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Indian IT Companies Comparison SWOT Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:32:00 PST

Infosys Technologies: Comparison / SWOT Analysis

Strength: Early positioning as high end differentiated player thanks to Nandan Nilekani and NR Narayana Murthy, investors and customers prefer the company for its established processes and predictability.
Weakness: Lagging peers in making strategic, 'game-changing' acquisitions, consulting business has not delivered the results, losing price premiums, lost its No.2 position in the US market to Cognizant last year.
Opportunity: Best positioned to replicate the Accenture model from offshore, a game-changing acquisition in a new geography could help the company raise its profile.
Threat: Ongoing visa abuse case and federal investigations in the US could affect brand and business, management transition from founders to professionals, rival Cognizant could overtake the No. 2 position.

Tata Consultancy Services: Comparison / SWOT Analysis

Strength: Ability to win and execute large, billion-dollar outsourcing contracts, increasingly viewed by customers in the same league as IBM and HP.
Weakness: Made progress in commoditised services, but still lags some peers and multinational rivals in high-end consulting offerings.
Opportunity: Best positioned among all Indian vendors to disrupt the global league of IBM-HP-Accenture.
Threat: People-led linear growth means Cognizant can beat it, and there are no visible leaders beyond N Chandrasekaran. That could pose a big challenge.

HCL Technologies: Comparison / SWOT Analysis

Strength: Shiv Nadar made it aggressive. Vineet Nayar's deal-making capabilities has brought in incremental business higher than rivals. Customers like Boeing and Deutsche continue to give more business, Axon acquisition considered a silver bullet.
Weakness: Overly aggressive acquisition brings risks of additional staff in high-cost geographies. Profit margin lowest among all India-based vendors, back-office business still in transition.
Opportunity: Sacrificing margins should help gain more business. Best positioned to rival TCS in terms of scale.
Threat: High-risk contracts could affect cash flow and dent profit. Post-Nayar leadership issue can be a tricky to solve.

Wipro: Comparison / SWOT Analysis

Strength: Billionaire-founder Azim Premji's early alliances with global leaders like Jack Welch helped the company establish its credibility, among the most diversified IT conglomerates with businesses ranging from soaps to hydraulic pumps and embedded software.
Weakness: Lags peers in sales and marketing spend and initiatives, lack of articulated strategy and vision, strategy focussed on traditional IT capabilities.
Opportunity: New CEO TK Kurien's strategy to create a leaner, sharper organisation could result in more profits and wallet share of large customers, shift from pure tech positioning to a more broad-based vendor focussed on solving business problems.
Threat: Life after Premji continues to be a worry, too much focus on cost reduction could come at cost of long-term strategic direction.

Cognizant: Comparison / SWOT Analysis

Strength: Fastest growing in the business of outsourcing, US-centric model helps in positioning, high wallet share of fewer large customers ensures growth even during crisis, blends IBM's depth with Accenture's front-ending capabilities in its model.
Weakness: Nearly 75% of business from the US could turn risky, a laggard in BPO business, also lags peers in infrastructure management business.
Opportunity: At this pace, and having overtaken Wipro last year, the company is already setting sights on Infosys' position; TCS could be next, growing Europe business to mitigate US risks.
Threat: Pace of growth could cause fatigue among leaders, over-dependency on US could affect prospects during recession, will make for a good acquisition target for an IBM or Accenture in the coming years.

Additional Comparison on critical business KPIs

$100 mn in fresh business (FB): Big volume FB is a key pointer for IT companies. Between December '10 and September '11 quarters, TCS has had $100 mn FB or more in all four quarters and Cognizant in two quarters. Infosys and Wipro didn't hit that figure in any quarter.
Net Headcount Addition: The higher the number of extra people IT companies hire, the better they think they are doing. Between December '10 and September '11 quarters, TCS added 40,000-plus employees, and Cognizant, 34,000-plus. Infosys added less than 20,000, and Wipro, just over 15,000.
Attrition Rate: Lower the attrition rate, better, in employees perception, a company's future. TCS and Cognizant have had lower attrition rates than Infosys and Wipro in all the four periods between the December '10 and September '11 quarters.

54th Grammy Awards 2012: Full List of Winners & Event Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:07:00 PST

Adele wins 6 Grammys, including album, song and record of the year !

Adele was shaking as she won album of the year, almost in tears as she held the award.

She yelled at the end of her speech:
“Thank you so much!”

With six Grammy awards, Adele has matched Beyonce for most Grammy wins in a night by a female act.
Adele’s six Grammy Award wins Sunday night include album, record and song of the year.
Beyonce set the record two years ago.
Adele’s “21” was 2011’s best-selling album. It’s sold more than six million units in the United States.

Grammy Awards 2012 Full list of winners: Final
Here is a list of winners at the Sunday-night Grammy Awards broadcast gala, live on Global and CBS, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. Pre-gala winners also listed below.

Record of the year: Adele's Rolling the Deep
Best pop solo performance: Adele's Someone Like You
Best rap performance: Otis, by Kanye West and Jay-Z
Best rock performance: Foo Fighters' Walk
R&B album: Chris Brown's F.A.M.E.
Song of the year: Adele's Rolling in the Deep
Country album: Lady Antebellum's Own the Night
Best new artist: Bon Iver

Winners from the pre-broadcast awards gala, earlier Sunday:

Short-form music video: Adele’s Rolling in the Deep
Long-form music video: Foo Fighters’ Back and Forth
Hard rock/metal performance: Foo Fighters’ White Limo
Rock song: Foo Fighters’ Walk
Rock Album: Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light
Recording package: Caroline Robert’s Scenes from The Suburbs, for Arcade Fire
Rap performance: Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Otis
Pop duo/group performance: Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse’s Body and Soul
Pop instrumental album: Booker T. Jones’ The Road from Memphis
Dance recording: Skrillex’s Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
Dance/electronica album: Skrillex’s Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
Traditional pop vocal album: Tony Bennett and various artists’ Duets II
Alternative music album: Bon Iver’s Bon Iver
R&B performance: Corinne Bailey Rae’s Is This Love
Traditional R&B performance: Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona’s Fool for You
R&B song: Cee Lo Green and Co.’s Fool for You
Rap/sung collaboration: Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie’s All of the Lights
Rap song: All of the Lights
Rap album: Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Country solo performance: Taylor Swift’s Mean
Country song: Taylor Swift’s Mean
Country duo/group performance: The Civil Wars’ Barton Hollow
Folk album: The Civil Wars’ Barton Hollow
New age album: Pet Metheny’s What’s It All About
Improvised jazz solo: Chick Corea’s 500 Miles High
Jazz vocal album: Terri Lyne Carrington and various artists’ The Mosaic Project
Jazz instrumental: Corea, Clarke and White’s Forever
Large jazz ensemble: Christian McBride Big Band’s The Good Feeling
Gospel/contemporary Christian music performance: Le’Andria Johnson’s Jesus
Gospel song: Kirk Franklin’s Hello Fear
Contemporary Christian music song: Laura Story’s Blessings
Gospel album: Kirk Franklin’s Hello Fear
Contemporary Christian music album: Chris Tomlin’s And If Our God Is For Us…
Latin pop, rock or urban album: Mana’s Drama Y Luz
Regional Mexican or Tejano album: Pepe Aguilar’s Bicentenario
Bands or Norteno album: Los Tigres Del Norte’s Los Tigres Del Norte and Friends
Tropical Latin album: Cachao’s The Last Mambo
Americana album: Levon Helm’s Ramble at the Ryman
Bluegrass album: Alison Krauss and Union Station’s Paper Airplane
Blues album: Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Revelator
Regional roots music album: Rebirth Brass Band’s Rebirth of New Orleans
Reggae album: Stephen Marley’s Revelatino Pt. 1: The Root of Life
World music album: Tinariwen’s Tassili
Children’s album: All About Bullies… Big & Small
Spoken world album (includes poetry, audio books and story telling): Betty White’s If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t)
Comedy album: Louis C.K.’s Hilarious
Musical theatre album: The Book of Mormom
Compilation soundtrack for visual media: Boardwalk Empire: Vol. 1
Score soundtrack for visual media: Alexandre Desplat’s The King’s Speech
Song written for visual media: I See the Light (from Tangled)
Instrumental composition: Bela Fleck and Howard Levy’s Life in Eleven
Instrumental arrangement: Gordon Goodwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
Instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist: Jorge Calandrelli’s Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me), for Tony Bennett and Queen Latifah
Boxed or special limited edition package: Dave Bett and Michelle Holme’s The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story
Album notes: Hear Me Howling: Blues, Ballads & Beyond as recorded by the San Francisco Bay by Chris Strachwitz in the 1960s
Historical album: Band on the Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection – Deluxe Edition)
Engineered album, non-classical: Alison Krauss and Union Station’s Paper Airplane
Producer of the year, non-classical: Paul Epworth
Remixed recording, non-classical: Cinema (Skrillex Remix)
Surround sound album: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition)
Engineered album, classical: Aldridge: Elmer Gantry
Producer of the year, classical: Judith Sherman
Orchestral performance: Brahms, Symphony No. 4 by Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel
Opera recording: Adams: Doctor Atomic
Choral performance: Light & Gold - Eric Whitacre, conductor (Christopher Glynn & Hila Plitmann; The King's Singers, Laudibus, Pavão Quartet & The Eric Whitacre Singers)
Small-ensemble performance: Mackey: Lonely Motel – Music from Slide
Classical instrumental solo: Schwantner: Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra by Christopher Lamb, Giancarlo Guerrero conducts Nashville Symphony
Classical vocal solo: Joyce DiDonato with Kazushi Ono and Orchestre de l’Opera National de Lyon with Choeur de l’Opera National de Lyon for Diva Divo
Contemporary classical composition: Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein’s Elmer Gantry

Grammy Awards 2012 Facts: Sequence of events

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off the Grammys on Sunday night with a rousing song
Host LL Cool J took the stage and offered a prayer for Houston, her fans and her family.
Organizers then played a video of Houston performing her hit "I Will Always Love You" from a previous Grammy show. Later in the evening, actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role in movie musical "Dreamgirls," will perform a medley of songs in tribute to Houston who died in a Beverly Hills hotel room on the eve of the Grammys. The cause of her death has not been determined.
Grammy organizers give out awards in more than 75 categories and several early winners mentioned Houston in acceptance speeches.

Big Data Meaning, Facts, Trends

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:09:00 PST

Everyday, we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data–so much that 90% of the data in the world today has been created in the last two years alone. This data comes from everywhere: from sensors used to gather climate information, posts to social media sites, digital pictures and videos posted online, transaction records of online purchases, and from cell phone GPS signals to name a few. This data is big data.

The phrase “Big Data” refers to the tools, processes and procedures allowing an organization to create, manipulate, and manage very large data sets and storage facilities.

Big Data Examples

Weather data is collected on a daily basis by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to aide in climate, ecosystem, weather and commercial research.
The masses of data collected by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its research
Energy companies have amassed huge amounts of geophysical data.
Pharmaceutical companies routinely munch their way through enormous amounts of drug testing data.
Data organization maintains in all of its datacenters, regional offices and on all of its user-facing systems (desktops, laptops and handheld devices)

Specific Characteristics of Big Data

Volume – Big data comes in one size: large. Enterprises are awash with data, easily amassing terabytes and even petabytes of information.
Velocity – Often time-sensitive, big data must be used as it is streaming in to the enterprise in order to maximize its value to the business.
Variety – Big data extends beyond structured data, including unstructured data of all varieties: text, audio, video, click streams, log files and more.

Why the Big Data buzz now

Large organizations increasingly face the need to maintain large amounts of structured and unstructured data to comply with government regulations.
Recent court cases have also lead them to keep large masses of documents, Email messages and other forms of electronic communication that may be required if they face litigation.
Big data is likely to be increasingly part of IT world.

The Real Facebook Growth Story: Dorm to Nasdaq Timeline

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:20:00 PST

When Facebook filed to raise $5 billion in an initial public offering, it was a golden chapter in Facebook's fairy tale growth. Below is the real Facebook growth story in the form of a timeline which would take you through the Journey of from Mark Zuckerberg's Dormitory to US's Nasdaq

October 28, 2003: Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard psychology sophomore, writes "Facemash," a website that asked users to judge students' attractiveness based on their dorm-directory photos. The authorities -- and many students -- were not amused.
February 4, 2004: Zuckerberg launches Thefacebook.com, a social network that allows users to create basic profiles including personal information and photos.
February 10, 2004: Harvard students Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narenya send Zuckerberg a cease-and-desist letter, accusing Zuckerberg of independently developing thefacebook.com while he was hired to work on their social networking project, HarvardConnection.
June 2004: Peter Thiel, PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist, invests $500,000 in Facebook.
May 26, 2005: Accel Partners, the venture capital firm headed by investor Jim Breyer, invests $12.7 million in Facebook, valuing the company at roughly $100 million.
October 24, 2007: Microsoft Corp announces that it purchased a 1.6 per cent share of Facebook for $240 million, giving the company a total implied value of around $15 billion.
April 7, 2008: Facebook settles with the founders of "ConnectU", the Winklevoss twins and Divya Narendra, for a purported $65 million, according to promotional material later published by ConnectU's lawyers.
May 26, 2009: Russian investor Yuri Milner's Digital Sky Technologies invests $200 million for a 1.96 percent stake, bringing Facebook's value down to $10 billion.
June 3, 2010: Zuckerberg sweats profusely as he takes questions about Facebook's privacy policy while onstage at the All Things Digital conference. The episode, which the Twittering classes dubbed a "Nixon Moment," renewed questions about Zuckerberg's viability as the CEO of a company rumored to go public soon.
June 30, 2010: In one of the more bizarre twists in Facebook's history, New York businessman Paul D. Ceglia files suit against Zuckerberg, claiming he had struck a deal with the founder in 2003 for half of Facebook's revenue and rightfully owned 84 per cent of the company. Three successive lawyers withdrew from his legal team within a period of four months in late 2011. The litigation remains ongoing.
October 10, 2010: Columbia Pictures releases " The Social Network," a film about Facebook's beginning, directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin.
January 2, 2011: Facebook raises $500 million from Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies in a deal that valued the company at $50 billion.
January 2011: Goldman controversially markets as much as $1.5 billion worth of Facebook shares to its private investors, but withdraws the offer from American clients on January 18 following intense media coverage and scrutiny from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The offer was withdrawn because of accusations that it ran afoul of regulations prohibiting share-placement sponsors from aggressively promoting a deal to potential investors.
November 29, 2011: Facebook agrees to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived users on what information it would keep private. The incident underscored how user concerns about privacy were spurring top-level government scrutiny of Silicon Valley.
January 25, 2012: Trading of Facebook shares is halted on the secondary market as rumors of an impending IPO gain steam.
February 1, 2012: Facebook files its Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking to raise $5 billion in a highly anticipated IPO.

Pregnant Man / Male Mother Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:26:00 PST

A British woman, who had a sex change surgery, has become the country's first and world's third "male mother".

The man, who is in his 30s, gave birth last year after having hormone treatment to reactivate his womb
The man, whose womb was not removed during the original sex change operation, became only the third man in world to have done this.
The man had asked about the health implications of keeping his womb and what surgery he could have before it became impossible to carry a baby.
The baby is thought to have been delivered by caesarean section but it is possible the man retained the ability to give birth naturally.
He is the first British man to have given birth. One man in America and one in Spain have done this before
The man is following in the footsteps of American Thomas Beatie, who became the world's first pregnant man in 2007 and has since given birth to three children.
The Beaumont Society is the oldest transgender support group in the country, having been set up in 1966.

World's First Pregnant Man & Male Mother Facts

A 38-year-old American Thomas Beatie became the world's first pregnant man in 2007
This world's first pregnant Man / Male Mother has given birth to three children -- Susan, Austin and Jensen.
Beatie lives in Arizona with wife Nancy
Beatie, world's first pregnant man / male mother was born a woman named Tracy Lagondino.
His first baby was conceived through artificial insemination using donor sperm and Beatie's own eggs.
He once said: "The only thing different about me is that I can't breast-feed my baby. But a lot of mothers don't."
Beatie, who was born Tracy Lagondino and lived in Hawaii, caused a media storm when he first announced he was pregnant.
He claimed the reason for his sexual transformation was because he had fallen in love with his now wife Nancy, 46.
Under Hawaiian law the couple was unable to have a same-sex marriage so Beatie decided to undergo a sex change.
He began a course of hormone treatment and had surgery to remove mammary glands and to flatten his chest. Two years before the first child, Beatie halted his bimonthly hormone injections and resumed menstruating in a bid to have a child.

Other Related facts

In Britain, The first Briton to have sex change surgery was Roberta Cowell - born Robert Cowell - in 1951.
To be legally recognised in Britain as having changed sex, a person must apply to Gender Recognition Panel. A successful applicant will have to prove they have gender dysphoria and is afforded all rights and responsibilities of their acquired gender. These include being able to marry someone of the opposite legal sex, retire and receive state pension at the age appropriate to the changed gender. They are also entitled to a new birth certificate showing his or her legally recognised gender.

Valentine's Day Facts: Greetings, Messages, Videos, Do's & Don't

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:48:00 PST

Celebrated on February 14, Valentines Day is an occasion people across the world, irrespective of the nation, caste, religion or creed look forward to express their love to the ones closest to their heart.

What's Valentine Day All About: An Awesome Video which summarizes just that

St. Valentine's Day: Historical Facts about its Origin

There are different ideas to the way Valentines Day celebration began.

Some trace it to Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival
Some experts associate the event with two saints named valentine of the early Christian church. One of them would secretly conduct marriage of couples by disobeying the rule of Roman Emperor, Claudius; while other was a lover of children but, was imprisoned when he would not honor other gods. The children missed him and wrote messages of affection to him through the bars of the cell. This can be considered as the beginning of exchanging messages.
Some link it with an old English belief that love birds choose their mates on February 14.

Valentine's Day probably came from a combination of all the above sources, along the belief that spring is a time for lovers.

Valentine’s Day Interesting facts

The modern day celebration of Valentines Day is believed to begin in France and England.
Cupid (symbol for Roman God of love), doves, love birds, roses, hearts and arrows are all symbols of the Valentine’s Day celebration.
Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated around seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.
In Medieval times, girls ate bizarre foods on St Valentine's Day to dream of their future spouse.
There was a belief in the Middle Ages that the first unmarried person (of the opposite sex) you met on the morning of St. Valentine's Day would become your spouse.
The first Valentine gift was sent by Duke of Orleans to his wife, after he was captured in 1415.
73% of Valentine Day flowers are bought by men, whereas women buy only 23% of Valentine flowers.
Around 3% of pet owners prefer to give Valentine gifts to their pets, as they are more grateful than humans.
In olden times, some people believed that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
The heart is the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart and its red color is though to be the most romantic.
The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Since red stands for strong feelings, red rose is a flower of love.
The first Valentine's Day box of chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868.
In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine’s Day. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons that meant, "You unlock my heart!"
In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Denmark, and Italy.
The most fantastic gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife.
Every Valentine's Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.
In the US, 64 percent of men do not make plans in advance for a romantic Valentine's Day with their sweethearts. Share these fun facts about Valentine's Day with a friend. Your sweetie might be especially interested in the last item. Happy Valentine's Day!

Interesting Valentine's Day Chocolate Facts

Casanova, well known as "The World's Greatest Lover," ate chocolate to make him virile.
Physicians of the 1800's commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.
Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800's.
More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.
Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine's Day in the U.S.

Interesting Valentine's Day Flowers' Facts

73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

Interesting Valentine's Day Roses Facts

The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
Red roses are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic feelings.
189 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S. on Valentine's Day.
California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the greater number sold on Valentine's Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America.
Approximately 110 million roses, mostly red, will be sold and delivered within the three-day Valentine's Day time period.

Interesting Valentine's Day Greeting Cards Facts

Approximately one billion Valentines are sent out worldwide each year according to estimates by the U.S. Greeting Card Association. That's second only to Christmas.
Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all Valentines.
Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

Valentine's Day Greeting Cards, e-Cards

Valentine's Day Messages, Quotes, Greeting Cards

Real love is not based on romance,
Candle light dinner
and
walks along the beach.
In fact, it is based on
Respect,
Compromise,
Care
and
Trust

If she's an apple & you're an orange,
celebrate your differences,

Make a great fruit salad

Love isn't about being the same,
It's about being sweet with each other.

Trust a person to the extent
that he feels guilty to cheat you
Love a person to the extent
that he fears to loose you!

If you are cold at night,
let the promise of my
love cover you like a
'warm blanket'

What Not to Do on Valentine's Day

Singer Whitney Houston Facts: Cause of Death, Music Career, Life, Songs [Videos]

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:42:00 PST

[Update]
Singer Whitney Houston Cause of Death still a Mystery, Under Investigation

Police and coroner's officials sought to determine a cause of death for singer Whitney Houston as her teenage daughter was hospitalized Sunday in a distraught reaction to the loss of her mother.
An autopsy was begun Sunday, but results would be withheld at the request of Beverly Hills police
Toxicology tests were likely to take some time.

[Earlier]
Pop music queen Whitney Houston has died at the age of of 48.

Whitney Houston was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.
She also starred in several movies including hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."
Whitney Houston's publicist Kristen Foster said that the cause and the location of her death were unknown.

Whitney Houston Music Career Facts:

Whitney Houston reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown
From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists of the music industry
She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.
Whitney Houston starred in hit movies like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."
Houston influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.
She one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

Whitney Houston's Life History Facts & Music Career Success: A video

Whitney Houston's Career End Facts:

By the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use.
Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming
Houston's once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances.
She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

Whiteney Houston once said - "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side. The interview video is below

A video song dedication to Whitey Houston

Emails Usage Trends & Response Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:48:00 PST

Baydin, the makers of email plugin Boomerang, recently extracted data from five million emails its users handled — either using the company’s “email game” or scheduled for later via Boomerang. Following are some of the important observations relating different aspects of e-Mail usage statistics & response trends:

Trends & statistics show that loading your message with words such as “confirm,” “join,” “press,” or “invite” do not get good response rates

Subject-line words, such as “apply” and “opportunity,” got more responses than words from the aforementioned list.
Trends & Statistics also also suggest that the best time to send emails is before work. Users who scheduled messages to read later, using Boomerang, most often wanted to deal with them around 6 a.m.
Baydin’s average email game player deleted about half of the 147 messages he or she received each day.
Ninety minutes of the two hours he or she spent on email each day went to just 12 messages.

Following is an interesting infographic on Emails Usage Response Trends Statistics

Per Employee Revenue, Income & Market Cap Statistics for Technology Companies

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:08:00 PST

Revenues tech companies command are wildly disproportionate to the number of people they employ. Facebook, which some have valued at $100 billion after filing for an IPO last week, employs a mere 3,000people. To set a perspective here, lets compare that with General Motors, which raised the biggest IPO in history in 2010. Its estimated market cap at the time of this writing is only $41.4 billion, and they employ a whopping 202,000 workers to create that value.

Following is a chart from Statista which shows tech companies maximizing their employee return.

Healthcare Business Case: Digital Technology & Tools for Health Risk Assessment

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:20:00 PST

There is no doubt that Digital technology is touching all spheres of our lives. Healthcare is no exception. In the below case we look at how Digital Technology & Tools are impacting and improving the processes of Health Risk Assessment.

Health risk assessment (HRA)

Health risk assessment (HRA) is continually evolving to meet the ever-changing demands of the health care industry.
HRA began humbly as a simple data collection tool, but evolved to become a predictor of an individual’s health perceptions, attitudes and motivations.
The new generation of HRAs is poised to help transform the way we do business.
Soon HRAs will not only be delivered more efficiently, but they’ll provide users with fresh, relevant feedback.
Many organizations now view the HRA through a new, more strategic lens, and how today’s innovative companies plan to leverage this powerful tool.

Origin / Beginning of Health Risk Assessment

The concept of the HRA dates back to the 1940s, when Dr. Lewis C. Robbins came up with the idea that a patient’s health risks might guide the physician in preventative treatments.
In 1980 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a public version, and thus recognized the many benefits that health risk awareness, education and prevention could have on the population.
Businesses, employers and health plans took notice of the value too.

Distinct generations in the history of the HRA:

First Generation – Classical Epidemiology (1970 – 1995): HRAs identified health risks in order to reduce the occurrence of illness, injury and premature death. Individual reports focused on a “risk age,” an assigned age for the participant based on his health risks and conditions, which used data all the way back from the 1948 Framingham study.
Second Generation – Motivation and Self-Efficacy (1995 – 2010): As the HRA and its data became more sophisticated, the ability to create behavior change became a significant challenge. During this generation, behavioral science models like the Transtheoretical Model and Motivational Interviewing helped motivate the individual and build self-confidence.

Modern world HRAs

Today’s HRAs use digital technology to individually tailor health assessments, findings and feedback.
Advances in behavioral science are unlocking the secrets to motivation and sustained behavior change.
Research shows that tailoring interventions to the individual’s motivations and readiness to change are the most effective ways to create behavior change
Evolving computer algorithms are improving HRA feedback by incorporating various behavior change models. As a result, today’s HRAs focus more on the individual’s motivation, self-efficacy, attitudes and beliefs about health.
HRA feedback now incorporates proven clinical strategies to increase the individual’s perceived control over his behavior, provides action plans to address risks, and reinforces the fact that behavior change is ultimately up to the individual.
These evolving algorithms prompt interactive or “smart” questionnaires that adapt based on the individual’s previous answers, and thereby create a more personalized, efficient and relevant plan of action.
Online assessment has many benefits, including lower administration cost and an enhanced sense of privacy, confidentiality and anonymity.
Evidence shows that online HRAs are associated with greater response honesty and accuracy when compared to face-to-face, telephone or traditional pen-and-paper administration.
This medium also allows for a more open evaluation of the individual’s behaviors and permits feedback in a neutral and non-judgmental manner
Online technology also allows for real-time HRA feedback, providing an individual with immediate and personalized support, information and access to tailored online interventions that have been clinically proven to change behavior and lower risk.
Digital technology allows for greater scalability and improved health access for the broader population.
Individuals can complete assessments and receive feedback at their convenience, with 24/7 access to information, tools and resources.
Family members and dependents can also participate, exponentially increasing the reach of the program.
Individuals can access online resources about a specific condition or behavior, as well as track programs that aid behavior change (e.g. food and pain diaries).
The web is a natural conduit to online digital health coaching programs that help the participant address lifestyle, behavioral health and/or chronic condition risk factors identified in the HRA.
Participants can receive reminder or follow-up emails and tailored text messages that encourage and support them to implement or continue behavior change. Ongoing evaluation of the efficacy of a health and wellness solution can be completed conveniently via the web.

The Future of HRAs

In the future, we’ll see increased access to HRAs via the Internet and mobile devices.
Next generation HRAs will include:
- Stronger ability to forge a connection between good health and achieving an individual’s life missions.
- Better use of quick, effective sessions or interventions, especially with the increased use of video for today’s YouTube generation.
- Mobile HRA delivery options, especially important for multinational employers and international populations.
- Increased use of health-related mobile applications that conduct real-time assessments, mini interventions and behavioral or habit-based action steps.
- Stronger data integration capabilities with care management systems, including delivery of key psychosocial information to health care providers. Ideally this communication will improve empathy, trust and rapport, as well as improve clinical efficiency.
Today, organizations realize that the HRA itself is more than a simple data collection instrument — it has become a strategic tool to help support employee behavior change.
Employers recognize the value of HRA aggregate data, and its ability to provide insights into the specific health issues and risks of employee populations.
HRAs help employees make smart choices about how to allocate their limited resources for health and wellness.
Health plans will utilize the rich data from HRAs (that traditional claims and lab data can’t provide) to empower nurses, health coaches and clinicians to drive better health outcomes for their members.

10 components necessary for effective health risk assessment:

Multi-modal delivery capabilities that augment web-based delivery with print, telephone and IVR administration options to meet the needs of diverse employee populations in multiple locations.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) certification to assure the purchaser that the HRA meets industry standards.
Individually tailored action plans to aid each unique employee in his pursuit of health and wellness.
Biometric uploading and pre-population of data for seamless integration, improved accuracy and employee convenience.
Assessment of productivity impairment to help employers determine key health barriers that would lead to absenteeism, and thus, affect the bottom line.
Focus on assessing behavioral health issues like insomnia, stress and depression, which are often under the radar, yet cause significant health care costs, disability claims and productivity impairment.
Cutting edge participation and engagement strategies to improve employee involvement and help them get the most bang for their buck.
Annual population health comparison reports to evaluate the impact of your health and wellness initiatives over time, and to identify key issues for strategic health initiatives.
Immediate linkage from HRA to health coaching programs that immediately connect employees to proven interventions for healthy lifestyle, behavioral health and chronic conditions.
Strong science with peer-reviewed publications that demonstrates the value and impact to employers that implement these HRAs and associated health and wellness solutions.

Key Metrics for Business Analysis & Operational Success Tracking

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:27:00 PST

Major Constraints for decision making in a startup / new business:

In the early days of a startup, sometimes there isn’t much to measure.
A comparison of this year’s sales compared to last year’s isn’t all that helpful if you’ve only been around for eight months.

Right Metrics to Measure & Analyse Sartup Business

Following three metrics can give startups can help analyse the success & potential of a business giving insights into current business operations and help with some short-term forecasting for business success.

Pipeline coverage Metrics Analysis
- The sales pipeline is a listing of all your sales prospects.
- Typically, you’d include the projected sales amount and estimate the probability of success for each account. You’d update the information regularly.
- Sales pipeline coverage is a fraction. The total amount in your pipeline is the numerator, and the sales goal is the denominator.
- Sales pipeline coverage measures everything in the sales pipeline against the sales goal.
- As the business matures, you’ll get better at estimating closure rates, and you’ll be able to tie closure rates to milestones.
- If you’ve only had one meeting with a particular customer, you might assign that deal a 20% chance of closing. Once the customer has agreed to pricing, you might bump that up to 50%.
- In practice, you want your pipeline coverage to be over 2.5x. That should virtually assure you make your target, as long as you’ve got a reasonably competent sales effort and have done a good job qualifying your customers.
Sales per employee Metrics Analysis
- This metric is simple and good for businesses of all sizes.
- Take the gross sales number and divide it by the number of employees.
- Since small businesses typically scale too fast ahead of their prospects – the optimism of entrepreneurs is both their blessing and their curse – sales per employee is a critical measure within growing companies.
- Note: Once you start focusing on this number, there may be a bias of hiring salespeople over other personnel.
Customer payback period Metrics Analysis
- The very best metric for evaluating your business, customer acquisition cost, takes a while to assess. Ultimately, everything your business does will either make sense or not depending on how much it costs you to acquire a customer. If you can acquire customers cheaply or profitably, you will do well.
- At first, customer acquisition cost is just a rough guess. But once you have that in hand, you can start thinking about the customer payback period. If the cost to acquire a customer is known, the logical question is how many months it will take to recover that cost.
- The value of this metric lies in its ability to help you figure out how much money you need to grow and how profitable your company is likely to be. Put another way, how many customers can you afford to acquire with your existing capital or operating profits? How much growth can you support? Growth is more capital-intensive than failure. The length of your customer payback period gives you a window into your growth potential.

Advantages of the above business analysis & success measurement metrics:

Universal Applicability of these metrics for business analysis
Business CEOs can use these metrics to better track what’s working and analyse what needs to be changed in order to meet short and long-term business goals.
These metrics can help investors (in case of external funding) understand the business and potential.

Recommended reading: Web & Social Media Analytics

Facebook Hiring & Recruiting: Trends & Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:57:00 PST

While taking help of Social Media for recruiting & Hiring is not new and hiring managers & recruiters have leveraged sites like Linked In for a considerable time now, it is surely interesting to explore the potential of the social media powerhouse Facebook in terms of Recruitement & Hiring potential.

According to the following infographic by HireRabbit, 48% of all job seekers (and 63% of those with a profile) did social media job hunting on Facebook in the past year.

Interesting National Anthem Facts for Different Countries Worldwide

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:34:00 PST

General Facts about National Anthems

National Anthem hymn or song expressing patriotic sentiment and either governmentally authorized as an official national hymn or holding that position in popular feeling.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, most European countries followed Britain's example, some national anthems being written especially for the purpose, others being adapted from existing tunes.
The sentiments of national anthems vary, from prayers for the monarch to allusions to nationally important battles or uprisings.

Facts about National Anthems of Different countries

Word definition ANTHEMATOLOGY/ANTHEMATOLOGIST - the study and collection of information about anthems - the word was invented by David Kendall in Canada in 2003.
'God Save The King' was played non-stop 16 or 17 times by a German military band on the platform of Rathenau railway station, Brandenburg, Germany on the morning of February 9 1909. The reason was that King Edward VII was struggling inside the train with the uniform of a German Field-Marshall before he could emerge!
The music blared at a soccer match in Athens between a Chinese and a Greek side, and the crowd rose and stood in respectful silence. They assumed it was the Chinese National Anthem. The Chinese players also stood to attention, thinking it was the Greek National Anthem. Then a voice sang out: "IT WAS A TOOTHPASTE COMMERCIAL!"
Spain demanded an apology after the wrong Spanish National Anthem was played before a Davis Cup Tennis Match in Australia in 2003. The pre-Civil War Republican National Anthem was played for the Spanish team!
Oldest National Anthems:
- JAPAN - oldest words - dating from the 9th Century
- THE NETHERLANDS - oldest music - melody known before 1572
Country with Shortest National Anthem:UGANDA - 8 bars of music
Countries with Longest National Anthems:GREECE - lyrics - has a total of 158 verses!, URUGUAY - music - 105 bars of music
Country with Shortest lived National Anthem: SOMALILAND - 5 days only - June 26 1960 to July 01 1960
The only nation without a National Anthem of her own: CYPRUS - uses the National Anthem of Greece and the National Anthem of Turkey
Nations that share the same tune for their National Anthem:
- ESTONIA - FINLAND
- LIECHTENSTEIN - UNITED KINGDOM
- POLAND - Former YUGOSLAVIA (The music of the two National Anthems are slightly different)
- TANZANIA - ZAMBIA (The two National Anthems have the same origin, but there are slight differences)
Oldest confirmed living composer of a National Anthem: Xiao He (born 1918) - GUINEA-BISSAU
Oldest confirmed living author of a National Anthem: Mathieu Ekra (born 1917) - IVORY COAST
Oldest State Song of the United States of America: SOUTH CAROLINA - adopted February 11 1911
Oldest confirmed living composer of a State Song of the United States America: Joseph Rocco Mascari (born 1922) - NEW JERSEY
Oldest confirmed living author of a State Song of the United States of America: Joseph Rocco Mascari (born 1922) - NEW JERSEY
Countries with Classic composers of National Anthems:
- AUSTRIA - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) - but this is disputed
- BANGLADESH - Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
- GERMANY - Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
- INDIA - Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
- NORWAY - Rikard Nordraak (1842-1866)
- SINGAPORE - Zubir Said (1907-1987)
- VATICAN CITY STATE - Charles-François Gounod (1818-1893)
Statesmen who wrote the words for their own National Anthem:
- BELGIUM - Charles Latour Rogier (1800-1885) - Prime Minister of Belgium (1832-1834) (1847-1852)(1857-1868)
- COLOMBIA - Rafael Nuñez (1825-1894) President of Colombia (1880-1882) (1884-1888) (1892-1894)
- ECUADOR - Juan León Mera (1832-1894) President of Senate of Ecuador
- EL SALVADOR - Juan José Cañas (1826-1918) Minister of Foreign Affairs
- IVORY COAST - Mathieu Ekra (b.1917) - Minister of Information and Joachim Bony (b.1927) - Minister of Education
- JAMAICA - Robert Charles Lightbourne (1909-1995) - Minister of Trade and Industry (1962-1972)
- JORDAN - Abdul-Mone'm al-Rifai' (1917-1985) Prime Minister of Jordan (1969) & (1970)
- LIBERIA - Daniel Bashiel Warner (1815-1880) President of Liberia (1864-1868)
- MALAYSIA - Tunku Abdul Rahman (1903-1990) Prime Minister of Malaysia (1957-1970)
- SÉNÉGAL - Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906-2001) President of Sénégal (1960-1980)
- TAIWAN - Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925) President of China (1923-1925)
Foreign composers who wrote the music for a National Anthem:
- ALBANIA - Ciprian Porumbescu (1853-1883) - Romanian
- ARMENIA - Barsegh Kanachyan (1885-1967) - Turkish
- BANGLADESH - Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) - Indian
- BOLIVIA - Leopoldo Benedetto Vincenti (1815-1914) - Italian
- CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Herbert Pepper (1912-2001) French
- CHILE Ramón Carnicer (1789-1855) Spanish
- COLOMBIA Oreste Sindici (1837-1904) Italian
- CYPRUS Nikolaos Mantzaros (1795-1873) Greek
- ECUADOR Antonio Neumane (1818-1871) German
- EL SALVADOR Juan Aberle (1846-1930) German
- ESTONIA Friedrich Pacius (1809-1891) Finnish
- GERMANY Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Austrian
- GUINEA-BISSAU Xiao He (b.1918) Chinese
- HONDURAS Carlos Hartling (1869-1920) German
- IRAQ Mohammad Salim Flayfel (1899-1986) - Lebanese and Ahmad Salim Flayfel (1906-1991) - Lebanese
- MALAYSIA Pierre Jean de Beranger (1780-1857) French
- THE MALDIVES Wannakuwattawaduge Don Amaradeva (b.1927) Sri Lankan
- MAURITANIA Tolia Nikiprowetzky (1916-1997) Polish
- MEXICO Jaime Nuno (1824-1908) Spanish
- NAURU Laurence Henry Hicks (1912-1997) Australian
- NEPAL Amber Gurung (dates unknown) Indian
- NEW ZEALAND John Joseph Woods (1849-1934) Australian
- NICARAGUA Luis Abraham Delgadillo (1887-1961) Italian
- PALESTINE Ali Ismael (1922-1974) Egyptian
- PANAMA Santos Jorgea (1870-1941) Spanish
- PAPUA NEW GUINEA Thomas Shacklady (1917-2006) British
- PORTUGAL Alfredo Keil (1850-1907) German
- SAN MARINO Federico Consolo (1841-1906) Italian
- SAUDI ARABIA Abdul Rahman Al-Khateeb (b.1923) Egyptian
- SÉNÉGAL Herbert Pepper (1912-2001) French
- SERBIA Davorin Jenko (1835-1914) Slovenian
- SOLOMON ISLANDS Panapasa Balekana (1929-2009) Fijian
- SOMALIA Giuseppe Blanc (1886-1969) Italian
- SWAZILAND David Kenneth Rycroft (1924-1997) British
- SYRIA Mohammad Salim Flayfel (1899-1986) Lebanese and Ahmad Salim Flayfel (1906-1991) - Lebanese
- TAJIKISTAN Suleiman Yudakov (1916-1990) Uzbek
- TANZANIA Enoch Mankayi Sontonga (1860-1904) South African
- TONGA Karl Gustavus Schmitt (1834-1900) German
- TUNISIA Mohamad Abdel Wahab (1915-1991) Egyptian
- UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Mohamad Abdel Wahab (1915-1991) Egyptian
- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA John Stafford Smith (c.1750-1836) British
- URUGUAY Francisco José Debali (1791-1859) Hungarian
- VATICAN CITY STATE Charles-François Gounod (1818-1893) French
- ZAMBIA Enoch Mankayi Sontonga (1860-1904) South African

Indian National Anthem: Jana Gana Mana... Facts, Hindi & English Translation, Meaning, Wordings / Lyrics, Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:47:00 PST

Facts about the Indian National Anthem Jana Gana Mana

The Indian National anthem, originally composed in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore
National Anthem of India (Jana Gana Mana...) was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24 January 1950
India's National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana...) was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.
The complete National Anthem Song (Naja Gana Mana) consists of five stanzas.
Playing time of full version of the National Anthem is approximately 52 seconds.
The lyrics of the National Anthem were rendered into English by Rabindranath Tagore himself.

Inda's National Anthem in Hindi

जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
पंजाब सिन्धु गुजरात मराठा
द्राविड़ उत्कल बंगा
विन्ध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्छल जलधि तरंगा
तव शुभ नामे जागे
तव शुभ आशीष मांगे
गाहे तव जयगाथा

जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे
जय जय जय जय हे!

English Version of the National Anthem of India: Jana Gana Mana...

Jana gana mana adhi naayaka jaya hai!
Bhaarat bhaagya vidhaata
Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maraatha,
Dravid Utkala Bangaa.
Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga,
Uchhala jaladhi taranga.
Tava shubh naame jaage,
Tava shubh aashish maage,
Gahe tava jaya-gaatha.

Jana-gana-mangaladayaka jaya hai!
Bharat bhagya vidhata.
Jaya hai! Jaya hai! Jaya hai!
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya hai!

English Translation of Indian National Anthem: Jana Gana Mana

"Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
dispenser of India's destiny.
The name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha,
of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of the Yamuna and Ganga
and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The salvation of all people is in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee."

Recent Popular Video versions of the National Anthem of India Jana Gana Mana...

Indian Government's Orders & Guidelines related to the playing of the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana

[Please refer to http://mha.nic.in/pdfs/NationalAnthem(E).pdf for latest updates on this]

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM - FULL AND SHORT VERSIONS

(1) The composition consisting of the words and music of the first stanza of

the late poet Rabindra Nath Tagore’s song known as “Jana Gana Mana” is

the National Anthem of India. It reads as follows: -

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata

Panjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha

Dravida-Utkala-Banga

Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga

uchchala-jaladhi-taranga

Tava Subha name jage, tave subha asisa mage,

gahe tava jaya-gatha.

Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Jaya he, Jaya he, Jaya he,

jaya jaya jaya jaya he.

The above is the full version of the Anthem and its playing time is

approximately 52 seconds.

(2) A short version consisting of the first and last lines of the National

Anthem is also played on certain occasions. It reads as follows:

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,

Jaya jaya jaya jaya he.

Playing time of the short version is about 20 seconds.

(3) The occasions on which the full versions or the short version will be

played have been indicated at the appropriate places in these instructions.

II. PLAYING OF THE ANTHEM

(1) The full version of the Anthem shall be played on the following

occasions: -

i) Civil and Military investitures;

ii) When National Salute (which means the Command “Rashtriya

Salute – Salami Shastr” to the accompaniment of the National

Anthem is given on ceremonial occasions to the President or to the

Governor/Lieutenant Governor within their respective States/

Union Territories;

iii) During parades – irrespective of whether any of the dignitaries

referred to in (ii) above is present or not;

iv) On arrival of the President at formal State functions and other

functions organized by the Government and mass functions and on

his departure from such functions;

v) Immediately before and after the President addresses the Nation

over All India Radio;

vi) On arrival of the Governor/Lieutenant Governor at formal State

functions within his State/Union Territory and on his departure

from such functions;

vii) When the National Flag is brought on parade;

viii) When the Regimental Colours are presented;

ix) For hoisting of colours in the Navy.

(2) The short version of the Anthem shall be played when drinking toasts in

Messes.

(3) The Anthem shall be played on any other occasion for which special

orders have been issued by the Government of India.

(4) Normally the Anthem shall not be played for the Prime Minister, though

there may be special occasions when it may be played.

(5) When the National Anthem is played by a band, the Anthem will be

preceded by a roll of drums to assist the audience to know that the

National Anthem is going to be played, unless there is some other specific

indication that the National Anthem is about to be played, as for example,

when fanfares are sounded before the National Anthem is played, or when

toasts are drunk to the accompaniment of the National Anthem or when

the National Anthem constitutes the National Salute given by a Guard of

Honour. The duration of the roll, in terms of marching drill, will be 7

paces in slow march. The roll will start slowly, ascend to as loud a volume

as possible and then gradually decreases to original softness, but

remaining audible until the seventh beat. One beat rest will then be

observed before commencing the National Anthem.

III. MASS SINGING OF THE ANTHEM

(1) The full version of the Anthem shall be played accompanied by mass

singing on the following occasions: -

(i) On the unfurling of the National Flag, on cultural occasions or

ceremonial functions other than parades. (This could be arranged

by having a choir or adequate size, suitably stationed, which would

be trained to coordinate its singing with the band etc. There should

be an adequate public audition system so that the gathering in

various enclosures can sing in unison with the choir);

(ii) On arrival of the President at any Government or Public function

(but excluding formal State functions and mess functions) and also

immediately before his departure from such functions.

(2) On all occasions when the National Anthem is sung, the full version shall

be recited accompanied by mass singing.

(3) The Anthem may be sung on occasions which, although not strictly

ceremonial, are nevertheless invested with significance because of the

presence of Ministers etc. The singing of the Anthem on such occasions

(with or without the accompaniment of an instruments) accompanied by

mass singing is desirable. 4

(4) It is not possible to give an exhaustive list of occasions on which the

singing (as distinct from playing) of the Anthem can be permitted. But

there is no objection to the singing of the Anthem accompanied by mass

singing so long as it is done with due respect as a salutation to the

motherland and proper decorum is maintained.

(ii) On arrival of the President at any Government or Public function

(but excluding formal State functions and mess functions) and also

immediately before his departure from such functions.

(2) On all occasions when the National Anthem is sung, the full version shall

be recited accompanied by mass singing.

(3) The Anthem may be sung on occasions which, although not strictly

ceremonial, are nevertheless invested with significance because of the

presence of Ministers etc. The singing of the Anthem on such occasions

(with or without the accompaniment of an instruments) accompanied by

mass singing is desirable.

(4) It is not possible to give an exhaustive list of occasions on which the

singing (as distinct from playing) of the Anthem can be permitted. But

there is no objection to the singing of the Anthem accompanied by mass

singing so long as it is done with due respect as a salutation to the

motherland and proper decorum is maintained.

(5) In all schools, the day’s work may begin with community singing of the

Anthem. School authorities should make adequate provision in their

programmes for popularising the singing of the Anthem and promoting

respect for the National Flag among students.

IV. PLAYING OF FOREIGN ANTHEMS

(1) At receptions to foreign dignitaries in India at which the giving of

National Salute has been prescribed, full version of the National Anthem

of the visiting dignitary’s country should be played first, followed by the

full version of the National Anthem of India.

(2) At dramatic, film or other cultural festivals organised by a diplomatic or

consular representative of a foreign country in India, the National Anthem

of the foreign country concerned may be played with the National

Anthem of India. The foreign Anthem should be played first followed

immediately by the Indian Anthem.

(3) At functions arranged by foreign Missions for celebrating their National

Days, the National Anthem of the country holding the function may be

played or sung. On theses occasions if the President of India is

represented by a Chief Guest not below the rank of a Cabinet Minister of

the Central Government or by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi (if the

function is held in Delhi) the National Anthem of India may be played

first followed by the playing of the National Anthem of the country

hosting the function. This procedure will also be followed if the function

includes proposing of the toasts to Heads of States i.e. the Indian Anthem

should be played immediately after the toast has been proposed to the

President of India and the National Anthem of the foreign country should

be played immediately after the toast to Head of that country is proposed.

In case National Anthem of India and of the country hosting the function

have been played at the beginning of the function, there will be no need to

play the Anthem of either or both the countries if any toasts are proposed. 5

Note: When the National Anthem is required to be played immediately

before or after the National Anthem of a foreign country, as laid down in

Section IV above, there should be no simultaneous singing of the National

Anthem. However, mass singing of the National Anthem should be

required when it is played immediately before or after the Anthem of

another country in the event that the visiting dignitary and his delegation

are singing their own National Anthem.

V. GENERAL

(1) Whenever the Anthem is sung or played, the audience shall stand to

attention. However, when in the course of a newsreel or documentary the

Anthem is played as a part of the film, it is not expected of the audience to

stand as standing is bound to interrupt the exhibition of the film and

would create disorder and confusion rather than add to the dignity of the

Anthem.

(2) As in the case of the flying of the National Flag, it has been left to the

good sense of the people not to indulge in indiscriminate singing or

playing of the Anthem.

Business Name Registration USA: Process, Method & Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:31:00 PST

No, just coming with a cool domain name is not enough. There are certain legal steps in the business naming / registration process. There are three key legal steps in the business naming process.

Make sure the name is available.
Register the name with your state.
Register your property (a.k.a. the name) with the federal government.

1. Make Sure the Business Name Is Available to Use / Registration

Make sure your name is available in the state where you are planning to conduct business, and also nationwide.
Trademark dispute can lead to punitive damages and legal fees to pay. You could also be ordered to rename your company immediately — putting you back at square one in terms of brand recognition.
Check the state’s database of company names.
Conduct a free trademark search to check if your business name is available to use at the federal level. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) offers a free search tool to see if your name is available to use nationwide.
It’s also important to know that you can still infringe upon someone else’s mark even if they’ve never formally registered it with the USPTO. For this reason, you’ll also need to do a comprehensive nationwide trademark search into state and local databases (beyond just your own state). This should include common law and county registrars.
You can find affordable online services to simplify this task for you by performing a comprehensive search into state and local databases.

2. Register the Business Name With Your State in the USA

When you incorporate or form an LLC for your new business, the name is registered with your state’s secretary of state.
Before approving your application, the secretary of state’s office checks that your name is distinguishable from all other business names registered in the state
Once approved, the business name is yours, and yours alone, to use within the state. This act protects anyone else from using your name within your state, but it doesn’t offer any kind of protection in the other 49 states.
If you’re not planning on incorporating or forming an LLC, you can still register a business name using a DBA (Doing Business As), which is also known as a Fictitious Business Name. It’s the easiest type of registration, and can be completed through your county government offices.
If you’ve started a business that’s physically tied to your state — such as a hair salon or a restaurant — and have no plans to expand into other states, registering your name with the state or county might be enough brand protection for you. However, if you’re planning to conduct business outside your own state (i.e. you sell a product or provide services to clients who live elsewhere), you should look into trademark protection.

3. Register a Business Trademark with the Federal Government

You’re not actually required by law to register a trademark. Use of a name instantly gives you common law rights as an owner, even without formal registration.
However, as mentioned above, trademark law is complex. Simply registering a DBA in your state doesn’t automatically grant you common law rights
In order to claim first use, the name has to be “trademarkable” and in use in commerce.

Registering a trademark offers a few advantages:

Trademarks registered with the USPTO enjoy significantly stronger protection than “common law” marks, or unregistered marks. When you register a trademark, it’s exponentially easier for you to recover your properties — for example, if someone happens to be using a close variation of your domain name or is using your company name as their Twitter handle.
A trademark is property — it has value and can be sold as a corporate asset.

To register your business name, you’ll need to file an application with the USPTO.

Expect to pay approximately $325 per class in application fees that your mark would fall under.
Once you submit your application, the process can take anywhere from 6-12 months, so it’s smart to perform a comprehensive trademark search before starting the application process.
If your selected name is not available, your application will be rejected. You’ll lose your application fee, not to mention any time invested in the application.
While the process of registering a trademark is more involved than registering a DBA, rights to your name will be enforced by both the federal and state governments.

Watch Hindi Movie Agneepath (2012) Online Free: Videos, Songs, Wall-Papers, Photo Gallery, Actors & Actresses

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:58:00 PST

Hindi Film Agneepath (2012): Movies' Actors & Actresses

Hrithik Roshan as Vijay Deenanath Chauhan
Priyanka Chopra as Kaali Gawde
Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena
Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala
Zarina Wahab as Suhasini Chauhan
Om Puri as Inspector
Deven Bhojani
Katrina Kaif Special appearance in Item number "Chikni Chameli"

Hindi Film Agneepath: Watch Online Movie Trailer

Hindi Movie Agneepath Songs

"Chikni Chameli" - Shreya Ghoshal
"O Saiyyan" - Roop Kumar Rathod
"Gun Gun Guna" - Udit Narayan, Sunidhi Chauhan
"Shah Ka Rutba" - Sukhwinder Singh, Anand Raj Anand, Krishna Beura
"Abhi Mujh Main Kahin" - Sonu Nigam
"Deva Shree Ganesha" - Ajay Gogavale

Hottest & Sexiest video song of Hindi Film Agneepath: Katrina Kaif in Song "Chikni Chameli"

Hindi Film Agneepath (2012) Interesting Facts

The first look of Hrithik Roshan's character in the movie Agneepath was revealed on July 5, 2011 when Agneepath's Producer Karan Johar posted a link on Twitter to Agneepath's Facebook page, which contained an image of Hrithik as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan.
Dharma Productions team planted the first theatrical trailer of the Hindi Movie Agneepath with the prints of Salman Khan's Bodyguard, which released on August 29, 2011 and the second theatrical trailer was circulated with the prints of Shahrukh Khan's Don 2 which released on December 23, 2011.
Filming for Movie Agneepath started in January 2011.
Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt both undertook a strict exercise regime to gain muscle for the movie.
The initial release date of the film was November 11, 2011. It was pushed to January 26, 2012. On October 18 it was reported that Hrithik Roshan had injured himself during shooting; the shooting will now be delayed by 15 days.
Katrina Kaif is doing an item song choreographed by Ganesh Acharya in Agneepath called "Chikni Chameli" which will also feature Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt. The first Promo of "Chikni Chameli" was released on 13 December.
All the songs are composed by the duo Ajay-Atul while lyrics are penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. "Chikni Chameli" was released separately as a single on Saavn.com. The song "Chikni Chameli" is a remake of the Marathi song "Kombdi Palali" composed by Ajay-Atul for the Marathi movie Jatra. Chikni Chameli item song of Katrina has got very much popular

What is SOPA & PIPA: Simple Facts, Arguments, Opposition, Support

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:24:00 PST

READ THE SIMPLE FACTS ON SOPA & PIPA BELOW.
CONTRIBUTE TO A FREE & FLOURISHING WEB BY SHARING THIS INFORMATION & RAISING VOICE AGAINST SOPA

So what exactly is SOPA & PIPA?

SOPA is an anti-piracy bill working its way through Congress.
House Judiciary Committee Chair and Texas Republican Lamar Smith, along with 12 co-sponsors, introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act on October 26th of last year.
Debate on H.R. 3261, as it's formally known, has consisted of one hearing on November 16th and a "mark-up period" on December 15th, which was designed to make the bill more agreeable to both parties.
Its counterpart in the Senate is the Protect IP Act (S. 968)(PIPA).
There will likely be a vote on PIPA next Wednesday
SOPA discussions had been placed on hold but will resume in February of this year.

Why SOPA & PIPA Now ?

Media companies, which are always looking for new ways to fight piracy, have already suing individual users, getting Internet service providers to take action against subscribers, and are already working with the U.S. government to shut down domains based in the United States. However among all this, none of those actions can stop overseas websites such as The Pirate Bay and MegaUpload from infringing copyrights, or prevent Internet users from accessing those sites. Thats where Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) come into play.

The Big SOPA Implication

The biggest implication of SOPA is the ability of intellectual property owners (read: movie studios and record labels) to effectively pull the plug on foreign sites against whom they have a copyright claim. If Warner Bros., for example, says that a site in Italy is torrenting a copy of The Dark Knight, the studio could demand that Google remove that site from its search results, that PayPal no longer accept payments to or from that site, that ad services pull all ads and finances from it, and—most dangerously—that the site's ISP prevent people from even going there.

Below: A video explaination of SOPA

While SOPA belongs to the U.S. House of Representatives, PIPA belongs to the U.S. Senate.
Both SOPA & PIPA bills are aimed at foreign websites that infringe copyrighted material.
The bills are commonly associated with media piracy, but may also apply to counterfeit consumer goods and medication.
Originally, both bills provided two methods for fighting copyright infringement on foreign websites.
- Method 1: the U.S. Department of Justice could seek court orders requiring Internet service providers to block the domain names of infringing sites. For example, Comcast could prevent its customers from accessing thepiratebay.org, although the underlying IP address would still be reachable. This ISP-blocking provision was a major concern among Internet security experts, and both SOPA and PIPA have dropped it.
- Method 2: Rights holders to seek court orders requiring payment providers, advertisers, and search engines to stop doing business with an infringing site. In other words, rights holders would be able to request that funding be cut off from an infringing site, and that search links to that site be removed. The site in question would have five days to appeal any action taken.
Although the House and Senate bills are similar, SOPA is the more extreme of the two. It defines a "foreign infringing site" as any site that is "committing or facilitating" copyright infringement, whereas PIPA is limited to sites with "no significant use other than" copyright infringement. More details on SOPA and PIPA are available through the Library of Congress website.

Arguments against SOPA & PIPA

The most galling thing about SOPA in its original construction is that it let IP owners take these actions without a single court appearance or judicial sign-off. All it required was a single letter claiming a "good faith belief" that the target site has infringed on its content. Once Google or PayPal or whoever received the quarantine notice, they would have five days to either abide or to challenge the claim in court. Rights holders still have the power to request that kind of blockade, but in the most recent version of the bill the five day window has softened, and companies now would need the court's permission.

The language in SOPA implies that it's aimed squarely at foreign offenders; that's why it focuses on cutting off sources of funding and traffic (generally US-based) rather than directly attacking a targeted site (which is outside of US legal jurisdiction) directly. But that's just part of it.
Payment processors or content providers like Visa or YouTube don't even need a letter shut off a site's resources. The bill's "vigilante" provision gives broad immunity to any provider who proactively shutters sites it considers to be infringers. Which means the MPAA just needs to publicize one list of infringing sites to get those sites blacklisted from the internet.
Potential for abuse is rampant. As Public Knowledge points out, Google could easily take it upon itself to delist every viral video site on the internet with a "good faith belief" that they're hosting copyrighted material. Leaving YouTube as the only major video portal. Comcast (an ISP) owns NBC (a content provider). Think they might have an interest in shuttering some rival domains? Under SOPA, they can do it without even asking for permission.
SOPA also includes an "anti-circumvention" clause, which holds that telling people how to work around SOPA is nearly as bad as violating its main provisions. In other words: if your status update links to The Pirate Bay, Facebook would be legally obligated to remove it. Ditto tweets, YouTube videos, Tumblr or WordPress posts, or sites indexed by Google. And if Google, Twitter, Wordpress, Facebook, etc. let it stand? They face a government "enjoinment." They could and would be shut down. The resources it would take to self-police are monumental for established companies, and unattainable for start-ups. SOPA would censor every online social outlet you have, and prevent new ones from emerging.
The party line on SOPA is that it only affects seedy off-shore torrent sites. That's false. As the big legal brains at Bricoleur point out, the potential collateral damage is huge. And it's you. Because while Facebook and Twitter have the financial wherewithal to stave off anti-circumvention shut down notices, the smaller sites you use to store your photos, your videos, and your thoughts may not. If the government decides any part of that site infringes on copyright and proves it in court? Poof. Your digital life is gone, and you can't get it back.
What's saddest about SOPA is that it's pointless on two fronts. In the US, the MPAA, and RIAA already have the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to request that infringing material be taken down. We've all seen enough "video removed" messages to know that it works just fine.
As for the foreign operators, you might as well be throwing darts at a tse-tse fly. The poster child of overseas torrenting, Pirate Bay, has made it perfectly clear that they're not frightened in the least. And why should they be? Its proprietors have successfully evaded any technological attempt to shut them down so far. Its advertising partners aren't US-based, so they can't be choked out. But more important than Pirate Bay itself is the idea of Pirate Bay, and the hundreds or thousands of sites like it, as populous and resilient as mushrooms in a marsh. Forget the question of should SOPA succeed. It's incredibly unlikely that it could. At least at its stated goals.
Opponents of SOPA and PIPA believe that neither piece of legislation does enough to protect against false accusations. Provisions in the bill grant immunity to payment processors and ad networks that cut off sites based on a reasonable belief of infringement, so even if claims turn out to be false, only the site suffers.
Sites that host user-generated content will be under pressure to closely monitor users' behavior. That monitoring already happens on larger sites such as YouTube, but it could be a huge liability for startups
Media companies are trying to legislate their way out of what's really a business-model problem. The most successful 'attack' against piracy is awesome new platforms that give customers what they want, such as Spotify and Netflix

Arguments in favour of SOPA & PIPA

SOPA clearly defines infringing sites based on Supreme Court holdings and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and requires rights holders to follow a strict set of rules when trying to get payment cut off to an infringing site. False claims can result in damages, including costs and attorneys' fees. Previous actions against infringing sites, such as the MGM vs. Grokster case in 2005, triggered similar doomsday predictions from the tech industry, yet digital music innovation has flourished since then.

SOPA and PIPA Supporters / Opponents

Representative Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is the author of SOPA, which is backed by 31 cosponsors in the House.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) wrote PIPA, which has 40 cosponsors in the Senate.
ProPublica has a visualized list of supporters in both the House and Senate.
The White House has expressed concerns about the bills in their current state, writing in a statement that "any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet."
As for outside parties, the list of SOPA supporters consists mostly of media companies, including record labels, TV networks, movie studios, and book publishers.
Some companies with an interest in fighting sales of other counterfeit goods, such as beauty-product maker Revlon and pharmaceutical company Pfizer, also appear on the SOPA supporters
Opposition to SOPA and PIPA is strong in the tech sector. An open letter to Washington speaking out against the legislation was signed by founders of Craigslist, eBay, Google, Mozilla, Twitter, and Wikipedia, among others.
In the middle are companies at the intersection of media and technology. Many video game publishers have stayed silent on the matter while their trade group, the Entertainment Software Association, supports the bills. The Business Software Alliance originally supported the bill, butwithdrew its support after deciding that the legislation went too far. As for Apple and Microsoft, which are both BSA members, the former has not come out publicly for or against SOPA or PIPA, while the latter now says that it opposes SOPA "as currently drafted."

What next with SOPA & PIPA

The momentum behind the anti-SOPA movement has been slow to build, but we're finally at a saturation point.
Wikipedia, BoingBoing, WordPress, TwitPic: they'll all be dark on January 18th. An anti-SOPA rally has been planned for tomorrow afternoon in New York.
The list of companies supporting SOPA is long but shrinking, thanks in no small part to the emails and phone calls they've received in the last few months.
Both bills have taken a hit in the last week, as their authors have decided to remove the provisions that require Internet service providers to block the domain names of infringing sites.
SOPA, which has yet to pass out of the House Judiciary Committee, is reportedly stalled, as lawmakers continue to work on the bill. Representative Darrell Issa (R-California) has proposed an alternative bill that is far more narrow in its focus.
Voting on PIPA, however, is scheduled to begin in the Senate on January 24.

Republic Day 2012: Historical Facts, Parade Celeberations & Preparations, Messages

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:15:00 PST

India's 63rd Republic Day Celebrations:

The main ceremonial parade was held in the capital
Thailand's first woman Prime Minister Yinluck Shinawatra as the guest of honour.
The ceremony began around 10 am with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laying a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to pay tribute to an unknown soldier.
This was followed by a grand parade from on the Rajpath highlighting the might of Indian armed forces as neatly uniformed men and women marched past, shoulder-to-shoulder, saluting President Pratibha Patil on the dais.
Lt Gen Vijay Kumar Pillai, general officer commanding, Delhi Area and his deputy Major General Rajbir Singh commanded the parade.
The marching contingents of the Indian Army included horse-mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry, Parachute Regiment, Bengal Engineer Group and Centre, Brigade of the Guards, Kumaon Regiment, Assam Regiment, Mahar Regiment, Gorkha Rifles Regiment and the Corps of Military Police.
The Indian Navy's contingents was led by Lt Commander Manikandan K and the Air Force contingent by Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawat - the first woman ever to lead an IAF contingent at the Republic Day parade.
The contingents of paramilitary and other auxiliary forces included those from the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Assam Rifles, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Coast Guard, Sashastra Seema Bal, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme.
Tableaux from 23 states and central ministries presented the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country in the ongoing parade.
The first tableau was from West Bengal depicting Shantiniketan.
The Agni-IV, successfully flight tested last November, stole the limelight as people cheered when the missile which can carry nuclear weapons was rolled out on the majestic Rajpath.
The Intermediate Range Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missile mounted on a road mobile launcher was paraded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Put on display for the first time was the 150 km range Prahaar Tactical Battlefield Support Missile and the Rustom-1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Indigenously designed and developed RUSTOM-1, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), was another eye-catcher at the parade.The medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (Male UAV) has been developed by the DRDO with Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) in Bangalore. RUSTOM-I, named after late Prof Rustom B Damania will replace or supplement the Heron UAVs in service with the Indian armed forces. It has has the potential military missions like reconnaissance and surveillance, target acquisition, target designation, communications relay, battle damage assessment and signal intelligence.
Three of the six C-130J Super Hercules aircraft recently bought from the US was another first in the parade. The sixth aircraft was brought as late as November 2011.

Special attraction of the 63rd Republic Day Celebrations

Sneha Shekhawat from Sikar in Rajasthan on Thursday created history when she led the Air Force contingent at the 63rdRepublic Day parade becoming the first woman pilot to do so.
Flight Lieutenant Shekhawat was assisted by three other women Flying Officers Heena Pore, Anupam Chaudhary and Pooja Negi as the 144-strong Air Force contingent marched to the tunes of 'Air Battle'.
She was cheered by thousands of spectators as the commentator mentioned that she is the first woman to lead an Air Force contingent in the 63-year-old history of the parade.
Shekhawat is at posted with the IAF squadron at Hindon air base.
She was the face of elegance and confidence as she led the 144-member strong Air Force contingent marching to the tunes of its band playing 'Air Battle'.

Republic Day 2012 Facts & Parade Preparations

A total of 1200 school children from different parts of the country will be showcasing a variety of cultural items in this year’s Republic Day Parade. Among them 340 students are from Delhi.
Based on the ideals of meaningful education of Mahatma Gandhi, the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sec-2, RK Puram, New Delhi, will be presenting an item on mass literacy. Through their song and formation they will invoke a world where every person is educated in letter and spirit, where everyone would touch the height of prosperity and enlightenment.
Students of Government Sarvodaya Vidyala, Hastsal will present ‘Kodiyancha Karavan’, a folk dance of Maharashtra fishermen.
South Zone Cultural Centre’s presentation will be ‘Karagam’, a folk dance of Tamil Nadu which originated as a ritual dedicated to Mariamman, the goddess of health and rain, East Zonal cultural Centre’s item, ‘Thakurani’ will be a combination of ‘Animal Dance’, ‘Ranapa Dance’ and ‘Jodi’. It is connected with the religious procession of Thakurani Jatra in Ganjam district of Odisha. North Central Zone Cultural Centre will present ‘Gudum Baja’, a traditional tribal dance in Mandla and Shahdol Districts of Madhya Pradesh. It is performed on all auspicious occasions and festivals.
Republic Day Security: In a bid to thwart any possible terror strike, Delhi Police will enhance CCTV surveillance between Rajpath and Red Fort and monitor every movement from the police headquarters. The entire CCTV coverage will also be linked to the C4i at Delhi Police Headquarters and monitored there by a dedicated team of officers. Keeping a bird's eye on the public to ensure no suspicious movement goes unnoticed, 162 CCTVs will be installed across the eight-km route.

Republic Day Facts

Republic Day is one of the three national holidays of India and the greatest festival celebrated in the country.
It is celebrated every year on January 26, in New Delhi with great pomp, fanfare and pageant.
In the capitals of the States and other headquarters, it is marked with patriotic fervor.
The Republic Day celebrations of India have become world famous as one of the greatest shows on earth drawing thousands of eager sight-seers from all over the country and many parts of the world as well.
There are many national and local cultural programs focusing on the history and culture of India. Children have a special place in these programs. Many children receive gifts of sweets or small toys.
A prime minister's rally also takes place around this time of the year, as well as the Lok Tarang – National Folk Dance Festival, which occurs annually from January 24-29.

Republic Day Parade Facts

The most spectacular celebrations are marked by the Republic Day Parade that takes place in the capital of New Delhi at Rajpath.
It includes march past of the three armed forces, massive parades, folk dances by tribal folk from different states in picturesque costumes marking the cultural unity of India.
The streak of jet planes of Indian Air Force, leaving a trial of colored smoke, marks the end of the festival.
Large military parades are held in New Delhi and the state capitals.
Representatives of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and traditional dance troupes take part in the parades.
A grand parade is held in New Delhi and the event starts with India's prime minister laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, to remember soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country.
India's president takes the military salute during the parade in New Delhi while state governors take the military salutes in state capitals. A foreign head of state is the president's chief guest on Republic Day.
Awards and medals of bravery are given to the people from the armed forces and also to civilians.
Helicopters from the armed forces then fly past the parade area showering rose petals on the audience.
School children also participate in the parade by dancing and singing patriotic songs.
Armed Forces personnel also showcase motorcycle rides.
The parade concludes with a "fly past" by the Indian Air Force, which involves fighter planes of flying past the dais, symbolically saluting the president. These leave trails of smoke in the colors of the Indian flag.

Republic Day Historical Facts

India became independent of the United Kingdom on August 15, 1947. India did not have a permanent constitution at this time.
The drafting committee presented the constitution's first draft to the national assembly on November 4, 1947.
The national assembly signed the final English and Hindi language versions of the constitution on January 24, 1950.
India's constitution came into effect on Republic Day, January 26, 1950. This date was chosen as it was the anniversary of Purna Swaraj Day, which was held onJanuary 26, 1930.
The constitution gave India's citizens the power to govern themselves by choosing their own government. Dr Rajendra Prasad took oath as India's first president at the Durbar Hall in the Government House, followed by a residential drive along a route to the Irwin Stadium, where he unfurled India's national flag.
Ever since the historic day, January 26 is celebrated with festivities and patriotic fervor across India.

Republic Day Messages

If not other than our common
ground to meet,
let me remember the anonymous,
for once at least,
beyond the patriotic floats display
on a Republic Day

One Nation, One Vision, One Identity
“No Nation is Perfect, it needs to be made perfect.”
Meri Pehchaan Mera India
Happy Republic Day.

=--..__..-=-._.
!=--..__..-=-._;
!=- -..@..-=-._;
!=--..__..-=-._;
!
i
i
!
!
Jay Hind
"HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY

Every1 sends wishes much b4 Valentine/Frndship/NewYr but no 1 b4 REPUBLIC.If u r TRUE INDIAN,send atleast 1day b4.Proud to be an INDIAN.

Freedom in Mind,
Faith in Words,
Pride in our Heart,
Memories in our Souls.
Lets Salute the Nation on REPUBLIC DAY.

Some Like Sunday,
Some like Monday,
But i like One Day
And that is Republic Day
Jai Hind!!!

Aao jhuk kar salam kare unko, jinke hisse me ye mukam aata hai, khusnasib hota hai wo khoon jo desh ke kaam aata hai, “HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY”

Azad BHAARAT ke Nalayako,
Aaj agar Valentine day hota to message box overflow hota.
Chalo utho
Or sab ko 26 Jan ki Shubhkamnaye do.
HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY.

Q marte ho yaro snam ke liye,
N degi duppta kfan k liye,
Mrna h to maro "VATAN" k liye, "TIRANGA" TO mile ga kfan ke liye .
Jai Hind
Happy Republic day

Golden Globe Awards 2012: List of Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:32:00 PST

The Golden Globe winners thus far have been a mix of the expected (Christopher Plummer, who snagged a statuette for best supporting actor in a motion picture) to the semi-surprising (Laura Dern, named best actress in a TV comedy for “Enlightened.”)

Ricky Gervais hosts the Golden Globe Awards again live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on Sunday. And the winners are…

Best Actor, Drama: George Clooney, "The Descendants"

Best Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation.”

Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin.”

Best Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”

Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist.”

Best Original Song: “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

TELEVISION

Best Series, Drama: “Homeland,” Showtime.

Best Series, Musical or Comedy: “Modern Family,” ABC.

Best Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss.”

Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland.”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened.”

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”

Best Miniseries or Movie: “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS.

Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”

Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, “Luther.”

Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story.”

Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones.”

Golden Globe Awards 2012 Winners Photos

Golden Globe Awards 2012 Winners & Losers: A video

Breast Implants / Augmentation Facts, Statistics & Health Controversies

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:26:00 PST

Breast Augmentation Beginning: Facts about the First Women with Breast Implants

In 1962, a 30-year-old mother of six in Texas, Timmie Jean Lindsay was persuaded to join a human trial for breast augmentation with silicone prostheses.
She had no idea of its implications, least of all that she would be known for ever as the woman with the first breast implants.

Latest Breast Impants Facts Growth Trends & Statistics

Now celebrating its 50th year, the device that is implanted under the breast tissue or chest muscle, generally to increase bust size, has become unimaginably successful
In 2010, there were 1.5 million such breast implant surgeries worldwide
According to a survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)
- There were 51,000 breast augmentation surgeries in India in 2010, the seventh highest in the world.
- The cost of implanting a pair of silicone gel cups in India could go up to Rs 1.3 lakh, depending on the hospital and surgeon involved and the quality of the product.
- While the average surgeon’s fee for breast implants is $3,629 in the US, in India it’s a competitive $2,405.
A majority of Indian women who choose breast implants want to enhance shape and volume. A smaller number of breast implant patients want to restore a breast that has been disfigured or lost to cancer.
Breast Implants are becoming extremely popular due to exposure to literature and media, rising aspirations and money
A growing middle class that is exposed to celeb lifestyles, wooed by the cosmetic industry and influenced heavily by the marriage market, thinks nothing of shelling out a lakh or two for a perkier body shape.
Silicone is preferred over saline breast implants because it has a more natural feel.
Three factors decide the final cup size for breast implants
- Patient’s aspirations
- The structure of her body
- The aesthetic sense of the surgeon.
It’s preferred that the breast implant patients are at least 18 years old and have completed their physical growth.
Breast Implant Patients are advised about the risks involved, which could include rupture, infection, scarring, asymmetry and bleeding. But these occur in less than 5% of cases.
Doctors also assert that there’s no cancer risk.

Breast Implant Health Implications & Controversies about Health impact

Allegations being made, off and on, about Breast Implants link to health problems.
The issue is back in the headlines now ever since reports emerged that one of the largest manufacturers of breast implants, French company PIP, had been using illegally obtained low-cost gel which was never tested on humans to make it.
As fears spread that those women with PIP breast implants are at risk of rupturing in the body and leaking a questionable type of gel, experts say that Indian women who have gone under the knife probably need not worry because there are no dealers of PIP breast implants in the country.
Breast implants are not manufactured in India. All are imported from the US, Europe or the Far East. Reputed hospitals use American ones because FDA has higher norms of checking than even those of European countries.

A video of Breast Implants Surgery

Lohri Facts: Lohri Celebrations, Greetings & Messages for Lohri

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:20:00 PST

Lohri is one of the most popular festival celeberated on January 13th, a day before Makar Sankranti, with great pomp and show in most parts of North India. Below are certain facts about the festival of Lohri:

Above Video: Lohri Celebration Video Song

The festival Lohri signifies the harvesting of the Rabi crops.
The people of Northern India, especially Punjab and Haryana celebrate Lohri, to mark the end of winter.
Harvested fields and front yards are lit up with flames of bonfires, around which people gather to meet friends and relatives and sing folk songs.
Children go from house to house singing and collecting money and sweets, which they throw into the bonfires.
For Punjabis, this is more than just a festival; it is also an example of their love for celebrations. Lohri celebrates fertility and the joy of life.
People gather around bonfires, throw sweets, puffed rice and popcorn into the flames, sing popular and folksongs and exchange greetings.
The festival generally falls in the month of January. This is the time when the coldest month of the Indian calendar, Paush, ends and the month of Magh begins. This day is also known as Makar Sankranti.
Lohri marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. This is the period when the Rabi (winter) crops are being harvested.
The day begins with children singing folk songs and going door to door demanding Lohri in the form of money or sweets.
As the sun sets, a bonfire is lit and people dressed in their best attire sing traditional songs and dance around the bonfire.
Prayers are also said as they seek blessings of Agni (Fire God) for abundance and prosperity of the land.
Post this family and friends get together and eat a sumptuous dinner of sarson ka saag (cooked mustard green leaves) and makki ki roti (bread made from corn flour).
The first Lohri is a big occasion for newly wed brides and is celebrated in a grand way.
Children sing in praise of Dulha Bhatti, an avatar of Robin Hood who robbed the rich and helped the poor.
The Prasad consists oftil(sesame), gajak(sweet), gur(jaggery), moongphali (peanuts), and phuliya(popcorn).

Lohri Greetings Cards & Messages

Lohri SMS Messages & Greetings

Wishing u a very happy Lohri.
May the lohri fire burns all the moments of 
sadness and brings you warmth of joy n happiness and love...

**

Mungfli di khushbu te Gurh di Mithaas,
Makki di Roti te Sarso da Saag,
Dil di khushi te aapneya da Pyar
Mubarak Hove Tuhanu LOHRI Da Teyohaar

**

Meethe gud main mil gaya til,
udi patang aur khil gaya dil,
Har pal sukh aur har din shanti
aap k liye Happy Lohri|

Lohri Celebrations Facts

The day begins with children collecting Lohri, which is in the form of money or sweets. In the evening, winter savories are served around a bonfire. Celebrated enthusiastically, this festival marks the end of the chilling winter of the northern part of India.
Children go from door to door singing songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a Punjabi version of Robin Hood who robbed the rich to help the poor. These 'visitors' are given money and gazak, bhuga, til, moongphali, gur and rewri. Goodies collected from each house is later eaten and thrown into the bonfire as well.
The festival assumes greater significance if there has been a happy event in the family during the year gone by, like the birth of a male child or a marriage. The family then plays host to relatives and friends wherein the eats take a back seat and merry-making takes over. The celebration with the traditional bhangra dance along with the dhol, gidda and light-hearted flirtation mark this festival.
An extremely auspicious day, Lohri marks the sun's entry in to the 'Makar Rashi' (northern hemisphere). Geographically speaking, the earth leans towards the sun along the Tropic of Capricorn (Makar rekha) from the day following Lohri, also known as the Winter Solstice. The earth, farthest from the sun at this point of time, starts its journey towards the sun along its elliptical orbit, thus heralding the onset of spring.
The period, from January 14 to July 14, is known as the Uttarayan. It is also the last day of the month of Maargazhi, the ninth month of the lunar calendar. The Bhagawad Gita deems it an extremely sacred and auspicious time, when Lord Krishna manifests himself most tangibly.
The focus of Lohri is on the bonfire. The traditional dinner with makki-ki-roti and sarson-ka-saag is essential. The prasad comprises of five main things: til, gazak, gur, moongphali and phuliya or popcorn. The puja involves a parikrama around the fire and distribution of prasad. This symbolizes a prayer to Agni, the fire god, for blessing the land with abundant crops and prosperity. This is one day, when the womenfolk and children get a lot of attention. The first Lohri of a new bride or a newborn baby is considered extremely important.
There is a popular belief in Punjab that blessings are bestowed on the family of the person who asks for a radish roasted in the bonfire of a family that has reason to celebrate.
Being a harvest festival celebrated to relax and enjoy the post harvest time, the festivities of this time are legendary. The tradition of bonfires, community get-togethers and the demanding of Lohri by the children are some of the practices that have been followed since ages and are an integral part of the festival.
Across India, people celebrate the month and the bountiful harvest it brings -Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bhugali Bihu in Assam, Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh and Sankranti in Karnataka, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It is this occasion, which is celebrated as Lohri in northern India, Makar Sankranti in the central part of the country and as Pongal-Sankranti in South India. The festival is spread over three days in South India and signifies the beginning of harvesting. A Rath Yatra is taken out from the Kandaswamy temple in Chennai on Pongal. The day is celebrated as Ganga-Sagar mela in West Bengal and according to popular belief; Hindus can purify their sins by taking bath in the Ganges on this day. A big fair is also held on the Sagara Island, 64 km from the Diamond Harbor where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal. Call it Lohri, Pongal or Sankranti, the festival conveys the same message -- the bond of brotherhood and the spirit of one-ness should prevail above everything else.
Lohri is celebrated in the northern part of India, especially in Punjab and Haryana with great festivities and delight. In the northeastern region of India, especially in Assam, this festival is celebrated as Bhugali Bihu. This is also the harvest festival when the farmers relax after the completion of their harvesting work. Here the bonfire and the community dinner are some of the aspects that resemble the festivities of Lohri.

Lohri Celebration Pictures & Images

IVF Surrogacy Facts: IVF Surrogacy India Process, Cost, Cases, Medical & Legal Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:54:00 PST

IVF (in vitro fertilisation) is a process in which egg cells from a woman are fertilised with sperms outside her body and later injected into the ovaries.

IV Surrogacy Process Facts

According to Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour, director, Isis Hospital

There has been a 60-70% increase in foreign nationals opting for surrogacy in the recent years.
At present, 120 surrogate mothers associated with their clinic are pregnant and 180 deliveries are expected till August.
There is a huge demand not only because of cheap facilities but the fact that Indian women are not usually into drugs and alcohol.
Children born to surrogate mothers are relatively healthy
Maximum patients - single men/ women, gay couple and those suffering from medical conditions that cause infertility - come from Australia, Spain, the US, and European nations.
The IVF centre hires surrogate mothers through an agency and the patients are brought in by companies dealing with medical tourism.
On an average, they get 10-15 requests for surrogacy in India from Spain. The demand from other countries is also very high
Many Indians too, who are either divorced or want to remain single, are also opting for assisted reproductive technique (ART) in which a woman carries the baby of another woman in her womb.

More about IVF Surrogacy: A Video

Cost of IVF Surrogacy

According to Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour, director, Isis Hospital, where the IVF procedure was conducted successfully the cost of surrogacy in India is Rs 12-14 lakh compared to 2 million dollars (approximately) in the US.

Medical & Legal Facts on IVF Surrogacy

Indian Council of Medical Research issued guidelines in 2005 which allow surrogacy only in cases where no other possibility of reproduction exists.
Legal experts say that surrogate parents are given the status of guardians applying the adoption provision under Indian Guardianship and Wards Act 1890.

IV Surrogacy Successful Cases In India Facts

For Ronald Gregory, 51, and Vicky Nadya, 41, a hearing- and speech-impaired couple from Queensland, their desire for a child made a couple fly all the way from Australia - to be rewarded with, not one, but two baby girls through surrogacy in India.
It took them a nine-month wait and then a 13-hour flight to see their dream come alive.
The dream of having a baby seemed far when doctors told them surrogacy was the only way to have a child.
Her doctors in Australia advised her to opt for surrogacy. Since surrogacy is not legal there, she could either go to the US or India for it. Finally, the couple chose India.
ISIS hopsital conducts IVF as well as surrogacy programmes under the parent organisation Surrogacy Centre India (SCI).
So far about 250 babies have been born under SCI Healthcare's Surrogacy Programme and handed over to their families.
For this case, the doctor chose the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) with surrogacy, a technique where a sperm cell is injected directly into the ovum.
About nine months ago, Ronald and Vicky visited India to donate the sperm and begin the process. The surrogate mother of their children is from Delhi.
Even with their physical impairment, the couple says they did not face any problem in India.
In Vicky's case, none of the attempts was successful due to her age and weak eggs.

Another case of IVF Surrogacy success in India

Juan Carlos, a Spanish businessman has been blessed with two bundles of joy - son Antonio and daughter Rosio.
The twins are India's New Year gift to the 41-year-old.
Born to a surrogate mother, both the babies are healthy, weighing 2.7kg and 2.5kg respectively.
Carlos did not want to marry, but always wanted to be a father.He opted for surrogacy.
For Carlos the successful childbirth comes after three failed attempts.

Celebrities Who have gone through IVF Surrogacy

Aamir Khan, who is already a father of two kids, a boy Junaid and a girl Ira from his first marriage to Reena Dutta, recently got blessed with a baby boy - Azad. As per the reports, the baby was born through IVF to a surrogate mother on December 1 at a private
Singer Ricky Martin, who recently admitted to being a gay, is a single parent to twin sons.
Nicole Kidman had a baby girl - Faith Margaret Kidman Urban - last year via a surrogate mother.
Elton John and partner David Furnish's son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish John, was born to a surrogate mother on a Christmas day in 2010.
Late Pop king Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe gave birth to the singer's two elder children, Prince Michael and Paris, during their three-year marriage. Jackson's youngest child, Prince Michael II, was born to an unnamed surrogate.
Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have surrogate twins - Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, after facing problems in conceiving a sibling for their 6 year old son James Wilkie Broderick.
Farah gave birth to triplets - one son, Czar, and two daughters, Diva and Anya in 2008 through IVF.
'Friends' star Courtney Cox gave birth to baby girl Coco in 2004 through IVF.
Singer Celine Dion got all her 3 kids - son Rene-Carles and twins Eddyand Nelson through IVF.

Pongal Festival Facts, Pongal Greetings & Messages, Pongal Celebrations & Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:44:00 PST

Pongal Festival Facts

Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar
Pongal is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year.
Festival of Pongal has its own astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement northward for a six month period.
In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period.
Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.
In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal.
To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over.
Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods.
Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins.
Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine.
Farmers also perform puja to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season.
It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in a calendar year. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that week. 'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal' on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on Jan 16.
Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.

Festival of Pongal [Video]

Pongal Festival Celebrations Facts

The festival is celebrated for four days.
- On, the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away and fired, marking the beginning of a new life.
- The second day, the Pongal day, is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel - a tradition that is the literal translation for Pongal. People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's homes, and exchange greetings.
- The third day, Mattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to plough the lands.
- On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic.

A festival called Jalli kathu is held in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur,all in Tamil Nadu, on this day.
Bundles of money are tied to the horns of Pongal ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve.
Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain.
This day is named and celebrated asTamilian Tirunal in a fitting manner through out Tamil Nadu.
Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit.
The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year, and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited.
Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. In south India, all three days of Pongal are considered important.
However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually celebrate only the second day.

Pongal Festival Wishes / Greetings / Messages

Pongal wishes are exchanged between family and friends, and there are celebrations within the family.
As one stand on the threshold of the harvest season, everyone exchange Pongal wishes, hoping that it brings the harbinger of good luck, good fortune and good cheer.
People wish each other good times and happiness, peace and prosperity and a whole lot more in life.
People wish each other with words like "Pongalo Pongal" and "Pongum Mangalam Engum Thanguga" in Tamil.
Tamils wish each other to start the New year with mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual trust and sincere cooperation.
There is no age, sex and language bar for this festival.
Though the traditional way of wishing people on the festival of Pongal is to visit personally. But due to increase in distance and lack of time due to busy lifestyle, people have taken the help of the Internet.
One can easily send an e-greeting card, free of cost. Further, these card can be personalized as one can splash a few colors or paint a theme, and give an appropriate and attractive Pongal greeting with it.
Throughout the four days of Pongal there is exchange of sweets and presents between family, friends, neighbors, employers and employees, as a symbol of unity and tradition that is passed down to new generations.
As part of age-old belief and in the hope that the month of `Thai' will usher in good fortunes,
Tamils go agog with joy. With accompanying music to add to the mood, they knock at every door and receive gifts and sumptuous meal.
The farm laborers too get rewards and gifts from their masters, called `Pongal Padi' or `Pongal Parisu' (the Pongal gift).
In the villages, shopkeepers give gifts or a bonus to their employees to show their gratitude for the hard work they have done through out the year.
In urban areas, all regular service goers are paid this `Pongal Padi'.

Pongal Greeting Cards & Messages

Happy Pongal Messages

You can choose to be happy or sad and whichever you choose that is what you get.I WISH U A VERY HAPPY PONGAL!!!

***

Happy Pongal

Happy Bogi Festival
Happy Surya Pongal
Happy Mattu Pongal
Happy Thiruvalluvar Day / Kaanum Pongal

***

Pongal thirunaalum,

Thalaipongal thirunalum,
Pongivarum pongal pola
Engum pongattum magizhchi

***

Anaivarukkum INIYA PONGAL NAL VAZHTHUKKAL

Pongal Thirunal Ulaga Thamilargalin ore Vizha
Uzhavargalin Unnatha Thirunall
Kadavulukku Nandri Therivittu Pongalai Kondadungal!

***

Happy Pongal to all!
We thank sun for burning himself to save us.
We thank plants sacrificing their life for us.
And we thank all the creatures helping us to live in this world for some time.

***

May the Festival of Pongal usher in Goodwill,

Health and Wealth
Happy Pongal

***

May all your Wishes be fulfilled

on this Special Day
Wish you a Happy Pongal

***

Hope you rejoice in the charm of your tradition! Wish you & your family a very Happy Bogi Pongal, Pongal, Mattu Pongal!

***

May this 2011 1st festival bring happiness in your life.
Wish you & your family a very Happy Pongal.

***

Pot Rice to Sun
God Sugarcane to cow and ox
Sweet rise to you and me
Good milk to friends and family

Happy Pongal

***

l'l________
--/ l__l Delivery
| | ________
L(o)__l___(o)__|

This van is loaded with
LOVE n CARE,
Wishing U and your family
A HAPPY PONGAL..!!

Deadliest TB Form: Totally Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (TDR-TB) Facts, Causes, Medicines Remedies

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:24:00 PST

Tuberculosis kills around 1,000 people a day in India. But now it has acquired an even more deadlier form called Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB )

Spread of Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB )

TDR-TB was reported three years ago in Teheran, the Iranian capital, when 15 patients were found to have bacilli resistant to all first- and second-line drugs.
India seems to be only the second country to report Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB) .
Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB )-has been isolated in the fluid samples of 12 TB patients in the past three months alone at Hinduja Hospital at Mahim .
10 of the 12 TDR-TB cases are from the Mumbai, other two are patients from Ratnagiri and UP.
One of the 12 patients has since died.

What is Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB): Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB) Characteristics

Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB) is the result of the latest mutation of the bacilli after Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB ) and Extremely Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB ) were diagnozed earlier.
Among tuberculosis patients, drug resistance develops mainly because patients fail to complete the 6- to 9-month first treatment phase. They feel better within a couple of months of taking the drugs and so they stop taking them. However, the TB germs in the body are not completely vanquished and they again multiply," said a senior BMC public health official.
Left untreated, each person with active TB can infect 10 to 15 people a year since TB is a contagious disease.
Like the common cold, TB spreads through the air
Patients resistant to all first-line and second-line drugs are classified as having Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB )
None of the known TB combination drugs work on the patient of Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB).
The average age of the 12 patients - six men and six women - is just 32.3 years.
Minimum period of suffering has been two years although one patient is ill for over five years.
Each of the 12 patients was resistant to all first-line drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin , ethambutol, pyrazinamide and streptomycin) and second-line drugs (ofloxacin, moxifloxacin, kanamycin, amikacin, capreomycin, paraaminosalicylic acid and ethionamide ) that were tested.

Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB ) Facts

A particularly dangerous form of drug-resistant TB is Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB ).
Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB ) is caused by bacilli resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most powerful anti-TB drugs
India reportedly has the highest burden of MDRTB , with some estimates pegging it at 3 lakh.
Barely 1% are covered by the govt's free drug plan
Drug-resistant TB requires chemotherapy with second-line anti-TB drugs that are costlier than first-line drugs, and which produce reactions that are more severe, though manageable
MDR-TB treatment continues for 24 to 27 months and could cost up to Rs 2 lakh

Extremely Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB ) & Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB ) Facts

The emergence of Extremely Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB ), particularly in settings where many TB patients are also infected with HIV, poses a serious threat to TB control.
The patient is resistant to one more drug Patients resistant to all 1st-line and 2nd-line drugs are classified as having Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB )

TB Spread & Causes

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease.
Like the common cold, it spreads through the air. It can affect any part of the body, but only people with TB in their lungs are infectious
When infectious people cough, sneeze, talk or spit, they spread TB germs, known as bacilli, into the air.
A person needs only to inhale a small number of these to be infected
People infected with TB bacilli will not necessarily become sick. The immune system 'walls off' TB bacilli, which, protected by a thick waxy coat, can lie dormant for years. When the immune system is weakened, the chances of becoming sick are greater
Left untreated, a person with active TB can infect 10 to 15 people a year
Overall, a third of the world is infected with the TB bacillus, but not all are sick 5 to 10% of people infected with the TB bacilli (but who are not infected with HIV) become sick or infectious at some time in their life.
People with HIV and TB infections are more likely to develop TB

Forms & Evolution of tuberculosis (TB)

Multi-Drug-Resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB ) emerged in 1992
Extremely Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB ) arrived a few years ago
The new, deadlier form is Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB ).

Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB) Causes

Drug-resistant TB can be caused by:

inconsistent or partial treatment
when patients do not take all medicines regularly for the required period because they start to feel better
because doctors and health workers prescribe the wrong treatment regimens
because the drug supply is unreliable

World & India TB deaths & statistics

An estimated 1.7 million people died from TB worldwide in 2009
India sees around 3- 4 lakh deaths for all forms of TB each year, while the world saw 1.7 million deaths in 2009.
TB is one of the biggest killers in India, along with heart attack.
Tuberculosis is one of the most fatal diseases in Mumbai, accounting for nearly 15% (8,953) of the deaths in 2010
It is believed that more than half the city's TB patients seek treatment in the private sector

Bigg Boss 5 Grand Finale: Winner, Big Boss 5 Results & Prizes

noreply@blogger.com (Vaibhav Agarwal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:36:00 PST

JUHI PARMAR IT IS !

Juhi Parmar Wins Big Boss 5

The "Kumkum" fame TV actress Juhi Parmar has won the fifth season of the controversial reality show " Bigg Boss" and the prize money of Rs.1 crore.

Juhi Parmar was among the first 13 contestants to enter the house Oct 2, 2011
Juhi pipped actress Mahek Chahal and Siddharth Bhardwaj to win the Big Boss 5 Grand Finale,
Juhi Parmar is the second female contestant to win the show after Shweta Tiwari won the last season.
Juhi, 31, had earlier participated in other reality shows - "Pati Patni Aur Woh" and "Maa Exchange"
Others in the top five included Amar Upadhyay and Sky.
Juhi had her share of arguments with contestants like Shraddha Sharma, Amar, Siddharth and Mahek, but at the same time she enjoyed a good friendship with Raageshwari Loomba, Pooja Bedi, Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone as well as Sky.
She stood out for her patience and lending everybody a patient ear in the "Bigg Boss 5"
Bigg Boss 5 Grand Finale was co-hosted by Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan.
The finale was graced by actor Imran Khan and filmmaker Karan Johar, who came to promote their forthcoming film "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu".
Juhi met her husband, TV actor Sachin Shroff, her parents and her mother-in-law upon her exit from the house, where she spent 98 days without being connected with anything or anyone outside the house.
The finale saw several performances, including those by Sunny, Malaika Arora, Pooja Missra, Rakhi Sawant, transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and Shonali. Even Shakti Kapoor danced with all the girls who entered "Bigg Boss 5" - bringing the show to a full circle.
Malaika added spice to the finale by dancing on numbers like "Chhaiya chhaiya", "Chhammak chhallo" and "Honth raseele" while Rakhi grooved to "Chikni chameli".
Salman and Sanjay too shook a leg together, making it a treat for the audience.
"Bigg Boss 5" began with an eclectic mix of celebrities - controversial models, actresses, a wrestler, as well as a proud transgender.
The season saw former Miss Afghanistan Vida Samadzai, who was banned in the country for wearing a bikini; Nihita Biswas, wife of "Bikini Killer" Charles Sobhraj, VJ Pooja Missra, actress Pooja Bedi, model-actress Shonali, popular host Mandeep Bevli, and Rajasthani folk dancer Gulabo Sapera. Woman wrestler Sonika Kaliraman was also seen on the show, but she left within a week of her entry as she was pregnant.
Laxmi also added drama to the season, while guest appearances were made by social activist Swami Agnivesh, Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds and sumo wrestler Yamamotoyama.

***

[Earlier]
Bigg Boss 5 Winner / Results are due to be declared today in the grand finale. Bog Boss 5 has brought to you TV actors, a porn star, a foreign cricketer. It has been like any other season of Big Boss promising tons of drama and controversy. Let us take a look at the Big Boss 5 Finale possible Winners :

Big Boss 5 Finale Possible Winner: Juhi Parmar: Known as Balaji Telefilms' Kumkum to most before entering reality TV, Juhi is one of the most balanced contestants on the show. Sporting, helpful, dominating when provoked, Juhi is one of the few, who are still liked both in and outside the house. A strong contender for the win.
Big Boss 5 Finale Possible Winner: Amar Updhyay: Another Balaji alum, Amar Upadhyay won many hearts on the small screen as 'Mihir Virani'. Things turned out quite different in the house where he tried to get cosy with not one, but two of the contestants and they ultimately had to remind him of his wife and kids. Amar's in it to win it and he made it clear early on. Let's see if his "gameplan" helps him take home the prize.
Big Boss 5 Finale Possible Winner: Siddharth Bhardwaj: Cute boy of the house Siddharth Bhardwaj entered late and jumped right into action. Even so, he developed a close bond with Shonali Nagrani while finding a clear enemy in Sky. Known to be somewhat bratty, he adds tons of entertainment to the show. So for all we know, he could come out a winner for reasons very different from Juhi's.
Big Boss 5 Finale Possible Winner: Sky (Akashdeep Saigal): If Siddharth adds entertainment, Sky brings in annoyance. From instigating others to fight to forming groups in the house, he's done it all. He even had a minor tiff with host Sanjay Dutt. While some like him for being straightforward, others find him pure annoying with his endless arguments and loud voice. His would be a truly surprise win.
Big Boss 5 Finale Possible Winner: Mehak Chahal: Actor and Norwegian model Mehak Chahal is the female Sky of the house. But she's known to be Salman Khan's favourite and this might have been the reason behind her re-entry to the house. While she brings in the much-needed glamour to the house, only destiny will bring her victory.

Big Boss 5 Grand Finale Winner Prize

The five contestants are moving forward for the big prize amount, which is Rs 10 million.

Big Boss 5 Grand Finale Winner Predictions going high

Predictions say Juhi Parmar has bright chances of winning ‘Bigg Boss 5′. Juhi is the only contestant who has survived in the house since day one. According to the past records, the contestant who has survived in the house since day one is the one who usually emerges the winner.
Astrologer Bhavikk Sangghvi is at it again in what he does best and claims that it will be 'Juhi Parmar' this time who will win the current season of Bigg Boss 5.
Actor-director Kamaal R. Khan, who featured in the third season of Bigg Boss is confident that Siddharth will win the show.

Big Boss 5 Grand Finale Programs and Performances

Malaika Arora Khan will be performing at the Bigg Boss 5 finale to a string of her popular numbers like Chaiyya Chaiyya and Kaal Dhamaal, toplined by her Dabangg (2010) chartbuster Munni Badnaam Hui.
The comedy actor Shakti Kapoor will dance on the song ‘Yamma yamma’ with this season`s former female participants like Mandeep Bevli and Raageshwari Loomba.
Imran Khan and Karan Johar will attend the finale to promote ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’.

Big Boss Winners From Previous Seasons
Big Boss Season 1 – Hosted by Arshad Warsi; the winner is Rahul Roy
Big Boss Season 2 – Hosted by Shilpa Shetty; the winner is Ashutosh Kaushik
Big Boss Season 3 – Hosted by Amitabh Bachchan; the winner is Vindu Dara Singh
Big Boss Season 4 – Hosted by Salman Khan; the winner is Shweta Tiwari
Big Boss Season 5 – Hosted by Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan; winner to be decided today

Big Boss 5 Participants Full List and Description [Video]

Videos of Big Boss 5 Major Worst Fights

Big Boss 5 Moments [Photos & Videos]