My Web Log - SAMIR BHOIR

What Is Your Stress Level ?

2010-01-22T12:45:00.002+05:30

Have you thought for a second what is our Stress level, how much stress are we handling in day to day life. I recently found this Stress level checking simple pattern mechanism, so thought of sharing with my friends, who can check their stress levels.

Stare for a few seconds at each of the following patterns.

Are the patterns moving?

Or are they perfectly still??

The patterns are used to test the level of stress a person can handle.

The slower the pictures move, the better your ability of handling stress.

62 WAYS TO MAKE 2010 YOUR BEST YEAR YET - Robin Sharma

2010-01-16T16:17:00.000+05:30

62 WAYS TO MAKE 2010 YOUR BEST YEAR YET

1. Remember that leadership isn't about your position. It's about your influence.

2. Get fit like a pro athlete.

3. Lift people up versus tearing people down.

4. Protect your good name. An impeccable reputation takes a lifetime to build. And 60 seconds to lose.

5. Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.

6. Remember that even a 1% daily innovation rate amounts to at least a 100% rate of innovation in 100 days.

7. Believe in your dreams (even when others laugh at them).

8. Measure your success, not by your net worth but by your self worth (and how happy you feel).

9. Take an intelligent risk every 24 hours. No try-No Win.

10. Read "Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist".

11. Watch "Man on Wire".

12. Regardless of your title at work, be a team builder.

13. Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.

14. Say "please" more.

15. Say "thank you" more.

16. Know your Big 5: the five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.

17. Read your Big 5 every morning while the rest of the world is asleep.

18. Read "As You Think". At least twice this year.

19. Be willing to fail. It's the price of greatness.

20. Focus less on making money and more on creating value.

21. Spend less, save more.

22. Leave everything you touch better than you found it.

23. Be the most positive person in every room you're in.

24. Run your own race.

24. Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals.

25. Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.

26. When you travel, send love letters to your kids on hotel stationary. In time, they'll have a rich collection to remember your travels by.

27. Read "Atlas Shrugged".

28. Be a problem solver versus a trouble maker.

29. Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things-but at mastery.

30. Honor your parents.

31. Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It's one of life's best sources of happiness.

32. Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).

33. Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.

34. Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.

34. Underpromise and then overdeliver.

35. See part of your job as "a developer of people" (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).

36. Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you're real, they'll fall in love with you.

37. Be authentic versus plastic.

38. Read "The Alchemist".

39. Remember that life wants you to win. So get out of your own way.

40. Consider that behind every fear lives your next level of growth (and power).

41. Eat less food.

42. Drink more water.

43. Rest when you need to.

44. Read "SUCCESS" magazine.

45. Write your eulogy and then live your life backwards.

46. Demand the best from yourself.

47. Remember that the more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.

48. See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to grow (and therefore, as a precious gift).

49. Be obsessed with learning and self-development.

50. Become comfortable alone (you are the only person you get to be with your whole life).

51. Smile. It's a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.

52. Reflect on the shortness of life.

53. Be bold when it comes to your dreams but gentle with those you love.

54. Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile. Be successful yet stay hungry.

55. Read "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin".

56. Be of deep value to this world.

57. Own beautiful things but don't let them own you.

58. Use excellent words.

59. Laugh more.

60. Don't complain, gossip or be negative.

61. Plan as if you'll live forever but live as if you'll die tomorrow.

62. Feel free to pass these lessons on to those you want to help.

Written by Robin Sharma, January 3, 2010. Robin's new book "The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable On Real Success in Business and Life" will be published by Simon and Schuster in March. Many of the ideas above come from it.

Robin Sharma
Sharma Leadership International, 92 Scollard Street, Toronto, Ontario M5R1G2, CANADA

-- My Special Thanks to Mr Robin Sharma, he is the person to admire, he is making people smile around the world and making the world better place to live. I wish him good luck for his new book "The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable On Real Success in Business and Life"

Why I am a Hindu ? What exactly a Hinduism is ?

2010-01-16T15:29:00.000+05:30

HINDUISM & HINDU

Have you ever ask your self or thought of Why I am a Hindu ? or What exactly a Hinduism is ? Hinduism is really the most tolerant religion ever, everything is acceptable in Hinduism. It tolerates the beliefs, practices, or threats of others. Hinduism is really based on Eternal Faiths, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices and yes we Hindu enjoy all the freedom, we are set free to do whatever we like and valid strong proof of it is that this religion has strongly hold on its belief and practices since long without any governing body or centralized organization or any one book. We never are told to read any specific book, may be very few read them, there are many such books, I haven't read Bhagavad Gita,

Ramayana or Mahabharata or any such book but still I know our beliefs and practices and I know our religion very well, because it is deep inside us, its eternal, we don't need teaching for this, no one forces me to visit temples or pray but then also we do it, no one force me to believe this or that. I really feel happy and lucky that I
am born in this religion and I believe that one should never change his or her religion, they should follow the religion in which they are born till end, as all the religions gives message of peace and harmony, the religion never leads us to wrong path, but few bad (negative) people who modifies the religious beliefs as per their thinking and they lead us to wrong path. So I think is people should be set free and should be more tolerant to their beliefs and practices as per the changing world. I always wanted to read all the religion's holy books, and one day I will definitely read Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bible and Quran.

I have come across an interesting article on Hinduism recently on web, Thought to share it here and I would specially thank Jayashree Bhat who shared this with us, to let us know what we are, as we all know we are never taught about Hinduism any where, like other religions. We keep believing and practicing the way our parents teach us. Today I really got to know what Hinduism is. Thanks a lot.

....... Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey , CA An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.

I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young
Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk.I told her that I am from India.

Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't
understand the question.

'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'

'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'.

Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' 'I am a Hindu', I said.

She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not
understand what I was talking about. A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?

I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.

'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.

'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.

'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'

I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief. According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith.

You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.

I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a
Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'

This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so
unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.

'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'
What can I tell to this American girl?

I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly.. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes..'

'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'

'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any
compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'

She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'

'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in
Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.'

I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority...

'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.

'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or
Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'

'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'

'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.'

I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.

'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'

'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'

'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'

'Hmm ..very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.

'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual
and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita.

It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'

'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'

'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices.

Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'

I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in
religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next.

For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it
says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.

Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.

Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity..

Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.

I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'

I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty... I am a Hindu because it doesn't condition my mind with any faith system.

A man/woman who change's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life.

Hinduism was the first religion originated.. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.

Proud to be Hindu!!!

Diwali to be Celebrated Globally also President Barak Obama observed Diwali

2009-10-15T13:12:00.000+05:30

Diwali also known as Deepavali occupies an important place as the festival of Lights, prosperity and happiness.

Diwali is a five days Hindu festival, and Diwali is celebrated not only in India but all over globally, where ever there are Indian's they make a point to celebrate Diwali. Also US President Barack Obama who is now known as a President seeking world peace after winning Nobel, uses a candle to light a 'diya' to observe Diwali at the White House.

US President Barack Obama celebrated Diwali by lighting the ceremonial lamp at the White House and becoming the first US President to personally grace the occasion.

"I think it's fitting that we begin this work in the week leading up to the holiday of Diwali, the festival of lights, when members of some of the world's greatest faiths celebrate the triumph of good over evil," Obama said in his remarks on the occasion at a White House function held at its historic East Room recently.

Mostly when Diwali come people in general make elaborate preparations for this festival by cleaning and decorating their homes, purchasing new clothes and fire crackers and preparing verities of sweets and distributing them to friends and neighbours and exchanging gift. On all the days of Diwali people decorate the area in front of their homes with colourful rangoli, light small earthenware lamps with cotton wickers and oil and hang kandeels (lanterns).

What is Diwali about In the five day long Diwali festival, the first day is called Dhanvantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras (Danteras). The second day of Diwali is called Narak Chaturdasi. On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from fear. The third day of Diwali is the actual Diwali. This is the day when worship of Goddess Lakshmi is performed (Lakshmi Pooja).

On the fourth day of Diwali, Govardhan Pooja is offered. This is the first day of Lunar New Year. On this day old business accounts are closed and new account-books are opened. The fifth day of the Diwali is called Bhau Beej. It is a day dedicated to sisters and brothers visit their sisters and give gifts to them.

One of the most common stories about Diwali is the return of Lord Ram and his wife Sita to Ayodhya after their fourteen year exile after defeating and killing the evil king Ravan of Lanka. After this victory, the entire city of Ayodhya was decorated with garlands and flowers in celebration for the arrival of Lord Ram. Ram returned to Ayodhya with Sita and was greeted with joy and celebrations and the people lighted rows of clay lamps to welcome him. The day Lord Ram destroyed Ravan was called Dasara and the day on which he returned to Ayodhya was called Diwali.

Let this diwali burn all your bad times and enter you in good times.Wishing all of you a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali

Dates of High Tides in Mumbai this Monsoon - Please Note it !

2009-03-23T12:18:00.000+05:30

This monsoon we may have sleep less nights....
Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) published the 19 days of high tide as Red letter days in the rainy season between June 22 and September 21 for this year, this means when the crest of waves at high tide is over four meters and there is heavy rain at same time, the possibility of the city flooding is very high.

Sluice gates, which funnel flood waters from the city to the Arabian Sea, are also closed on these days, increasing the possibility of flooding if there are heavy rains. Please be alert if there are heavy rains during the afternoons.

The metropolis would experience one of the highest tide of 5.05 m in the last 100 years on July 24, 2009. Additional Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Kishore Gajbhiye said this.

''Mumbai will experience probably the biggest high tide. In July 2005, when the city had experienced floods, the high tide was of 4.85 m. On July 24 this year, the high tide will be of 5.05 m. This year, the city will experience high tide on 22 days during the Monsoon,'' Mr Gajbhiye said.

''On July 23, the high tide will be of 5.01 metres. If the high tide will be accompanied by heavy rains, the city will witness floods. In such a situation, people should take due care and not leave their homes,'' he said.

A meeting of the Disaster Management department of the BMC for pre-Monsoon preparations took place recently. Officers from police, government, army, CRPF, Meteorological department, Central Railway, Western Railway and other government departments attended the meeting. Monsoon preparations by all the departments are in full swing. De-silting work of the Mithi river had been completed 80 per cent by the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), Mr Gajbiye added.

On 26th July 2005, combined with the high tides, an unbelievable 944 mm of rainfall, contributed to over 400 deaths in Mumbai region. It would be good to take note of the below dates and review your entities plans & preparations to meet any contingencies this monsoon season.

Days to watch out for this monsoon, with expected level of high tide in metres. The danger level, says the Disaster Management Cell, is 5.05 m high tide on July 24

Citiziens should not Panic and spread rumours, they should not move out of the house unless very urget on this days. Don't hesitate to call 108 for any information on the rains, compile all necessary documents in a file and keep it handy. Citizens risiding on ground floors should keep their belongings at heights, park your vehicles on high ground, where there is no water logging.

Prisoners can stand for an election in India but can not vote

2009-03-14T14:25:00.000+05:30

World describes India as The world's biggest democracy, may be this is a reflection of what India wants. I doubt it ???.

India's people want to look ahead, but our politics and policies hark back to the past. Major national political parties sounded the bugle for the forthcoming elections over the weekend, it was depressing to see none of the them articulate a vision for India going forward. If one party invokes Gandhi, the other invokes Nehru and Indira. We still have time to alter the agenda for the elections. And I hope the discussion will be about next 5 years rather than previous 60. Because India deserves better.

New agenda in ongoing General Election 2009 - Prisoners can stand for an election in India but can not vote. Does This make any sense? The Constitution of India and the representation of the Peoples Act provide basic foundation of the Electoral System in India. Since India is a democratic country, the office of the Chief Election Commissioner plays a vital role in the election system of the Nation. It is very common to say but it is a fact that a person, who is not convicted and who is simply under trial, simply a prisoner cannot caste his vote from jail or otherwise from a place where he is detained but he can very well contest election from jail. Is it not a flashy or mockery of law that who cannot caste his vote but he can become an M.P. M.L.A. or Minister.

There are several instances in our country, where people have contested elections, while in jail, and some of them have also won
and become M.L.A.'s or M.P's, very strange to hear though.....

If u know Mohammad Shahabuddin, one of India's most notorious Criminal-Politicians, is the Member of Parliament from Siwan, Bihar, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal party of Lalu Prasad Yadav. He is currently serving a life sentence for kidnapping with intent to murder, and is facing trial in more than thirty criminal cases including eight of murder, twenty of attempted murder, as well as kidnapping, extortion, etc he is part of the ruling United Progressive Alliance government of Manmohan Singh. So question here is why this was allowed then... are the laws in India made for common man ? or for criminals ...

Close to 2 lakh citizens in the country are eligible to vote but cannot. And it is not because they do not have voter ID cards. It is an irony in our election law, which states that You can contest elections in India behind bars, if your conviction is less than 2 years. But you cannot vote. And that is because the Representation Of People Act under Section 62(5) does not allow prisoners to exercise their franchise. Of the 3 lakh prisoners in the country, only about 30 percent have been convicted and are serving sentences. The rest are undergoing trial.

The ban on voting strangely does not apply to those under preventive detention. So for instance, a notorious person detained under the Goondas Act, can cast his ballot. But a person imprisoned for a relatively minor offence cannot vote. It defies the constitution. It defies common sense. And how can you treat those under preventive detention differently from under trials ?? it makes completly no-sense.

Its really a very hard time for India, to stand on its toes, otherwise days are not so far to see situation like in Pakistan here. An MP should have leadership quality and should be approachable. I would say there should be a law to qualify for contesting election, otherwise country would face serious leadership problem. Many people are there to represent our contry with vision. A need for the youth is the need for country. Our PM and President should act not just to manage their chair.

It is no doubt true that the criminalization of Politics is a matter of hot discussion throughout the Nation and all attempts are being made to check it and ensure that at least no criminal should be allowed either to contest election or to caste his vote. Very recently, pushing ahead with its agenda of keeping criminals out of politics, the Election Commission has suggested that any person convicted of a crime for more than six months be debarred from contesting elections for six years. Hopes so it gets in paper soon.

I guess one day India will get clean image MP's and MLA'a, When we say clean image, we mean corruption as well as no criminal
background. In the present case we don't seem to have too many leaders who qualify to be the PM of our country.

Happy Makar Sankranti - "Til gul ghya, god god bola"

2009-01-14T16:30:00.000+05:30

"Til gul ghya, god god bola" -(henceforth, let there be only friendship and good thoughts between us).

Makar Sankranti marks the commencement of the Sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere (Makara raasi ), signifying the onset of Uttarayana Punyakalam, and is a day of celebration all over the country.

The day begins with people taking holy dips in the waters and worshipping the Sun. Traditionally, this period is considered an
auspicious time and the veteran Bhishma of Mahabharata chose to die during this period. Bhishma fell to the arrows of Arjun. With his boon to choose the time of his death, he waited on a bed of arrows to depart from this world only during this period. It is believed that those who die in this period have no rebirth.

The Indo Gangetic plain begins this day with taking dips in the Ganga and offering water to the Sun god. The dip is said to purify the self and bestow punya. Special puja is offered as a thanksgiving for good harvest. According to folklore, girls who take the holy dip get handsome husbands and boys get beautiful brides.

Til and Rice are two important ingredients of this festival. In the rice-eating belt of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, people have a special rice-centric meal on this day. Also known as Gangasagar Mela, on this day, people come from all over India for a ceremonial cleansing in the river Hooghly, near Calcutta.

Maharashtra - when two persons greet each other on this festive day, they exchange a few grains of multi-coloured sugar and fried til mixed with molasses and say "til gul ghya, god god bola" (henceforth, let there be only friendship and good thoughts between us).

Gujarat - the pandits consider Sankranti as an auspicious day to grant scholarships and certificates of merit to students who have successfully completed their studies in philosophy. In a Hindu household, new utensils are purchased and used for the first time. Brightly coloured kites dot the skies on this day.

Karnataka - men, women and children attired in colourful tunics visit friends and relatives and exchange pieces of sugarcane, a mixture of fried til, molasses, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts and fried gram. The significance of this exchange is that sweetness should prevail in all the dealings. As part of the festival, cows and bulls are given a wash and the horns are painted with bright colours and decorated with garland, and are taken in a procession in the village to the accompaniment of pipes and drums. In the night a bonfire is lit and the animals are made to jump over the fire.

It is a big event for the Tamils and the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma and the fourth day, Mukkanuma. One month preceeding Sankranti is called Dhanurmasam and is also an auspicious period. People wake up early, take bath and go around the streets singing devotional songs. Houses are whitewashed and farmers clean their warehouses. Colorful rangoli (muggulu) are drawn in the front yards of every house during this month. These artistic floral designs are drawn on the floor with rice flour or fine powder from limestone. These patterns are decorated with marigold placed on cowdung balls. Colorfully dressed young girls go round them singing songs.

India never learnt from past terror attacks

2008-12-13T14:02:00.000+05:30

The lapses in handling the Mumbai terror attacks were similar to those of Kandahar plane hijacking and previous terror attacks but India has not learnt lessons for its previous mistakes in handling a crisis situation, thats really very sad for us

For almost over sixty hours, Mumbai, the financial capital of India, witnessed a series of terrorist attacks, multiple hostage crisis, mindless killings, fierce gun battles and at the end, a disrupted life. The terrorists have struck major targets including luxury hotels and a Jewish Center frequented by Westerners and elite Indian only to be holed up later inside these buildings with innocent civilians as hostage. Their demand was the safe release of Mujahideen held in Indian prisons. Prior to this, they also have targeted at least seven more places and went on a killing spree on that fateful 26/11 Wednesday evening.

An unknown outfit, Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, for quite some time now, this name game has been a part of Pakistan based terror groups desperate attempt to give a homegrown Indian flavor to this ongoing Jihadi terrorism in the region.

Of course a collusive local hand is quite possible in this sort of terror operations, primarily for logistical support. Looking at the whole incident, it is beyond doubt that these highly trained terrorists have undergone specialised terror training at various camps located somewhere in Pakistan administered Kashmir or Karachi.

It doesn't take any great wisdom to believe that Pakistan based and Kashmir centric terror tanzeems are behind most of the terrorist acts perpetrated on Indian soil. Among them, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami have been leading from the front in the so called Islamic Jihad against India. With strong Saudi Wahabi link and proximity to the notorious ISI, LeT's activities are not always clandestine in Pakistan. It operates openly with its so called political wing Jamat- ud- Dawa, nurturing dreams for a "God's government" on the lines of Sharia laws in Pakistan and elsewhere. It preaches Armed Jihad as shortest route to reach god and heaven. LeT is the one which has introduced such type of Fidayeen missions in Jammu and Kashmir and intermittently striking India's heartlands with its tactics of indiscriminate shooting and grenade attacks.

Its nothing but a massive intelligence failure of our country as Indian security agencies were caught napping again when metropolises like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, country's political and financial centres have always been an obvious target for terrorists who want to cripple the country from all possible fronts.

Former Chief of Research and Analysis Wing B Raman said there was delay in commencing operations by NSG in Mumbai which were akin to what had happened during the Kandahar hijacking.

He said, "They (NSG) did not have the aircraft so they reached Mumbai late. The same thing happened in Kandahar where the response was also very late".

"The commando operations offer best results if taken within two hours of any seize operations NSG has the capability to move a contingent of commandos in minutes. Why that did not happen, I do not know," former Director General of NSG Ved Prakash Marwah said.

Besides delay, lack of coordination between various agencies was also glaring during the 60-hour anti-terror operation in Mumbai, according to experts.

"In Mumbai, nobody knew who is coordinating. There should be someone who should play the leadership role. Either in Mumbai or in Delhi. The person who gives orders to the Navy, Army, NSG, Police. That kind of leadership role was not there," Raman said.

Raman said such things were not happening for the first time. "Every time they are happeing, we are taken by surprise. But we did not have any inquiry. Whatever our mistakes were, we are not correcting them," said he.

At this hour of national crisis, many fear that it could escalate into an Indo-Pakistani crisis as blame game has already begun at the highest level. However, the Islamabad administration has quickly stepped up damage control exercise by promising support in the investigations.

And now the battle is over, the investigating agencies would piece things together to get a clear picture of what had happened and how to fight this menace again in future.

One thing is for sure that to outsmart terror groups, like LeT, it has to resort to proper investigations backed by human and technical intelligence.

Ongoing Slowdown Hits Yahoo! India too

2008-12-12T17:39:00.000+05:30

1,500 Yahoo! employees about 10% of its workforce are likely to be laid off globally, to enable the company survive the deteriorating financial turmoil.

Lay-off notices have been issued to three per cent of its India workforce due to the ongoing slowdown.

Sources close to the company said, "As part of Yahoo!'s strategy to perform competitively in the current economic downturn in India, less than 3 per cent of the total Indian workforce has been impacted and they were notified today."

Yahoo! India has about 2,000 strong workforce in India and it is likely that a maximum of 40 people would be impacted by the decision, the sources said, and added that "a significant number of employees were affected due to poor performance and only a few of them due to the slowdown".

The Yahoo! notification, according to sources, read: "Yahoo! is grateful for the important contributions made by the employees affected by this reduction and that is why, consistent with our past practices, we are making every effort to support impacted employees with severance packages and outbound placement services."

Yahoo! has a R&D centre in Bangalore where a large number of its India employees are located. About 1,500 Yahoo! employees about 10 per cent of its workforce are likely to be laid off globally, to enable the company survive the deteriorating financial turmoil.

Chief Executive of Yahoo! Jerry Yang had said in November that he would leave the company, after facing strong criticism for his leadership.

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Ongoing Slowdown Hits Yahoo! India too
<<<---

I Hope and pray everyone is safe - Worst terrorist attack in Mumbai November 26

2008-11-29T16:59:00.000+05:30

Hi Dear all,

As the inhuman activity takes place, ones again we Mumbaikars see a new face of terrorism. Innocent lives are victimized. My heart goes out to those families, who has lost their loved ones.

I hope and pray all you guys and your near and dear ones are well. Be Strong and Unite to curb Terrorism.

I salute all our soldiers and commandos

All indians salute you no matter hindus muslims sikhs or christians we are one and we all salute you to save all Indians from this nightmare. We all stand together in this hour of need and we are one single nation. We thank you with all our heart and soul for keeping us safe .

"Forgiving a terrorist is left to GOD.
But fixing their appointment with GOD is our responsibility"
"INDIAN ARMY"
--- Jai Hind

Thanks & Regards,
Samir

Mumbai November 26, 2008

Multiple sites in the Indian city of Mumbai Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Nariman House, Oberoi Hotel, CST station, Cafe Leopold, Cama Hospital were attacked with bombs and gunfire in a coordinated terror attack beginning on November 26, 2008. The attacks killed 179 people, including at least 22 foreigners, Over 300 injuries were reported.

How Taj looked before getting attacked by the Terrorists on 26/11/08

Taj on fire after the attack

The central dome of Taj burning.

Mumbai CST Train Station just after the attack.

The frustration of all

Religious hatred is driving people mad. The terrorists were driven by religious hatred. Gujarat was a case of religious hatred. Babri Masjid demolition was a case of religious hatred. Kandhmal in Orissa was a case of religious hatred.

Let us handle religious hatred first. Let us identify the sources and settle them first. So long we let this menace under the carpet, it will come back repeatedly. The will have to be shown in handling this problem.

This means handling SIMI, Bajrang Dal adequately. Placing RSS under complete check. But going by our national view no one can handle these problems without fear of a back lash. Add to this corruption at highest levels - it becomes the case of survival of the fittest. We know who is the fittest. Net result - the country and its people will continue to be victims of every type of violence. Be it domestic or international terrorism

Why Do People Come Into Your Life

2008-10-24T16:34:00.000+05:30

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.!

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Why Do People Come Into Your Life
<<<---

Keep walking to press pressure points and keep body organs activated

2008-09-23T15:41:00.000+05:30

The Organs of your body have their sensory touches at the bottom of your foot, if you massage these points you will find relief from aches and pains as you can see the heart is on the left foot.

Typically they are shown as points and arrows to show which organ it connects to.

It is indeed correct since the nerves connected to these organs terminate here.

This is covered in great details in Acupressure studies or textbooks.

God created our body so well that he thought of ! even this. He made us walk so that we will always be pressing these pressure points and thus keeping these organs activated at all times.

So, keep walking...

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Keep walking to press pressure points and keep body organs activated
<<<---

Historic Big Bang Experiment to Recapture Birth of Universe

2008-09-23T15:18:00.000+05:30

European Organisation for Nuclear Research founded in 1954 better known by its French acronym CERN, located on the Franco-Swiss border, will do historic Big Bang experiment, an attempt to circulate a beam of particles around the 27 km-long underground tunnel that houses the Large Hadron Collider(LHC).

A $7.75 billion (Rs 31,000 crore) project to answer some of the biggest mysteries of the universe, Scientists are trying to recreate the condition just after the Big Bang to understand the creation and workings of universe.

According to the Big Bang theory, the explosion of an objest the size of a small coin occurred about 13 billion years ago and led to formation of stars, planets and life on Earth.

The LHC team now plans to send a full particle beam all the way around the collider pipe in one direction on September 10 as a prelude to sending beams in both directions and smashing them together later in the year, which whole world will be watching.

That collision, in which both particle clusters will be traveling at the speed of light, will be monitored on computers at CERN and laboratories around the world by scientists looking for, among other things, a particle that made life possible.

The elusive particle, which has been dubbed the "Higgs boson" after Scottish physicist Peter Higgs who first postulated nearly 50 years ago that it must exist, is thought to be the mysterious factor that holds matter together.

Recreating a "Big Bang," which most scientists believe is the only explanation of an expanding universe, ought to show how stars and planets came together out of the primeval chaos that followed, the CERN team believes.

Efforts to track it down in a predecessor to the LHC at CERN, and in another experiment in the United States, failed. But scientists are confident that the vast leap in technologies represented by the LHC will make the difference.

Higgs, a 79-year-old Edinburgh University professor who as an atheist angrily rejects the idea of calling the boson the "God particle" believes it will show up very quickly once the beams are colliding in the LHC.

"If it doesn't," he said during a visit to CERN earlier this year, "I shall be very, very puzzled."

The people behind the experiment have also been flooded by telephone calls from worried people who fear the experiments could trigger earthquakes and could cause mini black holes that would destroy the world.

According to the CERN, there is no basis for any concern about the safety of the LHC.

Some 2000 scientists from 155 institutes in 36 countries are worlking together to build the CMS particle detector.

A group of physicists turn on a machine that will recreate the birth of the universe, the Raniwala couple from Jaipur will be watching the experiment very closely. After all, this will be the largest experiment in human history. And Sudhir Raniwala and Rashmi Raniwala, associate professors of physics at Rajasthan University, are among the 30 odd physicists from India, who are part of this experiment.

CERN's 'Big Bang' Experiment at the atomic lab - Science & Technology Videos

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Historic Big Bang Experiment to Recapture Birth of Universe
<<<---

Bad driving habits prompted government to hike fuel prices

2008-09-23T15:16:00.000+05:30

Bad driving habits visible across some of India's urban roads are leading to a massive waste of fuel that could yet be averted through
better public education campaigns, energy and transport planning.

The cause which prompted government to hike fuel prices includes, delays in pushing alternative technologies to fossil fuels and low priority to public transport.

Fuel import bills that prompted the government to hike fuel prices
today government has raised the prices of petrol by about Rs 5, diesel by Rs 3 and LPG by Rs 50. India's fuel import bill for 121.672 million tonnes of crude oil, driven by rising oil prices, grew by 40 per cent to $68 billion in 2007-08.

But research indicates that enormous amount of fuel could be saved just by improving driving. One study has shown that engines left idling at traffic lights in New Delhi use up about Rs 995 crore worth of fuel.

In efforts to reduce dependence on oil, the ministry of petroleum had in April 2007 announced a plan to introduce a 5 per cent ethanol blended petrol, to be increased to 10 per cent this year.

The ministry of new and renewable energy had pencilled a hydrogen energy road map that envisages one million two-wheelers and three-wheelers running on hydrogen.

But, government officials admit, both appear to be moving slower than anticipated. "Both ethanol and sugar come from sugarcane. Any dramatic increase in ethanol is likely to affect sugar output," said a renewable energy expert.

Some experts are concerned that a massive bio-fuels effort may cause land to be diverted from food crops to fuel crops.

Energy experts also believe that policy initiatives that might help dramatically reduce fuel consumption in the transport sector have long been lacking in India.

Transport and energy experts have long been arguing for measures such as congestion taxes or fuel-efficiency linked fees that could drive consumers away from cars towards public transport.

Money from such charges from individual vehicles could be released to develop high quality public transport systems, But this is not happening in India, We're heading into a fuel crisis.

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Bad driving habits prompted government to hike fuel prices
<<<---

Microsoft new fight to topple Google with HP search deal

2008-09-23T15:14:00.000+05:30

Microsoft's search engine, Windows Live Search, is to be offered as the default search tool on all new HP machines

Microsoft has announced a deal with Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest PC
manufacturer, that will significantly strengthen its fight to topple Google
as the leader in search.

The deal is Microsoft latest attempt to chip away at the dominance of search leader Google Inc. The agreement, which takes effect next January for new PCs in the United States and Canada, displaces a similar one HP has with Yahoo Inc.

Under the agreement, Microsoft's search engine will also be the default service on the Internet Explorer browser preloaded on new HP computers.

Microsoft did not disclose the terms of the agreement.

"This is the most significant distribution deal for Live Search that Microsoft has ever done," said Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's platform and services division.

Such agreements are grounded in the notion that many PC users will lack the know-how or desire to change their search settings.

Of course, even after the Microsoft agreement takes effect, lots of HP users will just conduct searches from the Google home page.

But to the extent people use built-in search fields, the HP-Microsoft deal raises some important questions, with broader implications: When their queries are directed to Live Search, how many HP users will be conscious of the fact that it's not Google? How many of those people will want to switch the default to Google? And how many of those will actually do it?

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Microsoft new fight to topple Google with HP search deal
<<<---

The Untold Story Behind India's First Test Tube Baby

2008-09-23T15:09:00.000+05:30

The Creator of the Indian's first test-tube baby, Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay, who got his dues 27 years after his death.

Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay created history when he became the first physician in India (and second in the world after British physicians Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards) to perform the In vitro fertilization resulting in a test tube baby "Durga" (Kanupriya Agarwal) on October 3, 1978.

Facing social bureaucratic negligence and insult instead of recognition from the West Bengal government and refusal of the Government of India to allow him to attend international conferences, he committed suicide in his Calcutta residence in 1981.

His feat has been given belated recognition as the Indian physician who in 1986 was "officially" regarded as being the first doctor to perform in-vitro fertilization in India.

In Getting Official Stamp : (from 1967 to 2008)

1967-1977 : Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay worked on methods of in-vitro Fertilisation (IVF) using innovative techniques.

1978, October : India's first test tube baby Durga (Kanupriya Agarwal) was born.

1978, December : An enquiry by the West Bengal govt denounced his claim.

1980 : Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay was denied passport to go to Kyoto to present his paper on IVF. He was then transfered to eye hospital, where he suffered a heart attack.

1981 : Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay Committed suicide on June 19.

1981 : His described methods of cryopreservation used in US by Howard Jones.

1996 : T.C. Anand Kumar, leader of the group which produced the first document test tube baby in country in Mumbai 1986, gains access to the notes of Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay.

1997 : T.C. Anand Kumar, takes a year to study them and writes first paper on Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay achivements.

2002 : Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) apoints a 12 member commitee to draft a bill on Assisted Reproductive Technique.

2003 : Commitee accepts Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay's claim and History is rewritten.

2004 : IVF specialist across the country challenge the document. A review follows among debates.

2005 : ICMR upholds the claim, honours India's first test tube baby Durga (Kanupriya Agarwal) in first public meeting in Bangalore.

April 2008 : Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay's achievement finds official stamp of approval.

Getting official stamp for Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay's made "Durga" (Kanupriya Agarwal) to reborn. She was brought to life by Dr Subhas Mukhopadhyay just 67 days after the world's first test-tube baby, Marie Louise Brown, was born.

"I certainly do not want to be a poster girl of the IVF industry, which undermined Dr Mukhopadhyay's achievement for 30 years," says Kanupriya, breaking her silence for the first time. "I am not a trophy but I am proud to be the living example of work of a genius."

Kanupriya says her parents suffered humiliation as she was growing up in Kolkata, her birthplace. But they never passed it on to her. "My parents did a wonderful job of keeping all the pressure away and helping me grow as a mature, reasonable individual," she says. "It was not easy for them, they were made to feel like accomplices of Dr Mukhopadhyay in his misdeed. There were insinuations of the worst kind"

An MBA from Symbiosis, Pune and working for a private firm, Kanupriya lives in Gurgaon. She says the recognition for Dr Mukhopadhyay came as a relief to her parents. Looking at the brighter side, she says: "I feel truth has prevailed."

Even though Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyay was belatedly honoured at a public meeting in Bangalore, it failed to bring any cheer to his wife. Namita Mukhopadhyay's has been paralysed and battling with ignominy and neglect ever since her husband committed suicide on June 19, 1981. Namita is confined to her bed now.

"We decided not to start a family as he (Subhas) wanted to complete his research. He was a very emotional person and dedicated himself to his work. But he never got any support either from the government or from his peers," says Namita.

--->>>
Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : The Untold Story Behind India's First Test Tube Baby
<<<---

Is Mumbai City Safe for Women Today ?

2008-04-23T17:42:00.000+05:30

Is this city safe for women? Probably, if you go by the statistics. On
the night of January 1, 2008, thousands of young women got into taxis,
their own cars, buses and trains and headed home. But they were all
looking around them with new eyes. In the old dispensation, a single
drunken man might have tried to paw a woman. She would have shouted at
him and other people would have come to her help. In the new order, the
mob forms quickly. Its hackles rise immediately.

The question Mumbai should be asking itself after we woke up to a second New Year on which women had been molested in public is: are all women now crossing into alien territory once they leave their family homes?

Mumbai, popular discourse assures us, is safe for women. This has been repeated again and again, at late-night parties as women prepare to go home alone, in offices after the take-out dinner has been eaten, at the recording studios and the call centres. This is repeated in salons where no one uses Indian perfumes and where the clothes are equally divided between ethnic chic and neo-Western designer wear. The men who reached for that woman, the men who tore off her dress and left her screaming in the street, had probably never heard about that. They do not own the city in the same way as the middle-classes do. They do not feel the same pride that the intelligentsia of the city feel in a city that can make space for a working woman or a partying woman coming home late in the night and alone. Perhaps this is because they have been shown that they do not belong.

A city is about managing contradictions. The only way to do this is by a series of subtle negotiations. A generation ago, for instance, young people were told that they should not eat in public because they did not know who had gone hungry that morning. You can argue that this was hypocrisy, a gauze bandage offered to the huge chancre of inequality and poverty. But it was also a gesture. And negotiations are often composed of gestures.

No one is arguing that the women should not have been intoxicated, if they were indeed intoxicated. No one is denying them the right to verbal retaliation or the right to wear whatever they wanted. There can be no sympathy for the men who acted in this gruesome manner. But this city is now composed of gruesome acts.

When Shamshad Khan, a performance poet from Britain, came to India last year, she was horrified at the poverty of the city. She had never travelled outside Britain before and Mumbai's complete self-assurance, its ability to contain vast swathes of marble-coated and chilly luxury and huge stretches of open-air public toilets, left her aghast. A small card placed on her bed, which explained that the hotel valued her sleep and so had provided four different kinds of pillows on her bed, struck her as some kind of horrible irony. Outside, on the road, men and women slept with their heads cushioned on cement blocks that served as road dividers.

Of course, living in a Third World city means that you cannot actually respond with sympathy or humanity each time you are confronted with someone crushed by the huge pyramid of social injustice on which we base our lives. As our air-conditioned cars take the roads that run through labour camps and slums, our axles hurt more than our consciences. The city's millionaires plan to build homes that are 60 floors high in a city where few young couples can even think of a single room as a starter home. The word 'crore' is bandied about thoughtlessly in a city where some salaries have just crossed the four-figure mark.

Lack of Social Mobility

Now consider the scene outside the Marriott, where it is possible to spend Rs 10,000 in a single night on a single bottle of alcohol. By its very nature, such a hotel must be exclusivist, seeking to keep out men such as those who molested the women at its gates. On this night of artificial cheer, a night on which everyone is expected to have something to do, or somewhere to go, these men were standing on the road and watching the rich slide by in cocoons of steel and glass and privilege.

And then they watched as women from another class, another level, women completely unavailable came out of the hotel. Their attack is no less heinous for all their lack of social mobility. But it arises out of a whole cluster of issues relating to their view of gender, their view of class, their view of privilege.

Today, Lakshmi Mittal believes that one needs to arrive at vanaprasthashrama before one gives in charity. Today, a certain class of young person is assured of a job and of a fairly decent salary as long as they know English and they take this for granted.

The call centre boom has lifted some boats. The entire northern suburb of Malad, for instance, has been revitalised and transformed into Back-end Bohemia. Young people return home late in the night and the neighbours no longer raise their eyebrows. They dig their daughter in the shoulder and ask why she hasn't applied for a call centre job where you get a fantastic salary if you manage to stick it out for a year.

--->>>
Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Is Mumbai City Safe for Women Today ?
<<<---

MUMBAI MARATHON INDIA'S BIGGEST SPORTS EVENT

2008-04-23T17:37:00.000+05:30

John Kelai of Kenya, as expected, won the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on 20.01.2008

Kelai finished in 2 hours, 12 minutes and 22 seconds, followed by Tariku Jufar of Ethiopia in 2:12:28 and Philemon Boit of Kenya in 2:12:35.

"I waited for the last mile and then gave it all. I knew if I maintained the same pace I would
succeed in winning. The wins in both the races was equally satisfying and I am really happy that I made it two in a row," said Kelai later.

Seboka set the record in the women's event in 2:30:03, ahead of Kenyans Irene Kemunto (2:32:51) and Margaret Karie Toroitich (2:33:56). Seboka has won three of the five Mumbai Marathons. Indian runners had a field day in the half marathon category with Surender Singh and Kavita Raut winning the 21-km race in the men's and women's category respectively.

Singh finished with a timing of 1:05:43:57 beating Finnish athlete Jutsi Utrianen who clocked 1:05:57:07 while Santosh Kumar came third with a timing of 1:06:16:05

In the women's category, Raut fought off some close competition from compatriot Preeja Sreedharan to bag the first place.

Raut timed 1:16:36:81 while Sreedharan clocked 1:16:38:07.

Indian Preeti Rao finished third with a timing of 1:19:26:51.

MUMBAI MARATHON RESULTS

Marathon Men (42 km):
1. John Kelai (Kenya) 2:12:22.21; 2. Tariku Jiffar (Ethiopia)
2:12:27.98; 3. Philemon Boit (Kenya) 2:12:34.57; 4. Ketema Amersisa
(Kenya) 2:13:36.29; 5. Elijah Nyambuti (Kenya) 2:14:27.94; 6. Enoch
Mitei (Kenya) 2:16:12.23; 7. Evans Ruto (Kenya) 2:17:05.66; 8. Maluni
Katio John (Kenya) 2:17:34.52; 9. Zak Kinhara (Kenya) 2:18:18.47; 10. R
S Yadav (India) 2:18:23.33.

Marathon Women (42 km):
1. Mulu Seboka (Ethiopia) 2:30:03.19; 2. Kemunto Mogaka Irene (Kenya)
2:32:50.91; 3. Margaret Karie Toroitich (Kenya) 2:33:55.69; 4.
Winifridah Kwamboka (Kenya) 2:37:34.12; 5. Haille Kebebush (Kenya)
2:37:35.28; 6. Zebenay Moges (Ethiopia) 2:37:35.92; 7. Nailya
Youlanonova (Russia) 2:37:38.32; 8. Letay Negash (Ethiopia) 2:39:52.13;
9/ Marashet Jimma 2:40:41.76; 10. Katerina Stetsenko (Ukraine)
2:43:09.60.

Marathon India Men (42 km) (Top three): R S Yadav 2:18:23.33; Bining Lyngkhoi 2:24:49.27; Narender Singh 2:25:30.63.

Marathon India Women (42 km) (Top three): Pashotlemia Devi 3:02:28.06; Dhiraj Indresh 3:08:11.28; Bhagwati Bhagwati 3:15:58.45.

Half Marathon Men (21 km) (Top 7):
Surender Singh (India) 1:05:43.57; Jutsi Utrianen (Finland) 1:05:57.07;
Santosh Kumar (India) 1:06:16.05; Soji Matthew (India) 1:06:43.43;
Gurusewak Singh (India) 1:08:07.73; M D Yunus (India) 1:08:20.96;
Naresh Kumar (India) 1:09:13.75.

Half Marathon Women (21 km) (Top 7):
Kavita Raut (India) 1:16:36.81; Preeja Sreedharan (India) 1:16:38.07;
Preeti Rao (India) 1:19:26.51; Kamlesh Baghel (India) 1:23:40.33;
Vaishali Chatare (India) 1:23:46.02; Anuja Bijagare (India) 1:27:33.64;
Wiitich Karen (UK) 1:44:57.78.

--->>>
Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : MUMBAI MARATHON INDIA'S BIGGEST SPORTS EVENT
<<<---

India has 53 billionaires - Forbes list of world's billionaires

2008-04-23T17:31:00.000+05:30

India has 53 billionaires whose combined wealth accounts
$340.9 billion, according to the Forbes list of world's billionaires
released on 06.03.2008

China has a maximum 28 people
joining the ranks of those with at least one billion dollar, India has
managed to retain its position as Asia's biggest source of billionaires.

China has 42 billionaires second highest in Asia with a combined wealth of $95 billion.

India and China are followed by Hong Kong - 26, Japan - 24 and Australia -14 in terms of number of billionaires

Last year in 2007, India had overtaken Japan as the biggest Asian
nation in terms of number of billionaires. Japan has now slipped even
below China and Hong Kong this year.

India holds the honour of having the largest number of four billionaires in top ten list :

# Lakshmi Mittal (4th)

# Mukesh Ambani (5th)

# Anil Ambani (6th)

# KP Singh (8th).

There are two Americans in Top Ten Warren Buffet at the top and Bill Gates at third.

India still remains way below the US in terms of total number of such people, which has as many as 469 billionaires worth a total of $1.6 trillion.

As many as four Indians steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Mukesh Ambani, his estranged younger brother Anil Ambani and realty baron K P Singh have made it to top 10 positions, as against just one, Mittal, a year ago.

India has retained its position as the top source of billionaires in
Asia with total 53 people, who have a cumulative networth of 340.9
billion dollars on Forbes' 2008 World's Billionaires
list consisting of 1,125 people with a combined wealth of 4.4 trillion
dollars. A year ago, there were just 179 billionaires, Forbes said.

With a networth of 62 billion dollars, Buffett has topped the list,
followed by Carlos Slim Helu (60 billion dollars) and Bill Gates (58
billion dollars) on second and third positions.

These three are followed by three Indians -- Lakshmi Mittal (45 billion dollars), Mukesh (43 billion dollars) and Anil (42 billion dollars) on fourth, fifth and sixth ranks.

Besides, DLF's K P Singh (30 billion dollars) has been ranked, after Sweden's Ingvar Kamprad (31 billion dollars)

Other two in the top 10 are Russia's Oleg Deripaska Forbes said that Anil Ambani is
the biggest gainer with wealth soaring by 23.8 billion dollars since
the last list. He is only one billion dollars behind his brother Mukesh, who is the second biggest gainer with a rise of 22.9 billion dollars in his networth.

Lakshmi Mittal has gained 13 billion dollars from last year, pushing him one place higher to fourth rank this year.

--->>>
Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : India has 53 billionaires - Forbes list of world's billionaires
<<<---

Surefire ways to reduce the stress and stay happy while working in a BPO

2008-04-23T16:47:00.000+05:30

Never before any sector in India witnessed such a growth, as did BPO in the last five years. BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) is the most publicized word in Indian industry today. If the current trend continues, BPO will rule the industry at least for the nest 15 years or so, although the BPO sector is booming, there have been some concerns over the level of stress the young employees are going through. It has been proved beyond doubt that BPO employees are the more stressed in the industry because of working in odd hours, loss of sleep, irregular eating habits and junk food. While it is always good to go for a BPO job, it is also necessary to cope with the increasing stress level with proper strategy. Below listed 5 surefire ways to reduce the stress and stay happy while working in a BPO.

1) Be sociable, interact more with your Colleagues

To cope with the high pressure of a BPO job, it is important to be more interactive. Don't remain calm and quiet, as it will have an adverse impact on your health in a stressful work environment. Crack jokes and have fun with your colleagues to make the atmosphere lighter. Make good friends, share your feelings and thoughts with them. It will ease the pressure on you to a great extent.

2) Spend more time with your friends and family when you get week-offs

Almost all BPOs offer two days week-off. Utilize your week-offs to the maximum level. Spend time with your family, friends and others. Go on lunch/dinner, movies or plan any other hangouts you wish. Visiting pubs, discos or restaurants in week-offs is also a great idea. It will keep your mind and spirit up.

3) Do work-out, visit Gym and Spa, do Yoga

Exercise is a must for BPO employee because of the amount of stress generated in their work place. Visit a nearby Gym at least thrice a week and burn your calories there. If don't get time, at least do some walk or jogging. Yoga is the best medicine, which will keep you healthy and fit. Also, visit a spa once/twice in a month to get some good massage. It will be relaxing and reliving for you. You can also go for Music Therapy if possible. Music Therapy is considered as an effective stress buster.

4) Attend Workshops, Camps in your spare time

Although BPO employees hardly get time to attend social events, let's believe the saying, "if there is a will, there is a way". Whenever you get a chance, attend the workshops organized by various companies and organizations. Also, don't miss attending special camps if they come your way. Such events work wonder in reducing the stress level and keep people fit.

5) Go for a Change of Job every six months

If you are working at an Advisor level, it is essential to change your process or job once in six months. Unless you see some growth in the existing company, go ahead and change your company every six months. Different process, different work environment and different set of colleagues will make your life easier, as it will reduce the monotony. Most BPOs do not allow a change in the process. So, it's better to leave them and join another. Since you have a job experience, you won't find to get a good job with a better pay package.

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Surefire ways to reduce the stress and stay happy while working in a BPO
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Drinking too much water can damage the kidney - Strange but True

2008-04-22T23:21:00.000+05:30

According to a new scientific review published in the Journal of the American
Society of Nephrology, drinking too much water can actually damage the
kidneys.

Liquid H2O is the sine qua non of life. Making up about 66 percent of the human body, water runs through the blood, inhabits the cells, and lurks in the spaces between. At every moment water escapes the body through sweat, urination, defecation or exhaled breath, among other routes. Replacing these lost stores is essential but re-hydration can be overdone. There is such a thing as a fatal water overdose.

a 28-year-old California woman died after competing in a radio station's on-air water-drinking contest. After downing some six liters of water in three hours in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" (Nintendo game console) contest, Jennifer Strange vomited, went home with a splitting headache, and died from so-called water intoxication.

Scientists say there is no proof for the urban myth that it is beneficial for the average healthy individual to drink a lot of water.

There is a long-held idea that drinking a lot of water helps clear the body of toxins, keep organs in tip-top shape and even helps keep weight off and improve skin tone, but scientists are skeptical.

As a kidney specialist, Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of the University of Pennsylvania is interested in how the kidney handles fluids, which prompted him and a colleague, Dr. Dan Negoianu, to review the scientific literature on the benefits of drinking water. In doing so, the researchers debunked four myths.

Research results suggest that contrary to popular belief, drinking a lot of water does not suppress appetite, flush toxins from the body, reduce headaches or improve the skin.

There are circumstances under which drinking a lot of water may even be unhealthy: "In long-distance runners, for example, more harm is done by over-drinking during races than by long distance runners who under-drink"

So friends, idea that drinking eight glasses of water a day is good for your health has been dismissed now

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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Drinking too much water can damage the kidney - Strange but True
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Rising inflation and price rise is the biggest failure of the UPA government so far

2008-04-22T22:29:00.000+05:30

The UPA government is squarely responsible for the present state of affairs.

In the middle of last year, the government claimed that the price rise was seasonal. Later, the finance minister began putting out the argument that inflation is a natural consequence of rapid economic growth. In the recent period, the government and its economic advisors are pointing to ‘supply constraints’ as a main cause for inflation. Despite all these arguments, the government cannot escape the responsibility for its gross failure. The rising inflation and price rise is a direct result of the policies of the government. The argument that inflation is a consequence of rapid growth also does not stand scrutiny. The Chinese economy has been registering rapid growth for three decades. Inflation is currently below 2 per cent in China.

The wrong policies of the government and mismanagement has led to shortages of supply and price rise of many commodities. The world prices of sugar have fallen sharply. Yet, the retail price of sugar in India continues to climb. The fiasco of wheat imports last year underlined the failure to procure adequate amounts of wheat from farmers because private players are being allowed to corner stocks. Large-scale import of wheat last year did not check the rising price of wheat. The government has failed to deal with the basic causes for the overall slow down in agricultural production.

Minister of State for Planning V Narayanasamy :
The newly-appointed Minister of State for Planning V Narayanasamy expressed confidence that prices will come under control soon following the steps taken by the Centre to contain inflationary pressure. “Union government has done its job, and within some days price situation will be rectified", he said after assuming the charge of Minister of State in the Planning Commission.

I don't understand how he is so confident about that ??? .

He's statement shocked me.

Don't he know that rise in price has hit the homemaker's budget like never before. Even the middle class is feeling the pinch.

From 5.92 percent on February 21 to the current rate of 7 per cent, inflation has soared to a 39 month high, and people's grocery list is changing by the week, in direct proportion to the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

The international oil prices have come down substantially. After the token cut in Rs. 2 for petrol and Re. 1 for diesel in December 2006, the government has refused to restore the pre-June 2006 prices by making a further cut. Neither is the government prepared to do away with the advalorem duty structure on oil imports. The government shows no political will to crack down on hoarding.

The government has to revise its agricultural policies. Food security and strengthening of the public distribution system is linked to adequate production of food grains. Encouragement of incentives to switch from food grains to cash crops along with other reasons has led to a fall in production of food grains. The public distribution system has been systematically weakened in order to cut back on food subsidies. In the union budget last year, there was a cut of Rs. 3000 crores in the food subsidy. The government will have to take urgent steps to strengthen the public distribution system and expand its purview by including pulses and edible oils and other essential commodities.

Instead of taking these steps, the government announced in January cuts in import duties on cement, capital goods, project imports, metals and chemicals. This was a wrong step. Such drastic cuts in import duty on manufactured items will have an adverse impact on domestic producers leading to deflation and unemployment. Similar cuts in import duty on wheat and pulses did not succeed in bringing down inflation.

While the performance of the Manmohan Singh government in the power sector has been dismal just about 50 per cent of the targeted 41,000 Mw was added in the 10th Plan period, it can take credit for prying open the nuclear door for India.

Though there seem to be last minute hiccups in the India-US nuclear cooperation deal, which would give India access to US nuclear technology and fuel for the first time in 30 years, it clearly caps everything else that the government has managed in the energy sector.

There was the plan to set up the country's largest power plants the 4,000 Mw ultra mega power plants across nine cities in the country but only one at Mundra in Gujarat has managed to get off the ground so far. Critics say the government would have done better by focusing incentives on smaller-sized plants since "not many companies have the ability and willingness to invest Rs 16,000 crore (Rs 160 billion) or more required for each ultra mega project."

"Inflation not only reduces the level of business investment, but also the efficiency with which productive factors are put to use."

Now people knows that rising inflation and price rise is the biggest failure of the UPA government so far.
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Author : Samir Bhoir
Article Source : Rising inflation and price rise is the biggest failure of the UPA government so far
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