FUSION IT SERVICES

Tania Zaetta Gets Apology for Sex with Soldiers Accusation (PHOTOS)

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:23:00 +0000

Australian actress Tania Zaetta received an apology from Australia’s military chief on Tuesday for falsely accusing her of engaging in sex with elite special forces soldiers during a 2008 concert tour
at a military base in Afghanistan.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston met with Zaetta and her family to apologize for naming her in a defense briefing note, which was leaked to the press.

“There was no substance to the allegations,” Houston said in a statement. “Ms. Zaetta gave her time and her talent to entertain our forces serving in Afghanistan and she deserves our praise and our thanks. I have also made clear to Ms. Zaetta that she is welcome to again join a Forces Entertainment Tour in the near future.”

Zaetta, considered “one of the first foreigners to conquer Bollywood,” toured Australian Defence Force bases in Afghanistan and Iraq during early 2008 with a group of entertainers. A draft ministerial “hot issues brief” was published in various newspapers intimating that the 38-year-old actress had engaged in sex with several members of the Australian Special Air Services Regiment. Other entertainers touring with the group said in media interviews that they were so “managed” and tired during the trip that they could not imagine that this could be possible.

“I’ve heard of quickies mate, but you’d have to be really quick - we didn’t have time to do anything,” said John Clinton, from the country rock band The Wolverines. Additionally, various members of the Government of Australia denied that this was seriously suggested. Zaetta strongly denied the allegation, and demanded an apology.

Late last year Australia’s defense department and Zaetta reached an agreement to compensate her for “an unacceptable breach of privacy” in relation to “false allegations.”

View photos of Tania Zaetta and an interview with the Bollywood superstar below.

PALIN CREATES SARAHPAC

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:58:00 +0000

In a sign Sarah Palin wants to continue to be a player on the national political stage, the Alaska Governor has started a new political action committee to raise funds, SarahPAC.

The PAC is registered in Virginia and is modeled after HillPAC, Hillary Clinton's former political committee. Palin's committee allows her to raise money for other Republicans.

According to the Web site, the committee will also support Palin's "plans to build a better, stronger, and safer America in the 21st century."

Palin continues to have a huge political following. As of noon today, she has 464,000 friends on Facebook.com.

SarahPAC Official website : http://www.sarahpac.com

U-17 World Cup May Be Out of Africa

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:50:00 +0000

The United States under-17 men’s national team recently learned its opponents for the final round of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. What remains up in the air is the location for the finals, which were supposed to take place in nine stadiums in Nigeria from Oct. 25 to Nov. 15.

Before the American men, who have played in every tournament at this age level, get to play in the finals, they must first face Canada, Honduras and Cuba in a round-robin group in Tijuana, Mexico, from April 21 to May 2. The top two teams in Group A and Group B (host Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago) will advance to the finals.

And up until early this week, it appeared that FIFA would keep its commitment to host three international tournaments on the African continent, one year before the 2010 World Cup finals are scheduled to be played in South Africa. In addition to the U-17 tournament, FIFA will host the Confederations Cup in South Africa (June 14 to 28) and the U-20 World Cup in Egypt (Sept. 25 to Oct. 16).

But now those grand plans to put Africa center stage have taken a hit after one of FIFA’s inspection committees, led by Jack Warner, returned a less-than-favorable report on a visit this week to Nigeria. The group’s weeklong inspection of the nine locales Nigeria has proposed for the tournament has not gone well for the prospective hosts.

Contrary to his statements in the BBC report, Warner told FIFA.com: “I am pleased with what I saw and with my discussions with the governors of Enugu, Kano, Delta and Lagos states, and Alhaji Abdulrahman Hassan Gimba, the Honorable Minister and chairman of the National Sports Commission. There is a lot of work to be done but I am sure Nigeria will pull it off and be ready.”

As is the case with South Africa, any hint that the tournament in Nigeria will not happen as planned raises delicate questions for FIFA. While the World Cup is still more than a year in the future, there is little margin for error with the event in Nigeria. Any possibility that it might be moved to another country is hostage to the calendar and FIFA’s stubborn commitment to holding an international tournament in a country that probably is not ready.

source

JANA GANA MANA NATIONAL ANTHEM

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:05:00 +0000

The Republic Day Jan 26 , Origin of Republic Day, Repblic Day Parade at New Delhi

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:19:00 +0000

Janaganamana Adhinayaka, Jaya he, Bharatabhagyavidhata!

Republic Day, celebrated on January 26th every year, is one of India’s most important national events. It was on January 26th, 1950 that the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly Sovereign, Democratic and Republic state.

On this day -India finally enjoyed the freedom of spirit, rule of law and fundamental principle of governance. The patriotic fervor of the Indian people on this day brings the whole country together even in her embedded diversity.

Republic Day is a people’s day in a variety of ways:

It’s when regional identity takes a backseat and what matters most is the universal appeal of unity and brotherhood projected by all Indians.

The Indian constitution basically stands for the aspirations which ‘the common man of India’ cherishes.

Republic Day is a day of the citizen of the country when he is entitled to be ‘all supreme.
Republic Day is celebrated most majestically in the capital, New Delhi, where symbols of the great nation's military might and cultural wealth are displayed in what is the world's most impressive parade. All Government buildings are illuminated lending the city the atmosphere of a fairyland. This day is celebrated with much zeal and pride all across the nation.

Origin of Republic Day

India gained independence on August 15, 1947. But till January 26, 1950, it did not have the proper law of the land for ruling the country. On this particular date in1950 the constitution of India came into force and India became true nation state with true sovereign and republic sense.

Our constitution was formed by the Indian Constituent Assembly. The Indian Constituent Assembly met on December 9, 1946. The Assembly appointed a number of committees to report on the various aspects of the proposed constitution.

The Constituent Assembly had appointed Dr. B.R.Ambedkar as the Chairman to draft the Constitution. The committee finalized the draft with 395 Articles and eight Schedules and was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. The Indian Republic officially came into being on January 26, 1950.

January 26 was not some random date picked out of the calendar. It was on this date in 1927, that the Indian National Congress, then fighting its non-violent war for freedom, voted for complete independence as against 'dominion status'. It was the date when members of the INC took the pledge to work towards a 'sovereign democratic republic' of India.

The Indian Constitution, the longest in the world, now consist of 397 articles and 12 schedules which provides for a single citizenship for the whole of India. It gives the right to vote to all the citizens of 18 years and above, unless they are disqualified. Fundamental rights are guaranteed to the citizens, equality of religion and so on. The Supreme Court, consisting of the Chief Justice of India and other judges, are the guardian of the Constitution. It stands at the apex of a single integrated judicial system for the whole country. This is where the fundamental rights of the citizens are protected.

Parade at New Delhi

The main celebrations are held in the form of a colourful parade near India Gate in Delhi. The parade showcasing India's military might and cultural diversity covers a 8 km route, starting from the Rashtrapati Bhavan through the picturesque Rajpath down to India Gate before winding up at the historic Red Fort in Old Delhi.

The events of the day begin with the Prime Minister laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti - India Gate. He then drives up to the central enclosure and awaits the arrival of the President and a Chief Guest of the occasion who is normally a Head of other Country.

On his arrival the Hon’ble President meets the dignitaries present and unfurls the National Flag. Following this the National Anthem is played with a 21-gun salute to the National Flag. After this a brief investiture ceremony takes place during which the President presents India's top gallantry awards, the Param Veer Chakra, the Veer Chakra and the Maha Veer Chakra to the outstanding soldiers from the defense services.

After this, four helicopters from the armed forces fly past the parade area showering rose petals on the audience. Each chopper carries a flag - the first being the Indian flag and the other three the flags of the Army, the Navy, and the Indian Air Force.

The march past begins immediately after the fly past. The President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, takes the salute of the mechanised, mounted and marching contingents of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Paramilitary forces, Police and the National Cadet Corps.

After the march past comes the cultural extravaganza consisting of floats presented by the various states and performances by school children. After the floats, the bravery awards winning children from all over the country enter on elephants.

A spectacular fly-past by Air Force and Naval aircraft rounds off this not-to-be missed experience. The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. No other country in the world can parade so many ethnically different people in splendid uniforms as India's Armed Forces. But they are all united in their proven loyalty to the Government elected by the people and in their proud traditions and legendary gallantry.

BSNLEU BSNL Employees Union SSA Results Updates

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:03:00 +0000

BSNLEU was the first union to be registered in BSNL with Registration. No. 4896 dated 15th June 2001, within 3 months of its formation, a record in itself. BSNLEU is The following existing six All India telecom unions merged to form the new union: All India Telecom Employees Union Class –III (Namboodiri), All India Telegraph Traffic Employees Union Class-III, All India Telecom Administrative Offices Employees Union, All India Telecom Civil Wing Employees Union Group C & D, Indian Telecom Employees Union, Line Staff &Group D and All India P&T Industrial Workers Union. Many circle unions of the following two All India Unions also merged: All India Telecom Employees Union, Line Staff & Group D and All India Telegraph Traffic Employees Union, Group D.

BSNLEU declared RESULTS SSA WISE BSNL EMPLOYEES UNION / UNITED FORUM LEADS.

BSNLEU (CHQ)DADA GHOSH BHAWAN NEW DELHI
23rd January,2009 [09:45 Hrs]

IDA EXPECTED TO BE INCREASED BY MORE THAN 6% w.e.f.01.01.2009.
RESULTS SSA WISE BSNL EMPLOYEES UNION / UNITED FORUM LEADS
source BSNL Employees Union...
Exodus from NFTE & FNTO:- Once the Fourth Membership Verification has started, large number of members of NFTE & FNTO has started migrating to BSNLEU. ...

Movie Review : Raaz -The Mystery Continues (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Raaz -The Mystery Continues: Succeeds in spooking you

Rating: 3.5 out of 5*

Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Adhyayan Suman

Director: Mohit Suri

Yash (Adhyayan) and Nandita (Kangana) is a couple deeply in love. While Yash is heads a successful reality show on TV called Andhavishwas which exposes superstitious beliefs in India, Nandita is a successful model. One evening Nandita realizes that a stranger (Emraan) is following her. The stranger then manages to encounter her in her building lift. He introduces himself as Prithvi and shows her the paintings he has drawn of her. What has him intrigued is that though he had never seen her before, he has drawn her many portraits including one which shows her lying in a pool of blood. He tries to caution her about something evil about to happen to her soon but she ignores him. But from then on, strange things start happening her as if she has been possessed by an evil spirit. What twists and turns follow next form the rest of the film.

Full marks to Mohit Suri for making that one kick-ass horror thriller which can easily put on par with Hollywood’s best in terms of plot, setting, technique and acting. Though the initial few minutes appear dragging with a slow pace, the film takes your grip, once Kangana gets possessed. There are sufficient twists and turns plotted at just the right juncture to give you shocks. The suspense too is well maintained right till the climax. Generally Bollywood horror films tend to have lengthy and at times unconvincing flashbacks to support the happenings but thankfully in here the flashback is not only slickly shot but is also right in length and very convincing. The camerawork by Ravi Walia deserves special mention especially for night shots which are aplenty in the film. He has succeeded in creating the right eerie atmosphere. The song are well placed too and thankfully few.

Mohit has gone right in the casting as well. Emraan is just perfect for the part and his expressions speak a lot. It is not the same Emraan you have been seeing till now. Kangana enacts her part well and succeeds in getting your sympathy. Adhyayan shows remarkable improvement as an actor from his debut film.

The film is a definite must watch, it delivers more than it promises. Not only it is way far better than the first Raaz, it is that one good horror film, that Hindi horror film fans have been deprived for a long time now since Bhoot. Go for it and be prepared to be spooked. -Sampurn Media

D.Ed Results

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:28:00 +0000

D.Ed Results - Diploma in Education, Maharashtra

MAHARASHTRA STATE COUNCIL OF EXAMINATIONS
17, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Pune-400001
MSCE website : http://msce.mah.nic.in/ [link]

MSCE Exam - msce.mah.nic.in, MSCE results - mahresult.nic.in

Maharashtra State Council of Examinations is an autonomous body (body corporate) established by school Education Department, Govt. of Maharashtra under the special Act “Maharashtra State Council of Examinations Act 1998”. The MSCE is entrusted with the duty of conduct and organisation of various examinations of School Education Deptt. ranging from Primary to Professional stages, like Scholarship Examinations and Professional Examinations like D.Ed., GCC & departmental examinations for the employees of the School Education, Higher Education and cultural Deptt.

For more information on Procedure to submit application form, Syllabus, Examination and Recruitment procedure, visit MSCE webisite.

For results - MAHARASHTRA EXAMINATION RESULT, 2008, visit the MSCE results website given below.
website : http://mahresult.nic.in/ [link]

Latest results
Merit list for Prathmik Shikshan Sevak Prerecruitment Centralized Examination 2008
Announced on November 17, 2008 at 11:00 Hrs

tags: www.msce.mah.nic.in, mahresult.nic.in, MSCE exam results

Maharashtra State Council of Examinations
Diploma In Education (D.Ed.)

D.Ed. Exams are conducted twice in a year by M.S.C.E. Pune.
Main Exam: Generally in the month of October or November
Supplementary Exam: for repeater candidates

D.Ed Results, Maharashtra
Visit MSCE website for latest updates on Diploma in Teacher Education (D.Ed.) Examination Result.

Marcus Schrenker Abandoned Plane Before Crash To Fake Death, Investigators Say

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:11:00 +0000

MILTON, Fla. — An Indiana businessman whose financial management companies were under investigation apparently made a fake distress call, bailed out of his small plane and then let it crash in a Florida panhandle swamp.
Authorities searched Monday for Marcus Schrenker after he made the distress call and apparently secretly parachuted to safety near Birmingham, Ala. His single-engine plane continued flying on autopilot and eventually crashed late Sunday more than 200 miles away in a swampy area of the Florida Panhandle.

In the weeks before the crash, Schrenker's life was spiraling downward: He lost a half-million-dollar judgment against one of his companies when he skipped a court hearing. His wife filed for divorce, and investigators probing his businesses for possible securities violations searched his home and office.
Authorities believe Schrenker was last seen Monday morning in Childersburg, Ala., just south of Birmingham, when a man using his Indiana driver's license told police that he'd been in a canoe accident. He was wet only from the knees down and had what appeared to be goggles made for flying.
The investigation into the crash began Sunday night, when Schrenker's single-engine Piper Malibu crashed in a swampy area of north Florida.
The plane was en route from Anderson, Ind., to the Florida Panhandle city of Destin when Schrenker reported turbulence. He said the windshield had imploded and he was bleeding profusely, according to the sheriff's office in Santa Rosa County, where the plane crashed.
After he stopped responding to air traffic controllers, military jets tried to intercept the plane. They noticed the door was open and the cockpit was dark and continued to follow it until it crashed in a bayou surrounded by homes.
But when investigators found the plane, its door was ajar and the wreckage showed no signs of blood or the blown windshield. The sheriff's office said Schrenker appeared to have intentionally abandoned his plane.
Bill and Debbie Timbie, whose house is less than 100 yards from where the plane crashed, were home Sunday night when they heard the jets flying overhead. Bill Timbie gave rescuers looking for the downed plane a ride through the swamp in his canoe.
"Now, after you think about it, it could have been real bad, it could have taken out two or three houses," he said Monday.
The case grew stranger Monday morning, when the man with Schrenker's license told police in Childersburg _ about 225 miles from where the plane crashed _ that he'd been in a canoe accident with friends.
The officers, unaware of the plane crash, took him to a hotel. He was gone by the time they returned. They learned he had paid for his room in cash before putting on a black cap and running into the woods next to the hotel.
Authorities in Indiana have said little about the nature of the investigation into Schrenker's businesses _ Heritage Wealth Management Inc., Heritage Insurance Services Inc. and Icon Wealth Management _ wealth management companies that provide financial advice. Jim Gavin, a spokesman for Indiana's secretary of state, said investigators are looking at possible securities violations, and officers who searched Schrenker's home Dec. 31 were looking for laptops, computers, notes, photos and other documents related to those companies.
Court records show his wife, Michelle, filed for divorce a day before the searches.
Gavin said the Indiana Securities Division obtained a temporary restraining order Monday freezing the personal assets of Marcus Schrenker and Michelle Schrenker and the assets of the three companies.
On Friday, two days before the crash, a federal judge in Maryland issued a $533,500 judgment against Heritage Wealth Management Inc., and in favor of OM Financial Life Insurance Co. The OM lawsuit contended that Heritage Wealth Management should have returned more than $230,000 in commissions because there were problems with insurance or annuity plans Heritage had sold.
Schrenker is an accomplished pilot with a background in aerobatics, said Ron Smith, an interim manager at Anderson Municipal Airport. He usually flies out of the airport about once a week, making regular trips to Florida, he said.
"He's an outstanding pilot, from what I understand," Smith said. "If he can fly aerobatics and a Meridian, you've got to be pretty decent."
Those skills made Tom Britt, who edits a newsletter for the affluent Indianapolis suburb in which Schrenker lives, suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the crash when he heard about it from a local reporter. Britt knew about the securities investigation.
"I said, 'Do they have his body? Call the police and tell them to pull the teeth out of it, because if there's a body in that plane, I guarantee that's not Marc Schrenker,'" Britt said.
Residents jokingly call the community where Schrenker lives, which overlooks a reservoir, "Cocktail Cove" because the boaters plying its waters often have a mixed drink in hand.
The serene setting belies what Britt described as a sometimes tense relationship between Schrenker and his neighors. He said Schrenker has two sides _ one very cordial and generous, the other threatening and litigious _ and that many in the neighborhood had run-ins with him and "didn't care too much for him."
___
Associated Press Writers Rick Callahan and Jeni O'Malley in Indianapolis and Sarah Larimer in Miami contributed to this report.

Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson voted into Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:10:00 +0000

Rickey Henderson dashed into the Hall of Fame on his first try. Jim Rice made it with a final swing.

Henderson, who played 25 seasons, received 94.8% of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Assn. of America in balloting announced Monday, well above the 75% needed.
Rice got 76.4% in his 15th and final year on the ballot.

"The only thing I can say is I'm glad it's over with," Rice said. "I'm in there and they can't take it away."

Henderson, baseball's career leader in runs and stolen bases, became the 44th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Rice was only the third elected by the BBWAA in his final year, joining Red Ruffing in 1967 and Ralph Kiner in 1975.
Henderson and Rice will be inducted into the Hall during ceremonies July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. They'll be joined by former New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected posthumously last month by the Veterans Committee.

"It's really just an honor to me. I'm really just spaced out," Henderson said. "I haven't really thought about what I'm going to say."

Henderson was picked on 511 of 539 ballots, Rice on 412, just above the 405 needed.

Some believed Rice's prickly personality and curt relationship with reporters during his playing career helped keep him out of the Hall all those years.

"I don't think I was difficult to deal with for writers. I think the writers were difficult to me," he said. "I wasn't going to bad-mouth my teammates. When you start talking about my teammates or what goes on outside baseball, I couldn't do that."

Andre Dawson fell 44 votes short with 67% and Mark McGwire, rumored to have used performance-enhancing drugs, received 118 votes (21.9%) in his third year of eligibility, down from the 128 votes he got in each of his first two tries.

Henderson, the 1990 American League most valuable player, was a 10-time All-Star who stole 1,406 bases. He batted .279 with 297 home runs, 1,115 runs batted in, 2,190 walks and 2,295 runs. He owns the modern-day season record with 130 steals in 1982, and the career mark with 81 leadoff homers. He played for Oakland, the New York Yankees, Toronto, San Diego, the Angels, the New York Mets, Seattle, Boston and the Dodgers.

Rice, the 1978 AL MVP, was an eight-time All-Star who hit 382 homers in 16 seasons with Boston from 1974 to 1989. He had a .298 career batting average and 1,451 RBIs, and from 1977 to 1979 averaged .320 with 41 homers and 128 RBIs.

He is the fourth Hall of Fame member to have spent his entire career with the Red Sox, joining Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Bobby Doerr.

Klieg Lights Obama!

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:08:00 +0000

Bush talked about the Klieg Lights today in his final White House speech. What are Klieg Lights? Bush said about Klieg Lights today:
“He’ll make the decisions he thinks (are) necessary. When I get out of here, I’m getting off the stage. I believe there ought to be one person in the Klieg lights at a time and I’ve had my time in the Klieg lights.”
A Klieg light is used predominately in movies through a carbon arc. The movie lighting was named for its inventor John H. Kliegl and brother Anton Tiberius Kliegl.
However, today Klieg lights are illuminated through the use of a tungsten-halogen filament.
The most popular purpose sometimes for Kliegs is to convert a location from day to night. The lights were first used in 1911.

Room A Day Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:07:00 +0000

Eligibility : Kimberly-Clark Room-A-Day Giveaway III open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 years of age or older as of 1/10/09.

Promotion Period : Kimberly-Clark Room-A-Day Giveaway III begins on 1/10/09 at 12:01 a.m. CST and ends 3/6/09 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

How To Enter :
Sweepstakes : Log on to www.roomadaygiveaway.com [Link] during the Sweepstakes Period. The first time you visit the Web Site to submit an entry into the Sweepstakes, you will be required to complete an online registration form and asked to select a user name and password. For subsequent entry into the Sweepstakes, you will only be required to provide your user name and password to receive an entry.

Instant Win Game : To play, log on to www.roomadaygiveaway.com [Link] during the Promotion Period. The first time you visit the Web Site to submit an entry into the Kimberly- Clark “Room-A-Day Giveaway III Sweepstakes (”Sweepstakes), you will be required to complete an online registration form and asked to select a user name and password which will enable you to submit daily entries into the Sweepstakes. Upon each entry into the Sweepstakes, you will be presented with the opportunity to play a “match the picture game. Upon completion of a full game play, you will be prompted to click where indicated to reveal either a message indicating you have instantly won one (1) of the prizes described below OR a “sorry message inviting you to try again the following day. You must play the “match the picture game in order to see if you have won a prize however the number of moves made in the “match the picture game will not affect your chances of winning a prize.

Limit : Limit one (1) sweepstakes entry and one (1) game play per person and/or e-mail address, per day.

Prize (s):

Sweepstakes
Sixteen (16) Grand Prizes will be awarded, each consisting of a check in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand dollars ($25,000) which may be used towards a room makeover. Actual retail value: $25,000.

Instant Win Game
Five thousand six hundred (5,600) prizes will be awarded throughout the Promotion Period at the rate of one hundred (100) total prizes per day.
The daily prize pool is as follows:

One (1) Grand Prize will be awarded each day of the Promotion Period, consisting of twenty (20) vouchers worth $5.00 each and good for the purchase of up to a total of $100 worth of Kimberly-Clark products. Estimated Retail Value (”ERV) per Grand Prize: up to $100, depending on the cost per item and the number of items purchased.

Three (3) First Prizes will be awarded each day of the Promotion Period, each consisting of ten (10) vouchers worth $5.00 each and good for the purchase of up to $50 worth of Kimberly-Clark products. ERV per First Prize: up to $50, depending on the cost per item and the number of items purchased.

Six (6) Second Prizes will be awarded each day of the Promotion Period, each consisting of four (4) vouchers worth $5.00 each and good for the purchase of up to $20 worth of Kimberly-Clark products. ERV per Second Prize: up to $20, depending on the cost per item and the number of items purchased.

Ninety (90)Third Prizes will be awarded each day of the Promotion Period, each consisting of two (2) vouchers worth $5.00 each and good for the purchase of up to $10 worth of Kimberly-Clark products. ERV per Third Prize: up to $10, depending on the cost per item and the number of items purchased.

Winners :

For a list of the major prize winners, log on to the Web Site or send a send a self-addressed stamped envelope postmarked by April 30, 2009 to: Kimberly-Clark Room-A-Day Giveaway III Winners, P.O. Box 8419, Dept. RD Prospect Heights, IL 60070.

For a list of the prize winners, send a send a self-addressed stamped envelope postmarked by April 30, 2009 to: Kimberly-Clark Brand Match Instant Win Game Winners, P.O. Box 8419, Dept. RD, Prospect Heights, IL 60070.

HP Latest LapTop's

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:06:00 +0000

HP Pavilion HDX9000,HP Pavilion TX1003AU

The HP Pavilion HDX9000 Notebook is truly one of the best notebooks around. However, it does tend to deviate from the purpose of notebooks - that of portability. The HDX9000 features a large widescreen display that could be well-suited as a desktop replacement rather than a traveling companion.

As an entertainment powerhouse that will replace your desktop computer the performance and appearance of the HP Pavilion HDX seems to match up to its billing. It is one of the best 20-inch laptop on the market.

Its pros include: Fastest Intel components available. River of LED-lit multimedia keys. HD TV tuner. Options for HD DVD-ROM and WUXGA screen in the summer. Good gaming scores. Best design for a 20-inch laptop. Great range of screen positions.

Its cons on the other hand are these: Back-breaking monster of a laptop. Huge AC adapter. Exorbitant price tag.

HP Pavilion TX1003AU

HP Pavilion TX1003AU is the latest HP laptop launched in India and also available on SwamiLaptops

Visit SwamiLaptops to see more details

Price For latest price visit www.SwamiLaptops.in

Model

HP Pavilion TX1003AU

Processor

AMD Turion64 X2 TL-52 @ 1.6GHz

Hard Disk Drive

120GB SATA HDD @ 5400rpm

Optical Drive

8X Dual Layer DVD Writer

WiFi/LAN

802.11a/b/g WiFi, NIC, Bluetooth V2.0

Memory

1GB DDR2 RAM

Display

12.1″ Widescreen TFT

Ports / Interfaces

56K Modem

USB Port

IEEE 1394 (Firewire Port)

S-video TV Out

Operating System

Genuine Windows VISTA Home Premium Edition

Warranty

1 year Warranty

LG,Sony Erisson,i Phone Latest Mobile Phone's

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:05:00 +0000

LG KU990 Viewty

My first thoughts on LG (as a mobile phone company) were that they have a long way to go to produce excellent mobile phones..but i was wrong, the LG Viewty is not only good looking but does have a lot many features a must have in a cell phone in this hi-tech age. Below are a few of the features the phone has. Fore more info log on to company website.

Network: HSDPA / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
Display Type: TFT touchscreen, 256K colors
Memory card slot: microSD (TransFlash) and 100 MB shared internal phone memory
Call records memory: 40 dialled, 40 received, 40 missed calls
Data connections: GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth, USB
Colours: Black
Camera: 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps, QVGA up to 120fps), strobe flash; secondary VGA videocall camera

iPhone in the UK

The Apple iPhone is coming pretty soon in the UK and with the date being set for release on November 9th 2007 we recommend you visit the links below so not to be disappointed. The Apple iPhone is a revolution in where the device combines 3 amazing products all in one, it consists of a mobile phone which is revolutionary, a widescreen iPod with touch controls and very cool internet communications device with the best applications ever on a mobile phone for email, maps, web browsing and searching.

The iPhone has the best touchscreen ever fitted to a device and that is the all new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software which lets you control the whole phone with your fingers.

This is the most sophisticated mobile phone on the planet (at the moment). Check out the below iPhone video

Sony Ericsson KG 850

The SE KG850 is the latest in the K series from Sony-Ericsson. This is an excellent phone with a very nice/powerful camera. I guess its difficult for any manufacturer to compete SE in phone camera...
Below are a handful of the many features this phone is bundled with. Google or visit company website for more information.

Network: HSDPA / GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Display Type: TFT, 256K colors
Memory card slot: Memory Stick Micro (M2)/microSD , 512 MB and a 40 MB internal phone memory
Call records memory: 30 received, dialed and missed calls
Data connections: GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth, USB
Colours: Luminous Green, Velvet Blue
Camera: 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, video(QVGA@30fps), xenon flash and 3LED video light; auto lens cover, secondary videocall camera

I did own a sony couple of months before but switched back to Nokia as i find it difficult to operate SE for me. In the ideal world i would like a SE phone with Nokia firmware on it :-) what do you guys say...Post your comments..

Makara Sankranti

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:25:00 +0000

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's No. 3 software company, Wipro Ltd, said on Monday the World Bank had determined in June 2007 the company would be ineligible for the bank's direct contracts up to 2011 citing a conflict of interest policy.

Wipro said its revenues from World Bank were insignifianct and the decision would not affect its business and results.

It said the announcement was being made now under revised disclosure policies.

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Wipro (WIT:

26.35, +0.15, +0.6%) tumbled 9.5% in Mumbai Monday after the company said the World Bank had barred its software unit in June 2007 from participating in direct contracts from the lender between 2007 and 2011. Wipro said the company and World Bank were making the announcement under revised disclosure policies. Wipro, which also has a presence in personal products and lighting, said that in 2000, employees of the World Bank had purchased 1,750 shares of the company through Wipro's initial public offering in New York. The shares were valued at $72,000 at the IPO price, the company said. "All participants in the program signed a conflict of interest statement that their purchase didn't violate any ethics or conflict of interest policies of their company," Wipro wrote in a statement.

Wipro says ineligible for World Bank contracts

bmc software, nasscom, royal rajasthan on wheels, satyam board, satyam shares, wipro, world bank, world bank projects

Pongal 2009

Pongal festival is on January 15, 2009.
Pongal is a highly revered festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu to mark the harvesting season. An important festival in India, Pongal is celebrated by offering prayers to the Sun God. Pongal gifts are exchanged among family members, relatives and friends. Houses are cleaned, and all maintenance jobs are done before this festival. Held in the middle of January, it is a time when the people of Tamil Nadu get ready to thank God, Earth and their cattle for the wonderful harvest they have reaped. During the four-day pongal festival, different varieties of Rangoli are drawn in front of the houses early in the morning. Apart from exchanging Pongal gifts, this festival also sees people exchanging lot of Pongal cards also.

SANKRANTI GREETING CARDS [Link]

ORKUT GREETINGS[Link]

PONGAL CARDS[Link]

Golden Globe Winners

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:23:00 +0000

Best Actress (Drama)
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)
Colin Farrell, In Bruges

Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Film Winners:

Best Motion Picture (Drama): Slumdog Millionaire
Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical): Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Actor (Drama): Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actor (Comedy or Musical): Colin Farrell, In Bruges
Best Actress (Drama): Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Best Actress (Comedy or Musical): Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Animated Feature Film: Wall-E
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song: “The Wrestler,” The Wrestler by Bruce Springsteen

Predix tally: 10/14

Television Winners:

Best Drama: Mad Men
Best Comedy: 30 Rock
Best Actor (Drama): Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Best Actress (Drama): Anna Paquin, True Blood
Best Actor (Comedy): Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Actress (Comedy): Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Best Miniseries or TV Movie: John Adams
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Paul Giamatti, John Adams
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Laura Linney, John Adams
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Wilkinson, John Adams
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern, Recount

Predix tally: 7/11 (yikes)

o level results

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:23:00 +0000

A MONTH before the O-level examinations last October, Haw Sue Hern, 16, who topped this year's results, was playing card games, badminton and jogging.
Consistent hard work and revision gave the CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School a breather before sitting for the papers.

Sue Hern emerged top among the 36,640 O-level students who took the exams last year, with a score of 10 A1s.
The results, released on Monday, showed that 99.9 per cent O-level students received certificates. 80.3 per cent or 29,592 had five or more O-level passes. 94.6 per cent or 36,675 had three of more 0-level passes.

Nearly a third (32.4 per cent) or 4,253 of the secondary four Normal (Academic) students sat for one of two 0-level exams. Of these, 90.5 per cent got at least one O-level pass.

Of the 3,087 private candidates who sat for the O levels last year, 2,739 or 88.7 per cent were awarded certificates.

RELATED LINKS
JOINT PRESS RELEASE[Link]

Results of the 2008 Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) Examination

1.The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) Examination is conducted jointly by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) and the Ministry of Education (MOE).

2.There were 36,640 school candidates in the 2008 O-Level Examination. Of these, 36,596 or 99.9% have been awarded certificates. In the 2007 O-Level Examination, there were 38,450 school candidates of which 99.9% were awarded certificates. An information sheet on students and schools with good performance is at Annex A (116kb .pdf).

3.The results of the 2008 and 2007 O-Level Examinations for school candidates are as follows:

4.This year, 4,254 or 32.4% of the 2008 Secondary 4 Normal Academic [Sec 4N(A)] students sat for 1-2 subjects in the O-Level Examination. 90.5% of these students obtained at least one O-level pass.

5.A total of 3,087 private candidates sat for the 2008 O-Level Examination. Of these, 2,739 or 88.7% have been awarded certificates.

6.School candidates have been issued their results by their respective schools from 2:00 pm today. Private candidates will be informed of their results by post. Private candidates may also access their results through the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board website from 2:00 pm today.

Recruitment of Officers and Clerks Canara Bank 2009

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:20:00 +0000

Recruitment of Probationary Clerks, Probationary Officer (PO), Investment Officers (On Contract) and Specialist Officers in Canara Bank

CANARA BANK - RECRUITMENT 1170 POST
Probationary Clerks, Probationary Officers, Investment Officers and Specialist Officers

Canara Bank
(A Government of India Undertaking)
112, JC Road, Bangalore - 560002

Job Description :
Recruitment of Probationary Clerks, Probationary Officer (PO), Investment Officers (On Contract) and Specialist Officers in Canara Bank
Online Applications are invited for recruitment of 1170 various posts of Clerks and Officers in various grades in Canara Bank.

Probationary Clerk : 400 posts
Age : 18 – 28 years

Probationary Officer [JMGS–I] Generalist : 300 posts
Age : 21 – 30 years

Investment Officer [on Contract] Contract : 400 posts
Age : 21 – 30 years

Official Language Officer [JMGS-I] : 10 posts
Age : 21 - 28 years

Manager – Security [MMGS-II] : 15 posts
Age : 21 – 40 years

Manager – Law [MMGS-II] : 10 posts
Age : 21 – 32 years

Manager – Computer Programmer [MMGS-II] : 10 posts
Age : 21 - 30 years

Senior Manager – Chartered Accountant [MMGS-III] : 25 posts
Age : 21 – 35 years

Fee : Rs.300/- for Officers and Rs.200/- for Clerk (Rs.50/- for SC/ST/PWD) in the form of Demand Draft issued by any Scheduled Commercial Bank in favour of Canara Bank –Recruitment Project – 2009 payable at Mumbai.

Apply : Apply online from Canara Bank Website. After applying on-line, the registered candidates should obtain a system generated Print-out of the application. System Generated Print-out of the Application complete in all respects should be sent by ordinary post only in a cover superscribing “Print-out of Application for the post of _________________ in Canara Bank. The application should be sent to the address printed on the Registered “print-out” of the application :

Probationary Clerk : Canara Bank Recruitment of Probationary Clerks–Project 2009, Post Box No. - 9054, Goregaon [East], Mumbai – 400063
All other posts of Officers : Canara Bank Recruitment of Officers–Project 2009, Post Box No. - 7461, Jogeshwari [East], Mumbai – 400060

Note :

Web site link open for on-line registration : 24/01/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, upto 29/01/2009 for Probationary Clerks and upto 09/02/2009 for Investment Officer

Last date for receipt of system generated print-out application with DD & other documents : 31/01/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, upto 07/02/2009 for Probationary Clerks and upto 16/02/2009 for Investment Officer

Last date for receipt of system generated print-out application with DD & other documents from Far-flung areas : 09/02/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, upto 14/02/2009 for Probationary Clerks and upto 23/02/2009 for Investment Officer

Tenetative date of Wrtitten Test : 15/03/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, 29/03/2009 for Probationary Clerks

For Details Visit : http://www.canarabank.com/English/Scripts/Recruitment2009.aspx

OLD Recruitment

Important Dates :
1. Web site link open for on-line registration : 24/01/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, upto 29/01/2009 for Probationary Clerks and upto 09/02/2009 for Investment Officer
2. Last date for receipt of system generated print-out applicationwith DD & other documents : 31/01/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, upto 07/02/2009 for Probationary Clerks and upto 16/02/2009 for Investment Officer
3. Last date for receipt of system generated print-out application with DD & other documents from Far-flung areas : 09/02/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, upto 14/02/2009 for Probationary Clerks and upto 23/02/2009 for Investment Officer
4. Tenetative date of Wrtitten Test : 15/03/2009 for Probationary Officers and Specialist Officers, 29/03/2009 for Probationary Clerks

Online Applications are invited for recruitment of 1170 various posts of Clerks and Officers in various grades in Canara Bank.
1. Probationary Clerk : 400 posts, Age : 18 – 28 years
2. Probationary Officer [JMGS–I] Generalist : 300 posts, Age : 21 – 30 years
3. Investment Officer [on Contract] Contract : 400 posts, Age : 21 – 30 years
4. Official Language Officer [JMGS-I] : 10 posts, Age : 21 - 28 years
5. Manager – Security [MMGS-II] : 15 posts, Age : 21 – 40 years
6. Manager – Law [MMGS-II] : 10 posts, Age : 21 – 32 years
7. Manager – Computer Programmer [MMGS-II] : 10 posts, Age : 21 - 30 years
8. Senior Manager – Chartered Accountant [MMGS-III] : 25 posts, Age : 21 – 35 years
Application Fee : Rs.300/- for Officers and Rs.200/- for Clerk (Rs.50/- for SC/ST/PWD) in the form of Demand Draft issued by any Scheduled Commercial Bank in favour of Canara Bank –Recruitment Project – 2009 payable at Mumbai.
Apply online from Canara Bank Website. After applying on-line, the registered candidates should obtain a system generated Print-out of the application. System Generated Print-out of the Application complete in all respects should be sent by ordinary post only in a cover superscribing “Print-out of Application for the post of _________________ in Canara Bank. The application should be sent to the address printed on the Registered “print-out” of the application :
• Probationary Clerk : Canara Bank Recruitment of Probationary Clerks–Project 2009, Post Box No. - 9054, Goregaon [East], Mumbai – 400063
• All other posts of Officers : Canara Bank Recruitment of Officers–Project 2009, Post Box No. - 7461, Jogeshwari [East], Mumbai – 400060
For more information and Online submission of the Application visit Canara Bank website at http://www.canarabank.com/English/Scripts/Recruitment2009.aspx

FMS 2009 Analysis, FMS 2009 Answer Key

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:45:00 +0000

FMS 2009 paper seemed to have been lot tougher than last year. After the exams it's time to find out the solutions to the FMS 2009 question paper and expected cut-offs.

PagalGuy FMS 2009 Paper - Discussions and Analysis

http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/other-exams-xat-fms-jmet/36647-11th-january-fms-2009-paper.html [link]

FMS'09 Answers by TCY Online
www.tcyonline.com/india/mba_analysis.php [link]

tags: FMS 2009 Answers, FMS 2009 Analysis, FMS 2009 Answer Key, FMS question paper solutions

Palm Pre

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:34:00 +0000

Palm's new WebOS passed its first test: it looks good. But will the device attract legions of developers?

Just hours after Palm showed off its new operating system running on the Palm Pre, details are still rolling in about the unit and its software. One important factor that will have to be addressed is application development and distribution. Palm has confirmed plans to administer some sort of central store for application downloads. But there still is scarce information about how that will actually work.

Palm's Stephane Maes said that Palm will not attempt to approve every single application developed for WebOS, as Apple does for iPhone applications.

"Certainly, we want to let a thousand flowers bloom," he said. "Every now and then there are a few dandelions we'll want to winnow out."

Unable to let the clichéd misquote of Mao Zedong pass (he actually persecuted many of those who dared let their ideas bloom), let's move on to ask the more important questions that went unanswered this morning.

If Palm is retaining some right to refuse applications, how will those choices be made? Apple has faced its fair share of criticism over nebulous policies for approving or rejecting applications for the App Store, which have frustrated many developers even as they've flocked to the App Store.

Even if Palm takes a laissez-faire approach to the types of applications created for WebOS, will the Palm Store be the exclusive venue for those applications, or will Palm allow competition between the types of online stores that sell current Palm OS applications and its own?

How will the WebOS SDK work? The Mojo SDK is available as a private prerelease, according to a message posted by Palm on its developer home page, and will be a public download later in the year.
Developers will use Mojo, WebOS's application framework, to develop WebOS applications using standard technologies such as HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. That means it will likely be much easier for application developers to get up and running on WebOS as compared to the time needed to learn platforms such as Android, the iPhone, or BlackBerry. Palm also says there will be a way to migrate older Palm OS applications to WebOS, but doesn't say how that will work or how it might affect performance.

Palm, a mobile computing pioneer, is well-versed in running a development organization but times have changed since the Palm OS was the PDA world's dominant operating system. It is unclear whether the company will be able to reclaim developers who have moved onto the iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, or Android.

These are crucial questions to consider in judging how WebOS and the Palm Pre will play in the current market, not the least being that developer support is a key factor in making a smartphone a more attractive product. At least one Palm developer contacted us urging Palm to resolve these issues sooner rather than later.

Bill MacAdam, director of product development at auto industry software developer GigglePop and longtime Palm OS developer, wants very much to known what Palm has in mind regarding application distribution.

"We very much need to maintain the existing distribution model where the installation of software can take place without going through a store," he wrote in an e-mail. "While a store is a convenient place for consumers to purchase applications, it doesn't work well for business / enterprise applications. It is also very important that we have a very specific roadmap to help us with the transition."

Palm's a little late to the Smartphone 2.0 game, but it got off to a good start with the Palm Pre roll out. Obviously, it will take much more than a flashy demo to get Palm back on track. How the company handles application development will loom large in its success or failure.

Costa Rica endures strong earthquake; two deaths reported in national park

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:34:00 +0000

Two children who sold candy to tourists inside a national park in Costa Rica were killed today when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Central American nation.

The quake, whose epicenter was about 20 miles north of the capital city of San Jose, also injured several others.

The two girls were buried in a landslide within Poas National Volcano Park, Reuters news agency reported.

Several buildings in San Jose were damaged and local television footage showed buildings with shattered windows and damaged walls. There were no reports of widespread injuries.

Costa Rica is known for its natural beauty and abundance of wildlife, luring visitors from around the world. I've been there many times but only once was I concerned about natural disasters: while fishing Lake Arenal while its namesake volcano burped out rocks and rained ash upon my group.

My condolences to the victims' families and good wishes to anyone affected by the earthquake.
source : visit

CAT - 2008 RESULTS

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:24:00 +0000

The results of CAT-2008 released today.
FOR RESULTS CLICK HERE

Satyam Chairman Resigns After Falsifying Accounts

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Satyam Computer Services Ltd. Chairman Ramalinga Raju resigned after saying he falsified earnings and assets, prompting a collapse in the stock of India’s fourth- largest software services provider.

Raju unsuccessfully tried to sell two companies to Satyam last month in a final attempt to plug 50.4 billion rupees ($1.04 billion) of “fictitious” cash on the company’s balance sheet, he wrote in a letter to Hyderabad-based Satyam’s board today. Profits have been inflated for “several years,” he said.

Satyam, which means “truth” in Sanskrit, plunged in New York trading, after earlier dragging down India’s benchmark index, in a scandal described as “horrifying” by markets regulator C.B. Bhave. Raju’s reign unraveled in the past month as a shareholder revolt blocked the asset purchases, the World Bank banned Satyam from bidding for contracts and four directors quit.

“This is a black day for India, the software sector and corporate governance claims,” Arun Kejriwal, founder of Kejriwal Research & Investment Services, said in Mumbai. “If at all there’s an event that could be the biggest setback for corporate India, it is this.”

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings Plc, and Credit Suisse Group AG suspended coverage of Satyam, which slumped a record 78 percent in Mumbai. Bombay Stock Exchange spokesman Kalyan Bose said the bourse will examine whether to remove Satyam from the Sensitive Index after the benchmark tumbled 7.3 percent.

Satyam’s American depositary receipts fell $7.84, or 84 percent, to $1.51 at 7:34 a.m. in early New York trading.

‘Deep Shock’

“We’re in a deep state of shock by what’s been announced and we’re fairly happy that we sold when we did,” said Greg Kuhnert, a fund manager at Investec Asset Management Ltd. in London, which manages about $10 billion and sold its 0.15 percent stake in Satyam last month. “When we look at further investments in the country, we’ll have to get out a magnifying glass and really examine every bit very closely.”

Satyam maintains computer networks and provides outsourcing services for clients including Citigroup Inc., Nissan Motor Co. and Qantas Airways Ltd. The company employs about 53,000 people in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad and competes with Infosys Technologies Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. and Wipro Ltd.

“This quarter will be tumultuous for us,” interim Chief Executive Officer Ram Mynampati said in an e-mailed statement. “Rumors will abound and it would be fair to assume that competition will try to leverage it to their advantage.”

Infosys, India’s second-largest software exporter, called the incident “deplorable.”

‘Non-Existent’

Of Satyam’s reported cash and bank balances of 53.61 billion rupees on Sept. 30, 50.4 billion rupees was non-existent, Raju said in the letter sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Operating margin in the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 3 percent of revenue, instead of the reported 24 percent, Raju said. The company’s revenue was 21 billion rupees, 22 percent less than the inflated figure of 27 billion rupees that had been reported.

Raju arranged 12.3 billion rupees “to keep operations going” at Satyam over the last two years by pledging the founders’ shares and raising funds from other sources, he said.

“What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years,” Raju said. “It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten.”

Brother Quits

Rama Raju, the outgoing chairman’s younger brother and Satyam’s managing director, also resigned, the company said.

The founders’ concern was that a poor performance, combined with the fact they held a small stake in the company, would make Satyam an easy target for a takeover, exposing the inflated figures, he said.

Raju’s attempts to “keep the wheel moving” at Satyam was finally derailed as lenders sold most of the pledged shares because of margin calls, he said.

Satyam’s auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers said in an e-mail it will issue a statement later.

Raju scrapped the planned acquisition of Maytas Properties Ltd. and Maytas Infra Ltd. last month, less than 12 hours after announcing it, after the company’s ADRs plunged.

Separately, the World Bank Dec. 23 declared India’s fourth- biggest software-services provider ineligible for contracts for eight years from September, alleging “improper” benefits were given to the bank’s employees.

DSP Merrill Lynch Ltd. said it ended its contract with Satyam yesterday. The software provider had on Dec. 27 named Merrill as an adviser for helping it on strategic “options” including a possible stake sale.

Raju, who won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2007, has an MBA from Ohio University and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, according to Satyam’s Web site.

Satyam in September was awarded the Golden Peacock Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance by the London-based World Council for Corporate Governance.

“We’re planning to withdraw the branding,” said Manoj Raut, a New Delhi-based spokesman at the Golden Peacock Awards Secretariat. “The council will be meeting shortly to check the legal perspectives and how to go about it.”

“This company had a five-star independent board and it had a leading auditor and still it managed the con,” said Tarun Sisodia, a Mumbai-based analyst with Anand Rathi Securities Ltd. “So the question is why only Satyam, why not every other company.”

Related searches:
satyam news, ramalinga raju, sensex, satyam computers, satyam fraud

Satyam Shares

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:09:00 +0000

The chairman of Satyam Computer Services, a leading Indian information technology company that serves numerous Fortune 500 companies, resigned on Wednesday after disclosing major accounting irregularities, sending Satyam’s shares down 77 percent, The New York Times’s Heather Timmons and Bettina Wassener reported.

Ramalinga Raju resigned after revealing that the company’s financial position had been massively inflated during the course of the company’s expansion from a handful of employees into an outsourcing giant with 53,000 employees and operations in 66 countries.

Mr. Raju said Wednesday that 5.4 billion rupees, or $1.04 billion, of the 53.6 billion rupees in cash the company reported at the end of its second quarter that ended in September were nonexistent.

In a lengthy statement to the Bombay stock exchange, he described how the gap had grown over several years. “What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years. It has attained unmanageable proportions as the size of company operations grew,” his statement said.

Satyam provides systems and software, and serves as the back office for some of the largest banks, manufacturing and media companies in the world. Clients include General Electric and General Motors.

In some cases, the company is responsible for keeping track of its clients’ own transactions with their customers, and the clients’ own books.

Satyam, which in a separate statement said it was “shocked” by Mr. Raju’s revelations, has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May of 2001 and on Euronext since January 2008. The company is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which had no immediate comment.

Satyam has been under scrutiny in recent months, after an October report that the company had been banned from World Bank contracts for installing spy software on some World Bank computers. In December, the World Bank confirmed that Satyam had been banned but did not elaborate on the cause.

Also in December, Satyam’s investors revolted after the company proposed buying two firms with ties to Mr. Raju’s sons. That acquisition, was “the last attempt to fill the fictitious assets with real ones,” Mr. Raju said in his statement Wednesday.

The scandal immediately raised questions over accounting standards in India as a whole, as observers asked themselves whether similar problems existed elsewhere. The risk premium for Indian companies will rise in investors’ eyes, Nilesh Jasani, India strategist at Credit Suisse, told The Times.

News of the scandal — quickly compared to the Enron scandal in the United States — sent jitters through the entire Indian stock market on Wednesday, sending the benchmark Sensex stock market index down 7 percent by late afternoon.

“This was a company which had the most high profile independent director. It had an auditor of significant repute,” Tarun Siodia, head of research at Andand Rathi, told Reuters. “Despite that, if such an event can occur, then why not other companies? That is going to raise bigger issues.”

R.K. Gupta, managing director at Taurus Asset Management in New Delhi, also speaking to Reuters, added: “If a company’s chairman himself says they built fictitious assets, who do you believe here? Not only Satyam, this has put a question mark on the entire corporate governance system in India.”

Just a few months ago, Mr. Raju was trying to convince investors that the company was sound. In October, he surprised investors with better than expected results, saying he was “pleased” that the company had “achieved this in a challenging global macroeconomic environment, and amidst the volatile currency scenario that became reality.”

But by late December, it seems he had little support from board members or investors: Four of the company’s directors resigned in recent weeks.

Hackers Post Faked Report of Steve Jobs's Death

noreply@blogger.com (FUSION IT SERVICES) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:35:00 +0000

MacRumors, one of the many sites which cover Apple's annual Macworld product launches, has had its live coverage infiltrated, with someone adding the false news of Steve Jobs's death to the blow-by-blow reports.

For a small, Apple-obsessed website like MacRumors, the annual Macworld keynote is like its Super Bowl. And having its site hacked is like activists infiltrating NBC's satellite truck and telling the audience the quarterback kicked the bucket.

What makes the stunt all the worse: Jobs, the quarterback in question, isn't even giving the speech, having cancelled his appearance in an attempt to regain his health. And there have already been false reports of his death circulating.

(the hacked page is below)

The usual talking-head blather on business-news cable networks about these incidents: Why, there must be short sellers behind this, trying to manipulate Apple stock! That strikes me as unlikely. Users of the 4chan bulletin board, known for their obnoxious pranks, took credit. Since Jobs returned to Apple over a decade ago, the company has saturated the airwaves with ads. Technology-soaked teenagers, looking at an authority figure to strike back at, naturally gravitate to Jobs, knowing an Apple-obsessed media will pay attention. (See? It worked!) A juvenile stunt doesn't require a financial conspiracy theory to explain it.

MacRumors' hacked page: