BUGLE

Ticketamerica.com

2011-12-27T02:34:00.000-08:00

With X-Mass and New Year holidays come show time. If you are interested to participate any show of alison krauss concert tickets in your preferred seats or luis miguel tickets across America you just visit ticketamerica.com. I assure you will get the preferred seats. Any show of comedian brian regan comedy tickets you are interested; get tickets from the same site. You can buy ticket online without any hassle.

Video Sites Reviews

2011-12-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

Do you know Amia Miley, a popular porn star, born in Satellite Beach, Florida of mixed Hawaiian and Italian descent on November 23rd 1990? Probably not; though may be you are regurlar to porn sites and watch what are randomly available. But you don't know where to find details about them! Entertainment is a matter of right to mankind. It rejuvenates the mind and is quite refreshing as well. Now with internet at home you can watch porn sites in your desired privacy. But most of the time you get frustrated as you don't find the stuffs you are looking for! Obviously like other entertainment avenues; there is no much publicity or reviews in this field. It's taboo. Keeping this in mind, a video review site Porn Xchange is offering you the best reviews and information about most popular porn sites ,stars . There is something for everybody in porn xchange as they have covered all the fields in porn videos. Browsing the site you can locate a full-size porn video chosen by stars or site brands.

If you are interested in free porn sites, there is no match for PronHub. This is one of the oldest porn site and enjoys the most popularity since its beginning. Just visit the site and find thousands of free clippings of various lengths ranging from few minutes to full-length ones ( 30 minutes or more). Besides most popular faces, they bring in fresh faces regularly. Their productions are excellent and have wide range to cater everybody's taste.

The video review site pornexchage.com offers PornHub review besides reviews of several other porn sites. You can register you email and subscribe to their regular news letter for remaining updated with classic porn productions. Sites like BangBros, Mofos, Reality Kings, PrnPros, Penthouse Hustler, Naughty America, Vivid Entertainment and many more are reviewed regularly. And so the stars. So, now on you don't need to gape in dark. First look for what you want then locate and watch.

Cyber Story !!

2011-12-03T07:56:00.001-08:00

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.

And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg.

Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?" And Abraham did look at her - as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load - but simply said,
"How, dear?"

And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. The sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. The drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent.

To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was called Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures: Hebrew To The People (HTTP).

But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did make an entry himself inside Abraham's drum and began to siphon off some of Abraham's business. But he was soon discovered, arrested and prosecuted for insider trading.

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. And he did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates' drum heads and drumsticks.

Lo, Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others!" And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or eBay as it came to be known, he said, "We need a name that reflects what we are." And Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." “YAHOO!," said Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.

Abraham's cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around the countryside. It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).
And that is how it all began!

Web hosting

2011-11-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

Business owners; may your business be small , medium or large; are you tapping the market of online customers? If your answer is 'No' then this article is much helpful for you. Even if your answer is 'Yes' ; you may still improve upon your web site to invite more customers or visitors turning it most user friendly. Here I tell you how!

Intuit, one of the top company taking innovative ventures and holds rank within first 100 most innovative companies in Forbes is their to help you with your web hosting. Intuit websites helps you with free site building tool for your business web hosting. This is really great news for small business owners. They have reasons to rejoice; with Intuit's web hosting expert's help you can design and get your domain online in a very short time.

Just visit their site and get tips and tools for online marketing. They guide you with information on search engine optimization ,social media marketing. You learn how to woo customers to your online shop and make a bee line. There are thousands of online shop owners all over the world are benefited taking their help. They have excellent staffs who will help you readily with their expertise for your business web hosting. Click into their site for more information.

Irom Sharmila's fast to un-fasten noose of AFSPA ...Part - III

2011-10-11T02:02:00.000-07:00

( contineued from part ............II)

Today, on news paper I find a news stating that renowned activist Medha Patkar is organizing rally from Jammu Kashmir to Manipur in support of Iriom Sharmila for her unending fight against AFSPA or Armed Forces Special Power Acts; now in force in all the North Eastern States and J&K. What surprises me; has Medha been sleeping for this long period of 11 years, ever since Irom Sharmila was on fast to repeal AFSPA? Or it was other lucrative issues like ‘Narmada Banchao”, oust Tata’s Nano plant from West Bengal and many more were more alluring to her to steal the lime light or strike the headlines! The incredible India and Indians!
So when rest of the country is rallying after Anna for his ‘Jan Lokpal Bill” and anti corruption move and Anna’s fast raising massive support amongst the sensitive, educated middle class; now Sharmila gets a chance. So, Medha is on the move; this time with a ‘Sharmila’ banner. We wait and see how long she lasts
AFSPA was brought into force to suspend and arrest secessionist movements in the states where the law is imposed. On the very first place, no much thought was given; why such movement should get the momentum at all! Where the seed of the problem lies; not that few people without gross public support started it anywhere. Initially, in all these states such movements lay undergrounds; later they surfaced when commoners supported their cause. Lest they could never sustain so long. As a matter of fact; many believe the seed of the problem lies in our constitution; in its very eccentric nature. The power distributed between center and state governments are not balanced. Our constitution is basically eccentric, conferring ultimate power in the hands of ruling central government in every matter of revenue sharing, developments or natural resources tapping. The states in questions were never under British rule during Raj as the rest of our country. In fact those hilly states were not so lucrative for colonizing them and they found it tough to go on war against them. They brought them under little or partial control with various treaties. At the time of independence; the commoners there went grossly unaware of ‘power hand-over’. Later at a slow but steady pace this secessionist movement gathered momentum under the various local tribal leaderships and our eccentric constitution kept on adding fuel in the fire. For Jammu and Kashmir , article 370 failed to meet Kashmiri’s expectations ; for North Eastern States there is simply nothing to protect local interest or sentiments. So; AFSPA was primarily imposed to suppress the voice and movements. As a result the unrest is undercurrent, sometime with tumultuous force and on the surface the killings by Arm Forces or the rebels exist for ever.

(To be continued………..)

Irom Sharmila's fast to un-fasten noose of AFSPA ...Part - II

2011-09-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

(Continued from part ….........I)

To start with; let me correct some points in my first chapter,Irom Sharmila witnessed the killings that prompted her to fast unto death till the AFSPA repealed; the victims were not all ladies there were male members too. This has been corrected by one of my friends who has been closely watching the developments since long. Now let us see what AFSPA is all about. This law was passed by Indian Parliament on 11th September 1958 conferring the special powers on Armed Forces to act on Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Trupura as they all were declared disturbed areas. Later this law was extended to Jammu & Kashmir on July 1990.

Now what are the special powers! The Constitution of India empowers a state government to declare it disturbed or a state of emergency is called upon. The reasons could be failure of stated administration and police to tackle the situation as the scale of unrest is too large. As a consequence; the Central send the Armed Forces to control the situation under Armed Forces Special Power Act. This empowers the officers of Armed Forces “ to fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death, against any person who is acting in contravention of any law'/ against 'assembly of five or more persons' or on anyone found in possession of deadly weapons. They can arrest with the use of 'necessary' force anyone who commits certain offense or is suspected to have committed without any warrant and can enter any premise to search and make such arrests.

Just imagine if such law is imposed in your surroundings; how the life would be! Further if it continues for decades; obviously the most peace loving amongst you would turn violent and condemn it. In a free country, as India is, other than those states, no where else human rights are so nakedly violated. Unfortunately the very reason of indifference attitude in the majority of states that they are neither affected nor can visualize an iota of torture and persecutions. Sitting in our drawing room; reading morning news papers; somewhere in 6th or 7th page's bottom some news of north-east's turmoils mostly escape our notice. Our evening telecast news rarely cast any light on the plight of our fellow country men in North-east! Even after six decades of independence; we remain mostly ignorant about them and their ravaged human rights. Our ignorance is bliss for us but for them it's curse!
(to be continued..................)

Irom Sharmila's fast to un-fasten noose of AFSPA

2011-09-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

How do we start our days in any of our metropolis or smaller town; the busy morning schedules to catch up with our times. Even in villages where the roads and electricity have reached; the life has become more or less same; the only difference for those who are associated with farming may start the day quite early. The day may vary from one to another due to various professional and occupational differences but for all our days pose no fear.
Imagine a morning you are passing by a bus stand in the outskirts of your town; people there as usual gathered to catch buses. All of sudden 'tara .. tara. ta. ; you find security perosonals on patrol opening fire to those in the bus stand with out any provocation! Ten die there instantly, in that doldrums you manage to take a glimpse, all the ten bodies are of innocent village women lying in pool of blood! What will be you reaction? Just to hurry back your home and taking recourse to nudge the very thought of that heinous killings. That's usual. But there are exceptions ; though exceptions are not rule. That exception is Irom Sharmila . Way back in November 2nd in 2000 ; this happened in the outskirt of Imphal, Manipur. The Assam Rifle opened fire on innocent people under the command of Army. They were empowered with Draconian law; AFSPA or Armed Force's Special Power Act; so they went scot free! But from the next day that was 3rd November 2000; Irom Shamila went on hunger strike demanding the repeal of such archaic , colonial law. Though she was arrested next day and then on she has been force fed through nose and jailed in hospital bed. Once in a year she is released for day to be re-arrested in next day and kept on nasal diet. This cycle has been continuing for the past 11 years!!

It is surmising why there is no furore in our media or political circles for her lone-some fight! Recent movements of Anna Hazare and its result raised the question afresh. Though Anna and some of his followers indicated they are supporting Sharmila's cause and likely to join her in her fight. Only time will answer the reality. However we will see how this law came into force in 1958 under Nehruvian government and what's the consequences.
(To be continued...............)

This is how Lokpal or Lokayukta will work if 'Jan Lokpal' bill is passed

2011-08-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

Just click to enlarge the image

See how Lokpal Bill can curb the politicians, Circulate it to create awareness

Existing System

System Proposed by civil society

No politician or senior officer ever goes to jail despite huge evidence because Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) and CBI directly come under the government. Before starting investigation or prosecution in any case, they have to take permission from the same bosses, against whom the case has to be investigated.

Lokpal at centre and Lokayukta at state level will be independent bodies. ACB and CBI will be merged into these bodies. They will have power to initiate investigations and prosecution against any officer or politician without needing anyone’s permission. Investigation should be completed within 1 year and trial to get over in next 1 year.Within two years, the corrupt should go to jail.

No corrupt officer is dismissed from the job because Central Vigilance Commission, which is supposed to dismiss corrupt officers, is only an advisory body. Whenever it advises government to dismiss any senior corrupt officer, its advice is never implemented.

Lokpal and Lokayukta will have complete powers to order dismissal of a corrupt officer. CVC and all departmental vigilance will be merged into Lokpal and state vigilance will be merged into Lokayukta.

No action is taken against corrupt judges because permission is required from the Chief Justice of India to even register an FIR against corrupt judges.

Lokpal & Lokayukta shall have powers to investigate and prosecute any judge without needing anyone’s permission.

Nowhere to go - People expose corruption but no action is taken on their complaints.

Lokpal & Lokayukta will have to enquire into and hear every complaint.

There is so much corruption within CBI and vigilance departments. Their functioning is so secret that it encourages corruption within these agencies.

All investigations in Lokpal & Lokayukta shall be transparent. After completion of investigation, all case records shall be open to public. Complaint against any staff of Lokpal & Lokayukta shall be enquired and punishment announced within two months.

Weak and corrupt people are appointed as heads of anti-corruption agencies.

Politicians will have absolutely no say in selections of Chairperson and members of Lokpal & Lokayukta. Selections will take place through a transparent and public participatory process.

Citizens face harassment in government offices. Sometimes they are forced to pay bribes. One can only complaint to senior officers. No action is taken on complaints because senior officers also get their cut.

Lokpal & Lokayukta will get public grievances resolved in time bound manner, impose a penalty of Rs 250 per day of delay to be deducted from the salary of guilty officer and award that amount as compensation to the aggrieved citizen.

Nothing in law to recover ill gotten wealth. A corrupt person can come out of jail and enjoy that money.

Loss caused to the government due to corruption will be recovered from all accused.

Small punishment for corruption- Punishment for corruption is minimum 6 months and maximum 7 years.

Enhanced punishment - The punishment would be minimum 5 years and maximum of life imprisonment.

Few Points about Anna Hazare and his mission

2011-08-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Anna Hazare says bring back the Black Money.

Do u know what will happen if 1,456 Lac Crores comes back.

1. India Financially No.1

2. Each district will get 60000 crores & each village will get 100 Crores

3. No need to pay taxes for next 20 yrs.

4. Petrol 25 Rs, Diesel 15 Rs, Milk 8 Rs.

5. No need to pay electricity bill.

6. Indian borders will become more stronger than the China Wall.

7. 1500 Oxford like Universities can be opened.

8. 28,000 kms Rubber road (like in Paris) can be made.

9. 2,000 hospitals (with all facilities) all medicine Free.

10. 95 crore people will have their own house.

Support Anna Hazare by forwarding this message to atleast 10 Indians.

PLease take time to read it.

‎

10 things to know about Anna Hazare 'n Jan Lok Pal Bill.. !
1. Who is Anna Hazare?

An ex-army man. Fought 1965 Indo-Pak War

2. What's so special about him?

He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahamad Nagar district, Maharashtra

3. So what?

This village is a self-sustained model village. Energy is produced in the village itself from solar power, biofuel and wind mills.

In 1975, it used to be a poverty clad village. Now it is one of the richest village in India. It has become a model for self-sustained, eco-friendly & harmonic village.

4. Ok,...?

This guy, Anna Hazare was awarded Padma Bhushan and is a known figure for his social activities.

5. Really, what is he fighting for?

He is supporting a cause, the amendment of a law to curb corruption in India.

6. How that can be possible?

He is advocating for a Bil, The Jan Lokpal Bill (The Citizen Ombudsman Bill), that will form an autonomous authority who will make politicians (ministers), beurocrats (IAS/IPS) accountable for their deeds.

8. It's an entirely new thing right..?

In 1972, the bill was proposed by then Law minister Mr. Shanti Bhushan. Since then it has been neglected by the politicians and some are trying to change the bill to suit thier theft (corruption).

7. Oh.. He is going on a hunger strike for that whole thing of passing a Bill ! How can that be possible in such a short span of time?

The first thing he is asking for is: the government should come forward and announce that the bill is going to be passed.

Next, they make a joint committee to DRAFT the JAN LOKPAL BILL. 50% goverment participation and 50% public participation. Because you cant trust the government entirely for making such a bill which does not suit them.

8. Fine, What will happen when this bill is passed?

A LokPal will be appointed at the centre. He will have an autonomous charge, say like the Election Commission of India. In each and every state, Lokayukta will be appointed. The job is to bring all alleged party to trial in case of corruptions within 1 year. Within 2 years, the guilty will be punished. Not like, Bofors scam or Bhopal Gas Tragedy case, that has been going for last 25 years without any result.

9. Is he alone? Whoelse is there in the fight with Anna Hazare?

Baba Ramdev, Ex. IPS Kiran Bedi, Social Activist Swami Agnivesh, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and many more.

Prominent personalities like Aamir Khan is supporting his cause.

10. Ok, got it. What can I do?

At least we can spread the message. How

Putting status message, links, video, changing profile pics.

1978 ! The Year It rained and Flooded !..

2011-08-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

1978! You must be thinking what is precious about the year! All the way the year 1978 carried special significance for me. How come! You know I was born on 16^th January; numerically they say if you add the birth date=, then number carries a significance in your life; so for me it is 7 as 1 + 6 = 7; and mind you, in the year 1978 I was 25. So 2 + 5 = 7 .

Now here comes the story; till 1978 in Indian Air Force a law prevailed those Airmen failed to get promoted to the rank of at least Lance Air Corporal within nine years of their service; would be discharged. I was an airman then. With law or rules in view , I did not take any promotion till 1978 (even thereafter) expecting my salvation after nine years of service with Air Force. But to my utter dismay in 1978; all of a sudden a circular came; stating that Airmen who even fails to get promoted by nine years , will be in service till they complete their initial bond i.e. 15 years. Can you imagine how I felt! Sacrificing all the promotions for those many years, the money I lost and the time I seemed to have wasted ! I was totally frustrated; that was 1978 for me.

Must be surprised why I am recollecting 1978 now! The rain again; it is in the year of 1978; we had tremendous rain and West Bengal with several states was flooded. The rain this year reminds me that.

Recognize the attack of S T R O K E !

2011-06-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

STROKE! it may turn out to be silent spot killer; at the best it leaves one like vegetables! Treated but not cured, the attack of stroke can be suspended but the damage can hardly be reversed. Could we identify the early warning, many lives could be saved much damages could be avoided. Here are some ways..................

STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters..... S. T. R.
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away). She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

What started with Bush; will it end with Obama?

2011-05-06T00:38:00.000-07:00

Obama eradicates Osama; what started with President Bush, the question is, will it end with Obama? This is a million dollar question. In fact with presidential election in United States due in 2012; and Obama's popularity having touched nadir; is going to look up with Prize Osama. Despite US economy remains where they were till now. Obama's promise to retrieve it from the down-fall remains unfulfilled frustrating US citizens of all levels. How ever Americans value more for their national security than anything else. As we know they fight all the wars away from their home land. Destroying, devastating and ravaging other countries has been their favorite pastimes on the pretexts like saving the mankind from disastrous chemical gas (never found in Iraq!), spread of communism and threat of nuclear war (Korea,Vietnam, Afghanistan)! They indulge in wars and destruction always on others soils taking their allies from European countries ( therefrom they poured in since sixteenth century after Columbus). They call it a truce when uproar in their own country urge them to stop seeing body bags! Well this is America, the world's most powerful nation and deserving the the role to play as Big brother. Ironically, leaving the rest of the world in the hands of fate! They care for them as one cares for his vehicle that he uses. Pakistan is now useful to US strategy for Afghanistan. So the world's demand to declare Pakistan as a rouge state, nurturing, perambulating, feeding terrorism is falling into deaf ears. Even operation 'Jerenimo'( liquidating Osama Bin Laden); the way was executed shows their clear mistrust on Pakistan.
.

It is high time Obama take a decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan; much before 2014 as earlier declared. Let Afghanistan administer their rule on their own, if they feel like let them form their government with Taliban. That will help remain the strongest arm of Al Quida in geographical territory of Afghanistan. Taliban are not interested to impose their dictum elsewhere except their focused portion of Afghanistan. Well this may cover more women in 'burkha', force them to quit school but rest of the world or at least neighboring countries like India can breath peacefully. The immediate halt of doles and aids to Pakistan is the most necessary. Money thus reaching Pakistan are only proliferate terrorism. Osama's hiding in Abbotabad for past six years speaks of everything in volume.

THE ONLOOKER: CHITTARANJAN IN 50s PT.........2

2011-03-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

THE ONLOOKER: CHITTARANJAN IN 50s PT.........2

The life at the small industrial railway town Chittaranjan ...............

Products & Service Reviews: Bengal Hyundai, Sevice Center at Manicktala and Ba...

2011-03-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

Products & Service Reviews: Bengal Hyundai, Sevice Center at Manicktala and Ba...: "Hyundai; makes good cars. When I made up my mind to buy a car since it’s more a necessity now than luxury; given to the city’s poor trans..."

ROADS FOR RIDES IN WEST BENGAL

2011-03-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Have you traveled through district roads of West Bengal recently? It your answer is in affirmative, then I need not to tell you how those roads are! If you did not take a journey through those roads anywhere in the state. Those who take frequent journeys by road, they are likely to know NH2 & 6 ; the Durgapur Expressway and Bombay Road. After coming into national highway networks those roads are converted into six lanes and that turned the road travel experience is worth that you pay in terms of toll tax. But comparing to them journey through any other roads criss crossing the state covering several districts and major part of NH 34 are in horrible state. The potholes and bumpers ( with no uniform specification!) turn the travels into travails. The state government collect road tax, they get central allocations to fund the expansion, repair and maintenance of these roads. One surmise where the fund goes? Some of the roads come under District or Panchayet authority ; they get regular share of funds from state what central allocates; but the picture is gloom and better said horrific! Not that the local level authorities like municipal or district boards do not have sufficient fund or expertise to take care of the roads , that come under them. Those who have to true intention they do it in far more better way as they need to look after smaller areas. For example Taki municipality; they have maintained the roads in that small sub-divisional town in excellent condition. Who ever comes in power their money allocated for roads goes for the intended purpose. Else where the story is otherwise; nothing to say about the corrupt officials and their political bosses. PWD and irrigation ; these two departments in West Bengal are milking cows for those who are in power.

Now as the date of election is announced, on that pretext , all the repair or maintenance works of roads have been suspended; the rumors flow , this is to pacify election commission’s ire!

How about another amendment in our constitution; if election commission is empowered for suspending the ruling party or parties for doing almost nothing during the their last full tenure at least in the ares like road, health care, education ; as they are evident; perhaps that can keep the political bosses and their babus in check.

Law and Order in West Bengal

2011-02-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Law and order situation is fast deteriorating at our state of West Bengal. So far political murders were hitting the headlines almost regularly. Specially the Naxal movement prone districts like Purulia, Bankura, Midnapore , skirmishes between polices, paramilitary force personals and Naxals are reported daily. In our city life we read them with morning cup of tea and some time try to imagine how the things are going on there. Though most of us even don't have vague idea about those areas, societies , people or the firings between the terrorists and forces. However we remain perplexed to find photographs of dead bodies of innocent. rustic villagers being carried by security personals in Van Rikshaws or by some other carts. We surmise how come these simple villagers turn to terrorism!

But the news of killing of a teen aged boy at the late night in the district town Barasat, by three drunken hoodlums right on the street where District Magistrate , Police Super reside and their Bungalows are well guarded by security personals. It is reported that the boy at that hour carrying his elder sister from the railway station by cycle was surrounded by by those goons. Who were abusive and tried to molest the girl who works at call center in Kolkata and gets late daily to return home.Her brother's obvious protest brought brutal attack with knife to which he succumbed. He used to fetch his elder sister everyday at railway station .

The road is brightly illuminated and passes through the vital area of the town; the police station is at the stone throw distance. It does not end there, the girl ran and approached the guards at District Magistrate Bungalow. But they declined to move instead they suggested to go to police station! Before she could do anything the operation was finished. Her brother was found laying on the road by few passer's by; who took him to District hospital. At hospital at that dead night there was none to take due care (it is District Hospital!), so they referred to city (R G Kar, Kolkata) at that late hour. And he succumbed to injuries.

It is reported that adjoining the District Court there , after the dusk the locals frequent for hooches. It is known to all and sundry. The road is not safe despite of police claim that they arrange regular police patrolling (hoax) regularly. Those three hoodlums emerged from one of those hooch joints.

Do I need to tell you who all are in nexus in such business? So who is going to stop them!

Thought of a soldier

2011-01-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

If I die in a battle zone,
Box me up n send me home.
Put my medals on my chest,
Tell my mom I did my best.
Tell my love not 2 cry,
Coz I am a soldier born 2 die.

The First Decade of this Millennium

2010-12-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

So the first decade of new millennium has passed. We are going to step into a new decade. Still the memory of stepping into new millennium is fresh. Don’t you remember the millennium bug? All the institutions including defense, banking or any other using web network were frightened that they would lose the data as the computer would read the 1^st Jan of 2001 as 1^st Jan of 1901. I remember the 31^st Dec of 1999; till late hours we have been taking the print outs of all the accounts. The software industry as a whole had their hay days selling their millennium bugs cleansing software. However nothing happened anywhere in this planet. Nobody reported being charged by millennium bug in their system. The hue and cry was forgotten soon. Except the share price of IT sector sore higher. They made huge profits.

The last decade saw 9/11, Iraq war and global recession. In fact throughout decade headlines were struck by hot and chill news. Terrorism tops the list and a new term like financial terrorism with explosive like subprime crises had emerged. That shook the world with global meltdown.

History repeats itself ! !

2010-12-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

With ‘Raj’ ended and British colonial ‘Sahib’s packed up for their mother land. Most of them when back to their ‘home’; first oddity they faced, lack of service from soft-footed domestic servants. Ruling for 200 years in their oriental colonies, they became so used to these ‘Khidmatgars’ or domestic helps; back home without them , for many life became painful experiences. There were many having never seen their ‘Home’ or Great Britain could never imagine a life without domestic helps.

On the bank of Ganges or Hoogly river there were many jute mills owned by mostly Scottish ‘Sahibs’; still some of their old English style Bungalows stand within the those old mill compounds, although mostly in dilapidated condition but they still show their elegance. It is surprising, how the ‘Memsahib’s could maintain them! How many domestic helps, Malis (gardeners) , ‘Khidmadgars’ were engaged for their upkeep! One of my friends after leaving Air Force joined as a Security Officer in one of these old Jute Mills. His mill was not very far from my home. One Sunday I visited him just to renew our old relation. The Mill was silent when I reached the gate. I came to know from the guard at the gate the mill was then on ‘lock-out’ by management. Therefore, the silence prevailed. Though unfortunate for the people who worked their; selfishly I felt a sense of relief as there was no humdrum. The security personals were on their usual duties, so my friend. He was at his quarter at the time. The guards directed me to his quarter. It got awe struck by its size. I knew my friend was all alone there; his family stayed back at his home. The king size bungalow could accommodate a regiment I felt. Seeing me, he hurried down from ‘Verandah’ that was elevated from land level and approachable by number of stairs. After exchanging initial ‘Hi, hellos’ I entered his drawing room. Big surprise awaited me there. I could not imagine such a beautiful Bungalow could have such dirty, hardly maintained drawing room in its womb! The old, colorless furniture seemed polished century ago scattered around; the thick layers of dust on them and floor all over turned me hesitant to sit comfortably.

Seeing my embarrassments my friend got smell; he submitted the mill being perpetually sick for decades, the management cut down the expenses on maintenance of officer’s quarters. Neither domestic helps available nor they could afford them. It was visibly understandable that maintaining such a big house is beyond the capacity of any individual. So in due course of time, they have become dungeons.

Now that was the picture of British left over Bungalows in a mill premises. You know the picture is same now in residential houses of middle class. As they too can not be maintained without domestic helps and they are rare species now. The growth and advancement in social life, the government program for elimination unemployment in urbane and rural areas, now withered those hard working, sincere domestic helps. Hoards of middle class now switching to manageable flats as maintaining house is very difficult and expensive. It seems in near future, men staying in big residential house will be stories.

I feel sometime, men came out caves and constructed houses. Now as history repeats itself, they are again returning to man-made caves (read flats). This is natural.

Gross Wastage of Public Fund by Representative of Public!!!!

2010-12-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

It is only possible in India. The all time record of session adjournments have been broken in this winter session of our parliament. Our leaders ( read opposition) have made it possible to put full stop of session activities for 23 days in the term of 24 days winter session of parliament. Perhaps we should seek a place in Guinness Book of Records for such wise parliamentarian saga!

The fund wasted for session less parliament is around Rs 146 Crores. This includes the allowances paid to our revered members of Parliament and all other expenses made to run full parliamentary session. Apart from wastage of public fund what has been more disgraced is parliamentary democracy.

Products & Service Reviews: HOMETOWN-- The Shopping Mall at Rajarhat, Kolkata

2010-11-17T00:39:00.000-08:00

Next time when you go to shop with plush shopping mall, take care you are not cheated...........

Products & Service Reviews: HOMETOWN-- The Shopping Mall at Rajarhat, Kolkata: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

MAHA NEPAL OR GREATER NEPAL -- The Latest Craze in Nepal; PART - II

2010-11-13T03:12:00.000-08:00

(This is concluding part of same article PART -I)

In 1857, the history changed its course as India’s first war of independence altered the fate of British East India Company. The Crown took over the charge directly after English soldiers with their native army could defeat the rebellion. This was a jolt for the Crown. However, peoples of Nepalese origin in British army the“Gurkha” played a formidable role for British to suppress the Indian uprising or war of independence that British termed skillfully as ‘Sepoy Mutiny’. The expert English officers in British army could recognize the excellent valor of ‘Gurkhas’ in war- field. There after, ‘Gurkha’ soldiers became indispensable for British Army. They are so even now. Last war British used them was Falkland war against Argentina in recent past.

Now with monarchy gone and became a part of Nepal’s history. The present Maoist government is keeping close tie with their Chinese godfathers. Taking clue from Chinese aggressive policy, they too have started claiming their lost territory in India; threatening India’s integration. With British East India Company being extinct, they claim the treaty with them is invalid. Therefore, they have rights over the area as shown in the ‘map’ of last post. This fallacious claim is gaining popularity with ordinary Nepali citizens and brewing an inimical sentiment against India.

Unfortunately, Indian government is totally overlooking this development. No union minister commented anything on the issue. May be, they think, such comments will bring misunderstanding between two countries. But if such propaganda continues in this India’s neighboring country, in near future with Chinese provocation Nepal may take the same stand as their Chinese godfathers. So some protest should be made and matter should be brought in the notice of international community.

(Concluded)

MAHA NEPAL OR GREATER NEPAL -- The Latest Craze in Nepal; PART - I

2010-11-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Parvez Iqbal Siddique; a correspondent in north India, wrote back in 2005 an article citing the boiling Nepalese’s sentiment for ‘Maha Nepal’. The new Maoist government in Nepal is all the way supporting the demand for ‘Maha Nepal’ that should chunk out a good portion of Indian territory covering the area between Nepal’s border and the Tista valley in east and up to Kangra ( Sutlej river) in west. However, this news grossly escaped the notice of Indian politicians and policy makers keep afar the Indian citizens. No furor rose anywhere in this issue. Many articles are published since past two decades in various Nepalese newspapers and magazines in this issue. In support of this claim, the promulgators of ‘Maha Nepal’ are citing history. They claim the ancient Nepal was far bigger than what it is now, though that goes without any historical evidence. During the regime of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, in 1744 Nepalese army went on war for re-integration of its lost territory. The war brought success and extended the Nepal’s border up to Sikkim by 1779 in east and in west by 1790, it crossed Mahakali River and by 1804 crossing the Gadwall finally in 1805 it conquered Kangda valley across the Sutlej River. By 1809 Napali Army conquered Kangda Fort after continuous fighting for three years. Subsequently in 1809 Nepali army was defeated and they had to retreat across Sutlej River. Concurrently as British East India Company was also in their expansion spree of colonization advanced up to Nepal’s the then border. Nepal impeded East India Company to trade with Tibet through their territory. It was in contravention to the pact between East India Company and Nepal in 1801; so dispute arose and a war was declared on 1^st of November 1814 against Nepal by British East India Company.. However, that was the first time ever the British identified the valor of Gorkha army. After a tough fight for about six months, on 28^th April 1815 both the belligerent parties called cease fire and reached an agreement. Nepal parted its holding on area lying between Mahakali and Sutlej River to British East India Company and there was another treaty demarking Nepal’s border in east ceding the area it captured earlier between Mechi River and Sikkim and Dinajpur in Bengal including entire Terai to East India Company. On 4^th March 1816 the final treaty was signed between both parties. It is known as Sugauli treaty and at the same time some part was returned to Nepal stretching between Koshi and Tapti river as by then British started recognizing Gurkhas potentiality in their future army.

(To be continued...........................)

Kolkata

2010-10-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

The festive season in Bengal starts around this time of the year. lt starts with 'Durga Puja', as 'Nava Ratri' elsewhere. Kolkata being capital of West Bengal , the celebration is most ostensible and decorative here. The four days of celebration invites people from all over the states and beyond. The spirit runs so high that it stalls the movements of Metro ( the city as well as its underground railway system). There is distinct difference of the Kolkata's temperament in comparison with other metros across the country. Say , in Mumbai the 'Ganesh Puja' is celebrated with equal zeal and spirit. But sooner the celebration is over people are back to track. You find the city is in the same usual mood full of activities. But Kolkata stands apart. After the 'Durga Puja' at least for a week the city as well as Kolkatans suffer from hang-over. This is evident every where. The roads are more or less empty., traffic congestion is missing. People are not running anymore rather they are drooling. Even the sky remains gloomy. As if everything, the living or others , is submerged in a state of grief seeing off Goddess Durga on the bank of Ganges for the year!

India in 2010

2010-10-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Often I remember the speech of our Ex President Mr. K R Narayanan; he delivered on the Republican Day on 26^th January 2000, in the advent of new millennium. I may not recollect it precisely from my memory here it is what I remember “……………….. the fast track of globalization is impeding the pedestrians to cross the roads……………….”; and he predicted the civil war as one of result for this. Well he earned the then ruling party’s wrath for such speech as offending them. However, after a decade we find his prediction was right and his forecast is unfortunately correct to the hilt.

The recent outbreaks of insurgency in the backward districts of most of the states in our country stand in evidence of that. After more than sixty years of independence, many pockets of our country remain where they were in 20s! Metal roads, electricity, basic amenities like availability of safe drinking water or minimum medical facilities, educations are far cry. In most of those troubles, prone areas stand in dark contrast to these metros where we dwell. What a retributive justice having befallen on the Government when they send their men in uniforms to nab the rebels or insurgents groups. They too find it hard to accomplice their mission due the same shortcomings like lack of roads, drinking water or electricity! Funny! Isn’t it? Even Army finds it easier in enemy land to invade in terms of accessibilities or safe drinking water! The benefits of development have never reached to these millions of our underprivileged fellow Indians. This turned them rebellious as they have nothing to lose. Now more difficulties are faced by the Government to curb this militancy. There is no road, no electricity; no school but some how election is conducted every five years with lot of promises. Sooner the voting ‘Tamasha’ is over they are forgotten. Poverty, you have heard of that and used to see them in city slums but you cannot imagine the abject poverty that exists in these dark zones. The locals have no money to buy anything from market. Reports pour in that people in poverty prone backward areas survive with barely taking a meal of wild plant’s roots that they collect from forests.

God bless India.

The Widest Selection of Tickets

2010-10-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

If you are one who leads healthy life with healthy preferences for entertainment then you go ahead with this article. You must be crazy to watch your favorite sports, music or theatrical events. What bother you are the tickets in the event or more so with the seating preference! For any popular sporting events like football, basketball, tennis or any other game, any popular concerts or theater in America; you need not to worry either for tickets or for the seats. It is just a click away.

Ticketamerica.com, the licensed ticket broker offers the most popular event tickets with your choice of seats. They are reliable and extremely customer friendly. Just log into their site and get details.

Look at life this way....................

2010-10-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

Life has its own ups and downs; that's the rule. Look at history, what went up, came down at a point of time. You can say that too 'tryst with destiny'. But it happens so that at times you are depressed, frustrated and feel that life has become meaningless! Though deep within you never like to believe it. Well there should be one to remind you that you are precious to many even when you are losing the battle. Here is the 'MANTRA', read it every day, it will help you to make life meaningful:

You may not realize it,
but it's 100% true.

1. There are at least two people in this world
that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.

3.. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to
be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't
like you.

5. Every night,
SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has
turned its back on you, take another look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.

So......

How do you feel now??

Insatiable; thy name is Women!

2010-10-02T06:54:00.000-07:00

A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit the store ONLY ONCE !

There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights. There is, however, a catch. You may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.

The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.

The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking.

'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework.

'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!' Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!

BUGLE: Live humbly, there are great people around us

2010-09-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

BUGLE: Live humbly, there are great people around us: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

If you think the 'ego' is the greatest enemy within you and wanted to get rid of it; then just read the story. In fact this is not a story, it is a fact.

Invest with Care!!

2010-09-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

With the market going high and hing; most of the ordinary investors are investing in stocks and mutual fund's units that they consider promising. But unfortunately they are wrong. For the past (30) thirty years I have been observing the Indian market;the trend here , only then the small investors invest when market goes high and subsequently they lose as market falls. They believe, initially that the market is falling for corrections; as most of their popular TV channels advocate. But to their utter dismay , the market keep falling without any sigh of revival. Most of the small investors , with fear, divest and fill the pockets of the operators. Those who take the gullible investors for ride, even in these days of Globalization.

So, I urge not fall pray in the hands of operators. Small investors should divest and keep the liquidity intact. When the market falls or crashes they should pick up only the blue chips.

Not the Climate but We should change.

2010-09-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here is an article written by Sangita Jindal, the chairperson of JSW foundation.
Her article express serious concern about global warming and mankind. Here it goes -

Four years ago, I met Al Gore and saw his presentation on climate change. I don’t want to sound alarmist, but the scenario that emerged from our discussions was earth-shattering, to say the least. I realized with pain and anguish that the world as I know will never be the same again.

The snow-capped mountains, the pine and the deodar trees reaching out to the sky, clear streams meandering through with an unhurried elegance, the twittering of birds amid a golden sunset and even a waft of fresh breeze will soon become a thing of the past and a luxury no amount of money will be able to buy. Fuelled by man’s lust for senseless and insensitive development, wastelands, floods, storms, starvation, growing sea levels and submergence of low-lying areas have all become a common occurrence.

The developed world, the developing world, callous governments, insensitive people, senseless industrialization, obsession with GDP numbers — all play a part in ruining this planet. But more than finger-pointing, the right thing to do was to stand up and make a contribution, no matter how small or humble it may be. I decided then and there that the JSW Foundation would go ahead and try to make a difference.

The enormity of the problem is such that governments and policy makers the world over should strive for a global consensus. Moreover, we in India should also realize that it is in our immediate interests that we move towards a low carbon future. Some of the facts are worth mentioning here:

India is currently one of the fastest growing economies. With a share of one-sixth of the world’s population, India’s emissions are set to increase dramatically.

The frightening aspects of global warming have already manifest in India — retreating glaciers, unpredictable monsoons, floods, droughts, disappearing forest cover...

It is well-documented that the weaker sections of society will find it more difficult to cope with climate change. With 27% of the population living below the poverty line, we as Indians should come out of our complacency

Our dependence on agriculture is very high and it has been proved that even a one-degree rise in temperature will lead to a drop in wheat production by 4-5 million tonnes

Disappearing forests will not only adversely impact local climates but will also affect the livelihood of the poor people who have based their lives on forest products.

Over the years, my appreciation has grown with reference to two aspects of sustainable development that are intertwined. The first is about the felt need to evolve from packaged community welfare to enable community participation in a way that fosters environment-friendly interventions. The second aspect is about climate change mitigation and adaptation with several cross-cutting implications. The urge to understand the latter was stimulated by my Foundation’s activities on the Earth Care Awards.

We are also convinced about the need to “go beyond rhetoric and actually help mitigate and adapt”. Accordingly, we will now work on threats arising due to unplanned development, ozone layer depletion and per capita emissions and strengthen resilience of our communities through location-specific research and management inputs.

We are fortunate to have an eminent Jury for the Earth Care Awards as also for the process of helping some of the applicants as a follow-up to the awards function.

I have a great regard for individuals and organizations that are propagating and making a difference. It is such a beautiful world and if each one of us does even a little bit to help, we can nurture our earth. In our fight against global warming, the key factor should be our ability to change ourselves and respect mother earth more than we respect our faulty developmental indices.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as in being able to remake ourselves.” It is clear that it is we who need to change and not the climate.

A Joke!!

2010-07-21T09:59:00.001-07:00

This explains why I forward jokes.

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble.... At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up. 'The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump.'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word.Maybe this will explain.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes.

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes.

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes.

Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.

So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile..

You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime.

CLUB-- 99

2010-07-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

Read this story.............

Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.
One day the King came upon a Servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly Servant had so much joy. The King asked the Servant, "Why are you so happy?"

The Servant replied, "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a Roof over our heads, clthes to wear and Food to fill our tummies." The King was not satisfied with that reply.

Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted Advisor. After hearing the King's woes and the Servant's story, the Advisor said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."

"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.
The Advisor replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, we will have to place 99 Gold Coins in a bag and leave it at this Servant's doorstep."
When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... so many Gold Coins!

He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 Coins. He wondered, "What
could've happened to that last Gold Coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 Coins!" He looked everywhere he could, but that final Coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that Gold Coin and complete his collection.

>From that day onwards, the Servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th Gold Coin. He stopped singing while he worked.

Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his Advisor's help, the Advisor said, "Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club."

He continued, "The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never contented, because they're always yearning and striving for that extra "1" telling to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life."
We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, the Greed takes control of our life. We want even more & more! We loose our Sleep, our Happiness, we upset our near & dear ones, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing needs and never ending desires.

That's what joining the 99 Club is all about."
Hence, please ensure that under no circumstances you ever join "THE 99 CLUB", even if the membership is "FREE".

A journey to Rural Bengal

2010-05-27T00:48:00.000-07:00

In the sultry summer of Kolkata, a family event ushered as a relief to leave the city for two days. Not far, just a few hours journey from my place. A village near famous Tegor's "Santiniketan" was the venue. The journey by a over crowded train in reserved seats brought consolation. Embarking the train from a small station always puts you in humiliation as you look for your reserved seat; as always someone is found sitting so confidently to turn you confused! The blemish look that they throw on finding that you are legitimate claimant is sometime unbearable; at least I find so. This time they were girls at their teens and while reposing my seats to me the spew venom through their beautiful eyes. Little later I found their mother occupying a seat (not of her own) just in front of me. She was a nice lady and having missed her connecting train at Howrah, she resorted to this venture (adventure!) with her daughters. They were tourist from another Metro i.e Mumbai, visiting Darjeeling this summer. Madan Tamag's murder on previous day frustrated them a lot as they are not sure what awaits them there. Anyway I tried to console them about the plight of those tourists touring Mumbai on 26/11 (the day Azmal Kasav massacred). The result was not very encouraging. My journey was short and over by two and half hours. So I took leave of her and apologized for robbing the company of her daughters who were lurking by my side with all the eagerness to see me quit early.

With election in the corner the development works were visible all around with colorful posters of different belligerent political parties. Road to my destination is under patch or repair works, as declared by my car driver when he proposed to take longer rout. With my consent he pressed the accelerator, first time I traveled keeping the district hospital on the road side. Found several small nursing homes have mushroomed around it. The driver commented "Doctors here use the hospital as showroom, deliver the service from these nursing homes"; I understand that ,everywhere it is so. Government hospitals are just a platform provided freely to those medical practitioners to find business. Alas! doctors and medical practitioners are synonym ! So hospital derives from the word "hospitality"! All the medicinal shops were over crowded as I watched from running car as speed was low as people crossing road like buzzing bees. I thought about the road; the road to hospital is so inhospitable! Anyway sooner the ordeal was over; my car took a sharp left turn and took a hardly 8 feet wide metal road. The driver moaned the latest gift of development fails for two vehicle pass each other safely. However the road looked constructed recently and seemed to last at least the next monsoon. By then the election will be over.

I thought my next trip should match the time of next election!

Know what is extended "Auto Warranty"

2010-04-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

An extended auto warranty can be a confusing document for many people. Indeed, there are very few people who actually completely understand the terms and conditions -- and the requirements placed on the consumer -- associated with an extended auto warranty. In this article, the reader is provided with a general overview of the standard terms and conditions associated with an extended auto warranty.

By understanding the terms, conditions and provisions of an extended auto warranty, you can determine if the added protection is right for you. Do keep in mind that when you purchase a new automobile, the manufacturer provides you with a relatively comprehensive warranty at no additional charge. As a general rule, an extended auto warranty expands the term that the manufacturer's warranty will remain in place. For example, there are warranties available that will expand the length of coverage from a standard three year term to five or even ten years. (In some instances the extended warranty will also broaden the items that are covered by at least some degree.)

When considering the purchase of an extended auto warranty, you need to closely examine what precisely you will gain by paying additional money for the added protection. As mentioned, the primary benefit that can be had by purchasing most extended warranties is a lengthening of the amount of time the automobile will be protected by the warranty coverage. Extending the warranty may not make practical sense in some situations. For example, if you have purchased a new automobile that comes with standard three year warranty coverage, you will not want to obtain extended protection if you will not own the car much beyond the three year term.

Some extended auto warranty plans also expand the breadth of coverage. If you tend to be "hard" on a car, if you tend to incur a significant number of bills for auto maintenance, repair and the like, an extended and expanded warranty program that will provide broader coverage may be a perfect idea for you.

There are a number of oftentimes overlooked elements associated with an extended auto warranty that are extremely important. First of all, many extended auto warranty plans require you to obtain service work on your vehicle at a specific location. Many such plans require you to obtain service work at the dealership or at another specifically authorized service center. If you obtain service work elsewhere, you may void or cancel the warranty all together.

Another common provision on most extended auto warranty plans obliges you to obtain regular service on your vehicle within specifically delineated timeframes. A failure to obtain such service will result in the voiding or cancellation of the warranty.

In the final analysis, before you spend additional money on an extended auto warranty, you need to take the time to weigh and balance the costs and benefits, the obligations and recompenses that are associated with the proposed warranty plan. By doing your homework in advance of enrolling in any extended auto warranty plan you will make certain that you elect the coverage that best meets your particular needs.

Mutual Fund Portfolie to brave all weather

2010-03-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

Equity mutual funds perform differently in different time periods as investment styles and sectors come in and go out of favor. While screening tools readily provide performance data and make the task of identifying top mutual funds relatively easy, there is more to constructing an all-weather portfolio than screening for the top funds.

This article describes methods of constructing an all-weather portfolio. Before getting into the nitty-gritty of constructing an all-weather portfolio, it helps to know how equity mutual funds are classified and how their performance is impacted by market conditions.

Classification by Market Capitalization & Style

Equity funds are commonly classified based on market capitalization of the companies in which they invest their assets and investment style.

Market capitalization is divided into three categories: large, medium, and small. Investment style likewise is divided into three categories: value, growth, and blend.

Combining both types of classifications, equity mutual funds typically fall into one of nine boxes on a 3 x 3 matrix. This classification system works well in analyzing diversified funds.

Classification by Sector & Industry Group

Instead of dividing the equity market by market capitalization and investment characteristics such as value or growth, an alternative way is to slice it by sectors. The Global Industry Classification System jointly developed by Standard & Poor's and Morgan Stanley Capital International, for example, classifies the equity market into ten sectors, such as financials and information technology. Each sector in turn is divided into several industry groups. This classification system is particularly useful for analyzing sector funds that invest their assets in a given sector like information technology or industry group like computer hardware.

Impact of Business Cycle

The net asset value per share of a fund changes in response to the prices of stocks held in its portfolio. Generally speaking, stock prices are impacted by business conditions. The business cycle has various phases to it: Recovery, Boom, Slowdown, and Recession. Different parts of the stock market as seen from market capitalization, style, or sector perspectives perform differently in different phases of the business cycle.

Impact on Diversified Funds

Growth style funds, in general, fare well during expansion phases such as recovery and boom, and value style funds during contraction phases such as slowdown and recession. Likewise, from a capitalization perspective, small cap funds tend to perform better during expansion and large cap funds during contraction.

Looking at the most recent boom-bust cycle, Spectra Fund, a large cap-growth fund, was among the star performers during the 1997-1999 boom. Spectra gained 141% during the three-year period ending October 31, 1999. However, Spectra fared poorly during the 2000-2002 slowdown and lost 52% during the two-year period ending October 31, 2002.

In complete contrast, Hotchkis & Wiley Small Cap Value Fund, which failed to participate in the 1997-1999 boom, was among the top funds during the 2000-2002 slowdown. Following the 30% loss for the two-year period ending June 30, 2000, Hotchkis gained 88% during the two-year period ending June 30, 2002.

Impact on Sector Funds

Like diversified funds, certain sector funds tend to perform better during some phases of the business cycle. Sector funds that invest in economically sensitive sectors such as technology typically tend to perform better during expansion phases. Sector funds that invest in economically less sensitive sectors like consumer staples typically tend to perform better during contraction phases. As a result, a sector fund that performs best in one time-period may not perform as well in another time-period.

Among the 41 Fidelity sector funds, Fidelity Select Energy Services was the top fund in 2005 with a 54% gain. However in 2003, the same fund gained just 8% to be the worst performer.

Constructing an All-Weather Portfolio

Can one select the top fund by knowing what stage the business cycle is in? Unfortunately, things do not get that easy.

Getting the turning points of the business cycle right is less than a science. Although certain styles and sectors are expected to do better during particular stages of the business cycle, there is no certainty they will do so each time. Additionally, stock prices tend to anticipate and lead the business cycle. The performance of a fund therefore usually varies from one economic cycle to another.

So, rather than chase the top funds, a prudent course is to construct a robust, all-weather portfolio.

A) Constructing with Diversified Funds

One way to construct an all-weather portfolio is to use diversified funds that emphasize different types of market capitalizations and investment styles. To simplify the task, one may construct a portfolio using a large cap-growth fund, a large cap-value fund, a small cap-growth fund, and a small cap-value fund.

In evaluating funds in each category, focus on the long-term track record and see how the funds have fared in different market environments. Complement this by evaluating each fund on non-performance-based metrics such as manager tenure, price volatility or risk, mutual fund fees, and mutual fund fiduciary grade. Choose the best available fund in each category and build your portfolio with managers of a 'dream team' caliber.

Alternatively, if you want to restrict yourself to only one fund to start with, you may consider a total market index fund which spans all capitalizations and styles.

B) Constructing with Sector Funds

Sector funds can also be used to construct an all-weather portfolio. This approach offers the advantage of creating customized diversified portfolios by including sectors and industry groups which are likely to outperform the market indexes and excluding those which are likely to under-perform.

The reward potential can be enhanced by concentrating in a few sectors or industry groups. Diversification across several sectors and industry groups serves to mitigate risk. By optimizing the balance between concentration and diversification, one can achieve superior nominal and risk-adjusted returns.

A groan grasps the peanut near the offending anthology.

2010-02-01T06:53:00.001-08:00

A groan grasps the peanut near the offending anthology.

Program for Roomster Affiliate

2010-01-31T09:10:00.000-08:00

Start earning with your blog or site by signing up for roomster affiliate program. They pay you 50 ¢ for every lead you send them or 50% of every new sale, means, you send traffic they pay you for it. So, sites with high traffic, do not miss the chance to boost up your earning with this affiliate program.

India is on Reverse Gear !!!

2009-10-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

In the advent of current millennium 2000; on the Republic Day i.e 26th January 2000, during Presidential address to the nation, the then President K R Narayanan foretold “ ………….. the first track of globalization is impeding the pedestrians to cross the road;………………. this may lead to civil wars…………………”; and now we find that he was true. Though he did not get second tenure to continue as President of India, what is presumed that he offended the Government by making such statement that revealed the bitter truths.
During the past nine years after we entered into this millennium, lots of incidents have taken place like Iraq war, global depression and obviously further increase of terrorists insurgencies all over the world; specially this part of the planet. With the growing population in India, the greater part of Indian population appears to roll on back gear, furthering themselves from the improvements that were promised by the global community while advocating of globalization. The parameters set by United Nations to gauge the quality of life considering factors like health, education, nutrition, incidents pre and post natal deaths and several other factors for the entire nation; unfortunately in India only at the best 20% can be considered to meet the expected level but the rest are falling far behind. The statistics presented by government only avow Shaw’s version that lies are three types, plain lie, lie and statistics. So what is claimed as achieved showing the rosy pictures in terms of improvement of common men’s life in India is not true and this is evident with anti government movements like naxalite’s insurgencies. Now the government too admits the fact that lots are to be done to bring the backwards at par for enabling them to benefit from globalization.
Right now, they are reeling under tremendous pressure of inflation, exorbitant price rise and dwindling wages. Will this improve in the near future to avoid further worsening of the situation? The answer is obviously negative, as there is no sign in any action initiated seriously by the politicians ushers hope. In India the democracy never means ‘government for the people, by the people, of the people’; it is .. Government for the power, by the power, of the powerful!

Live humbly, there are great people around us

2009-10-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

A short while ago, I received a mail containing this story from one of my friend. Well; way back in 70s, while serving Indian Air Force as an Airman and volunteering for Air Force Commando's duty I too had similar experience. Only difference none got Vir or Param Vir Chakra; it reminded ' many a flowers born in desert; remain unseen forever...........; anyway here goes the story

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned chair car of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought; he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do !!

He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop.

Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized."

"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look.

He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and well built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school.

He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.

"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."

Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."

For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very complex."

"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply.

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone." Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing." He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.

"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"

The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium..

This was something big and beyond his imagination. "You design and code such things."

"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."

"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, "so your life is easy now."

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality. To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."

Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth. "My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire".

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.

"I know sir, I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire." He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time. "There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."

"You are a...?"

"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier. On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself. He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded........his own personal safety came last, always and every time."

"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."

Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for
whom valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.

The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.

"It was nice meeting you sir."

Vivek fumbled with the handshake. This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.

It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Vikram Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra (Medal), the nation's highest military award.

Live humbly, there are great people around us.
--

Elder's Day !!

2009-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

1st October is observed as 'Elder's Day' off late; I became aware of this sooner I opened my morning news paper. An advertisement given by government's social welfare department urging to observe the day as 'Elder's Day' caught my attention. We are used to see of such dedicated 'Days' are reminded by the retailers or companies dealing in consumer's goods, jewelers et el. Then it crossed my mind that they don't expect much from this segment of our society, they remain neglected by their immediate family members or wards; so who would buy gifts for them! Remaining in the twilight zone of my life, the thoughts are painful! Is not it?

2009-09-20T23:35:00.001-07:00

Pollutions by 'DAL MILLS' in KOLKATA

2009-09-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

I took note of a surprising news on pollutions, that too in one of the great metro city in India, Kolkata. It appears that 'Dal Mill" owners have taken a holiday from any directive of pollution control. In India, there is nothing that does not go in connivance with the enforcing authority. Because in that case both the parties benefit. Of course at the cost of public in general, and in this case the public health is put under hazards; not to say about those labors who work in those mills. Just log into the story published in this blog Opinions & Views.

Spam Mails

2009-08-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

Spam Mails

These days most of us find our mail boxes are filled with spam mails. Thank Google; as it started offering 2GB capacity of individual free mail box and the suit was sooner followed by all like yahoo, hotmail and other service providers. Earlier, it used to be common experience for many of us finding the mail box packed upto the brim with spam mails. It was a nasty way to jam anyone’s mail box. The spammers and the spam mails are similar in nature and subjects, most of them are originated from West African countries pleading to retrieve million of dollars from some unscrupulous financial companies who need your personal details to deliver the funds. Many complaints of cheating have been pouring in from naïve internet users for fraudulent use of their bank accounts or personal details. Off late, there is some awakening due to wide publicity by specially in print media. But still lots to be done to curtail such mails as many of them are cocktailed with virus and spy wares. Here below I give you some typical spam mails. You can set your spam filter in your mail box to deliver straight the spam mails to spam mail box.
A typical spam mail is mostly like this :

“Nice to Meet You.
Greeting in The Name of God.

Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I really know that it will be very starnge to you,but it is Gods Direction,so please i apologise for the disturbance,May God bless you and fortify you.

I am Mariam Barry the only daugther of late Mr and Mrs Lambert Barry from the republic of sierra loene. My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant based in Abidjan, the economic capital of Cote D'Ivoire before he was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outing to discuss on a business deal.

When my mother died on the 21st October 1992, my father took me so special because I am motherless. Before the death of my father on 27th June 2005 in a private hospital here in Abidjan. He secretly called me on his bedside and told me that he has a sum of $6.500.000 left in a Bank here in Cote d'ivoire, that he used my name as her only daugther for the next of kin in deposit of the fund.

Further more he also explained to me that it was because of this wealth and some huge amount of money his business associates supposed to balance him from the deal they had that he was been poisoned.He then advised that I should seek for a God fearing foreign partner in a country of my choice who will assist me and transfer this money and use it for investment purpose, then I would want you to provide your personal contacts including your phone/fax number for easier communication.

I am honourably seeking your assistance in the following ways.
1) I want you to help me transfer this money from the Bank here and transfer it to your account for onward investment in your country.
2) You are going to be the manager of this fund and also my personal guardian until I finished my studies as I'm just 20 years old..
3) You are going to procure admission for me to continue my studies in one of the known university in your country.
4) Moreover, I am willing to offer you 25% of the sum as compensation for effort input after the successfully transfer to you from the Bank here. And I am willing to proceed with you as soon as I have your response.

Anticipating to hear from you soon.
Thanks and God bless.
Best regards,
Miss Mariam Barry”
Beware of them!

Global Warming

2009-08-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Many of my readers must be quite younger than me. I am heading fast to strike the golden age of 60. Sixty years, after all, are sufficient and supposed to have offered me ample scope to watch the, if not the world, but the environment where I do live. In this part of planet where I live ( India, South Asia)the climate has changed remarkably. This time it should be the rainy season but this year it is without rain. It is not drought; but irregular rain, at least not what it used to be earlier. So, the same is being experienced by my friend Paulo in Sau Paulo in Brazil, he is of my age.
So, the same phenomena is reported from most of the part of the globe. We all are agreed on one point, it is due to Global Warming. So, my young readers what you find to-day, when you reach our age it may be different if you don't preserve this world in a better way. No emission no pollution, is the key word, keep this in your mind, if you with to leave a better world to live in.

2009-07-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

IT Industries - The Savior

2009-07-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

The social sites or dating sites are gaining more and more popularity by every passing days. People with access to internet mostly engaged themselves with these sites when they are free. In fact movies or TVs became popular as they offered a space in day to day life that is monotonous. The world of fantasy or depicting realty helps escape viewers for some time cutting down their stress level. Not that they are not popular any more, they still are firm in their place albeit with little intensity. Now the new entrant internet has replaced the movies or TVs at least with those having easy access to it.
In fact internet overtook the movie or TV shows in terms popularity because it offers to interact. This interaction has drawn the vast internet users to dating or social sites like Google’s Orkut or Tagged, Persoft and many more. These sites truly opened new vistas for millions of internet users all over the world. Now it is quite usual that a person sitting right in a .remote village of Myanmar is connected through internet to another in Los Angles, USA. He can chat with him, exchange ideas , explore business feasibilities across the globe. Earlier Hollywood movies might have brought the stars on the screen before the Myanmarees; now it is possible to interact! So, truly the internet has turned our planet to global village.
The immense potentials of internet in terms of data and information making available to anyone is revolutionary. Even during the current global meltdown, when the economy in most big economies are in a bad state, industries have slowed down their production due to lack of demands; workers are being laid off; unemployment and recession have overcast its shadow in vast part of global economy. Experts believe the current depression can match only with great depression of 1930s; that took no less than twenty years to recover and its recovery became faster due to Second World War, thanks to Hitler and associates!
As the great depression of last century could shorten its term due to devastation of world war II; as it offered the stupendous scope to rebuild that required many fold increase of industrial production, so this time it is going to be internet or the information technology. It too offers the great scope of expansion throughout the world and that requires the multi fold increase of IT related industrial production. Though there is hiccup in the information technology industries evident currently but there are signs of recovery already. In fact this industry so far has been proceeding forward with innovation; that demanded much investment on research and study. Now with the global recession setting in, it can go for expansion since that would absorb the excess manpower. There is a tremendous scope for these industries in the entire third world. Next to power, the entire third world is waiting for the exposure to this new technological revolution.

CRYSTAL BALL !! KNOW WHAT AWAITS YOU

2009-07-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

Make Your Own Crystal Ball

Your Cell Phone

2009-05-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your vehicle, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)

There are a few things that can be done in times of severe
emergencies.

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or a crisis tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST
Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find Yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to Establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the vehicle?

Does your vehicle have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys In the vehicle and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone... Hold your cell phone about a foot From your vehicle door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your vehicle will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your vehicle, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our vehicle over a cell phone!'

THIRD
Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.

If your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally.....

FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Yamaha Rhino Rollovers Vicitms

2009-04-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

The much hyped all terrain vehicle Yamaha Rhino ATV has failed to meet expectations of the users and belied what the company claimed at the time of its launch. Many of its users had bitter experience using it as it is defectively designed. It is reported that many death and injuries are associated with this particular ATV. Yamaha Rhino ATV seems to have less stability during manoeuvre and it rollovers causing accidents to its riders, injuring them; specially breaking their legs.

It is considered that the vehicle’s lack of wideness causes its instability. It is a top heavy vehicle, so it has a high center of gravity; making it more susceptible for rollovers. It’s small tyres is another cause of accidents; is felt.
If you are unfortunate victim Yamaha Rhino Rollover you have all the right for compensation. The company though did not admit their faulty design but offered free doors and handholds for safer rides. This is being given to the owners of 2004-2007 ATV models. This despite of their non admittance of faulty design construes to the act of follow-up covering measures. If you suffered from any injury due to Rhino rollover, you can file a law suit and there are several law firms are helping the the victims.

How the Life is amidst of these surroundings?

2009-04-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Imagine the life amidst of these surroundings. I have been browsing the web idle, by chance I came upon a site with these free photographs. They truly captivated me, so I prefer to share them with you. Hope you will appreciate.

A Story with message

2009-03-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them, ” Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstances, in every place and in every time. In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? One answer for all questions? Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me? Tell me is there any mantra?”

All the wise men were puzzled by the King’s question. They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper, with a condition that the king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he can see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

Some time later, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. The King had to flee on his horse. The enemies were following him. getting closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished…and he could not return because it was a small road…the sound of enemy’s horses was approaching fast. The King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was - ” THIS TOO SHALL PASS”

The King read it . Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes ! This too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his
pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies.

Like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm came on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that
such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom.

The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were near him.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fanfare. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in festive mood. Flowers were being showered on King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself,” I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to
defeat me. With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”.

He became silent. His face went through a total change -from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness. If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not
yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by. We are witnesses of all this. We are the perceivers. Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life. This too will pass. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they
permanent? They all come and pass away.

Life just passes away. There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all
setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. The problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin.
They both will pass away.

You are just a witness of change. Experience it, understand it, and enjoy the present moment -
this too shall pass!

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Ten Commandments for Peace of Mind
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

1. Do Not Interfere In Others' Business Unless Asked
2. Forgive And Forget
3. Do Not Crave For Recognition
4. Do Not Be Jealous
5. Change Yourself According To The Environment
6. Endure What Cannot Be Cured
7. Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
8. Meditate Regularly
9. Never Leave The Mind Vacant
10. Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret

Think over it

2009-03-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

In Pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a trade name and generic name. For example, the trade name of Tylenol also has a generic name of Acetaminophen. Aleve is also called Naproxen. Amoxil is also called Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen

The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra.

After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that it has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin. Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.

Pfizer Corporation announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of 'cocktails', 'highballs' and just a good old-fashioned 'stiff drink'. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of MOUNT & DO.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

.

Bangalore - The Information Technology city

2009-02-17T10:28:00.000-08:00

We all have heard of brain drain. It is the phenomenon of meritorious students from third world countries like India migrating to developed countries especially like United States. Of course this helps propel India in global stage in terms of its contribution in running world class corporate like Microsoft or Pepsi and several other organizations with some Indians sitting at the top of these companies. This clan of immigrants also feeds Indian coffer with their remittance in foreign exchange. Though, time and again there are many so-called nationalists are found bemoaning, shedding crocodile’s tears, for the brain drain. That is had they been here, they could contribute for the advancement of their own country. None better than them know it is next to impossible, since nothing thrives better than corupptons, casts and reservations here.
But there is change in wind direction. Since 2003, between 50000 to 60000 Indian information technology professionals have returned to India for better prospect. Mostly to the suburbs of Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore; it may be called “brain gain”.
Bangalore, a home for 2.32 million people boast to host the returnees with best pay package, as per the industry sources. Those who have returned to India from abroad, claims they get the best pay package here. And that is sufficient to lead far better and comfortable life here than elsewhere in foreign land.
Bangalore hosts 1000 information technology firms and more than 10000 US-dollar millionaires. Though India’s technology and out sourcing business booms and expects to touch $52 billion during 2007-2008 fiscal, the wage inflation in Bangalore is around 50% a year. It is comparable next to California in the context of highly sophisticated tech works.
So, here too, outsource is the answer. And that is being done. The business is outsourced from less costly countries like Vietnam or China. Where; wage is still lesser than here. Still better, some of the Indian cities like Calcutta, Chennai and Hyderabad have joined the row, since they are 30% cheaper than Bangalore. So the future of Bangalore is uncertain.

Blood tranfusion and hepatitis B -- References

2009-01-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

My readers, who took interest to read the academic article " Blood transfusion and hepatitis B", must be interested in the details of reference. The article is written in Harvard style and the reference are published in the given my blog "The Onlooker".

Blood Transfusion and Hepatitis B....Concluded

2009-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

The articles related to blood transfusion and hepatitis B infection have been published in three installments earlier and now being concluded. Any one interested to get any such article written as this may write to kamalkali1962@yahoo.com.

A critical evaluation the laboratory tests that are available for testing blood donations for the presence of anti-HBc.

Among anti-HBc assays there are nine assays which are used by the laboratories across the world. These nine assays are divided into two groups; competitive and non-competitive. The competitive assays are Murex, AxSYM, PRISM® HBcore, PRISM® HBc, COBAS Immulite and the non-competitive assays are ADVIA and Ortho. The choice of assays depend upon the suitability of its use varies from one medical community to other and the cost factors matter too. However, in case blood transfusion, with its social objectives in mind, most of the developed and developing nations opt for those assays which are cost effective and dependable.
The prevalent tests used to determined anti-HBc, can detect a small percentage of donors with false positive results. This is hazardous and anti-HBc (IgG and IgM) tests are available commercially since 70s and around 25 licensed commercial tests are available in the market and most of them are competitive in format. They all use HBcAg recombinant alike coupled to solid phase with variations are given by different HBcAg antibody like human, mouse-monoclonals etc, adding of reducing agents and taking different system of detection like enzymes, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, radiotracers etc. Different incubation procedures influence the kinetics like temperature, time and incubation steps. All the manufacturers claim sensitivity and diagnostic specificity to be higher than 99 per cent. Though studies found different kits produce divergent results (Caspari, Beyer, Elbert, Koerner, Muss, Schunter, Uy, Gerlich, Thomssen, Schmitt. 1989). However samples that show reactivity nearing cut-off are often likely to give false positives results. All over the world it is generally agreed that there should be a international criteria that is required to be applied to the donors for determining if there is true need and distinct benefits of such anti-HBc screening or maintaining of anti-HBc screening. There are several factors are required to be taken into consideration, direct and indirect both. The financial cost factor for the additional test, the additional number of staffs and equipments required to perform the test. The other pressure on blood transfusion service like expectations of unobtainable total safe blood and at the same time the pressure on the facilities like laboratories for another test, all merit consideration. There are more crucial issues as well; loss of donations and the donors by false result interpretation and poor specificity. Another fact is; the presence of anti-HBc also speaks of immunity to HBV. The test is necessary to determine to discriminate “anti-HBc alone” from immune response to HBV, so anti –HBs tests are required to be undertaken. So as the donors found anti-HBs (+)ve above certain level, though the specific level is yet to be agreed upon internationally, should be considered as immune to HBV, so they are healthy donors However with anti-HBc test being cleared by donors ; the transfusion of safe blood is mostly ensured.

Choice of the most appropriate test, justifying choice.

In a blood transfusion center the utmost cares are required to be taken to ensure that no transfusion transmitted disease spread through transfusion. The donors are donating their blood for saving others lives and inadvertently spread diseases jeopardizing the cause are tragic. So, detecting antibody to hepatitis B virus core antigen is a essential, so the new test for detecting anti –HBc presence in donor’s blood for ensuring the safe blood transfusion. While introducing and implementing new tests, keeping the key factors like cost, laboratory facilities, manpower and time; my best choice is the Ortho HBc ELISA Test System. The Ortho HBc ELISA Test system has been evaluated for determining its ability by Microbiological Diagnostics Assessment Service (MIDAS) (Rachel, Keith.2003). It has been evaluated and stated that the ORTHO HBc ELISA Test system ranks the fourth most sensitive anti-HBc assay and it has preferred determinant role in testing algorithm of HBV confirmation and distinguish HBsAg (+)ve specimens; so as to determine whether hepatitis B virus infection is current or past. The detection of anti-HBc alone or the reactivity shows a diminishing antibody response in a past infection but when the infection is at high titre, this may be due to chronic HBsAg being carried before the emergence of anti-HBs. In such cases the blood of the donor may be infectious (Grob,Jilg, Bornhak et al 2000: Alhababi, Sallam, Tong.2003). The Ortho HBc ELISA Test system and its effectiveness has been compared with other system as well and the result of these has been published in MHRA evaluations (White, Delieu, Perry, Parry.2003: White, Perry, Parry. 2003). The assays aware evaluated with same sera specimens and the kit has been appreciated. It is stated in the report by Rachel & Keith of MHRA that “the overall sensitivity of the ORTHO HBc ELISA Test System was 97.85 for the anti –HBc IDU specimens and was ranked overall as the fourth most sensitive anti-HBc assay evaluated. The ORTHO HBc ELISA test System could have a role in HBV confirmatory testing algorithm, further to characterize HBsAg positive specimens and to assist in determining whether HBV infection is pas or current. In many countries anti-HBc assays are used to screen blood donations. In this evaluation the ORTHO HBc ELISA Test System had a specificity of more than 99% and would therefore be a good candidate for blood screening” (Rachel, Keith.2003).

Discussion on how to implement this test, considering the impact of this test across the whole Blood Service with practical details as well as responses to the results.

The blood transfusion in health care system has a social objective that is to save the precious life. Implementation of a new test to ensure the supply of safe blood to recipients is a social, ethical and human mission. Though the blood donation is voluntary like organ donation, but the donor volunteers with a missionary zeal and this is true for all the donors. Anyone associated with medical professions or health care and the general public with awareness well appreciate the necessity of total safe blood transfusion. Unfortunately that remained unobtainable so far to the extent of cent percent because of the standard tests performed with the donor’s blood fail to ensure it. The incidence of transfusion transmitted diseases is not unfound of. Though the rate of such incidence; varies from one country to other, one ethnic group to other. The morality rate due to such incidence though not alarming in developed and developing nations, but it can still be downsized further. Ensuring donor’s blood free from hepatitis B virus is likely to take few steps ahead further towards the goal of safe blood transfusion. This is evident with the results found in countries like US and Germany where such additional tests are carried out for transfusion or blood or organs.
Hepatitis B virus infection was detected decades ago for being transmitted through blood transfusion. Except US and Japan other countries could not implement anti-HBc testing for several reasons (Busch.1998: . Kleinman, Busch .2001). The published data has ignored the anti- HBc-positive units, so as a percentage of HBc positive confirmed by HBV DNA detections has never been highlighted. However the hazards existed and the persons belonging to medical and health care facilities were well aware of it. Now, HBsAg assays being available with more sensitivity, so many countries and the local group performing anti-HBc tests like Japan and Germany. The results are encouraging and evident enough for highlighting the arrest of spreading transfusion transmitted diseases as per their data. So, this evidence is convincing enough to implement a new test for anti-HBc positive detection for transfusing safe blood and arrest the spread of transfusion transmitted diseases. The writer as a manager of blood transfusion facility would not find any problem to implement the new test by convincing the staffs as well as donors.

Conclusion

In the light of above discussion necessarily of the implementation of a new test for detecting anti-HBc positive for blood donors ensuring to arrest the spread of transfusion transmitted diseases has been well explained. The donors and the recipients both will be interested for the implementation of such test. Albeit at a little extra cost; after all no one likes to jeopardize the very mission of transfusion or transplantation by allowing the transfusion transmitted diseases hazard the human life.

Blood transfusion and Hepatitis B part -III

2009-01-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Continued from Part - I & II ..........

In transfusion medicine safety of blood products is a major concern. The hepatitis B virus getting transmitted through blood transfusion is far more than the hepatitis C virus it is around 1:60000 vs 1:103000 (Schreiber, Busch, Kleinman, Korelitz. 1996). This is despite of availability of assay for screening quite sensitive to detect hepatitis B virus surface antigen or HBsAg. It is very common incidence of hepatitis B infection in post-transfusion cases (Saraswat, Banerjee, Chaudhury, Mahant,Khandekar, Gupta, et al.1996). Common explanations what offered for incorrect negative findings or results with the common assays are due to circulation of viral protein in low level. This can escape detection and screening of HBsAg mutant`s infection by assays in blood donors. Obviously this cause hazards in post blood transfusion (Jongerius, Wester, Cuypers, van Oostendorp,Lelie, van der Poel, et al.1998). Besides this other reason is cited as the higher infection caused by hepatitis C virus or HCV may offer a clearance of detection of hepatitis B. This is attributed to the dominancy of eliciting immune response by the virus of hepatitis C (Tsai, Liaw, Yeh, Chu, Kuo. 1995). One more explanation is given that the yield sequences of virus variants are not identified by the antibodies available with the assays (Carman.1997). This is because of other variants in the genom; that regulates down production of hepatitis B surface antigen (Carman, Mimms.1997). However, the aitbodies to hepatitis B core or HBC antigen are the marker of chronic, acute or resolved infection of hepatitis B virus and they remain traceable thought out the life. They are present even in absence of both HBs and HBsAg antibodies or during the recovery period after acute hepatitis B infection and even before the resurfacing anti-HBs antibodies or among patients who has been cured of hepatitis B infection and lost trace of anti-HBs antibodies. So, it is always possible to detect antibodies to hepatitis B core or HBc antigen in one who has been infected with hepatitis B virus (Lee.1997).

Discussion

The detection of anti-HBc presence and positivity of hepatitis B virus DNA in the serum of blood donors who are healthy is prevalent though their blood may show negativity for HBsAg and anti- HCV. At present in many countries for the purpose of blood donation HBsAg detection is undertaken as only and major test for diagnostic screening of hepatitis B virus in blood transfusion centers. But in varied degrees; the donated blood despite of being negative for HBsAg ,is found positive for HBc-Ag. The number in terms of percentage varies one country or ethnic group to other. It is also observed in most study reports that hepatitis B virus infection is detected with HBV-DNA traced in peripheral mononuclear cells or liver in comparison with sera or plasma (Torii, Hasegawa, Joh, and Hayashi.2003). The hypothesis offered by Brechotet et al, the blood donor groups can be divided into two certain groups; HBsAg negative and HBsAg positive (Brechot, Thiers, Kremsdorf, Nalpas, Pol,Paterlini-Brechot.2001). The subjects who are seronagative should be divided further into two sub-groups one anti-HBc (+)ve and other anti-HBc (-)ve individuals. Again the anti-HBc (+)ve subgroup may be divided in two groups with and without anti –HBs individuals. It is observed HBV-DNA presence is detected in HBsAg negative, anti-HBs positive and anti-HBc positive donors (Hennig, Puchta, Luhm, Schlenke, Goerg,Kirchner.2002: Roche, Feray, Gigou, Roque-Afonso,Arulnaden, Delvart, et al.2003). Studies found that the rate of HBV-DNA detection is highest among donors found anit-HBc positive but negative for antigen hepatits B surface antibody. Most of these donors might have suffered and subsequently recovered from hepatitis B infection but they still have HBV with a lower level. The persons with anti-HBs titre more than 10 IU/ml have no symptom of hepatitis B since they are immunized. So with some, who take vaccine may develop anti-HBc and that is indicative of infection by hepatitis B virus; but it is so in absence of any infection or disease (Zervou, Dalekos, Boumba, Tsianos.2001).

To be continued..............

Blood transfusion and Hepatitis B part -II

2008-12-25T03:59:00.000-08:00

The studies observed that more than 300 million people all over the world are infected by hepatitis B virus. This virus belongs to Hepadnaviridae family, a non-cytopathic hepatotropic DNA virus. Though there is a prophylactic vaccine deemed to be effective still the high prevalence of this virus is found in continents like Africa and Asia (Lok,. & McMahon, 2001).
Hepatitis B virus induces the liver ailments, the degree of which varies from person to person ((Ganem & Prince, 2004). The effects of infections by hepatitis B virus are controlled efficiently and cleared from the blood without any symptom or clinical evidence of liver disease by some persons. They may have inflammation severely in the liver i.e. acute hepatitis but after being resolved leave no long term squeal. There are others who cannot clear the virus and likely to develop a chronic infection but most of them may remain without any symptom and any acute liver disease, around 10 to 30 per cent of them contract cirrhosis of liver what may finally lead to liver cancer (Alberti et al., 1999 : Lok & McMahon, 2001). The adult infection rate is low , around 5 per cent or even lower but the course of infection and age persuade the effect with revelation in neonatal life progressing to a higher rate of HBV perseverance (Lok & McMahon, 2001 : Ganem & Prince, 2004). The pathogenesis in lever ailments and result of infections are determined by host and virus factors. This could not be fully understood since hepatitis B virus or HBV has the host range limited within men and Chimpanzees. The immunological response to hepatitis B virus is based upon innate immunity and that plays a rapid role after infection to restrict the spread of pathogen and trigger an effective development of adaptive response to the infection. The inborn host response during the initial phase of virus infections are characterized by creation of type 1 interferon or IFN cytokines and this activates the NK or natural killer cells. The cellular mechanism helps virus replication what produces the type 1 IFNs and that detects viral DNA or RNA presence (Alexopoulou et al., 2001: Lund et al., 2003: Heil et al., 2004). Whereas the natural killer cells or NKs are produced when molecules being stress-induced are recognized or/and modulation of the degree or quantum of MHC or major histocompatibility complex class I available on the surface of the cells which are infected (Moretta et al., 2005).

To be continued..........

BLOOD TRANSFUSION - 1

2008-12-22T06:14:00.000-08:00

Blood transfusion is not always safe for the recipients. In most of the countries , standard tests those are conducted to detect any infection in donor's blood are not full proof. I wrote an article on this for someone but the article remained with me for some reason. I would like to share the information it has with you. Since the article is long enough , I am going to publish it in few installments.

INTRODUCTION

Hepatitis B is the dreaded disease, especially when it is transmitted through blood received from donation. The detection of hepatitis B in blood became easy when hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was discovered. This helped decrease the occurrence of hepatitis in post-transfusion scenario. As such this has been a major breakthrough to arrest the spread of hepatitis B through blood transfusion. This helped the detection of hepatitis B ‘e’ antigen, hepatitis B core antigen (anit-HBc) and HBsAg as well. The common method of detecting hepatitis B infection is screening the blood by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay or ELISA for HBsAg. But this could not rule out the incidence of post transfusion incidence of hepatitis B with the receiver of blood from donor totally. This is because during a phase called “window period”, the screening of blood for detecting of the viral presence does not work fully. During this period the virus of hepatitis B can escape the detection for the serological response of host to infection, so HBsAg can avoid detection their presence in blood though the infection of hepatitis B virus is present. This “window phase” denotes a period when the disease is carried but not effective, so this poses a definite hazard to the recipient of blood from the donor who is going through “window phase”. It necessitates during the `the window period` marking the antibody of hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) which could serve as a serological marker of hepatitis B infection.
The conventional blood tests fail to serve this purpose. That is why blood transfused from apparent healthy donors with anti –HBc of IgG variety; that may not affect the donors due to presence of high anti bodies of HBsAg (anti HBs) since they are protective in nature. But it may infect the healthy recipient with the virus of hepatitis B in case of blood transfusion from such donors. In many ethnic groups or countries; there are high incidences of presence HBsAg, so it is obvious that there is lots of scope for inadvertently transfusing HBV infected blood. Therefore the need arose for a marker that should be used for blood screening on such population while they are on such “window period or phase”. A marker what helps to detect the presence of hepatitis B virus during this period (Hoofnagle, Seef, Bales, et al.1978 : Douglas, Taswell, Rakela, Rabe.1993) by screening the donors blood for anti –HbcAg antibody amongst the IgM type and at the same time detecting the antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen IgM type i.e anti-HBcAg in the donor population.

To be continued................

A "Bullet proof" of our trueself !

2008-12-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

The recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai has raised another question. It is not from the public in general;in India public,s voice is not suppressed but simply ignored. Our great politicians with their hide that could put Rhinos ashamed have learnt the best art of governing in a way that can match a dictator but unfortunately with democracy!
This time it is no lesser than a cabinet minister Anatuley; who raised the question about those bullet proof jackets , what mocked its name presenting us the bullet ridden bodies of it's wearers. That too, a man like Karkare, a man of principal and unearthed the skeletons of Malegaon massacre masterminds, digging the moral grave of our politicians. The other question is who the man was to order all the three of them together, who were shoveling the Malegaon episode! That too, they were sent to a comparatively far less hazardous terror spot. Who killed them? It reminds me inscriptions on the back of highway trucks "My India is great" !!

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

2008-11-22T22:02:00.000-08:00

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is disease found in 8 to 10% school going children. The boys are three times more susceptible to this syndrome than girls, reason is not known yet. Diagnosing ADHD; sans any clinical tests like other common diseases. Clinical judgment taking into account of all symptoms associated with ADHD is the method of diagnosing ADHD.
Doctors need to collect information from both the parents and the teachers. Children with ADHD act without thinking. They may understand how they are expected to do but may not be able to act accordingly. They are inattentive, cannot sit idle; at the same time know not what to do. Of course all the kids behave sometimes this way but not all the time. With their growing age they gradually get collected and settled. ADHD is diagnosed when such behavioral pattern prolongs for long time and does not show the sign to recede.
The symptoms of ADHD may be absent in doctor’s chamber. The children face different challenges at home and school. So the observations at home and school may differ. This may compel the parents and teachers hold different perspectives. Say, the parents can observe how a child responds to chores or the temptations at stores. The teacher at school may observe how a child concentrates, listen intently, manage with tasks and remain unperturbed by the activities of other children. When parents and teachers agree with their observation, it becomes easy for the doctor to diagnose. Obviously it does not happen all the times. Then the task of diagnosing ADHD becomes more complex.
Paper-and –pencil questionnaires are helpful to diagnose ADHD. It helps to collect information fast. This helps to compare the child to so-called normal group. One set of questionnaires are specifically on the symptoms of ADHD. The other set compiles the questionnaires focusing broad range of problems. They are related to medical and psychological, this may imitate to ADHD. Both the questionnaires are useful.
Questionnaires and the careful interview with medical history and physical examination of child help a lot to conclusive diagnosis. The interview should cover pregnancy and birth; any accident or mishap, temperament; past and present illness; the family history of any ADHD related condition. If there is any stress at home or in the neighborhood! Taking all these factors into account and eliminating the chances of other problems that may pose like ADHD, the doctor can detect a child with ADHD by clinical judgment.

Ramadan War and Oil crises

2008-11-22T04:14:00.000-08:00

The cars are in long queue for gasoline, 1979
Great depression was confronted with “New deal”, mooted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. That comprised many relief program for jobless and farmers. It undertook business reforms, including minimum wages and maximum weekly working hours. It’s fruits are still very much in system till today in US like social security, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Housing Authorities. After World War II, American economy got stabilized and continued to swell till 1970s.

In 1973, in the month of October Syria and Egypt declared war against Israel, on the very day of Jewish atonement or Ramadan. The war lasted for 20 days and is known as Ramadan War or Yom Kippur War. The Arab forces were defeated by Israel and that angered them. They stopped exporting oil to US, Western Europe and Japan. The oil price skyrocketed, the Wall Street rocked again. It lost $97 billion in just six weeks! US and other crises stricken nations curtailed consumption of fuel by rationing. The world economy is very much dependant on the whims of these OPEC countries, as we found recently crude price touched all time high $147 per barrel. However, the oil inflicted most damaging shock to global economy after the great depression in 1973.

Safeguard Middle Class's Money!

2008-11-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

It is observed that middle class suffers most or lose maximum in terms of their money or savings, when any financial crises creeps in. Every time the share markets go tumble tosser, they are caught napping or on wrong foots. The rich and super riches can withstand the blow of market crash. The poor are not directly affected by it due to their non exposure. So, the victims are middle class people.
The current crash in stock market is a global phenomenon. The Wall Street is the origin, the sub-prime crisis is responsible and the result is global recession. There is hue of demand slump, layoffs, and interest rate cuts all over. India is not totally insulated from these vagaries. This the time one should be more wise to safe guard his investments or savings. No one knows for the sure; when stock market will bottom out. It may take any length of time. It took 3-4 years for the market to bottom out after the Wall Street crash in 1929. Finally when market bottomed out, the stock prices lost to the tune of 89% from the level of pre crash prices! It may not happen this time again or god forbids, it may be further worse.
Indian investors should put their money in debt funds through mutual fund route. The net asset value of such funds goes against the market. When the interest rates are lowered their NAV goes higher. Other stock market related options are gold ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). They are all weather proof funds, like gold. Their record shows that they have consistent yields. Then there are index funds, they are also safe, but it is better to invest in them through SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) in current unpredictable market.
This is the right time to keep your money in bank deposits. The interest rate is high, likely to be lowered soon. Other option is Public Provident Fund, though there is a limit, one can put maximum Rs70000/- in a financial year. It enjoys the tax relief and it’s interest rate is 8% p.a. That too is exempted from income tax. The mutual funds scheme under Fixed Maturity Plan may be another attractive option. Even that invites tax; it’s yield may be high enough.

A Poem "DEATH"

2008-11-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

Here I post a poem , once sent by one of unknown fried in Google's community. The title of the poem is "DEATH"; the most mystic, blurred and obscure fact in our life. Thought to share with you;

It was early in the morning at four,
When death knocked upon a bedroom door,

Who is there? The sleeping one cried.
I'm Malkul Mawt(the angel of death), let me inside.

At once, the man began to shiver,
As one sweating in deadly fever,

He shouted to his sleeping wife,
Don't let him take away my life.

Please go away, O Angel of Death!
Leave me alone; I'm not ready yet.

My family on me depends,
Give me a chance, O please prepense!

The angel knocked again and again,
Friend! I'll take your life without a pain,

Tis your soul Allah requires,
I come not with my own desire.

Bewildered, the man began to cry,
O Angel I'm so afraid to die,

I'll give you gold and be your slave,
Don't send me to the unlit grave.

Let me in, O Friend! The Angel said,
Open the door; get up from your bed,

If you do not allow me in,
I will walk through it, like a Jinn.

The man held a gun in his right hand,
Ready to defy the Angel's stand.

I'll point my gun, towards your head,
You dare come in; I'll shoot you dead.

By now the Angel was in the room,
Saying, O Friend! Prepare for you doom.

Foolish man, Angels never die,
Put down your gun and do not sigh.

Why are you afraid! Tell me O man,
To die according to Allah's plan?

Come smile at me, do not be grim,
Be Happy to return to Him.

O Angel! I bow my head in shame,
I had no time to take Allah's Name.

>From morning till dusk, I made my wealth,
Not even caring for my health.

Allah's command I never obeyed,
Nor five times a day I ever prayed.

A Ramadan came and a Ramadan went,
But no time had I to repent.

The Hajj was already FARD on me,
But I would not part with my money.

All charities I did ignore,
Taking usury(interest) more and more.
Sometimes I sipped my favorite wine,
With flirting women I sat to dine.

O Angel! I appeal to you,
Spare my life for a year or two.

The Laws of Quran I will obey,
I'll begin SALAT this very day.

My Fast and Hajj, I will complete,
And keep away from self-conceit.

I will refrain from usury,
And give all my wealth to charity,

Wine and wenches I will detest,
Allah's oneness I will attest.

We Angels do what Allah demands,
We cannot go against His commands.

Death is ordained for everyone,
Father, mother, daughter or son.

I'm afraid this moment is your last,
Now be reminded, of your past,

I do understand your fears,
But it is now too late for tears.

You lived in this world, two score and more,
Never did you, your people adore.

Your parents, you did not obey,
Hungry beggars, you turned away.

Your two ill-gotten, female offspring,
In nightclubs, for livelihood they sing.

Instead of making more Muslims,
You made your children non-Muslims.

You ignored the Mua'dhin Adhaan,
Nor did you read the Holy Quran.
they sing.

Breaking promises all your life,
Backbiting friends, and causing strife.

>From hoarded goods, great profits you made,
And your poor workers, you underpaid.

Horses and cards were your leisure,
Moneymaking was your pleasure.

You ate vitamins and grew more fat,
With the very sick, you never sat.

A pint of blood you never gave,
Which could a little baby save?

O Human, you have done enough wrong,
You bought good properties for a song.

When the farmers appealed to you,
You did not have mercy, tis true.

Paradise for you? I cannot tell,
Undoubtedly you will dwell in hell.

There is no time for you to repent,
I'll take your soul for which I am sent.

The ending however, is very sad,
Eventually the man became mad

With a cry, he jumped out of bed,
And suddenly, he fell down dead.

O Reader! Take moral from here,
You never know, your end may be near

Change your living and make amends
For heaven, on your deeds depends.

If this poem inspires you,
It can help someone too.

My Experience as a Writer !

2008-11-12T23:42:00.000-08:00

After a long gap, I am here at it again. You may be thinking that I am on long vacation or busy elsewhere! No, I was neither on vacation nor busy elsewhere. In fact I remained busy here, trying my hands on some other job. The jobs, I heard much about available on the net, is the job of writer. And that is paying. This wooed me. I thought adding few bucks besides my salary is not a bad idea. After all, who does not like add something more to his purse that can be spent comfortably? So I jumped in to it. Tell you frankly, it kept me quite busy after my office hours. I forgot to watch good many days the news channel in TV or my evening session of news paper reading. My wife encouraged me, finding I am less badgering to her for cups of tea or smoking; sitting by the side of her in my drawing room, compelling her to passive smoking. After all these days, one of our minister has vowed to take up the cudgel against the smokers, compelling them to smoke nowhere except in toilet!
The experience in my newly found job spelt interesting. My employer from US assigned me jobs like rewriting a particular topic that he gives five or ten times in five or ten different ways respectively! A poor writer like me braved the task just for a few dollars more! And tasks of such nature when continued, it stole my night’s sleep. Even sleeping seemed wastage of time. Your single word is valuable (since I was paid in a rate that was number of words per topic basis). So the sleepless nights followed by sleepy days. I found me sleeping past the stoppage where I should get down for attending my office. The same happened while visiting one of closed friend. I fell asleep when she went to kitchen for a cup of tea! Well, I assured myself it is just matter of time. After all, all the babies do have teething trouble. It goes when he grows. So, this is all initial hitches, I shall remain awake like a Station Master in night and like a Post Master during day time. Sleeping is truly a waste of time. Gone are the days of killing time by watching TV serials, or movies. Back home, I am always on computer. Paraphrasing, re-writing started monotonous, so I asked for some other kind of job. My kind employer was just ready with that. He offered some time bound writing of dissertation jobs. They are more fetching. My first assignment was on a subject of nuclear medicine! Imagine, being a financial advisor by profession, with subjects like history and international relations in my graduation level; writing dissertation on a topic that relates nuclear medicine! Hope you understand the trauma; but I did. That too before the deadline approached. But I felt the nuclear in my body cells are not becoming rebellious. Felling dizzy during business hours, the computer screen becoming blurred in the evening, what still remained wooing is the charm of dollars!
But that charm did not work long. One fine morning my mentor, sent back my assignments telling, there are many errors. I took my time to find them out. Surprising, when I read it, I could not believe that it was written by me! But, to my dismay, I checked with my own copy, it was the same. I understood, thus far no further. So, I am back here again with you; any comment?

Married life is like that !!

2008-10-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

Many great personalities opined about their conjugal life or observation of married life; few of them are compiled here for your perusal:

David Bissonette
When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.

Sacha Guitry
After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together.
Hemant Joshi
By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates
Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them.
Dumas
The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?
Sigmund Freud
I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.
Anonymous
"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
Henny Youngman
"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years."
Sam Kinison
"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage."
James Holt McGavran
"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't."
Patrick Murray
Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming
1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
Nash
The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once...
Anonymous
You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to.
Henny Youngman
My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Rodney Dangerfield
A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
Milton Berle
Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.
Anonymous
A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
Anonymous
First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"
Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."
Anonymous
I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.

A Joke

2008-10-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

Here goes a joke, that I received from one of my friends.Though I feel bit crude about it but at the same time can not deny it's reality. Can anyone tell me , what the joke suggests, why at all it should be in that way?

Read carefully, if you can,

Before marriage......

He: Yes. At last. It was so hard to wait.
She: Do you want me to leave?
He: No! Don't even think about it.
She: Do you love me?
He: Of course! Over and over!
She: Have you ever cheated on me?
He: No! Why are you even asking?
She: Will you kiss me?
He: Every chance I get.
She: Will you hit me?
He: Are you crazy! I'm not that kind of person!
She: Can I trust you?
He: Yes.
She: Darling!

After marriage....

Simply read from bottom to top !

A sweet song

2008-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

The American Rock musics or other songs are the heart throbs of young generations. I do not appreciate them sometime for the extra decibels they pour in my ear drums. But what captivates me,is their lyrics; with so simple terms they carry such deep meanings of life is truly amazing sometime. Such is this I quote here from one them, what I have been sent by one of friends, whom I must salute ,for introducing them to me:

You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere

Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
You got a fast car
And I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision

2008-09-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

2008-09-25T05:29:00.001-07:00

A STORY --- THAT TOUCHED MY HEART

2008-09-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

You never know if these stories are true but this is a good one
'Watch out! You nearly broad sided that car!' My father yelled at me.
'Can't you do anything right?'
Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.

'I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving.' My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil.

What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived.

But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of t he sympathetic voices that answered. In vain. Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, 'I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article.' I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons: too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed. Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. 'Can you tell me about him?' The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement.

'He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow.' He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. 'You mean you're going to kill him?'

'Ma'am,' he said gently, 'that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog.'

I looked at the pointer again The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. 'I'll take him,' I said.

I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch.

'Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!' I said excitedly.

Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. 'If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it' Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples.

'You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!' Dad ignored me. 'Did you hear me, Dad?' I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate.

We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw.

Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. 'Be not forgetful to entertain strangers.'

'I've often thanked God for sending that angel,' he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article...

Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter. his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father. . and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.
Life is too short for drama & petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly.
Live While You Are Alive.
Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.

And if you don't send this to at least 4 people - who cares?
But do share this with someone. Lost time can never be found.

A Poem so Touchy !

2008-09-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

One of my friend forwarded me a poem what has been sent by one of her student from US. She is currently engaged with some research work that relates to the most critical (!) subject at least for me- Mathematics. But that never made her to lose her taste buds for mellifluous, touchy poems. I know not who is poet but my kudos for him or her. Here it goes..............

..I kept the right ones out
And let the wrong ones in
Had an angel of mercy to see me through all my sins
There were times in my life
When I was goin' insane
Tryin' to walk through
The pain
When I lost my grip
And I hit the floor
Yeah, I thought I could leave but couldn't get out the door
I was so sick and tired
Of a livin' a lie
I was wishin' that I
Would die

It's Amazing
With the blink of an eye you finally see the light
It's Amazing
When the moment arrives that you know you'll be alright
It's Amazing
And I'm sayin' a prayer for the desperate hearts tonight

That one last shot's a Permanent Vacation
And how high can you fly with broken wings?
Life's a journey not a destination
And I just can't tell just what tomorrow brings

You have to learn to crawl
Before you learn to walk
But I just couldn't listen to all that righteous talk
I was out on the street,
Just a tryin' to survive

Cooling Time !

2008-09-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

The oil price is cooling, it touched $99 per barrel and settled around $103 today. At the same time dollar is firming against INR and hoovering around Rs44-45/- per dollar band. Obviously the gain in the fall of Crude price is being off set by the appreciation of dollar for the oil importing companies (that includes all) in India. So, the concerned ministry has announced that they are not mulling any immediate reduction in oil price. In fact they are projecting how much being subsidized per liter of petrol,diesel, kerosene and LPG cylinder. What is surprising they never highlight how much direct and indirect taxes are levied on any petroleum products. Subsidy on them means just ploughing back a slice of taxes collected on them. The inflation rate has shown the symptom to take a downward trend. May be the better time is back or likely to be back in another two months. Monsoon appears to be good , though it has caused havoc in some areas causing flood or river overflowing or changing its course. In Bihar , particular the change of course by Koshi, has created catastrophe and government has declared it as national disaster. Already Rs1000 crores are offered as aid by the central government to the flood victims. It is not difficult to guess how the money will be utilized for the cause of flood victims, but definitely it will have its own way to slow down the pace of cooling down inflation.
Well with ensuing Diwali... may be we are going to have a better time with the oil price cooling and so the commodity and metal.

Compensation in Italian Style

2008-08-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

Not many remember, in late 60s or early 70s, three movies from Hollywood in a series brought Italy in the forefront of cine-goers mind. They were “Marriage in Italian Style”, “Divorce in Italian Style” and “Ghost in Italian Style”. I remembered them with a recent development of dispensing compensation in Italian style.
News of Associated Press suggested that Italy agreed to pay Libya $5 billion as compensation for its 30-year occupation of the country in the last century. This has been to by Libyan foreign minister Mr Abdel-Rahaman Shalgam. He further claimed that Italian Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi, who is visiting Libya at present, is set to sign a memorandum pledging a $5 billion compensation package involving construction projects, student grants and pension for Libyan soldiers who served with the Italians during the Second World War (too late to consider!).
He further said “It is a material and emotional recognition of the mistakes that our country has done to yours during the colonial era” and added “This agreement opens the path to further cooperation”. In return, Italy wants Libya to crack down on illegal migrants turning up on Italian shores and will fund $500 million worth of electronic monitoring devices on the on the Libyan coastline. So, it appears that this compensation not exclusively a giveaway. The Italian Prime Minister said $200 million of the package would be for infrastructure projects over next 25 years, including a coastal highway stretching across the country from Tunisia to Egypt. However, such generous gesture despite its not being without terms is unique in the history of colonial rules. How about Britain, having ruled almost half of the globe; except forming a worthless commonwealth, can the British be expected to follow the Italian queue? At least for their “Jewel in the crown” i.e. India!
‘

LOVE LETTER

2008-08-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the present generations would laugh at ; exchanging love letters or mailing them to distant lovers at our times. The e-mail, SMS, cellular phones have made those things obsolete. With mobile phones they feel they are always in touch with each other. I feel pity for them, why you know? They never come to know after dropping the first love letter in the mail box, how we kept waiting for its reply for days. How those intermediate days use to lose its pace with every passing days. Looking at letter box , off and on, in odd hours when usually there use to be no chance of mail delivery, with a hope against hope for the desired mail. Intense the wait, intense the love that usually got projected in the next letter that followed the previous one`s reply. There is no account how many hearts might have broken for the missing mail that contained the first lover letters of the lovers. Obviously they were never responded, frustrating their writer, who always took it granted she was not for him. Those with more confidence, tried with another and few must have been successful. But many like me never wrote to her again to avoid the agony of refusal. In fact , the love in those days use to spurt on the first sight and the communication use to be limited within meeting the eyes. Innocence took better, many a times, frequent leers or blushful smiling glances girls were taken as symptom consent. So love letter followed, very few were responded and fewer were in affirmation. Young lovers think of their plight! Still the waits, the smiles, the blushes, the leers offered a feeling that could only be felt through our spinal chord! To me love without those feelings does not much sense; how about you?

CATCH THE LIAR

2008-08-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

If you are a teacher or anyone associated to grill the pupil or public as a matter of routine job, you must surmise how to separate them who lie at ease than who speak the truth. Truly it is a tough task. In a school where hundreds of students throng, one comes up with specific complaints alleging other for the sin. But the guy looks so innocent and narrates his story so naively that it is hard to think that he ever could commit such follies. I remember a story of Mogul style of detecting the criminals by some courtesan on Mogul empire. Some suspects were brought to the court for alleged thefts. All denied having committed the crime. The courtesan, Bribal (Emperor Akbar`s court) came forward and sought permission to find the thief from the emperor. The permission was granted. He asked for some flour. That he distributed everybody one or two spoonful and put that on their palm. Asked them to make paste of flour, with their spit instantly, all did except one. He could not spit a drop, his mouth was dry. Birbal dragged him out and declared that he was the thief. The man confessed the crime, the emperor was surprised by Birbal`s intelligence and rewarded him while punishing the thief.
But stories are stories; they do not stand the test of time. However a recent finding as narrated by Dr Sharon Leal, co-author of the study at Portsmouth University states that if a person is telling lie, his eye would blink less while he is lying than the person who is speaking truth. But if you keep watch on him, afterward he would have a flurry up to eight times faster than usual. According to the report in the Mail Online, it means that blink rates could be used by professionals to catch liars. Experimenters undertaken for the study found that when questions were being asked and the answers given, the blink rate of the liars went down. Afterwards, the blink rate of the liars increased rapidly in a sudden flurry of activity, while that of the truth tellers remained the same. Is this tip of any help to you? Let me know, leave your comments.

Small Bird.. Magpies Have the Best Brain !

2008-08-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

We all know that other that human, few other mammals have intellectual prowess to recognize self. This faculty is gifted by nature to apes, elephants and dolphins were known so far. Surprisingly recently it has been observed that a small species, non mammal, a bird, the magpies have the same prowess. They too can recognize themselves in a mirrors or where ever their image is reflected. Self recognition is considered to be one of the skills of highly developed brains. It is observed that these birds can recognize themselves like chimpanzee despite being separated from mammals from 300 million years of evolutionary history.
Helmut Prior, of Goethe University in Frakfurt, says the findings demonstrate that the ability to recognize a reflection as you self, rather than seeing it as another individual, does not necessarily depend on the sophisticated mammalian brain. “Our findings provide the first Malian species” he says. “They suggest that essential components of human self-recognition have evolved independently in different vertebrate classes with a separate evolutionary history”. Dr. Prior and colleagues from Ruhr-University Bochum tested the magpie`s self-discriminatory powers in experiments involving five magpies marked with colored dots on their throats, which could only be seen by looking at their own reflection. Two of the magpies – named Gertie and Goldie – quickly learnt that the image they could see in a mirror placed in their cages was of themselves and tried to dislodge the colored dots they could see on their throat feathers. The “mark test” is frequently used as an indicator of self-recognition in animals and yang children as , if done properly, there is only one way the individual can see that the mark is on themselves rather than someone else. “A crucial step in the emergence of self-recognition is the understanding that one`s own mirror reflection does not represent another individual but oneself”, says Dr Prior, whose study has been published in the online journal, Public Library of Science Biology. “Mirror self-recognition has been shown in apes and recently, in dolphins and elephants…. Using the mark test, we obtained evidence for mirror self-recognition in the European magpie, Pica Pica. This finding shows that elaborate cognitive skills arose independently in corvids (crow family) and primates, taxonomic groups with an evolutionary history and diverged about 300 million year ago. Observations suggest that magpies are as intelligent as crows, even better than any other birds with this faculty.

HAD THEY BEEN ALIVE !

2008-08-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Every year the month of August is august to every Indian. It was in this month on 15th day of 1947, we won our independence. We celebrate with much pomp and show every year this day, the other being the 26th January, the republican day. The history of Indian freedom struggle is a long one. Many parties with various ideas sprang up all over Indian subcontinent, all with the one goal to end the British rule. Smaller parties favored the rout of arms struggle, the bigger chose more safe, wise rout and off course the never heard before non-violence rout. What actually made British to leave this country in a hurry is a matter debate now. However, Congress, Muslim league and the Prince`s Club (consisting 30 Maharajas of erstwhile States during Raj) were together on the same side of negotiation table. Later only those who were at the helm of affairs in these parties remembered most and applauded by this country as the heroes of masterminding India`s independence. Many like Netaji Subhas Bose, who took the arms against British Army, later declared by the Allied forces as war criminal along with Nazis, hordes of smaller freedom fighters, who were really brave and many of them sacrificed their life for the same cause lost in the pages of history. To –day`s generation may not be knowing their names. Sometimes they are remembered, news paper covers these stories in their smallest column, or the photograph of a Minister, while he is garlanding the freshly cleaned status of some freedom fighters. Some of his henchmen attend such functions, government money spent to host such occasions. That is it. These days a boy who is in his early 20s, would surmise that exactly 100 years ago, on this day( 11 Aug 1908), a boy in his late teens, was hanged for killing some innocent family members of tyrant colonial rulers. His name is Khudiram Bose. This writer, being born in early 50s, just after independence, remembers his childhood days. In those days, they were remembered by most of the elderly people with much respect; true respect. Though the show was much less pompous, still they believed that India would shine in near future because the sacrifices of all those men can never go in vain! But, 60 years after the independence, some time I feel that British in fact did a favor by hanging those selfless young brave men. Independent India could offer no place to them. Had they seen what goes on here in the name of politics, how the horse trading , kick-backs, thriving corruptions continues unchecked, they would have preferred to commit suicide . Is this the India they fought for?

Valley of Bandits turns to bio-fuel hub

2008-08-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

It is reported that the famous or ill famous Chambal Valley is going to transform a great national energy hub. How! Having liquidating several gangs of robbers and eliminating the most wanted few, the Madhya Pradesh government is mulling with the idea to let out the valley to corporate on lease to cultivate jatropha. This jatropha seeds are used for making bio diesel; what is on top most national agenda. Mr. Shivraj Singh, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh said “Most of the infamous dacoits of the area have been eliminated. I`s time to convert Chambal into a future energy hub. I am glad that several private companies have shown interest in developing the area and cultivation jatropha under our wasteland development policy”. The global energy crisis reached it`s zenith, has sent a shock wave with the threat of impending food crisis. Since most of the farm lands diverted to cropping bio-diesel, thus creating a shortage of cereals. The food grains price have sky rocketed too all over the world, the inflation rates are soaring high. The oil form the jatropha curcas seeds are used to make bio fuel in many countries. Including India, Philippines and Mali. A hectare of land, yields about 1500-2000 Kgs of Jatropha seeds, which after extraction yields of 540 to 680 liters of fuel. The companies , as informed, like K S Oils, Ruchi Group and Indian Oil Corporation are in the fray to name a few.

DARJEELING - THE HISTORY

2008-07-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

“DARJEELING”, the very name of this hill station in India reminds you the colonial days and tea. Because it was the British colonizers; who were constantly on look out for cooler places, obviously in India it uses to be in hills what would remind them their home. The temperature in tropical countries, particularly in summer months use to be unbearable for them for mercury touching anywhere between 35 to 44 degree Celsius! In India Shimla and Darjeeling earned their reputation for hosting the colonial administrators with their staffs with families during summer months for running colonial administration for years. Though with English rulers, gone are the colonial days and prestige of Darjeeling, but it still holds name in world for its tea. It still the producer of world number one flavored tea and sold at a price, unthinkable for we ordinary mortals!
Off late, a new hue for Gorkhaland is raised time and again. It stared in the decades of 90s, lot of agitations, number of strikes called by the local Gorkha people , finally got the award of local autonomy albeit to very limited extent and their leader Mr, Subhash Ghising was calmed with whatever he was offered. But that finally failed to satisfy the aspiration of the people who want full autonomy, rather freedom! At present their new leader Mr Bimal Gurung is agitating for such status, Mr Subhas Ghising having stepped down. For the Government of India, it is bolt from blue and for the government of state that is West Bengal, it is ridiculous! After all the tourism is the main industry there besides tea. Mr Gurung , in all the way , likely to lose the support of locals who mostly depend on these two industries for their lively hood. Their fate can only match to that of people of Kashmir. This summer Darjeeling saw minimum number of tourists. However, let us see , how far Mr Gurung`s or in that case the demand of a separate Gorkhaland is justified.
How many of us know the history of Darjeeling? Do you know once upon a time it was a part of Sikkim! Gorkhas were nowhere then in and around that area. Later with incremental interest of Britishers and development of tea industries, created a market for labor force. That brought hordes of Gorkhas from neighboring Nepal, way back in mid 1800s. The impoverish condition at their native country and the available opportunities what could be availed of by them almost without any competition because people of plain are not use to the hilly cold climate, opened up a Eldorado for them. The Gorkhas of Darjeeling and around areas are the progenies of the same immigrants. History testifies that the inhabitants of the place before the annexure to British Raj, were Lepchas and few other tribals, numbering in few hundred but they were swayed with the arrival of Gorkhas from Nepal, the neighboring kingdom.
Let us see what history tell us. The East Indian Company`s Nepal acquaintance with Nepal goes back to1767. The three Newar Kings were ruling Nepal, which was under threat from Gorkha ruler Prithvi Naryan. The Newar Kings sought help of British. In respond to their call and East India Company`s own empirical design Captain Klnloch was sent but he was compelled to withdraw due to unfamiliar climate of Terai. The Gorkha chief overran Nepal and the valley between Kali and Mechi rivers, from west to east was brought under his ruling. Let us cut the story short. It was again another war between British and Nepal in 1814 brought the entire area back under British control. The East India Company kept Garhwal and Kumaon under their direct control and under the treaty of Seagauli in 1816 , restoring the remainders with the Kings and chieftains who originally own the land. The King of Sikkim was one of them.
It is necessary to mention that Darjeeling was originally a part of Sikkim. Sikkim being a adjoining county of Nepal became a victim of several inroads of Gorkhas between 1780-1800 and the British intervention was necessary to settle the disputes every time. Two Britishers Liod George and JW Grant were deputed by the then Governor General Lord Bentinck to Sikkim to arbitrate the disputes. They were the first European who was captivated by stunning beauty of Darjeeling. They expressed the feeling to Lord Bentinck and urged him to acquire the place for a sanatorium. The British realized the importance of the place for its strategic importance too. It was its close proximity to Nepal, Bhutan, and the road leading to Tibetan capital Lasha. So, finally on February 1835, the King of Sikkim ceded Darjeeling to the Company by a deed of grant. However till 1865-70 Darjeeling could be approached by road through an enclave passing through Sikkim. A dispute arose between the King of Sikkim and British by 1850, and finally after the war between Bhutan and British in 1865 the area covering KalimponG along with other territories of western Dooars was annexed and finally incorporated with Darjeeling in 1970.
This is the short history of Darjeeling. Originally only few hundreds of Lepchas (tribals) were the inhabitants of the area. Later, having taken over the place, the British started construction and plantation (tea). This invited the Gorkhas from Nepal for jobs of labors in thousands and they gradually flooded the local population and settled their permanently. Now they claim for more autonomy; more than what they have given earlier. What is they are upto is best known to their leaders, who are under pressure by their own people to tone down the agitation. This summer Darjeeling saws few tourists from other part of Bengal and elsewhere, depriving thousands whose livelihood is directly connected with tourism, like hoteliers, cabbies, guides, small shop owners and likes. The ensuing festive seasons starting from 3rd week of September is also not promising under the prevailing situation. Their current charter of demand is not very clear. May be they are better known to their leaders. Well the very proposition of "GORKHALAND", is suggestive for another landlocked separate country. Is it feasible under the Indian Constitution or another fresh amendment to effect such demands is required? Would any one suggest!

PETROL FROM PLASTIC WASTE

2008-07-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

A recent report in news paper suggests that Nagpur ( a city in India ) is leading for the cause of waste management in India. Most of the metro or mega cities in India have undertaken various projects for waste management. Particularly, recycling the waste into fertilizers or bio-gas for environment friendly purposeful usage is becoming popular. In Nagpur, a company; The Unique Plastic Waste Management and Research Pvt. Ltd is engaged in recycling plastic wastes (including carry bags) into fuel oil. It is sulfur free equivalent of industrial crude. This can be readily used as furnace oil and can be subjected to fractional condensation to produce petrol. It offers enormous opportunity for such conversion, if done in a big way. The company presently purchasing 5 tons of plastic waste form the rag pickers and offering them good price for their sale. This can be followed in all urbane area to recycle the plastic waste, which is menacing otherwise by plugging drainage system or blocking the sewerage. The recycle product being sulfur free is no doubt environment friendly and at the same time India can save a lot by the cutting its oil imports. The details of the project were reported in the magazine,’Environ. Vol X No 4, page 57.

HOW TO HANDLE IRATE CUSTOMERS

2008-06-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

While handling with angry or irate customer, one must first of all give a patient hearing. Customer is the king in the modern world. Mind it , that as the old adage is `The King is always right`, thus the present marketing mantra is `Customer is always right`. But ironically, many a times you find that the angry or irate customer is not totally right, either he might have failed to note what was on offer or missed few lines in documents of offer , may be he might have failed to comprehend the matter sometime. Listen him carefully, in which ever service sector you are, listening is a must. You may not be able to solve the problem of the customer you are handling, but definitely you are able enough to calm him down at the first step. If the anger of the customer is for a just cause and due to negligence on the part of you or some of your colleague,immediately resolve the issue then seek his excuse, expressing your regret. One thing may work magic, when you handle a irate customer. Offer him a cup of tea, coffee or cold drinks whatever is available on spot or he prefers.

Not all the problems the customer are asking you to resolve is possible to address them immediately. It they are likely to take some time and you are sure the issue would be resolved then tell him politely and seek his consent or as if permission address the issue in due time. There are still some which are beyond your purview or can not be resolved, never tell him straight. Tell him , you need little time to look into the matter and will be back immediately with some answer. But do not forget him thee after. After a day or two, ring him up to tell that his problems is beyond you or your organization`s capacity and suggest him the next step or alternative.

There are another type of angry customer, who is before you not that your service or anything related with his current dealings have in short coming but he is havening grouse since long for some one else`s poor service or some previous mistakes that made him to suffer. May be to his ill luck he was victimized of the same type of mistakes every time or may be due to negligence of some of your staffs. This type of customer merits more attention. First of all offer him some sort of drinks hot or cold whatever is available or he likes. Involve him in things he takes pride about. Say his beard, or purse or any thing praise worthy. You know most of the human likes to be praised anyway. That is the best way to win one and all. Do that and find what can be done to turn him in a manner so that he forgive and forgets. Ensure, he never leaves your place unattended.

These are the few ways to service angry customers. But there are many other, that one has to evolve himself and do not forget the best way to communicate is a smile.

WATER;WATER EVERY WHERE , NOT A DROP TO DRINK

2008-06-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

The next world war will be fought over water --- was said by ex World Bank President, perhaps in 2005. I cannot recollect the year and the name of the thoughtful person. We are yet to comprehend that, especially those of us who live in cities or metro or mega polis. Thank god! We never know what a draught is or famine that follows! Sometime while sitting in our drawing rooms in cozy comforts, surfing television, suddenly some news channel ushers the news of draught or famine, starvation in Africa or elsewhere on the screen. Cold feelings may crawl down for seconds through our spinal cords or may not, because we quickly switch over the channel. After all such horrendous scene cools down our spirits which prefer to take off every evening for pleasure flights, we think it is not and never with us, but with them! Who are they? Are we not part or likely to be part of them, if not near but in far future? Let us see what is all about the water.

Since, our childhood we all know that our planet holds three part of water and one part of land. This very statement, offers us satisfaction that we have more water, even far more than land. But how about the drinking water! If we put the entire water of our planet in a 1ltr bottle, then only five tea-spoons full of water is sweet water or drinkable water, rest all are saline water. Can you imagine? Out of those five tea-spoons full, 70% is in glacier form; only 30% is available to us, for all our uses, like drinking, washing, irrigating or anything you think of doing with water. Surprisingly that 30% is sufficient for the entire mankind, if distributed evenly. Unfortunately that is not the case, the affluent demand the more, leaving nothing for those who are less fortunate. You know, air and water; these two are prime necessities for human or any organic beings survival. One who is submerging, catch anything to keep afloat. This many a time cause both get submerged, never to rise again or survive again.

Now you find Ethiopia is fighting for its right over Nile water with Kenya. The problem is old enough, when Egypt and Sudan were pressed hard to increase their cotton production in first quarter of last century, since cotton was becoming short of supply worldwide. To increase the supply of cotton, these countries, for irrigation tapped the water of river Nile, causing the problems now being surfaced elsewhere, geographically beyond their territorial limits. So, the fight is on others land. How funny it is? Isn’t it?

Imagine your 9 years old daughter, is travelling 10-15 kilometers every day, spending 3-4 hours, for just fetching a bucketful of brownish water! Just this is what happening in those countries. The World Bank Aid for drilling deep tube well is falling short and to meager for ever rising demands, with the population growth rate. So, the war is inevitable in near or far future. The present world community is not liberal enough to share even the water or air equally for subsistence. Are you ready to face, any shortage of air or water, what you get now, lesser than that?

PIRATES OF MODERN TIMES

2008-06-02T08:08:00.001-07:00

Sea piracy is one of the oldest professional crimes, ever since men learnt to brave the high sea on boats or ships, sea pirates followed them to loot them. In mid sea, before heavily armed looters the sailors ever remained helpless. However in those days, the pirates were happy with their loots, whatever they could find on board. Latter in middle age they use to carry the sailors along to sell them off as slaves many times. The slave trade was thriving then. It is unfortunate that though we are exploring the surface of moon or mars but we are yet to purge the surface of our own planet! Sea piracy is very much on even now, the pirates use those ships that are not recorded with Lloyds. Nor they are satisfied with their loots what they usually find on the ships that fall pray. They take the seamen on hostage for ransom. Usually the they get it, on the face, from the shipping companies who own the ships. It is left to anyone`s guess who funds the shipping companies. After all you cannot expect the shipping companies are operating for charity.

Recently it happened with MV Victoria, a Jordanian ship, crewed by no less than 10 Indians and others. It took in the coast of Somalia, the country is already in doldrums, their denizens are looking for UN aids for bare survival. It is plagued with domestic fights over the control of the country. The beleaguered groups are backed by different interests, as usually happen in those parts of planet. It has come to knowledge that it is open secrets that Somallian pirates are regularly collecting ransoms from Indian dhows crossing the Arabian sea. Indian naval power stay helpless to help out its own men in the other territory, respecting the international law. But laws are for them who abide by them, there is no law for outlaws. To tackle the outlaws you have the break the law . The international community should take the cognizance of the situations and come out with a global policing system to eradicate sea piracy permanently.
Last but not the least, becoming pirates was this writers fantasy in childhood; may be the thrill some stories related to pirates and their treasures were the motivators. Off late , the winning of several Oscars by “ The pirates of Caribbean” vindicate the same.

MAHARAJAS

2008-06-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

"Maharaja"s in India before independence were spectacular in their life style,pomp and shows. There are many stories hover around them, in fact they are not stories but facts read like stories, as it is truly hard to believe them. Here is one of such facts or stories , as call it;

Maharaja Alwar had six Rolls-Royce cars. He wanted the company to do some modifications, which Rolls-Royce refused. Maharaja got angry and converted all these cars into garbage trucks. Probably Alwar(an Indian Princely State, before Independence) would be the only city in the world where Rolls-Royce was used for garbage collection

DID YOU KNOW?

2008-06-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

...when you were born, your brain weighed about 350-400g and you had almost all the brain cells you will ever have. In fact, your brain was closer to its full adult size than any other organ in your body!
And...
.that your brain stopped growing
at age 18

England in 16th Century

2008-06-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat.They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

SOME FUNNY FACTS

2008-06-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight"

Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la
Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" and can be
abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, "L.A."

Many many years ago New Year was celebrated on April 1 after the closing of accounts in March. Later the Roman calender became official and January 1 was declared as the New Year, but there were still many people who did not know this and celebrated New Year on April 1 - they were termed as fools and that's how APRIL FOOL'S DAY was born.

Here are some facts about the 1500's:
These are interesting. Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour.Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children! Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

identical twins do not have identical fingerprints. No two sets of fingerprints are alike.

Quote from Forensic Evidence

The Country of Rising Sun!

2008-06-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

The by far most important means of public transportation in Japan are the trains. Aside from Tokyo and Osaka) the subway lives a　shadowy existence and many times is even outclassed by the buses.　Incidentally Hiroshima is the only town with a tramway.
The delightful thing with this concept is the fact that the trains are nearly always　precisely on time: If the　board display "Departure: 17:08 o'clock", well you　better be sitting in the train at 17:08 or else its gone, however　it doesn't leave one minute before either. Such a refreshing difference to our train system.

One fact is confusing the first few times: There's not one train line but thousands　and thousands of them and　nearly all are independent from each other and parts of different companies. In spite of that they all cooperate perfectly, the harmonize in a manner of speaking.

End of Monarchy in Nepal

2008-06-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the day, marked for one of the last monarchy`s fall. The King of Nepal, the small Himalayan kingdom has ended its centuries old monarchy. The King Ganyendra is no more the king, the irate mob attacked the royal palace in Kathmandu, as every time such thing happens when a monarchy or dictatorship ends anywhere in the world. It happened recently in Iraq, we watched on TV, how the tall statue of Saddam Husain was pulled down by hilarious mob. The royal palace is likely to be converted into a national museum. The King is likely to stay elsewhere as an ordinary citizen. Nepal has become a republic after lots of struggle. Now the world will watch how the republic is run in future.
In fact history offers evidence that in past, where ever the democracy emerged ending the monarchy it lasted and in many cases as a true democracy. But where democracy emerged ending the colonial rules as in India, sometime it was very short-lived. As we find in the case of Pakistan, Myanmar (former Burma) and in many African countries. Where the junta has taken over or a dictator commands the power, at least you know what is going on. Suppression of human rights, mayhem of newspapers besides all sorts of atrocities are being carried out the power that may be. Nepotism and amassing of wealth in foreign banks are the common follies with the rulers of those unfortunate nations. However, they do not do that in the name of democracy, so neither they tarnish the image of democracy. But in the world`s biggest democracy, like India can boast of all those drawbacks as evident in those countries in a manner difficult to imitate by any other in the world.

India won freedom, being led by some prominent leaders, who were blind to see what would happen the way they bargained the freedom. Now, it appears that their only concern was how they remain at the top of the affair and “ruling the country” must become their family business. Go by their history, is it not surprising that two barristers form London, one became the first Prime Minister of India and other the first Head of Pakistan; were so short sighted that they could not foresee the plight that they were going to impose upon by dividing the subcontinent. Even after 60 years of independence still these two cousin (now three, Bangladesh having freed itself from Pakistan in 1971) nations, provisioning maximum budgetary allocation on military spending, just to keep each other at bay! In both the countries, illiteracy, poverty, lack of proper sanitation or drinking water, infrastructures, electricity merit the optimum concern. But that is far cry. In India, in the name of democracy what goes on is hoax. It is the only democratic country where you find all the major members in a family are politicians and occupying some chairs either in parliament or legislative councils. They all come though the democratic drama, that is election. One after another election comes and goes; they keep clinging to the chairs. Off course, some time they change the position as they remain either in power or in opposition. The prize power only changes hands between same groups of people, decades after decades, belonging to same family. Look for examples, with Nehru family at the fore front, then PA Sangma, Lalu Yadav , Scindias……the list is endless. They say India is great; god bless India.

OLYMPIC AND TIBET

2008-05-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Tibetan issues, that surface time to time, whenever there is some news related to Dalai Lama , their religious leader. Otherwise it is a long forgotten affair. Dhramsala a hilly township on the lap of Indian side of Himalaya, where the Tibetan refugees are camping since 50s, rarely make it a news for them. China`s Olympian aim being fulfilled while hosting Olympic this year, to show the world their miraculous achievements, brought forth the Tibetan issues on the fore front. All over the world the Tibetans in exile are protesting, drawing the otherwise asleep and indifferent international community. Where ever the Olympian torch relay is taking place, it is marred by the protest by the genuinely aggrieved Tibetans. After all the torch is symbol of friendship and fraternity. As if it is mockery of the Olympian torch, while Olympic being held in China at the support of global big bosses. Since, they are gradually getting entry into the vast unexploited Chinese market. Wiping off a country like Tibet; from the atlas of the world is better forgotten. Who cares for Tibet? Taking care of Chinese interests meets the business interests of the global bosses. Well; Tibet is absorbed in China! So, Tibet is also going to fetch benefits, may be this is the philosophy working behind global inactions over a daylight savaging rape of a country`s independent entity!

Let us recapitulate the Tibetan imbroglio. Till 1949-50 Tibet , as a independent country had diplomatic relations with several countries. All of a sudden the Chinese leadership, following the tracks of Soviet bloc, annexed Tibet claiming it is part of China. The reasons offered were ridiculous. The Mongol captured Tibet when the captured China and after long the Manchurian Dynasty annexed Tibet. This sounds as good Afghans and Moghuls ruled India, so India belongs to them, far more to Britain since they ruled for the last 200 years before Indian independence. They did it, they knew that there was none to resist. They know still there is none to bring them back to senses. Human rights! is hoax; it for just few people with lots time to spare and nowhere to show faces;so shout slogans. Making others to feel they too are there! After attacking Tibet , the Chinese forced the Tibetan authority to sign a treaty in 1951 with 17 clauses. There it was assured that Tibetan culture, language, religion will be left untouched. Nothing they have maintained. The Tibetan language is on the brink of death. Chinese Mandarin has taken over; even Tibetan religious books are available only in that language. The whole of Tibet is filled by Hun Chinese, who were settled to overflow the Tibetan population. All the government jobs, policing, business are taken over by them. In Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the Hun Chinese outnumber the Tibetans. Such is the scenario; the Chinese have looted the Tibetan`s monasteries, killed the monks, ravaged Tibet. We watch, after all we are not in Tibet, or further more there are more cruelties, atrocities, attacks elsewhere to attract our immediate attentions.

So let the Olympic be held there, King Nero played while Rome burnt!

POLLUTION IN KOLKATA

2008-05-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Think, you are standing in a bus stand, waiting for a particular bus, one after another buses are coming, jetting out black smock right on your face and whizzing away. This is very common in any Indian city, more so in Kolkata. It is objected elsewhere but not here in Kolkata. Here people are so use to it, they accept it as the way of their daily life.
The air pollution in Kolkata has reached to a dangerous level already. The ever increasing number of vehicles is adding the woes. Where as in Delhi, use of LPG (liquid petroleum gas) is mandatory, in Kolkata they talk of it but never enforce by law. After all the power that be , are much concerned about their vote bank than public health. After all voters with lung cancer can vote. But the army of transporters with their dilapidated vehicles, getting awry is taboo. Every day 5 million vehicles are scampering on the streets. Leave the use of LPG afar, 50% of them are using cheaper fuel ( a mixer of kerosene oil with petrol or diesel).
The government is dilly dallying with enforcing use of LPG on the plea the in the state of West Bengal, the supply of LPG is not sufficient. But they are neither out to take any step to augment the supply as other states are doing. Kolkata hits to the top with number of people suffering with lung cancer. More than 70% people here are suffering from respiratory problem. Here traffic police are supplied with oxygen cylinder to remain on the streets on duty. At the same time on the same road side hundreds of people are doing brisk business for far longer hours in a day! The vehicles more than 15 years old are not allowed to ply within the city limit to reduce pollution elsewhere, but that is not so in Kolkata. It is city where you can still find the vintage cars are used as taxi or goods carriers cheerfully.

Surprisingly, in the neighboring country Bangladesh, this pollution issues are taken very seriously. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, allows the vehicles to ply with CNG to arrest pollution. Here the political pollution ensures that air pollution stays to let them stay.

OVERSHYNESS ? NOW DATE WITH CONFIDENCE

2008-05-26T07:26:00.001-07:00

Many of my readers may be having over shyness before girls or vis- a -vis, at least on their first date. It is observed that some persons are naturally so. They may receive time to time counseling, but still find it difficult to overcome the problem. I find a report that may interest those suffering from such problem. It is an outcome of Swiss research team; they developed a sort of nasal spray containing oxytocin--- a love chemical naturally produced in the brain. A product, they claim help banish excessive shyness in people.
It has been nicknamed `cuddle chemical` or the `love hormone`, oxytocin plays vital role in social relationship and maternal bonding and also released in sex. Amygdala ` -- a region linked with fear, danger becomes less active with inhale of the hormone. Trials are underway on many to help treat the pathological shyness. The suffers usually receive therapy of some kind and the trial helps to see if oxytocin can speed up the process. Results are expected this year.
Earlier studies with the nasal spray by Swiss team found that it makes the people more trusting. Under the spray people are exposed to risk games , like random gambling and the result is encouraging. Though I find the scope of misuse , with such spray specially in casino and places of gambling on gullible people. However its positive cannot be ignored. In a study, they also show that such is the power of oxytocin that it can outweigh the effects of rumors and gossip about the lack of trustworthiness. It is quoted that some observers saying “ Oxytocin has a very powerful effect. The subjects who received oytocin demonstrated no change in their trust behavior, even though they were informed that their trust was not honored in roughly 50 per cent of cases”.
So now, at least you can date with confidence!

2008-05-17T12:06:00.001-07:00

MONEY MONGERS

2008-05-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

A recent news paper report suggests that Thailand one of the biggest exporters of rice in the world is considering a rice cartel in line with the OPEC; oil producing and exporting countries. The news is not likely to be amusing to US, UK or the other bulk rice importing developed, developing and under developed countries. The latter is going to suffer maximum. They as per the report approached other major rice exporting countries, like Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and few more. The developed world as well as the rest of rice importing nations are already feeling the heat this year. The shortage is so acute that first time ever the last great war , in US Wall Mart is rationing the rice. In UK the restaurateurs and take away owners have given a representation for withdrawal of EU taxes on import of rice which is currently Euro65 per ton.

As instigated by the oil price hike to $126 per barrel this year; in a year increased around 100%; the counter measure proposed by Thailand is not very surprising. Whether they can hold the entire globe under ransom like OPEC is altogether a different question. But the trend is alarming. The same way other countries, who are exporting some essentials like suger, salt, steel , cement or anything with what the countries which import them can be held the way the OPEC have done; form cartels, is alarming.

The world expect UN to take up the matter for it`s survival and prove under this circumstance it`s own existence meaningful. Doling out dollars through IMF to feed oil sheiks at the cost of poor countries is not the solution. Nor it offers any meaningful purpose for the very existence of UN. It has failed to prevent the US and it`s fellow undertakers to plunder on Iraq. There are many such occasion since 60s, Vietnam war. Maintaining a white elephant or letting it only serve the purpose of Big powers is harmful for the rest of the world.

FUEL AND FOOD

2008-05-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

The all around price rise is a global phenomena now. Not only the developing nation, the developed and super developed nations like US are in the grip of this. Recent volley of of US President Mr. Bush blaming India and China for global food shortage and oil price hike, is what warrant the gravity of situation. The first time in post world war , the Wall Mart in US is rationing the rice! It is interesting to note the stuff matches the surname of secretary of states of Bush administration!

However, the accusation of Mr Bush is base less; India has no role to play in oil price hike. India`s per capita oil consumption is lowest in the world average per capita consumption. Which is 925 Kg. India`s is only 117 Kg, comparing to US`s 3429 Kg, Japan`s 2082 Kg, European nation`s 1113 Kg; India stands no way for the oil price hike. On the contrary the common American citizens are oil guzzlers and car addicts too. Off course they can afford that as their economy and standard of living is quite high. Mr, Bush allege that India`s 35 million emerging middle class population`s growing consumption is causing food shortage too.

In fact the food shortage , what is causing its price hike, is due to switch over to bio-fuel cultivation from food stuffs. Here again the developed economy have taken the lead. To curb the consumption of fossil fuel and there by turning the balance of payment position healthy; above all the bio-fuel is environment friendly, such measure is taken aggressively. The result is unfavorable with the voters since US Presidential election is ensuing. So pass the blame on India and China, since they seem to be the greatest job usurpers in US in public eyes.

The OPEC is refusing to increase the production of fuel. They too find that the oil reserve is depleting fast. Indonesia, a member of OPEC, is planning to come out , since they can nor export oil, after meeting their own consumption. Their oil reserve is about to touch the nadir. More and more edible oils are being used in automobiles , resulting the shortage and price hike of edible oils too , all over the world.

This is another period of transition for technology and economy in global scenario. The changes are emerging clear to take place gradually. In the game there are winners and losers too. In the past centuries , Europe and America had the hey days, may be now the term comes for Asian nations.

2008-05-08T23:37:00.001-07:00

SECRET SUBMARINE

2008-05-04T00:41:00.000-07:00

On the ever of Olympic games , the Tibetan uprising for independence and subsequent mayhem by Chinese red army raised a lot of hue and cry all over the world. The Tibetan settlers all over the world are staging agitation. The Olympic torch is where ever being ritualistic run irrespective of country are facing agitated Tibetan protesters. At this juncture, a fresh report of satellite image revealing existence of secret harbor in China, where nuclear powered submarines are manufactured is disturbing. This will all the way dislodge the balance of power in the region. The region is controlled by the big brother US marine power. Upsurge and building of n-powered submarines by China may pose a threat. The US reaction to the report is yet to come. Since US economy is passing through a stage of recession, their foreign policies are also likely to affected by that. The Bush administration has to think twice before making any comment. Or may be so, that it already has an under table understanding with China !

The past and present

2008-05-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

In India, the month of May is not pleasant. The scorching sun raise the mercury, in some areas in northern India , the hot air called "loo" blows with high speed, carrying along the dust, sands et al. I had opportunities to travel widely and have short and long staying in most of the parts of this sub-continent. It has enriched my coffer of experience. I have seen how the climate changes with the growing greenery. I was born in a industrial town immediately after independence. It was a Railway township; CHITTARANJAN. where the locomotive engine factory was set by Indian Railway. In early 50s the township was barren, just newly built up staff quarters, roads, factory sheds and water reservoirs without a shade of green existed. The town planners took the pain to plant many saplings by road sides and where ever they felt it would be decorative and off course in the parks. During those early days there the heat of summer was extreme. I remember the how tough it was going to school, a few kilometers away. The hot wind with it`s high speed use to charge like thousands pins ( it contained dusts) on the face or exposed portions our body. The summer vacations was a great relief for the students as well as their parents.

But with the growth of greeneries the climate changed within a decade. It all happened in my presence, as we too was growing like those samplings. By the time I made my exit from the school after the secondery examination, the summer was pleasant , the "loo" was more or less forgotten. The " Gool Mohur" trees offered great shade and comfort during summer. And in sprint they wore the colour, with the flowers, it is unforgettable! Seeing a town groom gradually, is truly a matter of chance. Not everyone can such unique experience. I think I am lucky to have that, what on later stage I had to see the reverse. The groomed cities are converted into concrete jungle, as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore. Bangalore what use to be India`s garden cith, it is no more so. Anyone would vouch for this, who is there even since 70s.

The reversal is gaining the pace and may be heading towards dooms day sooner or later. Global warming is another phenomena what is born out such indiscriminate urbanization, carbon pollution, industrializations et al. The recent concern from various bodies have been voiced, will they make any impact on them; who are out take us to the shore of dead sea !

Bugle -- The Blog

2008-05-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today, 2nd May 2008 I am creating this blog in the name of Bugle. Bugle is military brass instrument like a short trumpet without a valve. Valve means a check; it is without a check. So my blog "BUGLE" is crated to vent my feelings , opinion without a valve or check. This does not mean I shall indulge in blasphemy; I condemn that, I do not intend to hurt any body`s religious feelings or social sentiments related to specific customs. But I shall take freedom to criticize what deserves. Obviously I shall try to remain unbiased and free form any prejudice. The international relations related issues will be my main concern. Though I shall put some lighter side of the life too. Wish me good- luck.