Saturday, November 29, 2008
Time to wake up to your Alarm Clock
MARCOS : Indian Reply to the Terror Strike at Mumbai
Mumbai Heroes
India again being stricked in Terror attack,Mumbai witnesses Shattering Mumbai Dreams
Terror at Mumbai : Chronological View
Enough is Enough : India Witnesses worst terror strike
It was early in the morning when i browsed in the news websites to read some morning news it awestuck me with the Breaking news which really turned out to be breaking in few hours to the horror of all Human mind [Mind it Human] across the world. Yes friends it was the beginning of the worst ordeal of trauma the Mumbaikars and the world would witness for the next 60 hours. The self proclaimed "Deccan Mujahideen"
In one of the most violent terror attacks on Indian soil, Mumbai came under an unprecedented night attack as terrorists used heavy machine guns, including AK-47s, and grenades to strike at the city's most high-profile targets -- the hyper-busy CST (formerly VT) rail terminus; the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway and the luxury Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point; the domestic airport at Santa Cruz; the Cama and GT hospitals near CST; the Metro Adlabs multiplex and Mazgaon Dockyard -- killing at least 101 and sending hundreds of injured to hospital, according to latest reports.
The attacks have taken a tragic toll on the city's top police brass: The high-profile chief of the anti-terror squad Hemant Karkare was killed; Mumbai's additional commissioner of police (east) Ashok Kamte was gunned down outside the Metro; and celebrated encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar was also killed. The nation pays tribute to ATS chief Hemant Karkare, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and NSG hawaldar Gajendra Singh who died fighting terrorists in Mumbai.
Please pay tribute to these Heroes our soil here :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tributes.cms
N.B : Excerpts from leading newspaper
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Android: Goggles giggles : keeps its word to give it FREE!!!!!!
I saw this in a blog.I am keeping the entire article intact.Enjo reading :-)
Just one day ahead of the launch of the world's first Android phone, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has opened up the mobile phone platform to anyone who wants it. You can now download the entire Android Open Source Project for free.
Wow. You want Android? Now you can go get it. Not the SDK, mind you, but the complete operating system. The news came in a blog post today. It is so well written, I am going to let Dave Bort do the talking:
Today is a big day for Android, the Open Handset Alliance, and the open-source community. All of the work that we've poured into the mobile platform is now officially available, for free, as the Android Open Source Project.You'll be hearing a lot about Android devices. We've all put a lot of effort into the first Android device, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. But one device is just the beginning.
Android is not a single piece of hardware; it's a complete, end-to-end software platform that can be adapted to work on any number of hardware configurations. Everything is there, from the bootloader all the way up to the applications. And with an Android device already on the market, it has proven that it has what it takes to truly compete in the mobile arena.
Even if you're not planning to ship a mobile device any time soon, Android has a lot to offer. Interested in working on a speech-recognition library? Looking to do some research on virtual machines? Need an out-of-the-box embedded Linux solution? All of these pieces are available, right now, as part of the Android Open Source Project, along with graphics libraries, media codecs, and some of the best development tools I've ever worked with.
Have a great idea for a new feature? Add it! As an open source project, the best part is that anyone can contribute to Android and influence its direction. And if the platform becomes as ubiquitous as I hope it will, you may end up influencing the future of mobile devices as a whole.
This is an exciting time for Android, and we're just getting started. It takes a lot of work to keep up with the changes in the mobile industry. But we want to do more than just keep up; we want to lead the way, to try things out, to add the new features that everyone else is scrambling to keep up with. But we can't do it without your help.
What will you do with Android?
This is really, really cool. Giving the platform away for free lets anyone (a.k.a., developers) sink their chops into it and tinker away to their heart's content. I can't wait to see what the open source community does to modify, enhance, and improve the new operating system.
NB:
Monday, September 29, 2008
Don't Quit --- The Poem
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Is this the END of high growth rates in India
A new attempt by ICRIER (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations) forecast GDP growth for 2008-09 by using a composite index of leading economics indicator(LEIs) for Indian economy,which is used to predict the future economic behavior is worth commendable. ICRIER was correct while projecting India's growth at 9.2% for 2007,while many others restricted themselves to 8.5%.
The Index is constructed by considering various indicators are considered :
1) Production of machinery and equipment. 2) Sales of heavy commercial vehicles 3) Non-food credit 4) Railway freight traffic 5) Cement sales 6) Sales of corporate sector 7) Fuel and metal prices 8) Real rate of interest.
By experimenting different lag levels between GDP growth it is found that a 5-quarter lagged index of LEIs forecasts GDP growth most accurately.Projections are carried out on a quaterly basis in this model. These quarterly projections work out to a GDP growth of 7.8% for 2008-09 compared to the actuak GDP growth of 9% for 2007-08.Though this is not sharp slowdown for the economy of a country but this diwntrend in the LEI is to continue. It is imperative that the Indian economy has been stretched to its limit and it is unlikely that it will sustain the 9% growth in the near future. Rising inflation, hike in interest rate,widening trade balance and falling industrial growth are the real indicator that the industry is pushing against its its potential growth limits.
So the next concern arises about the way forward. Well to say the least Acceleration of reforms in various areas is the only way to raise the economy's potential rate if growth in output. While government has been talking about a second round of reforms ever since its assumption of office in 2004,reforms efforts have received a serious setback in the past few years. Unless Govt. vigorously pushes forward with reforms in areas ranging from agriculture,infrastructure,education,business,climate,public services delivery to retail trade, we will not see the return of high rates of growth on a more sustained basis as in China.
N.B: Excerpts taken from a article in a leading Indian Daily.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Agricultural Productivity - a concern - so adress it.
Let us consider the productivity of wheat in India. It was 2.71 tonnes per hectare in 2002. It fell a few notches to 2.63 tonnes per hectare in 2007. India’s productivity in rice was 3.14 tonnes per hectare in 2002. This has moved up marginally to 3.18 tonnes per hectare in 2007. The productivity of wheat in America has inched down from 2.7 tonnes per hectare in 2002 to 2.6 tonnes per hectare in 2007. Even Brazil’s sugarcane productivity has merely climbed up from 70 to 71.10 tonnes per hectare in the same five year span.
If we scan the accompanying tables, we can see that there has been practically no tangible increase in the yield of wheat, rice, corn, soyabean or sugarcane in any part of the world over the last 10 years. Agricultural productivity has stagnated internationally, while the consumption of agricultural products has steadily increased with the increase in income levels and population growth.
Let us come closer home. India’s average rice yield today is 2.9 tonnes per hectare. By comparison, China’s average rice yield, at 6.3 tonnes per hectare, is more than double that of India. South Korea has achieved an even higher rice yield, i.e., 6.8 tonnes per hectare.
What is the reason for India’s consistently low agricultural productivity? In traditional agricultural practice, the productivity of foodgrains has averaged around one tonne per hectare, according to Prof Jeffrey D Sachs, professor of economics and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Traditional agriculture is patterned on a single annual crop and a single harvest, i.e., only one planting season in a year. The average yield of foodgrains has gone up to two tonnes per hectare, and in some cases, even up to three tonnes per hectare, after the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution triggered a quantum jump in productivity by creating high yielding varieties of seeds and by enabling the optimal use of fertilisers and pesticides.
But agricultural productivity has again stagnated after the Green Revolution. Agricultural yields are now languishing around the world. But even here, what causes concern is that India’s agricultural productivity is even lower than that of many other countries. India has 170 million hectares under foodgrain cultivation, producing 220 million tonnes of foodgrains in a year. China has only 60% of this arable land area. But it is able to harvest twice the quantity of foodgrains that India produces.
According to the government of India’s Economic Survey, the rate of growth in India’s food production is 1.2% a year, significantly less than the population growth rate of 1.9%. The creation of additional irrigation potential in Indian
agriculture was 3% a year in the 1990s. It has declined to 1.8% in 2007.
The total central plan spending on agricultural and allied activities, as a proportion of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), is projected to decline from 1.42% in 2007-08 to 1.30% in 2008-09. Clearly, there is need for a greater focus, on the part of both the central and state governments, on the growth of the agricultural sector. What is also needed is an institutional mechanism to bring into being effective public-private partnerships that can change the face of Indian agriculture.
But while India’s agricultural productivity has tended to stagnate, the country’s per capita foodgrain consumption has continued to spiral. India’s total foodgrain consumption is now growing at a rapid clip with the country’s fast burgeoning population.
There are an estimated 400 million poor people in India. These poor people are now beginning to consume staple foods which they were not able to afford earlier. Consequently the demand for staples is beginning to steeply rise in India, creating apprehensions of a possible food shortage.
Sixty years after Independence, India produces, on an average, only 14 kg of
rice and wheat per person per annum, just a little over one kilogram per person over a month. Over 60% of India’s net sown area still remains at the mercy of the monsoon. Most irrigation canals are choked with silt, garbage and sewage. About 60% of our farmers own only 0.4 hectares of land each. Another 20% of farmers hold an average of 1.4 hectares each. Therefore 80% of our farmers are small and marginal farmers.
Every second Indian farmer household is indebted. In 2003, out of the 89.33 million farmer households in India, 43.42 million households were indebted.
Nearly 87,000 farmers in India committed suicide between 2001 and 2005, a span of four years.
The per capita availability of foodgrains in India has declined from about 500 grams per day per person to less than 400 grams per day over the last two decades. Today the prospect of foodgrain imports is looming large.
To significantly enhance agricultural productivity, we must also become more open and receptive to the idea of experimenting with genetically modified (GM) crops like Bt cotton and Bt brinjal. Many countries have tackled food scarcity in the past with the introduction of conventionally bred, although gene-altered, highyielding crops. But this approach may not work in today’s situation. Scaling up the genetic production potential of a crop through traditional plant breeding techniques is a long drawn out process. The problems plaguing Indian agriculture call for quick solutions that only molecular breeding can bring about.
The fear that the bio-fuels programme is causing a food crisis in some parts of the world is unfounded. In countries like India and China, bio-fuels are not being manufactured from foodgrains. In India ethanol is made from an inedible sugarcane waste called molasses. Therefore abandoning the bio-fuels programme will not resolve the food crisis. We have to accept that there is a fundamental demand-supply gap in agricultural products in India, irrespective of the bio-fuels programme.
The enrichment of the soil and the enhancement of agricultural productivity require the balanced infusion of several nutrients. Excessive and exclusive dependence on nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilisers is very harmful to the soil. As a result, overall agricultural productivity is bound to decline.
Countries like Brazil have large swathes of land available for agriculture. However, in countries like India, China, Russia and America, the potential to get new cultivable land is very limited. The land area available for agriculture in India is shrinking fast because of urbanisation, industrialisation, the construction of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the development of the real estate business, and the successive fragmentation of land holdings with the emergence of new generations.
What we really need to focus on, therefore, is improving agricultural productivity. We need to boost agricultural productivity on the size and scale that we have achieved in industry and services. Such a substantial enhancement of agricultural productivity is possible only through the introduction of large scale irrigation, increased and judicious use of genetically modified crops, multiple cropping, the deployment of combined harvesters and significant and widespread improvements in agricultural practices.
If, on the other hand, we continue to experiment with quick-fix and patchwork solutions, the food problem that we are experiencing today may abate for a while. But it is bound to explode with redoubled fury on our faces five to seven years down the line.
N.B: directly taken from a daily newspaper article.
Monday, April 28, 2008
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Soaringly Lyrical and morally acute Story
The title of the novel is equally interesting as to the tale described ahead. The author has mentioned the Title significance at the end of the novel. I his own words " The title of this novel comes from a poem composed by Saeb-e-Tabrizi,a seventeenth-century Persian poet..Those who know the original Farsi poem will doubtless note that the English translation of the line containing the title of this novel is not a literal one. But it is the generally accepted translation,by Dr. Josephine Davis,and i found it lovely.I am grateful to her ".
The story starts with the story of Marium, who eventually becomes a very strong charater later in the story line. The effect of the word "harami" in her own life starting from 5 yrs old to the end of her life. Her struggle and her time with Nana,Laila and later in the prison with Naghma depicts the effluvium life story of the Women in Afghanistan. The small wonderful world of Marium took a U-turn wen Nana killed herself and Jalil gainsaying Marium as his daughter shattered Marium. She was forcefully married to a 40 yr old shoemaker soon and was left in forlorn. Rasheed Marium's husband whose first wife and the only son both have died earlier wants a Baby BOY from marium,but it turns out that they could not produce Rasheed the one who will inherit him with his 'noor' and 'nangs'. This makes Mariums life miserable.
Then the story travels into the life of Laila the flamboyant daughter of a professor who made it sure that her intelligent daughter is educated properly.Laila saw many faces of life with her two yound brothers being killed in the war, in insouciant behaviour of her mother towards her. but the existence of Tariq in her life made her life less bitter. Worse was waiting round the corner.Tariq left for pakistan with his yelling father and mother. Laila lost her parents in a bomb blast and she landed in Rasheed's house. Eventually the circumstances makes Laila to marry Rasheed. The story takes several turns,hostile marium turns into a life saviour of Laila.
Tariq returns to Laila. Marium is sacrificed. Laila and Tariq lives happily in Pakistan before they return to Kabul.
Though the story is too interesting and the story telling capability is so overpowering that it never lets u to quit reading through the pages,but there also underlines some sublime concept,all the bereavement of the people of afghanistan, the berserk assault of the talibans on the fellow people,the suffering of a female -- first as a girl (for all in Marium and later in Aziza),later as a young lady, then as a wife,and later in the older age. those lines of Nana toMarium that "Men finger will always find a scapegoat in a women", the talibani fatwa as they took the control of afghanistan from mujahideen, betrayal everywhere you will find a women suffering in the story. Sometimes may be u will feel ashamed if you are a Man. Khaleed Hosseini indeed deserves kudos for such a great description of the ill fate of the people with a great story line.
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" deserves a thousand salute to Mr. Hosseini.
Few words about the author :
Khaleed Hosseini was born in Kabul.Afghanistan and moved to the United States in 1980. His first novel.The Kite Runner,was an international bestseller,published in thirty-four countries. In 2006 he was named a US goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in northern California.
The author has been closely related to UNHCR. He has also urged the readers to go thru the website : www.UNrefugees.org in order to help,or simply to learn more about the UNHCR,its work,or the plight of refugees in general.
Do grab a copy of this book and Happy reading.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The World's 10 Most Wanted -- Forbes comes up with a new list
The whole world is the playground of today's criminal masterminds. The worst thieves and thugs have found the dark side of globalization, exploiting the same technologies that make the Earth seem small and ripe for legitimate international commerce and trade. They have unleashed an unprecedented crime wave that is truly borderless.
Less hierarchical, and operating as elusive networks, today's criminal gangs are able to nimbly take advantage of new opportunities as they arise. They hack, steal, smuggle, launder and kill on a global scale, working with different partners and evading various law enforcement units and agencies. The most troubling convergence: the merging of international criminal activity with violent terrorism.
No surprise then that Osama Bin Laden tops Forbes.com's first-ever list of the world's 10 most wanted fugitives. The most wanted man in the world is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, perhaps in the Waziristan region. U.S. President George W. Bush has said Bin Laden is wanted dead or alive. But for six years, Bin Laden has been able to evade the largest manhunt in international history by sticking to the unruly tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/25/crime-binladen-guzman-biz-cz_nv_0425mostwanted_slide_2.html
Others on the list may not be as familiar. Among them: Joaquin Guzman. Mexico's most powerful drug trafficker, Guzman has taken over the narcotics racket once dominated by Colombians like Pablo Escobar. Guzman, known as el Chapo, or shorty, heads the Sinaloa Cartel, specializing in importing cocaine from Colombia, and smuggling it into the U.S., often through elaborate tunnels. Ruthless and determined, Guzman has lorded over a bloody power struggle in Mexico over transport corridors to the U.S. that have left thousands dead.
Others on the list include Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, the face of the modern Russian mob; Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, India's most wanted man, who heads D-Company, an organized crime group based in Mumbai; Félicien Kabuga, arguably the driving force behind the Rwanda genocides; and Matteo Messina Denaro, the Italian mafia's playboy, with a taste for Porches and Rolex watches.
Various law enforcement agencies have their own most wanted lists that usually focus on crimes that took place in their local or national jurisdictions. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, created in 1950, is the most famous of its kind. But given the current state of globalized crime, an international most wanted list makes more sense now than ever.
Forbes.com consulted with law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and around the world to identify these 10. With the exception of Osama Bin Laden, there is little consensus over who should be included on a list that is ultimately subjective in nature. But we tried to come up with basic ground rules.
Everyone on the list has been criminally indicted or charged, some in national jurisdictions and some by international tribunals. They all are accused of a long history of committing serious crimes and are considered a dangerous menace to the world. Each of the members on the list also represent a type of criminal problem that legal institutions are grappling with in diverse jurisdictions.
"What they all have in common is that whether their crimes have occurred principally at the national or international level, their crimes have been so significant that they should be pursued globally," said Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble after taking a look at the Forbes.com list. "With regard to the world's most wanted criminals, it is always easy to see the tremendous local impact that their crimes have had."
Indeed, most of the Forbes.com top 10 most wanted fugitives in the world have been criminally indicted in U.S. courts and are wanted by the U.S. government, which has expended serious resources investigating and chasing them. Forbes will periodically review the list to determine whether a replacement is warranted and will scratch off those fugitives who are put out of action.
Satellite launches in Sriharikota
The launch of the 600-kg European Agile satellite in early 2007 should book a slot for the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) as a spaceport to reckon with. According to its Director, Mr M. Annamalai, SDSC may be milestones behind Europes Kourou, the US or Russian spacepads, but a launch here is just as reliable while saving 35 per cent cost for satellite operators.
"We have made 11 successful launches in a row (since 1994) and hope to have four launches a year soon," Mr Annamalai told a visiting media team from Bangalore, headquarters of the Department of Space.
Only the PSLV (pole-to-pole launch to place a satellite at 900 km height) has gone commercial with four small satellites. But a spaceport has arrived only when its GSLV is sought - for equatorial, geostationary placement at 36,000 km.
A replay of what SDSC can do is just around the corner: it is now readying to fly the fourth GSLV during July 10-15. This will be the heaviest and the first home launch of an operational communication satellite, the Insat-4C. This will be done on its new, versatile second launchpad, built for Rs 400 crore by MECON and L&T. Next to fly around August would be the Cartosat-2.
Through 2008-09, SDSC will be at the frontline of the Indian Moon odyssey and the GSLV Mk3, a Rs 2,500-crore project to double the rocket capability to four tonnes, which means an augmented infrastructure and a growing role for industry.
As part of the overall ISRO policy, SDSC, too, "is increasingly outsourcing some non-critical and non-hazardous operations and maintenance of its facilities to public and private sector players," Mr Annamalai said. In recent years, SDSC has sourced hardware from Tata Steel, Heavy Electricals Corporation, CMTI of Bangalore for the vertical fuel mixer; Hindustan Aeronautics for rocket strap-ons; Andhra Sugars for liquid fuel supply; and Siemens for control systems.
Source : http://news.jimtrade.com/
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Olympic Torch -2008
traveling throughout the world.The relay with the theme Journey of Harmony will last 130 days and carry the torch 137,000 km. (85,100 mi.) — the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay. By comparison, when this globe-trotting ritual was first introduced to promote the 1936 Games, the Olympic flame only travelled 3,422 km from Athens to Berlin.The 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will run until August 8, 2008, prior to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China.From Olympia,Greece in 2008 travelled to the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens,then to Beijing on March 31st. The torch is to follow a route passing six continents.The torch will visit cities on the Silk Road, symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. The relay will also include an attempt to carry the flame to the top of Mount Everest (Mt. Qomolangma).
The 2008 torch relay has been controversial, being marked on multiple occasions by protests regarding China's human rights record, and in particular the ongoing unrest in Tibet. The path of the torch has been changed on several occasions, with the torch being extinguished by the organisers several times during the Paris leg.
The International route of the torch will be covering the countries like Greece,China,Kazakhstan,Turkey,Russia,United Kingdom,France,United States,India,Japan etc.
The planned route originally included a stop in Taipei between Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong, but there was scuffling in Beijing and Taipei over language used to describe whether it was an international or a domestic part of the route. While the Olympic committees of mainland China and Taiwan reached initial consensus on the approach, the government of the Re
public of China in Taiwan intervened, stating that this placement could be interpreted as placing Taiwan on the same level as Hong Kong and Macau, an implication it objected to. The Beijing Organizing Committee attempted to continue negotiation,[19] but further disputes arose over the placement and usage of the flag or the anthem of the Republic of China along the 24 km torch route in Taiwan.[20] As of 2007-09-21, after the midnight deadline for concluding the negotiations on September 20, Taiwan and Mainland China were unable to come to terms with the issue of the Torch Relay. In the end, both sides of the Taiwan Strait decided to eliminate the Taipei leg.The Torch
The Olympic Torch is based on traditional scrolls and uses a traditional Chinese design known as "Lucky Cloud". It is made from aluminum. The torch is designed to remain lit in 65
kilometer-an-hour winds, and in rain of up to 50 millimeters-an-hour. An ignition key is used to ignite and extinguish the flame. The torch is fueled by cans of propane. Each can can burn for 15 minutes.It is designed by a team from Lenovo Group.The Torch is designed in reference to the traditional Chinese concept of the 5 elements that make up the entire universe.
Lanterns
The Olympic Flame is supposed to remain lit for the whole relay. When the Torch is extinguished at night, on airplanes, in bad weather, or during protests (such as the several occasions in Paris), the Olympic Flame is kept alight in a set of 10 lanterns.
N.B : Most of the part of the article is directly absorbed from Wikipedia.
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/
Inflation-> food crisis -> Govt -- let's see :)
Incentivize the Farmers :
Combating the inflation is not an easy task. The first thing which comes up as a preventive measure of inflation is producing consumer products in lesser price. This can be only achieved if and only if the Agricultural sector is looked after properly.
In few months the global wheat prices has increased double, but the govt procurement prices from the farmers has increased only 10%. This is a wrong signal being send to the farmers at this time of inflation.
It is very true and also admitted by the Prime Minister of India Dr.Manmohan Singh that the agricultural sector is over subsidized with under investment. The investment can come from the farmer in the agricultural sector if and only if proper incentive are in place for them. Though there has been a positive note when the union agricultural minister announced that the global prices will be considered as a benchmark, there is a need for urgent implementation.
It is the opportune time for the govt, where it can take care for the poor and the deprived and also maintain a balance between the consumer and the producer. This is the only way to achieve the perpetual desire of Food security for the longer run.
Firming Up food Security :
The decision to procure 5ml tones of grains as 3ml wheat and 2 ml rice is a welcome move from the govt. of
The government had already faced issues while procuring from the international market be it be grain or the oil. It was not that long back when the Govt had to comply with the high prices set by a cartel of wheat supply companies. This time Govt is eager to follow each steps with great caution. This time the govt is taking few anti inflationary measures and also rising food prices and restricting export in order to increase the domestic productivity.
The reserves will help to douse the inflationary expectation atleast for a shorter term. Significantly, the government seeks to achieve the same objectives by hedging wheat purchases in the international markets through a recently concluded call option. This option gives the comfort to the govt in order that it will offer affixed price of $406 a tones for 1.8 lakh tone of wheat with no binding of compulsory buying.this facilty will be available only from july 15th. Though this comes with a premium of $35 per tone, but the added advantage outweighs the cost. For the government, the best news on inflation would be from the domestic food front. If the expectation of a bumper wheat crop of around 75 million tonnes materialises and the procurement target of 15 million tonnes is achieved, price pressures will surely ease.
excerpts taken from leading newspapers.Monday, April 7, 2008
Some Trivia Puzzles
Part 1
1. MMAADUHM IAL
2. EETASLB
3. AONDLR EGRANA
4. OARWDH HHGSEU
5. AYR RSELACH
6. VLSIE REELYSP
Part 2
1. Businessman, movie producer and aviator.
2. First real rock and roll star and first rock star to crossover into films.
3. Oldest president elected when he took office.
4. Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll's Hall of Fame and received Life Time Achievement Award.
5. Boastful boxer who suffers from Parkinson's disease.
6. Song group who shaped music and an entire generation.
Hint
1. Blind singer and piano player.
2. Originally named Cassius Clay.
3. King of rock and roll, Graceland.
4. Sang Yellow Submarine.
5. Known as "the Gipper".
6. Eccentric, reclusive billionaire.
Answer
1. Muhammad Ali: Boastful boxer who suffers from Parkinson's disease.
2. Beatles: Song group who shaped music and an entire generation.
3. Ronald Reagan: Oldest president elected when he took office.
4. Howard Hughes: Businessman, movie producer and aviator.
5. Ray Charles: Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll's Hall of Fame and received Life Time Achievement Award.
6. Elvis Presley: First real rock and roll star and first rock star to crossover into films.
Source : briangle puzzle website
Sunday, April 6, 2008
College Street :- Vintage Charm an encomiastic way
Ever saw a pandemonium in front of a book store. Well we are talking about not just a book store,its the whole book market filled with a number of philatelist searching through numerous books available all throughout the place. If you say Kolkata is a place of intellectuals,political pundits,and culture mania-- well you are in the hotbed of all those when you visit College Street.
The book market of college street is the treasure trove of various books from across the world.Also the second hand book shops allow all the voracious readers to ponder with a lots of collection.The students of various colleges and universities throng in the roadside book shops to avail various offers and discounts. A bibliophile may be fortunate enough to discover the recherche books that were out of prints several years in one of the book shops in college street.
When we say busy street (byasto kolkata),swimming pool,and lascivious Durga Puja we definitely mean College Square.
Coffee house is the quintessential example of a popular hangout zone that is embellished with the oodles of vintage charm and has been the breeding ground pf upteen revolutionary ideas,iconoclastic poems, gripping novels,engaging theatre and pragmatic political ideologies. The milieu of coffee house coupled with the aroma of coffee and the smoke of cigars creates the perfect environment to trigger the creativity. Paramount is another renowned shop selling exquisite juices quenching the thirst of many kolkatans. Also beside there one will find the famous Pan shop sellling betel leaves concocted with exclusive masalas which fervors the sense of magical aroma and taste.The piping hot kachuris and the mouthwatering sweets of Putiram in College Street also cater to the gastronomic desire of the food buffs.
College street is one of the major green house of the city as well as of the country's intelligentsia.
It houses some of best universities of the country such as Presidency college,ome of the best medical college such as Calcutta Medical College,and also some schools & colleges like The Hindu School,Hare School,Sanskrit collegiate school etc.
The ambiance of the colleges and the universities of College Street metaphorically resemble a heady cocktail of educational sanctity, old-world- charm, raw effervescence, verve and ineffable romance. Lover's Lane in Medical College s a paradise for the couples smitten by the love bugs who exchange sweet nothings beneath the trees. The elegant beauty of the buildings of Hindu, Sanskrit Collegiate and Hare school coupled with the dissemination of superior quality of education, while retaining the age-old values and traditions, lend them a unique charm. The ambiance of Kolkata University- the revered seat of learning reverberates with the students discussing
the nitty-gritty of their subjects and indulging in sessions of adda over a wide range of topics. The stairs and the pillars of Presidency College are adorned with posters of various political parties during college elections that allow the students to derive the first whiff of political ideology. The revolutionary fervor of College Street encompasses the violent ideology of the 70's Naxalite era germinating from the campus of Presidency College and the genesis of the candlelight procession due to the disenchantment of the intelligentsia and the common people over the brutalities and barbaric acts of violence in Nandigram.The excerpts of this article is taken from a newspaper article published some time back.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Prime Numbers are infinite --> Proof
Let us suppose that there are n prime numbers: p1, p2, p3, ..., pn
Then the expression (p1*p2*p3*...*pn) + 1 is either itself a prime or is divisible by a prime greater than pn.
A Contradiction.
Hence Proved
Proved by Ravi Raja => a pagalguy :)
Google in Voice Search in India-> Is it the end of Just Dial and all
Google Launched its Voice Search facility in India,after running it successfully in US.The facility is started in an experimental basis in Hyderabad,upon been a success it will be disseminated in other parts of the country.
The beta version of the Google Local Information service on a toll free number 1800-41-999-999 was launched on March 31. The facility now is available from 8 a.m. to midnight 24x7.
This facility will elucidate the general information like movie tickets,hospital phone numbers, any business numbers,address etc. it even sends the address and the phone number by SMS to the query raiser. In addition to that in google style there is always something extra that too in free. One can even get connected to the desired number he is quering at and that too free.
Google being the giant in Search engine category and is always known to do things BIG, the future of smaller players who are predominant in India like Just Dial,Subeksha etc seems doom.
Market suggest that its a wait and watch game. It will be interesting to see the battle......
Longest Word
No... here thy are :
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:
(pronounced/ˌsuːpɚˌkælɪˌfrædʒəlˌɪstɪkˌɛkspiːˌælɪˈdoʊʃəs/) is an English word in the song with the same title in the musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers.
The word itself has obscure origins, pertaining as to when it was first used, but the roots are fairly clear, as Richard Lederer wrote in his book Crazy English: super- "above," cali- "beauty," fragilistic- "delicate," expiali- "to atone," and docious- "educable," the sum meaning roughly "Atoning for extreme and delicate beauty while still being highly educable." This is the perfect word for Mary Poppins to use, being that she thinks of herself as incredibly beautiful but also extremely intelligent.
It is also used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis :
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.ogg , also spelled -koniosis) is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "a factitious word alleged to mean 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust found in volcanoes' but occurring chiefly as an instance of a very long word."[1]. It was coined to serve as the longest English word and is the longest word ever to appear in an English language dictionary. This 45-letter word, referred to as P45[2], first appeared in the 1939 supplement to the Merriam-Webster New International Dictionary, Second Edition[3]. It is listed in the current edition of several dictionaries.[4] A condition meeting the word's definition is normally called silicosis.
supposedly the longest word in a dictionary, an artificial word said to mean a lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust.
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
also : http://nareshkumar82.vox.com/
Abraham Lincoln's Letter to his Son's Teacher
One of my Friend sometimes back shared this. It was so elysian while reading this,could not help myself but to share this with evryone.
So guys go ahead and have the share of the phenobarbitonic effect.
Abraham Lincoln's letter to his son's teacher----------------------------------------------------
He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true. But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero; that for every selfish Politician, there is a dedicated leader... Teach him for every enemy there is a friend, Steer him away from envy, if you can, teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick... Teach him, if you can the wonder of books... But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and the flowers on a green hillside. In the school teach him it is far honourable to fail than to cheat... Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him they are wrong... Teach him to be gentle with gentle people, and tough with the tough. Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the band wagon... Teach him to listen to all men... but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through. Teach him if you can, how to laugh when he is sad... Teach him there is no shame in tears, Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness... Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight if he thinks he's right. Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient... let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will have sublime faith in mankind. This is a big order, but see what you can do... He is such a fine fellow, my son!
Today's Word
Mannequin : A woman who wears clothes to display fashions
e.g : she was too fat to be a mannequin
A life-size dummy used to display clothes
Ebullient : –adjective
| 1. | overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited: The award winner was in an ebullient mood at the dinner in her honor. |
| 2. | bubbling up like a boiling liquid. |
Disport : Occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion;Play boisterously
Nostrum : Hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists
Patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Today's Word > Ensconce
Ensconce ==> –verb (used with object), -sconced, -sconc·ing.
| 1. | to settle securely or snugly: I found her in the library, ensconced in an armchair. |
| 2. | to cover or shelter; hide securely: He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop. |
Ennui (n) :
–noun
| a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom: The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui. |
[Origin: 1660–70; <>enui displeasure; see annoy
]
—Synonyms listlessness, tedium, lassitude, languor.
Peregrination (n) :
–noun
| 1. | travel from one place to another, esp. on foot. |
| 2. | a course of travel; journey. |
[Origin: 1425–75; late ME peregrinacioun (<>peregrinacion) <>peregrīnātiōn- (s. of peregrīnātiō) a traveling abroad. See peregrinate, -ion]
—Synonyms 1, 2. trip, excursion, expedition.
Also see : peripatetic (adj.)
Source : http://dictionary.reference.com
Monday, February 25, 2008
Budget session on ... nightmare for our Fin Minister
This for sure has given the Fin Min nightmare which even the panacea can't cure. Let we some of the ignominious creatures - the so called Amm-Admi of the Country India try to suggest some way around for the respected minister.
The tax which is divided into two parts -- direct Tax and the indirect tax.Direct tax is the part which affects all of the salaried class. For a flourishing economy it is a delight that the direct tax be greater than the indirect tax. And India has achieved this significantly for the past few years.
But the salaried class do need some levy in terms of tax cut,which will lighten the burden on thr shoulder. The need of the hour is to get more number of people in the circumference but not more tax percentage on less number of people. The Minimum tax slab can be decreased,but also in the same time the tax percentage to be decreased byt varying in different slab. This will ensure that the tax encircles the most but with a efficient manner also.
Though the reams of article will suggest the Fin Min to go with the populist demand also his party to be coercing on him for the same , the respected and well qualified minister should also ensure that the bandwagon of Indian industry is not fallen to a jerk.
in addition to that - it would be advisable if the Minister addresses the Ruppee appreciation,which is inadvertently affecting the poor export segment of India.Worst hit are the Textiles etc. Also the IT industry to some extent. They can be impoverished if no support is provided by the Govt. of India.
Lest we can hope that with the budget 2008 you would be able to eradicate all the shambles on the Indian economy. Best of Luck Mr. Finance Minister.........
And the OSCAR goes to.......
The wait for the night of Feb the 24th is over. The Oscar has gone to the best of the best for this year. There were few unexpected thriller ending,as you would be expecting from the organization which specializes in judging the best pictures across the world.
Diablo Cody won the original screenplay award for the film 'Juno'-which speaks about a sixteen year old lash finds herself pregnant. She decides to give the baby for adoptation.and the movie rounds around this.
Marion Cotillard who plays the legendary French singer Edith Piaf in the movie "LA VIE EN ROSE" wins the Oscar for "Actress in a Leading Role".
"There will be blood" hero Daniel Day-Lewis wins the Oscar for the category "Actor in a Leading Role".He plays a ruthless California oilman who will stop at nothing to achieve wealth and power.
Javier Bardem and Tilda Swilton wins the award for best supporting Actor and Actress for the movie "No Country for Old Man" and "Michael Clayton" respectively.
Other Winners of the day were : Ratatouille (Animated Feature Film) ; The Counterfeiters (Foreign Language Film) ; There Will Be Blood (Cinematography) ; No Country for Old Men (Adapted Screenplay) ; The Golden Compass(Visual Effects) etc.
For more information get into the official website : http://www.oscar.org/
Sunday, February 24, 2008
IIM a great inspiration
One of the premier management institute in India -- the elitist of the elite Indian Institute of management better known as IIM has been the pioneer of Indian management education since past few decades. The Likes of Indra Nooyi,Harsha Bhoogle et al has been the brand ambassador of the brand IIM globally.
Not only the skyrocketing salary,impressive infrastructure,Faculty with global standard but also the quality of student has shown an immense improvement with the recent yrs. The competition is preternaturally tough with 2.5 lakhs (0.25 million) of student appearing for the Common Admission Test(CAT), which is the entrance examination for the admission in IIMs for merely 1250 (now onwards 1700) seats. That's stupendous. So the quality is never compromised.
There are also other Management intis such as : XLRI,FMS etc but still need to cover lots of distance before they catch up with IIMs.
Ocean to save mother earth
Dr. Keith an NSERC grantee and director of the Energy and Environmental Systems Group at University of Calgary-based Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy will take on the subject at the 2008 Annual Conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston at a session entitled Ocean Iron Fertilization and Carbon Sequestration: Can the Oceans Save the Planet?
Dr. Michael Pilson, a chemical oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island, the father of this very idea was not quite able to convince people with his idea. Things really took off when Dr.Keith confirmed its feasibility with Dr. Andrew Palmer, a world-renowned ocean engineer at Cambridge University. Keith sees this solution as a potentially useful complement to CO2 storage in geological formations, particularly for CO2 emanating from sources near deep oceans.
Original source of the article : http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218134635.htm
