipients to accept cash or cheque payments into their bank accounts and then wire-transfer the payment to the "company" running the scam. The victim is instructed to keep a specified percentage of the transferred funds as payment.

Typically, the scammers claim that there is some impediment, such as slow processing or currency conversion problems, which stops them from accepting overseas payments in their country. Therefore, they claim, they need an overseas "agent" who can accept payments and then forward these payments back to them in an acceptable format such as a wire transfer. However, the real purpose of such schemes is generally to "launder" stolen funds by making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to follow the money trail.

Money stolen from bank accounts, proceeds from online fraud, and payments for nonexistent items sold on eBay may end up in the agent's account for "sanitation". For example, the criminal may transfer funds from a bank account recently compromised by a phishing attack into the "agent's" personal account. The agent will then subtract his or her percentage and wire the remaining stolen money overseas to the criminal. Thus, the money trail may lead police directly to the agent. Meanwhile, the criminal has been able to collect the stolen funds unhindered and can simply disappear if things get hot. On the other hand, the hapless agent is now an accessory to serious criminal activity and may ultimately be charged accordingly. Effectively, the agent becomes a "mule" to be used at will by the criminals responsible. In some cases, the agent may be asked to "re-ship" stolen goods and equipment as well as transfer payments. The agent may become more and more embroiled in the shady world of international cyber crime until he or she realizes what is happening or is left "holding the bundle" when the police arrive. Acting on what looks like a good opportunity may ultimately become an enduring nightmare for the victim. He or she may end up losing integrity and personal funds, and have to face very serious legal consequences.

Sadly, there are plenty of recipients naive enough to take these offers as genuine and apply for the "job". At face value, it may seem like an easy and legitimate way of making extra money. The criminals may directly target potential victims by responding to "work wanted" ads or resumes posted online. In other cases, they may randomly distribute thousands of "job offer" emails in the hope of netting just a few people foolish enough to take the bait.

Job scam spam takes many forms. While some such emails may be fairly easily identified by poor spelling and grammar and far-fetched cover stories, others may be quite sophisticated and even include seemingly official logos and company information. Regardless of how believable a job offer may seem, recipients should keep the following points in mind:

Any company or organization that expects you to accept payments into a personal account and then forward it elsewhere should be treated with the utmost suspicion.
No legitimate company is ever likely to employ someone to handle money transfers, sight unseen, via an unsolicited email. Employees that handle large sums of the company's money are sure to be well vetted beforehand and well-qualified for the tasks involved.
Funds transfers might be part of a legitimate job, but such transfers would always use the company's own bank accounts, not the employee's personal account.
No legitimate company is going to "pay" an employee by allowing him or her to keep a percentage of funds to be transferred.
In a progressively global economy, there are many ways for a company to accept overseas payments. Any claim that a company needs an individual to handle such payments via a personal bank account is likely to be bogus.

All unsolicited job offers that arrive via email should be treated with extreme caution. Do not reply to such emails or provide any personal information to their senders. Aside from the money-laundering ruse, scammers may also use job offer emails to trick victims into revealing sensitive personal information. Over repeated emails, the scammer may gain enough information to steal the victim's identity. The scammers may also trick victims into paying upfront fees for bogus "training" or "job manuals" or trick them into transferring their own funds while waiting for a stolen cheque to clear.

The best thing to do with such job offer emails is to simply hit the "Delete" key.

References:
Avoiding Online Job Scams:Critical Tips for Job Seekers
Online job seeker says she was duped into scam
Cybercrooks lure citizens into international crime
Job offer spam: Processing payments

Shark Attacking Helicopter Photograph….

2009-09-05T11:16:00.001+05:30

We all must have sometime received a photograph showing a giant shark attacking on a crew member who is suspended on Helicopter ladder.

This photograph supposedly depicts a very large shark leaping out of the water to attack a crewmember suspended on a ladder beneath a Navy helicopter. However, the image is in fact a combination of two entirely unrelated photographs. Both the helicopter with dangling crewmember and the breaching shark are real photographs, but they were not taken at the same time or at the same location.
Back in 2001, a prankster apparently created the composite image using two genuine photographs and it has been circulating sporadically ever since, along with a plausible cover story. In June 2007, enquires and site search results indicated that the hoax was on the move.

The photograph of the helicopter was taken by Lance Cheung during a military exercise in San Francisco and shows a HH-60G Pave Hawk US Air Force helicopter. The Golden Gate Bridge is clearly visible in the photograph's background. The prankster has reversed the original helicopter image to better suit his or her creation.

Image credit: Lance Cheung/US Air Force

The photograph of the leaping shark was taken by photographer Charles Maxwell in False Bay, South Africa. The same photograph can be seen on Charles Maxwell's website:

Image credit: Charles Maxwell

The description that accompanies the hoax picture claims that it was nominated by National Geographic as "The photo of the year". Of course, this claim is as fake as the image itself. In response, National Geographic published an article denying the "photo of the year" claim and debunking the hoax.

Although the image is a hoax, it is nevertheless a remarkable piece of work. Most likely, it will continue to circulate for years to come.

References:

Shark "Photo of the Year" Is E-Mail Hoax
Charles Maxwell - Underwater Video Services

H1N1 ? What about H5N1 ?

2009-09-04T17:27:00.002+05:30

Forget H1N1, there’s an H5N1 for you to worry about now! In all the panic about swine flu, doctors across the globe are warning of confusing the symptoms of H1N1 for meningitis – a far more deadly and dangerous disease, and also the one without a vaccine.

Symptoms

The symptoms for Swine Flu and Meningitis are largely the same – ranging from fevers, body aches, fevers and cold hands and feet. As the vacation period across the world comes to an end and people return from holidaying in far flung places, holiday makers are thought to be potentially contagious and capable of spreading the disease, making doctors brace for a second global outbreak.

In India

In April, 2009, a severe meningitis outbreak hit Tripura and Meghalaya, with the government undertaking a drive to vaccinate the entire population with the World Health Organization chipping in with 3.5 lakh vaccines. The fatal bacterial infection had sprung up in Tripura since January 2009 which recorded 126 confirmed Meningitis cases and 33 deaths by April. The last major Meningitis outbreak to strike India was in 2005, with over 80 people dying in the capital alone.

Origin and Transmission

Meningitis is usually caused by either bacteria or a virus. Viral Meningitis is more common than bacterial but is rarely life-threatening. Meningitis caused by bacteria tends to be more serious. Broadly, there are two types of bacterial disease: Meningococcal and Pneumococcal. Vaccines exist for both. Most cases of Meningococcal meningitis can be treated with antibiotics, but it is important to catch the disease early.

Effects

Meningitis can kill in under four hours and parents should be watchful for the disease. The disease, which affects children and teenagers the most, can be fatal if not immediately diagnosed. Typical symptoms of meningitis include a headache, stiff neck and a dislike of bright light. Other symptoms are difficulty supporting own weight, fever, vomiting and diarrhea, confusion and drowsiness.

How Girls Understand...

2009-06-26T11:05:00.002+05:30

Jai Ho.... India fastest growing Economy till 2010...WB

2009-06-23T15:50:00.000+05:30

India may have lost the world Twenty20 championship, but it is all set to emerge as the world's champion economy by 2010, says the World Bank.

India is projected to become the fastest-growing economy in the world by 2010, clocking a growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of 8 per cent.

China would by then have been pipped to second place, with a GDP growth rate of 7.5 per cent in 2010, says the World Bank's report 'Global Development Finance 2009', released on Monday.

This means that India is likely to be the country to have rebounded the fastest from the shattering impact of the global financial meltdown.

Although the global lending agency has painted an unusually stark picture of the state of the world's economy, and has sharply increased its estimate of the impact of recession on global economic growth as a whole, India and China have emerged as beacons of hope amidst the prevailing gloom.

For the world economy as a whole, the report has sharply increased its estimate of the slowdown.

World GDP is now estimated by the bank's economists to shrink by 2.9 per cent in 2009, sharply up from its earlier projection of a 1.7 per cent decline.

For 2009, the World Bank has projected 5.1 per cent GDP growth for India, the slowest in six years. However, the bank gives its projections for the calendar year, while the government gives data for the financial year.

Historically, the World Bank has tended to be somewhat conservative with its India numbers. India's economy grew by 6.9 per cent in 2008-09 - the government itself had predicted 6.7 per cent growth - against the Bank's projection of 6.1 per cent for 2008.

In the interim Budget presented this year, the government has estimated GDP growth at seven per cent, eight per cent and nine per cent for the years 2009- 10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively.

"If the green shoots persist, 6.5 per cent is doable for the current financial year," said Shubhada Rao, chief economist of Yes Bank. She felt that any fiscal stimulus from the government will work best if focused on areas which can become self sustaining.

Boosted by the two Asian powerhouses, developing economies as a whole are expected to grow by 1.2 per cent this year.

If these two countries are excluded, GDP in the other developing countries would actually shrink by 1.6 per cent, throwing millions more into poverty and heightening the risk of financial instability in the region, the report warned.

In fact, India and China could together help power the world out of recession.

"Developing countries can become a key driving force in the recovery, assuming their domestic investments rebound with international support, including a resumption in the flow of international credit," said Justin Lin, World Bank chief economist and senior vice president, Development Economics.

This view is echoed by India Inc. Said Anjan Roy, adviser, economic affairs at trade body FICCI, "Undoubtedly, the economies of India and China are bright spots in the present economic environment.

In case of India, the inherent domestic consumer market is a big pull factor. The economy also has a fairly balanced structure in which industry, services and consumption are evenly placed. In case of China, the economy is heavily dependent on exports but it has launched massive stimulus packages that will see the economy through in turbulent times." The rapid rebound in India and China is expected to change the fortunes of the rest of the world's economies. With India projected to grow at eight per cent and 8.5 per cent in 2010 and 2011 respectively, and China predicted to clock 7.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent growth rates during the same period, the rest of the world is also expected to hit positive territory as far as growth is concerned, although at a much slower pace.

World GDP, after shrinking 2.9 per cent - the worst fall in record - is expected to grow by two per cent and 2.3 per cent in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

"To break the cycle and revive lending and growth, bold policy measures, along with substantial international coordination, are needed," the World Bank said.

The big worry is the huge ballooning in money supply world-wide, due to the massive stimulus packages auctioned by most countries, including India.

With recovery, this poses the threat of a massive surge in inflation, which will have to be tackled with policies which soak up the excess money without crimping growth.

"To prevent a second wave of instability, policies have to focus rapidly on financial sector reform and support for the poorest countries," said Hans Timmer, director of the bank's Prospects Group.

"The worst of the contraction in global GDP is over and we may see some more green shoots of recovery as destocking gives way to inventory rebuilding and fiscal and monetary stimulus starts to have an impact. However, growth over the next two years will be marked by a high degree of volatility, with a substantial slowdown of quarter- on- quarter growth rates once stimulus fades," warned Manoj Vohra, director of research at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Source: Business Today

Todays News Brief - 22nd June 09

2009-06-22T17:02:00.000+05:30

POWER

Only 2,940 MW added during the 10th Plan

The Andhra Pradesh Government has admitted that the State could achieve a capacity addition of only 2,940 MW against the programmed capacity addition of 4, 257 MW during the Tenth Plan period. The low realisation of capacity addition was mainly due to failure in gas supply by State-owned fuel suppliers. Till now, around 2,000 MW capacity is lying idle for want of gas, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has said.

During the 11th plan (2007-12), it is proposed to add 13,661 MW capacity under State, Central and private sectors. So far, 1,190 MW has been added, bringing the total capacity in the State to 13,186 MW, an official release said. more...

EU sees potential for renewable energy tie-ups

With the European Union charting out a strategy to ensure 20 per cent of its energy requirement comes from renewable energy sources by 2020, opportunities for cooperation in wind and photovoltaic power generation segments are set to grow.

A decision to ensure that there is increased contribution from renewable energy sources was taken in late 2008. This presents opportunities for vendors to explore opportunities, according to senior officials from the European Commission. Explaining some of the recent initiatives by the EU at a seminar hosted by European Commission in Hyderabad, its representatives said most member-States have begun to subsidise solar and wind power generation, which continues to be a high-cost energy option at this point. more...

INFRASTRUCTURE

Highway developers up in arms against new threshold limit clause

The highway developers’ lobby body – National Highways Builders Federation (NHBF) – has written to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Road Transport Ministry against a clause on technical threshold capacity in the new request for qualification (RFQ) set for highway projects. According to the new threshold limit clause, in order to bid for a project of a certain total cost, the bidder should have had the experience of implementing projects at least twice that cost in the preceding five years. In the earlier version of the RFQ, the clause stated that the bidder should have collected an amount equivalent to the project cost in the five-year preceding period. more...

ECONOMY

‘Economic slowdown throws up challenges as well as opportunities’

Economic slowdown – both local and global – throws up challenges as well as opportunities for corporates and the policy-makers. This view was expressed by several speakers at a seminar organised by Confederation of Indian Industry here on Friday.

Mr Kurush Grant, Deputy Chairman of CII (ER), said the industry and business houses should conceive strategies to avail themselves of opportunities for growth and expansion at this juncture. The unsettled economic conditions would also present opportunities for cheaper recruitment of talented professionals from firms that were struggling, he added. “Companies should at this point identify and resolve critical issues to protect themselves against value erosion. A holistic review of the ability of the company to access, manage and release cash along with controlling costs is important in managing risks from changes in market forces,” he added. more...

Indian economy returning to potential growth path: Goldman

The Indian economy and the financial sector are returning to a "potential growth path" after adjusting to intense dislocation in the global economic environment, financial services major Goldman Sachs said. "We believe the Indian economy and the financial sector are returning back to a potential growth path, post a period of adjustment to the intense dislocation in the global economic environment," Goldman Sachs said in a report.

Goldman expects its net income growth for the financial sector to rebound to 32 percent in 2010, from one percent in 2009. The firm further said it is turning constructive on the Indian financial sector due to improving outlook for the macroeconomic environment, positive impact of a decisive election outcome on potential policy action and government agenda as well as on business confidence. more...

POLITICS

Change mindset, promote young leaders: Advani

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani Sunday asserted that the party's leadership should shed its "train compartment mentality" and evolve a system to encourage young leaders. Delivering the concluding address to the party's two-day national executive meeting here, Advani said: "The party has to urgently evolve a system of encouraging younger leaders at all levels. "But I have heard many young activists tell me that they are not given opportunity to serve the party more effectively," said Advani, 81. He lamented: "It is sad that a certain 'train compartment mentality' has got developed within the party, which makes those in leadership positions to ignore promising, talented and committed cadres who are standing 'outside' and waiting for the door to open." more...

Naxal situation in Lalgarh still sensitive: Chidambaram

The situation in West Bengal's Lalgarh area, where security forces are fighting to clear a Maoist siege, is "sensitive" and "tense", home minister P Chidambaram said on Sunday while asking political leaders to avoid going to the conflict zones. "The situation in Lalgarh is sensitive and continues to be tense," he said while also making a reference to a call for a two-day bandh from Monday given by the CPI-Maoist in five naxal-affected states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal.. "I appeal to all citizens especially political leaders, NGOs and others not to go to the conflict areas," he said in a statement here. more...

TELECOM

RCom, China Mobile in tie-up talks

Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Communications (RCom) has started preliminary talks with China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile company, for a strategic alliance and possible equity participation of 5 to 6 per cent. In February, Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile’s chairman and CEO, told Business Standard at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the company was keen to expand to India. China Mobile has over 450 million subscribers.RCom, which offers CDMA mobile telecom services and started GSM services a few months ago, has over 70 million customers. more...

DoT mulls revamping spectrum management body

The Department of Telecom is planning a complete revamp of the Wireless Planning Coordination wing in order to improve spectrum management and better the processes being followed currently. One of the proposals under the plan is to push for a comprehensive Spectrum Act through an Act of the Parliament providing a legal basis for taking away spectrum from operators which do not use it efficiently. “There is at present no statute specifically designed to create the structure of rights and obligations on spectrum licences on the lines of those existing in other countries. There is also a need to constantly compare the amount of spectrum assigned to a service provider with the amount of spectrum actually used by them to ensure that the spectrum is used in an efficient manner,” states DoT paper on re-organising the spectrum management body. more...

INTERNATIONAL

US, UK, Japan's total debt 25-times higher than India

In their efforts to tackle the financial crisis, the world's three top developed nations, the US, UK and Japan, have accumulated massive debts, which are set to exceed or equal the size of their economies. In comparison, the Indian government's total debt would still remain well below the country's GDP size, although it is also increasing due to its massive borrowing programme. Collectively, the total debt of the US, UK and Japan has already reached a size of about 17 trillion dollars (Rs 8,16, 00,000 cr), an amount nearly 25 times of that in India. more...

India 'unofficially' blacklisting us: South African arms maker

An "unofficial" blacklisting by India has resulted in South African arms manufacturer Denel losing two billion rands in revenue, a company executive has told parliament.

The parastatal company's group executive for business development Zwelakhe Ntshepe said Denel was seeking diplomatic assistance from the South African government to recapture the Indian market. "We have been blacklisted, not officially, but the behaviour shows. They don't invite us to tender, they cancel existing contracts. It's been going on for the past four years," Ntshepe was quoted as telling the parliamentary portfolio committee on pubic enterprises by a newspaper here. more...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.

HEALTH TIP

To prevent hair loss, massage honey with egg yolk into scalp and hair, leave for 30 minutes, then risen.

TIP - to save energy

Turn off the stove a little before the cooking is finished.

HUMOUR JUNCTION

‘I can resist everything except temptation’

Currencies' Collections....

2009-06-22T12:21:00.004+05:30

Porsche Panamera

2009-06-22T11:54:00.006+05:30

Porsche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera is a four-door, four-seat luxury sedan, which launched in 2009. It is front-engined with rear wheel drive, with four-wheel drive also available.

From Porsche Panamera

Specifications
At launch, the Panamera will have three engine choices - a 3.6 L V6 found in the 2008 facelifted Cayenne with 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) in the base Panamera, a 4.8 L V8 with 405 hp (302 kW; 411 PS) in the Panamera S and Panamera 4S[3], and a turbocharged 4.8 L V8 with approximately 500 hp (373 kW; 507 PS) in the Panamera Turbo.[4] There is even a hybrid version[5] in the pipeline. Rumors suggest that the V-10 engine from Porsche's limited-run Carrera GT supercar may be offered as well, although this is still extremely unlikely given the expense of manufacturing the engine and that Porsche does not currently have a facility capable of producing a suitable number of the V-10 engines per year. It is also rumored that the V-12 diesel from the Audi Q7 may be used in the Panamera.
US models include engine start/stop system. Turbo version includes active aerodynamics with a multi-stage, adjustable rear spoiler.

Manufacturer —Porsche
Production — 2009
Predecessor — Porsche 989 concept car,
4-door 911 based prototype
Class — Mid size luxury car
Body style(s) — 4-door sedan
Layout — FR layout/all wheel drive
Engine(s) — 3.6 L V6, 4.8 L V8, 4.8 L turbocharged V8
Transmission(s) — 6-speed manual, 7-speed PDK
Length — 4970 mm (195.7 in)
Width — 1931 mm (76 in)
Height — 1418 mm (55.8 in)
Curb weight — 1800 kg (3968 lb)
Related — Porsche Cayenne

Porsche Panamera

Some Office Time Humor.........

2009-06-20T14:54:00.002+05:30

Office Humor-Top Funny Pictures

Sorry I am Late......

2009-06-20T12:12:00.000+05:30

Sorry I'm Late from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

Today’s News Brief – 17th June 09

2009-06-17T17:29:00.001+05:30

POWER

Consumers upset over power tariff hike

The hike in power tariff by BEST and Reliance in Mumbai has drawn sharp criticism from consumer and political forums. BEST committee members led by its chairman and BJP leader Dilip Patel and Shiv Sena leader Sunil Prabhu on Tuesday protested against the hike and warned of intense agitation if MERC failed to withdraw it. "We have urged the BEST general manager to go in appeal against the hike during the review and withdraw it in the benefit of consumers,'' said Patel. Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, a forum of consumers in the city, has cited that though an average power hike of 9.5% seemed less for Reliance's residential consumers, the calculations based on unit-wise consumption showed 44% to 60% hike in actual billing. "Our bill calculations show that residents in suburbs consuming 100 units will have to pay an average Rs 124 more on each monthly bill, while those consuming 150, 200, 250, 300 and 400 units will have to pay an average Rs 221, Rs 298, Rs 373, Rs 452 and Rs 616 respectively over their present bills,'' said Shirish Deshpande of the Panchayat. On Monday, MERC effected hike in electricity tariff for over 7 lakh residential consumers in the island city and over 19 lakh in suburban Mumbai by 9.5% and 7.5%, respectively.

R Power hopes to achieve Dadri financial closure in eight months

uoyed by the Bombay High Court order asking Reliance Industries to supply 28 mmscmd from KG-D6 at $2.34 per mmbtu for 17 years to Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL), the Reliance Power hopes to achieve financial closure for the 7,480-mw Dadri project in Uttar Pradesh in eight months after the signing of the fresh agreement between RIL and RNRL. A large proportion of the gas will be supplied to the Dadri project. The per megawatt project cost is estimated at Rs 3 crore to 3.5 crores. According to Kotak Securities, gas price of $2.34 per mmbtu is better compared to $4.2 based on government-determined formula and results in reduction of fuel cost from Rs 1.96 per unit to Rs 1.33 per unit. A transportation cost (and taxes) of $1.66 per mmbtu for delivery of gas to the Dadri project is factored in. Any reduction in transportation cost, due to alternate gas-pipeline route (in the future) or relocation of the gas-based capacity closer to the gas-source would translate into incremental savings for Reliance Power. more...

'India should look at generating cheaper power'

India should look at generating cheaper power and private companies need to collaborate with the department of atomic energy to manufacture equipment for this segment so that costs come down. This was the view of Atomic Energy Commission chairman and department of atomic energy secretary Anil Kakodkar. He was here to deliver the fourth Raja Ramanna Memorial Lecture at the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre. Mr Kakodkar stressed on the need to encourage downstream partners to venture into research so that they receive the benefits of technological advancement. more...

ECONOMY

OECD chief predicts economic upturn for year end

Economic recovery in the OECD group of rich countries will begin at around the end of the year, the organization's head said Tuesday, adding that the worst of Mexico's recession was over. "There will be a recuperation at the end of 2009 or the start of 2010," OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said to reporters here. "We're going to change color from red to black." The United States would be one of the first countries to climb out of the recession due its enormous economic stimulus packages, which would in turn impact on its close dependents, like Mexico, Gurria said. more...

Aviation to account for $3.6 trillion of world GDP by 2026

Some 50 million jobs and $3.6 trillion of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) will depend on aviation by 2026, an Oxford Economics report said. According to the report 'Aviation: The Real World Wide Web', limiting aviation's growth to one per cent below the current trend would cost six million aviation related jobs and the industry's GDP contribution by $600 billion. "Close to 20 million jobs could be supported by the Asia-Pacific region's air transport sector in 20 years. Currently air transport contributes around USD 170 billion to the Asia Pacific region's GDP," it said. more...

POLITICS

Arun Jaitley quits as BJP General Secretary

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, the target of several party leaders who have questioned his appointment as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha after the electoral debacle, today quit as General Secretary of the organisation. However, Jaitley, who was the chief election strategist and has attracted a lot of flak for the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls, has not quit as leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha which enabled him to become the Leader of Opposition in the upper house. BJP President Rajnath Singh today said Jaitley gave his resignation six-seven days ago before he left on a holiday to London. more...

PM meets Zardari, asks him to act against terror

In the first top-level contact since the Mumbai terror attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today met President Asif Ali Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

Zardari here during which he is understood to have made it clear that Pakistan should take concrete action against terrorism directed against India. ( Watch ) Singh, who arrived here on a three-day visit, met Zardari on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Ahead of their meeting, the two leaders shook hands when they came face-to-face after posing for a group photo with leaders of other SCO member nations -- Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. India, Pakistan and Iran are among the nations who have observer status in SCO. more...

TELECOM

DoT seeks Rs 3000 cr support for BSNL

The communications ministry has sought an allotment of Rs 3,000 crore from the finance ministry for supporting BSNL’s wireline networks that were set up before April 2002. The DoT wants the amount to be sanctioned in the budget. This is to compensate the state-owned telco for losses during the last fiscal after telecom regulator Trai had done away with access deficit charge regime from April 1, 2008. Prior to that, all telcos were paying 0.75% of total revenues towards ADC, which was used to support BSNL’s unviable fixedline operations in rural India. In 2007-08, BSNL got Rs 2,000 crore as ADC. more...

Vodafone approaches FIPB for NLD, ISP licences

Mobile services company Vodafone Essar has applied for internet service provider and national long distance licences and has approached the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for approval. The company officials confirmed that the operator has applied for these two licences and aims to become a full-fledged communication services provider in the country. FIPB, on June 19, may take up the proposal, sources said. If Vodafone Essar, in which the UK-based mobile firm Vodafone holds majority stake, gets the national long distance licence (NLD) it will help the company save operating expenses for carrying STD traffic, instead of hiring other mobile company's network for the purpose. more...

INTERNATIONAL

US to emerge from recession in third quarter: Bank economists

The United States should emerge from recession in the third quarter of this year but will continue to reel from high unemployment and budget deficits, economists from top banks forecast Tuesday. "The economy will return to growth but not to health," said Bruce Kasman, chief economist for JPMorgan Chase and head of the economic advisory committee of the American Bankers Association. "Growth in the coming quarters is likely to gather momentum but will not prove sufficiently robust to undo much of the severe damage done to our labor markets and public finances," he said. more...

ADB approves $3.4 bn in additional loans for Asia

The Asian Development Bank said on Tuesday it has approved $3.4 bn in new loans to help Asian nations overcome the global economic crisis. The Manila-based development bank said $3 bn in loans would be made available through a previously announced counter-cyclical facility, which will carry market-linked rates of interest. It said $400 million will be available for poorer nations on concessional rates of interest. more...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded."

HEALTH TIP

Have handful of overnight soaked beans or legumes every morning. They are rich in folic acid that helps reduce the rik of various cancers.

TIP - to save energy

Compact fluorescent light bulbs generate 70 percent less heat, so they are safer to operate and can also reduce energy costs associated with cooling homes and offices.

HUMOUR JUNCTION

My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot.

Some useful Google Utilities........

2009-06-17T16:34:00.004+05:30

Click on the right-most button to view in Full Screen...

Google Cheat Sheet

Upcoming Films of the year 2009

2009-06-17T11:48:00.003+05:30

Tour of Kokan - in Rainy Season.....

2009-06-16T17:13:00.000+05:30

Today’s News Brief – 15th June 09

2009-06-15T17:37:00.001+05:30

POWER

India needs more flexible power plants to meet demand

India needs flexible power plants as well as ultra mega ones to meet its demand for electricity, a top industry official said. "To meet the increasing power demand, the country needs flexible power plants along with 2,000 MW Ultra Mega Power Plants (UMPPs)," Wartsila India Managing Director Rakesh Sarin said on the sidelines of a conference here. Wartsila India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Finnish company Wartsila Corp, is a significant supplier of decentralised power plant for industries, utilities and independent power producers (IPPs) in India. more...

A Cabinet Committee on energy?

Sushil Kumar Shinde, Bharathsinh Solanki, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Murli Deora, Jitin Prasada, Shri Prakash Jaiswal, and Vincent Pala. What is common between these newly sworn in ministers of the new UPA government? They along with the Prime Minister, who is in charge of nuclear energy, are all connected in one way or the other with determining the fate of India’s energy scene for the next five years. It is inevitable, in jumbo-sized cabinets, the government is compelled to slice the meat into slivers so thin as to reduce the cabinet-making exercise to a farce. more...

INFRASTRUCTURE

Bandra-Worli Sea Link to open by June end

The much-awaited Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL), an ambitious 8-lane twin carriageway built over the Mahim Creek, will be opened to the public at the end of the month. "You yourself have seen the entire work, I found the work quite satisfactory. By the end of June, we will open this bridge for the public," said Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday. Earlier, Chavan had inspected the site with Deputy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal and other senior state government officials.Chavan also revealed that the government would finalise bids for the Worli to Haji Ali sea link next week. more...

Banks for restoring tax sop on long-term lending to core projects

With the new government laying thrust on infrastructure creation, bankers are expecting a crucial tax sop, whereby interest earned on long-term lending to infrastructure projects is considered as an allowable deduction, to be restored. Under the erstwhile section 10(23)(G) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, banks were allowed to claim the interest earned on long-term lending to infrastructure projects as an allowable deduction. This section helped in channelling investments/ credit to the infrastructure sector. However, this section was withdrawn in the Finance Act, 2007. more...

ECONOMY

Economy to grow by 8.5 pc, but govt borrowing a worry: Kamath

ICICI Bank Chairman K V Kamath on Sunday said the Indian economy could grow by 8.5 per cent in current fiscal, but warned the government against massive borrowing and said this would obstruct banks from lowering lending rates. Advising the government to look for alternative sources for raising funds to pursue its employment and rural economy programmes, which he termed as a must for high growth, Kamath said, "I think we have hit the road at a pace where we can aspire for 8.5 per cent growth in not a difficult way." more...

An island of growth

If one goes by what the Prime Minister told the Lok Sabha the other day, the signs of a recovery within the national economy are strong, and may lead to a GDP growth rate of between 8 and 9 per cent in 2010-2011 compared to an expected 7 per cent in the current year. In the previous year (2008-2009) growth was 6.7 per cent, which was entirely the work of the recessionary forces buffetting the international economy, especially in the second half of the year, ending a spec tacular run of around 9 per cent growth between 2005 and 2008. How can India achieve this growth performance at a time when nearly every other major world economy will still be battling the recession which, most observers agree, is gradually weakening? more...

POLITICS

Cabinet may decide schedule for Budget session tomorrow

The schedule for the Budget session of Parliament is likely to be decided at a meeting of the Union Cabinet tomorrow. The meeting will be held shortly before the departure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the SCO and BRIC Summit being held in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Indications so far are that the Union Budget is likely to be presented in the Lok Sabha on July 3, Economic Survey on July 2 and Railway Budget on July 1. Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal has said the session is expected to begin by the end of June or early July and passing of the Budget would constitute the main agenda. more...

Mayawati govt in a financial mess

Uttar Pradesh is facing a financial crisis. The gap between revenue receipts and expenditure is widening. This may result in a cut in plan size, tentatively pegged at Rs 36,000 crore for the current financial year. This is pending the Planning Commission’s approval. A critical analysis made by the finance department presents a bleak picture. “The income from all sources during the last two months is in the range of Rs 4,500 crore whereas the expenses exceed Rs 8,000 crore in the same period. Unless the government prioritises its spending and cuts down on some of its populist announcements the state is doomed,’’ sums up the finance department in its report. more...

TELECOM

BSNL drops plan to bid for Tunisia license

BSNL has dropped its plans to bid for telecom licence in Tunisia as the PSU finds the returns not enough to enter that market through bidding of licence. "We did not bid for Tunisia... we did not find returns on our investment," a senior BSNL official said. Earlier the PSU's CMD Kuldeep Goyal had said BSNL was planning to bid for telecom licence in Tunisia and get a footprint in the African market, which has immense potential. But not bidding for Tunisia does not mean BSNL has lost sight of the potential of the African region, which it says has growing mobile usage. more...

MTN may take GDR route for 25% stake in Bharti Airtel

South African telecom major MTN’s proposed 25% stake in Bharti Airtel will be through global depository receipts (GDRs), if the plans by the two companies to mutually acquire equity to form a global cellular alliance stretching from the Cape of Good Hope to the Indian Ocean goes through. A top Airtel executive involved in talks with MTN told ET that the GDRs will be listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, shedding more light into the complex nature of the deal, which is set to test the new foreign direct investment (FDI) norms earlier this year. more...

INTERNATIONAL

Global loans once again flowing for Indian cos

Global money markets are fast becoming favourable for Indian companies to borrow, with bankers saying it’s only a matter of time before the tap opens again. The premiums above the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (Libor), a benchmark used by bankers for pricing corporate loans, have fallen significantly over the past few weeks. Already, ICICI Bank’s Credit Default Swap (CDS), widely considered as the benchmark for measuring investor appetite for Indian debt, has fallen to levels before investment bank Lehmann Brothers succumbed to the global financial crisis and filed for bankruptcy on September 15, 2009. more...

US sees $1.3 tn wealth erosion in '09 first quarter

With recession extending its grip on the US economy, the country witnessed wealth erosion of USD 1.3 trillion, much more than India's GDP, in the first three months of 2009. The Americans saw their wealth tumble to USD 50.4 trillion in January-March period against USD 51.7 trillion at the end of 2008. The total loss of USD 1.3 trillion is higher than the value of Indian economy, which is little over USD 1 trillion. According to the figures from the US Federal Reserve, the household net worth or wealth of Americans, declined to USD 50.4 trillion in the first quarter of 2009. more...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

HEALTH TIP

Heading for workout? Have two bananas. Apart from Carbohydrates, the ample amount of potassium in the banana will minimize the chances of muscle cramps during or post workout

TIP - to save energy

Vacuum the outside bottom of your refrigerator. Also vacuum the back and behind it. This removes clogging dust and lets the air flow, allowing your refrigerator to function more efficiently.

HUMOUR JUNCTION

Who tastes dog food when it has a 'new & improved' flavor?

Today’s News Brief – 13th June 09

2009-06-13T17:31:00.001+05:30

POWER

No power cuts during evening

There will be no load-shedding in Maharashtra’s urban, semi-urban and taluka-level areas between 6 pm and 6 am from June 13 midnight. The state power department made this announcement in the state assembly on Friday. Load-shedding would also come down in urban areas by 15 minutes and by one hour in rural areas, the government said. The state will be buying 200 MW additional power from outside, prompting this relief. The decision will help several urban pockets within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Ulhasnagar, Bhandup, Ambernath, Badlapur, Mulund, Bhandup and Kanjurmarg besides the other urban, semi-urban, district and taluka headquarters all over the state as well as around 27,000 villages. State power minister Sunil Tatkare recently said Maharashtra’s generation capacity was slowly increasing, thus gradually bringing down the shortfall and load-shedding in both urban and rural areas. There might not be any loadshedding by 2012 if things went according to plan, he said.

Power sector seeks tax sops, dilution of govt holdings

The power sector, ahead of the annual Budget for 2009-10, has made a strong pitch for the enforcement of tax and MAT applicability exemption for 10 years, irrespective of the year of commencement of power generation and distribution. The sector, which is striving to meet the Centre’s capacity addition of 78,700 mw in the 11th Plan period, has said that construction services, with respect to other critical infrastructure sectors like roads and railways, are already outside the service tax net, and therefore, it is only logical to introduce service tax exemption on the construction of power projects. Further, concessions or exemptions under customs and central excise laws should be extended to civil materials like cement and steel, just as other raw materials and components, required for the manufacturing of ‘machinery and equipment’ of power projects, enjoy. more...

INFRASTRUCTURE

Budget: Infrastructure to land big gains

The Union Budget slated for July first week will acknowledge the central role of infrastructure in putting the economy back on the growth track, and may relax the rules governing raising of funds besides earmarking a higher kitty for building roads, ports and other utilities. Industry players pointed out that two key norms regarding access to finance, announced as part of the second economic stimulus package in January, are set to expire this month. These allow integrated township developers to borrow abroad and let non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to borrow from multilateral or bilateral financial institutions for lending to infrastructure developers. more...

UAE wants to invest in infrastructure sector in India

UAE is looking for more opportunities for investment in the infrastructure and other areas in India. This was conveyed by Foreign Minister of UAE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan who met External Affairs minister S M Krishna today and discussed bilateral relations, regional and multinational issues. He is on a two-day official visit here from June 11. Acknowledging the contribution made to economies of both the countries by 1.5 million Indian present in UAE, the ministers also explored new avenues of cooperation, especially in the domain of trade and economy. more...

ECONOMY

Worst is over for economy: PM adviser

India's industrial output growth in April showed signs of recovery and the worst is over for the economy, a senior policy adviser said on Friday. "Signs of recovery are there. Worst is over, that is what I have been saying. Worst is over for the economy," said Suresh Tendulkar, the head of Prime Minister's economic advisory council. Data on Friday showed industrial output rose by 1.4 per cent in April from a year earlier, rebounding after declining three times in the previous four months.

April industrial growth at 1.4% hints recovery

Indian industry has registered a year-on-year growth of 1.43 per cent in April.

Although modest, it is better than the preceding four months’ numbers of minus 0.75 per cent, minus 0.72 per cent, 1.03 per cent and minus 0.25 per cent respectively.

The latest number holds hope that the worst is over and the economy is on a recovery mode.The 1.43 per cent annual rise in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in April – against 6.22 per cent during the same month last year – has been led mainly by electricity and mining. These two sectors have grown by 7.06 per cent and 3.8 per cent, as compared with their corresponding April 2008 year-on-year increases of 1.39 per cent and 6.14 per cent respectively. more...

POLITICS

PM to meet Zardari during SCO summmit

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari during a multilateral summit in Russia on June 16, in the first top-level contact between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attacks. "They will be at the same place at the same time....They will meet, they will shake hands," foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters while briefing them on Singh's visit to Russia. Menon, however, said there will be no structured meeting between the two leaders. more...

Congress set to give new look to organisation

The AICC reshuffle exercise is likely to be completed before Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign trip on June 16. The list of governors is also likely to be finalised. The party is showing urgency in finalising the names for organisational posts due to impending elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Buoyed by its good showing in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress government in Haryana too would like to advance assembly polls. The Congress leadership would like to use the organisational reshuffle to set right the skewed caste equations and leadership void, as well as to accommodate social groups and states that failed to find representation in the council of ministers. The leadership is expected to effect some kind of an organisational change in states where it did not fare well in the Lok Sabha elections. more...

TELECOM

2G allocation: DoT to seek more time

The Department of Telecom will seek more time from the telecom tribunal to decide on the policy for allocating 2G spectrum for mobile operators. The deadline to decide on the policy is today, according to a judgment given by the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal in its order of March 31, 2008. The tribunal had asked the DoT to finalise the policy one month after the spectrum committee submits its report. Since the spectrum panel submitted its proposals on May 13, the DoT would have to take its final decision by June 13, according to the directions of the TDSAT. The DoT had, therefore, put on hold fresh allocation of spectrum till the policy was finalised. more...

Spice Mobile plans entry into Africa

After Indian mobile operators venturing into international markets, it is now the turn of cell phone makers. The B. K. Modi Group-owned Spice Mobile is planning to sell mobile handsets in developing markets in Africa and Asia in a bid to replicate its growth story in India. Speaking to Business Line, Mr Kunal Ahooja, Director and CEO, Spice Mobile, said, “We have launched our products in some foreign countries such as Nepal. We are planning to launch in more countries including in Africa. These markets are similar to India with low margins and high volumes.” more...

INTERNATIONAL

BRICs won't break dollar's supremacy, for now

Nations like Russia have rattled global markets by challenging the domination of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency, but investors say there is no realistic alternative for now. Russia will renew its push for a rethink on the dollar's status as the reserve currency of choice when it hosts a summit of fellow emerging heavyweights Brazil, India and China next week. The greenback is too integrated into global financial markets, with almost all commodity trade conducted in dollars and the United States still retaining the deepest, most liquid markets in fixed income securities, key assets for central banks. more...

North Korea threatens military action, to enrich uranium

North Korea on Saturday threatened military action if the United States tried to isolate it after the U.N. Security Council imposed widened sanctions against the reclusive communist state for a nuclear test in May. The North also vowed to start a programme to enrich uranium and to weaponise plutonium at its nuclear weapons plant, the North's official news agency KCNA quoted its foreign ministry spokesman as saying. The sanctions resolution approved on Friday banned all weapons exports from North Korea and most arms imports into the state. It authorised U.N. member states to inspect North Korean sea, air and land cargo, requiring them to seize and destroy any goods transported in violation of the sanctions. more...

MARKET INDICATOR

Markets are closed today

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.

HEALTH TIP

Take two tablespoon of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of luke warm water and drink up to destroy bacteria within the bladder

TIP - to save energy

You can save 4% to 9% of your water heating bill and reduce stand by heat loss by 25% to 50% if you have an older water heater just by putting a blanket or jacket covering made of special insulation.

HUMOUR JUNCTION

I poured Spot remover on my dog. Now he's gone.

Customize PDFs online with these tools…

2009-06-13T17:28:00.001+05:30

Portable Document Formats (PDFs) are one of those file formats that can cause quite a headache. Sometimes, you want to convert them to a Word file. Other times, you want to convert the Word file to a PDF. But doing so isn't always easy.

Luckily for you, there are a variety of online tools that can modify PDF files quickly and easily. Here are some of my favorites that work right in your browser:

Create Adobe PDF Online does a number of things well. It can convert a variety of file formats to PDF including applications and Web pages. It can also combine multiple PDFs into a single file. When you choose to convert a file, you have the option of getting it e-mailed to you in an attachment, or simply have it load up in your browser. In either case, it takes a couple of minutes for it to deliver the finished product, making it a little slower than some of the other tools in this roundup. If you can wait though, it works quite well.

Webware -- in PDF -- thanks to Create Adobe PDF Online.

Document Converter eXPress from Neevia is a feature-packed app that lets you convert files from any number of formats into a PDF. You can choose from image files like JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and BMP. You're also able to roll back the file's compatibility to be able to work with previous versions of Adobe Acrobat, dating back to version 3.0. There's also a tool to add encryption and a watermark.

Document eXPress lets you go back in time with Acrobat.

Loop PDF is one of the simplest PDF conversion tools in this roundup. You have to create an account to use it, but after you do, the free tool lets you add PDFs from your computer or URLs, and combine them into a single document. You can also convert other file types into PDFs. Loop PDF easily converted files in just a few seconds for me.

Loop PDF makes it quick and easy to upload files.

PDF Hammer lets you edit PDF files right in your browser. Once you pick the file you want to edit, you can upload it to PDF Hammer. The tool then allows you to perform your edits and save the revised file back on your computer. You can also merge multiple PDF files into one, add a password to the file, and update its metadata.

PDF Hammer gives you all the directions you need to get the job done.

PDF-o-matic PDF-o-matic converts a Web page to PDF. It's not the prettiest site in this roundup, but it makes it dead simple to convert entire Web pages into PDFs. Simply input the URL of the site you want to convert in the box placed prominently in the middle of the page and PDF-o-matic will do the rest. It's quick and easy.

PDF-o-matic turns CBSNews.com into a PDF.

PDF Online is actually three tools in one. It converts Word documents to PDF, PDF files to Word documents, or Web sites to PDF. When you pick which operation you want to perform, it takes just a couple minutes to get the right file format. Once you choose the file you want to convert, you'll need to assign it a name and provide your e-mail address. It then uploads your file and sends you the finished product as an attachment in an e-mail. In my experience, it took no more than a minute to get the file back.

PDF Online sends you an e-mail with your attachment.

PDF to Word does what you might expect: it converts PDF files to Microsoft Word and rich text formatted documents. It's a simple tool that is one of the more convenient resources in this roundup. Simply find the PDF file you want to upload, pick .Doc or .Rtf, and input your e-mail address. In just a few minutes, you'll receive an e-mail from the service with your new file.

PDF to Word gives you step-by-step instructions.

Zamzar makes it easy to upload files and have them converted to a variety of file types, including PDF, Ogg, and many more. Whether it's a file or a Web site, Zamzar can convert anything you want into practically every file type under the sun. And since it's free, it's even more attractive. I would have liked its load times to be a little faster, but with so many supported file types, it's not such a big deal.

Ogg in Zamzar? You better believe it.

Truth of French Fries..........!

2009-06-12T17:14:00.001+05:30

French Fries Are Made With Beef Extract

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Recipes & Menus fries

Roger Federar - Nice Defensive Shot..

2009-06-12T16:57:00.002+05:30

Today’s News Brief – 12th June 09

2009-06-12T16:38:00.001+05:30

POWER

Rel Power to raise Rs 12,000-crore debt for 4,000-mw Andhra plant

Hopes to achieve financial closure in 2-3 months

ANIL AMBANI promoted Reliance Power company will raise a debt of well over Rs 12,000 crore for the proposed 4,000mw ultra mega power project at Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Power Finance and IDBI are lead arrangers for the same and they together are expected to provide a debt of Rs 3,500-5,000 crore. Sources told FE the Asian Development Bank (ADB) proposes to give a debt of $250 million for the project. Besides, a rupee debt will also be organised from the public sector banks and private banks. Besides, IIFC (UK), which had provided $600 million to the Sasan UMPP which is being developed by Reliance Power, has indicated that it would also provide whatever maximum is possible for the Krishnapatnam project. The total project is estimated at Rs 17,000 crore and the company proposes to implement the project at debt equity ratio of 75:25 or 80:20 depending upon the interest rate regime. Reliance Power, which achieved a financial closure by organising a debt of Rs 14,000 crore for the Sasan UMPP on April 21, however, hoped that the financial closure of the Krishnapatnam UMPP will be achieved after at least two to three months. The company has already achieved more than 80% of the land required for the project. Reliance Power has al- ready indicated that the first unit of the Krishnapatnam UMPPwill be commissioned in the first quarter of 2012-13. The company has already held talks with the Indian and foreign suppliers of main plant and equipments. Reliance Power had bagged the project by quoting the per unti tariff of Rs 2.33 per unit. This was much lower than Larsen & Toubro’s Rs 2.68 per unit and and Rs 4.18 per unit quoted by Sterlite. (Financial Express)

Shinde-led panel to push power capacity addition

The power minister Sushilkumar Shinde will head a committee of former power secretaries and members to independent power producers (IPPs) to review the slow pace of capacity addition and make necessary recommendations to give a much needed push for it. The Centre has proposed a capacity addition of 78,577 mw by the end of 2011-2012. During 2007-08 against the target of 16,335.20 mw, only 9,263 mw was achieved leaving a gap of 7,72.20 mw. In 2008-09, against the target of 11,061.20 mw, the capacity addition was of the order of a paltry 3,452.70 mw leaving a gap of 7,607.80 mw. Ironically, in the current year 2009-2010, 300 mw was added in April against the target of 14,507 mw. more...

Govt to unveil 3 new ultra power projects

The government is all set to launch new ultra mega power projects (UMPPs). The ministry of power and power finance corporation (PFC), which is the nodal agency for ultra-mega projects, are now working overtime to launch the bidding process for three new UMPPs, with the first one expected in a month’s time.“We intend to start the request for qualification (RFQ) process for the Cheyyur (Tamil Nadu), Bedabahal (Orissa) and Akaltara (Chattisgarh) in July-August. Our aim is to complete the bidding process for these three projects by the year-end,” ND Tyagi, chief executive officer of PFC Consulting, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation (PFC), told Financial Chronicle. more...

INFRASTRUCTURE

Metro Rail project gets Rs 550 cr allocation

Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs 550 crore for Chennai Metro Rail Project, for which construction work was flagged off by state’s Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday. The Rs 14,600 crore and 45 km long project is expected commence operation by 2014-15. Speaking after commencing piling work for the construction elevated tracks from Koyambedu to Ashok Nagar Stalin said that the project is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. He added, 59 per cent of the project cost will be funded by a concessional loan by the Japanese government. The central government will contribute 15 per cent as equity and 5 percent as debt, with the balance being funded by the state. more...

Cement industry seeks tax sops, boost in infra spends

CONSIDERING the fact that cement is vital for infrastructure development, the 219-million tonne Indian cement industry believes that it is burdened with high taxes, which are far more, compared to any other commodity. With the Budget round the corner, industry players are seeking relief on certain taxes that would provide support to the industry, which is expected to soon face a slowdown in demand with the approaching monsoons. Says Vinita Singhania, vice president of CMA and MDof JK Lakshmi Cement, “The biggest concern for the industry is the present system of levying of excise duty on an MRP basis, without any abatement. In case of cement, the post manufacturing expenses are very high, notably the freight component and the VAT (value added tax) component. Therefore, the industry has requested the government to allow an abatement of 55%, which is as per the recommendations of NCAER.” Meanwhile, the industry also wants to bring down the VAT for cement in line with steel, which is charged a VAT of just 4%, compared to 12.5% in cement. more...

ECONOMY

Inflation rate dips to 0.13%; food still dearer

The annual wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rate has further slipped from 0.48 to 0.13 per cent for the week ended May 30. That makes it the thirteenth consecutive week where year-on-year inflation has ruled below the 1 per cent level. The all-commodities WPI (base 1993-94=100) was provisionally placed at 232.6 for the latest recorded week, as against 232.3 a year ago. The coming week (i.e. ended June 6) could well see the headline inflation rate turning negative — the first time in over two decades. The reason for this is that the WPI last year, between May 31 and June 7, shot up from 232.3 to 236.5. The ‘base effect’ of this 1.8 per cent rise in a single week is likely to produce a negative inflation rate, when the June 6-ended WPI data is released. more...

PM's economic council expects 7% GDP growth in 2009-10

Sharing the optimism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his advisory council today projected a growth rate of 7 per cent for the current fiscal. "I think it should be around 7 per cent," Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman Suresh Tendulkar told reporters here on the sidelines of a function organised by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Although the Reserve Bank in its annual monetary policy in April forecast a growth rate of around 6 per cent for the current fiscal, Prime Minister Singh felt otherwise, saying the growth rate would be at least 7 per cent. more...

POLITICS

Chidambaram discusses J&K security issues with Omar

The Home Minister, who heads a team of senior officials, will meet the Unified Command to review law and order and militancy situation, official sources said. more...

Modi for zero tolerance towards terrorism

Paying tributes to Major Rishikesh Ramani, killed in an encounter in Kashmir, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there should be "zero tolerance towards terrorism." "The government should adopt zero tolerance towards terrorism," he said after visiting the residence of Major Ramani this morning. "It is unfortunate that terrorism is claiming lives of youths like Major Ramani for last 25 years," he said adding that the country should avenge such killings. The 27-year-old Major was killed in a gunbattle with the terrorists in Kupwara district Kashmir on June 7.more...

TELECOM

DoT willing to hike 3G bid price

The communications ministry is set to tell the Union Cabinet that it is open to increasing the reserve price for the auctions of pan-India third generation (3G) spectrum to Rs 3,540 crore and auction up to eight slots of 3G spectrum. As per the existing 3G policy unveiled by the communications ministry late last year, the reserve price for pan-India 3G spectrum is Rs 2,020 crore and accommodating five players per circle. The department of telecom is of the view that hiking the reserve price for these airwaves will ensure that the finance ministry does not put up any fresh roadblocks for the upcoming 3G auctions, which is vital for high-end services such as video conferencing and high speed internet on mobile handsets. Spectrum is the airwaves on which telecom signals travel and is the lifeline for all telcos. more...

Bharti, Vodafone to bring iPhone 3GS to India in Aug

India’s leading GSM telecom operators -- Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar -- are set to bring Apple’s latest iPhone, called iPhone 3G S, to India in August. The new iPhone 3G S, which offers faster data speeds, a new camera, video recording, compass and voice control, was unveiled in US earlier this week. In India, Apple has exclusive tie-ups with Bharti and Vodafone and this is one of the few markets where the US-based technology firm has a tie-up with two operators. Bharti and Vodafone jointly account for over 170 million of the over 400 million cellphone users in the country. Apple had issued a guidance, saying the iPhone 3G S would make its debut in India in August, but refused to specify the date and the pricing for the country. The guidance also added that the handset would be launched in 31 other countries in August. Additionally, as per information made public by Apple, the iPhone 3G S will go on sale in 10 countries, including the US on June 19, and another 32 countries in the month of July. more...

INTERNATIONAL

China told to pull up cos selling fake ‘made-in-India’ drugs in Nigeria

India has asked China to take ”strict” action against Chinese companies selling fake drugs in Nigeria with ‘made-in-India’ labels, said an official in the government. The Nigerian government had recently confiscated consignments of such drugs shipped from China. “The cartons had labels with names and addresses of the Chinese manufacturers written on them. It won’t be a problem for the Chinese government to trace them,” told the official, who did not wish to be named, to ET. India’s concern has already been communicated by the commerce department to the Chinese ambassador to India Zhang Yen more...

Indo-US nuclear deal plays out in slow motion

Although a nuclear deal between US and India is a wrap, the wheels are moving at a grinding slow pace on implementing the deal, with the US dithering on starting negotiations for the reprocessing agreement. Government sources said civil nuclear issues occupied a large part of the discussions between William Burns and foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on Wednesday. It's likely they will come up for talks again when Burns meets NSA M K Narayanan on Thursday. more...

MARKET INDICATOR

COMMODITY INDEX

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Genius is the gold in the mine; talent is the miner that works and brings it out.

HEALTH TIP

Having lassi after lunch can aid your digestion. For best results, add half to one teaspoon of almond powder for an energetic afternoon.

TIP - to save energy

Microwave ovens consumes 50% less energy than conventional electric / gas stove

HUMOUR JUNCTION

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.

Let's go to Lakshdweep..... !

2009-06-12T16:02:00.001+05:30

Photos to keep You Imagining ...........!

2009-06-11T17:28:00.001+05:30

I will teach you How to be Rich.... ! ! !

2009-06-11T16:27:00.000+05:30

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-to-Guides & Manu money wealth

Today’s News Brief – 11th June 09

2009-06-11T16:26:00.001+05:30

POWER

Govt to form panel to monitor power projects

The Union Minister for Power, Mr Sushilkumar Shinde, has said that there will be regular monitoring of all power generation projects being implemented in the country. Chairing a meeting of senior officers of the Ministry of Power and the PSUs in New Delhi to review the progress of capacity addition, Mr Shinde said that a high-level committee would be set up shortly to keep the ongoing projects on track. Stating that the country is looking to the sector for delivering the promise of ‘power for all’, the Minister emphasised the need to accelerate efforts. Mr Shinde said non-performance would not be condoned and directed the heads of PSUs to act firmly and boldly against any laxity in their organisations. The Minister also directed that all orders for procuring equipment for future projects must be placed well in advance to avoid delays. more...

Maharashtra cancels Rs 998-cr deal to Kalpataru Power

The Maharashtra Government has decided to cancel a Rs 998-crore contract awarded to Kalpataru Power Transmission (KPTL), under Phase-II of the feeder separation programme, on the grounds of substandard work. The Maharashtra Power Minister, Mr Sunil Tatkare, made the announcement in the State Assembly on Tuesday and added that an enquiry would be conducted. Enquiry, He also confirmed to Business Line that the work done by the company so far would be scrutinised and the contract cancelled. According to the calling attention notice tabled in the State Assembly, Phase-I of the programme began in 23 districts in June 2006 for setting up 897 feeders with a provision of Rs 943 crore. KPTL was given a Rs 388-crore contract to set up 751 feeders. more...

ECONOMY

Asia showing signs of economic recovery

Is the worst over for global growth concerns? It may be too early to assert, but there are incipient signals that the pace of deterioration in major economies is easing. If anything, economic activity in Asian majors, China and India, is beginning to rise, after falling for several months. The latest OECD Composite Leading Indicators (CLIs) for April 2009 point to a reduced pace of deterioration in most of the OECD economies with stronger signals of a possible trough in Canada, France, Italy and the UK. The signals remain tentative, but they are present in the majority of the CLI component series for these countries. Compared to last month, positive signals are also emerging in Germany, Japan and the US, the report pointed out adding major non-OECD economies still face deteriorating conditions. more...

Economy to turn around soon: FM

Buoyed by better than expected economic growth last fiscal, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday expressed hope that the economy, spurred by fiscal and monetary stimulus packages, would turn around soon. "I hope that the impact of various pro-growth measures would help turn around the economy soon. As a result of various measures announced by the government and RBI, today we are looking at our economy with a lot of hope," Mukherjee told the heads of PSU banks here. He said the last quarter GDP growth figure of 5.8 per cent and the annual growth of around 6.7 per cent for 2008-09 is a pointer towards this direction. more...

POLITICS

Chidambaram discusses J&K security issues with Omar

Union home minister P Chidambaram on Thursday discussed security issues and progress of development projects with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here. Chidambaram, who arrived here this morning on a two-day visit to the state, will make an on-the-spot assessment of security situation in the state. The Home Minister, who heads a team of senior officials, will meet the Unified Command to review law and order and militancy situation, official. more..

NCP will merge with Congress, says Munde

In the backdrop of image beating NCP has suffered after the arrest of its MP Padamsinh Patil in connection with a murder case, a senior BJP leader today said the Sharad Pawar-led party will eventually merge with Congress. "I have no doubt that NCP, which is an offshoot of Congress, will merge with that party. Half the NCP leaders feel that their party should merge with Congress,"BJP General Secretary Gopinath Munde told reporters here. Munde, who was Home Minister during BJP-Sena rule in the Maharashtra, also demanded Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case in which Padamsinh Patil is allegedly involved should be brought under stringent MCOCA Act to ensure that the accused does not get bail.

TELECOM

RCOM ties up with 'Krishak Bharati' to capture rural India

Reliance Communications, the country’s second largest mobile operator, on Tuesday entered into a marketing JV with Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) for selling its products in rural India. The JV company known as KRIBHCO Reliance Kisan Ltd is aimed at synergising the strengths of both companies to create a rural distribution model for sales of telecom and non-telecom products. KRIBCO will hold 60% equity in the JV company with the balance 40% held by Reliance ADAG. RCOM’s tie-up aims to be a counter to that of Bharti Airtel, which has a similar JV with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO), the country’s largest fertiliser PSU unit. In May, Bharti and IFFO had formed IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL) and said that the JV would harness the power of telecom to add value to the farm sector. Here IFFCO has a 50% stake while Airtel and Star Global have 25% each. more...

Ministry may dump spectrum panel’s proposal on 2G auction

The Communications Ministry is likely to reject the recommendations made by the Spectrum Committee to auction spectrum for GSM-based cellular services and favour maintaining status quo on the existing subscriber-based allocation criteria. The Ministry is also not for capping start-up spectrum for new players at 4.4 Mhz, as proposed by the panel set up by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The panel, headed by the Additional Secretary, Mr Subodh Kumar, had suggested sweeping changes in the spectrum allocation policy including scrapping the existing subscriber base criteria. Highly placed officials in the Ministry of Communications told Business Line, “While we are in favour of auctioning 3G and WiMax spectrum as soon as possible, radio frequency for 2G mobile service cannot be auctioned as it is illegal. It is unfair to ask new players to take part in an auction when some of the existing players have got spectrum based on the subscriber criteria,” the official said. more...

INTERNATIONAL

China lays road to global role with economic cement

Last week hosting the Americans. Next week visiting Russia. China's busy diplomacy amid the economic crisis reflects growing sway that some say has brought the moment for Beijing to don the cape of a full super-power. Many Chinese observers think the woes besetting the wealthy West will help Beijing win a bigger global role, but that expectation comes tethered to warnings China should not oversell its strength - above all, not imagine dislodging US dominance or the dollar any time soon. more...

Obama admin generates $1.8 bn profit on bank bailout

The billions of dollars of tax payer's money which the US President Barack Obama used to bail out almost-bankrupt banks, now appears to be a good investment, as the banks repaid $1.8 billion as their first set of loan to the federal government. Though encouraged by the turn of events in just a few months of having taken over the reins of the United States, Obama, however, cautioned his fellow citizens that not all of the bailouts is going to be that sweet. "While we know that we will not escape the worst financial crisis in decades without some losses to taxpayers, it's worth noting that in the first round of repayments from these companies the government has actually turned a profit," Obama said in his remarks at White House. more...

MARKET INDICATOR

COMMODITY INDEX

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated & disciplined.

HEALTH TIP

When you feel like vomiting, take plenty of bland fluids - water, diluted milk or squashes but no aerated or alcoholic drinks.

TIP - to save energy

In colder seasons, turn down your thermostat slightly; every degree can save up to 5% in heating costs.

HUMOUR JUNCTION

After God created the world, He made man and woman. Then, to keep the whole thing from collapsing, He invented humor

A nice Zoozo Ad ...... !

2009-06-10T17:18:00.001+05:30

Click here for a nice ZooZoo Advertisement ! ! !

Today’s News Brief – 10th June 09

2009-06-10T16:17:00.001+05:30

INFRASTRUCTURE

Reliance Infra gets shareholders nod for biz transfer

Anil Ambani Group firm Reliance Infrastructure on Tuesday said that its shareholders have approved the transfer of certain divisions of the company into group firms.

In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange, Reliance Infrastructure said its shareholders have approved the scheme of arrangement of demerger of six of its division from itself.

Under the scheme, the Dahanu Thermal Power Station (DTPS) division of the company would be transferred into Reliance Energy Generation and Goa and Samalkot power stations division would be transferred into Reliance Goa and Samalkot Power. more... (Economic Times)

RInfra arrangement for demerger

The shareholders of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra) on Tuesday approved the Scheme of Arrangement (Scheme) for demerger of the six divisions of the company. The demerger was carried according to the Sections 391 to 394 of the Companies Act, 1956, the company said in a press release. Dahanu Thermal Power Station has been transferred to Reliance Energy Generation Ltd, Goa and Samalkot Power Stations to Reliance Goa and Samalkot Power Ltd. Power Transmission Division to Reliance Power Transmission Ltd, Power Distribution Division to Reliance Energy Ltd, Roads Division to Reliance InfraVentrues Ltd and Real Estate Division to Reliance Property Developers Ltd. All the resulting companies are wholly owned subsidiary companies of RInfra.

Appeared in Business Line, Financial Express & Mint

POWER

Government plans to add 5,653 mw in first 6 months

The government plans to commission 5,653 mw of additional power generation capacity in the first half of the current financial year, a 61% jump over the 3,500 mw added in the entire 2008-09, senior officials in the power ministry said. The new target is part of the 100-day agenda of the government where it plans to step up its monitoring mechanism to ensure that projects do not suffer from delays. At a meeting of officials from the power ministry and central power utilities on Tuesday, power minister Sushilkumar Shinde was told that several projects are closer to the commissioning date, making it possible to add over 5,600 mw of generation capacity by September-end. more...

Energy efficiency a top priority for India Inc

THE Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey for corporate India , released on Tuesday, reveals that 47% of the respondents are paying more attention to energy efficiency, compared to last year and 94% of the respondents feel that energy management is extremely important. An increase in capital investments for energy efficiency is needed, say 62%, while 72% of the respondents feel their organisations can achieve more energy efficiency from operating budgets. More than 92% of the respondents say energy efficiency is a priority in new construction as well as in renovation projects.

It is also interesting that17%are seeking green building certification for new construction projects, while none are seeking such certification in renovation projects.

Around14%are considering the use of solar energy, while22%seek solar thermal technology for new constructions. more...

ECONOMY

India can achieve 8-9 per cent economic growth: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the country's economy is even now capable of growing by 8-9 per cent, the same rate as it did before the global financial meltdown set in. "Since our savings rate is as high as 35 per cent...if all work together, we can achieve a growth rate of 8 to 9 per cent, even if the world economy does not improve," he said while winding up the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's address to joint sitting of Parliament. The global crisis, Singh said, had affected India's economic growth that slipped from 9 per cent to around 7 per cent in the previous fiscal. more...

Strengthen PDS for ‘aam aadmi’

The Sensex may be going up and dollar inflows may have revived; but that hardly cheers the common man who has voted the new government to power. The aam aadmi wants food at affordable prices. Food inflation is still too high to provide any real relief to consumers. Will New Delhi be able to contain food inflation, increase access to food and make it affordable? Importantly, will the forthcoming Budget, on which many have placed great hopes, focus on inflation control and food management? We have to wait and watch. In the last five years, growth in agricultural output has been modest, if anything. Annual average growth rate has been below three per cent. The farm sector continues to starve of investment, especially public investment. On the other hand, demand increases seem to rapidly outpace output increases, resulting in shortage and rising prices. Failure to check flow of speculative capital in sensitive and essential food products has also pushed market prices higher. more...

POLITICS

Politics influences DMK on disinvestment in central PSUs

Less than a month of UPA coming back to power at the Centre, Congress’ main ally, DMK has joined issues with its alliance partner on major policy issues. This stemmed from DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi opposing the government’s disinvestment plans.

Bucking analyst predictions of anti-incumbency at the state as well as the centre, the DMK-Congress combine retained their places in the Lok Sabha this elections. But, the fairy tale started going sour with the Congress’ offer of Cabinet berths to DMK candidates not satisfying the regional party. more...

PM to talk to Australian leaders on security of students

With attacks against Indian students continuing in Australia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he would engage the Australian leadership in a high-level dialogue to take ``stock of the situation and provide adequate security for Indian students.’’ Mr Singh said that he was ``appalled’’ by the crime and pointed out that some of the attacks were racially motivated. ``I have been appalled by the senseless violence and crime, some of it racially motivated against our students in Australia. I propose to engage the authorities in Australia in a high-level dialogue with a view to taking stock of the situation and to providing adequate security for Indian students,’’ he said replying to a debate on the President’s address. more...

TELECOM

RCom, Kribhco to form JV

Reliance Communications (RCom) has signed a joint venture agreement with Kribhco, a co-operative society, to form a new company Kribhco Reliance Kisan. Kribhco would hold 60 per cent stake in the joint venture firm, while the balance 40 per cent would be held by Reliance ADAG. However, the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The JV will market telecom products of RCom, both GSM and CDMA. Later, it will also distribute products and services of other business enterprises of Reliance ADAG, including Reliance Capital, Reliance Entertainment and BIG TV,” RCom President (Wireless) S P Shukla said. more...

Airtel named best service provider in Asia-Pacific

Bharti Airtel, one of India's leading telecom service providers, has been adjudged the best service provider in the Asia-Pacific region by telecom research and consultancy firm rost and Sullivan. The company has bagged top honours for overall service quality and has been adjudged the service provider of the year in the "Best of the Best" category, Airtel said in a statement Tuesday. "The awards recognise Bharti Airtel's commitment to technology and business innovation, and globally benchmarked quality of services," said Manoj Kohli, chief executive and joint managing director of Airtel. more...

INTERNATIONAL

India's defence pact with Ukraine annoys Russia

Russia, India’s traditional defence partner, appears to be irritated over India’s move to sign a defence pact with Ukraine. Both the countries recently exchanged a formal draft of the agreement, according to a defence ministry official. The matter was raised informally by Russia during a recent visit of an Indian delegation led by Defence Secretary Vijay Singh to Moscow. The defence agreement with Ukraine is at an advanced stage of negotiation.Ukraine is counted among the world’s top 10 defence equipment producers as it has inherited a defence industry producing tanks, planes, including the Antonov series of aircraft that are a large part of the IAF’s transport fleet, anti-aircraft and radar systems after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Additionally, it has the capacity to build aircraft carrier ships as the undivided Soviet Union’s aircraft manufacturing facilities were located in Kiev, currently the capital of Ukraine. more...

US bankruptcies soar 33% to 1.2 mn in a year

The number of bankruptcy filings in the US soared more than 33% for the year ended March 31, 2009, as the world's largest economy continued to reel under the worst financial turmoil since the 1930s. The bankruptcy filings count ballooned 33.3% to 1,202,503 for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2008. In the comparable period, the same stood at 9,01,927, the statistics from the Administrative Office of the US Courts showed. With the collapsed of then famed Lehman Brothers in September last year, the financial crisis turned for the worse rattling the American economy. more...

MARKET INDICATOR

COMMODITY INDEX

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value

HEALTH TIP

If you feel an asthma attack coming on and don't have your inhaler handy, try a couple cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or chocolate bars. The caffeine will help open your airways.

TIP - to save energy

Don't keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are 37° to 40°F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5°F for the freezer section. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, it should be kept at 0°F.

HUMOUR JUNCTION

The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on

Today’s News Brief – 9th June 09

2009-06-09T16:00:00.001+05:30

POWER

Increased demand, easier fuel access push power sector growth

Increased demand for power and easier availability of fuel pushed the electricity sector’s growth to 6 per cent in April this year, compared with just 1.4 per cent in the same month last year, according to the latest Index of Industrial production (IIP) figures released on Tuesday. The sector carries a weight of 10 per cent in the index, which rose 4.3 per cent for the month, the most since January 2008. The demand for power in April, the first month of the current financial year, was 4,000 Mw higher than the demand of 106,900 Mw power in the same month last year. “This is certainly a sign of recovery in the economy, although most of it happened in the last quarter,” said an analyst. The higher demand for power was aided by an improved fuel availability at thermal power stations in April this year. more...

PTC plans $1-bn power fund

PTC India, the country’s largest electricity trading company, is putting together plans to set up a $1-billion equity fund to finance power projects in India. It is also exploring the possibility of launching multiple equity funds to meet the varied requirements of power projects. The public-private partnership company is understood to have initiated talks with a host of global financial institutions and private equity firms such as Macquarie, Blackstone and Soloman Brothers to create the fund. The company, which is yet to decide whether to set up the fund in India or another country, plans to launch its new initiative later this year. more...

ECONOMY

Economy to grow by at least 6.7 pc in FY'10: Montek

With economic conditions turning better compared to that three months ago, the Planning Commission on Monday said economy should record at least 6.7 per cent growth rate this fiscal, the same as was witnessed in 2008-09. "What I can say is we should at least be aiming at the same growth as achieved last year and I think we could do a little better," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters in press conference here. Last week he was reappointed as deputy chief of the Planning Commission. more...

Realty sector’s role in economic recovery significant: CREDAI chief

The role of real estate sector in the economic recovery is of utmost significance, according to Mr Kumar Gera, Chairman of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI). Speaking at the installation ceremony of the new office-bearers of the Mangalore chapter of CREDAI here, he said the Union Government has realised that real estate sector is not the cause for slowdown. However, this sector could be a part of solution to come out of slowdown. He hoped that the Union Budget, which will be presented on July 3, will give importance to the housing and infrastructure needs of the country. The Budget could come out with measures related to real estate sector for the stimulus and revival of the economy. more...

POLITICS

Manmohan is great leader not only of India but of world: Brown

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has described his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh as a great leader not only of India but of the world. "It is a great honour for any democratic country in the world to have a leader like Dr Manmohan Singh. He is a great leader not only of India but of the world," Brown was quoted as saying by leading NRI Labour MP Virender Sharma. Sharma, who was speaking at a function organised by the Indian Overseas Congress here last night to celebrate the victory of Congress Party in the recent general elections in India, said he had raised the issue in the House of Commons and replying to the discussion Brown had praised Singh. more...

We backed you only to face losses: Mulayam tells Congress

Samajwadi Party, which bailed out the previous UPA government on the Indo-US nuclear deal, on Monday said that the support has cost it dear. "We supported you. We faced losses while you gained," SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told the Congress leadership in the Lok Sabha, evoking peals of laughter among the members. He said the SP has not only lost at the hustings but still has to face abuses from people. "We were reduced to 23 seats, while you went on to increase your tally from 145 to 206," he said during the debate in the Motion of Thanks on the President's address. more...

TELECOM

Reliance Comm may give contract to Alcatel: Report

Reliance Communications, is close to awarding a $500-$600 million operations and maintenance contract to French telecom equipment group Alcatel-Lucent, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. The outsourcing deal for Reliance's GSM and optical fibre cable services may be signed in about two weeks, the newspaper said, citing sources familiar with the development. Last year, Reliance and Alcatel formed a joint venture for network management services, with the Indian company holding 33 percent and the French company owning the rest. more...

CDMA group sees 100 m new subscribers in India

Notwithstanding the fact that there are more number of operators moving towards offering GSM-based mobile services, the CDMA Development Group (CDG) has projected that India will have 100 million new CDMA subscribers over the next two years if operators are given adequate spectrum. Speaking to Business Line, Mr Perry LaForge, Chairman of the CDG, said, “We think the CDMA subscriber base will grow another 100 million in two years. Both Tata Tele Services and Reliance Communications have reiterated their strong commitment to CDMA. They have been clear that the decision to implement GSM was really a matter of necessity because they do not have visibility as to when and what spectrum they will receive for CDMA. This situation needs to be corrected so that these operators can continue to grow wireless communications in this market. CDMA will flourish here in India if spectrum is provided.” more...

INTERNATIONAL

Asia Pacific to account for one-third of global airline loss

The Asia-Pacific region will account for more than one-third of the global airline losses this year, which is likely to touch a whopping $ nine billion, due to recession impacting industry's bottom line. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Asia-Pacific carriers will post the largest losses at $ 3.3 billion as the region's largest market Japan is in deep recession, while the global airlines will lose $ nine billion this year. more...

UAE's new reforms to benefit Indian labourers

The UAE government plans to implement far reaching reforms to improve the working conditions of its workers, a move that would also benefit the large number of Indian labourers in the country. The decision, which was approved by the UAE Cabinet, makes it compulsory for an employer to provide his workers accommodation commensurate with the international labour standards, according to an official statement released on Monday. Employers in the UAE still have five years to comply with the rules, which will be implemented with effect from September this year. It was also not clear what consequences employers would face if they fail to abide. more...

MARKET INDICATOR

COMMODITY INDEX

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. “

HEALTH TIP

Stretching exercises can help in many ways in maintaining a fitter body.

TIP - to save energy

Set the thermostat to of your AC to 780 F. Setting the thermostat down to 720 F would increase your cooling costs 12 to 47%, depending on where you live.

HUMOUR JUNCTION

A hearty laugh gives one a dry cleaning, while a good cry is a wet wash.

Latest Wedding Invitation - Creativity

2009-06-09T14:53:00.002+05:30

Mumbai Attacks - the real story

2009-06-09T12:49:00.000+05:30

Mumbai Attacks-The Real Story--Who was behind Mumbai Attack----Eye Opening facts about Mumbai Attacks

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Non-fiction Books mumbai Politics & Governmen

Upcoming Solar Projects in India

2009-06-03T10:29:00.001+05:30

PV Technologies India, Titan Energy Systems, Reliance Industries, Tata BP Solar Power among 12 projects to get in-principle nod (The Hindu Business Line)

PV Technologies India (a subsidiary of Moser Baer), Titan Energy Systems, Reliance Industries Ltd, Tata BP Solar Power are among the 12 Solar Photo Voltaic projects filed under Special Incentive Package Scheme (SIPS), which have received in-principle clearance from the Government. Together, these 12 projects would entail an investment of Rs 76,500 crore over a 10-year period.On Monday (June 1), the IT and Communications Minister, Mr A. Raja, had said the Government has granted in-principle clearance to 12 projects but had not specified the applicants. According to officials, DIT (Department of Information Technology) has issued a letter to this effect to the 12 applicants. "These applications involve Rs 76,500 crore of investments over a 10-year period. The initial approval implies that prima-facie these proposals have met the basic technical criteria, as laid down under SIPS," the official said.
Other PV projects that have been given the technical green signal are KSK Surya PV Ventures; Signet Solar, Indo-Solar Ltd (formerly Phoenix Solar India); Solar Semiconductors, TF SolarPower, Lanco Solar Pvt Ltd, EPV Solar and Bhaskar Silicon. The final nod on the financial support would depend on the financial closure, meeting of the threshold investments and other parameters.
"Apart from these, the other proposals which were filed, including LCD Fab proposal of Videocon Industries, are currently under examination," the official said. In all, the Government has received 17 proposals worth Rs 1,57,000 crore under SIPS. Under this programme, the Centre would provide an incentive of 20 per cent capital expenditure during the first 10 years for the units in SEZs and 25 per cent of the capital expenditure in non-SEZ units. Any unit can claim incentives in the form of capital subsidy or equity participation.

Deepika Padukone – Walls Album

2009-06-02T12:49:00.001+05:30

View Full Album

Installed capacity of Indian Wind Power

2009-06-02T12:17:00.001+05:30

According to the information received from various sources, during the financial Year 2008-2009 around 1465 MW has been added in the installed capacity of Indian wind power.
WEG Manufacturer wise capacity addition during the financial year 2008-09 is as follows:

Table 1 WEG Manufacturer Wise Capacity

S.No.	WEG Manufacturer	Capacity addition (MW)
1	Suzlon	782
2	Enercon	348
3	Vestas India	161
4	RRB Energy	85
5	Regen Powertech	24
6	Pioneer Wincon	23
*7	Southern Windfarms	18
*8	Shriram EPC	17
9	Elecon	5
10	Win Wind	2

State wise capacity addition during the financial year 2008-09 in the order of capacity added is as follows:

Table 2 State Wise capacity addition

S.No.	State	Capacity addition (MW)
1	Tamil Nadu	405
2	Karnataka	322
3	Gujarat	314
4	Rajasthan	200
5	Maharashtra	182
6	Madhya Pradesh	24
7	Kerala	19

With this addition, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power in India will be around 10,200 MW by the end of March '2009.

To know about how the Wind Power Plant works click on this link http://www.world-wind-energy.info/

BSE Power Index – @ 33% returns

2009-06-01T17:53:00.001+05:30

In the last one month, the BSE Power index gained more than 33% against 25% gained by the Sensex. Though India is the sixth largest electricity generator in the world with a generation capacity of over 45,554 MW, it suffers from huge power deficit and the current conditions are likely to persist for the Next couple of years giving long-term revenue visibility for all kinds of cos — power generation, Transmission, distribution and equipment manufacturer. The sector is also expected to see major Disinvestments, which will further increase the efficiency of the PSU companies.

Following are the top 10 power stocks on the basis of 3-month returns:

Birla Power Solutions Ltd – 353.84%
Emco – 233.39%
IMP Powers –187.33%
Reliance Infrastructure Ltd – 186.38%
Transformer and Rectifiers – 174.5%
Accurate Transformers – 168.2%
Jaiprakash Hydropower – 163.22%
Bharat Bijlee – 151.41 %
GVK Power & Infrastructure – 139.00%
Gujarat Industries Power Company – 102 %

Following chart gives an overview of the same:

Google Wave - Aimed to Reinvent E-mail, IM and lot more...

2009-06-01T14:03:00.000+05:30

The Google I/O conference at San Francisco ended with Google dropping a bomb. Say hello to Google Wave, a unique service from the company that, according to many, has the potential to be the next big thing after e-mail.

So, what exactly is the Google Wave? To simplify things, consider it to be an extension, or rather an evolution of existing e-mail, IM and file-sharing technologies. With Wave, users can share images, videos, converse in what Google terms a collaborative conversation stream.

If that bounced off your head, here we go again. In real world conditions, what you can potentially do is to start a Wave. Now, everyone on your wave will be able to enhance it with rich HTML, pictures, videos even presentations and with possibly anything you can do on the web. You can talk to them (your wave buddies, of course) while this is happening and see in real time how the wave of yours has started to evolve.

Cool, Huh? Now, if you sign off and come back the next day and you see that the wave has changed a lot since you last saw it, what do you do? You can actually go back and see how the evolution happened - a sort of rewind and playback thing. Of course, there is a lot more to the Google Wave than this, but that has to be experienced to be talked about.
Another facet of Google Wave is that this happens to be an Open Source project, and more of a platform, less a finished product. So, what we're talking bout here is an entire new API that allows developers to do almost anything they please, like integrating a Twitter client, playing games on to a wave. From gaming or official work to a simple chat, the Google Wave might just change the way we communicate with our buddies, in the near future.

Google Wave is the creation of the same team that was behind Google Maps and the bunch seems to have run into something revolutionary, right from the outset! This five-person startup looks all set to be one of the most talked about Google products ever.

Google has not announced a release date for Google Wave as yet, but assures that it will be made available from later this year. If you want a preview, you do have the option to let Google know your interest here at http://wave.google.com.

If you happen to be a developer, you might want to check the Google Blog for more dope.

Is there a solution of Power Shortage ?

2009-06-01T12:42:00.001+05:30

I feel this is a systemic problem that has grown in size since our independence and needs to be worked out in stages rather than going full throttle in any direction:

Stage 1 (1-2years): IMPROVE THE EXISTING: Correct assessment of demand and supply of power: It is evident that there is huge shortfall between the demand and supply. The first step to reduce this deficit is to stop the illegal use of electricity. This will require tighter laws for the imposters who use illegal power. The house wise electric load should be formulated as it is done in a census. Illegal power usage should be dealt with extreme penalty and punishments that are equivalent to crimes related to thefts. Make it a kind of social stigma so that people are wary of this crime.

Stage 2 (2-5 yrs): ELEVATE THE SYSTEM: After there is a movement towards a responsible use of electricity, government should in parallel go for steps for leap bound increase in the electricity generation, this is a time taking exercise and hence there should be targets and milestones for every year irrespective of any government at centre. Nuclear power holds the potential and is an efficient way of generating the amount of electricity that the country requires today and tomorrow. Create a pool of nation wide power grid wherein every power generated is shared on the central grid and based upon demand and supply condition it should be allowed to be accessed. This should be ideally done by a private firm competent and experienced like Tata Power or Reliance. The power grid should be evaluated on the basis of mean time between failures and amount of energy losses. Inefficient grids should be operated on PPP model for enhancing efficiency.

Stage 3(5-10 yrs): MAINTAIN THE SYSTEM: Aim for nationwide electricity by 2020: We should provide quality electricity to the end of mile locations all over the country rather than providing free or subsidized power which is inefficient and inadequate. If farmers get the justified amount of electricity required, then its benefit would be enough that there can be an optimum charge for it. Backward sectors should be given preference in allocation of power projects that will generate employment and infrastructure development also in the area. FII's should be encouraged in this sector and government should provide tax sops to companies that own up the development to these areas.

I hope we start this work in time rather than just talking as it is the backbone for the holistic development of our country. The means to achieve this can suitably decided by the people in power at the center and states level but the agreement on the urgent need to do this and achieving the objective should be clear and should be actively followed.

Difference | C.V. Resume & Biodata

2009-06-01T09:57:00.002+05:30

Difference | C.V, Resume & Biodata

Difference Among C.V, Resume & Biodata

People use the words RESUME, C.V., and BIO-DATA interchangeably for the
document highlighting skills, education, and experience that a candidate
submits when applying for a job. On the surface level, all the three
mean the same. However, there are intricate differences.

RESUME

Resume Is a French word meaning "summary", and true to the word
meaning, signifies a summary of one's employment, education, and other
skills, used in applying for a new position. A resume seldom exceeds one
side of an A4 sheet, and at the most two sides. They do not list out all
the education and qualifications, but only highlight specific skills
customized to target the job profile in question.
A resume is usually broken into bullets and written in the third person
to appear objective and formal. A good resume starts with a brief
Summary of Qualifications, followed by Areas of Strength or Industry
Expertise in keywords, followed by Professional Experience in reverse
chronological order. Focus is on the most recent experiences, and prior
experiences summarized. The content aims at providing the reader a
balance of responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. After
Work experience come Professional Affiliations, Computer Skills, and
Education

C.V CURRICULUM VITAE

C.V Is a Latin word meaning "course of life". Curriculum
Vitae (C.V.) is therefore a regular or particular course of study
pertaining to education and life. A C.V. is more detailed than a resume,
usually 2 to 3 pages, but can run even longer as per the requirement. A
C.V. generally lists out every skills, jobs, degrees, and professional
affiliations the applicant has acquired, usually in chronological order.
A C.V. displays general talent rather than specific skills for any
specific positions.

BIO-DATA

Bio Data the short form for Biographical Data, is the old-fashioned
terminology for Resume or C.V. The emphasis in a bio data is on personal
particulars like date of birth, religion, sex, race, nationality,
residence, martial status, and the like. Next comes a chronological
listing of education and experience. The things normally found in a
resume, that is specific skills for the job in question comes last, and
are seldom included. Bio-data also includes applications made in
specified formats as required by the company.

A resume is ideally suited when applying for middle and senior level
positions, where experience and specific skills rather than education is
important. A C.V., on the other hand is the preferred option for fresh
graduates, people looking for a career change, and those applying for
academic positions. The term bio-data is mostly used in India while
applying to government jobs, or when applying for research grants and
other situations where one has to submit descriptive essays.

Resumes present a summary of highlights and allow the prospective
employer to scan through the document visually or electronically, to see
if your skills match their available positions. A good resume can do
that very effectively, while a C.V. cannot. A bio-data could still
perform this role, especially if the format happens to be the one
recommended by the employer.

Personal information such as age, sex, religion and others, and hobbies
are never mentioned in a resume. Many people include such particulars in
the C.V. However, this is neither required nor considered in the US
market. A Bio-data, on the other hand always include such personal
particulars.

Why ? Can Anybody Tell?

2009-05-30T17:24:00.004+05:30

1. Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

2. Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money?

3. Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

4. Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

5. Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

6. Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

7. Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

8. Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

9. Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lips"?

10. If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

11. Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

12. Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

13. Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

14. Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

15 Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

16. How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

17. When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

18. Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

19. In Winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in Summer, when we complained about the heat in Summer?

20. How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

Nareepol tree - the fact of humor

2008-09-27T12:40:00.000+05:30

Some days before, I have received a mail saying about a tree in Thailand whose fruits are in the shapes of Women !! I have found similar information on some blogs and websites also.

So I was quite impressed and excited to know more about this tree and if possible wanna visit it. I have searched on travel websites to find whether any travel agencies are arranging tour for such a marvellous and mysterious tree. But to my stunning surprise no travel agency was knowing about the said tree or the place where it was claimed the tree belongs to.

So, I was a little bit of suspicious about the existence of this tree. To find out the truth I have started digging the story and I found that almost all the places similar information and similar photographs were there. Then I have searched some Thai people from chat rooms of various chat servers and asked them about this tree. The answers were as per my expectations. There is no such type of tree exists in Thailand ! !

Finally I have started to search some more text to support my research and I have found one website (Hoax-Slayer.com)which was showing the same result.

So it was clear that some nuts have used (or misused) the power of Internet along with some kind of Digitography to spread the humor around the world.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Geography of Women....

2008-09-26T21:45:00.000+05:30

"Between the ages of 15 - 20 a woman is like Africa.
She is half discovered, half wild."

"Between the ages of 20 - 30 a woman is like America.
Fully discovered and scientifically perfect."

"Between the ages of 30 - 35, she is like India & Japan.
Very hot, wise and beautiful !!!!!!!!!"

"Between the ages of 35 - 40 a woman is like France.
She is half destroyed after the war but still desirable."

"Between the ages of 40 - 50 she is like Germany.
She lost the war but not the hope."

"Between the ages of 50 - 60 she is like Russia.
Very wide, very quiet but nobody goes there."

"Between the ages of 60 - 70 a woman is like England.
With a glorious past but no future."

"After 70, they become Siberia.
Everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there."

Asia Business Week 50

2008-09-26T16:49:00.000+05:30

The results of Asia Business Week 50 has been published. And again India has topped the chart with maximum of 12 companies in the list.

The following is the list of of the companies segrigated to country wise and business wise followed by a chart showing no of companies of various countries.

E - Books Fiction

2008-09-26T16:07:00.000+05:30

Hi buddies,

I have collected E-Book Versions of some best seller titles. Current I am having following E-Books. If any of you are interested to have any of these titles, just tell me the title no and your E-Mail Address. I will send you the E-Book.

Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rolling)
A Brief History of Time (Stephen Hawking)
The World as I see it (Albert Einstein)
Harry Potter & the Time of Good Intentions (J. K. Rolling)
Harry Potter & 7 deathly Hollows (J.K. Rolling)
Memories of Midnight (Sidney Sheldon)
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Pilgrimage (Paulo Coelho)
The Stars Shine (Sidney Sheldon)
The Valkyries (Paulo Coelho)
A foot in the door (E. R. Jones)

Along with these titles, I am also having E-Books related to self improvement, funny jokes, IT Skills and lots more. Just keep visiting my blog to have them.

Njoy Reading ! ! !

--------------

Wall Street & Indian Nuclear Run

2008-09-26T15:24:00.001+05:30

As you are aware, sometimes before India has achieved a glorius victory in terms of NSG waiver though not being a part of the NPT. As a wayforwared to it India was supposed to sign a Nuclear Deal with White House for a number of services ranging from supplying Nuclear reactors to Nuclear fuels.

But as a recent wash our to Wall Street du to the break down of its three pillars (Lehman, AIG and Merryl Lynch) the US economy is becoming unstable. Hence, Bush administration may be eyeing for a bail - out package of this situation.

This may be a dangerous obstacle for India's Nuclear Pact, as only two days are remaining for US Congress goes on recess. The US Lasmakers will not reconvene untill next year. By that time, there will be a new Presidnet and a new Congress. Moreover, India's ruling coalition will be just months away from a general election.

so, let's hope for the best and watch the development ! !

Google Chrome

2008-09-26T13:29:00.000+05:30

Tech Febbies must know that Google has launched a new browser called as Google Chrome. As a tech febbie I have also downloaded it. But, frankly speaking it was not as per my expectations. But ya, it in terms of speed and simplicity it is the best browser I have ever used. And if you are a frequent user of Google and its products (like Picasa, G Maps etc) then it is the most suitable browser for you. The following is the link if you want to download it.

http://www.google.com/chrome

Please check this and tell me how u felt about it.

Happy Browsing !

Beautiful Thoughts....!!!!

2007-03-02T15:14:00.000+05:30

When we share laughter,
There's twice the fun;
When we share success,
We surpass what we've done.

When we share problems,
There's half the pain;
When we share tears,
A rainbow follows rain.

When we share dreams,
They become more real;
When we share secrets,
It's our hearts we reveal.

If we share a smile,
Then our love shows;
If we share a hug,
Then our love grows.

If we share with someone
On whom we depend,
That person becomes
Family or friend.

And what draws us closer
And makes us all care,
Is not what we have,
But the things that we share.

Filmi Definations of Some technical Words....

2007-03-02T15:11:00.000+05:30

Filmi definations of some technical words.....

PentiumII & Pentium I :== Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

An employee who signs a bond :== Bandhan

An employee who is ready to sign a bond :== Dulhan Banu Main Teri

An employee without signing bond :== Kachche Dhage

Sister concern :== Judwa

Boss se to employees when asked for increment :== Kuch Kuch Hota Hain

An employee who works sincerely :== Dil Se

An employee who is ready to leave his job :== Doli Saja Ke Rakhna

A project having two projects leaders :== aik Phool Do Mali

An employee without accommodation :== Par! desi Babu

Password :== China Gate

Super User Password :== Gupt

An employee who sticks to a company for more than 3 years :== Amar Prem

Bill Gates :== Hum se Badh kar Kaun

Microsoft Corporation :== Ustadon Ke Ustad

Ctrl C+ Ctrl V :== Duplicate

An employee on probation :== Paying Guest

Ctrl + Alt + Del :== Aakhri Raasta

An employee who frequently changes the company :== Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi

Group Leader :== Khal Nayak

Backup :== Jagte Raho

Dos & Windows :== Do Raaste

F1 :== Guide

Internet Door :== Gagan Ki Chav Main

Operator vs computer :== Main Khiladi Tu Anadi

Windows 95 :== Bade Dilwala

Undelete :== Naya Jeewan

Project incharge :== Mohra

An employee ho falls in love during his posting In foreign country :== Love in

Tokyo

An employee who left the job without informing :== 9 do 11 Nau Do Gyarah

Mail Merge in MS Word :== Sangam

Server :== Godfather

Interview :== Muqabla

Result of Interview :== Kadwa Sach

A system infected by virus :== Pyaar to Hona Hi Tha

A

Hard disk vs Floppy Disk :== Gharwali Baharwali

Boss having less knowledge than employee :== Baap Numbari Beta Dus Numbari

Rare Photos of Einstin

2007-03-02T15:03:00.000+05:30

Hi fnds.. I have found some very rare photos of one of the greatest scientists of the world... Mr. Einstin... Just Check it out...

Love Poem

2007-03-02T14:56:00.000+05:30

Love!
love can be red,like the intense heat of a passionate kiss
.....the color of sweetness
.....the color of strawberries
love can be blue,like the comfort we take in a pair of denim jeans
.....the color of strenght
.....the color of perfect skies
love can be yellow,bright and warm like the morning sun
.....like the sounds of laughters of children on the merry-go-round
.....like the sounds of fun from the boys flying kites in the open fields
love can be green,peaceful and serene i can hear your heart beats
.....it is the feeling of a loving hand that touch a grieving heart
.....it is the whispering of trusting words to a distressing soul
love can be orange,the loudness of it can drive you up a wall
.....it can drive you to sing like nobody is listening
.....it can drive you to dance like nobody is watching
love can be purple,the courage we need to love bravely and unselfishly
.....the moment i first kiss you i know that i am not afraid to risk involvement
.....the day the declaration of your love for me was made known to the world

Formula for successful company and business career

2007-03-02T14:32:00.000+05:30

Formula for successful company and business career

This post will be interesting to read.. Go Ahead… read it..

I was getting bored in HBO (Human Behavior in Organization) that teach us how to behave in Organization… I never find this subject interesting… they can’t teach us how to behave in real life just by teaching us theory in classroom, so I have nothing to do in this lecture.. I started wondering anything.. and then one idea struck in my mind.. What is secret behind some of biggest and well known companies in the world?

with little bit brainstorming I get this two thing common in some of successful company of world.. here it is

1) To start your own company, you should get your best friend with you and
start your business, bcoz I find some of the world best company started
by two best friend. Like,

Apple - Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak
Microsoft - Bill Gates & Paul Allen
Yahoo! - David Filo n Jerry Yang
HP - David Packard & William Hewlett
Google - Larry Page & Sergey Brin

Wikipedia - Jimmy Donal Wales & Larry Sanger

2) Start your company in garage
yes, you read it right… some of the best company initially started in garage
some of them are,

HP, Apple, Infosys, Google (Google’s first office was in garage) and
Amazon (not much sure).

and if you live in India there is 3rd option for you. study from study engineering from IIT and MBA from IIM.

Some of well know person who studied from IIT/IIM

Rajat Gupta - B. Tech (mechanical eng), IIT-Delhi (McKinsey)

Arun Sarin - IIT Kharagpur (Vodafone CEO)

N R Narayanmurthy - IIT Kanpur (Founder of Infosys)

Nandan Nilekeni - IIT Bombay ( Infosys CEO)

Indra Nooyi -IIM Calcutta (Pepsi Co. President)

Arun Netravali - IIT Bombay (former President of Bell Laboratories)

Suhas Patil - IIT Kharagpur (Founder Cirrus Logic)

R Subramanian - IIT Madras & IIM Ahmedabad (Founder of Subhiksha Retail )

Sanjeev Bikhchandani - IIM A (Founder of Naukri.com)

Some funny fullforms of IT Companies

2007-03-02T14:11:00.000+05:30

Hi Friends, I have found funny fullforms of some IT Companies... Read it and enjoy...

1. NIIT : Not Interested in IT

2. WIPRO : Weak Input, Poor & Rubbish Output

3. HCL : Hidden Costs & Losses

4. TCS : Totally Confusing Solutions

5. INFOSYS :Inferior Offline Systems

6. HUGHES : Highly Useless Graduates Hired for Eating and Sleeping

7. BAAN : Beggars Association and Nerds

8. IBM : Implicitly Boring Machines

9. SATYAM : Sad And Tired Yelling Away Madly

10. PARAM : Puzzled And Ridiculous Array of Microprocessors

11. C-DOT : Coffee During Office Timings

12. AT&T : All Troubles & Terrible

13. CMC : Coffee, Meals and Comfort

14. DEC : Drifting & Exhausted Computers

15. BFL : Brainwash First and Let them go

17. TISL : Totally Inconsistent Systems Ltd.

18. PSI : Peculiar Symptoms of India

19. ORACLE : On-line Romance And Chatting with Lady Employees