Terrorism: a global perspective

.=?AJI
Terrorism: a global perspective
9
/11 will go down as a dark chapter
in the histor y of mankind.
A l t h o u g h t h e t h i rd w o r l d
countries like India, Palestine,
Afghanistan had been under the grips of
terrorism since many decades, the 9/11
incident stood apart as the attack on the
twin towers of world trade centre in New
York on September 9 was seen as an
attack on democracy and the global
economy. The event shocked the whole
world as the United States – the Big
Brother was humbled. It lost much of its
sheen and glitter as the global leader not
only in terms of economy, technology
and politics, but also as the promulgator
of democracy, liberalization and free
markets popularly known as the American way of life. As
president Bush vowed to launch a ‘war against terror’, the world
held its breath and terrorism became global phenomena. The
terrorists had fulfilled their mission which was to announce to
the world that no country was strong enough to remain insulated
from terrorism. Death and fear stared naked at the whole world
in the form of Global terrorism.
WHAT IS TERRORISM AND WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS?
Rebels, naxals, insurgents, separatists, guerrillas,
insurrectionists, freedom fighters, fundamentalists... can all
these be called terrorists? Or does terrorism claim its own
exclusive niche? Although majority of the countries of the
world grapple with the problem of terrorism, there is still no
universally agreed definition of terrorism.
TERROR - A PART OF OUR LIVES
"Terror" comes from a Latin word meaning "to frighten".
Terrorism can be defined as "the deliberate creation of fear to
bring out political change." (dictionary.com)
While all the countries continue to grapple with terrorism,
enacting stringent laws to curb it, enhancing their security
measures, and taking help of the international community, the
general public lives in constant fear. Back at home a year has
gone by since the attack on the Taj – trident on November 26 2008, but the scars remain. Lives are lost, and those who survive,
lead a life scathed, scarred and scared. They struggle with the
post traumatic stress disorder and the disaster that changed
their lives forever. India has been under the grip of terrorism
since the 1960s. But after 1991 the incidents have become more
frequent, sometimes even as consistent as an attack every
month. To make things worse the Naxalite movement has also
gained momentum, thus escalating terrorism from within the
country.
In November 2004, a United Nations Security Council
report described terrorism as any act "intended to cause death or
serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the
purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a
government or an international organization to do or abstain
from doing any act".
The UN’s Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy approved in
2006 resolved to "strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for
whatever purposes.”
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Terrorists are highly motivated, indoctrinated and ruthless
groups, who believe they or their race, their community, their co
religionists have been unduly and unjustifiably targeted or
insulted or killed. They thrive on a philosophy of hatred, loathing
and revenge.
Such state-sponsored terrorism remains a concern of the
international community today (especially its Western
constituents), although it has been somewhat overshadowed in
recent times by the reemergence of the religiously inspired
terrorist. The latest manifestation of this trend began in 1979,
when the revolution that transformed Iran into an Islamic
republic led it to use and support terrorism as a means of
propagating its ideals beyond its own border. Before long, the
trend had spread beyond Iran to places as far a field as Japan and
the United States and beyond Islam to ever major world religion
as well as many minor cults. From the Sarin attack on the Tokyo
subway by the Aum Shinrikyo in 1995 to the Oklahoma bombing
the same year, religion was again added to the complex mix of
motivations that led to acts of terrorism. The al Qaeda attacks of
Sept. 11, 2001, brought home to the world and most particularly
the United States, just how dangerous this latest mutation of
terrorism is.
THE HISTORY OF TERRORISM:
Struggles like those in Kenya, Malaysia, Cyprus and
Palestine were fought by groups who can more readily be
described as terrorist. These groups quickly learned to exploit
the burgeoning globalization of the world’s media. As Hoffman
puts it: “They were the first to recognize the publicity value
inherent in terrorism and to choreograph their violence for an
audience far beyond the immediate geographical loci of their
respective struggles.” Moreover, in some cases (such as in
Algeria, Cyprus, Kenya and Israel) terrorism arguably helped
such organizations in the successful realization of their goals.
As such these nationalist and anti-colonial groups are of note in
any wider understanding of terrorism.
TERRORISM IN INDIA
In India, the north east states have since long
been under the grip of insurgency. Although
many reasons have been given for the
naxalite movement some facts are that
the secessionists of Nagaland and
Mizoram were indoctrinated into
believing that the Nagas and the
Mizos were a separate race and
India was colonizing their land!
The average tribal Naga and Mizo
being an upright, simple person
was made to feel that only
independence could give them a
respectable life. The truth was due
to inaccessible nature of the terrain,
the north east states remained
isolated from the rest of the country,
thus lagging behind in development.
Naga and Mizo terrorists frequently torched
petroleum refineries, blew up oil depots and
dismantled railway tracks to force the Government of
India to a accord them independence.
In the Middle East, the vision of an
independent Palestinian state is
considered a just cause by world
leaders. But negotiations have so far
excluded representatives of Hamas
which is proscribed as a terrorist
organisation. As with Hezbollah in
Lebanon, the political wing of
Hamas can demonstrate a degree
of popular electoral support
which suggests that the group
may be part of a long term
solution.
By contrast, long years of internal
violence in Sri Lanka concluded in
2009 with the obliteration of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The political fate of the Tamil minority remains
uncertain. Potential negotiation dilemmas may also
flare up with separatist groups in Mindanao in the Philippines,
the Kurdish regions of Turkey and Iraq, and the “Maoist
corridor” across central and eastern India.
More recently, in Punjab, Sikh youths were indoctrinated to
believe that the Sikhs were a separate race and hence must cede
from India. Mindless random mass murders were committed to
create an atmosphere of fear and terror to compel the nation to
agree to their demand of Khalistan.
By the mid-1980s, state-sponsored terrorism reemerged
the catalyst for the series of attacks against American and other
Western targets in the Middle East. Countries such as Iran, Iraq,
Libya and Syria came to the fore as the principle such sponsors
of terrorism. Falling into a related category were those countries,
such as North Korea, who directly participated in coverts acts of
what could be described as terrorism.
The Naxalite movement was born out of the deprivation of
the tribals in parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The simple tribals were
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brainwashed into believing that the traders from the towns, the
landlords were their enemies.
government. This has applied particularly to national liberation
movements fighting colonial or oppressive regimes, engaging in
violence within their own countries often as a last resort.
A quick glance
at the incidents of
terrorism in India,
reveal a shocking
trend which is an
increase in the
incidents of
terrorism in the
last few decades :
Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya spent years of his life in peaceful
independence advocacy with the British government before his
involvement with the Mau Mau rebellion. Another convicted
"terrorist", Nelson Mandela, wrote in his autobiography: "the
hard facts were that 50 years of non-violence had brought (my)
people nothing but more repressive legislation, and fewer
rights". Countries from Africa and the Middle East have
therefore been reluctant to endorse any definition of terrorism
which fails to place such acts within the broad sweep of history.
In 1966, April 20: A Tinsukia-Jalpaiguri passenger train blast
in Lumding railroad station, Assam, India, kills 55 and injures
127. the group responsible for the attack was Nationalist
Socialist Council of Nagaland tribesmen group.
The dilemma for the international community lies firstly in
assessing whether a cause is "just" and therefore capable of
remedy by political negotiation, and secondly in identifying
which "terrorist" organisations are capable of emerging into the
legitimate political process.
In 1984 October 31: Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. The killing was in
retaliation for the Indian army’s entry into theGolden Temple at
Amritsar to flush out Sikh extremists who were using the temple
as a base for their operations.
WHAT DO THE TERRORISTS WANT TO ACHIEVE?
All terrorist acts involve violence or the threat of violence.
These violent acts are usually committed by nongovernmental
groups or individuals who are either part of or officially serving
in the military, law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies,
or other governmental agencies of an established nation.
Terrorists attempt not only to create panic but also to weaken
confidence in the government and the political leadership of the
target country. Terrorism therefore is designed to have
psychological effects that reach farther beyond the impact on the
immediate victims of an attack. Terrorists mean to frighten and
therefore scare a wider crowd, such as a rival ethnic or religious
group, an entire country and its political control, or the entire
international community. Terrorist groups are generally small
and have few members, limited firepower, and other resources.
For this reason they rely on intense bloody and destructive acts of
hit-and-run violence to attract attention to their group and their
cause. Through the media they are able to create a larger voice
for themselves and create hostilities among people.
In 1991, May 21: Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
assassinated in a bomb blast believed to be the work of Sri
Lankan Tamil terrorists belonging to the LTTE. This is also the
first time that the suicide vest is used by any terrorist group.
After 1984, there were sporadic terrorist attacks which
included train bombings, hijacking of flights, and so on till 1991
when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. Only 1994 and 1997 were
the years when there were no attacks. In 2000 except September
and November every month had a terrorist attack. Again from
2001 to 2009, 2003 was the only year when there were no attacks.
In 2004 there were 21 attacks, 20 in 2008 and 4 till May 2009.
These attacks include the insurgency movements.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF TERRORISM:
Primarily it is accepted that all the terrorist groups or the so
called terrorist groups are politically motivated. There is a sense
of real or perceived injustice among a group of people who have
been victims of religious, social or political discrimination.
These groups then are exploited by other groups who have their
own selfish motives in promoting the terrorist acts – such as
political dominance in the affected areas, abundance of natural
resources in the affected areas, a ready market for their nuclear
arms and ammunitions, etc.
THE EFFECT OF TERRORISM ON WORLD ECONOMIES:
Empirical estimates of the consequences of terrorism
typically suggest large effects on economic outcomes. On an
average, a standard deviation increase in the terrorist risk is
associated with a fall in the net foreign direct investment
position of about 5 percent of GDP. The magnitude of the
estimated effect is large, which suggests that the open-economy
channel impact of terrorism may be substantial. From an
economic standpoint, terrorism has been described to have four
main effects. First, the capital stock (human and physical) of a
History provides too many examples of organisations and
individuals who evolved from hunted terrorists into respected
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Whatever global threat may be posed by al Qaeda and its
franchisees, the U.S. view of terrorism nonetheless remains, to a
degree, largely ego-centric – despite the current
administration’s rhetoric concerning a so-called “Global War
against Terrorism.” This is far from unique. Despite the
implications that al Qaeda actually intends to wage a global
insurgency, the citizens of countries such as Colombia or
Northern Ireland (to name but two of those long faced with
terrorism) are likely more preoccupied with when and where the
next FARC or Real Irish Republican Army attack will occur
rather than where the next al Qaeda strike will fall.
As such considerations indicate, terrorism goes beyond al
Qaeda, which it not only predates but will also outlive. Given
this, if terrorism is to be countered most effectively, any
understanding of it must go beyond the threat currently posed
by that particular organization. Without such a broad-based
approach, not only be will terrorism be unsolvable (to
paraphrase Pillar) but it also risks becoming unmanageable.
country is reduced as a result of terrorist attacks. Second, the
terrorist threat induces higher levels of uncertainty. Third,
terrorism promotes increases in counter-terrorism
expenditures, drawing resources from productive sectors for
use in security. Fourth, terrorism is known to affect negatively
specific industries such as tourism. However, this classification
does not include the potential effects of increased terrorist
threats in an open economy.
DEALINGWITHTERRORISMATTHENATIONALLEVEL
The amounts of foreign direct investment in the U.S. before
and after the September 11th attacks provide some suggestive
evidence of the open-economy channel of terrorism. In the year
2000, the year before the terrorist attacks, foreign direct
investment inflows represented about 15.8 percent of the Gross
Fixed Capital Formation in the U.S. This decreased to only 1.5
percent in 2003, two years after the attacks. Conversely, foreign
direct investment outflows from the U.S. increased from about
7.2 percent of the Gross Fixed Capital Formation for the U.S. in
2000 to 7.5 percent in 2003 (UNCTAD, 2004). Corporate
investors rate terrorism as one of the most important factors
influencing their foreign direct investment decisions (Global
Business Policy Council, 2004).
India has always been in a vulnerable position due to its
neighboring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and
Bangladesh which are often the breeding grounds of terrorist
activities, although Pakistan has in recent times itself become a
victim of terrorist groups. However justifiable may be their
cause, terrorists cannot be pardoned for the heinous crime they
commit. Where lives of millions of people are at stake, who are
not in any way remotely connected or responsible for the plight
or cause of the terrorists, terrorism has to be dealt with an iron
hand and firmly – some of the following steps can be taken to
keep our nation secure;
1. Increased and in depth security checks for all VISA
applications so that no more David Coleman Headleys and
Thavar Ranas can land in our midst.
After the 26/11 incident in Mumbai, financially India lost
Rs.50000 chores and the foreign inflow of funds had reduced
which included the tourism that was affected to a great extent.
Taj is spending Rs.500 crores to bring back the lost beauty but on
top of this we have lost the important element which is the
precious human lives.
2. Extensive security checks, including finger printing of all
foreigners without any exception. Remember our ex industry
minister George Fernandez was frisked in the United States and
so was our ex president APJ Abdul Kalam.
CONTEMPORARYTERRORISM
3. National identity cards must be issued to all citizens after
very thorough scrutiny. No foreigner should find it easy to obtain
pan cards/ration cards/passports. Officials found issuing such
important documents to unauthorized persons must not only be
dismissed, but also tried for treason.
Today, terrorism influences events on the international stage
to a degree hitherto unachieved. Largely, this is due to the
attacks of September 2001. Since then, terrorism has largely
been equated to the threat posed by al Qaeda a threat inflamed
not only by the spectacular and deadly nature of the Sept. 11
attacks themselves, but by the fear that future strikes might be
even more deadly and employ weapons of mass destruction.
4. Lastly, let’s work for peace, but be prepared for war! If
nothing cures terrorism lets fight a war to end all wars.
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.=?AJI
Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
T
he Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement, also known as
the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, refers to a bilateral accord
on civil nuclear cooperation between the United States
of America and the Republic of India. The framework for this
agreement was a July 18, 2005 joint statement by Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and then U.S. President George W.
Bush, under which India agreed to separate its civil and military
nuclear facilities and place all its civil nuclear facilities under
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and, in
exchange, the United States agreed to work towards full civil
nuclear cooperation with India.
Both the nations have seen major changes over the course of
this deal; The Hyde Act to modify the requirements of Section
123 (the famous “123 agreement” is intended to establish a
consensus for cooperation as a prerequisite for nuclear deals
between the US and any other nation) of the U.S. Atomic Energy
Act to permit nuclear cooperation with India. India faced stiff
opposition over the 123 agreement and lead to the noconfidence motion against the UPA government in India.
However the major one was a regime change in the USA with
Democrat’s Barack Obama replacing the Republican’s George
W Bush as the President. The Democrats shared different
ideologies over this deal and have expressed their concern over
the non-proliferation terms; President Obama has a different
approach on non-proliferation and seeks to rejuvenate
traditional instruments like the NPT (Non Proliferation
Treaty), which India has treated as being discriminatory. His
administration might work towards re-negotiating the terms of
this deal and force India to review its approach towards the NPT.
The Indian regime is confident that the United States-India
Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation
Enhancement Act signed by then U.S. President, George W.
Bush, on October 8, 2008 would not go in vain.
The key aspects of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal:
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Before the agreement is translated into action–that is, before
U.S. companies can begin to sell nuclear equipment in India and
possibly build nuclear reactors there–both sides have some
issues to resolve. The United States wants India to enact a
legislative measure limiting the liability of foreign companies in
the event of a nuclear accident. And India wants the United
States to grant the Indian government the right to reprocess
spent nuclear fuel sourced from the United States.
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The agreement not to hinder or interfere with India's
nuclear programme for military purposes.
US will help India negotiate with the IAEA for an Indiaspecific fuel supply agreement.
Washington will support New Delhi develop strategic
reserves of nuclear fuel to guard against future disruption
of supply.
In case of disruption, US and India will jointly convene a
group of friendly supplier countries to include nations like
Russia, France and the UK to pursue such measures to
restore fuel supply.
Both the countries agree to facilitate nuclear trade between
themselves in the interest of respective industries and
consumers.
India and the US agree to transfer nuclear material, nonnuclear material, equipment and components.
Any special fissionable material transferred under the
agreement shall be low enriched uranium.
Low enriched uranium can be transferred for use as fuel in
reactor experiments and in reactors for conversion or
fabrication.
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The recent report says that there is a proposal to set up an
international reprocessing centre in India, which could serve the
whole region. If this comes through it could work to this
country’s advantage.
The ambit of the deal includes research, development,
design, construction, operation, maintenance and use of
nuclearreactors,reactor experimentsand decommissioning.
The US will have the right to seek return of nuclear fuel
and technology but it will compensate for the costs
incurred as a consequence of such removal.
India can develop strategic reserve of nuclear fuel to guard
against any disruption of supply over the lifetime of its
reactors.
Agreement provides for consultations on the
circumstances, including changed security environment,
before termination of the nuclear cooperation.
Provision for one-year notice period before termination of
the agreement.
The US to engage Nuclear Suppliers Group to help India
obtain full access to the international fuel market,
including reliable, uninterrupted and continual access to
fuel supplies from firms in several
nations.
The US will have the right to seek return
of nuclear fuel and technology.
In case of return, Washington will
compensate New Delhi promptly for the
"fair market value thereof" and the costs
incurred as a consequence of such
removal.
Both the countries to set up a Joint
Committee for implementation of the
civil nuclear agreement and development
of further cooperation in this field.
The agreement grants prior consent to
reprocess spent fuel.
Sensitive nuclear technology, nuclear
facilities and major critical components
can be transferred after amendment to the agreement.
India will establish a new national facility dedicated to
reprocessing safeguarded nuclear material under IAEA
safeguards.
Nuclear material and equipment transferred to India by the
US.
Differences between the Indian and U.S. sides surfaced
during negotiations for the nuclear deal, which stretch back to
1995, on how to manage U.S. supplies of nuclear fuel that is
burned in India reactors.
Spent fuel can be reprocessed to extract plutonium, which
can be used to make nuclear bombs, or in fast-breeder reactors,
which produce more nuclear fuel than they consume.
Pointing out that the U.S. allows its close allies, including
Japan, to reprocess spent fuel; Indian negotiators have been
demanding similar treatment for India.
India also has an ambitious fast-breeder
reactor programme, which is aimed at exploiting
its abundant deposits of thorium, a nuclear fuel.
While India has less than one percent of the
world reserves of natural uranium, and needs to
import the mineral, it has 30 percent of the
global reserves of thorium.
According to the terms of the deal, India can
have reprocessing rights on condition it
establishes a national facility to safeguard
nuclear material that is monitored by the
International Atomic Energy Agency. Also, India
must put in place 'arrangements and
procedures,' under which reprocessing of U.S.
fuel can be carried out.
India and the United States agreed to strengthen
cooperation in counter-terrorism with President Barack Obama
asking Pakistan to deal “effectively” with extremist
organisations operating from there.
Obama also said terrorism should be eradicated from that
region which had seen a lot of violence and extremism and that
both the countries should actively cooperate in counterintelligence to prevent Mumbai-type attacks.
India had made the right decision in the nuclear area in
continuation of the economic reforms in 1991. If we look back,
we can see that though we faced technological and economic
sanctions after 1998, the country’s confidence increased.
At a joint press conference after discussions in the White
House, President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
reaffirmed their “full and complete” commitment to
implementation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.
The U.S. excels in using dissent within and outside its
political system as a tactic in tough negotiations with foreign
countries. The Indian Government must now do the same.
Singh, who is the first foreign leader to be received as the
state guest in the Obama administration, said that the President
has reaffirmed that it is the common resolve of the two countries
to implement the nuclear deal as early as possible.
"If the civil-military separation plan is good enough to share
with a foreign power, it is certainly good enough to share with the
Indian public."
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What if
If Lehman had not failed, would the crisis have happened anyway?
I
The week before Lehman failed, futures markets predicted a
15% decline in the prices of homes in major metropolitan
markets in America over the next nine months, on top of the 24%
decline that had already occurred. Such a drop–which is quite
close to what actually occurred–would, when combined with
similar declines in commercial-property values, have pushed
some big banks to the edge. That same week derivatives markets
put the odds of default for Washington Mutual, a large thrift (or
savings bank), at 85%. Many of the big financial institutions that
received bail-outs in the wake of Lehman's failure, such as
American International Group (AIG) and UBS and Fortis in
Europe, would probably have needed one sooner or later anyway.
n August 2008 Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard University
economist, briefly rocked world stock markets when he
warned a conference in Singapore: “We're not just going to
see midsized banks go under in the next few months, we're going
to see a whopper, we're going to see a big one–one of the big
investment banks or big banks.” A month later, in the early hours
of September 15th, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.
True, from a purely economic point of view, Lehman's failure
created enormous pain. It spawned a panic in the commercialpaper, credit-derivatives and bank-funding markets that
dramatically worsened banks' liquidity. Capital and trade flows
collapsed. A vicious spiral of credit withdrawal, weakening
growth and debt impairment ensued. In July 2008, the IMF
thought the world economy would grow by 3.9% in 2009. It now
thinks it will shrink by 1.4%. Moody's Economy.com forecast in
August 2008 that 2.9m first mortgages in America would default
in 2009, itself a disastrous figure (less than a million defaulted in
2006). It now expects the tally to hit 3.8m, a result, says Mark
Zandi, its Chief Economist, of a string of policy errors and the
resulting financial panic that sapped employment and income.
Harold James, an economic historian at Princeton
University, says Lehman's failure was analogous to the collapse
of Creditanstalt, a big Austrian bank, in 1931. Austria and
Germany had borrowed heavily from foreign creditors and the
bank's failure rippled around the world, vastly intensifying the
Depression. Lehman's failure is widely seen as a similar
turning-point in the current financial crisis: an unexpected
blunder that came close to turning a garden-variety recession
into another Depression.
But from a political point of view, it is harder to see how these
missteps could have been avoided. When the Treasury and the
Federal Reserve bailed out Bear Stearns in March 2008, they
drew criticism in Congress and elsewhere for creating moral
hazard. At the same time their intervention led other firms,
including Lehman, to believe that when push came to shove,
they too would be spared. Had Lehman been rescued the
criticism would have intensified, as would firms' expectations of
future rescues. Mr Rogoff maintains that at some point political
pressures would have required a big firm to go bust. “If you look
at financial crises, the standard playbook is to let the fourth or
fifth largest bank go under and you save everybody else,” says Mr
Rogoff, who bases much of his analysis on extensive research
done with Carmen Reinhart of the University of Maryland for a
forthcoming book called “This Time Is Different: Eight
Centuries of Financial Folly”.
Mr Rogoff has a different view. He believes, as he did the
month before Lehman's collapse, that America had the classic
preconditions of a massive financial crisis: trillions of dollars of
debt secured by an inexorably deflating asset bubble. Bank
write-downs already totaled more than $500 billion in August
2008. If Lehman had not been allowed to fail, some other firm
would have, with similar results.
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915-).6-460-.)+6
If Mr Rogoff is right and more failures were inevitable, then
Lehman's collapse, though painful, may have been necessary.
History suggests that systemic banking crises are usually
resolved with large injections of public capital. Lehman's failure
galvanized policymakers. Only when faced with the postLehman, post-AIG chaos did Congress pass the $700 billion
Troubled Asset Relief Programme (and even then, after an initial
rejection). Other rich-country governments also moved to
guarantee bank debts, raise deposit insurance and inject capital
into their banks.
In retrospect, the economically efficient solution would have
been, soon after the Bear Stearns rescue, to propose a
comprehensive, publicly financed recapitalization of the
banking system while creating a more orderly mechanism for
winding up failed institutions (officials still claim they did not
have the legal authority to save Lehman). The Treasury and the
Fed drew up plans to do just that but worried that Congress
would reject them. With good reason: history shows that bank
bail-outs are intensely unpopular. Japan's government dragged
its feet on recapitalizing its banks in the 1990s because its initial
aid provoked such outrage. Some American economists who
used to carp at Japan's failings are more sympathetic now. “It is
easier to be for more radical solutions when one lives thousands
of miles away than when it is one's own country,” Larry
Summers, Barack Obama's economic adviser, told the Financial
Times earlier this year.
The international response to Lehman's collapse, reflecting
in part the lessons of the 1930s, was much more effective–as
exemplified by the Treasury's willingness to bail out AIG, even
though many of the main beneficiaries were European. Mr
Rogoff concedes that if the Federal Reserve and Treasury had
made flawless decisions unhindered by politics, the outcome
would have been happier. But, he says, “it wasn't humanly
possible.” Lehman's collapse may even have hastened the
ultimate resolution of the crisis.
Indian origin scientist V. Ramakrishnan
wins 2009 Chemistry Nobel
American Indian scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, along with American
Thomas A Steitz and Isreali scientist Ada E Yonath.
The announcement was made in Stockholm on Wednesday Oct7, 2009. The
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said that the award was conferred on them
for studies of “the structure and function of the ribosome” one of the core
processes in life.
Proteins are generated by Riobosomes. The proteins regulate the chemistry
in all living organisms. Their research is a milestone that is used by researchers
working on to develop new antibiotics.
The three scientists used a method called X-ray crystallography to map the
position for each of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the
ribosome.
They generated 3D models that showed how different antibiotics bind to
the ribosome, the award committee said, adding that these models were now
being used by scientists in order to develop new antibiotics, directly assisting
the saving of lives and decreasing humanity’s suffering.
Born in 1952 in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Ramakrishnan completed his
PhD in Physics in 1976 from Ohio University, US.
He is the Group Leader at the Structural Studies Division, MRC
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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.=?AJI
Politics rules the blue gold
W
hile the world awaits a verdict on the treatise to be
agreed upon by the 190 countries for effectively
tackling the climate change problem, another major
issue which faces the major countries of the world is 'water
shortage'. This problem is more severe in the so called
developing countries like India. Although it has been predicted
since many years that the future wars will be fought for water, it
has been our attitude that unless any problem assumes gigantic
proportions we tend to sideline it.
A. MISMANAGEMENT OF WATER IN URBAN AREAS:
Urban areas are a part of a river basin or in the case of an
expanding Bangalore, sitting on a ridge between two river
basins. These areas draw piped water from the basin and
discharge used water into a basin. Since they draw water from
rivers or dams a system of urban water allocation needs to be
followed for ensuring water availability to cities. The urban areas
suffer from mismanagement of water due to many reasons.
A few facts will open our eyes to the enormity of the
crisis:
1. Inequity and Inaccessibility to piped water
Irregular water supply and underinvestment in physical
infrastructure is the norm. Under JNNURM(Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission), 61 % of the project funds
allocated have been for either water
supply or sewerage projects, showing the
pent up demand for both and a positive
indicator for action. Moreover plugging
the leaking pipes which according to
estimates must be from 30 to 70 % of the
total waters is also a challenge. Moreover
bringing the water to the poor is another
problem.
The World Bank report India's Water Economy makes the
point that India is fast running out of water and by 2020 will be
under severe stress and forecasts that by
2050, demand will have outstripped
supply.
The urban population of India stood
at 286 million or 27.80 per cent of the total
population of 1.02 billion, according to
the Census of India 2001. This
population is projected to rise to 368
million by the year 2012. The urban
population lives in 5161 cities and towns
of India, and faces severe water and
sanitation stress.
2. Decline of Surface water bodies
According to the National Sanitation
Policy, inadequate discharge of untreated
domestic/municipal wastewater has
resulted in contamination of 75 per cent
of all surface water across India. Due to
encroachment, dumping of construction
debris and solid waste, siltation and
pollution, the lakes in the urban areas are
shrinking in size.
In Bhopal, the upper lake which
provides water to nearly half the city was
reported to have shrunk form 31 sq km to
9 sq km in Jan 09.
The Hamirsar Lake in Bhuj, Gujarat
is threatened with de-linking from its catchment. A citizen and
government partnership is on to clean up the lake.
3. Unmanaged Groundwater
80 per cent of domestic water supply in India now comes
from groundwater though its percentage for urban India is not
clear. However it remains a hidden resource as it is unmanaged.
In 46 towns of Karnataka, which are completely dependent on
groundwater for their requirement, it is threatened with over
exploitation and salinity ingress. There is not a single hydro
The Umiam Lake in Shillong faces threats of siltation and
pollution due to pressures on the catchments.
The water crisis is a the result of culmination of long ignored
issues which fall under three heads:
#&
additional 6.5 tmcft of water. Every year Karnataka refuses to
release water to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, leading to a fresh round
of watery insults on all sides.
Ravi and Beas dispute
In the case of Punjab, the bill has been passed in defiance of
an order of the Supreme Court which had directed Punjab to
take up construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal so that
Haryana's share of the waters of the Ravi and Beas could be
carried to the state. Punjab has consistently opposed the SYL,
saying it has no water to spare inspite of the fact that in 1981,
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan had signed an agreement on the
sharing of the waters of the Ravi and Beas.
geologist in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board,
the authority responsible for supplying water. In the absence of
human resource and institutional structure, there is complete
lack of understanding of groundwater in urban areas.
The building of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal has been
festering for decades between Haryana and Punjab, with Punjab
refusing to comply with court verdicts to construct its section of
the canal. Inspite of the apex court's judgement that Punjab
complete its SYL construction, the government of Punjab is
refusing to part with the water.
4. Rainwater – an unexploited resource
A rainwater harvesting system in every household will save a
lot of rainwater going waste, which unfortunately has not been
effectively used. Except Chennai no other city has made it
mandatory to put in place a rainwater harvesting system in every
household. Although other cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai,
Delhi, and Bangalore are following suit, implementation is not
on the same scale as in Chennai, thus an important source going
unutilized.
The Narmada dispute
The river Narmada originates in the Shahdol district of
Madhya Pradesh. Along its 1312 km journey to the sea it flows
through three states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Gujarat. The idea of damming the Narmada is a decades old idea
and there are disputes between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on
sharing the costs of the project. The Sardar Sarovar Project
(SSP) saw a protracted battle between the local people and their
representatives and the government on the issue of
submergence on the one side and raising the height of the dam
on the other. The battle over the river Narmada between
government on the one side and activists on the other refuses to
end.
Finally be it piped water, surface water, ground water, rain
water or wastewater, urban waters need management at
unprecedented levels. Equity and access will need focus,
ecological sustainability demands the protection of lakes and
groundwater. Managing waste – solid and liquid and providing
basic sanitation in the poorer areas of cities is an unfinished
agenda.
The water wars between India's states are likely to be a
crucial new battle in the future!
B. STATE WARS - POLITICS – RULES THE BLUE GOLD
Often there are disputes between states in India relating to
the waters of inter-state rivers, as in the case of The Cauvery
water sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu, Karnakata and
Kerala, Ravi and Beas dispute, The Narmada dispute between
the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat
and the building of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal which has
been festering for decades between Haryana and Punjab.
C. PRIVATIZATION OF WATER
Water being a public property, which is held in trust by
governments, should have a clear water use policy. When it goes
into private control, it can only deprive communities of free
access. The following cases highlight the government's
abdication of its responsibilities and handing over control to a
private entity.
The Cauvery dispute
The Cauvery water sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and Kerala is the most contentious dispute in South
India. Half of the watershed of the Cauvery lies in Karnataka, the
rest in Tamil Nadu. When the rains failed in 1995-96, Karnataka
refused to release water, there were threats of violence and in
spite of Central intervention directing Karnataka to release 6
tmcft of water, Karnataka refused and Tamil Nadu demanded an
The Nira Deogarh Dam case
The dam on the Nira river that flowed past the now displaced
Deoghar village promised to irrigate 60,58- hectares of land and
would be the country's first privatized irrigation project if
completed. The project was promoted by the Maharashtra
Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC), a State
#'
owned company meant to develop irrigation projects in the
Krishna river basin.. Being state – owned and controlled, the
MKVDC is expected to raise funds via the State or Central
exchequer but in a never before move, it called for Expressions
of Interest from private companies to complete the partially built
Nira Deoghar dam. The MKVDC had already spent Rs.468 crore
of the total planned outlay of Rs. 1,490 crore and hoped that the
private developer would bring in Rs. 1000 crore to complete the
dam. The private developer would recover his money through
high tariffs which would have been shouldered by the farmers.
In 2008 the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority
challenged it and asked the MKVDC to withdraw its invitation.
On paper we do have the National Water Policy 2002,
which articulates in so many words – 'water resources
development and management will have to be planned for a
hydrological unit such as drainage basin as a whole or for a subbasin, multi-sectorally, taking into account surface and ground
water for sustainable use incorporating quantity and quality
aspects as well as environmental considerations.” The scope
and powers of the river basin organizations have been left at the
discretion of the States. Except for Maharashtra, which has
created the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority,
and come forward to form river basin plans, other States lag far
behind.
Although the project is on hold, the delay points to a
lack of a clear policy on the basic rights to natural
resources
The River Boards Act was passed in Parliament and
gazetted in 1956 and yet after 53 years of the passing of the Act
there is not a single well functioning River Basin Institution
which is planning and managing river water flows and allocating
waters systematically for various uses. The Ganga River Basin
Authority and the Pampa River Basin Authority in Kerala, are the
only two institutions which are taking some tentative steps for
controlling pollution of the rivers, but not in the direction of
managing and allocating waters.
In the Plachimada case,
the Kerala High Court initially
supported the villagers and
issued a ruling in December
2003 forbidding the Coca Cola
company from mining water
through deep bore wells but
allowing it to draw water that
would be equal in quantity to
that normally used for
agricultural and domestic
purposes in the area.
The Lake Development Authority of Karnataka, suffers
from a measly annual budget of Rs. 3.15 crore, is poorly staffed,
and without adequate powers.
To resolve the state water disputes, Parliament has
enacted the Inter State Water Dispute Act, 1956, which was
amended in 2002. This Act has provided a mechanism for
resolving such water disputes between states through tribunals
constituted under Section 4 of the Act. But experience has
shown that while such tribunals have played a role in resolving
such disputes to a certain extent, they have not, and cannot,
resolve the water shortage problem permanently. For instance, if
there is a dispute between State A and State B relating to water,
and if the Tribunal decides in favour of State A then the farmers
and persons living in urban areas in State B often resort to
agitations which may even lead to violence. As can be seen, the
three cases of state water wars refuse to get resolved even after so
many years.
The Plachimada panchayat
cancelled Coca Cola's deep bore
mining licence. The company
approached the court. Two years after this a bench of the Kerala
High Court allowed the plant to extract 500,000 litres a day on
the ground that existing laws on water ownership were
inadequate to forbid the company from drawing out as much
water as it chose to. .
The above cases again reflects confusion about water
use policy and increasing dependence of the State on nongovernment funds, thus abdicating its responsibilities
and leaving people to the mercy of commercial ventures.
To put a check on indiscriminate use of Ground water, there
is the Central Ground water Authority as well as some
State level bodies, but there is no regulation on the use of
groundwater. There are at least 21 million tubewells, mostly
privately owned, and it is safe to assume that they are not
regulated. In the absence of active regulation, water users are
cashing in. In the Saurashtra region of Gujarat enterprising
farmers have dug deep bore wells which they use for irrigation.
Not content with drawing out of aquifers they have set up a
system called panni bazars or water markets in which a deep
bore well owner sells water to his neighbour.
WHERE DO WE LAG BEHIND?
In our country, the problem exists not because there are no
solutions or due to lack of innovative ideas. We have the plans,
the structure, the administration, the required laws or
legislations; the only thing we lack is in implementation. This is
where the buck is passed on. The bureaucracy blames the
politicians for not allowing them to put into effect the plans,
whereas the politicians blame the administration.
$
Deep bores have another side to them too. Overuse of water
results in a dry bore as has happened in some of the industrial
estates around Ahmedabad. In such cases the bore owners uses
it for an altogether different purpose. Instead of pumping water
out he pumps industrial waste deep into the earth so that he does
not have to bother with expensive waste disposal techniques.
The fallouts of politicization, privatization and
mismanagement of water is very much like, "Water, Water
everywhere, but not a drop to drink!". This is precisely the
situation of the people living in large parts of India. Despite
having immense reservoirs of water in the form of the Himalayas
in the North and the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of
Bengal in the West, South and East of India, there are water
shortages everywhere often leading to riots, road blocks and
other disturbances and disputes for getting water,handing over
public property to the for-profit private sector and
mismanagement of urban waters can lead to holding local
communities to ransom through political control of water as
happened with the Nira Deogarh Dam, or as 'tanker mafia' in the
Vasai region near Mumbai., co modification of water as in the
case of Coca Coal's plant in Plachimada, or conflict among states
and severe shortage of water in urban areas. No clear water use
policy, no teeth to regulatory authorities, an easy bending to the
will of commercial interests, no consultations with local users
and the administration's hostility towards simple solutions like
pani panchayats are the fallouts of politicization, privatization
and mismanagement of water.
The pollutants spread through underground aquifers and it
is not uncommon for farmers on the outskirts of Ahmedabad to
pump out deep red water with which fields are flooded and rice is
sown.
Thus it can be seen that merely putting on paper various
legislations and forming various bodies is not enough. The
bodies should be given the power, authority, requisite funds,
appropriate staff so that they are able to function properly and
bring to task those who flaunt the rules. Similarly, the states and
all the persons who do not comply with the court's orders should
be punished and the government should not succumb to the
pressure of the people or the States.
th
20 Anniversary of Berlin Wall
In the years between 1949 and 1961,
about 2.5 million East Germans had
fled from East to West Germany,
including steadily rising numbers of
skilled workers, professionals, and
intellectuals. Their loss threatened to
destroy the economic viability of the
East German state.
The Berlin Wall was the physical division between West
Berlin and East Germany. However, it was also the symbolic
boundary between democracy and Communism during the
Cold War.
The Berlin Wall has long since disappeared from reunified
Berlin. Memories of the Wall, however, are still very much alive,
and many of the visitors who come from all over the world are
disappointed or surprised to find that so little remains of Berlin's
most infamous structure. The two halves of the city, separated
for decades, have in fact been visibly reunited, while the
remaining sections of the GDR's border fortifications have lost
their power to terrify and are being preserved for future
generations. A moment of silence can help visitors grasp the
message of the memorial sites dedicated to people who died
trying to cross the Wall.
In response, East Germany built a barrier to close off East
Germans' access to West Berlin (and hence West Germany).
The barrier, the Berlin Wall, was first erected on the night of
August 12-13. 1961, as the result of a decree passed on August
1222 by the East German Volkskammer (“People's Chamber”)
The Berlin Wall was erected in the dead of night and for 28
years kept East Germans from fleeing to the West. Its
destruction, which was nearly as instantaneous as its creation,
was celebrated around the world. The 20 anniversary of the fall
of the Berlin Wall in Germany was observed on November 10,
2009.
East Germany's hard line communist leadership was forced
from power in October 1989 during the wave of democratization
that swept through Eastern Europe. On November 9 the East
German government opened the country's borders with West
Germany (including West Berlin), and openings were made in
the Berlin Wall through which East Germans could travel freely
to the West. The wall henceforth ceased to function as a political
barrier between East and West Germany.
Berlin Wall was the barrier that surrounded West Berlin and
prevented access to it from East Berlin and Adjacent areas of
East Germany during the period from 1961 to 1989.
Several leaders are coming to Berlin to take part in
ceremonies, including the heads of state of all 27 EU members
and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
JD
$
Facets
The Presidency of Barack Obama
B
Democratic Party, with plans to
offer health insurance to all and
reduce carbon emissions at the
top of the list. At the same time, he
proposed moving toward what was
sometimes called a post-partisan
landscape, appealing to voters of
all stripes to come together. As he
took office, voters seemed
cautiously optimistic, with high
hopes for the Obama presidency
mixed with a sense that
complicated problems would take
years to resolve.
arack Hussein Obama
was sworn in as the 44th
President of the United
States on Jan. 20, 2009. The son of
a black man from Kenya and a
white woman from Kansas, he is
the first African-American to
ascend to the highest office in the
land.
He is also the first new
Pre s i d e n t s i n c e t e r ro r i s t s
a t t a c k e d N e w Yo r k a n d
Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, the
first to use the Internet to decisive
political advantage, the first to
insist on handling a personal
smartphone while in the White
House. So striking was the
unlikeliness of his candidacy that he embraced that aspect,
calling himself "a skinny kid with a funny name" and making
"change" the theme for his campaign.
Mr. Obama's first year in office
has been remarkably crowded,
with major decisions on conflicts
winding down in Iraq, and
stepping up in Afghanistan. At home, the Obama
administration's early months in office were dominated by a
single issue: the economy. In fact, the economy's seemingly
relentless slide in late 2008 began reshaping the Obama team's
plans long before Inauguration Day, as first the candidate and
then the president-elect was pulled in to discussions over
whether to bail out the financial system, and then into the raging
debate over whether and how to keep General Motors and
Chrysler from going under.
It was a theme with deep resonance for a country enmeshed
in what was widely believed to be the worst downturn since the
Great Depression. Abroad, many challenges loomed: the war in
Iraq, the worsening conflict in Afghanistan, the repercussions
from Israel's broad assault on Gaza, the threat of terrorism and
the increasing signs that the economic woes that began on Wall
Street had spread across the global economy.
Mr. Obama's first major initiative was a gigantic stimulus
package to pump money into an economy in something close to
free fall. He introduced the outlines of a plan before taking
office, and spent much of his first weeks engaged in negotiations
with Congress that led to the passage of a $787 billion bill.
Republicans derided the bill as unaffordable and wasteful. Not a
single Republican in the House voted for the package, and only
three Republican senators did – just enough for Mr. Obama to
avert a filibuster.
Mr. Obama arrived at the White House with a résumé that
appeared short by Presidential standards: eight years in the
Illinois State Senate, four years as a senator in Washington. He
had managed to wrest the Democratic nomination from a field of
far more experienced competitors, most notably Senator Hillary
Rodham Clinton, whom he outlasted in what became an epic
primary battle. And he defeated Senator John McCain, the
Republican of Arizona, by an electoral margin of 365 to 173,
while outpolling him by more than eight million votes.
The vote seemed to presage the reception of the health care
reform efforts Mr. Obama put at the top of his agenda. As bills
made their way through Congress over the summer and fall, only
one Republican senator, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, seemed at
During the campaign, Mr. Obama laid out a set of large
promises that were solidly within the traditional agenda of the
62
all inclined to cast a vote for the Democratic plans. Conservative
anger boiled over during Congress's August recess, and it took a
televised address to a joint session of the House and Senate by
Mr. Obama in September to stop the slide of his own popularity
and that of the health plans.
In general on foreign
policy, Mr. Obama sought
to emphasize diplomacy
and multilateral
cooperation, in place of
the go-it-alone attitude
that marked much of
G e o r g e W. B u s h ' s
presidency. In some areas
there were few early signs
of success – North Korea
defied the U.S. and the
United Nations by holding more missile tests. But Iran
produced some potentially significant concessions on its
nuclear program in the first face to face meetings with the U.S.
under the Obama administriaton.
Overseas, Mr. Obama quickly reshaped policy on the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq, he set a date of August 2010 for a
pullout of most troops. He ordered that 21,000 additional troops
be sent to Afghanistan, significantly stepping up American
military involvement. Pakistan became a new focus of
administration attention, as the Taliban continued to seize everlarger swaths of the country's western regions.
On his second day in office, Mr. Obama issued executive
orders banning torture and closing the secret prisons run by the
Central Intelligence Agency. In April, he released memos from
the Bush administration Justice Department that authorized
brutal treatment of so-called "high value'' terrorism suspects, a
move that ultimately led to a criminal investigation of the
handling of detainees.
In a stunning surprise on Oct. 9, 2009, the Nobel committee
announced that it had awarded its annual peace prize to
President Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen
international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
SlimCity initiative
S
limCity is a World Economic Forum Industry Partnership
initiative that provides a risk-free marketplace where
cities and the private sector can exchange best practices
to deliver resource efficiency within cities throughout the world.
The focus of this exchange is on the sustainable development of
all aspects of a city to achieve reduced carbon emissions and
increased resource efficiency across all sectors, involving the
following industries: Energy, Mobility, Engineering &
Construction, Chemicals, Real Estate and Information
Technology.
WORKSTREAMS: The SlimCity initiative is structured with
three cross-sector workstreams that focus on specific issues,
coordinated by an overall project management office. The
purpose of the workstreams is to dive deeper into issues that
Mayors and private sector Chief Executives identify as a priority.
The three workstreams are:
Smart Energy: addressing more intelligent, cleaner and
more efficient energy systems, offering new services and more
choice to consumers. This workstream is driven by the Energy
and IT Industry Partner communities.
Why focus on urban areas? From a global perspective cities
have become the engines of economic prosperity. They have also
become the centres of population. In parallel, cities have become
the centres of consumption, currently accounting for
approximately 67% of global primary energy demand. The
corollary to this concentration of population and consumption is
the concentration of activities that lead to climate change. Cities
now account for over 70% of global CO2 emissions. In this
context, city leaders can play an important role in implementing
sustainable solutions and demonstrate that it is possible to
achieve far-reaching results – not just for their city, but
ultimately for the benefit of the wider world.
Sustainable Buildings: addressing the full lifecycle of
buildings from materials production through design and
construction to operations, retrofitting and recycling, and
building codes that influence implementation. This
workstream is driven by the Chemical, Engineering &
Construction, and Real Estate Industry Partner communities.
The Future of Urban Mobility: addressing the
development, integration and operations/maintenance of all
forms of urban mobility, with a focus on sustainability, access
and demand management. This workstream is driven by the
Mobility Industry Partner community.
63
.=?AJI
Climate confusion....?
"Rich countries pay your climate debt, our climate is changing"
S
At the beginning of the industrial era, the concentration of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was roughly 280 ppm
(parts per million). If the rise in global
temperatures since that base year is to be
limi ted to 2{+0} C (the scientifically
accepted target), with at least 50 per
cent probability, a concentration of
450 ppm of GHGs is the maximum
that can be allowed. (For convenience,
we shall take all of this concentration
to be due to CO Including all GHGs
will change the numbers somewhat
but will not significantly alter our
conclusions. The rise in
concentrations from 280 ppm to
450 ppm represents the total
amount of emissions possible,
without serious negative effects.
Of this total emission space
available, a significant portion is
already occupied by past emissions
that cannot be removed. The issue at
Copenhagen is how the remaining
carbon space is to be divided equitably
among all nations.
ECURING substantial progress at
the earliest in the global climate
negotiations is essential,
particularly for developing nations as
the consequences of global warming
will affect them the most. Developing
nations account for the bulk of the
world's population, including the vast
majority of those who are most
vulnerable to the consequences of
climate change. While developed
countries are primarily responsible
for global warming, uncontrolled
emissions from developing
nations, especially from the larger
ones, will surely lead to climate
disaster even if the developed
nations undertake significant
mitigation of greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions.
What makes the climate
negotiations truly difficult for
developing nations is the fact that
“carbon space” in the atmosphere, a
critical necessity for development, is now a
scarce resource. “Low-carbon” pathways
of development that deliver growth and
development while avoiding the high-emissions trajectory that
the world has known so far are a necessity rather than an option
for developing countries.
On a per capita basis, the principle that
India and all other developing countries have
always upheld, a fair share of the carbon space for any country
corresponds to its share of the world population. Of the carbon
space that has been occupied until 2008, countries (consisting
mostly of the advanced industrial nations) have taken roughly 73
per cent even though they account for only 19 per cent of the
world's population. Of this, the United States takes up 29 per
cent even though its population share amounts to 5 per cent.
The remaining 81 per cent of the world has emitted the residual
27 per cent.
However, even such alternative development pathways, while
keeping global warming below 2°C, will crucially require a
minimum amount of carbon space that will become available
only if developed nations agree to sharp and rapid emission
reductions. For developing countries, the negotiations are
critical for keeping open their energy and developmental options
while holding global temperatures within tolerable limits.
Even if the developed countries were to cut their emissions
in accordance with the recommendations of the Fourth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), which means reducing annual emissions by 40
per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 90 per cent below 1990
It is important to revisit some basic facts to appreciate the
gravity of the situation that confronts developing countries,
including India.
$"
levels by 2050, they would still retain more than 55 per cent of the
total carbon space by 2050. The U.S., for its part, would still
retain close to 21 per cent of the total carbon space. This is the
foundation of the argument that the advanced industrial nations
owe the rest of the world a carbon debt for their occupation and
exploitation of more than their fair share of the global commons.
To date, no developed country has offered to cut emissions
according to the IPCC recommendations. In particular, the cuts
the U.S. is currently considering – the Kerry-Boxer proposals,
now before the U.S. Senate – fall far short of the IPCC
recommendations.
The relative share of other sections of the world, is of course
subject to some specification of detail within the scope of the
constraint of a maximum concentration of 450 ppm. All
developing countries need to reduce the growth rate of their
emissions to keep concentrations below this target. Generally
speaking, countries such as China or large developing countries
as a group (excluding India and China) would by 2050 get about
20 per cent less than their fair share.
we take this into account, the carbon space share of developing
countries will fall further below their fair share.
Correspondingly, developed countries will obtain an even
greater share of the global atmospheric commons.
Today, India has a carbon space share of roughly 2.5 per cent,
compared with a fair share of 17 per cent. By 2050, with a
reduction of growth rates in emissions, India will still have only
about 4 per cent. The rest of the Group of 77 developing
countries will find themselves in a similar situation. Given the
existing occupation of the global atmospheric commons,
developing countries appear to have little scope to improve
significantly on this share, while keeping global emissions below
the maximum.
FACE UP –TO REALITY
India must insist that developed countries cut their
emissions and compensate developing countries for the carbon
space taken away from them.
There is a fit case to regard India, in this context, as
belonging to the rest of the G-77 rather than the large
developing economies. If we do so, India's share would improve
only marginally, going up to 4.5 per cent. The low figures for
India, in contrast to China, Brazil or South Africa, are a
consequence of the relatively low share of industry in India's
economy. In this regard, India's elite is clearly culpable for
hyping up the “service-sector-led growth”, while ignoring, in
the era of global warming, the critical issue of the gradual closing
of India's energy and manufacturing window, especially in the
years of economic reform.
All considerations of India's climate strategy must face up to
this reality. Not only will India and the rest of the G-77 never get
their fair share; the costs of whatever developmental trajectory
they take will also be significantly higher. Low-carbon pathways,
though much talked about, are, techno-economically speaking,
unexplored terrain.
Any talk, therefore, of India taking the lead in mitigation
actions is mere pretension to superpower status. The central
issue for India remains that of ensuring deep and binding
emission cuts by developed nations with suitable compensation
for their occupation of the global commons through financial
and intellectual property rights-free technology transfers. Any
form of assurance to the global community by developing
countries can only be contingent on suitable action by Annex-I
countries.
Actually, the inequity in the share of the global atmospheric
commons is even worse than what these numbers suggest. In
calculating these numbers we have assumed that the population
figure for every nation stays fixed at 2008 levels. This is a good
assumption for the advanced countries. In fact, their population
is likely to drop further over the years.
Clearly, India needs to recognise the reality that by 2030 or so
its emissions growth rate will have to deviate significantly from
its current growth. However, it also has no carbon space to gift
away. India, and in fact all other developing countries, cannot
afford to be “flexible” regarding the emission reduction targets
However, for developing countries the population will rise
further before stabilizing (after all, population growth and its
eventual stabilization are closely related to economic growth). If
$#
Forests, Jairam Ramesh announced that India was ready to
commit that its per capita emissions would always remain below
the per capita emissions of developed countries.
The carbon space perspective is most useful in cutting
through the hype surrounding carbon trading and carbon
offsets, which is most prominent in the business media. Carbon
offsets, whereby developing countries undertake emission
reductions that accrue to the mitigation actions of developed
countries in return for carbon credits, amount to a double
burden on developing countries. They undertake more than
their fair share of mitigation action. It also amounts to selling
their carbon space cheap; buying it back will be at a higher cost
because later emissions reductions will be more difficult.
That our political and business leaders do not appreciate the
gravity of the carbon space crunch that India faces is clear from
their unseemly enthusiasm for carbon offsets. Despite India's
rhetoric at the global negotiating table, criticising the insistence
by Annex-I countries that their mitigation actions would
significantly depend on offsets, government and corporate India
have been actively promoting carbon offsets as a new route to
foreign direct investment.
of developed countries. Such flexibility would amount to an
unaffordable giveaway. A section of the environmental
movement in the country is attracted by the possibility that
unilateral mitigation actions by India could herald a major shift
towards an equitable, sustainable, de-carbonised future.
It is in this context that sections of the media, the climate
policy community, and civil society have reacted with alarm to
indications that the Manmohan Singh government is
contemplating major policy shifts, including not only unilateral
mitigation actions and flexibility regarding developed country
emission reduction targets, but also policy changes on related
questions of financing adaptation and global technology
transfer.
But carbon space that is gifted away will be occupied by
others, foreclosing our energy future. Even if India,
hypothetically speaking, adopts a maximally environmentfriendly, sustainable path of development, it will still be seriously
affected by the GHG emissions of others. Every developing
nation must democratically determine the manner of utilisation
of its share of carbon space, but there is no case for unilateral
renunciation.
Regrettably, India's climate policy-makers have yet to get a
clear grip on the long-term policy implications of the looming
restrictions on its carbon space and the numbers involved. For
many years, while correctly emphasising the historical
responsibility of developed nations, climate policy remained
limited, in essence, to denying India's ability to undertake any
emission reductions. In the absence of the recognition that the
sheer physical constraint of keeping global warming in check
would impose restrictions on emissions, the policy increasingly
appeared to be a form of climate change “scepticism”, if not
outright denial.
In recent times, the Government of India has swung around
to the other extreme of producing quantitative estimates
without extensive checks and broad consultations to validate
them. The techno-economic basis for Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's announcement in 2007 that India's per
capita emissions would not cross that of developed countries has
never been clarified. Most recently, at the pre-COP-15 meeting
at Copenhagen on November 16, Minister for Environment and
Parliament and civil society must ensure that the parameters
of India's negotiating positions at Copenhagen are firmly fixed
so as to ensure that the nation's vital energy and developmental
options are kept open and not foreclosed by unwarranted
giveaways.
$$
Facets
Flu pandemic
S
surfaces. To prevent spread, people who are ill
should cover their mouth and nose when
coughing or sneezing, stay home when they are
unwell, clean their hands regularly, and keep
some distance from healthy people, as much as
possible. There are no known instances of people
getting infected by exposure to pigs or other
animals.
wine influenza is an infection by any one of
the several types of swine influenza virus.
Swine influenza virus (SIV) is any strain of
the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in
pigs. As of 2009, the known SIV strains include C
and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1,
H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3. Swine influenza
virus is common throughout big populations
worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not
common and does not always lead to human influenza, often
resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If
transmission does cause human influenza, it is called zoonotic
swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased
risk of swine flu infection.
Pandemic H1N1 swine flu virus is sensitive to the antiviral
drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. These antiviral drugs are most
effective when taken within 48 hours of the start of flu
symptoms. It is resistant to older flu drugs. Not everyone needs
treatment with these anti flu drugs. Most people who come
down with H1N1 swine flu recover fully without antiviral
treatment.
As of October 2009,
worldwide there have been
more than 375,000
laborator y confirmed
cases of pandemic
influenza H1N1 2009 and
over 4500 deaths reported
to WHO. The 2009 flu
pandemic is a global
outbreak of a new strain of
influenza. A virus subtype
H1N1, first identified in
April 2009 and commonly
called swine flu. The virus
is a mixing of four known strains of influenza A virus: one
endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in
pigs (swine). Transmission of the new strain is human to human
and eating cooked pork products will not transmit the virus.
How worried should the world be about the pandemic
in 2010?
The article in The World in 2010 by Margaret Chan, the
Director General of the World Health Organisation, is both
reassuring and unsettling.
Reassuringly, she predicts that swine flu will be much less
deadly and devastating that initial scare stories forecast. The
world was reasonably well prepared for a pandemic, since it was
on the look-out for the spread of bird flu. And swine flu will prove
to be far less lethal than bird flu.
What is unsettling, however, is the picture she paints of the
stark differences that are likely to become apparent in the year
ahead between the impact in the rich world and in the poorest
countries, which lack the health systems to cope with a
pandemic. Rich countries have also secured the lion's share of
the global supply of vaccines. If her conclusion is right, the effect
of swine flu in 2010 will be global panic, but widespread shame.
The outbreak began in Mexico, with evidence that there had
been an ongoing epidemic for months before it was officially
recognized as such. In early June 2009, the WHO declared the
outbreak to be a pandemic, but also noted that most of the
illnesses were of moderate severity.
The same virus that causes manageable disruption in
affluent countries will have a devastating impact in countries
with too few health facilities and staff, no regular supplies of
essential medicines, little diagnostic and laboratory capacity,
and vast populations with no access to safe water and
sanitation.
The virus is spread from person to person. It is transmitted
as easily as the normal seasonal flu and can be passed to other
people by exposure to infected droplets expelled by coughing or
sneezing that can be inhaled, or that can contaminate hands or
67
Facets
War in Somalia
S
omalia now days could be worse than Iraq and
Afghanistan because it does not have strong government.
It has a lot of problems including, but not limited to,
conflicts between the Transitional Federal government and alShabab fighters, pirates, hostage takers, and thieves who have
shown no mercy. The war in Somalia was an armed conflict
involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) forces and Somali troops from Puntland
versus the Somali Islamist umbrella group, the Islamic Court
Union (ICU), and other affiliated militias for control of the
country.
successful battles, TFG and Ethiopian troops entered
Mogadishu relatively unopposed. The UN also stated that many
Arab nations including Libya and Egypt were also supporting
the ICU via Eritrea. A small number of U.S. Special Forces
troops accompanied Ethiopian and TFG troops after the
collapse and withdrawal of the ICU to give military advice and to
track suspected al-Qaida fighters. As of January 2007, Ethiopia
said it would withdraw within a few weeks but the TFG, US and
UN officials oppose Ethiopian withdrawal because it would
create a security vacuum, while the ICU has demanded
immediate
Ethiopian withdrawal.
Background: The war officially began
shortly before July 20, 2006 when U.S.
backed Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia
to prop up the Transitional Federal
Government in Baidoa. This government in
Somalia invited Ethiopians to intervene, which
was an unpopular decision that failed to strengthen
the government. Subsequently, the leader of the Islamic
Court Union, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, declared a state of
war and invited all Somalis to take part in this struggle against
Ethiopia. In December 2006, Ethiopia announced to
actively combat the ICU.
The two sides had traded war
declarations and gun fire on
several occasions before. Eastern
African countries and international
obser vers fear the Ethiopian
offensive may lead to a regional war,
involving Eritrea, a long time enemy of
Ethiopia, who Ethiopia claims to be a
supporter of the ICU.
Events 2009: As of January 2009, Ethiopian
troops withdrew from Somalia following a two
year insurgency which leads to loss of territory
and effectiveness of the TFG and a power sharing
deal between Islamists splinter group led by Sheikh
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s Alliance for the Re-liberation of
Somalia (ARS) and TFG Prime Minister NUR Hassan in
Djibouti. The al Shabaab who has separated from the ICU
rejects the peace deal and continued to take territories including
Baidoa. Another Islamist group ,Ahlu Sunnah Waljama’ah which
is allied to the transitional government and supported by
Ethiopia, continues to attack al Shabab and take over towns as
well.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Meles
Zenawi, said that Ethiopia
entered hostilities because it
faced a direct threat to its own
borders. The Islamic Court
Union, which controlled the
coastal areas of southern
Somalia, engaged in fighting
with
the forces of the Somali
Transiti
onal Federation Government,
and the
autonomous regional
governments
of Puntland and Galmudog, all of
whom were
backed by Ethiopian troops. The
outbreak of heavy
fighting began with the Battle of
Baidoa, after the lapse
of a one week deadline the ICU imposed on Ethiopia, on
December 12, 2006 to withdraw from the nation. Ethiopia,
however, refused to abandon its position around the TFG
interim capital at Baidoa. On December 29, after several
After the Parliament took in 200 officials from the moderate
Islamist opposition, ARS leader Sheikh Ahmed was elected
TFG President on January 31, 2009. Since then, the al Shabab
radical Islamists have accused the new TFG President of
accepting the secular transitional government and have
continued the civil war since he arrived in Mogadishu at the
Presidential palace.
68
On February 8, heavy fighting broke out in southern
Mogadishu. However, al-Shabaab leaker, Sheikh Mukhtar
Robow met with President Sharif Ahmed for peace talks during
his visit to Mogadishu. During these negotiations Sharif Ahmed
said he would be prepared to enforce Sharia Law in Somania,
which is currently the hard liners main demand. Mukhtar
Robow, however, denied having talked to Sharif Ahmed and
vowed to continue fighting until his demands for Sharia Law
were met.
On February 22, a double suicide bomb attack on an AU base
in Mogadishu left 11 Burundian soldiers dead and another 15
wounded. Two days later heavy fighting erupted in the city as
TFG and AU forces attempted to retake the city from radical
Islamist forces. The fighting lasted for two days and killed 87
people including 48 civilians, 15 insurgents and 6 TFG
policemen. At the same time as the fighting raged in Mogadishu
al-Shabaab forces took the town of Hudor, to the north west, in a
fighting that killed another 20 people.
wounded. At least 17 people were killed during a series of battles
overnight on October 5. Separate clashes continued in various
regions between two groups.
On February 28, it appeared that Hisbi Islam would sign a
ceasefire with the Transitional Federal Government. However,
by March, it was clear that no ceasefire would be given, despite
President Sharif Ahmed having agreed to proposals for a true
and having offered to accept the implementation of Sharia Law
but refused to move troops from civilian areas despite the
Islamists doing so.
Insurgent attacks in Mogadishu targeting Somali
government forces and African peace keepers (AMISOM) have
decreased since the eruption of fighting between Hizbul Islam
and Al Shabaab.
Somalia’s future is bleak. What little income it can muster
comes from its diaspora, but remittances have slowed with the
global slump. International agencies have promised more aid,
but lack of security stands in the way. Peacekeepers are too few in
number to make a difference. Most disturbing, many young
Somalis are becoming increasingly radicalised, leaving little
hope that the political situation will stabilise. The world’s most
failed state, regrettably, threatens to become a bigger problem
for the rest of the world.
In May 2009, al-Shabaab announced that they would
continue the war. In response, the government announced an
immediate blockade on airstrips and seaports under insurgent
control to stop the flow of weapons reaching them. In June, the
Transitional Parliament Speaker, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nuur
Madobe asked the international community to send foreign
troops to Somalia within the following 24 hours. He stated that
the government’s power is on the verge of being defeated by
Islamist forces in the Somali capital. The Cabinet declared a
state of emergency and Somalia asked for help from neighbors
Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen. Ethiopia refused saying
intervention needs an international mandate. On June 21, a
spokesman for the al Shaabab Islamists said they would fight any
foreign troops. Al-Qaeda also made threats against Kenyan
intervention. Somali President ,Sheikh Sharif Ahmed declared
state of emergency in the country as a new round of fighting in
Mogadishu left 12 dead and 20 injured. Hundreds fled the city.
General Information on Somalia
Population:
9.1 million
Area:
637, 657 km²
Access to clean water:
45-50%
Internally displaced persons: 1,300,000
Heavy fighting broke out on October 1, 2009 in Kismayao,
shattering the alliance between alShabaab and Hizbul Islam,
which had together run the town. Relations between the two
groups controlling it turned sour in late September. The two
factions agreed to share power in Kismayo, with each covering
for six months alternatively. But clan politics caused the rotation
to fail when al-Shabab refused to relinquish the administration.
Al-Shabaab controlled most of the city with 12 dead and 70
69
Currency:
The Somali shilling
Per capita GDP:
$600
Life expectancy:
48 yrs(Men), 51 yrs(Women)
Infant mortality:
109.19 deaths per 1,000 births
Main exports:
Livestock, bananas, fish
Major languages:
Somali, Arabic, Italian, English
Facets
Top Ten China Myths of 2009
(The New Yorker)
C
Fact: Over the summer, China embarked on an
unprecedented effort to
maintain stability: it could
be called The Great
Internet Shut-Down. After
scores of people were killed
and hundreds injured in
the worst ethnic violence in
decades in the Xinjiang region, authorities simply turned off
large portions of the Web in Xinjiang and left it off for months.
No email, Skype, and IM, though local news sites and shopping
and such were still available, as this good description points out.
The effect on business and education is incalculable, but, in a
measure of how much China is willing to do to protect stability,
authorities kept the ban in place well into the winter. This would
probably not work on a national basis, but the ban was a shocking
reminder of what is possible.
hina in 2009 was the land we all hoped it would be: the
enemy, the friend, the brilliant tactician, the bumbling
oaf. China is such a mix of strength and weakness these
days that it provides endless material for opportunistic
arguments. Here are the top ten myths about China in 2009 and
how they fared:
1. China's carmakers will never range far beyond
their borders.
Fact: It was only six years ago that a prestigious report by the
U.S. National Academies and the Chinese Academy of
Engineering dismissed China's engineering and vehicledevelopment capabilities, according to Dan Sperling, one of the
authors. Well, in a moment oozing with symbolism, the Sichuan
Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, an obscure heavymachinery maker, unveiled a deal in October to buy GM's
Hummer. Around the same time, Geely Automobile Holdings
Ltd, which got $334 million from Goldman Sachs in September,
was named by Ford as the preferred bidder for Volvo. Geely is
rumored to be offering $2 billion for Volvo, far less than the $6.5
billion that Ford paid for the brand in 1999. China, it turns out,
may be a major automaker (or automaker owner) after all.
4. China's weak judicial independence is a problem
for Chinese citizens but not for business.
Fact: In July, 2009, authorities detained four employees of
the Australian miner Rio Tinto, accusing them of stealing state
secrets during acrimonious iron-ore price negotiations. They
included Stern Hu, an Australian citizen and Rio Tinto's top iron
ore salesman in China. They were later formally arrested for
stealing commercial secrets, and the investigation was recently
extended into mid-January.
2. China sprinted through the global slowdown
unharmed.
Fact: Not quite. China's economy continued to grow at a rate
of eight per cent in 2009,
but that does not mean
that the economy is
tuned to peak efficiency.
The credit goes to a $586
billion stimulus package
that was far larger than
many people initially
realized. Considering
the size of its economy,
the spending was nearly
double that of the U.S. stimulus. With Chinese banks ordered to
lend, and government agencies ordered to buy and invest, the
health of the broader economy was far harder to measure.
5. As China opens up, it permits dissidents to
advocate because they have only a tiny following.
Fact: One of the curious things about the Chinese
government in 2009 is how often it acted like an elephant afraid
of a mouse. For all of its strength and sophistication in economic
and diplomatic matters, it continued to rely on primitive political
tactics to round up the perceived opposition. Liu Xiaobo, the coauthor of Charter 08, a petition for reform, was detained in
December, 2008, and formally arrested in June on suspicion of
inciting the subversion of state power. An international outcry
followed, but he remained in jail. Approaching the anniversary of
his detention, his wife Liu Xia told the Guardian that it was “very
possible” he could be sentenced to more than ten years. “My
biggest hope is that the public can still pay attention to his case
and Xiaobo can come back home soon.”
3. The Internet might be censored but it can never be
rolled back in China.
70
6. China is a land of no siblings.
Fact: In July, the Shanghai government began encouraging
eligible parents to have a second
child in effort to counter the
effects of an aging population.
This is a major sign of a more
relaxed attitude about the onechild policy in place since the
seventies. In fact, two-child
families are all over China, as
parents earn enough money to
pay fines or find loopholes in the policy, which is more porous
than most outsiders imagine. Parents who were both only
children are allowed a second child. Rural parents are also
allowed to have a second child, if the first-born is a girl.
resolutions, the first such declaration since 2006 to be backed by
both China and Russia; and it indicated that it may widen its
flexibility on reforming the exchange rate.
10. Chinese Web users have no impact on the
government.
Fact: In June, China unveiled
plans to require all new personal
computers to come with filtering
software “Green Dam Youth Escort,”
but an outcry from Chinese Web
users and foreign technology
companies forced the government to
rethink. It would have been too
embarrassing to abandon it
completely, but the government
postponed indefinitely the
mandatory pre-installation of the software on new computers.
Some Asian brands, including Acer and Lenovo, agreed to put it
in package anyway. Eventually the government announced that
schools, Internet cafés and other public-use computers would
still be required to run the software.
7. China's work on climate change is more rhetoric
than substance.
Fact: China has concluded unmistakably that climate
change is a security and stability threat, and it is treating it as
such. In 2006, the same year that James Hansen, NASA's top
climate scientist, was accusing the Bush Administration of
trying to muzzle his call for emission cuts, China released its
first report on climate change, which predicted serious changes
to its landscape–and, most importantly, its food supply. The
report predicted that the output of major crops such as wheat,
rice, and corn would fall by up to thirty-seven per cent in the
second half of the century if no effective measures were taken in
the next twenty to fifty years to address climate-change impacts,
according to Xinhua. It embarked on major policy initiatives to
prevent that.
FAMOUS NEWS AGENCIES
Agence France-Presse :
France
Agerpres:
Romania
Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau: Netherlands
ANSA (news agency):
Italy
8. China has already beaten the U.S. on the
technology to combat climate change.
Fact: China is making unmistakable strides on energy
technology, but that campaign has vulnerabilities and the game
is far from over.
Associated Press:
USA
Bloomberg L.P.:
USA
Deutsche Presse-Agentur:
Germany
European Pressphoto Agency:
Britain
9. President Obama's visit was a disappointment.
Fact: When Obama made his first visit to China, in
November, he avoided
fireworks and downplayed
overt talk about human
rights. The initial coverage
from the White House press
corps was cool, with many
pieces asking some version
of whether the Chinese
“squelched” discussion of
tough topics. But in the days
that followed, some Chinawatchers reached a different consensus: Beijing coughed up its
first targets for greenhouse-gas emissions controls; it agreed to
join a U.S.-backed statement criticizing Iran for flouting U.N.
ITAR-TASS:
Russia
Interfax:
Russia
Kyodo News:
Japan
Magyar Tavirati Iroda:
Hungary
Notimex:
Mexico
RIA Novosti:
Russia
Reuters:
Britain
United Press International:
USA
Xinhua News Agency:
China
Yonhap:
South Korea
Agencia Brasil:
Brazil
71
.=?AJI
Events 2009 :
World news
JANUARY
In a very tight runoff election–following an even tighter first
round on Dec. 7, 2008–John Atta Mills of the National
Democratic Congress was elected President of Ghana, with
50.2% of the votes. Opponent Nana Akufo-Addo of the New
Patriotic Party quickly conceded defeat, an important move
considering Africa's troubled history with democratic elections.
MILLS ELECTED GHANA'S PRESIDENT IN RUNOFF
A presidential election
was held in Ghana on
December 7, 2008, at the
same time as a parliamentary
election. Since no candidate
received more than 50% of
the votes, a run-off election
was held on 28 December,
2008 between the two
candidates who received the
most votes, Nana AkufoAddo and John Atta Mills.
Mills was certified as the
victor in the run-off election
on January 3, 2009, by a
margin of less than one
percent.
JKJKJK
FIGHTING BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS CONTINUES
On 18 December, 2008
Hamas declared the end of a
six-month ceasefire with
Israel and on 24 December,
2 0 0 8 b e g a n a n
intensification of rocket fire
towards the countr y's
towns. On 27 December,
2008 Israel began a wave of
airstrikes on the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of stopping the
rocket attacks from and arms smuggling into the territory.
Israeli forces attacked military targets, police stations and
government buildings. There was also significant damage to
civilian buildings. Hamas further intensified its rocket and
mortar attacks against Israel, hitting civilian targets throughout
the conflict and reaching major Israeli cities Beersheba and
Ashdod for the first time. An Israeli ground invasion began on
January 3, 2009. The war ended on January 18, when Israel first
declared a unilateral ceasefire, followed by Hamas announcing a
one-week ceasefire twelve hours later. Israel completed its
withdrawal on January 21. Between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinians
and 13 Israelis were killed. More than 400,000 Gazans were left
without running water, while 4,000 homes were destroyed or
badly damaged, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless; 80
goverment buildings were hit.
On 21 December 2006, former Vice-President John Atta
Mills, who unsuccessfully ran as the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) presidential candidate in 2000 and 2004, was
overwhelmingly elected by NDC as its candidate for the 2008
presidential election.
Former Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo was elected as
the 2008 presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic
Party (NPP) at a party Congress on 23 December 2007. Although
he fell short of the required 50%, the second-place candidate,
John Alan Kyeremanten, conceded defeat and backed AkufoAddo.
The stakes of the election were raised by the discovery of oil
in Ghana and an expectation for incoming oil revenues to begin
in 2010. Additionally, allegations of electoral fraud that resulted
in violence following elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe and
military coups d'état in Mauritania and Guinea caused
international election monitors to hope the Ghanaian elections
would refurbish the image of constitutional democracy in Africa.
A UN mission headed by Judge Richard Goldstone was
established in April 2009 and produced a report in September
2009, accusing both Palestinian militants and Israeli Defence
Forces of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, and
recommending bringing those responsible to justice. In
%
The Presidency Council initially referred the law back,
saying it did not comply with the constitutional rights of
governorates. It was reported that Vice President Adil AbdulMahdi, whose Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council party is strong in
many southern Iraqi governorate councils, particularly objected.
However, the Council reversed its position following protests
from the Sadrist Movement, saying they would instead seek
changes to the law before it came into force.
October 2009, the UN Human Rights Council endorsed the
report by 25 votes for, 6 against and 16 abstentions/failures to
vote. Against Goldstone's recommendations, the Council
singled out Israel exclusively for reprimand without any mention
of Hamas.
After over a week of intense air strikes, Israeli troops crossed
the border into Gaza, launching a ground war against the
militant Palestinian group, Hamas. More than 430 Palestinians
and 4 Israelis have been killed since the fighting began Dec. 27,
2008. The UN declared a suspension of aid in Gaza after one
driver was killed and two others wounded in stray gunfire.
Despite a call from the UN for cease-fire, fighting continues in
Gaza. An airstrike from Israel hit the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency building in Gaza, injuring at least three people.
Called a mistake by Israeli military officials, UN workers are
nonetheless outraged by the attack. Israel announces unilateral
cease-fire in Gaza. Hamas will continue to fight as long as Israeli
troops remain in the area.
In July 2008, the Iraqi Election Commission proposed
postponing the elections until December because delays in
passing the election law had left too little time to prepare.
The Provincial Elections bill was eventually approved by the
Council of Representatives on 22 July 2008 despite a walkout by
members of the Kurdistani Alliance over a clause making Kirkuk
Governorate council a power-sharing arrangement. The next
day the Presidency Council of Iraq, consisting of President Jalal
Talabani, who is Kurdish, Vice-President Adel Abdul Mahdi, a
Shi'ite Arab, and Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni Arab,
unanimously agreed to reject the bill because of the Kirkuk
clause, and send it back to the Council of Representatives to
reconsider.
JKJKJK
PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS HELD IN IRAQ
JKJKJK
Governorate or provincial
elections were held in Iraq on 31
January 2009, to replace the
local councils in fourteen of the
eighteen governorates of Iraq
that were elected in the Iraqi
governorate elections of 2005.
14,431 candidates - including
3,912 women - contested 444
seats. The candidates came
from over 400 parties - 75% of
which were newly formed. Iraq
holds local elections to create
provincial councils. More than
14,000 people were ran for just
440 seats on councils around the
country. The elections were notable for their lack of violence and
the noticeably diminished role the U.S. played in their
implementation. Voter turnout varied widely by area, with some
regions reporting less than 50% participation and others more
than 75%. In February 2008, the Iraqi Parliament passed a
Provincial Powers Act by a majority of one, with many members
of Parliament not present at the proceedings. It included giving
the Prime Minister the power to dismiss a governor of a
province, a measure that would have left considerable power in
the hands of the Shia dominated central government in
Baghdad. The Act required a Provincial Elections Law to be
passed within the next 90 days and for elections to be held no
later than the beginning of October 2008.
FEBRUARY
ICELAND SWEARS IN FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER
The new Prime Minister,
Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66,
will lead a caretaker coalition
government of Iceland’s
Social Democrats and its
Left-Green Movement. A
political veteran who has
served for long periods as
social affairs minister, she
also appears to be the modern
world’s first openly gay head
of government.
The transfer was made in the calm manner long considered
characteristic of Iceland, a once-prosperous nation whose
reputation for social and political stability has been profoundly
shaken by the turbulent scenes that have played out since its
leading banks were nationalized last fall to save them from
collapsing beneath multibillion-dollar debts.
In a matter of weeks after the crisis hit, unemployment
soared to 10 percent, housing prices fell sharply, thousands of
homeowners began having mortgage problems and Iceland’s
%!
currency plunged in value. The International Monetary Fund
stepped in to lead a $10 billion rescue, equivalent to more than
$30,000 for each of Iceland’s 320,000 inhabitants.
The United Nations report found that the Taliban and other
insurgents caused the majority of the civilian deaths, primarily
through suicide bombers and roadside bombs, many aimed at
killing as many civilians as possible.
Because the crisis hit earlier and more drastically than
elsewhere, and in a small, vulnerable nation, Iceland found itself,
unusually, in the eye of international attention. It offered a
foreboding lesson as a sort of test case of what can happen to a
mostly middle-class country that collapses economically almost
overnight. Large crowds of protesters gathered outside the
Parliament building, with some violence, and, once last month,
the police firing tear-gas volleys.
Taliban fighters routinely attacked American and other progovernment forces in densely populated areas, the report said,
apparently in the hope of provoking a response that would kill
even more civilians.
But the report also found that Afghan government forces and
those of the American-led coalition killed 828 people last year, up
sharply from the previous year. Most of those were killed in
airstrikes and raids on villages, which are often conducted at night.
The government collapsed with the resignation of Prime
Minister Geir Haarde, whose Independence Party, a
conservative group, enjoyed wide popularity on the back of the
prosperity generated by a boom in financial services that saw
Iceland’s once-conservative banks emerge as edgy, risk-taking
players in international markets. The boom owed much too
laissez-faire regulatory policies of the government and the
central bank, led by another former Prime Minister, David
Oddsson. Many Icelanders now blame Mr. Oddsson and Mr.
Haarde for their plight.
JKJKJK
SENATE APPROVES STIMULUS PLAN
CIVILIAN DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN ROSE 40% IN 2008
In a 61–37 vote, mostly along party lines, the Senate approved
President Obama's $838 billion
stimulus plan. Congress reached
a deal on the stimulus plan,
whittling it down to $787 billion.
Three Republicans in the Senate
played a crucial role in the final
plan, forcing around $30 billion to
be removed from the outline.
Approximately $70 billion in tax
cuts were also necessary for their
support. Congressional leaders
said they would immediately
begin to work out the differences between the Senate measure
and an $820 billion version passed by the House, with President
Obama also likely to have a strong voice in the talks.
The number of civilians killed
in Afghanistan leapt by nearly 40
percent last year, the latest
measure of how the intensifying
violence between the Taliban and
American-led forces is ravaging
that country. The death toll –
2,118 civilians killed in 2008,
compared with 1,523 in 2007 – is the highest since the Taliban
government was ousted in November 2001, at the outset of a war
with no quick end in sight.
Mr. Obama, who took to the road for the second straight day
to push for Congressional approval of his economic recovery
package, appeared alongside Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, a
Republican, in an effort to show that his plan has attracted
bipartisan support in economically troubled parts of America.
Despite numerous differences in the two bills approved in the
Senate and the House, the overall scope of the economical
recovery effort is now clear – sprawling in its reach, with tax cuts
for individuals, families and businesses, assistance for jobless
and low income Americans, aid to states, and huge spending on
education, healthcare, energy and technology.
Civilian deaths have become a political flash point in
Afghanistan, eroding public support for the war and inflaming
tensions with President Hamid Karzai, who has bitterly
condemned the American-led coalition for the rising toll.
President Obama’s decision to deploy more troops to
Afghanistan raises the prospect of even more casualties.
The Senate approved its bill most along party lines, by a vote
of 61 to 37, with three Republicans joining 56 Democrats and
two independents in favor. (There is one vacancy in the Senate,
from Minnesota, and Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, a
Republican nominated to become Mr. Obama’s Commerce
Secretary, did not vote.)
Ms. Sigurdardottir comes to the Prime Minister’s job with a
formidable reputation. As Social Affairs minister in several
governments since 1987, she is credited with pushing through
policies that widened housing opportunities for Iceland’s poor
and strengthened the social welfare system. She said she will use
her powers as Prime Minister to push for debt relief for the most
vulnerable Icelanders.
JKJKJK
%"
The government said the slump was even worse than the
recession of the 1990s when the country's economic bubble
burst, ushering in a decade of economic stagnation and
deflation.
The opposition of most Republicans underscored
insurmountable disagreements, over both economic and
political philosophy, in addressing the recession.
In Washington, Democrats raced to get the legislation
finalized so that it could be sent to Mr. Obama for his signature .
Ms. Pelosi said that Congress will not leave for the weeklong
President’s Day recess unless work on the bill was completed.
Japan's economy contracted 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter
of 2008 – 12.7 percent on an annualised basis, official data
showed.
Among the major differences between the bills is the
Senate’s cut of $40 billion from a $79 billion state fiscal
stabilization fund proposed by the House, to be used mostly for
education services but also to help cash-strapped states meet
their budget needs.
It was the weakest performance since 1974 when the country
was reeling from the first oil crisis, and the government said this
slump would be even more severe.
Japanese exports plunged a record 13.9 percent in the fourth
quarter as demand for Japanese cars, electronics and other
goods slumped in recession-hit overseas economies.
The Senate bill also included a $70 billion provision to protect
millions of middle-class Americans from having to pay the
alternative minimum tax in 2009, which was not included in the
House bill, although House leaders seemed willing to accept it.
"With the US and China hammering out fiscal measures
centered on infrastructure, the Japanese economy should
benefit through an increase in exports," they wrote in a note.
In addition, there were tens of billions of dollars in
differences on spending programs and even in the tax
provisions. The Senate, for instance, scaled back Mr. Obama’s
signature middle-class tax cut proposal, called “Making Work
Pay” to save about $2 billion from the overall cost of the package.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Tokyo
needed to take fresh steps to spur growth. A ruling party official
said over the weekend a new stimulus package could be worth up
to 30 trillion yen (327 billion US dollars).
JKJKJK
The trims made by the Senate meant that only about 87
percent of American taxpayers would benefit from the tax cut,
with the wealthiest of those receiving only a partial credit. Mr.
Obama, during his campaign for the presidency, had promised a
tax cut for 95 percent of American families.
MARCH
ATTACK ON SRI LANKAN CRICKET TEAM KILLS 8 IN
PAKISTAN
JKJKJK
With eight dead in Lahore,
not even cricket, a cherished
national pastime, seemed
secure after 12 gunmen
carrying sacks of weapons
attacked a bus bearing the Sri
Lankan team and then escaped
in motorized rickshaws. Most
major cricket teams already
refused to risk playing in
Pakistan, ever more isolated
from the rest of the world.
JAPAN IN WORST FINANCIAL CRISIS SINCE WWII
The world's second
largest economy is facing
its worst financial crisis
since World War II.
Official figures show the
Japanese economy shrank
at an annualised rate of
12.7 per cent, with exports
collapsing at the end of
last year. The pace of the
slowdown means Japan is
technically in a recession sorry, a depression - and
the Government is now
looking at a fresh economic stimulus package worth tens of
billions of dollars.
The operation bore some similarity to the attack in
November in Mumbai, India, in which 10 militants attacked
hotels and other targets over three days, killing 163 people.
The senior official at the Interior Ministry, Rehman Malik,
%#
Beyondjustfinancialmarkets,thissuper-sizedlossstandsout.
who is close to President Zardari, said: “We suspect a foreign
hand behind this incident. The democracy of the country has
been undermined, and foreigners are repeatedly attacked to
harm the country’s image.”
H
American experts voiced concern that such attacks might be
the new terrorist strike of choice instead of suicide bombings.
“It’s likely there will be more of these kind of attacks, which are
much more difficult to defend against,” said Juan Zarate, the
White House’s top counterterrorism official under President
George W. Bush. “Mumbai has become a terrorist exemplar.”
H
H
H
The changes in police personnel had been ordered by the
governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, who is now overseeing the
province by executive order at the behest of President Zardari,
Mr. Sherpao said.
H
The Sri Lankan team had been particularly welcomed
because it had agreed to play in Pakistan after other major world
teams had refused to come, citing Pakistan’s poor security. Last
year, the Australian, British and South African cricket teams said
they would not take part in the Champions Trophy, a major world
cricket event scheduled in Pakistan.
AIG's loss is more than Bill Gate’s net worth of $57billion as of last September, according to Forbes
magazine's "400 Richest Americans" list that had
Microsoft founder Gates as No 1.
The US government provided $62-billion for
immediate relief and rescue efforts in the months after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
If $62-billion was spread across the US population,
Americans could each get about $200.
AIG's loss amounts to 92% of the $67,4-billion that
Americans spent at world's largest retailer Wal-Mart
Stores in the fourth quarter, which includes the holiday
season.
It would take a person spending $1-million per day,
everyday, the next 169 years to spend as much money as
AIG lost during the fourth quarter, which lasted just 92
days.
JKJKJK
APRIL
The series with Sri Lanka represented a sort of coming out
for Pakistani fans starved of first-class cricket at home.
OBAMA HAILS G-20 SUMMIT AS 'TURNING POINT’
Leaders of the
world's largest 20
economies at the
London Summit
agreed on subjects
include financial
regulation, economic
g ro w t h , re v i v i n g
global trade,
strengthening the
global financial architecture and helping the worlds poorest.
Cricket is as important to the sports psyche in Pakistan as
baseball is in the United States. The matches with Sri Lanka
were the first international cricket contests in Pakistan in 14
months.
Pakistan is scheduled to host the World Cup cricket
tournament in 2011.
JKJKJK
A.I.G. POSTS $61 BILLION LOSS, RECEIVING MORE
BAILOUT FUNDS
To help countries with troubled economies, the resources
available to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be
tripled to $750bn.
The insurance giant's quarterly loss was the biggest in
corporate history, topping the
previous record of about $45billion set by Time Warner
during the fourth quarter of
2002.
The G20 committed about $250bn to boost global trade.
US President, Barack Obama said the summit could mark a
"turning point" in the pursuit of economic recovery and made
progress in reforming a "failed regulatory system". On behalf of
the G20, Mr Brown announced the following steps:
It would plunge another
$30-billion in taxpayer money into the ailing New York-based
company, which already has received about $150-billion in
United States aid since September.
Bankers' pay and bonuses would be subject to stricter
controls
%$
A new Financial Stability Board would be set up to work with
the IMF to ensure co-operation across borders and provide an
early warning mechanism for the financial system
H
H
H
H
H
MAY
FIRST FEMALE POET LAUREATE APPOINTED IN UK
There would be greater regulation of hedge funds and
credit ratings agencies
Four hundred years of male
domination came to an end with the
election of Carol Ann Duffy as poet
laureate. Duffy, the widely-tipped
favourite for the post, only agreed to
accept the post ahead of poets
Simon Armitage and Roger
McGough because "they hadn't had
a woman".
A common approach to cleaning up banks' toxic assets was
agreed
The world's poorest countries would receive $100bn extra
aid
G20 countries are already implementing the biggest
economic stimulus "the world has ever seen" - an injection
of $5tn by the end of next year.
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, congratulated her as
both the first poet laureate of the 21st century and "as the first
woman to hold the post". Calling her a "truly brilliant modern
poet" he paid tribute to her ability to put "the whole range of
human experiences into lines that capture the emotions
perfectly" and wished her well for her ten-year term.
G20 countries are already implementing the biggest
economic stimulus "the world has ever seen" - an injection
of $5tn by the end of next year.
JKJKJK
She takes over from current incumbent Andrew Motion, who
wished her luck in an email exchange earlier this morning.
Motion has completed a decade in the post, writing poems for
events including the Queen's 80th birthday in 2006, the 100th
birthday and death of the Queen Mother, and a rap for Prince
William's 21st.
CHICAGO 2016 PRESENTS SPORT DEVELOPMENT PLAN
FOR 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES AT SPORT ACCORD
The Chicago 2016 bid committee outlined its sport
development plan for the 2016
Olympic and Paralympic Games to
members of the Olympic Family at
Sport accord in Denver in the United
States since the 2002 Winter Olympic
and Paralympic Games in Salt Lake
City, UT. Chicago's presentation
team included: Anita DeFrantz,
International Olympic Committee
member; Mike Roberts, Vice
Chairman of Chicago 2016;
Bill Scherr, Olympian and
Director of sport of Chicago
2016; Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
Olympian; City of Chicago
Mayor Richard M. Daley; and Patrick G. Ryan, CEO and
Chairman of Chicago 2016.
The first woman to be considered for the laureateship was
Elizabeth Barrett Browning in 1850, when William Wordsworth
died, but Tennyson was chosen in her stead. Forty-two years
later, Christina Rossetti was overlooked on Tennyson's death,
when rather than appoint a woman the position was left vacant
until Alfred Austin – viewed today as one of the worst ever
laureates – was appointed.
JKJKJK
NORTH KOREA CONDUCTS SECOND NUCLEAR TEST
North Korea had successfully
conducted its second nuclear test,
defying international warnings and
dramatically raising the stakes in a
global effort to get the recalcitrant
Communist state to give up its
nuclear weapons program.
The diversity of Chicago will lead to an excellent Games
experience. People from more than 150 countries have
immigrated to the city, maintained their cultural traditions and
lived in friendship and harmony. They were very passionate about
bringing the Games to Chicago because it is their passion for sport
that unites them, passion that will ensure full stadiums for every
event, as it did at World Boxing Championships, at the Chicago
Marathon every year, at the 1994 and 1999 FIFA World Cups.
The North’s official news agency, KCNA, said, “The
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea successfully conducted
one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of the
measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defense in
every way as requested by its scientists and technicians.”
%%
The test was safely conducted “on a new higher level in
terms of its explosive power and technology of its control,” the
agency said. “The results of the test helped satisfactorily settle
the scientific and technological problems arising in further
increasing the power of nuclear weapons and steadily developing
nuclear technology.”
If the Beijing government hoped that by clamping down on
all commemoration in mainland China, they could make people
forget what happened, they were very wrong. On the contrary, it
has underlined the lack of political freedom that there still is in
China.
The test clearly caught South Korea and the United States
off guard, and the news hit just as South Korea’s government
and people were mourning the suicide of former President Roh
Moo-hyun. And hours after the test was reported, South Korean
media reported that the North had fired a short-range missile.
On the 20th anniversary of the violent military crackdown in
Tiananmen Square that left hundreds of democratic activists
dead, China tries to deter remembrance of the event. Police
officers stand guard around the square, barring foreign
journalists from entering. In contrast, tens of thousands of
people held a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong to mark the
anniversary of the brutal killings.
North Korea conducted its first nuclear test on Oct. 9, 2006,
which was considered something of a bust by South Korean and
American officials.
JKJKJK
PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD WINS REELECTION BY
LANDSLIDE
Agreements resulting from a 2007 summit meeting called
for the South to spend billions of dollars to help rebuild the
impoverished North’s dilapidated infrastructure. Mr. Lee
believed that such aid must be linked to improvements in the
North’s human rights record and the dismantling of its nuclear
facilities.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won his
reelection campaign by a landslide victory
with almost 63% of the vote, while main
challenger Mir Hussein Moussavi
received just fewer than 34% of the vote.
Moussavi's campaign promises, which
included plans for improved human
rights and a reversal of Ahmadinejad's
hard-line policies, were supported by
many of the younger and less conservative
generations in Iran. Ahmadinejad's
victory was announced just two hours
after the polls close, an amazingly short period of time since
Iran's paper ballots were hand counted.
The new test comes against a backdrop of heightened
tensions between North Korea and the United States, which
keeps a heavy military deployment in South Korea.
After that launch, Washington pressed the United Nations
Security Council to tighten sanctions on the North. In
retaliation, Pyongyang expelled United Nations nuclear
monitors, while threatening to restart a plant that makes
weapons-grade plutonium and to conduct a nuclear test.
The North’s first nuclear test in 2006 was widely
condemned, but it created a new urgency in the six-party talks
that had failed to prevent the blast. The parties to the talks are
the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
At least seven people died in the biggest demonstrations in
Iran since the 1979 revolution. In response to national outrage,
the government agreed to recount some of the disputed votes
from the election. Meanwhile, the Iranian government revoked
the press credentials of foreign journalists given access before
the election. Protesters relied on social networking sites and text
messaging to communicate with others around the world about
Moussavi, the election, and the demonstrations.
JKJKJK
JUNE
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, called the
recent presidential election "fair" and claimed there will be no
recount. He also demanded that protesters stop their
demonstrations, calling them an insult to democracy.
CHINA BLOCKS TIANANMEN SQUARE
COMMEMORATION
When the UK returned Hong
Kong to China in 1997, the
territory retained its own legal
system, including the right to
protest.
The death toll in the Iranian protests reached at least 17,
according to state media. Police used truncheons, tear gas, and
water cannons to control the crowds, while one bystander was
reportedly shot to death by the police.
%&
The Guardian Council, Iran's oversight group, admitted to
irregularities in the recent presidential election, revealing that
votes counted in about 50 cities exceeded the number of eligible
voters by 3 million. They claimed the mistake did not affect the
final election result; however.
management change and the replacement
of its co-founder Jerry Yang by Carol
Bartz, an outsider who is now Yahoo's
chief executive. On July 29, 2009, the two
companies announced a more limited
deal, a partnership in Internet search and
advertising intended to create a stronger
rival to the industry powerhouse Google.
Iran's General Council rejected the public's plea to annul the
votes, claiming there was no evidence of fraud in the election,
despite recently admitting to widespread irregularities in the
final vote count.
JKJKJK
AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER
The Guardian Council of Iran announced that the election
of President Ahmadinejad was valid. They claimed the recount
of approximately 10% of the votes from the recent election show
no indication of election fraud, solidifying Ahmadinejad's
victory. President Ahmadinejad would serve his second fouryear term.
BANK OF AMERICA CEO RESIGNS
Kenneth Lewis, who made Bank of America swallow
Countrywide Financial, making the
combined company the largest home
lender in Orange County and the
nation, and who next grabbed
Merrill Lynch, has resigned as chief
executive.
JKJKJK
JULY
SERENA WILLIAMS WINS WIMBLEDON
The CEO had become a
distraction, pilloried by regulators
and lawmakers since he engineered
the $29 billion takeover of Merrill
Lynch & Co. in January and bought subprime home lender
Countrywide Financial Corp. in 2008.
Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player
and current World Number 1. She has been ranked World
Number 1 by the Women's Tennis
Association (WTA) on five
separate occasions. She regained
this ranking for the fifth time in
her career on the 2 November
2009.
EARTHQUAKE IN INDONESIA KILLS 60
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the island of Sumatra,
leaving more than 700 people dead and thousands trapped under
the rubble of collapsed buildings in the city of Padang.
Serena Williams beat her
sister, Venus, in the final match of the Wimbledon women's
tennis tournament, claiming her third Grand Slam victory this
year. The American sisters won the doubles portion of the
Wimbledon women's tournament on 4th July, 09 as well, against
Australian teammates Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.
JKJKJK
OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER
JKJKJK
CHINA SHOWS OFF MILITARY MIGHT AT 60TH
ANNIVERSARY PARADE
MICROSOFT AND YAHOO AGREE TO COLLABORATE ON
INTERNET SEARCH, ADVERTISING
Nuclear missile carriers and rocket launchers rumbled past
Beijing's Forbidden City on Oct 1 as the Chinese Communist
party celebrated 60 years in power with its biggest display of
military hardware and a weather-modification package.
Major technology companies Microsoft and Yahoo made a
deal to collaborate on Internet search and advertising, in the
hopes of more effectively competing with their biggest rival. In
the spring of 2008, Microsoft made a $47.5 billion hostile offer to
buy Yahoo after on-and-off talks about a merger had led
nowhere. After a bruising, four-month battle, Microsoft
abandoned the offer. Anger among Yahoo shareholders led to a
With elements of both the cold war and the new economy, the
spectacular parade was intended to showcase how China has
modernised and opened up since Mao Zedong declared the
founding of the People's Republic in 1949.
%'
The huge display of might
combined with the ideological
slogans and massed ranks of
previous parades with
unprecedented security levels
and extraordinary choreography.
WATER DISCOVERED ON MOON
Scientists found water on the
moon during NASA's Lcross
satellite. The Lcross mission,
the goal of which was to look for
water, comprised of two parts: a
satellite crash into a crater near
the moon's south pole, and a
spacecraft that measured the
findings of that crash. At least 26
gallons of water were found. Scientists have long suspected the
presence of water on the moon, but these findings demonstrate
the possibility of sustainable human life there.
The parade was a mix of oldfashioned communist-realist
kitsch and newfangled weaponry. From the Gate of Heavenly
Peace, the politburo reviewed an array of unmanned drones,
Long Sword cruise missiles and other modern weaponry, most
of which was developed in China and being shown to the public
for the first time.
JKJKJK
Compared with the spectacular Olympic opening ceremony
last year, the parade was surprisingly old-fashioned. The veteran
"model workers" waving to the crowd, and the floats with engines
and giant wheatsheafs could have come straight from the China
of the fifties.
DECEMBER
OBAMA SAYS AFGHAN BUILDUP MUST SHOW RESULTS
JKJKJK
President Obama said in a taped interview that military
officials should know by the end of December 2010 whether a
strategy to secure population centers in Afghanistan is meeting
its objectives. Much of the interview focused on Mr. Obama's
decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Mr.
Obama also said that the United States would need more
cooperation from Pakistan in pursuing Al Qaeda because tribal
territories that straddle the border along Afghanistan and
Pakistan harbor enemy fighters.
THREE U.S. SCIENTISTS AWARDED NOBEL PRIZE IN
MEDICINE
JKJKJK
EURO-ZONE INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT DECLINES
Industrial production in the 16
countries that use the euro fell from
the previous month for the first
time since March, highlighting the
fragility of the economic recovery
and suggesting a tough final
quarter for the sector.
Americans Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and
Jack W. Szostak won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their
research on the connections between chromosomes and
cancer. Only 10 women have ever won the prize in medicine.
Three Americans, Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle, and
George E. Smith, won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work
developing fiber-optic cable and inventing the "eye" in digital
cameras. Two Americans were awarded the Nobel Prize for
Economics: Elinor Ostrom for "her analysis of economic
governance, especially the commons," and Oliver E.
Williamson for "his analysis of economic governance,
especially the boundaries of the firm."
According to figures released by
the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat, industrial
production in October declined 0.6% from September and was
down 11.1% from a year earlier. The annual fall was the 18th
straight year-to-year decline for this measure. The data
compared with economists' expectations for a 0.8% monthly
drop and an 11% annual fall.
&
.=?AJI
Economist Paul A. Samuelson
Nobel-winning economist dead at 94
E
conomist Paul A. Samuelson, one of the leading
economists of the 20th century, died on December 13,
2009 at his home in Belmont, Massachusetts. He was 94.
Samuelson, a Nobel laureate and winner of the National
Medal of Science, has died.
Samuelson served as an adviser to Presidents John F.
Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He won the Nobel memorial
Prize in Economics in 1970.
Samuelson explained Keynesian economics to American
presidents, world leaders, members of Congress and the
Federal Reserve Board, not to mention other economists. He
was a consultant to the U.S. Treasury, the Bureau of the Budget
and the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.
author showed that competition from imports of clothes and
similar goods from underdeveloped countries, where producers
rely on unskilled workers, could drive down the wages of lowpaid workers in industrialised countries.
His most influential student was John F. Kennedy, whose
first 40-minute class with Samuelson, after the 1960 election,
was conducted on a rock by the beach at the family compound at
Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Before class, there was a lunch
with politicians and Cambridge intellectuals aboard a yacht
offshore. “I had expected a scrumptious meal,” Samuelson said.
“We had franks and beans.”
The theorem provided the intellectual scaffold for
opponents of free trade. And late in his career, Samuelson set off
an intellectual commotion by pointing out that the economy of a
country like the United States could be hurt if productivity rose
among the economies with which it traded.
After the 1960 election, he told the young president-elect
that the nation was heading into a recession and that Kennedy
should push through a tax cut to head it off. Kennedy was
shocked.
During a 1974 conference on inflation, he said America was
suffering from “stagflation,” which he described as a toxic mix of
high unemployment and high inflation over long periods of time.
“I’ve just campaigned on a platform of fiscal responsibility
and balanced budgets and here you are telling me that the first
thing I should do in office is to cut taxes?” Samuelson recalled,
quoting the president.
He wrote one of the most widely used college textbooks in
the history of American education. The book, Economics, first
published in 1948, was the nation’s best-selling textbook for
nearly 30 years. Translated into 20 languages, it was selling
50,000 copies a year a half century after it first appeared.
Kennedy eventually accepted the professor’s advice and
signalled his willingness to cut taxes, but he was assassinated
before he could take action. His successor, Lyndon B. Johnson,
carried out the plan, however, and the economy bounced back.
“His textbook taught college students how to think about
economics. His technical work – especially his disciplineshattering Ph.D. thesis, immodestly titled “The Foundations of
Economic Analysis” – taught professional economists how to ply
their trade. Between the two books, Samuelson redefined
modern economics.
Samuelson provided a mathematical structure to study the
effect of trade on different groups of consumers and workers. In
a famous theorem, known as Stolper-Samuelson, he and a co-
&
Facets
The peak-oil debate:
Vision 2020
T
he IEA (International Energy Agency ) puts a date on
peak oil production. The Chief Economist of the IEA,
believes that if no big new discoveries are made, “the
output of conventional oil will peak in 2020 if oil demand grows
on a business-as-usual basis.” Coming from the band of
geologists and former oil-industry hands who believe that the
world is facing an imminent shortage of oil, this would be
unremarkable. But coming from the IEA, the source of closely
watched annual predictions about world energy markets, it is a
new and striking claim.
Despite repeated downward revisions in recent years in its
forecasts of global oil supply in 2030, the IEA has not until now
committed itself to a firm prediction for when oil supplies might
cease to grow. Its latest energy outlook, released last month, says
only that conventional oil (as opposed to hard-to-extract sources
like Canada's tar sands) is “projected to reach a plateau
sometime before 2030”.
This debate is not about whether the supply of oil, a finite
resource, could some day stop growing. Rather, it hinges on the
timing of an end to increases in global oil production, and on
what happens next. The most pessimistic peak-oil proponents
think that global oil supply has peaked or is about to do so. Given
projections of demand increasing well into the future, they fear
economic disaster.
to four new Saudi Arabias–just to offset this decline. The
average size of new discoveries has been declining since the
mid-1960s. Between 1960 and 1989 the world discovered more
than twice the oil it produced. But between 1990 and 2006
cumulative oil discoveries have been about half of production.
Their opponents argue that long periods of relatively low oil
prices blunted the incentives for exploration.
By contrast, oil optimists like Cambridge Energy Research
Associates (CERA), an energy-research firm based in Boston,
argue that high prices will lead to improved technology that will
enable oil firms to find new oilfields; make it economically
feasible to extract oil under more challenging geological
conditions or manufacture it from coal or natural gas; and
increase the amount of oil that can be recovered from existing
fields. This, they argue, will allow demand to be met for at least a
couple of decades.
The IEA expects unconventional sources of oil to take up a
lot of the slack, as progressively higher prices make them
economically viable. But these sources are also much dirtier
than conventional oil and require significantly more energy to
tap.
The IEA reckons that co-ordinated action to restrict the
increase in global temperatures to 2ºC will restrict global
demand for oil to 89m b/d in 2030, compared with 105m b/d if no
action is taken. That could push back the peak of production, as
it would take longer to produce the lower-cost oil that remains to
be developed..
The reasons are not hard to find. After analysing the
historical production trends of 800 individual oilfields in 2008,
the IEA came to the conclusion that the decline in annual output
from fields that are past their prime could average 8.6% in 2030.
Even if oil demand were to remain flat, the world would need to
find more than 40m barrels per day of gross new capacity–equal
Action on climate change may yet save the world from an
early supply crunch.
82
Profile
Arun Sarin
A
1978 as an environmental analyst for a Washington,
born in India to a once-wealthy family.
D.C., consulting firm. In 1981, he joined Natomas
When the British granted sovereignty to India
in California as a Corporate Development Manager.
in 1947, his family lost its wealth. In order to
Arun Sarin entered telecom industry in 1984, when
sustain a solvent financial position for their
he joined Pacific Telesis Group in San Francisco. At
families, Sarin's father and uncles joined the
Pacific Telesis Group, Arun worked closely with
Indian military. His father held the rank of
Sam Ginn, the legendary telecommunications
Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian military.
entrepreneur. He worked with Pacific Telesis in
Sarin attended a military boarding school in
various professional and executive positions for 10
Bangalore, India, as a young boy. Early on he
years, and was later appointed Vice President of
proved himself to be a much disciplined
corporate strategy. Arun Sarin left Pacific Telesis in
student.
1994 when it split its mobile and paging businesses.
run Sarin was born on October 21, 1954
Arun Sarin started his professional career in
at Panchmari, Madhya Pradesh. He was
School played an important part of his life and set the tone
Following the demerger from Pacific Telesis of the mobile
for his future career. While in high school Sarin excelled in
and paging businesses to form AirTouch Communications,
scholarship and sports, including field hockey, gymnastics, and
Arun was appointed Senior Vice President Corporate Strategy
boxing. His accomplishments gave him a sense of purpose and
and Development where he developed and implemented a
discipline that continued into adulthood. He wanted to follow
growth strategy encompassing partnerships and acquisitions,
his father's footsteps into the military by pursuing a career as a
which included the merger with the US West wireless business.
pilot, but his mother vehemently protested this choice fearing
On becoming President and CEO, AirTouch International,
that he could be killed in a future military conflict.
Arun was responsible for the acquisition of wireless licenses in
To appease his mother, Sarin, an extraordinarily gifted
several overseas territories and establishing the management
student, especially in mathematics, applied to the Indian
teams of these new ventures. He then became President and
Institute of Technology (IIT), a highly competitive elite
CEO of AirTouch Communications where he was responsible
university in Kharagpur, India. He was accepted at IIT and chose
for managing the cellular and paging operations in 14 countries
engineering as his major. He graduated in the top 10 percent of
and was a key negotiator in the successful acquisition of
his class and received the B. C. Roy gold medal for academic
AirTouch by Vodafone Group Plc.
excellence.
Within the combined business, Vodafone AirTouch Plc, he
Upon graduation from the IIT in 1975 with a Bachelor of
was CEO US/Asia Pacific region, managing the Group's
Science degree in engineering, Sarin received a full scholarship
operations in the US, Asia and Australasia. In addition, he
to the University of California, Berkeley, and Graduate College
headed the Global Technology division, responsible for the
of Engineering. For the Indian-born Sarin, California would
introduction of wireless internet services. In 2000, with the
become his adopted home and the United States his adopted
successful merger of Vodafone AirTouch's US businesses with
country. While pursuing his engineering degree Sarin met his
those of Bell Atlantic and GTE to form Verizon Wireless, Arun,
future wife, Remmi, also an Indian and a graduate student. She
whilst maintaining a non-executive directorship of Vodafone
persuaded him to enroll in a finance course in the business
AirTouch Plc, became CEO of Infospace.
school. He performed so well that he decided to pursue an MBA
Recently on September9, 2009-Cisco Systems, Inc. announced
the appointment of Arun Sarin to its Board of Directors. Sarin
previously served on Cisco's board from 1998 to 2003.
majoring in finance concurrently with his engineering degree.
In 1977 he was awarded a master's degree in engineering, and
the following year he received his MBA.
&!
Facets
Actress Brittany Murphy dies at age 32
B
rittany Murphy, the actress who got her start in the
sleeper hit Clueless and rose to stardom in 8 Mile before
her movie roles declined in recent years, died on Sunday,
Dec20, 2009 in Los Angeles of what appeared to be natural
causes, a Los Angeles County coroner's official said. She was 32.
Born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Murphy grew up in New
Jersey and later moved with her mother to Los Angeles to pursue
acting.
Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in
television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for
parts in “Girl, Interrupted,” “Clueless” and “8 Mile.”
Her on–screen work had lessened of late, but Murphy's voice
gave life to numerous animated characters, including Luanne
Platter on more than 200 episodes of Fox's “King of the Hill” and
Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature “Happy Feet.”
everything and moved out here for me,” Murphy said. “I was
really grateful to have grown up in an environment that was
conducive to creating and didn't stifle any of that. She always
believed in me.”
She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming film,
“The Expendables,” set for release next year ie. in 2010.
She dated Ashton Kutcher, who costarred with Murphy in
2003's romantic comedy “Just Married.”
Her role in “8 Mile” led to more recognition, Murphy told AP in
2003. “That changed a lot,” she said. “That was the difference
betweenpeopleknowingmyfirstandlastnameasopposedtonot.”
Kutcher sent a message on Twitter on Sunday, Dec.20, 2009
about Murphy's death: “Today the world lost a little piece of
sunshine,” Kutcher wrote. “My deepest condolences go out to
Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon.”
Murphy credited her mother, Sharon, with being a key to her
success. “When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold
Czech President signs Lisbon Treaty
C
President and Foreign Minister for the
27 nation group. The Treaty has now
been ratified by all the 27 member states
and can be enforced. Klaus had earlier
obtained a special opt out clause from
the European Human Rights Charter,
one of the pillars of the treaty.
zech President Vaclav Klaus signed the revised Lisbon
Treaty paving the way for its enforcement within the 27
member European Union.
Klaus, a known Euro-skeptic, signed the treaty after the
Czech Constitutional Court rejected a legal challenge to the
Treaty, Klaus was the last EU leader to ratify the treaty and his
signature.
Under the new arrangement, ethnic Germans forced out of
the former Czechoslovakia after World War II will not be allowed
to reclaim their property.
The Lisbon Treaty reshapes the institutions of the European
Union, permitting greater cohesion and the appointment of a
84
Brand icon
BENTLEY MOTORS LIMITED
entley Motors Limited is a British
manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18
January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley
(known as W.O. Bentley or just "W.O."). Mr. Bentley
had been previously known for his range of rotary
aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being
the Bentley BR1 as used in later versions of the Sopwith Camel.
Since 1998, the company has been owned by the Volkswagen
Group of Germany. The current board of management consists
of Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman and Chief Executive; Dr.
Ulrich Eichhorn, Engineering; Stuart J. McCullough, Sales &
Marketing; Douglas G. Dickson, Manufacturing; Christine A.
Gaskell, Personnel; and Juergen Hoffmann, Finance. Dirk van
Braeckel is current Head of Design.
B
himself knew the true identity of the purchaser until
the deal was completed. WO's dedication to quality
created beautiful cars – and a financial mess. In
1926, he was demoted to Managing Director to
make room for Woolf Barnato to become Chairman.
By 1931, things were no better. Rolls-Royce bought
the company and kept WO on, if only to keep him from creating a
new company that could compete with R-R. The first Rollsproduced Bentley, the 3.5 Liter, debuted in 1933, and WO left
the company for Lagonda in 1935. In 1939, the Bentley factory at
Crewe opened. The parent company failed in 1970 following
problems with aero engine development, and the car division
was floated off to become Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd. and
remained independent until bought by Vickers in August 1980.
HISTORY
VOLKSWAGENBOUGHTROLLS-ROYCE
W.O. Bentley (WO to his friends) and his brother HM bought
Lecoq and Fernie, a French auto company, renaming it Bentley
and Bentley, with headquarters in Mayfair. In 1919, after a stint
making airplane engines during WWI, the company was
resurrected as Bentley Motors. The first Flying B insignia
appeared on the 1920 Bentley 3 1/2 Liter test car, which was built
near Baker Street in London, and the first production car, another
3 1/2 Liter, was delivered to Bentley's first customer in 1921.
Volkswagen bought Rolls-Royce in 1998, including Bentley.
BMW then bought the rights to the Rolls-Royce name and
announced that as of December 31, 2002, Rolls and Bentley
would be two separate companies after 67 years of barely
tolerating each other. VW announced that it would invest nearly
$1 billion (in today's dollars) to revive Bentley. The Hunaudieres
concept car debuted in Geneva in 1999 and proved to be a step in
the direction of the new Continental. In 2001, Bentley returned
to Le Mans, and then dropped out again in 2003. The 2006
Bentley Azure became the resurrected Bentley's flagship luxury
sedan. A new Bentley version of the Bentley Continental was
introduced at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show: The Continental
Supersports. This new Bentley is a supercar combining extreme
power with environmentally friendly FlexFuel technology.
FIRSTWIN
Bentley saw its first win at Brook Lands in 1921 and then
entered its only Indianapolis 500 in 1922, where it qualified and
finished last. A privately owned Bentley took 4th place in the
first-ever Le Mans in 1923, prompting W.O. Bentley to support a
factory team. (He called it "the best race I had ever seen,"
according to "Bentley: The Story.") Engines grew ever larger in
Roaring Twenties, with a 6 1/2 Liter, a 4 1/2 Liter, a supercharged
Speed Six, and an 8 Liter that weighed two and a half tons rolling
out of the Cricklewood factory. Driver Tim Birkin got private
financing to build the supercharged Birkin Blowers.
CURRENTSCENARIO
The Bentley Continental lineup has expanded from one very
fast sedan to seven even faster sedans and convertibles,
including one flex-fuel vehicle. As part of Bentley’s commitment
to reducing its carbon footprint company-wide, it can run on
either gasoline or biofuels.
ROLLS-ROYCEBOUGHTBENTLEY
The paradox of the car is that although it is instantly
recognizable, it takes time and effort to hand-build each one.
That’s the assured Bentley hallmark.
Rolls-Royce had bought Bentley secretly using a company
named the British Central Equitable Trust; not even Bentley
&#
General knowledge
1.
For which of the following purpose, Rajamanar Committee
was constituted?
(1) Industrial Licensing
(2) Direct Taxes
(3) Centre State Fiscal Relations
(4) None
2.
Which among the following committee was constituted for
Monetary System?
(1) Dutt Committee
(2) Wanchoo Committee
(3) Chakravarty Committee
(4) None
3.
State Bank of India was nationalised in the year
(1) 1954
(2) 1955
(3) 1957
(4) 1960
5.
After Uttar Pradesh, which state leads in the production of
sugarcane?
(1) Andhra Pradesh
(2) Madhya Pradesh
(3) Kerala
(4) Maharashtra
LIC was established in the year
(1) 1955
(2) 1956
(3) 1957
(4) 1958
9.
GIC was setup in the year
(1) 1973
(2) 1974
(3) 1975
(4) 1976
10. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) was setup in the year
(1) 1977
(2) 1978
(3) 1979
(4) 1980
What is the purpose of allocation function in the economy?
(1) To reduce inequality in the society
(2) Manage Government Borrowing
(3) Efficient Public Distribution
(4) All the above
4.
8.
11. National Stock Exchange (NSE) was established in the
year
(1) 1991
(2) 1992
(3) 1993
(4) 1994
12. ADB was setup in the year
(1) 1966
(2) 1992
(3) 1998
(4) 1978
6.
HUDCO was setup in the year
(1) 1969
(2) 1970
(3) 1971
(4) 1972
13. Zero Coupon Bonds are that variety of loans
(1) Which fail to yield an income for the creditors
(2) Which are issued at a discount and redeemed at par
(3) The market price of which may fall suddenly and
heavily
(4) None of these
7.
HDFC was established in the year
(1) 1976
(2) 1977
(3) 1978
(4) 1979
14. BPO is an abbreviation for
(1) Bharat Petroleum Organisation
(2) Business Process Outsourcing
(3) Bharat Pesticides Outlet
(4) None of these
&$
15. According to 'India Vision 2020', if India has to attain the
goal of total employment by the year 2020, it should work
towards generating scope for .......... jobs per year
(1) 1 million
(2) 2 million
(3) 5 million
(4) 10 million
23. Service sector contributes..........% to the Indian Economy.
(1) 42%
(2) 52%
(3) 62%
(4) 72%
24. A cheque in India becomes stale after .......... months
(1) two
(2) three
(3) five
(4) six
16. Equal Pay for Equal Work has been ensured in the Indian
Constitution as one of the
(1) Fundamental Rights
(2) Directive Principles of State Policy
(3) Fundamental Duties
(4) Economic Rights
25. Sprint Nextel is a .......... based company?
(1) UK
(2) US
(3) Russia
(4) Singapore
17. Which of the following Articles of Indian Constitution
guarantees freedom of press?
(1) Art. 16
(2) Art. 19
(3) Art. 22
(4) Art. 31
26. How many Data Types are there in C++?
(1) 4
(2) 5
(3) 6
(4) 7
27. Which is the first country to launch cosmic space rocket
towards moon?
(1) America
(2) Europe
(3) USSR
(4) India
18. When the growth of GDP in a country slows down
suddenly, people start losing their jobs and the situation
continues for several weeks, what name is given to this state
of economy?
(1) Inflation
(2) Recession
(3) Deflation
(4) Economic Boom
28. The present day calendar is based on
(1) Gregorian calender
(2) Julian calender
(3) Jewish Calender
(4) Muhammadan calender
19. The 3rd June Plan is also known as the
(1) Mountbatten Plan
(2) Attlee Plan
(3) Churchill Plan
(4) Nehru Plan
29. “Terms & Conditions” is a sub element of which of the 4Ps
of marketing?
(1) Product
(2) Price
(3) Place
(4) Promotion
20. Which of the following Schedules in the constitution is
concerned with the various languages spoken in the
country?
(1) First Schedule
(2) Second Schedule
(3) Third Schedule
(4) Eight Schedule
30. Which among the following ultimately drives to
maximizing profits?
(1) Customer Segmentation
(2) Customer Acquisition and Retention
(3) Customer Needs
(4) Customer Care
21. Airtel is starting a .......... network in Srilanka?
(1) 2.5 G
(2) 3.0 G
(3) 3.5 G
(4) 4 G
31. Which among the following is an essential feature of a
commercial bank?
(1) Providing Locker facilities
(2) Dealing with credit
(3) Providing business information and data
(4) Underwriting
22. Ankaleshwar in India is known for the production of
(1) Petroleum
(2) Coal
(3) Bauxite
(4) Gold
&%
32. Who wrote the book “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”?
(1) Arthur Conan Doyle
(2) Shakespeare
(3) G.B.Shaw
(4) Marx
41. The most famous painting of Pablo Picasso was
(1) India
(2) Britan
(3) Guermica
(4) Canada
33. What is the difference in latitude between the Tropic of
Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn?
(1) 23 degrees
(2) 90 degrees
(3) 66 degrees
(4) 47 degrees
42. The length of the English Channel is ..........Kms?
(1) 564
(2) 456
(3) 143
(4) 420
43. Which of the following aircraft is owned by NASA?
(1) Space jet
(2) American eagle
(3) Cassini
(4) Soveneir
34. The Unilever's products Rin Bar, Le sancy Soap, Close up
toothpaste, Ponds talcum Powder and Lakme cream can be
kept in which of the following categories?
(1) Product Line
(2) Product Mix
(3) Product Bundling
(4) Product Index
44. Niagara Falls was discovered by which person?
(1) Louis Hennepin
(2) Lewis
(3) leko
(4) armstrong
35. Which among the following provides “core benefits”?
(1) Generic product
(2) Expected product
(3) Augmented product
(4) Branded product
45. Amir Khusaro was born in?
(1) Delhi
(2) Patiala
(3) Lahore
(4) Faizabad
36. Who among the following Englishmen was the first to visit
the Mughal court?
(1) Sir Thomas Roe
(2) Capt.William Hawkins
(3) King James
(4) None of these
37. Vandemataram was first sung on?
(1) 1892
(2)
(3) 1995
(4)
46. MID stands for
(1) Mobile Internet Devices
(2) Modem In Devices
(3) Both
(4) None
47. Wellington trophy is related to..........?
(1) Football
(2) Hockey
(3) Polo
(4) Badminton
1896
1856
38. Suhbaataryn Yanjmaa is from which country?
(1) China
(2) India
(3) Mongolia
(4) Kazakastan
48. The national flower of Britain is represented as?
(1) Lilly
(2) Rose
(3) Jasmine
(4) Hibiscus
39. Which state in India tops in brinjal production?
(1) Andhra Pradesh
(2) Uttar Pradesh
(3) Maharashtra
(4) West Bengal
49. Which among of the following countries has developed the
latest war weapon ' BigDog' billed as “ The Most advanced
quadruped robot on Earth”?
(1) United State
(2) France
(3) Russia
(4) Germany
40. The longest highway in the world has a length of?
(1) 5640 km
(2) 8000 km
(3) 1043 km
(4) 4200 km
&&
50. Which among the following states has been chosen for EBharat Programme Funded by World Bank?
(1) Tamil Nadu
(2) Andhra Pradesh
(3) Kerala
(4) Karnataka
59. Who among the following, is regarded as the Father of
Modern Biology ?
(1) Aristotle
(2) Darwin
(3) Robert Hooke
(4) Vesalius
51. The winner of this year's (2009) Tour de France title is
(1) Alberto Contador
(2) Andy Schleck
(3) Mark Carvendisk
(4) Lance Armstrong
60. Which of the following is studied by Palaeontologists?
(1) Genes
(2) Plants
(3) Pollen
(4) Fossils
61. The first person to see a cell under microscope was
(1) Robert Hooke
(2) A.V. Leuwenhock
(3) T. Schwan
(4) M. Schleiden
52. Who is the Chairman of ISRO?
(1) K. Radhakrishnan
(2) S.Ramakrishnan
(3) M.Madhawan
(4) None of these
62. Cotton fibres are made of
(1) Cellulose
(2) Starch
(3) Proteins
(4) Fats
53. Who founded the city of Allahabad?
(1) Akbar
(2) Jahangir
(3) Sher Shah Suri
(4) Shahjahan
63. Fertilisation is the process of
(1) Fusion of male nucleus with polar nuclei
(2) Formation of seed from ovule
(3) Fusion of one male gamete with the egg
(4) Transfer of pollen from anther to stigma
54. Westside Stores is an enterprise of
(1) Aditya Birla Group
(2) Tatas
(3) Raymond
(4) None of these
55. Which of the following digestive enzymes is present in the
saliva?
(1) Amylase
(2) Lipase
(3) Ptyalin
(4) Trypsin
64. Enzymes are basically
(1) Fats
(2) Carbohydrates
(3) Proteins
(4) Vitamins
56. The human liver performs all of the following functions,
except
(1) Production of hormones
(2) Detoxification of toxins
(3) Storage of glycogen
(4) Formation of bile
65. Which of the following is the principal organ of digestion
and absorption of food in our body?
(1) Large intestine
(2) Liver
(3) Pancreas
(4) Small Intestine
57. What role does enzyme pepsin play?
(1) It converts fats into acids
(2) It converts fats into glycerol
(3) It converts proteins into peptones
(4) It converts starch into sugar
66. Enzyme ptyalin is produced by
(1) Gastric Gland
(2) Islets of Langerhans
(3) Liver
(4) Salivary Glands
58. The food in onion is stored in the form of
(1) Cellulose
(2) Protein
(3) Starch
(4) Sugar
67. The number of amino acids, known so far, is
(1) 12
(2) 22
(3) 32
(4) 42
&'
68. Starch and Sugar together are named as
(1) Carbohydrates
(2) Fats
(3) Glucose
(4) Proteins
77. The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of
(1) Mars and Jupiter
(2) Earth and Venus
(3) Mercury and Venus
(4) Jupiter and Saturn
69. The digestion of which of the following results in the
formation of amino-acids?
(1) Carbohydrates
(2) Fats
(3) Minerals
(4) Proteins
78. When the Sun shines vertically on the whole Arctic circle, it
is vertical on the
(1) Tropic of Cancer
(2) Equator
(3) Tropic of Capricorn
(4) None of these
70. Antibiotics are drugs used for the cure of
(1) Bacterial diseases
(2) Cancer
(3) Malaria
(4) Nervous disorders
79. Which of the following gases is most predominant in the
Sun?
(1) Hydrogen
(2) Nitrogen
(3) Ozone
(4) Helium
71.
Antigens are a
(1) Carbohydrate
(2) Fat
(3) Hormone
(4) Protein
80. If the Earth had no satellite of its own (i.e., the moon),
which of the following phenomena will not occur?
(1) Neap tide
(2) Ocean currents
(3) Spring tide
(4) All will not occur
72. Which of the following is not an endocrine gland?
(1) Adrenal
(2) Pancreas
(3) Pituitary
(4) Thyroid
81. The time taken by the Uranus to revolve round the Sun is
approximately
(1) 76 years
(2) 80 years
(3) 84 years
(4) 90 years
73. In which of the following human organs does digestion of
starch in our diet start?
(1) Intestine
(2) Liver
(3) Mouth
(4) Stomach
82. Which is the brightest planet as seen from the Earth?
(1) Mercury
(2) Pluto
(3) Jupiter
(4) Venus
74. Bile secreted by the liver gets stored in the
(1) Gall bladder
(2) Duodenum canal
(3) Liver itself
(4) Spleen
83. The distance between the Earth and the Sun is greatest
during
(1) Aphelion
(2) Perihelion
(3) Winter Solstice
(4) Summer Solstice
75. Of the total number of units of solar radiant energy
reaching the Earth, how many units get absorbed in the
Earth's atmosphere itself?
(1) 17 units
(2) 21 units
(3) 34 units
(4) 14 units
84. Which of the following is the brightest star in our Solar
system?
(1) Proxima Centauri
(2) Canopus
(3) Sirius
(4) Arcturus
76. Which planet rotates on its axis from East to West?
(1) Earth
(2) Moon
(3) Venus
(4) Mercury
'
85. The age of the solar system is
(1) 7.8 billion years
(2) 3.2 billion years
(3) 4.6 billion years
(4) 3.8 billion years
94. By which amendment, were the Fundamental Duties of
Indian citizens added to the Constitution?
(1) Forty- fourth Amendment
(2) Forty- third Amendment
(3) Forty- second Amendment
(4) Forty- first Amendment
86. The Earth's annual circuit round the Sun covers a distance of
(1) 896 million km
(2) 966 million km
(3) 1038 million km
(4) 1098 million km
95. Financial allocation for Education was made for the first
time by the Charter Act of
(1) 1833
(2) 1813
(3) 1793
(4) 1773
87. The speed per minute at which the Earth revolves round
the Sun is
(1) 800 km
(2) 900 km
(3) 1,500 km
(4) More than 1,600 km
96. There is no provision in the constitution for the
impeachment of
(1) The Chief Justice of High Court
(2) The Chief Justice of India
(3) The Governor
(4) The Vice - President
88. The biggest star in our galaxy is
(1) Epsilon Aurigae
(2) Proxima Centauri
(3) Sirius
(4) Sun
97. In the event of non-enforcement of Directive Principles of
the state by the Government, a citizen of India can move the
(1) District Court
(2) High Court
(3) Supreme Court
(4) None of these
89. The nearest star to Earth (excepting the Sun) in our galaxy is
(1) Epsilon Aurigae
(2) Proxima Centauri
(3) Sirius
(4) None of the above
98. The member of a state Public Service Commission can be
removed on the ground of misbehaviour only after an
enquiry has been conducted by the
(1) Supreme Court of India
(2) High Court of the state
(3) Committee appointed by the President
(4) Committee appointed by the Governor of the state
90. Who was the first to observe Sun spots?
(1) Galileo
(2) Halley
(3) Newton
(4) None of the above
91. The reference to Hindus in Article 25 of the Constitution
does not include
(1) Parsees
(2) Sikhs
(3) Jains
(4) Buddhists
99. Who can recommend abolition or creation of the
Legislative Council in a State?
(1) Governor of the State
(2) Advocate-General of the state
(3) Legislative Assembly of the state
(4) The State Council of Ministers
92. The Chairman of Rajya Sabha is
(1) Nominated by the President
(2) Elected by the two Houses of Parliament
(3) Elected by Parliament and the legislatures of the
states jointly
(4) Elected by the members of Rajya Sabha
100. Who among the following is the Director-General of the
International Labour Organisation ?
(1) Jose Maria Ruda
(2) Jean-Claude Paye
(3) Juan Somavia
(4) Hiroshi Nakajima
93. In India, a tax on agricultural income can be levied by
(1) Both the Central and State Government
(2) Neither the Central nor the State Government
(3) Only the state government
(4) Only the Central Government
101. Who is the Secretary-General of the UNCTAD?
(1) Kenneth K.S. Dabzie
(2) Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi
(3) Gaston Thorn
(4) Nugroho Wisnumurti
'
102. The Secretary-General of NATO is
(1) Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
(2) Willy Claes
(3) Ajit Singh
(4) Anders Fogh Rasmussen
110. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was created in
(1) 1945
(2) 1947
(c) 1949
(4) 1951
111. What does NATO stand for?
(1) North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(2) North America Treaty Organisation
(3) New America Treaty Organisation
(4) New Atlantic Treaty Organisation
103. The first meeting of the UN General Assembly was held in
which of the following cities ?
(1) London
(2) New York
(3) San Francisco
(4) Teheran
112. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is
(1) Kurt Waldheim
(2) Boutros Ghali
(3) U Thant
(4) Ban Ki-moon
104. The UN charter was ratified in 1945 by
(1) 25 nations
(2) 29 nations
(3) 33 nations
(4) 37 nations
113. Who, amongst the following UN Secretary-Generals, was
killed in an aircrash ?
(1) Dag Hammarskjoeld
(2) U Thant
(3) Kurt Waldheim
(4) None of these
105. Which of the following countries is not a member of the
United Nations?
(1) Cuba
(2) Israel
(c) South Africa
(4) Taiwan
114. The total number of Judges of the International Court of
Justice are
(1) 10
(2) 12
(3) 15
(4) 18
106. All of the following organisations have their headquarters
at Washington, D.C., except
(1) International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development
(2) International Monetary Fund
(3) United Nations Children's Fund
(4) International Finance Corporation
115. Which of the following countries is not a permanent
member of the UN Security Council ?
(1) China
(2) France
(3) United Kingdom
(4) Germany
107 When was the International Monetary Fund established?
(1) 1945
(2) 1946
(3) 1947
(4) 1950
116. The headquarters of the International Court of Justice are at
(1) Geneva
(2) The Hague
(3) Rome
(4) Vienna
117. Who is the President of the International Olympic
Committee ?
(1) Ashwini Kumar
(2) Juan Antonio Samaranch
(3) Jacques Rogge
(4) None of the above
108. Which of the following is an affiliate of the International
Bank of Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)?
(1) UNICEF
(2) UNDP
(3) IDA
(4) IMF
118. Who is the Chairperson of the UN Human Rights
Commission ?
(1) Manuel Rodriguez Cuadros
(2) Omar Khabaj
(3) Domingo L. Siazon
(4) Prof. Yuji Iwasawa
109. The UN library is known by the name of
(1) Nations' Library
(2) U Thant library
(3) Hammarskjoeld Library
(4) Trygve Lie Library
'
119. Who is the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth ?
(1) Kenneth Kaunda
(2) Kamalesh Sharma
(3) Sridath Ramphal
(4) Don McKinnon
128. Who has taken the highest number of wickets in Test
cricket?
(1) Muttiah Mutalitharan
(2) Kapil Dev
(3) Anil Kumble
(4) Shane Warne
120. Where are the headquarters of European Union located?
(1) Brussels
(2) Paris
(3) London
(4) Rome
129. The Dronacharya Award for sports coaches was instituted
by the government in
(1) 1961
(2) 1970
(3) 1985
(4) 1987
121. India became a member of the United Nations in
(1) 1945
(2) 1947
(3) 1949
(4) 1950
130. Merdeka Cup is associated with
(1) Badminton
(2) Football
(3) Hockey
(4) Polo
122. The term 'smash' is associated with
(1) Badminton
(2) Billiards
(3) Lawn Tennis
(4) Volleyball
131. The Arjuna Awards for recognition of talented sportsmen
and women were instituted in
(1) 1961
(2) 1965
(3) 1971
(4) 1980
132. The first commonwealth games were held in?
(1) England
(2) Australia
(3) Newzealand
(4) Canada
123. 'Epsom' is a place associated with
(1) Horse Racing
(2) Polo
(3) Rowing
(4) Swimming
133. First country to use ballot papers in Elections?
(1) Japan
(2) Australia
(3) England
(4) France
124. “Bull's Eye'' is a term associated with
(1) Bridge (cards)
(2) Chess
(3) Horse Racing
(4) Shooting
134. In which of the following are public and private
administrations not common?
(1) Filing
(2) Managerial techniques
(3) Scope and complexity
(4) Accounting
125. The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in
(1) Canada
(2) UK
(3) Australia
(4) Malaysia
135. Henry Fayol's General theory of Administration is
applicable at
(1) Policy management level
(2) Top management level
(3) Middle management level
(4) Workshop management level
126. The 2006 Winter Olympic Games were held at
(1) Barcelona
(2) Turin
(3) Albertville
(4) Calgary
136. The history of evolution of the public administration is
generally divided into(1) Three phases
(2) Four phases
(3) Five phases
(4) Two phases
127. The 2012 Olympic Games are scheduled to be held at
(1) London
(2) Seoul
(3) Sydney
(4) Tokyo
'!
137. The 'Gang-Plank' refers to
(1) Discipline
(2) Initiative
(3) Equity
(4) Level jumping
141. Which of those areas is the subject of a dispute between
Japan and Russia?
(1) The Kurile islands
(2) Sakhalin
(3) Tsushima island
(4) Chejo island
138. Who among the following is an odd thinker?
(1) Taylor
(2) Maslow
(3) Herzberg
(4) Likert
142. Which of the following statements is true about Shivaji?
(1) Intolerance towards non-Hindus
(2) Pune was his capital
(3) He welded Marathas into a nation
(4) He did not believe in guerilla war
139. Negative motivation is based on
(1) Fear
(2) Reward
(3) Money
(4) Status
143. The Upnishads are
(1) A source of Hindu Philosophy
(2) Books of ancient Hindu laws
(3) Books on social behaviour of man
(4) Prayers to God
140. Who was the only President of the United States to serve
more than two terms?
(1) Harry Truman
(2) Franklin D. Roosevelt
(3) Dwight D. Eisenhower
(4) Theodore Roosevelt
144. Mahavira was born in the royal family of the
(1) Sakyas
(2) Kshatriyas
(3) Lkchavis
(4) Satavahanas
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Logo Quiz
Identify the brands/companies/mascots from the following logos
1. Brazilian oil producer co
2. Global mgmt. consulting,
tech. services
3. Malaysian oil and gas co.
4. American retailing co.
5. US based agri
biotechnology corp.
6. Norwegian energy co.
7. French oil company
8. Satellite radio network provider
9. IT and business
services co.
10. American media co.
11. Professional services,
financial advisory
12. Sydney-based mineral
explorer
13. Enterprise software,
IT Services
14. Mfg. of Semiconductors,
Electronics
15. Professional services,
business advisory
16. Global Computer Services
17. German Automotive co
18. Global financial services
19. US Banking co.
20. Oil and gas producer
'#
.=?AJI
GROUP DISCUSSION
A
group discussion (GD) is a simulated
exercise, where you cannot suddenly
put up a show, since the evaluators will
see through you easily. The reason why
institutes put you through a Group discussion
and an inter view, after testing your
conceptual skills in an exam, is to get to know
you as a person and gauge how well you will fit
in their institute. The Group discussion tests
how you function as a part of a team. As a
manager, you will always be working in teams,
as a member or as a leader. Therefore how you
interact in a team becomes an important
criterion for your selection. Managers have to
work in a team and get best results out of
teamwork. That is the reason why
management institutes include GD as a
component of the selection procedure.
GROUP discussions as a selection tool
provide a lot of useful information about the candidate's
personality in a very short time. GDs assess certain group skills
that cannot be evaluated in an interview situation. These skills
include leadership skills, social skills, listening and articulation
skills, situation handing ability and interpersonal ability.
3. SpecialisedGDs:
These include role-plays or scripted GDs where the
candidates are given a certain brief about a role that they need to
play. For example, a business situation where two companies are
negotiating a deal may be used. Candidates would be given the
profile of the two CEOs, marketing managers, HR managers,
advisors, and a neutral entity like a consultant. Alternatively,
candidates could be given the role of the five Pandavas and the
main Kauravas negotiating the distribution of their kingdom in
20th century setting.
A typical GD involves 8 to 12 participants sitting in a circle or
semicircle discussing a topic for a stipulated time, usually for 15
to 20 minutes. Most GDs follow one of the three formats:
1. Regular Structured GDs:
Here the time limits and topic is defined. No consensus
expected at the end. No leader is to be selected for facilitating
the process. These are easier to handle. Topics chosen are
usually general and do not require technical knowledge.
The personalitytraits assessed during GD are:
Ability to work in a team
Communication skills
Reasoning ability
2. Unstructured GDs:
Choosing a leader is mandatory and the group has to reach a
consensus at the end of the GD. The leader has to direct the
group, set the tone for discussion and control the dynamics of
the group. Things are sometimes made more complicated by
asking the group to propose a topic, discuss it and reach a
consensus.
Leadership skills
Initiative
Assertiveness
Flexibility
Creativity
'$
CONTENTVSPROCESS
Setback: It is difficult to stop him, as he is preoccupied with
topic discussion as opposed to group discussion. He is happily
obvious to simple things like who is sitting next to him. At the
end of the GD if you happen to ask him whether the person
sitting next to him was a boy or a girl, the answer would likely be 'I
do not know'.
It is crucial to understand the difference. Content refers to
things like your level of preparation, the ability to organize your
thoughts in a logical way, understand the topic in its totality and the
ability to innovate. Process includes manner of expression,
communicationskills, body language and the attitude of the person.
2. Sales Person:
He is the sales man who can sell anything, has the gift of the
gab, a very strong ability to relate to people and be at the centre of
things.
Most candidates are preoccupied with process.
Consequently, all too vital questions like ‘what should I say?’, ‘do
I have enough reasoning to sustain my line of argument?’, ‘can I
think of examples to substantiate my logic?’, take a back seat. A
preoccupation with process alone is fraught with disastrous
results. Both content and process are equally important for an
effective contribution to a GD.
Setback: He does not usually come up with original thoughts
himself. Needs Mr. Intellectual to feed him with readymade
ideas that he can sell.
Take A One Minute Pause:
This is the only way to ensure that you perform above a
threshold level of quality. Take your mind off the context for one
minute. Utilise this one minute to focus on WHAT you are going
to say and to organize your thoughts. All this must be done much
before you are swept away in the maelstrom which will follow.
3. Watchman:
His role is to maintain order in the group, usually content is low.
Setback: Pre-occupied with directing the group process
such as controlling entry and exit of participants.
He is crucial for meeting time commitments made to the
panel.
Success Factors in a GD:
Innovativeness: Ability to have an entirely different
perspective.
4. Critic:
He criticises everybody's points without contributing
anything new.
Quality Of Content: It shows the level of preparedness.
5. The Butcher:
Does great service to the group by enhancing the quality of
content by not letting participants get away with just about
anything.
Logical Ability: Ability to reason, think and debate the pros
and cons.
Behavioural Skills: Aggressiveness is negative while
assertiveness is positive.
Is most welcome in a group which has one or two aggressive
elements in it.
Communication Skills: This includes articulation, listening
and body language. Clarity of thought leads to articulate
language and frequent and consistent participation.
Fundamental knowledge of language is all one needs.
6. The HonourableGuest:
Is involved in the proceedings but plays a limited role.
Leadership: Leadership involves all the above skills. More
importantly, the fundamental strength that you need to portray
to be effective is MOBILITY. It is mobility that lets you
demonstrate leadership skill as the context demands.
Contribution is very limited and does not affect the out come
of the group task.
Each role has its own benefits. However, strong attachment
to any single role throughout the GD could be dangerous and
limit your chances of success.
INTERESTINGROLESPLAYED
What is more important is that you demonstrate leadership
at every moment. You must be able to move across these roles
as the situation demands. Anyone seen to be performing more
than three of these roles will definitely make a strong impact
on the panel. Mobility is the keyword in becoming effective in
GDs.
It has been observed that participants play the following
familiar roles in a GD.
1. Mr. Intellectual;
He brings in a lot of substance and comes up with wide
interpretations of the topic.Very loud and with all confidence.
'%
The key to success in GDs is to be able to effortlessly move
from one role to the other depending on what the situation
demands.
4.
5.
HOLDINGCENTRE-STAGEINAGD
6.
There are certain tricks that
help you retain centre-stage for
longer durations on time and
which provide you with many
chances to speak. However, these
should be used with caution, and
at appropriate moments, like the
legendary Brahmastra in the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
7.
8.
9.
Give data, examples, anecdotes, survey figures, compelling
short stories. This gives people the impression that you know a
lot, also, participants do not brand you a bore or Mr. Intellectual.
In this way you avoid facing interjections or arguments and you
are sure of the validity/relevance of your data or story.
10.
Use hand motions. When you start speaking, use your hands
to count show your positivity
11.
Don'tsinaGD
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Do not use slang like Yaar, Univ, Princi, etc.
Do not pepper your language with an accent.
Do not use verbal tics such as Hmm, like, But, etc.
Do not use verbal stresses unless a method actor like Al
Pacino or Naseeruddin Shah trains you for it.
Never bluff as the panel will easily figure out that you
are an accomplished liar.
Never interrupt or finish a sentence for an interviewer.
Never show up late.
Never get defensive or try to rationalise.
No negative words about anyone.
Never give an answer that does not answer the question
asked.
Don't start speaking until you have clearly understood
and analyzed the subject.
Don't lose your cool if anyone says anything you object
to. The key is to stay objective: Don't take the
discussion personally.
12.
Apart from the above points, the panel will also judge team
members for their alertness and presence of mind, problemsolving abilities, ability to work as a team without alienating
certain members, and creativity. Put forth your arguments
logically and be a good communicator.
The quality of what you say is more valuable than the
quantity. There is this myth amongst many group discussion
participants that the way to succeed in a group discussion is by
speaking loudly and at great length. One could not be more
wrong. You must have meat in your arguments.
Many group discussion participants often complain that they
did not get a chance to speak. The fact is that in no group
discussion will you get a chance to speak. There is nothing more
unacceptable in a GD than keeping one's mouth shut or just
murmuring things which are inaudible.
Dos
1.
2.
3.
Seek clarification if you have any doubts regarding the
subject.
Work out various strategies to help you make an entry:
initiate the discussion or agree with someone else's
point and then move onto express your views.
Opening the discussion is not the only way of gaining
attention and recognition. If you do not give valuable
insights during the discussion, all your efforts of
initiating the discussion will be in vain.
Your body language says a lot about you - your gestures
and mannerisms are more likely to reflect your attitude
than what you say.
Language skills are important only to the effect as to
how you get your points across clearly and fluently.
Be assertive not dominating; try to maintain a balanced
tone in your discussion and analysis.
Always be polite: Try to avoid using extreme phrases
like: ‘I strongly object’ or ‘I disagree’. Instead try
phrases like: ‘I would like to share my views on…’ or
‘One difference between your point and mine…’ or "I
beg to differ with you"
Brush up on your leadership skills; motivate the other
members of the team to speak (this surely does not
mean that the only thing that you do in the GD is to say
"let us hear what the young lady with the blue scarf has
to say," or "Raghu, let us hear your views" - Essentially
be subtle), and listen to their views. Be receptive to
others' opinions and do not be abrasive or aggressive.
If you have a group of like-minded friends, you can have
a mock group discussion where you can learn from
each other through giving and receiving feedback.
Be as natural as possible. Do not try and be someone
you are not. Be yourself.
A group discussion is your chance to be more vocal.
The evaluator wants to hear you speak.
Take time to organize your thoughts. Think of what you
are going to say.
Participate in as many practice GDs as possible before you
attend the actual GD. There is nothing like practice to help you
overcome the fear of talking in a GD.
'&
Mental meltdown
S
hrinking jobs, pay cuts and loss of perks owing to the
recession have taken a heavy toll on the mental health of a
large section of India's high-profile workforce. “Since
August-September there has been a four-fold increase in the
number of people seeking help to handle their emotional and
psychological problems. Typically, the majority of those seeking
psychiatric help are in the 25-30 age group, people who are
comparatively fresh in their careers and have been used to a
fluid, vibrant, dynamic lifestyle,” says psychiatrist, Dr Jitendra
Nagpal, a consultant psychiatrist with the Delhi-based
Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
(VIMHANS).
According to Dr Sonali Bali, consultant psychiatrist at
VIMHANS specialising in work-related stress cases, the biggest
factors pushing up the stress level is the inability to maintain a
particular lifestyle or pay the EMIs (equated monthly
instalments) to financing agencies. This has led to anxiety,
adjustment problems, alcoholism and drug abuse, spinning life
out of control. Interestingly, she observes that work-related
stress is almost a male phenomenon, with fewer females
showing such symptoms.
“Maybe the natural multitasking abilities of women make
them handle stress better. Out of every 10 patients, the ratio is
eight males to two females,” says Nagpal.
Nagpal, who has been working for
more than a decade in the area of
community mental health care, says
between August and December he
treated five to seven cases a week for
work-related stress. The number
went up to 10 a week in January. His
patients had either lost their jobs or
held jobs but had lost the motivation
to work in the absence of incentives.
Another observation made by the two doctors is that those
living in joint families tend to cope with stress better than those
living in nuclear families. “Ours is a family-based society and in
times of crises, the family acts like the shock absorber. The
extended family becomes the cushion to absorb anxiety. The
sense of emptiness or the low self-esteem noticed at such times
gets reduced if one has strong family bonds,” says Nagpal. That
is why the mental meltdown in the wake of the downturn is still a
metro-centric phenomenon (where nuclear family is the norm)
and is not reported so much in the semi-urban or rural areas
although people are losing jobs there as well, he argues.
The symptoms, says Nagpal, were insomnia, loss of appetite,
irritability, withdrawal behaviour, long spells of silence, lack of
communication with friends or family members and
absenteeism. “These people are not typically mentally ill as,
medically speaking, they are not yet cases of depression, but
could fast degenerate into depression cases if not detected and
treated in time,” he says.
Nagpal says a ritual-based routine – yoga, meditation, any
form of worship or regular exercise can help cope with stress
better because of the inner strength these activities provide.
“Our management gurus should focus on giving inherent life
skills to youngsters in order to mould them into stronger
individuals. They need to be taught to handle failures as failures
are a part of life,” Nagpal says.
Although no empirical data are available on how many people
affected by the recession are suffering from work-related stress,
the increase in the number of cases recently is a matter of
concern and both the organisations and the families need to be
alert and sensitive to such behaviour among their members.
The silver lining is that people are realising the need for
professional help to tackle emotional stress and coming forward
to seek such help. “Indians have inherent strength and
resilience to deal with any crisis,” says Dr B.N. Gangadhar, head
of psychiatry at the Bangalore-based National Institute of
Mental Health and Neurosciences.
Nagpal says the largest number of cases were from the stock
market, call centres, investment banking and other financial
services sector. “These people find themselves unable to face the
realities of failure, and when their self-esteem goes down they
develop a fear for work. They feel no excitement about getting up
in the morning or even doing their routine things,” he says.
Incidentally, Bangalore, the information technology capital
and the hub of the quaternary sector has reported the highest
number of suicides in India in the wake of the crisis.
''
.=?AJI
PERSONAL INTERVIEWS
E
very day you may make progress. Every step may be
fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an everlengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You
know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far
from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.
The hurdle to every climb is an Interview that every
candidate has to go through . Interviews are always stressful even for the candidates who have gone on countless
interviews. The best way to reduce the stress is to be prepared.
Take the time to review the "standard" interview questions you
will most likely be asked. Also review sample answers to these
typical interview questions. Communication skills are such an
integral part of effective management, that every Business
school includes personal interviews as part of the admissions
process.
r
r
personality that is relevant and interesting. This question
represents an opportunity to lead an interviewer in the
direction you want him to go.
The interview is an opportunity for you to sell yourself.
Don't be afraid to 'blow your own horn.' As long as you can
back up what you are saying with examples which
demonstrate that what you are saying is true, you are not
bragging. Don't be afraid to repeat important points. In
fact, it is a good idea to do this.
r
Remember that the first impression you create will go a long
way in the ultimate selection. Keep in mind, most candidates
who are asked this question just tell about their school and
college qualifications. All this is already there in the CV. Why tell
the interviewer something he already knows?
Even though most of us are primed for the basic grilling
that we would face during the interview, we seldom pay
attention to the way we enter an interview room or how we
introduce ourselves. "A lot of people do not think it
important to knock properly while entering the interview
room. They assume that as an interview is taking place, the
panel will be expecting them.
Once you have said what you have to say – take a pause. Don't
drone on for the sake of speaking for you just might say
something foolish. Sometimes interviewers don't interrupt in
order to give the candidate the impression that he has not
spoken enough. This is just a stress/error-inducing tactic. Don't
fall for it, especially if you feel you have spoken enough.
In fact, the best way to enter an interview is to knock, ask for
permission to enter and then wait for a while before you actually
sit down. Few interviewees know this but the interview panel
needs a little quiet time to discuss the previous candidate before
they get around to the next one. So your silence till you actually
get seated would be very valuable.
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Your swot analysis will help you answer such questions.
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The first question often asked by the interviewers is to
introduce yourself. Your opening statement needs to be a
summary of your goals, overall professional capabilities,
achievements, background (educational and family),
strengths, professional objectives and anything about your
You can never predict every question that you will
encounter, so approach the interview with an inventory of
important points. Make a list of the points about yourself
that you want the interviewer to know.
Consider each question an opportunity to provide some of
this information. Don't assume anything. You will be
evaluated on your answers, not your resume. Therefore,
ensure you incorporate the relevant information from your
resume in your answers.
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Pause a couple of seconds before you respond to each
question, even if you know exactly what you want to say.
Take this time to quickly plan your answer, this helps to
avoid misunderstandings and produces much more
concise answers.
If you don't understand a question, ask for clarification.
This is expected and is preferable to providing an
unsuitable answer. If you need time to collect your thoughts
- take it. When people are nervous they tend either to "draw
a blank" or to babble. It is better to think for a few moments
and make sure that your answer is doing you justice and
that there is a point to what you are saying.
Always expand. Never answer a question with a "yes" or "no."
In addition to doing research and practicing your answers
to common interview questions, you should be aware of
general interview etiquette. Remember the following
points when preparing for an interview:
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Review your resume, and make sure that you can explain
everything on it. Arrive at the interview ten minutes early to
give yourself an opportunity to collect your thoughts and
relax. Be aware that many employers will have their
receptionists record the time you came in. If you rush in at
the last minute, an employer may have serious concerns
about your ability to arrive on time for a normal day at work.
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Get a good night's sleep before your interview. You will
think more effectively in the interview if you are rested.
Also, yawning will not impress anyone. Eat something
before the interview. If you are worried about your stomach
growling, you will not be able to concentrate on the
questions.
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It is often believed by the candidates that interview panels
take longer interviews of candidates whom they are more
interested in. But it should be kept in mind that the length
of an interview in no way is an indicator of how well an
interview went. An interview is only a device whereby the
panel seeks information about the candidate. Information
that will help the panel decide whether or not the candidate
should be selected. If the panel feels that it has gathered
enough information about the candidate in the first 15
minutes of the interview and that it has no further
questions to ask, the interview will be terminated in 15
minutes. If on the other hand the panel takes an hour to
gather the information required to take a decision, the
interview will last for an hour. In either case the decision
could be positive or negative. No panel likes to waste its
time. If an interview is lasting longer than usual then it only
means that the panel is seeking more information about the
candidate in order to take a decision.
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Dress appropriately, be sure, badly matched shoes and ties
can have a jarring effect on an interviewer. Similarly, avoid
heavy Jewellery or personal accessories as they would look
incongruous on you. How you dress for an interview is
perhaps as relevant as the way you lay out your resume. Of
course, decently dressed does not necessarily mean being
dressed to the gills. In most cases, this would mean you
would wear long sleeved shirts and a pair of formal
trousers.
Make sure that you are clean, neat, and well-groomed.
Interviewers do notice your appearance, and first
impressions are critical in an interview situation.
Take a copy of your resume, transcript, references and
perhaps a portfolio or work samples with you. Also take a
pen and paper, as you may want to record some important
information.
Go for a mock exercise before the real talk at the interview.
Hone your interview etiquette. Churn the right mix of
deportment, attitude and dressing skills.
Never make the big mistake of treating an interview lightly.
It's not an impromptu thing where you depend on your
improvisation skills. An interview requires careful thought
and planning before you take it. Keeping in mind some
basic attitudes and presentation techniques will help you
sail through it with panache.
So if you thought that going for an interview just meant
pulling your best suit out of the wardrobe and updating your
resume, please think again. You are forgetting the other
essentials: body language, basic etiquette and attitude.
Remember that you are actually selling an entire package and
the packaging; in this case, is as relevant as the product inside.
And you can't do that without minding the basic interview
etiquette to get you ahead of the rest of the pack.
IN SHORT :
Ø
An interview is the sum total of many parts. It's not just what
you say but how you say it that matters equally. So it's good to
brush up on more than just your training skills when you go for
an interview.
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Ø
Knowing how to successfully close interview can make the
difference between getting an admission in a B-school and
being one of the unfortunate individuals who receives a
rejection letter in the mail. While much attention is given to
the matters of how to write a resume as well as what to
expect in regards to interview questions, far too many
candidates are unprepared when it comes to knowing how
to successfully close an interview. Successfully closing an
interview walks a fine line between being too aggressive
and not being aggressive enough.
Ø
Ø
Ø
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It's always a good idea to bring along some questions that you
can ask the interviewer at the end of the interview. This shows
that you have more than just a passing interest in the institute
and truly want to get admission. If you have taken the time to do
your research on the institute, this also demonstrates your
initiative and increases your chances of being selected. At last
just remember that this is perhaps your last opportunity to
demonstrate why you a are perfect candidate.
Ø
Review your application;
the interviewer is likely to
ask specific questions
about it.
Be ready to provide
examples and specifics
and to elaborate on
information on your resume and application.
Be open and honest.
Ask questions, since the interview is as much an
opportunity for you to learn about the institute as for
the school to learn about you.
Follow proper decorum.
Watch your nonverbal clues, such as eye contact,
posture, and fidgeting.
Be courteous to the administrative staff, since how you
treat them can have an impact (positive or negative).
It is not enough to aim; you must hit and give your best.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA
1983
Ajanta Caves
1987
Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur
1883
Ellora Caves
1987
Sundarbans National Park
1983
Agra Fort
1988
Nanda Devi National Park
1983
Taj Mahal
1989
Buddhist monuments at Sanchi
1984
Sun Temple, Konark
1993
Humayun's Tomb. Delhi
1985
Mahabalipuram monuments
1983
Qutab Minar and its monuments
1985
Kaziranga National Park
1999
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
1985
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
2002
Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya
1985
Keoladeo National Park
2003
Marble Rocks, Bhimbhetaka
1986
Churches and Convents of Goa
2004
Brihadesvara Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram
1986
Khajurahao Group of monuments
2004
Airavasesvara Temple of Darasuram
1986
Group of monuments at Hampi
2004
Champaner Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujrat
1986
Fatehpur Sikri
2004
Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station , Mumbai
1987
Group of monuments of Pattadakal
2005
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Park, HP
1987
Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra
2007
Red Fort Complex, New Delhi
Facets
Telengana:
Correct diagnosis – wrong cure!
T
he way the Telengana issue is being handled by the UPA
Government, is likely and in fact has opened the
mouths of other states demanding more bifurcation,
trifurcation of their states on the issue of neglect and
underdevelopment. The people of Andhra Pradsh have been
very vocal in showing their displeasure in splitting the state into
two, but the fast unto death protest of the Telangana Rashtra
Samithi (TRS) and its leader, K. Chandrasekhar Rao has turned
the popular opinion in favour of it. The issue of division of any
state comes up due to legitimate socio-economic grievances
which take problematic political forms.
Rayalaseema, for a separate coastal Andhra, and, maybe, even for
Union Territory status for Hyderabad – and there will be no
Pradesh left.
The problem of uneven regional and intra-State
development is one of the major challenges rising India faces
but there is little to suggest that smaller States will make for a
more even process of development. Surely, regional imbalances
can be corrected without recourse to bifurcating or trifurcating a
stable and potentially prosperous State – which came into being
through historical struggle and sacrifice and showcases the
virtues of post-Independence linguistic reorganisation. For a
start, the Regional Development Boards could be given more
resources and more powers. Successive Chief Ministers have
avoided resourcing the boards with sufficient funds, for fear of
creating regional power centres and undermining their own
authority. This must necessarily change. The diagnosis is right:
Telangana is backward and cries out for rapid development and
the regional autonomy needed for this. But the cure pressed by a
succession of militant movements – a separate Telangana State –
will do serious harm to the patient.
Decades of neglect and
denial of opportunities,
especially in education and
employment, have left the
Telangana region of Andhra
Pradesh underdeveloped and
backward. This inescapable
reality explains the militancy
of the movements that
surface from time to time for
a separate State. The region,
which broadly corresponds to the areas that were under the
princely state of Hyderabad, continues to fall behind both
coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema in development indices. Dams
and irrigation projects have helped to some extent, but the rural
hinterlands on the Deccan plateau have resisted attempts to
boost agricultural productivity and income. Rural
unemployment and poverty are rampant. Leaders of the
Telangana region, including many from the time of the first
major agitation in 1969, have sought to frame these deprivation
and development-related issues in the language of regionalism –
as wilful, oppressive neglect of an entire region by those in power
belonging to other regions.
TELANGANA MARTYRS of 1969
After the Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre it was the 1969 Telangana
movement which took more than 370
brave Indian sons, unparallel in the
recent Indian history. The real culprit
was Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, known
to be General Dyer of Telangana.
The 3.5 crores people of Telangana
salute the martyrs of Telangana who
laid down their lives for the amble
cause of "Separate Telangana" Though
they are buried in the sands of time
unhonoured and unsung, we will
continue their fight till Separate
Telangana is achieved and will prove to
the world that they have not died in
vain.
Sound political diagnosis must of course factor in the mass
mood but cannot be determined by it. In most cases, the real
answer to problems of under-development and backwardness
lies in big efforts aimed at development and progress. Aside
from the unwisdom of breaking up South India's largest State, a
separate Telangana will fuel demands for a separate
103
Telangana Martyrs Memorial
at Gun park (Opp assembly),
Hyderabad
Verdict 2009
S
tability and continuity with secularism, if Verdict 2009
were to be summed up in a short phrase, this is it. Large
sections of the electorate across the country voted to
bring back the regime of the Congress-led United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) and brought it within striking distance of the
simple-majority mark of 272. Though the numbers thrown up
by the results would, technically, imply a hung Parliament, there
was a doubt about the mandate given to the Manmohan Singhled government to run its course for five years, without too many
pressures and problems from smaller parties and allies.
Midway through the process, Sharad Pawar, UPA Minister
and President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), made
bold to predict that the Congress would get 150 to 160 seats and
that the UPA would have to take the support of the Left parties to
form the government.
The UPA’s tally of 262 seats, with the Congress itself
accounting for 206 of them; the huge gap between it and its
nearest rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National
Democratic Alliance (NDA); and the virtual decimation of the
non-Congress, non-BJP formation led by the Left parties
underscore this mandate.
This and other similar projections had to be discarded
outright after the verdict, which paved the way for the re-election
of an Indian Prime Minister who completed a full term for the
first time in 47 years. The last Prime Minister to be re-elected
was Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1962.
The primary factor, by any yardstick, has to be the overriding
view among large sections of the electorate that only the
Congress can provide a stable, secular government. The second
factor relates to the track record of the Manmohan Singh
government, particularly its social sector initiatives such as the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and
the bank loan waiver.
The NDA got only 157 seats, with the BJP’s own score being
116, while the non-Congress, non-BJP formation was reduced to
72. The Fourth Front, which sought to develop a separate
political identity in order to enhance its bargaining power with
the Congress and the UPA in a post-poll situation, was also
brought down, to just 27 seats.
The message, clearly, was that none of the regional and
smaller parties that hoped to play a decisive role in the 15th Lok
Sabha, and through it in the formation of the next government,
had much of a say. The verdict was such that the UPA had the
opportunity to form the government by choosing its allies at its
own will and convenience and, at a pinch, even with the support
of independents who do not have specific political affiliations.
The third crucial factor is the shift of the Muslim vote
towards the Congress in the Hindi heartland in general and in
UP in particular. The community felt increasingly disenchanted
with the parties it supported in the past two decades.
That the election issues highlighted by the NDA, such as
internal security and the bringing back of black money from
Swiss banks, failed to generate popular appeal was also a factor.
The internal security plank fell flat because the earlier NDA
regimes had also witnessed several internal security challenges
that were not countered properly, such as the attack on the
Parliament House and the Kandahar hijack.
Obviously, the result has gone contrary to the perceptions
that held sway among the political class and observers
throughout the election process. The main perception was
about a hopelessly hung Parliament. Even the Congress, which
is now basking in the glory of a spectacular victory, had shared
this view and gone about looking for new allies for a post-poll
scenario. That search had even taken it to the Nitish Kumar-led
Janata Dal (United), which has been a consistent partner in the
NDA for the past decade and a half.
The leadership provided by Sonia Gandhi to the Congress
and the UPA as a whole was also a factor that raised the UPA’s
prospects. The Rahul Gandhi effect supplemented this,
"
especially in Uttar Pradesh. Finally, the presence of several
regional spoilers, who took the form of new political parties and
essentially weakened the adversaries of the UPA, also helped
produce this verdict.
alone in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress’ gains in Uttar Pradesh
also dashed the hopes of the BSP that its leader Mayawati would
play an important role, perhaps even as Prime Minister, in
national politics.
The BJP campaign for the elections was particularly nonproductive. The party sent mixed signals even on its leadership
by projecting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a
potential Prime Minister midway through the elections. This
caused great embarrassment even to Lal Krishna Advani. The
manner in which Advani condoned Varun Gandhi’s communal
utterances in Pilibhit also did not go down well with the
electorate. The open tussle between party President Rajnath
Singh and General Secretary Arun Jaitley over the organisational
preparations for the elections in
Assam and some of the caustic
comments made on Sonia Gandhi
and Manmohan Singh by Modi and
other leaders also boomeranged.
Many of these factors that ultimately helped the Congress
developed during the election process. In the early run-up to the
polls, a number of regional parties, such as the TDP, the
AIADMK and the BJD, moved to the non-Congress, non-BJP
formation led by the Left parties. This created the impression
that the economic policy shortcomings of the Congress and the
UPA government – caused by the pursuit of policies of
liberalisation and globalisation – and the inability to control
prices would form the central points of Election 2009.
However, this did not develop on
expected lines, essentially on account
of the public perception that the
constituents of the Third Front would
not be able to plough together with a
common policy. The fact that there
were too many prime ministerial
aspirants in the grouping
strengthened the impression about
potential disunity among its members
in future
The cumulative impact of these
issues resulted in the Congress
making gains across the country at
the expense of most of its political
opponents, who belonged to
disparate groupings such as the
NDA, the non-Congress, non-BJP
formation, and the Fourth Front.
The BJP was in a state of disarray
on several counts. It did not expect to
lose so badly to the Congress, with a
difference of nearly 100 seats. The
party’s prime ministerial candidate
had made it clear that he would not
take up the position of Leader of the
Opposition. A stiff and bitter race had already started within the
party to fill the vacancy. Several Gen-Next leaders, including
party President Rajnath Singh, former President Murli Manohar
Joshi and former Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Jaswant
Singh threw their hats into the ring. The Third Front showed
signs of disintegration, with the AIADMK, the TDP and the BJD
deciding not to attend a joint meeting. The Left parties, led by
the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which were mauled
electorally in their strongholds of West Bengal and Kerala and
handed one of their worst defeats since Independence, admitted
that they need to go in for serious review and introspection on
the defeat.
The Congress thrashed the BJP
electorally in Rajasthan and Delhi
and wrested a number of seats from it
in Madhya Pradesh. The Left parties
were crushed by the Congress
juggernaut in their bastions of West Bengal and Kerala. The
Congress and its ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK),
came up with surprisingly good performances in Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu respectively, at the cost of the Third
Front parties, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra
Pradesh and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu.In both these States spoilers in the
form of new regional parties helped the UPA constituents..
Interestingly, UPA constituents who chose to part company
with the Congress and fight the polls separately suffered
electoral reverses. The Fourth Front, formed by Lalu Prasad’s
RJD, Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and
Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP, was the biggest such sufferer.
The components of the Fourth Front too seemed to be on the
path of parting ways, with the Congress warming up to RJD
leader Lalu Prasad and squarely rejecting the overtures of
Mulayam Singh’s SP The LJP couldnot even make an overture
because it had no representation in the Lok Sabha. The BSP, too,
While the LJP failed to open its account, the RJD and the SP
had to endure considerable losses from their earlier tally. In the
process, the Congress notched up impressive gains by going it
#
was forced to introspect on the kind of social engineering it
would have to adopt to keep the party intact while preparing for a
prospective political assault by the Congress.
Country has given a decisive mandate to a stable government
headed by Congress this time and it needs to deliver on
economy, education , healthcare , infrastructure development
and other key sectors. Agriculture needs special attention and
rural development schemes need to be more effective and reach
the needy. Waiving of farmer loans can be short term fix for a
problem but not a permanent solution to the sad plight of
farmers who deserve a lot better. Terrorism is something which
will need to be tackled stringently. India needs to be much more
resilient in international arena. More and more sophisticated
weaponry needs to be inducted into the army, navy and air force
and concerns of defense forces such as revision of pay and
pension need to be addressed immediately. List of challenges
for the new government goes on and on.....
In the midst of this rise of the Congress as a strong party with
a national presence, the UPA constituents, including the
tantrums-prone Mamata Banerjee and the enduring Prime
Ministerial aspirant Sharad Pawar, did not dare to cause too
many problems to the Congress, at least at the beginning of the
new tenure of the government. However , the biggest challenge
before Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and the more powerful
Rahul Gandhi was to live up to the faith reposed in them by the
people. The continuance of the new political gains depended on
how far the Congress succeeded in doing this.
The jargon of 2010
Way beyond English
H
financiers will extol the importance of making a difference
through impact investing. And, naturally, executives everywhere
will have to keep up with the latest carbon jargon.
ard times beget harsh language. Reckless loans led to
the credit crunch, then to meltdown. When the jargon
of the 2008-09 recession wasn’t harsh, it was often
mystifying: credit default swaps, collateralised debt obligations
and quantitative easing. What
vocabulary will executives need to
familiarise themselves with next?
Tech-savvy types will dazzle as
usual. In particular, virtual reality will
in 2010 make way for augmented
reality: overlaying the real world with
digital information, typically with the
help of a smart-phone.
The recovery will spawn its own
jargon in 2010. Policymakers will spend
the year planning exit strategies–ways
to withdraw from the markets and
companies they rushed to rescue.
Hopes of a sustainable recovery will
depend on deleveraging by both
consumers and firms, an effort to pay
off the debt that piled up during the
boom. The post-recession economy
may have a different dynamic from the
pre-crisis one; there is talk of an
economic reset to a new normal.
The most-used piece of jargon in
business will not be a word or phrase
but a letter: W. No, not George W.
Bush, but a w-shaped economy, in
which the recovery peters out in the
second half of the year as stimulusspending fades, then resumes in
2011.
Really clever CEOs, however, will
want to show a subtle understanding
of the fastest-growing emerging
markets. They will like to lace their
presentations with references to Chinese culture. In a year of
conflicting signals for business, the Chinese word for
“contradiction”, maodun–which, bosses will sagely point out,
contains both a spear and a shield–may come in handy.
Corporate boards will be
preoccupied with risk management or,
as it will be fashionable to say, early warning. Early-warning
antennae should twitch when they detect the word smart,
signifying a return to old ways but with lessons learnt: bankers
are already talking about smart securitisation. Virtuous
$
.=?AJI
Liberhan Commission
H
H
H
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The Liberhan Commission is a
long-running inquiry commissioned
by the Indian government to
investigate the destruction of the
disputed structure Babri Masjid in
Ayodhya in 1992.
H
Led by retired Indian Supreme
Court Judge M S Liberhan, it was
formed on 16 December 1992 by an order of the Indian
Home Union Ministry following the demolition of the
Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December and the riots in
Ayodhya. The Commission was expected to submit its
report within three months. Extensions were given fortyeight times, and after a delay of 17 years, the commission
submitted the report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on 30 June 2009. In November 2009, contents of the report
were leaked to the news media, causing a row in the Indian
parliament.
The Commission has identified the Kalyan Singh-led
BJP government in Uttar Pradesh as the key to the
execution of the conspiracy to demolish Babri Masjid.
Justice MS Liberhan termed AtalBehariVajpayee,LK
Advani,MMJoshi as pseudo-moderates, pretending to
keep a distance from the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign
when they were actually aware of the whole conspiracy. The
report said, "They have violated the trust of the people.
There can be no greater betrayal or crime in a democracy
and this Commission has no hesitation in condemning
these pseudo-moderates for their sins of omission.
FINDINGSOFTHEREPORT:
H
The commission was appointed by former Prime Minister
P.V. Narasimha Rao two weeks after the demolition on
December 6, 1992.
The one-man panel, one of the country's longest running
inquiry commissions, costs the government Rs.8 crore.
The commission gain a report on the sequence of events
leading to the destruction of the Babri mosque by Hindu
mobs on December 6, 1992.
In 16 years of its proceedings, the commission recorded
statements of several politicians, bureaucrats and police
officials including Kalyan Singh, late Narasimha Rao,
former Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani and his
colleagues Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati as well as
Mulayam Singh Yadav.
H
H
REPORTLEAKEDTOMEDIA:
H
The report implicated 68 people, including L K Advani,
Murli Manohar Joshi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and more
critically, Kalyan Singh, the then-Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh. The report accused the RSS of being the chief
architect of the demolition.
On 23 November 2009, the media began reporting on the
contents of the report, which had been leaked before being
made available to the legislature. It indicted top BJP leaders
as being actively involved in the meticulous planning of the
demolition of the mosque.
%
Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
during the mosque’s demolition, has come in for harsh
criticism in the report. He is accused of posting
bureaucrats and police officers who would stay silent
during the mosque’s demolition in Ayodhya. Indicting the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh,
the one-man commission said in its report: "Kalyan Singh's
government was the essential component needed by the
Sangh Parivar for its purposes. Kalyan Singh lived up to the
expectations of the Parivar".
The commission’s report in effect says Singh and his
Cabinet allowed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
to directly run his government.
A direct quote by the Liberhan Commission about the
demolition: “The preparation was accomplished with
phenomenal secrecy, was technically flawless with
consistency and assured results...The theme was power. It
attracted clusters of young men to support the hidden
agenda. Leaders know how passions are aroused and how
to prevent the same; they however always see what would be
beneficial to them rather than what would be good for the
nation. This is what happened in Ayodhya.”
Facets
Agriculture sector in India
I
monsoon fickle. Even the increasing
temperature affects the Indian agriculture.
Most of the vegetables destroy either due to
uneven rainfall or due to intense un-seasonal
hailstorms and damages the standing crops
and vegetables and leads to huge losses to
farmers. If the condition like this prevails in
coming years, situation will be worse as the
state lacks proper irrigation facilities and
proper storage facilities for grains.
ndia has been one of the pioneer
countries in the area of development
planning. It has gone through the fivedecade of planning and has almost completed
the first nine five-year plans and a few annual
plans in between and the tenth plan is on the
anvil. The experience of development
planning in India can best be judged initially
in terms of outlays and targets and then in
terms of the resulting growth-wise
performance, and finally in terms of the
overtime changes that have taken place in certain crucial
economic and social indicators that ultimately affect the quality
of life of majority of the people. The final performance of the
economy is, therefore, linked both with economic growth and
development.
Since agriculture constitutes a much larger fraction of GDP
in developing countries, even a small percentage loss in
agricultural productivity would impose a larger proportionate
income loss in a developing country than in an industrial
country.
Although favourable weather conditions, particularly cool
temperatures during the growing period, benefited the crop.
India’s 2009/10 wheat crop was sown from SeptemberOctober 2008 and harvest was completed in the May-June
2009 period.
It is not enough to measure progress merely in terms of GNP,
it is imperative to look at the structural changes too by assessing
the distributional effects of economic growth in the economy on
the basis of behaviour pattern, as shown by certain crucial
economic and social indicators that effect a larger section of the
society and through which the benefits of growth are supposed
to get distributed amongst the majority of the people. There are
many such indicators, and there are a few specific bases (like the
aspirations of the people) to underline such indicators, most
important among them is Agricultural Production.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
Many people who think India is a huge net importer of
agriculture, or could be so in near future, the reality since the
beginning of 1990s is that India is a net exporter of agriculture
products. In 2007-08, for example, India’s exports of agricommodities accounted for roughly $19.4 billion while its
imports were $7.4 billion.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
Agricultural production includes food grains (essentially,
rice and wheat) and non-food grains (essentially, oilseeds, and
sugarcane), the former contributing approximately two-thirds
of the total agricultural production. On the basis of the time
series data, as computed from Economic Surveys of the
Economic Division of the Ministry of Finance for the years 198788 and 1997-98, it is seen that agricultural production shows an
upward trend through out both in terms of decades and
individual years.
This clearly shows that India is gradually liberalising its
agriculture, and integrating globally, though at its own pace.
This is contrary to the popular perception that Indian
agriculture is highly protected or India is not opening its
agriculture to the rest of the world.
India has graduated from an imported-food-dependent to a
self sufficient nation and even a net exporter of cereals. The
agricultural export basket is quite diversified and some of the
billion-dollars-plus exports are that of rice, high value
commodities such as fish, cotton, and fruit and vegetables.
India's agriculture is more dependent on monsoon from the
ancient periods. Any change in monsoon trend drastically affects
agriculture. Human interference has certainly made the Indian
108
Between 2000 and 2007/08, exports of these commodities
have surged. However agricultural trade in India will be
subjected to “stop-go” policies owing to food security concerns
as observed in the case of export ban on rice that is in place since
2008 when food crisis was at its peak.
billion of cotton exports has emerged as the second largest
exporter in the world. A revolution unprecedented in the history
of Indian agriculture arising from the rapid adoption of BT
technology was pioneered by the private sector, both
multinationals and domestic firms. The high value fruit and
vegetables is also an emerging sector in India with high export
potential.
Much of Indian agriculture (roughly 80%) is quite
competitive, and can flourish under a liberalised trade regime.
And to make it even more competitive, India needs to focus on its
domestic reforms more than the external trade front.
Investments in technology and infrastructure to be able to
meet the safety standards will be important. The good news is
that several domestic bigwigs are venturing into this sector with
huge capital investments either as single entities or in
partnership with multinationals. What all this shows is that
despite several challenges, India is likely to gain from
liberalising the agricultural sector and it is safe to do so given its
current economic and political situation. As for the negotiations
are concerned whether on tariff bindings or tariff lines for
special products, India’s stand will depend upon what positions
the big players such as US and EU take in particular.
Progress in agricultural trade negotiations has a lot to do
with the domestic reforms such as better access to markets,
availability of advanced technology, and increased investments,
especially in irrigation. Trade liberalisation cannot be achieved
in isolation.
For instance, India is a large importer of edible oils,
accounting for nearly 35% of the agricultural imports. This is a
classic example of where domestic reforms have lagged behind.
India aims to create a real world market for food products,
including products from developing countries. By getting rid of
export subsidies it would help the poorest countries get out of
the poverty trap.
Reforms need to be introduced to make processing efficient
in order to meet the rising domestic demand. By far, the rise in
exports of cotton has been most spectacular. India with nearly $2
Export Trend for Processed Foods, 2001-2007
400000
363576
350000
300000
262994
250000
201432
200000
158323
155464
150000
114997
100000
50000
0
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
109
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
.=?AJI
Shape of Indian economy
The tenth plan target of
10% industrial growth has not
been met, but there was
acceleration in the industrial
growth rate during the plan
period and the target was
exceeded in the terminal year.
The CAGR rose from 4.5% in
the ninth five year plan to 8 % in the tenth five year plan.
n the previous review done in March 2009, GDP growth of
5.8% for the year 2009-10 against actual growth of 6.7% in
2008-09 was predicted. Such a bearish outlook of the
economy was largely on account of a weak global economy that
was expected to drag down export growth and hence, growth in
the domestic industrial and service sectors. In the present
scenario, despite fiscal and monetary stimulus packages, with
downside risks emanating from poor monsoons in addition to a
delayed recovery in the world economy, we have retained our
GDP growth projection of 5.8% for 2009-10. The other
downside risk to growth is the excessive fiscal expansion, which
might crowd out private investments in the medium term. All
this indicates that growth in 2009-10 is expected to be lower
compared to growth in 2008-09.
I
The development of physical infrastructure in the country
and consequently, the construction sector has been in focus
during the last decade. It is well established that the influence of
the constructionindustry spans across several sub sectors of the
economy as well as the infrastructure development such as
industrial and mining infrastructure , highways , roads, ports ,
railways , airports, power systems, irrigation and agriculture
systems, telecommunications systems, hospitals, schools, etc.
Thus it becomes the basic input of socio economic
development. The figure shows the Sector-wise break up as
projected at the end of the 11th Plan by the Planning
Commission.
Although agriculture's share in GDP has declined from over
half at independenceto less than one fifth , currently agriculture
remains the predominant sector in terms of employment and
livelihood with more than half of India's workforce engaged in it
as the principal occupation. Agriculture still contributes
significantlyto export earningsand is an importantsource of raw
materialsas well as demandfor many industries.
Shape of Indian Economy 2010-11
Agriculture,15.30%,
Industry,28.10%,
GDP:
$ 1 trillion
Services, 56.60%,
Sector-wise break up as projected at the end of the 11th Plan by the Planning Commission
.=?AJI
Expenditure per household
beverages, tobacco, and transport and communication also
increases. A comparison of consumer spending habits in 2002
with those in 2007 revealed that expenditure on food, clothing
and personal care has remained more or less constant, but
expenditure on entertainmenthas increased.
onsumer spending can be categorized into regular
spends and lifestyle spends. Regular spending includes
the basic necessities of life, while lifestyle spending
includes spending on a computer, internet, car, cell phone, etc.
Analysis of consumer spending in the past 10 years reveals that
the average consumer has been spending on an increasing
number of different goods. There are a number of factors
affecting the consumer spending pattern in India; these include
growing income levels resulting in more disposable income with
individuals, changing attitudes towards consumption, changes
in prices, introduction of new products, availability of credit
such as loans, mortgages and credit cards, rising aspiration
levels, increased literacy, growing brand consciousness and
rapid urbanization.
C
Shopping habits of Indians are changing due to their growing
disposable income, relative increase in the younger population,
and the change in attitudes towards shopping. The emphasis has
changed from price consideration to design, quality and
trendiness. The desire to look and feel good is also a guiding factor
for customers while making their purchase decisions. Growing
disposable income is also propelling demand for consumer
durables and eating in restaurants among Indians. Age is also a
major factor that affects the spending decisions of an individual.
For instance, people in 20-24 years age group spend more on
electronic / home appliances and movies, while people in the 45-48
years age group spend more on vacations.
Spending habits are different for people belonging to
different sections of society. For instance, people belonging to
the middle class consider basic necessities and education and
spending toward the future of their children as their top
priorities, followed by lifestyle goods. The rich class spends
more on luxury goods and international brands. The super rich
class spends on ultra luxury goods. It is observed that as
disposable income increases, people prefer more of branded
goods, shift to processed foods, and the expenditure on food,
Consumer spending is an important factor that affects the
economic growth and development in a country. In the future,
India and China are projected to be the powerhouses of Asia in
terms of growth in consumption, wages, and GDP. The figure
shows the expenditure per household.
Expenditure per Household
7%
61.80%
15.1%
16.10%
Profile
ADI GODREJ:
The Patient Billionaire
A
involved in philanthropic activities. Godrej is major
supporter of the World Wildlife Fund in India, it has
developed a green business campus in the Vikhroli
township of Mumbai, which includes a 150-acre
mangrove forest and a school for the children of
company employees.
di Godrej is Chairman designate for the Godrej
Group and several entities that are part of one
of India's leading conglomerates. These
include Indian companies like Godrej Industries,
Godrej Consumer Products, Godrej Properties as well
as international companies such as Keyline Brands
U.K and Rapidol South Africa. Established in 1897, the
Godrej group has grown in India from the days of the
charkha to nights at the call centers. The founder,
Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-locksmith, was a
persistent inventor and a strong visionary who could see the
spark in the future. His inventions, manufactured by his brother
Pirojsha Godrej, were the foundation of today's Godrej Empire.
Adi Godrej later carried the company to heights.
MAJORACCOMPLISHMENTS
Over the last five decades Adi has played an
important role in the development of a variety of industries by
leading key organizations of trade and commerce as the former
Chairman and President of the Indian Soap & Toiletries Makers
Association, the Central Organization for Oil Industry and
Trade, the Solvent Extractors Association of India, the
Compound Livestock Feeds Manufacturers Association, the
Indo-American Society and as member of the Governing Board
of the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry.
BRIEFHISTORY
He was born into a business family and left India at the age of
17 to study business management. Though he planned to study
mechanical engineering but he later on switched to
management. He obtained both his bachelor's and the master's
degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and came back to India to join the family business.
His father's name was Burjorji Godrej and his mother's name
was Jai Godrej. More than a century ago, the Godrej's were into
manufacturing locks and vegetable-based soaps. The Godrej
products were among the first indigenously manufactured
products to displace entrenched foreign brands.
Adi has also participated actively in the field of management
education as part of the Governing Council of the Narsee
Monjee Institute of Management Studies, as a former member
of the Dean's Advisory Council of the MIT Sloan School of
Management and the Wharton Asian Executive Board. Adi is a
member of Tau Beta Pi (The Engineering Honor Society) and
also serves as a member of the Governing Board of the Indian
School of Business.
CURRENTSTATUS
CONTRIBUTIONSTOTHEGODREJGROUP
He is a billionaire and the Chairman of Godrej Group. Tanya,
his eldest daughter, is already Executive Director and President
(marketing) in Godrej Industries Ltd. His only son, on
completion of his management studies abroad, joined Godrej
Properties. His second daughter studies at Harvard. Adi holds
middle class values, courtesy his mother who was a
schoolteacher and taught him "the greatest lesson – humility",
but believes in living life king-size.
After his return to India, Adi Godrej joined the family
business. He modernized and systematized management
structures and implemented process improvements. Adi Godrej
took the Godrej Group to great heights during controlled
economy era.
In the early 2000s, the Group completed a 10-year
restructuring process through which each business became a
stand-alone company with a CEO/COO from outside the Godrej
family. Today, Godrej manufactures a wide range of products
spanning from household products to locks, furniture and home
appliances. Under Adi Godrej's leadership, the group is also
In a fast changing world with many start-ups and sell outs,
Mr. Godrej's expertise on how to ensure long term business
success in a highly competitive environment is sure to add great
value to the aspiring businessmen.
.=?AJI
Oscars:
Eight on ten for 'Slumdog Millionaire’
S
lumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British film directed by
Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed
in India by Loveleen Tandan.
The movie is based on the novel, Q&A, by Vikas Swarup who
loves his country as much as anyone and did it the service of
telling its truth with great warmth and humanity. And Danny
Boyle's film continues in precisely the same vein. His innovative
brilliance, fresh perspective and foreign money was vital. As an
outsider, he saw the truth that middle-class Indians are too often
inured to: that countless people exist in conditions close to hell
yet maintain a breath-taking exuberance, dignity and decency.
These people embody the tremendous spirit and strength of
'Slumdog
India and its civilisation. They deserve the attention of its film-
Academy
makers.
Millionaire'
Awards
sweeps
including
eight
Best
Oscars
Adapted
at
the
81st
Screenplay,
cinematography, sound mixing ,film editing, original score,
original song etc.
The euphoria surrounding the recent success of the film
'Slumdog Millionaire' is mostly centered on its 'rags to riches'
storyline. However, a closer examination of the film reveals a far
The following is the list:
more interesting and deeper epistemological issue of contextual
1.
Best Picture
nature of acquisition of knowledge, especially in a multilayered
2.
Best Director - Danny Boyle
and fragmented society such as India. This is of particular
3.
Best original song- A.R. Rahman and Gulzar
relevance now in light of the Prime Minister's stated objective of
4.
Best original score - A.R. Rahman
moving towards a knowledge economy and knowledge based
5.
Best adapted screenplay - Simon Beaufoy
society.
6.
Best cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle
7.
Best sound mixing - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul
8.
Best editing - Chris Dickens
Pookutty
In the film, the main protagonist, a young boy, born and
brought up in Mumbai slums and without any formal schooling,
correctly answers all questions in a popular quiz show and
Danny Boyle's acclaimed hit "Slumdog Millionaire" had
subsequently is suspected, by the Quiz Master, to have won by
cheating.
Later,
in
a
police
lock
up
and
under
reached
intense
$3.8
million
at
the
North
American
box
office
interrogation / torture he insists "but I knew the answers". The
surpassing the $3.4 million of the Hrithik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai
film
epic Jodhaa Akbar to become the highest grossing Indian movie
revolves
around
the
story
of
how
he
acquired
this
of 2008.
'knowledge'. It effectively posits two distinct and different types
of rationalities; the Instrumental and the Strategic rationalities.
The former is based on truth, while the latter is based upon
It is very correct that the success of Slumdog Millionaire
effectiveness. The two protagonists of the story, the Quiz Master
opened the doors for Indian cinema to grow globally and for
and the contestant, each represent one side of this knowledge
Hollywood to showcase Indian themes, use Indian cast and
divide. While the quiz is founded on the expectation of truth
technicians, and create a global winner. A general belief is that
through instrumental rationality, Jamal, the contestant uses the
Bollywood movies are meant for Indian audiences & Slumdog
strategic rationality effectively. There is here an implicit critique
was made for western audiences. But its success shows that
of
there is an opportunity for Hollywood to take up Indian themes,
the
pedagogical
model
of
instrumental
knowledge
cast, and technicians and make a movie that is of world standard.
unquestioningly followed in our educational system.
!
Facets
Tourism and Hospitality
T
ourism industry in India is being utilised as a powerful
tool to facilitate international understanding and
enable building of broader cultural horizons.
According to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report
2009 brought out by World Economic Forum, India is ranked
11th in the Asia-Pacific region and 62nd overall in a list of 133
assessed countries in 2008, up three places since 2007. In terms
of travel, India stands 9th in the index of relative cost of access
(ticket taxes and airport charges) to international air transport
services, having almost the lowest costs in the
world.
GROWTH TRENDS
India is fast becoming a preferred destination among
European and American tourists because of its cultural heritage.
Foreign tourists inflow has begun to show signs of improvement
in July-Sept ’09. The Union tourism ministry hopes to cross six
million foreign tourist arrival targets.
The ministry is planning to develop three niche products
wellness tourism, caravan tourism and helipad tourism this year.
According to the Tourism Ministry of India, last year 5.37 million
foreign tourists visited the country, of which 820,000 came from
the US, followed by 780,000 from the UK.
The contribution of travel and tourism to
gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to
be at 6.0 per cent (US$ 67.3 billion) in 2009
rising to US$ 187.3 billion by 2019.
MEDICAL TOURISM
India offers a landscape, where
beauty enthralls, culture echoes and
diversity delights.
The real GDP growth for travel and
tourism economy is expected to be 0.2
per cent in 2009 and to an average 7.7 per
cent per annum over the coming 10 years.
Export earnings from international visitors and
tourism goods are expected to generate 6.0 per
cent of total exports (almost US$ 16.9 billion) in
2009, growing (nominal terms) to US$ 51.4
billion in 2019.
The country is fast becoming a favourite with tourists
world over, as it offers huge scope for various theme based
travel like Medical Tourism, Adventure tourism, Heritage
tourism, Wellness tourism, Pilgrimage tourism, Golf Tourism,
Eco tourism, Wildlife tourism among others.
India’s tourism industry is experiencing a strong
period of growth, driven by the burgeoning middle class, growth
in high spending foreign tourists, and coordinated government
campaigns to promote ‘Incredible India’
However, India’s reputation as a major medical tourist
destination is fast becoming popular amongst foreign tourists to
the country. India is aggressively promoting the concept of
medical tourism and capitalizing on its low cost and highly
trained doctors.
INCREDIBLE INDIA
Moreover, the country also has some of the best hospitals
and treatment centres that are equipped with infrastructure and
technology, which are at par with those in the US, UK and
Europe at a fraction of the costs.
A look at a travel brochure these days shows a tendency by
travel writers to speak in superlatives. “Grand colonial
architecture”, “sparkling beaches”, “amazing monuments” and
so on; and yet, for a country like India, all these adjectives and
more, are totally appropriate. India’s tourism and hospitality
industry has emerged as one of the key sectors driving the
country’s economy. India’s tourism is thriving, owing to a huge
surge in both business and leisure travel by foreign and
domestic tourists.
In fact, Indian hospitals are fast becoming the first choice for
foreign patients owing to easy access to visa facilities, coupled
with the best emerging medical infrastructure, which will help
India earn to an extent of US$ 1.86 million in foreign exchange
by 2012. Currently, India’s earnings through medical tourism
annually are an estimated US$ 821.40 million.
114
The boom in the Indian tourism industry has cascaded to
the rural areas as well. India continues to attract tourists owing
to its splendid historical architecture and rich culture along with
beautiful beaches, rural tourism or what now is called
‘responsible tourism’ is also fast gaining popularity with
travelers flocking to discover the best in rural arts and heritage.
Organization (UNWTO), the highest policy making world
tourism body represented by 150 countries.
OUTBOUND TOURISTS
India was adjudged Asia’s leading destination at the regional
World Travel Awards (WTA)
The world’s leading travel and tourism journal, “Conde Nast
Traveller”, ranked India as the numero uno travel destination in
the world.
India accounts for only 0.5 percent (4.5 million) of global
tourists, whereas outbound tourism from India is estimated at
8.5 million (estimates of domestic tourists are over 450 million).
The disparity in the outbound and inbound tourist estimates
points to the nation’s booming economy and rising income levels
of its citizens. Indian outbound tourist flow is expected to
increase at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.30
per cent over the five year period spanning from 2008 to 2012,
according to RNCOS new report titled, “Indian Tourism
Industry Analysis”. Along with the rise in the number of Indians
travelling abroad, both the total and per capita expenditure spent
abroad has been increasing. For example, according to the
European Travel Commission, average spend per trip of Indian
outbound tourists has increased from US$ 611 in 2000 to US$
927 in 2008.
India’s Taj Mahal continues to figure in the Seven Wonders
of the World.
Bangalore based Leela Palace Kempinski has been rated as
the favourite business hotel in the world in a Readers’ Choice
Awards by Conde Nast Traveller.
India bagged the World’s leading Destination Marketing
Award for the Incredible India campaign.
Kerala Tourism has bagged the coveted 2009 Pacific Asia
Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award in the Marketing
(State/City destination) category. Kerala Tourism has also
bagged the CNBC awards for Best Travel Destination and Best
State Tourism Board.
HOSPITALITY
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES
The boom in India’s tourism industry and the surge in
tourist inflow to the country have percolated to other associated
sectors like aviation, medical tourism and the hotel industry.
To unlock the huge potential in this sector, the Government
has taken various initiatives for the development of this sector.
A new category of visa, “Medical Visa” (‘M’-Visa), has been
introduced which can be given for specific purpose to foreign
tourists coming into India.
The country’s hospitality sector has witnessed an increase in
the occupancy ratios and average room rates. While occupancy
ratio is around 75-80 per cent, the average increase in room rates
has been hovering around 22-25 per cent. By 2011, India will see
an estimated 13 million foreign visitors and thereby a demand
for approximately 100,000 rooms. For example, while the
estimated number of required hotel rooms is around 240,000,
the current availability is just 90,000 rooms – leaving a shortfall
of 150,000 rooms to be provided.
Guidelines have been formulated by Department of AYUSH
prescribing minimum requirements for Ayurveda and
Panchkarma Centres.
Kerala state government has invited the private sector to
start helicopter taxi services in the state to promote tourism in
“God’s own country” and cover large distances across the state.
To strengthen the Indian tourism sector ahead of the
Commonwealth Games in 2010 and to double foreign tourist
arrivals from 5.37 million in 2008 to 10 million by 2010, the
ministry is taking measures such as rationalizing taxes,
increased focus on infrastructure and easy visas.
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
India’s booming tourism sector has not only witnessed
international investments but also achieved international
accolades with its increasing appeal as the leading global tourist
destination. The government has been instrumental in making
tourism a priority sector. Its efforts have borne fruits with a
series of international recognition and awards.
The future prospects of Tourism and Hospitality industry
seem to be very bright. Government is taking initiatives to
strengthen the Indian tourism sector ahead of the
Commonwealth Games in 2010 and to double foreign tourist
arrivals from 5.37 million in 2008 to 10 million by 2010, the
ministry is taking measures such as rationalising taxes,
increased focus on infrastructure and easy visas.
India has been ranked No. 1 in long term travel growth by
World Travel and Trade Council in its global report for 2008.
India has been elected to head the UN World Tourism
115
Facets
STATE OF LITERACY
F
leads the pack with a literacy rate of 90.92% and a fairly small
male female gap of 6.34 per cent. A remarkable feature of the
improvement in literacy is the sharp increase in the literacy rate
of Chhattisgarh (22.27) and Madhya Pradesh (19.44). The
biggest improvement in female literacy rates has occurred in
Chhattisgarh (24.87), Rajasthan (23.90) and MP (20.73)
or the purpose of census, a person aged seven and above
who can both read and write with understanding in any
language is treated as literate. A person who can only
read but cannot write is not literate. In the census prior to 1991,
children below five years of age were necessarily treated as
illiterates. The ability achieved until one had some schooling or
at least some time to develop these skills. It was therefore
decided at the 1991 Census that children in the age group of 6
will be treated as illiterates by definition and the population aged
seven years and above only will be classified as literate or
illiterate. The same criterion has been retained at the census of
India, 2001. The most remarkable news about the 2001 Census
is that there is a significant increase in both the literacy rates and
number of literate persons. In India as a whole, the proportion of
literate persons among the population aged 7 years and above is
reported to be 65.38 per cent which represent a jump of 13.17
per cent points over the actual of 1991. The female literacy rate
has increased even more rapidly, by 14.87 percentage points to
reach 54.16 per cent, while male literacy has increased by 11.77
percentage points, to reach 75.85 per cent. Accordingly, the male
female gap in the literacy rate has declined to 21.70%, the lowest
since 1951 Census. Among the major states, Kerala predictably
10 MOST LITERATE DISTRICTS
S.No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
District
Aizawl
Serchhip
Kottayam
Mahe
Pathanamthitta
Alappuzha
Emakulam
Kannur
Thrissur
Kozhikode
State/UT*
Mizoram
Mizoram
Kerala
Pondicherry*
Kerala
Kerala
Kerala
Kerala
Kerala
Kerala
Literacy
96.64
96.14
95.9
95.78
95.09
93.66
93.42
92.8
92.56
92.45
SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE
A special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a geographical region that has economic laws that are more liberal than a country’s
typical economic laws. The category ‘SEZ’ covers a broad range of more specific zone types, including Free Trade Zone (FTZ),
Export Processing Zone (EPZ), Free Zones (FZ), Industrial Estates (IE), Free Ports, Urban Enterprise Zones and others.
Usually the goal of a structure is to increase foreign direct investment by foreign investors, typically an international business or
a multinational corporation (MNC). One of the earliest and the most famous Special Economic Zones were found by the
government of the People’s Republic of China under Deng Xlaoping in the early 1980s. Special Economic Zones have been
established in several countries, including Brazil, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia and
Ukraine.
EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES
Export Processing Zones (EPZs) can be summarized as a unit bearing clusters of specially designed zones of aggressive
economic activity for the promotion of export. The main concept of EPZs was conceived in the early 1970s to promote the
growth of the sickening export business of India. Further the meaning of EPZs can be broadly defined as an area enjoying
special government of India support with respect to fiscal incentives, tax rebates and other exclusive benefits for the growth of
export.
116
Facets
The Kaiga Atomic Power Station
O
n April 17, 2004, three employees of the Waste
Immobilisation Plant (WIP) of the Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC) at Tarapur, Maharashtra,
were exposed to radiation doses when they used, at different
times, a particular chair in a room at the plant. Embedded in a
fold of the cushioned seat of the chair was a vial of liquid waste
containing caesium and strontium, both radioactive substances.
The vial should have been sent to a “counter” for “counting” its
radioactivity. Instead, it was found lodged in the chair. Top
officials of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) laid the
blame for the incident on “mischief ” by a “disgruntled” WIP
employee, who was dismissed.
Tarapur, about 130 km from Mumbai, then had two nuclear
power reactors. (It has four now.) Liquid waste from these
reactors is stored in underground tanks. Liquid waste is
categorised as high-level and low-level. Solid waste is vitrified
(converted into glass) and stored in capsules.
Jain was confident that since the “computerised access control
system has a record of all the personnel who have entered the
operating island”, it was only a matter of time before the
mischief-maker would be identified.
Five and a half years later, on November 24, 2009, at the Kaiga
Atomic Power Station on the banks of the Kalinadi river in
Karwar district of Karnataka, bioassay tests of the urine samples
of 65 employees working in the first reactor building revealed
that they had received radiation in excess of the prescribed
limits. They were all employees of Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited (NPCIL), which designs, builds and operates
nuclear power reactors in the country. They had drunk water
mixed with tritiated heavy water from a water cooler kept in the
operating island of Unit-1. Tritiated heavy water is a radioactive
fluid in the heavy water. The three operating reactors at Kaiga
use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both coolant and
moderator.
The DAE/NPCIL do not seem to have become wiser after
the incident at the WIP at Tarapur. No closed-circuit cameras
have been installed in the corridors/passages leading from the
sampling points in the reactor buildings to the chemical
laboratories, which are generally situated outside the reactor
building.
A top DAE official blamed the incident on “an insider's
mischief ”. He said “an insider had mixed tritiated heavy water in
the drinking water kept in the cooler in the operating island of
the reactor”.
The AERB concluded that a drinking water cooler was the
source of the tritium contamination. The water tank of this
cooler, like other water coolers, was kept locked. “However,” said
Om Pal Singh, AERB Secretary, in a press release, “it appears
that a mischief maker added a small quantity of tritiated heavy
water to the cooler, possibly from a heavy water sampling vial,
through its [cooler's] overflow tube.”
S.K. Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, NPCIL, also
called the incident “possibly an act of mischief ”. He explained
that there was heavy water in the reactor's moderator system and
primary heat transporter. During the reactor's operation, a part
of the deuterium in the heavy water gets converted into tritium.
Officials of NPCIL and the AERB also played down the
gravity of the ingestion of tritiated heavy water by the 65
employees. An “update” on the incident from Jain on November
29 said: “Any contamination caused by heavy water inside the
human body is quickly flushed out through natural biological
118
processes like urination and perspiration. These processes can
be hastened through simple medication. The contamination
detected in this incident was brought down quickly and one
worker was currently close to the limit specified by the Atomic
Energy Regulatory Board.… No worker was hospitalised.”
observed: “The problem of routine tritium emissions is, in our
opinion, underappreciated, especially because non-cancer
foetal risks are not yet part of the regulatory framework for
radionuclide contamination and because tritium releases
constitute the largest routine releases from nuclear power
plants.”
But according to an article in Science and Democratic Action,
published by the Institute for Energy and Environmental
Research, United States, in its August 2009 issue: “As
radioactive water, tritium can cross the placenta, posing some
risk of birth defects and early pregnancy failures. Ingestion of
tritiated water also increases cancer risk.” These observations
form part of the lead article, “Radioactive Rivers and Rain:
Routine Releases of Tritiated Water from Nuclear Power
Plants”, by Annie Makhijani and Arjun Makhijani. They
Although the Kaiga incident came to light on November 24,
it was not before November 30 that the Kaiga station officials
“formally” requested the Mallapur police for an investigation.
Notwithstanding the NPCIL top brass' confidence in the
computerised access control systems, biometrics and the list of
250 employees who work in Unit-1, neither the State police nor
the Central intelligence agencies had zeroed in on the
“mischief-maker” as of December 7, 2009.
NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINE:
INS ARIHANT
I
ndia joined an elite club of nations on July 26, 2009, with the
launch of indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine
INS Arihant at Visakhapatnam. The first Indian Nuclear
Submarine, INS Arihant was launched by PM Manmohan
Singh. With this, India has reached a significant milestone in
completing its nuclear triad with capacity to launch missiles
from land, air and sea. The 6000-tonne nuclear submarine,
known as boomer in popular parlance and named Arihant
(destroyer of enemy), will carry 'Sagarika' ballistic missile and
will come in handy for retaliation in case of an enemy nuclear
strike. The missile will have a range of 700 km.
is powered by an 85 megawatt capacity nuclear reactor and can
acquire surface speeds of 22 to 28 kmph (12-15 knots) and
submerged speed upto 44 kmph (24 knots). It has the capacity to
carry a staff of 100 men and will be armed with torpedoes and
missiles including 12 ballistic missiles. A nuclear submarine is
one of the most potent weapons. INS Arihant will be fitted with
India's own K-15 ballistic missiles that can be launched from
under water. The k-15 missiles, which are already under
production, can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
They have a range of 700 km. They are 10.4 metres tall and weigh
6.3 tonnes each.
A distinct advantage of a nuclear powered submarine is that
while it can remain under water for a long duration, a diesel fired
submarine has to rise to the surface every day for ejecting the
carbon dioxide produced by the diesel generator. Otherwise, the
boat's crew will face problem. In a nuclear energy system used in
a submarine, there is no emission of carbon dioxide. It is a clean
form of energy. The turbine operating on enriched uranium in
INS Arihant is a clean system. It cannot discharge into the water.
INS ARIHANT
Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh launched India's first
indigenously-built nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant (The
destroyer of enemies) on July 26, 2009 at the ship building centre
of the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam, becoming only
the sixth country in the world to do so. Three submarines of the
class are expected to be in commission with the Indian Navy by
2015. INS Arihant is entirely built in India with Russian assistance.
The Rs. 30,000 crore nuclear submarine project was started in the
1980s though it was conceived by the then Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi in the 1970s. With the launch of the submarine India has
joined the exclusive club of US Russia, France, China and the
United Kingdom.
Ultimately it was a necessity that had to be brought about.
Every country works for a nuclear triad and it is imperative that
we have the capability of underwater launch of nuclear
weapons. In fact, most countries have given up the land and air
variants, and just stuck to the underwater platform because of
its major advantage in terms of stealth and endurance.We'll
have more of these [Arihant-class submarines] in due course
which will give us the full-fledged capability to carry out the
tasks we are expected to do.
The 110-metre-long, 11-metre wide vessel can displace
6,000 tonnes of water. The 6000 tonnes INS Arihant submarine
119
Facets
THE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF SAGARIKA
I
N missile technology, the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) has arrived. In the past
few months, it has had a phenomenal run of success with its
various missiles, and it proved on February 26,2009 that it had
acquired the capability to launch ballistic missiles from under
the sea. On that day, a ballistic missile named Sagarika, or K-15,
blasted off flawlessly from a pontoon submerged to a depth of 50
metres in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh. It knifed upwards as the water around it
sizzled, rose into the sky, traced a parabola, and reached its full
range, a point more than 700 kilometres away. The pontoon
simulated the conditions of a submarine.
Surya-1 will have an expected range of 10,000 k. It is believed
to be a three stage design with the first two states using solid
propellants and the third stage using liquid. The first two stages
are believed to be derived from the PSLV's solid fuel rockets.
The liquid propellant stage might be derived either from the
Vikas rocket engine stages developed for the PSLV through
technology supplied by France, or from the Russian supplied
cryogenic stage of the GSLV.
SAGARIKA
The mood is upbeat in the missile complex because
Sagarika's success closely follows India's demonstration of its
capability to defend itself against ballistic missile attacks. India
fired a hypersonic interceptor missile that intercepted and
destroyed an incoming target missile in a direct hit over the Bay
of Bengal on December 6, 2007. The interception took place at
an altitude of 15 km. What was outstanding about that mission
was that it was a “hit to kill”. The success gave India an entry into
the club comprising Russia, the U.S. and Israel, all of whom have
missiles that can block incoming ballistic missiles.
The Surya-2 is a longer ranged variant of the Surya-1. It has a
reported range of 20,000 km. It is expected to be operationally
ready by 2015.
It is a nuclear capable submarine launched ballistic missile
with a range of 750 km. It has a length of 18.5 metres, weighs 17
tonnes and can carry a payload of up to 500 kgs. Sagarika was
developed at the DRDO's missile complex in Hyderabad. The
Indian Navy plans to introduce the missile into service by the
end of 2010. Sagarika missile is being integrated with the
Advanced Technology Vessel that is expected to begin sea trials
by 2009.
The southern tip of India is in for a special treat
A
spectacular sight awaits people residing at the southern tips
of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on the afternoon of January 15,
2010. The moon will pass directly in front of the sun that day,
leaving a ring of fire hanging in the afternoon sky. This rare
astronomical event, an annular solar eclipse, was last visible from
India on November 23, 1965 – it was seen from Srinagar, Siliguri and
Agartala – and will not be seen again from India until 2019. Of
course, the longest total solar eclipse of this century was already
seen from many parts of India on July 22, 2009.
China, on the eastern coast. Annularity will begin at 10-48 a.m.
IST and end at 2-25 p.m. IST. The instance of greatest eclipse
will occur at 12-36.5 p.m. IST at a location (latitude 1°37'N,
longitude 69°17'E) where the duration of annularity will be 11
minutes and 4 seconds.
In India, the path of annular eclipse will pass over
Thiruvananthapuram, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin),
Tirunelveli, Rameswaram, Madurai, Thanjavur and, ultimately,
Nagapattinam. Then it will cross the Bay of Bengal and reach
Myanmar. Leaving aside the path of annularity, this eclipse will be
visible as a partial solar eclipse from all parts of India.
The annular eclipse of the sun on January 15, 2010, will be
visible as a partial eclipse from Africa, eastern Europe, Asia and
the Indian Ocean. The partial phase will begin at 9-35 a.m. IST
and end at 3-38 p.m. IST. The annular phase will start on the
border between Chad and the Central African Republic. It will
then cross the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire),
Uganda and Kenya, leaving land on the border between Kenya
and Somalia. It will then cross the Indian Ocean, the southern
tip of India, northern Sri Lanka and Myanmar, before ending in
As the date of the occurrence of the eclipse is in the middle of
January, one may expect a cloud-free sky during the afternoon
from at least a few locations of the southern tip of India.
(Professor Amalendu Bandyopadhyay a senior scientist at the M.P. Birla Institute of
Fundamental Research,Kolkatta has stated in his article for Frontline)
120
.=?AJI
India takes a small strategic step
I
ndia took a small strategic step when it successfully
launched
the 350 km range ship based antisurface missile from INS Subhadra in the Bay of Bengal on
Sunday, December 14. This should come as some consolation
after the failure of its nuclear-capable IRBM (Intermediate
Range Ballistic Missile)
in May and November 2009
test firings. Navy carried out the test firing as part of a user
training exercise.
H o w e v e r, D R D O’ s
successes do not cover up
some of its multiple
problems. The most notable
of them has been its inability
to develop an engine for the
indigenous
Light
Combat Aircraft (LCA). The
Kaveri engine under
development for two decades
drew bitter criticism as it was
underpowered. According to
defence columnist Ajai
Shukla, in its place, two
alternatives were shortlisted: the Eurojet EJ200,
and the General Electric F414 engines.
Dhanush
Agni-III
Tejas
The media quoted official sources of the Defence Research
& Development Organisation (DRDO) to claim the missile
successfully hit the target with pin-point accuracy after covering
350 km. Two naval ships anchored near the target tracked the
splash of the missile which followed a pre-designated trajectory.
The media also said radar systems of the Integrated Test Range
(ITR), located along the Orissa coast, monitored the missile’s
entire trajectory. The missile took eight minutes and 40 seconds
to hit the target.
Dhanush
However, the Ministry of Defence appears to have changed
its mind and decided to go for co-development. The DRDO’s
Gas Turbine and Research Establishment (GTRE), which has a
design partnership with French engine-maker, Snecma, has
been asked to design a more powerful successor to Kaveri. The
Business Standard had quoted Minister of State for Defence, Dr
Pallam Raju’s rationale for this decision. He said: “It is
important for India to have indigenous capabilities in engine
design. And having invested so many man-hours of work into the
design of the Kaveri engine, it would be a national waste to fritter
away or dilute those capabilities…. (Snecma) is willing to codevelop an engine with us; they are willing to go beyond just
transfer of technology. It is a value-added offer that gives us
better technology than what we would get from ToT from
Eurojet or GE.”
is the naval version of Prithvi. The single-stage
10-metre long liquid propellent missile weighs six tones and
carries 500 kg warhead.
In March 2009, India had for the third time successfully
tested the ballistic missile defence shield being developed by the
DRDO. A ballistic missile defence system is highly automated
and comprises radars that can detect missiles in flight,
interceptors that can take out the looming threat, and control
systems that coordinate the whole operation. In the test in
March, the ‘enemy’ missile (fired from a naval ship 150 km from
Orissa coast to simulate Pak Ghauri missile) was quickly picked
up on radar and the two-stage
Air Defence missile
successfully intercepted and destroyed the intruding warhead.
Prithvi
Defence research scientists have also been successful in
developing
Multi Barrel Rocket system and
a
supersonic cruise missile for the Navy, in collaboration with
Russians. While
has already been introduced in the
army, DRDO hopes
to deliver 240 missiles in the next
two years. Although it was developed as an anti-ship missile,
DRDO claims it can also be launched from air and land.
Pinaka
Pinaka
BrahMos
Tejas
BrahMos,
But that was in 2008.
still continues to be where it was:
in the realms of development.
(The author Col. R Hariharan is a retired Military Intelligence
specialist on South Asia, associated with the South Asia Analysis
Group and the Chennai Centre for China Studies)
Business Trivia
r
The American Red Cross is feuding
over the use of the Red Cross symbol in
US with Johnson & Johnson.
r
The world's first in-flight magazine
was introduced by Pan-Am Airlines
under the name Clipper.
r
It is called Spandex in North America. It is sold under
various trade names including Dorlastan from Bayer and
Linel from Fillattice. Lyra is the most famous brand of
Spandex from Invista.
r
The Wall Street in New York houses three world famous
financial institutions. The Bank of New York is at # 1 and
Citibank is at # 111. New York Stock Exchange is at # 11
r
The German version of NASDAQ is Nueur Market. The
British counterpart is called Tech Mark. French counter
part of NASDAQ is called Nouveau Marche.
r
A five-finger discount
shoplifting.
r
The idea for Pampers brand came to
Proctor and Gamble researcher Vic Mills
after babysitting his newborn grandson in
1956.
r
Jeejeebhoy Towers is the 2nd most
photographed building in India after the Taj Mahal
r
The term cookie in Internet parlance was coined by
programmer Lou Montulli. In 1991 he wrote a text web
browser called Lynx while he was at the University of
Kansas. This web browser was one of the first available and
is still in use today.
r
Sony's VAIO stands for Video Audio Integrated
Operation.
r
Snickers bar, more than 70 years
old, was named after a horse
owned by the Mars Company's
founding family.
r
BBC Worldwide owns the travel
publisher, The Lonely Planet.
r
GM Chairman Roger Smith was the subject of an awardwinning Michael Moore documentary Roger And Me
r
Bombay Stock Exchange is on Dalal Street in Mumbai
while Reserve Bank of India is on the Mint Street in the
same city
r
Mindex, Lifex and Brandex are three indices of The
Economic Times.
r
Mukta Arts Private Ltd was the first film company in
Bollywood to raise money through an initial public offering
(IPO) in July 2000
r
Don't leave home without it is the punch line of
American Express.
in American slang means
Ranbaxy was originally founded by Ranjit Singh and Dr
Gurbux Singh of Amritsar, who were distributors for A.
Shionogi , a Japanese pharmaceutical company
manufacturing vitamins and anti-TB drugs
r
Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the
first Hummer or Humvee
manufactured for civilian use in 1992.
r
Four Seasons is a Canadian luxury
hotel chain that has substantial
holdings by Bill Gates and Prince Al
Waleed Bin Talal.
r
r
The founder of Michelin tyre company demonstrated the
first pnuematic tyres for Motor vehicles in the 1895
Paris-Bordeaux race.
122
r
In the stock exchange context, BOLT stands for BSE On
Line Trading System. The
National Stock Exchange never
had a trading ring or floor and
started off with online trading.
NSE permits securities to be
traded even if they are not listed
on it
r
MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) logo was designed by
Howard Dietz.
r
Panama Hat is named
after the place from where it
was dispatched for
international sale. However,
it is built in Ecuador.
r
Lyons Range is a place where West Bengal Medical
Council and Calcutta Stock Exchange are situated.
r
r
The American counterpart of SEBI is Securities and
Exchange Council (SEC)
r
Paul Gauguin was a banker and a successful stockbroker
at the Paris Stock Exchange. He lost his job when the
French stock market crashed in 1882. He soon moved from
Paris to Rouen to become a full time painter. He is now
considered one of the greatest post impressionist
painters.
The London Stock Exchange began at a coffee house
known as Jonathan's.
r
Donald Bradman joined a stockbroker's firm in
Adelaide in 1935. He worked in the firm during World War
II, but by 1945 the firm went bankrupt and his employer
was arrested for fraud. After this, he founded his own firm.
r
Ideas create, values protect
Edelweiss.
r
The software that powers the E Business is the
punch line of Computer Associates.
r
We are building a new technology company is the
punch line of Lenovo.
r
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating
one olive from each salad served in first-class.
r
Mills & Boon, a British publisher of romance novels and a
part of Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited was founded
exactly 100 years ago by Gerald Mills and Charles Boon.
r
The LEGO company was founded
by Ole Kirk Christiansen in
Billund, Denmark, in 1916.
Today it has over 9,000 employees
worldwide. The Danish words Leg
and Godt were put together to
make LEGO." Later, it was
discovered that in Latin, the term
"Lego" means "I put together" or "I
assemble.
r
Believe it or not, the Ford Motor Company considered
developing an atomic car in the early 1950s. It would have
been powered by a nuclear reactor in the rear of the vehicle.
But they dropped the idea, possibly fearing that it would
have bombed.
r
Hindustan Petroleum was the first
public sector company to get listed
on the BSE.
r
BSE (estd. 1875) and Ahmedabad
Stock Exchange (estd. 1894) were
the only two stock exchanges operating
in India in the 19th century
r
The New York Stock Exchange advertises itself with the
punch line: It's all happening right now. And it could
happen here.
r
The Linux, Apache, MYSQL and PHP group of free
software that provides a complete alternative option to paid
software for running complex database-driven websites is
referred to as LAMP.
r
r
Modern Media Concepts, founded by Joanna Wojtalik,
has become famous for concept of On Product
Publishing that involves
strapping of mini-magazines
on beverage bottles. The
company has won several awards
for 'world's first' magazine on a
bottle creation. iLove is the first
magazine to appear on a bottle of
water opening up the beverage
industry to the concept of On
Product Publishing.
Under Robert Woodruff, Coke changed its formula so
that the glycerine in it came not from hog fat but from
vegetable sources. This was to ensure it could be certified
as kosher.
123
is the punch line of
Facets
The flame’s moving East:
The Reverse Brain Drain
R
everse brain drain refers to the process whereby human
capital moves in reverse direction, from a more
developed country to a rapidly developing country. This
occurs mainly through two processes - Scientists, engineers,
doctors from lesser developed nations migrate to developed
ones, for acquiring higher education or work experience; but
return to their parent countries after some years to pursue
careers in universities, multinational firms or set up their own
entrepreneurial ventures. It also involves foreign nationals
shifting bases to developing countries for better opportunities
in multinational firms.
disparate areas like materials sciences and artificial intelligence.
As the tide has turned, the spectre of a hegemonic power shift
from West to East in human capital resources has gone from
something that might happen in a decade or more to something
that might happen in the next few years.
Two nations which have shown remarkable progress in
recent times are China and India and these two countries have
witnessed unprecedented numbers of people returning back.
REASONS FOR THE PHENOMENON GAINING MOMENTUM
For decades, the Indian government bemoaned the loss of
the cream of the country's management and engineering talent
that graduate from fine state-run institutions funded with
public money, to Western industry, thanks to a lack of suitable
opportunities and the less-than-congenial working conditions
at home.
The first and foremost reason is that the liberalisation of the
economies here has led to a surge in industrialisation and entry
of multinationals. India s growth story of the last few years has
made it a genuinely attractive, even exciting, place to work in.
The facilities and opportunities compare favourably with those
obtaining in industrial countries. They are further expanding
thanks to the gradual withdrawing of the Government from
economic activities to don the mantle of umpire and regulator,
and the spectacular achievements of business and industry in
the private sector.
In 1950, the first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was
founded in a former detention camp at Kharagpur, West Bengal.
A pet project of Jawaharlal Nehru, the goal was to replicate the
institutions of higher educational excellence in the West, with
focus on engineering, mathematics and the physical sciences.
The idea was to develop scientific minds required to drive
India's economic development as the young democracy
matured.
Some 84% of the Chinese and 69% of the Indians cited
professional opportunities. And while they make less money in
absolute terms at home, most said their salaries brought a
'better quality of life' than what they had in the US. A return
ticket home also put their career on steroids. About 10% of the
Indians polled had held senior management jobs in the US.
That number rose to 44% after they returned home.
The government invested in the IIT concept, opening
several more in a short time. But the initial outcome was not to
its liking when graduates started leaving India for the West.
This, critics claimed, illustrated that the system did not work.
As regards creature comforts and living conditions too, a
middle level, upwardly mobile wannabe, while looking at the
amenities he has access to or walking along the shopping
promenades, will find them hardly different from what he is
used to in the US or elsewhere.
Five decades later, IIT grads, techies and scientists are
returning home in droves. They started returning in small
numbers in the '80s and '90s and fuelled the early growth of
India's information technology industry. In due course of time,
the IT industry moved into sophisticated areas such as
aerospace components and semiconductor design. The result:
today there are better career opportunities for young Indians
here than in the West. In China, too, the attraction for the West
has waned. Beijing is pouring billions into building
sophisticated research labs to attract not only proven applied
technologists but also theoretical and basic scientists skilled in
Family considerations such as care and concern for aging
parents, better quality of life and family values, and better
schooling for children are also the contributing factors.
Salaries too have ceased to be an inhibiting consideration.
They may not be the exact equal of what the professionals were
getting in dollars, but, in terms of purchasing power, the ruling
124
salaries are more than sufficient to assure them the same kind of
comfort. Indian companies are today willing to pay global
salaries to talented young graduates so as to be able to compete
effectively in the world market. The gap in salaries between the
US and India is gradually narrowing down because MNCs are
ready to pay as much as 80% of the US salaries to quality talent in
their home countries. Indian professionals with international
work experience have an added advantage.
would be less difficult. Indians and Chinese are now leaving the
US for professional and cultural reasons. The comfortable
lifestyle they once could only find in the US is now available in
their home countries.. But the most important factor is a strong
belief that they will have brighter professional and economic
futures at home. In fact, many foreign students say they would
prefer to return to their home country to start a business or build
a career
Outsourcing has come big time into China and India and is
developing at a very fast pace. The IT/ITES sector has probably
been able to attract the largest number of these expatriates back
home. Some of the world's biggest corporations in the world like
Google, Microsoft, IBM, GE, Intel and Yahoo have set up
facilities in India in the recent past. These organisations have
realised that a vast source of talent pool exists on this side of the
globe and this can be utilised for the benefit of the organisation
as well as the society at large. GE has invested in setting up the
John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore- GE's largest
single location for R&D in the world. A sizeable portion of the
workforce in this centre consists of young Indians who had
chosen to come back to India from the United States.
SURVEY OF RETURNED INDIANS:
1.
Most returned in their prime: the average age of the
Indian returnees was 30 . They were really well educated: 66%
held a masters and 12% had PhDs. These degrees were mostly
in management, technology, and science. Clearly these
returnees are in the U.S. population s educational top
tier pr ecisely the kind of people who can make the greatest
contribution to an economy s innovation and growth.
2.
Some 27% had permanent resident status or were U.S.
citizens. That s right-its not about green cards!
POSSIBLE RETURNEES:
The economic downturn, which although a global
phenomenon, has affected the western world much more
severely than these two oriental nations. As a result the western
educated and experienced Indians and Chinese are returning to
their bases.
A survey was conducted on 1,224 foreign students from
dozens of nations who are currently studying at U.S. universities
or who graduated in 2008.The majority said that they didn t
think that the U.S. was the best place for their professional
careers and they planned to return home. Only 6 percent of
Indian students planned to settle in the U.S.
Research has shown that the percentage of Indians who held
senior management positions in India, after returning from the US,
was significantly higher than when they were in the US.
Many students wanted to stay for a few years after graduation
if given a choice 58% of Indians, 54% of Chinese, and 40% of
Europeans. But they see the future being brighter back home.
Only 7% of Chinese students, 9% of European students, and
25% of Indian students believe that the best days of the U.S.
economy lie ahead.
This sudden rise in demand for jobs back home is being
experienced in sectors other than IT/ITES also. After the
successful launch of Chandrayaan-I, many NASA scientists of
Indian origin and even some foreigners expressed interest in
working on future projects of the Indian Space Research
Organisation [ISRO]. India is slowly but steadily becoming a
hub for pharmaceutical research and the R&D institutions
established by Indian and Multinational pharmaceutical
companies here are attracting the best of the US and Europe
educated Indian PhDs.
Conversely, 74% of Chinese students and 86% of Indian
students believe that the best days for their home country s
economy lie ahead. National Science Foundation studies have
shown that the 5 year stay rates for Chinese and Indians
science and engineering PhD s have historically been around 92
% and 85% respectively.
Meanwhile, politicians in Washington DC, led by US Senator
Charles Grassley from Iowa, is trying to make it difficult for US
companies to hire workers on H-1B visas, the most popular and
prevalent form of employment visas for science and technology
companies. Under the guise of reducing H-1B visa fraud, on
November 19, Grassley and Senator Bernie Sanders introduced
a bill to bar companies that lay off US workers from hiring
foreign labour through H-1B and other programmes.
It is clear that a big shift is underway. The US is no longer the
only magnet for the world's best and brightest. Senators in the
US may not have to wonder about H-1B visa fraud in the not-so
distant future if the American Dream for Indians and Chinese
techies is better fulfilled in Shanghai or Bangalore.
All taken together, Indian brains are coming back to
where they belong and can make a difference. Let us
welcome them!
If the only cause of the exodus from the US were the
economic downturn and political pressure, then stopping it
125
.=?AJI
Social Networking:
Connecting people online
Life can be tweet if you make most of social networking
I
Facebook, which began as a college social network
application, is much more exclusive and group-oriented. On
Facebook, you can only search for people that are
in one of your established "networks."
Those networks could include the
company you work for, the college
you attended, or even your high
school. But you can also join
several of the thousands of
smaller networks or "groups"
that have been created by
Facebook users, some based on
real-life organizations and some
that exist only in the minds of their
founders.
f you haven't heard of the phenomenon that is "social
networking" – using websites such as Facebook and Twitter
– where have you been? The enormous potential of
these sites (ones that provide a virtual
community where people with shared
interests communicate with each other)
is obvious.
Social network, automatically
makes us think of online social
networks. That's because popularity of
the online social networks, also known
as social-networking sites, has increased
recently. Sites like MySpace, Facebook and
LinkedIn account for seven of the top 20 most
visited Web sites in the world. For many users,
especially the fully wired Net Generation, online social networks
are not only a way to keep in touch, but a way of life.
LinkedIn, the most popular online social network for
business professionals, allows you to search each and every site
member, but you can only access the full profiles and contact
information of your established contacts -- the people who have
accepted an invitation to join your network (or have invited you
to join theirs). You can, however, be introduced through your
contacts to people who are two or three degrees away from you on
the larger LinkedIn network. Or you can pay extra to contact any
user directly through a service called InMail.
Several features of online social networks are common to
each of the more than 300 social networking sites currently in
existence. The most basic feature is the ability to create and
share a personal profile. This profile page typically includes a
photo, some basic personal information (name, age, sex,
location) and extra space for listing your favorite bands, books,
TV shows, movies, hobbies and Web sites.
Social Networking & Communities with the growing
popularity and size, have enabled people all over the world to
interact with each other using Web 2.0 Social Media to meet
friends, girls, women, singles, share files, photos, videos though
Web 2.0 & 3.0, social network websites like Myspace, Youtube,
Orkut, Facebook, Flickr, iFilm, and Blogger.com etc. All social
networking websites in India offer a social media platform; free
of charge for users to logon to their PC's and share exciting
content, videos, photos and files. Social network revolution is the
next only to the emergence of Internet two decades ago.
Most social networks on the Internet also let you post photos,
music, videos and personal blogs on your profile page. But the
most important feature of online social networks is the ability to
find and make friends with other site members. These friends
also appear as links on your profile page so visitors can easily
browse your online friend network.
Each online social network has different rules and methods
for searching out and contacting potential friends. MySpace is
the most open. On MySpace, you're allowed to search for and
contact people across the entire network, whether they're distant
members of your social network or complete strangers.
However, you'll only gain access to their full profile information
if they agree to become your friend and join your network.
Social Networking Online in India relates to formation of a
circuit or a chain of friends, family or partners who use variety of
social network tools like MySpace, Orkut, Facebook, Hi5, You
Tube, Flickr, Digg etc. to interact with each other or share their
$
views online in accordance to different aspects. Let’s imagine
our lives without the
services of online chatting
and mailings.Would have
been damn boring to
realize that we are not even
connected to our friends
or may be someone from
whom we could learn
something at time of
emergency: sitting in the
office maybe!!!
DOS & DON’TS:
H
H
These blogs, chat
rooms and chat friends have gained so much importance in our
daily lives that, we have developed a habit of it.
The growth of Online Social Networking has also come up to
the fact that it lends a strong platform for an individual to come
out with personal views in a nurtured global way of approach.
H
The outreach of social networking service has put together
millions of people share content, videos, articles etc. sitting
around the globe and has helped in bringing in the fashion of as
said Neo-Classism. Social network sites like My Space, Orkut,
Facebook, Hi 5, You Tube, Flikr, Digg.com have assisted the
users share social media online.
THE NEW RULES OF SOCIAL NETWORKING:
H
A recent survey indicates that more than a third of
Americans are now present on social networking sites like
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The social media space has
literally transformed itself, with the average profile age on
LinkedIn at 40 years, while the same for Twitter is close to 35
years. Facebook’s biggest age group of followers is now in the
age group 35 to 54 years, as per data from the site’s
management.
H
This means social media has now come of age, as compared
to 2005, when penetration was a mere 8 per cent of the US
population and minuscule elsewhere. They now represent a real
opportunity to reach out to people on a professional level, and in
fact, a number of companies’ HR departments increasingly use
the Facebook and LinkedIn profiles of candidates to gauge their
suitability in organizational positions.
H
H
All this has helped evolve a new set of rules for the social
media spectrum, especially for those who are concerned with
their professional image. A number of dos and don’ts now
govern acceptable social and professional behaviour on the net,
and we’ve tried to put down the most essential ones here.
%
The site’s database of over
360,000 companies is a
great resource to target
companies in the particular
area you’re looking for, find
people who work in those
companies, find recent
hires and even where the most employees come from.
The site has a strong ‘business only profile’ and with over
43 million members worldwide, is the best place to start
building a professional online presence. Build your career
graph, highlight the key success stories and get previous
bosses, colleagues, clients and suppliers to recommend
your work. LinkedIn profiles are nowadays being
increasingly checked by potential employers to determine
job fit, and it is usually the first thing to pop up when they
google your name.
Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends and
colleagues, but you need to be able to control what someone
might post about you on your wall, lest it turn out to be
embarrassing. Facebook is also the home of a number of
companies’ home pages or fan sites, where you can find
detailed and relevant information about a company,
existing employees and recent news, all of which will go a
long way in helping you get in there.
Never mention a job hunt in an initial note to anyone on a
social-networking site. It shows you’re in only for your own
need, not with a genuine intention to network. Would you in
real life walk into a first meeting with someone and ask
about jobs in their company? Yet people manage to make
the mistake online.
Your profile should encompass at least a few aspects of your
personal life, like your interests and hobbies. This will help
others get a better picture of you as a person. But be careful
just how much you put out there.
Make sure you have a professional headshot of you in the
profile, and it is consistent across various forums so that
finding you is easier.
Many professionals use Twitter to send out useful bits of
information about their companies, and expand their
visibility online. As a microblogging site which allows you to
post messages in 140 characters or less, it is a great way to
build a presence without spending too much time in the
elaborate creation of a blog.
H
H
roughly twice as likely as adults to use these sites: among teens
12 to 17 years old, 65% have a profile on an online social network.
Despite comparatively lower levels of social network use, usage
of social network sites by adults has increased markedly over the
past four years.
Extremely bad manners. Others’ walls are not your
advertising billboards. Respect their space.
Many people chase connections like it was a trophy hunt. If
someone has over 3000 contacts on his LinkedIn, how
much time do you think he or she can devote to any of those
relationships? Spend time solidifying the relationships you
feel contribute the most to your professional life. Take
things offline by arranging a chat with your contacts,
through the phone, through Skype or elsewhere. The
closer bond will allow you to help each other when the time
comes.
Back in February of 2005, just 8% of adult internet users had
used a social network site. That percentage had risen to 16% by
August of 2006, and as of December 2008 stands at 35% of online
adults…
Social network users are equally likely to be men and women,
and are also more likely to be young: 75% of online adults
between ages 18 and 24 have a social network profile, as do 57%
of wired adults between 25 and 34. Profile ownership drops to
30% among 35-44 year olds, 19% among 45-54 year olds, 10%
among 55 to 64 year olds and 7% of online adults 65 and older.
Similarly, social network users are also more likely to be students
- 68% of full time students and 71% of part-time students have a
social network profile, while just 28% of adults who are not
students use social networks. Whites are less likely than AfricanAmericans or Hispanics to have a profile on an online social
network. Nearly one third 31% of online white adults have a
social networking profile, compared with 43% of AfricanAmericans and 48% of Hispanics…
DEMOGRAPHICS OF SOCIAL NETWORK USERS
Some new data about adults and digital social network use in
the US and around the world:
Overall, adults tend to use social networks for personal
reasons more than professional ones (89% primarily use them to
stay in touch with friends). Among adults, MySpace is the most
popular online social network. Half (50%) of adult social
network users age 18 and older are on MySpace, while 22% of
adult social network users have an account on Facebook.
Another 6% have an account on LinkedIn, 2% have an account
on Yahoo, and 1% each have accounts on YouTube and
Classmates.com. Another aggregate 10% of adult online social
network users have profiles on other sites, including
BlackPlanet, Orkut, Hi5 and Match.com.
Twitter and similar services have been most avidly embraced
by young adults. Nearly one in five (19%) online adults aged 18
to 24 have ever used Twitter and its ilk, as have 20% of online
adults 25 to 34. Use of these services drops off steadily after age
35 with 10% of 35 to 44 year olds and 5% of 45 to 54 year olds
using Twitter. The decline is even starker among older internet
users; 4% of 55-64 year olds and 2% of those 65 and older use
Twitter.
Given the youth of most Twitter users, it is not surprising to
find that online Americans who live in lower-income households
are more likely to use Twitter than more affluent Americans.
Some 17% of internet users in households earning less than
$30,000 tweet and update their status, compared with 10% of
those earning more than $75,000 annually.
Adults are much less likely than teens to have a profile on a
social network website. About three in ten (35%) adult internet
users age 18 and older have a profile on a social networking site
like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn. Meanwhile, teenagers are
&
Twitter users are overwhelmingly young. However, unlike
the majority of other applications with a similarly large
percentage of youth, Twitter use is not dominated by the
youngest of young adults. Indeed, the median age of a Twitter
user is 31. In comparison, the median age of a MySpace user is
27, Facebook user is 26 and LinkedIn user is 40.
many Twitter users, learning about and sharing relevant and
recent nuggets of information is a primary utility of the service.
While Twitter users are just as likely as others to consume news
on any given day, they are more likely to consume it on mobile
devices and less likely to engage with news via more traditional
outlets.
Along with communicating extensively via untethered
(wireless) mobile devices, Twitter users are more likely to
consume news and information on these devices as well. For
Social networking is all about quickly finding people in every
possible niche. Especially the one that matters most to your career:
that marvellousniche of folks who mightjust help you succeed.
NISHANT
Nishant is an indigenously built Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed by India's ADE (Aeronautical Development
Establishment) a branch of DRDO for the Indian Armed Forces. The Nishant UAV is primarily tasked with intelligence gathering
over enemy territory and also for recce, surveillance, target designation, artillery fire correction, damage assessment, ELINT and
SIGNIT. The UAV has an Endurance of 4 hrs and 30 min. Nishant has completed development Phase and User trials. On 5 April
2009 DRDO launched a test flight of the Nishant UAV. The main goal was to test the performance of the Wankel engine used on the
UAV.
Nishant is one of the few UAVs in the world in its weight class capable of being catapult launched and recovered by using
parachute, thus eliminating the need for a runway as in case of conventional take off and landing with wheels.
'
Facets
LONG TERM EVOLUTION (LTE)
WHAT IS LTE?
In mid-2009, most broadband cell
phones operated on third generation (3G)
mobile technology networks. These
networks include the Global System for
Mobile communications (GSM) and Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA). A
newer technology. Long Term Evolution
(LTE), may enhance and eventually
replace these older networks. LTE access
promises faster speeds for mobile wireless
users and lower costs and enhanced
capacity for network providers. CDMA is
prevalent in the United States; however,
over 80% of the world’s mobile phones run
on GSM networks. Both CDMA and GSM
continue to grow.
LTE is under development to enable
wireless providers using both types of networks to transition
from 3G technology to fourth generation (4G) networks and
equipment. For consumers, LTE will enable existing
applications to run faster, plus make available new mobile
phone applications, Enhanced video and presentation mobile
phone applications may be included. LTE uses radio waves to
allow more data to be transferred over the same bandwidth
used by 3G equipment. As a result, service providers should be
able to get more data transfer out of their existing cells and
possibly lower the cost to run their networks. Since LTE
connects to existing networks, providers can plan for a
seamless transition, then continue to use legacy CDMA and
GSM networks as backups.
WHAT IS GSM?
Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is a
cellular phone protocol that is popular in many parts of the
world, and is a chief competitor to the CDMA protocol in the
United States. In fact, for those who have CDMA phones, they
may find if they go to other parts of the world, such as Europe,
their cellular phones will not work. The GSM mobile phone
standard is more popular in more places, simply because the
standard has been around longer, and was considered by many to
be superior to CDMA, at least initially. The GSM system is
capable of data transmission speeds of up to 9.5 kilobits per
second. This used to be a feature that other standards could not
compete with. Since then, however, other technologies such as
CDMA have improved, putting most cell phone standards on a
similar playing field. Therefore, those who are comparing the
different cell phone standards may not be as concerned about
data transfer speeds as they once would have been. One of the
distinctive features of the GSM system is the use of SIM cards.
This card will store all personal data and contacts on it. Once a
phone is traded for a new one, transferring the data and
activating the phone becomes simply a matter of changing the
card. The contact list, calendar, and any other personal data will
seamlessly transfer to the new phone.
The way LTE achieves its speed could lead to a disadvantage:
the start up costs of service providers and consumers for
equipment upgrades. LTE has adopted multiple input multiple
output (MIMO) technology. As a result, cell base stations may
need additional transmit and receive antennae. Mobile phones
may have one transmit antenna and up to two receive antennae.
Service providers may have to upgrade base stations and
consumers will need to buy new phones to utilize these
upgraded networks.
130
4G TECHNOLOGY
WHAT IS SPECTRUM?
4G refers to the fourth generation of cellular wireless and is a
successor of 3G and 2G standards. The term 4G is used broadly
to include several types of broadband wireless access
communication systems, not only cellular telephone systems.
The 4G systems not only will support the next generation of
mobile service, but also will support the fixed wireless networks.
Radio spectrum refers to a range of radio frequencies. The
bandwidth of a radio signal is the difference between the upper
and lower frequencies of the signal. For example, in the case of a
voice signal having a minimum frequency of 200 hertz (Hz) and
a maximum frequency of 3,000 Hz, the bandwidth is 2,800 Hz (3
KHz). The amount of bandwidth needed for 3G services could
be as much as 15-20 Mhz, whereas for 2G services a bandwidth
of 30-200 KHz is used. Hence, for 3G huge bandwidth is
required.
The fourth generation networks are likely to use a
combination of WIMax and Wifi. Based on the developing trends
of mobile communication, 4G will have broader bandwidth,
higher data rate and smoother and quicker handoff and will
focus on ensuring seamless service across a multitude of
wireless systems and
networks. The key concept is
integrating the 4G
capabilities with all of the
existing mobile technologies
through advanced
technologies. The fourth
generation will encompass all
systems from various
networks, public to private;
operator driven broadband
networks to personal areas;
and adhoc networks. The 4G
systems will interoperate
with 2G and 3G systems, as
well as with digital
(broadband) broadcasting
systems. In addition, 4G
systems will be full IP based
wireless Internet.
HOW IS 3G DIFFERENT FROM 2G AND 4G?
While 2G stands for second
generation wireless telephone
technology, 1G networks used are
analog. 2G networks are digital
and 3g (third generation)
technology is used to enhance
mobile phone standards. 3G helps
to simultaneously transfer both
voice data (a telephone call) and
non voice data (such as
downloading information,
exchanging email, and instant
messaging. The high light of 3G is
video telephony. 4G technology
stands to be the future standard of
wireless devices. Currently,
Japanese company NTT DoCoMo
and Samsung are testing 4G
communication.
3G services will enable video broadcast and data intensive
services such as stock transactions, e learning and telemedicine
through wireless communications. All telecom operators are
waiting to launch 3G in India to cash in on revenues by providing
high end services to customers, which are voice data and video
enabled. India lags behind many Asian countries in introducing
3G services. Japan was the first country to introduce 3G on a
large commercial scale.
3G MOBILE TELEPHONY
3G is short for third generation mobile telephony services.
The technology is based on an International
Telecommunication Union standard called IMT 2000. 3G
phones work in higher bandwidths of 15-20 MHz, while
currently available mobile phones are loosely regarded as 2G or
2.5G, and use 30-200 KHz bandwidth. 3G networks offer
download speeds of 14.4 Mbits/second and uploads of 5.8
Mbits/second. Bandwidth is a measure of the width of a range of
frequencies used while transferring data from one point to
another, and is measured in hertz. Since the bandwidth for 3G is
higher, it facilitates faster, better and simultaneous delivery of
audio and non audio data. While audio data is normally
associated with telephone call, non audio data comprise email
exchanges, instant messaging and downloading information all
riding on the internet.
A Record win for Women
A record five women were awarded Nobel Prizes in 2009, that
is nearly one-eighth of the 41 awards to female recipients in
the 108 years of Nobel Prizes. This year’s winners are Herta
Mueller (literature), Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider
(physiology/medicine). Ada Yonath (chemistry) and Elinor
Ostrom (economics). Yonath is an Israeli, others are
Americans. Marie Curie was the first woman scientist to get a
Nobel (twice: Physics 1903 and Chemistry 1911).
131
.=?AJI
Cloud computing:
An emerging computing technology
C
loud computing is a general term for anything that
involves delivering hosted services over the Internet.
These services are broadly divided into three
categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-aService (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name
cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that's often
used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams.
A cloud service has three distinct characteristics that
differentiate it from traditional hosting. It is sold on demand,
typically by the minute or the hour; it is elastic, i.e. a user can
have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given
time; and the service is fully managed by the provider and the
consumer needs nothing but a personal computer and Internet
access. Significant innovations in virtualization and distributed
computing, as well as improved access to high-speed Internet
and a weak economy, have accelerated interest in cloud
computing.
platform over the Internet. PaaS providers may use APIs, website
portals or gateway software installed on the customer's
computer. Force.com, (an outgrowth of Salesforce.com) and
GoogleApps are examples of PaaS. Developers need to know that
currently, there are not standards for interoperability or data
portability in the cloud. Some providers will not allow software
created by their customers to be moved off the provider's
platform.
A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services
to anyone on the Internet. Currently, Amazon Web Services is
the largest public cloud provider. A private cloud is a proprietary
network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a
limited number of people. When a service provider uses public
cloud resources to create their private cloud, the result is called a
virtual private cloud. Private or public, the goal of cloud
computing is to provide easy, scalable access to computing
resources and IT services.
In the software-as-a-service cloud model, the vendor
supplies the hardware infrastructure, the software product and
interacts with the user through a front-end portal. SaaS is a very
broad market. Services can be anything from Web-based email
to inventory control and database processing. Because the
service provider hosts both the application and the data, the end
user is free to use the service from anywhere.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service like Amazon Web Services
provides virtual server instances with unique IP addresses and
blocks of storage on demand. Customers use the provider's
application program interface (API) to start, stop, access and
configure their virtual servers and storage. In the enterprise,
cloud computing allows a company to pay for only as much
capacity as is needed, and bring more online as soon as required.
Because this pay-for-what-you-use model resembles the way
electricity, fuel and water are consumed; it's sometimes referred
to as utility computing.
Hence, the question that then emerges is whether India is
ready for cloud computing from an enterprise application point
of view. The answer certainly is 'yes'. Indian companies are
widely using traditional web-based services for their businesses
today. So, many are comfortable with the basic productivity
applications being offered as a service. While at the IT-as-aservice end, this is still in its nascent stages, many companies are
using hosted facilities for their data centers, and IT-as-a-service
will be the step forward.
Platform-as-a-service in the cloud is defined as a set of
software and product development tools hosted on the provider's
infrastructure. Developers create applications on the provider's
!
According to Springboard Research’s January 2009 report,
“Software as a Service in India' Indian SaaS market will register a
compounded annual growth rate of 76 percent between 2007 and
2011 and reach $260 million in revenues by 2011. The Indian
SaaS market is poised for high growth with 76 percent of survey
respondents, who have not adopted SaaS, planning to do so
within the next 12 months. SaaS-based ERP and CRM solutions
are likely to see highest demand in the country. Analysts say this
positions India as the fastest growing SaaS market in Asia
Pacific, growing with a CAGR of approximately 71 percent, and
is expected to reach $267 million by 2011 (according to Frost &
Sullivan).
once they would have used a private WAN. One of the primary
issues in India continues to be bandwidth. While, in some cases,
bandwidth availability and price is an issue; in others, the quality
of the available bandwidth is an issue.
Security is a key concern in cloud computing as businesses
require security that results in privacy, trust, and compliance
with both internal governance and external regulations. The
resultant level of security also needs to be appropriate to the
business to be effective. By breaking ties to physical data
centers, cloud computing offers both security benefits and
challenges.
WHYSHOULD ONE OPTTHISTECHNOLOGY?
Like any other emerging paradigm, cloud computing has
challenges regarding interoperability across different clouds
which would need standardization efforts. The type of flexibility
that cloud computing offers and its proposed cost effectiveness
makes it a perfect fit for SMBs. Larger enterprises already have a
large amount of legacy infrastructure.
While it’s an emerging trend in IT industry, so one could
expect the following benefits from it: It extends both capital and
operational cost efficiency, leads to decreased footprint on the
environment and offers boundless scalability and IT flexibility.
CONCLUSION:
According to Mr. Sinha of IBM, “The big thing to get excited
about is that cloud could act as the means to connect billions of
people, sensors and
storage to powerful backend systems that make
sense of it all in seconds.
Not to mention track risk
in the banking system,
store and provide access
to online medical records
for entire generations
and integrate industries
in entirely new ways.”
Cloud computing
offers a predictable, payas-you-go model for
businesses to access
computing resources.
Cloud computing is the
need of the hour, since it's
a cost-efficient alternative
to managing the
complexities of IT
infrastructure and service
delivery. Cloud computing
has witnessed quick
adoption in India by
p ro d u c t a n d s e r v i c e
companies in the banking,
finance and healthcare verticals. With other verticals like IT,
BPO, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, government and
education also embracing this model the future certainly looks
bright.
The partners can
stress on the business
benefits, including cost
savings, enabling
employee mobility and offering responsiveness and agility in
delivering new solutions. Cloud computing allows IT to shift
focus on providing capabilities to business and harvesting best
out of available resources. It helps achieve economies of scale
given same set of available IT resources. It accommodates both
'public' cloud where the cloud is outside an enterprise
environment and a 'private' cloud where the cloud infrastructure
is managed within an enterprise environment.
The increasingly popular technology that has been
redefining IT infrastructure as a service had created a levelplaying field for small and medium enterprises by offering
them access to the kind of IT infrastructure hitherto available
only to the big enterprises. However those opting for cloud
computing solutions must be aware of the exact nature of their
agreements with the service providers. It works best if you
know exactly the amount of processes you are planning to run
and the duration, as these would determine the extent of
infrastructure you need.
THECHALLENGESAHEAD:
The tough tasks associated with cloud computing revolve
around security, compliance; support SLA, global performance,
transparency on location of your data among others. More and
more companies are looking to use the general Internet, where
!!
Facets
Internet addiction
Internet Addiction Disorder, commonly abbreviated as IAD,
is a disorder that is not officially classified by medical science at
present.
One who would suffer from IAD would exhibit the following
four symptoms:
r
T
en years ago, the only people who spent a majority of
their leisure time on the computer were paid members
of the technology industry. Today, however, surfing the
Web has become a pastime as social and marketable as bar
hopping or going to the movies. As the web has become a part of
mainstream life, some mental health professionals have noted
that a percentage of people using the web do so in a compulsive
and out-of-control manner. In one extreme (1997) Cincinnati
case, unemployed mother Sandra Hacker allegedly spent over 12
hours a day secluded from her three young and neglected
children while she surfed the Web. For better or for worse, this
phenomenon of compulsive Internet use has been termed
‘Internet Addiction’ based on its superficial similarity to
common addictions such as smoking, drinking, and gambling.
r
r
r
Excessive use usually accompanied by a loss of the
sense of time.
Feeling withdrawal when not online.
Tolerance (as in increased tolerance), feeling the need
for better more powerful computer equipment to
spend more time online.
Negative repercussions, such as being more
argumentative, feeling overly fatigued and exhibiting
social isolation.
To access the risk
factors for Internet
addiction, Cheng-Fang
Ye n , M D , P h D , o f
Kaohsiung Medical
University Hospital in
Taiwan, and colleagues
conducted a prospective
study of 2,293 seventhgraders, whose average age
was 12, from 10 junior high
schools in southern
Taiwan in September of
2005. The students were
asked to fill out questionnaires that assessed whether they had
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
depression, social phobia or abnormal feelings of hostility.
Then, 6, 12 and 24 months later, they were asked about their
Internet usage, including the number of hours they spent on the
Internet and the sorts of sites they frequented.
In a true addiction, a person becomes compulsively
dependent upon a particular kind of stimulation to the point
where obtaining a steady supply of that stimulation becomes the
sole and central focus of their lives. The addict increasingly
neglects his work duties, relationships and ultimately even his
health in his drive to remain stimulated.
Addiction to the Internet can affect multiple areas of your
life. It can affect your health, both physical and psychological.
When a person is addicted, he/she gets a high when using the
Internet. There is a rush of dopamine in the brain which gives a
feeling of pleasure. When a person is deprived of this sensation,
he/she seeks other ways to fulfill it. This is one reason why many
Internet addicts are also addicted to a substance, like a drug,
alcohol, tobacco, etc. Real relationships begin to suffer due to
excessive time spent on the Internet. Addicts start neglecting
family and friends, stop socializing and are always in their own
on-line world. People with social anxiety start using Internet as a
refuge and this becomes a problem as they do not try to get over
their anxiety.
After two years, roughly 11 percent of the students were
addicted to the Internet. Males, those who spent more than 20
hours a week on the Internet and teens who played online games
were more likely to be deemed addicted. But the greatest risk
factors were found to be ADHD and hostility. Boys and girls with
134
ADHD had a 72 percent increased risk of developing unhealthy
dependence on the Internet and those who exhibited significant
hostility had a 67 percent increased risk. Girls with social
phobias and those suffering depression were also at greater risk,
though these factors did not affect boys.
According to Jeri Samson and Beth Keen, Ph.D. who run the
‘not my kid’ website for Internet addicts, The term ‘Internet
addiction’ actually refers to a broad range of behaviors.
Researchers in the field have identified five different types of
Internet addiction. They are as follows:
As the Internet becomes more intertwined in everyday life,
eliminating its use is unrealistic, making prevention all the more
critical. Experts say parents of teens should monitor the time
their children spend on the
Internet and the sites they
visit and pediatricians and
mental health professionals
should ask their teenage
patients about their
Internet usage. This is
especially important for
children with mental health
conditions.
Net-Gaming: This doesn't include just playing games
online, but also gambling in virtual casinos, e-auctions, and
online shopping.
Cyber-Relational Addiction: Online relationships in chat
rooms become more important than relationships with family
and non-internet friends.
Information Overload: The amount of data available on
the Internet is virtually unlimited. Some individuals may
become obsessed with tracking down certain types of
information and organizing it. Surfing the Web and conducting
extensive searches of online databases may become an allconsuming activity, reaching obsessive-compulsive levels.
According to the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery
“Internet addicts suffer from emotional problems such as
depression and anxiety-related disorders and often use the
fantasy world of the Internet to psychologically escape
unpleasant feelings or stressful situations." Over 60% of people
seeking treatment for IAD claim involvement with sexual
activities online which they consider inappropriate, such as
excessive attention to pornography or involvement in explicit
sexual conversations online. More than half are also addicted to
alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or sex.
Computer Addiction: While not a true Internet addiction,
computer addiction shares a lot of the same qualities. Computer
games that can be played without access to the Internet can also
become addictive to some individuals. This may also happen
with games played on platforms such as Sega and Play Station.
Because the Internet is used by many people as a normal part
of their career or education, knowing how to separate excessive
from normal use becomes difficult and cannot be accomplished
using simple measures such as amount of time spent online in a
given period. Most fundamental in differentiating normal from
problem Internet use is the experience of compulsion to use the
net. Normal users, no matter how heavy their usage, do not need
to get online and do not neglect their occupational duties or their
relationships with family and friends to get online.
Mental health professionals are split as to whether or not
Internet addiction is real. No one disputes that some people use
the Internet in a compulsive manner even to a point where it
interferes with their ability to function at work and in social
relationships. The controversy surrounding Internet Addiction
is precisely whether people become addicted to the net itself, or
to the stimulation to be had via the net (such as online gambling,
pornography or even simple communication with others via chat
and bulletin boards).
Computers have
become essential to our
daily lives and it is up to
us, to determine, if we
wish to be addicts or
not. However, if you or
you know someone who
is an Internet addict,
remember you need to
stop living in denial and
seek help. You can find
help online or with help
of family and 'real'
friends, and make a conscious choice to change. The Internet
makes our planet a small world, but just make sure that this
wonderful tool, which binds us, does not become a bondage.
Some psychologists do not believe in addiction to the
Internet itself, but rather in addiction to stimulation that the
Internet provides. They suggest that new Internet users often
show an initial infatuation with the novelty of the Web, but
eventually lose interest and decrease their time spent online
back to a normal, healthy amount. In essence then, the chief
addictive characteristic of the Internet is its ability to enable
instant and relatively anonymous social stimulation. “Addicted”
Internet users are addicted to a favored kind of social stimulation
and not to the Internet itself; although it is also true that the
Internet has made it vastly easier and more convenient for
someone to develop such a compulsion.
135
Facets
Cybercrimes
Social media is the newest playground for cybercriminals
C
isco's Annual Security Report for 2009 highlights the
impact of social media, particularly social networking,
on network security and explores the critical role that
people, not technology, play in creating opportunities for
cybercriminals.
Cisco issued its Annual Security Report for 2009, which
includes winners of the 2009 Cisco cybercrime showcase and
discusses trends in cloud computing, spam and overall global
cybercrime activities that information technology professionals
continue to face. Social media experienced explosive growth in
2009.
Facebook alone tripled its active user base to 350 million over
the course of the year. Social media adoption is expected to
continue growing in 2010, especially as more organizations
realize the value of social networks as an absolute business
requirement.
Patrick Peterson, Fellow, Cisco remarked, “The blending of
social media for business and pleasure increases the potential
for network security troubles and people, not technology, can
often be the source. Without proper cognizance of security
threats, our natural inclination to trust our 'friends' can result in
exposing ourselves, home computers and corporate networks to
malware. The value of social media is becoming acknowledged
increasingly by businesses, but these same organizations need
to provide the proper training and education to ensure that
employees avoid compromising themselves and their
businesses.”
Social networks have quickly become a playground for
cybercriminals, because members of these sites put an
inordinate amount of trust in the other members of their
communities and often fail to take precautions to prevent the
spread of malware and computer viruses. The annual security
report also provides more information on the potentially
devastating combination of minor vulnerabilities, poor user
behavior, and outdated security software that can dramatically
increase risks to network security.
The first-ever Cisco cybercrime showcase acknowledged
security professionals holding the front lines in the fight
against cybercrime. Zeus was named the most audacious
criminal operation. A Trojan that delivers malware by targeted
phishing and drive-by downloads, Zeus goes beyond login
names and passwords to steal numerous online banking
credentials.
Logo Quiz: Answer key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The cybercrime 'Sign of Hope' was awarded to 'The
Conficker Working Group'. This group, composed of
members of the security community and industry, is credited
with significantly muting the impact of the network worm
conficker, which was anticipated to wreak havoc starting on
April 1, 2009.
10.
136
Petrobras
Accenture
Petronas
Target
Monsanto
Statoil
Total Petroleum
World Space
Computer Sciences
Corporation
MGM
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Price Waterhouse Coopers
Robust Resources Ltd .
Computer Associate
Texas Instruments
Ernst and Young
MindTree
Audi
UBS
Sovereign Bank
Occidental Petroleum
Corporation
.=?AJI
The grand way of the slams
T
ennis! The game a combination of skill, endurance and
speed is also the best exemplifier of the law ‘Survival of
the Fittest’.
Roger Federer or Fed-Ex as his fans call him was a part of all
four grand slam final with winning two and losing the other two.
The most awaited French Open title was also bagged by him
making him the member of elite club of players to win the
Career Grand Slam and even one of the few who have achieved it
in the open era.
THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Location
Venue
Surface
Prize money
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne Park
Plexicushion Prestige
$ 23,140,000 (2009)
In 2008, the Rebound Ace surface, which had been in place
for the past 20 years at Melbourne Park, was replaced by a
cushioned, medium-paced, acrylic surface known as
Plexicushion Prestige. The main benefits of the new surface are
better consistency and less retention of heat (because of a
thinner top layer). This change was accompanied by changes in
the surfaces of all lead-up tournaments to the Australian Open.
The change was controversial, primarily because of the new
surface's similarity to Deco Turf, the surface already being used
by the US Open.
The Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam
tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each
January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the
first time in 1905 and was contested on grass till 1987. Since
1988, the tournament has been held on hard courts at
Melbourne Park. Mats Wilander is the only male player to have
won the tournament on both grass and hard courts.
Like all other tournaments, there are men's and women's
singles competitions; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; and
junior's and master's competitions. The two main courts used in
the tournament are Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena and
feature retractable roofs, which can be shut in case of rain or
extreme heat. The Australian Open and Wimbledon are the only
Slams with indoor play.
The winners of the singles match in 2009 were Rafael Nadal
and Serena Williams. In men's doubles, the winners were Bob
and Mike Bryan, and in women's doubles, the winners were
Serena and Venus Williams - the very first time in history that
both doubles titles had been won by siblings. In mixed doubles,
the winners were Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi.
THE FRENCH OPEN
Held in the middle of the Australian summer, the Australian
Open is famous for its notoriously hot days. An extreme-heat
policy is put into play when temperatures (and humidity) reach
dangerous levels.
Location
Venue
Surface
Prize money
The Australian Open typically has very high attendance. The
2009 Australian Open achieved the highest ever day/night
attendance record of 66018. The event is worth around £38
million to the Australian economy.
Paris, France
Stade Roland Garros
Clay
€ 16,150,460
The French Open is a major tennis tournament held over
two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at
the Stade Roland Garros. It is the second of the Grand Slam
!%
tournaments on the annual tennis calendar and the premier clay
court tennis tournament in the world. Roland Garros is the only
Grand Slam still held on clay and ends the spring clay court
season.
was fitted with a retractable roof to insure against the possibility
of rain delays interrupting Centre Court matches during the
tournament.
Roger Federer became the Men's champion defeating Andy
Roddick in an epic and historic final. This was Federer's sixth
Wimbledon Men's Singles title, and his fifteenth slam for his
career. Serena Williams was the Ladies' champion, after beating
her sister Venus, who won in 2008. This is Serena's third
Wimbledon Women's Singles title, and her eleventh slam for her
career. Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić won Men's Doubles
team in 2009. Serena Williams was part of the winning Women's
Doubles team in 2009. This is her ninth women's doubles slam
title, and her fourth Wimbledon Women's Doubles title of her
career. This is the second of three women's doubles slam titles
of the year to go along with the Australian previous and US post
titles of the year. The Williams sisters won Women's Doubles.
Mark Knowles paired with Anna-Lena Grönefeld won Mixed
Doubles.
It is one of the most prestigious events in tennis, and it has
the widest worldwide broadcasting and audience of all regular
events in this sport. Because of the slow playing surface and the
five-set men's singles matches without a tiebreak in the final set,
the event is widely considered to be the most physically
demanding tennis tournament in the world.
The singles champions for 2009 are the Swiss Male Roger
Federer and the Russian Female Svetlana Kuznetsova. The pair
of Lukáš Dlouhý and Leander Paes won the men's doubles.
Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual won
women's doubles team in 2009. Liezel Huber paired with Bob
Bryan won mixed doubles team in 2009.
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, WIMBLEDON
Location
Venue
Surface
Prize money
US OPEN
Wimbledon, London Borough of
Merton, United Kingdom
All England Lawn Tennis and
Croquet Club
Grass
£ 12,500,000
Location
Venue
Surface
Prize money
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is
the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally
considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All
England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877.
It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the
only one still played on the game's original surface -grass, which
gave the game of lawn tennis its name.
Queens - New York City, US A
USTA Billie Jean King National
Tennis Center
DecoTurf
US$ 21,600,000
The US Open, formally the United States Open tennis
championships, is a tennis tournament which is the modern
incarnation of one of the oldest tennis championships in the
world. The U.S. National Championship, which for mens'
singles was first contested in 1881. Since 1987, the US Open has
been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis
tournament each year. It is held annually in August and
September over a two-week period (the weeks before and after
Labor Day weekend). The main tournament consists of five
different event championships: men's and women's singles,
men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional
tournaments for senior, junior, and wheelchair players. Since
1978, the tournament has been played on acrylic hard courts at
the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing
Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City.
The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and
early July, culminating with the ladies' and gentlemen's singles
final, scheduled respectively for the second Saturday and
Sunday. Each year, five major events are contested, as well as four
junior events and four invitational events.
The hard court Australian Open and clay court French Open
precede Wimbledon in the calendar year followed by the hard
court US Open. For men, the grass court Queen's Club
Championships, also in London, the Gerry Weber Open in
Halle, Germany, and the Ordina Opens-Hertogenbosch,
Netherlands are popular warm up tournaments for Wimbledon.
For women, there are warm-up tournaments in Birmingham
and Eastbourne.
The US Open is unique as there is final-set tie-break; in the
other three Grand Slam tournaments, the deciding set (fifth for
men, third for women) continues until it is won by two games.
Juan Martin Del Potro defeated Roger Federer in five sets to
pick up first grand slam title of his career. Kim Clijsters won the
title over Caroline Wozniacki. Lukáš Dlouhý and Leander Paes
won the men's doubles and to end the year on the winning note it
was the William sisters again to win the women's doubles. Carly
Gullickson and Travis Parrott won the mixed doubles.
Wimbledon traditions include the eating of strawberries and
cream, drinking Pimms spritzers, royal patronage, and a strict
dress code for competitors. In 2009, Wimbledon's Centre Court
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.=?AJI
Glorious twenty years of
Sachin Tendulkar
W
during his period. As a matter of fact, the legendry Sir Donald
Bradman had at one time reportedly told his wife that the playing
style of Sachin reminded him of his own game in his youth.
henever he walks down to bat, millions of people
watch his every run scored, he is one of the most
celebrated sportspersons of the world with massive
fan following, ranging from sports to politics, business to
academics.
Sachin has always created new records and destroyed
innumerable of them that had been already established. At the
age of 17 years he scored his first Test century, and by the age of
25 he had scored 16 of them. At the moment he is the Cricketer
with largest number of Test and ODI centuries to his credit, and
outclassed Brian Lara as the biggest Test scorer in the year 2008.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, generally known as Sachin
Tendulkar is an Indian Cricket player who is considered to be
one of the all time greatest batsmen to have ever played the game
of Cricket. The renowned Cricket magazine Wisden ranked
Sachin Tendulkar the 2nd all time greatest Test Cricket
batsman, only after Sir Donald Bradman at the 1st place in the
year 2002. Also, the magazine ranked him
the 2nd all time greatest ODI batsman
after Viv Richards at the first spot.
In his overall Test Career till April 2009, Sachin Tendulkar
has played 159 Test matches and has scored
12773 runs in them, including 42 centuries
and 53 half-centuries, with an average of
54.58 runs and a highest score of 248 Not
Out. In these matches, he also grabbed 44
wickets giving away 2272 runs at an average
of 51.63 runs.
Sachin Tendulkar was born on 24th of
April, 1973 in Mumbai to a Marathi
Novelist, Ramesh Tendulkar. Sachin got
inspired to play cricket from his elder
brother Ajit, and started playing the game
at an early age in his school, Sharadashram
Vidya Mandir. Under the guidance of his
coach, Ramakant Achrekar, he learnt the
basics of the game and showed his prowess
along with his school mate and another
future batsman of the Indian team, Vinod
Kambli.
In his One Day International (ODI)
Cricket career, however, Sachin has played
425 matches till April 2009, and scored
16684 runs including 43 centuries and 91
half-centuries, with an average of 44.37
runs and a highest score of 186 Not Out.
Twice in his Cricket career, Sachin had
been nominated the Captain of the Indian
Cricket team, but none of them proved to
be much successful. Also, the pressure of
Captaincy took a toll upon his performance
as a batsman.
A genius without a doubt, this little
master made his International debut in
ODI’s and Tests at the age of 16 against
Pakistan against the fiery pace of Wasim
Akram and Waqar Younis. He then went to
England as a part of the national side, and has not looked back
ever since. The name itself strikes terror in the hearts of bowlers
all around the world. Hailed as the next master-blaster following
the legacy of the great West Indian Vivian Richards, this man has
every shot in the book, and can kill any attack in the world when
in full swing. There is nothing this man cannot do.
In batting, he has reached a stage that others can only dream
of. He has destroyed practically every bowling attack in the
world. Tendulkar's specialties include the straight drive
(seemingly nobody plays the shot better than him), the cover
drive, the square cut, the pullshot over midwicket/square leg, the
delicate leg glance, the late cut, the lofted shots over mid-on and
mid-off and not to mention the improvisations he keeps coming
up with, time and again.
Tendulkar has shown some of his best batting performances
against the Cricket team of Australia, one of the strongest teams
!'
Centuries:
Highest number of Test centuries, overtaking Sunil
Gavaskar's record (34) on 10 December 2005 vs Sri Lanka in
Delhi. Ricky Ponting has 38 centuries to his credit and Brian
Lara has scored 34 Test Centuries. When Tendulkar scored his
maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a
century. Tendulkar's record of five centuries before he turned 20
is a current world record.
Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in
1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test cricket by an
Indian when captaining the side. Gavaskar held the previous
record (205 against West Indies in Bombay - 1978/79 seasons)
Cricket Star Sachin Tendulkar joins with UNICEF
Tendulkar has scored centuries against all Test playing
nations. He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after
Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten. Tendulkar's 37th century
against Bangladesh during the 2nd Test, made history as the 1st
time the top four batsmen of any team had all scored centuries in
a single innings.
He has tremendous power in his forearms and can hit the
ball out of almost every ground in the World. He plays each of his
shots amazingly and has even employed the reverse sweep to
good effect. Some of his shots are hit with so much power that
the ball simply rockets to the fence as if he was trying to dismiss
the ball from his presence. On the other hand, some of his shots
are neatly timed and placed well. His timing can be quite
exquisite and it is this blend of timing and raw power which
makes him the world's best/greatest batsman. Mentally very
strong, Tendulkar is best when confronted by a challenge.
HIGHLIGHTSOFTENDULKAR'SODICAREERINCLUDE:
RunsScored:
Tendulkar has scored
over 1000 ODI runs against
all major Cricketing nations.
Tendulkar is the only
batsman to score over 2500
runs against any opponent
(Australia). Tendulkar is
also the only batsman to
achieve the feat runs against
2 opponents - Sri Lanka is
the other team.
Shane Warne, the leg spinner from Australia had once
remarked Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played
with, and Tendulkar, also known as the Little Master has also to
his credit the honor of being the only player of the current
generation who was included by Sir Donald Bradman in his
dream team named Bradman’s Eleven.
Sachin Tendulkar is the batsman to have scored the biggest
number of runs both in Test Cricket and ODI Cricket the world
over, and has also to his credit the biggest number of centuries in
both the forms of the game. He has scored over 80 centuries in
the game of Cricket till now, and is the first batsman ever to score
more than 50 centuries.
Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259
innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen
with over 10,000 ODI runs
ODIAwards:
Most Man of the Match Awards: 60 Man of the Match Awards
He became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run
mark and the third International player behind Allan Border and
Brian Lara. Lara took 213 innings, Sachin 223 and Border
259.Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000
runs in Test matches.
Most Man of the Series Awards: 15 Man of the Series Awards
PartnershipRecords:
Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly holds the world
record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening
partnership. They have put together 6,271 runs in 128 matches
that include 20 century partnerships and 21 fifty run
partnerships. The 20 century partnership for opening pair is
also a world record.
On 5 April 2009 Sachin Tendulkar (7165) edged past Brian
Lara's (5736) world record of runs scored in Tests away from
home. Tendulkar achieved this in 90 away Test matches while
Lara had scored his runs in 66 away Tests.
"
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record
for the highest partnership in ODI matches when they scored
331 runs against New Zealand in 1999 at the LBS, Hyderabad
Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships
in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly
and Rahul Dravid.
H
H
H
H
WorldCup
Most runs (1,796 at an average of 59.87 as on 20 March
2007) in World Cup Cricket History including 4
centuries & 13 fifties with a best score of 152 against
Namibia in 2003 world cup
673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any
player in a single Cricket World Cup.
nation. He has said in interviews it was his dream to play for the
country and he still loves to play for India with same passion even
after two decades of international cricket.
Player of the World Cup Tournament in the 2003
Cricket World Cup.
After completing twenty years in international cricket,
Sachin stands tall, way ahead of his present and past
contemporaries, whether its Aussie Ricky Ponting or test legend
Brian Lara. Now the genius in Sachin has reached a niche in
cricket where his every run becomes a world record. He is one of
those celebrities who have remained down to earth even after a
wonderful achievement. Wisden’s 2002 list on Test cricket
ranked him as the second greatest Test batsman of all time, the
list was led by the great Don Bradman.
523 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of
87.16, making him the highest run scorer in the 1996
World Cup and setting the then record for the highest
runs by any player in a single Cricket World Cup subsequently bettered by himself in the 2003 World
Cup.
He has also been acknowledged by some of the most
prestigiousawardsofthenationlike:
H
H
H
H
He is the only cricketer in the modern era to have found his
name in the great Sir Don Bradman’s team, “I saw him playing
on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife
to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that
this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she
looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity
between the two...hi compactness, technique, stroke
production... it all seemed to gel! In reference to Sachin
Tendulkar” said Bradman.
1994: Arjuna Award Receipient for achievements in
Cricket
1997: Tendulkar was one of the five cricketers selected
as Wisden Cricketer of the Year
1997/98: India's highest sporting honour - Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna
1999: Padma Shri - India's civilian medal of recognition
Some time back, a scholar said cricket is their religion and
Sachin is their God, Given his fame across the world the
comment is perfectly apt for the genius. On a wintry morning on
November 15, 1989, aged
16 years only, he walked on
the cricket pitch against
traditional rival in National
Stadium, Karachi, with joy
on his face and sparkle in
his eyes. Since that very
day he has been doing what
he loves most, play for
India and score runs to
bring victor y for the
"
.=?AJI
2009 - CRICKETTERATI
O
urs is a cricket crazy nation where the game is
worshipped with fervor equivalent to that of God. The
year 2009 has been more or less a mix bag for Team
INDIA. With the winners of last edition losing their crown in the
T20 world cup, the team came strongly in the most coveted form
of the game, the Test matches, to become the top team in the end
of the year with a 2-0 series victory over the neighbors and a very
competitive Sri Lankan team. Gautam Gambhir, the team’s
opener and the new smiling assassin took hold of rank 1 for the
best batsman along with his partner and fellow Delhian Virendra
Sehwag on the fifth place in ICC’s test ranking. Now it was the
captain’s turn to set examples and to lead from the front. M.S.
Dhoni topped the ODI batsman’s ranking with team mate Yuvraj
Singh at the seventh place. Dale Steyn was on the top of the table
of test bowlers, with the list featuring Harbhajan Singh and
Zaheer Khan in top ten. Denial Vettori was on the top of the list
for ODI bowlers with no Indian featuring in the list. Best ODI
team was still the Aussies with India on the second spot.
The 2009 Indian Premier
League season, abbreviated as
IPL 2 or the 2009 IPL, was the
second season of the Indian
Premier League, established by
the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) in 2007. The
tournament was hosted by
South Africa and was played
between 18 April and 24 May
2009. IPL 2 was the second
biggest cricket tournament in
the world, after the Cricket
World Cup, and was forecast to
have an estimated television audience of more than 200 million
people in India alone.
Concerns were raised in India that the tournament was the
prime target of terrorists. Because the second season of the IPL
coincided with the multi-phase 2009 Indian general elections,
the Government of India refused to commit security by Indian
paramilitary forces. As a result, the BCCI decided to host the
second season of the league outside India. On 24 March 2009,
the BCCI officially announced that the second season of the IPL
will be held in South Africa. Though India did not host the
second season, the format of the tournament remained
unchanged from that of 2008 season.
T-20 EXCITEMENT CONTINUES……..
When one talks of runs being scored on every ball, fours and
sixes flowing uninterrupted and the crowd taken through an
excitement filled 4 hour show, there can’t be any prices for guessing
as to what one is referring to. Yes, it’s the new avatar of a game that is
worshipped like anything in this country. And this year too
witnessedalotofithappeningatdifferentvenuesontheglobe.
We have for you two major events that took place in this
format of the game.
Relocating the tournament posed extreme logistical
challenges for the BCCI, since more than 10,000 cricketers and
other staff members needed to be flown from India to South
Africa within a span of a few weeks. The IPL injected
approximately US$100 million into South Africa's local
economy. In addition, the BCCI signed a Rs. 8,200 crores
(US$1.63 billion) contract with Multi Screen Media to
broadcast matches live from South Africa to India.
2009 INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
Administrator(s)
Cricket format
Tournament format(s)
Host(s)
Champions
Participants
Matches played
Player of the series
Most runs
Most wickets
Board of Control for Cricket in India
Twenty20
Double round-robin and Knockout
South Africa
Deccan Chargers (1st title)
8
59
Adam Gilchrist
(495 runs and 18 dismissals)
Matthew Hayden (572)
RP Singh (23)
The IPL was hosted successfully in South Africa and was
hailed as an "extraordinary" accomplishment. The tournament
was particularly praised for globalizing cricket and had set
record television viewership. The tournament was won by
Deccan Chargers while the Bangalore Royal Challengers were
declared as runners-up.
"
The glitterati of the T-20 took the world by storm this year
yet again. Sadly for Indians, the result wasn’t the same. The 2009
ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket
tournament which took place in England in June 2009. It was
won by the previous tournament's runner-up Pakistan. It was the
second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the
inaugural event in South Africa in September 2007. As before,
the tournament featured 12 all-male teams – the Test-playing
nations and three qualifiers. Matches were played at three
English grounds – Lord's and The Oval in London, and Trent
Bridge in Nottingham. The tournament had been organised in
parallel with the women's tournament. The men's semi-finals
and final were preceded by the women’s. The final took place at
Lord's on Sunday 21 June with Pakistan beating Sri Lanka by
eight wickets and England beating New Zealand by six wickets
in the women's final.
2009 ICC WORLD TWENTY20
Administrator(s)
International Cricket Council
Cricket format
Twenty20 International
Tournament format(s) Group stage and knockout
Host(s)
England
Champions
Pakistan (1st title)
Participants
12 (from 16 entrants)
Matches played
27
Player of the series
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Most runs
Tillakaratne Dilshan (317)
Most wickets
Umar Gul (13)
FIFA 2010
T
he International Federation of Association
Football, commonly known by its French
acronym, FIFA is the international governing
body of association football. FIFA is responsible for the
organization and governance of football's major
international tournaments, most notably the FIFA
World Cup, held since 1930.
proud that FIFA has entrusted their country with
hosting the World Cup. There is an extraordinary
chance that the country and its people will benefit from
this event.
Between now and 2010, South Africa will spend in
the region of R5-billion on building and renovating 10
World Cup stadiums, R5.2-billion on upgrades to the
country's airports, and R3.5-billion on improvements to the
country's road and rail network.
The Football World Cup, the world's biggest sporting event
after the Olympic Games - in terms of television audience,
bigger than the Olympics - is in a class of its own.
BOOST FOR THE ECONOMY
The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup,
the premier international football tournament. It is scheduled to
take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. The
2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification
process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208
FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer
Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.
The World Cup will pump around Rs.21.3-billion into South
Africa's economy, generating an estimated Rs.12.7-billion in
direct spending and creating an estimated 159 000 new jobs.
The country's tourism industry will benefit from the
estimated three million visitors expected for the tournament,
while construction and engineering companies will look to a
slice of the billions to be spent on infrastructure in the lead-up to
the event.
As the host nation,
qualifies automatically for the
tournament. However, South Africa did participate in World Cup
qualifiers because the CAF qualifiers also serve as the qualifying
tournament for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. They were the
first host since 1934 to participate in preliminary qualifying. As
happened in the , the defending champions were not given an
automatic berth, and Italy had to participate in qualification.
However, the indirect spin-offs of an improved image abroad
could have an even greater impact on the economy.
"In return for these irreplaceable benefits, we owe it to Fifa
and the rest of the soccer world to prepare properly for 2010,
challenging South Africans to work together to ensure that the
country hosts "the best Soccer World Cup ever”
The enthusiasm in the population is enormous. At the same
time, they have high expectations to participate in the success of
the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The South African people are very
"!
.=?AJI
India reaches the pinnacle
in Tests
I
A goodly crowd roared in appreciation and the Sri Lankans,
in a gesture that was sporting, walked up to congratulate the
Indian team.
ndian cricket on December 6, 2009, touched an
unprecedented high as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men
became the number one Test side for the first time,
dislodging South Africa in the ICC Rankings.
Since the Test championship was introduced in 2001, India
is only the third country, Australia and South Africa being the
others, to reach the acme.
Fittingly, the victory that made it possible was marked by
standout performances from the men who have played a crucial
role in India’s ascent. Virender Sehwag has scored more runs
than any other Indian batsman over the last 25 Tests - played
over a two-year period beginning November 2007. His innings of
293 - played at a pace that left the bowlers ample time to finish
the demolition job - proved pivotal as India fulfilled its destined
tryst with the top slot.
India’s rise in Tests is a reward for consistent and often
winning cricket, both home and away.
A strong top-seven in batting and the emergence of an
incisive pace attack to complement the spinners has made India
a worthy side outside the sub-continent. Team India, a fine
blend of experience and youth, has fired collectively.
Harbhajan Singh
and Zaheer Khan have
been India’s highest
wicket-takers during
this period. Both picked
up six wickets apiece for
the match, with Zaheer
coming up with a fivewicket haul to polish off
the tail and take India to
a comfortable win by an
innings and 24 runs.
It is only the third time
in the last 47 months of Test
cricket that India have
managed to register two
consecutive victories. Yet,
the 2-0 win has catapulted
them to the top of the world.
A far cry from where India
were exactly a decade ago:
the 3-0 thrashing in
Australia in 1999-00 immediately comes to mind, followed by
their first ever home series defeat to South Africa in 2000.
Gautam Gambhir
was missing, but the glorious trinity of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul
Dravid and VVS Laxman all made valuable contributions. In the
autumn of their careers, they finally got to savour a moment they
have dreamt of for many seasons. What made it particularly
poignant was that it came in perhaps their last Test on home soil
together. India has no Test series scheduled at home next year
and by the time 2011 dawns - post World Cup, that is - age may
well have caught up.
PLAYER OF THE SERIES
Aggressive opener, Virender Sehwag was adjudged Man of
the Match and Player of the Series. He whipped up 491 runs in
three Tests at a whopping 122.75.
Sri Lanka was bowled out for 309 in its second innings.
Operating with exemplary control, Zaheer finished with five
for 72; this was the paceman’s eighth five-wicket haul in Tests.
India needed to scalp four Sri Lankan wickets on the last day
of match to clinch the series and ascend to the No.1 spot in the
ICC Test rankings. When the moment did arrive, it came with
dramatic rapidity. Zaheer produced a near-perfect inswinger to
get rid of Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara early on the
fifth day.
Crucially, he dismissed Sri Lankan captain Kumar
Sangakkara (137) in the day’s first over with a mean delivery that
pitched on off-stump and left the southpaw late.
""
Zaheer’s ability to deviate the ball away from the left-hander
from over-the-wicket is high on skill.
LANKAN BATSMEN FAIL
The Sri Lankan
frontline batsmen could
not make an impact at
crucial moments. Mahela
Jayawardene notched up
373 runs at 74.60, but 275 of
those runs were from a
single innings in the drawn
Ahmedabad Test.
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST INDIAN TEAM EVER: TENDULKAR
Ecstatic at India's rise to the top of the Test rankings, senior
batsman Sachin Tendulkar said the current side led by
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the best ever to have
represented the country.
Sangakkara scored 241 runs at 48.20 but failed to make an
impression until his valiant 137 in the second innings but by this
point the series had been decided.
After the innings and 24 runs triumph over Sri Lanka took
India to the top of the ICC table, Tendulkar was asked if this was
one of the best Indian teams ever, to which he replied, "Yes. Right
from number 1 to 7, we have a solid batting line-up."
Thilan Samaraweera had an ordinary series with 151 runs at
37.75. The intrepid Tillakaratne Dilshan – 248 runs at 49.60 –
blitzed hundreds in the first and the third Tests but was
desperately unlucky with umpiring decisions in both the innings
in Mumbai test.
Tendulkar said along with coach Gary Kirsten, credit goes to
Prasad and Robin who were part of the support staff till October.
And the Sri Lankan spinners struggled against fleet-footed
Indian batsmen. Muralitharan ended up with nine wickets at
65.66 and Ajantha Mendis’ two strikes at Kanpur – his lone Test
of the series – came at 81.00.
ICC TEST CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE
While the 2-0 success has put India on top of the world, the
defeat has dropped Sri Lanka from second place to fourth spot in
the Test Championship table which is only updated at the end of
a series.
Left-arm spinner, Rangana Herath bowled well in phases for
his 11 wickets at 48.81 but struck chiefly in the latter stages of
the innings.
Comeback paceman, S. Sreesanth’s five for 75 in the Sri
Lankan first innings at Kanpur opened up the Test series for
India. Then Zaheer impressed in Mumbai as the Indian pace
attack made a difference.
ICC Test Championship table:
1. India (124),
2. South Africa (122),
3. Australia (116),
4. Sri Lanka (115),
5. England (105),
6. Pakistan (84),
7. New Zealand (80),
8. West Indies (76),
9. Bangladesh (13).
At the end of it all, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S.
Laxman rejoiced with the younger bunch. It was a compelling
sight.
A COMPLETE TEAM EFFORT, SAYS DHONI
“It feels great. It has been a complete team effort. Playing
well is a constant process. Our preparation and execution of our
plans have been good. We have a very strong batting line-up and
the bowlers have been doing their job. We have done well in all
conditions. Importantly, the core group has remained the same.
We have not had too many injuries and have played with the same
team for most part,” the Indian captain said.
For e-PrepTalk visit us at:
http://www.src.PTeducation.com/src/epreptalk.aspx
"#
.=?AJI
SOFT-SKILLS
THE REAL LIFE-SKILLS
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
“Nothing can stop the man
with the right mental attitude
from achieving his goal;
Nothing on earth can help the man
with the wrong mental attitude”
If there is any one buzz word, which is
resonant in the job market in the
contemporary times, it is definitely ‘soft
skills’. One of the most difficult areas for
leaders to grow in is the
area of soft-skills. Often,
leaders prefer to ignore this
part of their development,
because it’s either not high
on their priority list, or they
can’t grasp all the steps it
takes to master the important elements involved in building
relationships. Taking one step ahead to it, I would say, it is not
only the leaders who ‘prefer to ignore’ it. Most of the times the
‘non-leaders’ and in the worst case, the ‘aspiring – leaders’ take
it for granted.
Our ability to function harmoniously with others
Our openness to learn new ideas
Our tolerance to not-so-pleasant situations and
differences in opinions
Our readiness to accept people from different cultures.
Our willingness to make things work in our personal
and professional life
Our ability such as managing our own emotions
Managing others by mapping their mood.
Managing situations by weighing its sensitivity and
attuning our actions accordingly.
Just speaking for the sake of speaking will not help. Those
who speak the most, and try to make their presence felt are not
always selected.
IQ + EQ = SOFT SKILLS
For a better understanding of the two widely used terms, IQ
and EQ, let’s first try to understand what intelligence is?
Intelligence is the ability to learn, reason, and solve
problems. However, debate still revolves around the nature of
intelligence as to whether it is an innate quality or something
that is developed as a result of interacting with one’s
environment. Many researchers believe that it is a combination
of the two.
In any professionally managed company what matters is the
combined efforts of different departments and teams, and thus a
person’s soft skills is bound to be a key factor in ensuring
harmonious functioning of teams and processes.
Studies have shown that IQ takes second position to EQ or EI
(emotional intelligence) in determining outstanding job
performance and long-term success.
The following chart shows the different traits of the two
forms of intelligence.
Soft skill is “a personal skill that is usually interpersonal,
non-specialized, and difficult to quantify, such as leadership or
responsibility.” “Soft skills are about projecting oneself and
one’s professional skills in the best possible way, and taking a
holistic view of things. They are about how you interact with and
react to others when you come in contact with them; they enable
you to zero in on the most important point you want to make, but
in an attractive and charming manner". Soft skills are people
skills backed by our emotional intelligence, which help us,
behave in a socially acceptable manner and adapt ourselves to a
social environment, so that others are comfortable in our
company and vice versa. Here we see that soft skills involve:
INTELLIGENCE
Non-Intellective
Reasoning ability
Memory Skills
Evaluation &
Decision Making
"$
Intellective
Personal Initiative
Memory Skills
Evaluation &
Decision Making
EQ is your ability to manage your emotions that arise involuntarily depending on a pleasant or not so pleasant situation, in a
composed and mature manner that eventually makes others comfortable, at least not uncomfortable, in your championship. This
paves way for you to have better understanding of the people and environment around you which you can use to attune yourself in the
best-suited manner.
The fact that one’s IQ remains more or less, the same throughout life but the EQ which comprises one’s AQ (Adaptability
Quotient), IPQ (Influence and Persuasion Quotient) and MQ (Motivation Quotient), is dynamic and keeps growing life long.
Your AQ is a result of your self-awareness, self-regulation and flexibility. You are self-aware if you are conscious of your own
moods, emotions and drives. You are self-regulated if you can think before you act and can control negative impulses. If you can adjust
to the changed or different environment, you are flexible. The higher is the degree of these three aspects the higher would be your
AQ.
To keep it precise, soft skills are a combination of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills that determines your ability to adjust in a
particular socio-cultural framework. These skills include competencies in areas such as emotional strength, communication,
adaptability, team-playing ability, leadership quality, self-initiative, self-motivation, decision-making ability, negotiating ability and
conflict-resolution. No management training mix is complete without people skills. Good time management and communication,
the ability to encourage creativity and innovation are very important.
The given figure elucidates the combination of 8 qualities and 8 management skills which are the parts of soft skills.
Mood Management
Change
Management
Emotional
Strength
Self
Motivation
Adaptability
Stress
Management
Negotiation
Skill
Soft
Skills
Interpersonal
communication
Image
Management
Aspiration
Management
Self
Initiative
&
Decision
Making
Time
Management
"%
Leadership
Quality
Team
Playing
Ability
Diversity
Management
Conflict
Management
Obituaries
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a Scottish painter. He was known for his many paintings of the
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#
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CNBC
Coca cola
CITIGROUP
Caterpillar Inc.
Chanel SA
Cartoon Network
Dell
Deutsche Bank
DR. REDDY'S LAB
DUNLOP
Debian (Operating System)
Der Grune Punkt
Durex
Disney
Domino’s Pizza
Dukkin’ Donuts
Danone
Epson
DAIMLER CHRYSLER
153
Calvin Klein
Logos
eBay
Ernst and Young
Exxon Mobil
Essar Group
EMC Corp
EURONEXT
EMIRATES AIR
Federal Express
Fiat
Fiat plunto
Fila
Firefox (Mozilla)
Ford Ka
Fortis Bank
Fuji
GE (General Electric)
Google Inc.
Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Heineken Beer
Hewlett-Packard Company
154
Logos
HSBC
Hyundai Motor Co.
Honda Motor Co.Ltd.
I Love New York
IBM
Infosys Technologies
Intel Inc.
Jaguar
James Bond
JPMorgan Chase
Jonnie Walker
Jupiler Pro League
Kellogg’s Company
Kodak (Eastman)
Lavazza
Lexus
Lacoste
LG Electronics
155
Lamborghini
Linux
Logos
Logitech
London 2012 Olympic
L'Oréal Group (Paris)
Lucent Technologies
Macromedia
Madrid 2020 Olympic Games
Major League Baseball
Marks & Spencer’s
Martini
MasterCard
McDonald’s
Mercedes-Benz
Merrill Lynch
Michelin
Mickey
Microsoft
Mitsubishi Motors
Mont Blanc
Mother and Child
Motorola Inc.
156
Logos
MSN
M TV
NASA
Nestle
Nestle Corporate
Netscape Communications
Nike Inc.
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
NOKIA Inc.
Oakley Inc.
Olympic Games
Omega SA
Adam Opel GmbH
Opera
Paramount Pictures Corp.
PETER ENGLAND
Penguin Books
Pepsi
Pepsi Cola
Peugeot (French car brand)
157
Logos
Philips
Picasa
Pirelli & C. SpA
Porsche SE
Ray-Ban
RCA Entertainment
Red Hat, Inc.
Reebok
Reid & Taylor
Renault S.A.
Kappa Company
Rolex SA
Rolling Stones
Royal Air Force
Schindler Group
Scuderia Ferrari
SeaWorld
7 UP
Shell Oil Company
Ralph Lauren polo
158
Logos
Sirius Satellite Radio
Skoda Auto
Wipro
Sony Ericsson
Sony Vaio
Stussy (Clothing Brand)
Sun Micro Systems
Swiss Air
Symantec
TATA Motors
Texaco (Texas Company)
Texas Instruments
Toyota Motor Corporation
UEFA Champions League
UNICEF
United Parcel Service
Virgin Mobile
Vodafone Group plc
Volkswagen Group
Warner Music Group
159
Tables for Reference
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS 2009
S.N.
Portfolio
Name of Minister
Prime Minister and also In-Charge of the Ministries/Departments viz:
1 Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; Ministry of Planning;
Ministry of Water Resources; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space
2 Minister of Finance
3 Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
4 Minister of Defence
5 Minister of Home Affairs
6 Minister of Railways
7 Minister of External Affairs
8 Minister of Steel
9 Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
10 Minister of Health and Family Welfare
11 Minister of Power
12 Minister of Law and Justice
13 Minister of New and Renewable Energy
14 Minister of Urban Development
15 Minister of Road Transport and Highways
16 Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs
17 Minister of Textiles
18 Minister of Communications and Information Technology
19 Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
20 Minister of Information and Broadcasting
21 Minister of Labour and Employment
22 Minister of Human Resource Development
23 Minister of Mines and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region
24 Minister of Commerce and Industry
25 Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Panchayati Raj
26 Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Minister of Tourism
27 Minister of Food Processing Industries
28 Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
29 Minister of Shipping
30 Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
31 Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
32 Minister of Tribal Affairs
33 Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers
$
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Shri Pranab Mukherjee
Shri Sharad Pawar
Shri A.K. Antony
Shri P. Chidambaram
Km. Mamata Banerjee
Shri S.M. Krishna
Shri Virbhadra Singh
Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh
Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad
Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde
Shri M. Veerappa Moily
Dr. Farooq Abdullah
Shri S. Jaipal Reddy
Shri Kamal Nath
Shri Vayalar Ravi
Shri Dayanidhi Maran
Shri A. Raja
Shri Murli Deora
Smt. Ambika Soni
Shri Mallikarjun Kharge
Shri Kapil Sibal
Shri B.K. Handique
Shri Anand Sharma
Shri C.P. Joshi
Kum. Selja
Shri Subodh Kant Sahay
Dr. M.S. Gill
Shri G.K. Vasan
Shri Pawan K. Bansal
Shri Mukul Wasnik
Shri Kantilal Bhuria
Shri M.K. Alagiri
MINISTERS OF STATE
S.N.
Portfolio
Name of Minister
1 Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Shri Srikant Jena
2 Ministry of Railways
Shri E. Ahamed
3 Ministry of Home Affairs
Shri Mullappally Ramachandran
4 Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Parliamentar y Affairs
Shri V. Narayansamy
5 Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia
6 Ministry of Human Resource Development
Smt. D. Purandeswari
7 Ministry of Railways
Shri K.H. Muniyappa
8 Ministry of Home Affairs
Shri Ajay Maken
9 Ministry of Textiles
Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi
10 Ministry of Finance
Shri Namo Narain Meena
11 Ministry of Defence
Shri M.M. Pallam Raju
12 Ministry of Urban Development
Shri Saugata Ray
13 Ministry of Finance
Shri S.S. Palanimanickam
14 Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Shri Jitin Prasad
15 Ministry of Steel
Shri A. Sai Prathap
16 Ministry of External Affairs
Smt. Preneet Kaur
17 Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Shri Gurdas Kamat
18 Ministry of Labour and Employment
Shri Harish Rawat
19 Ministry of Agriculture / Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Professor K.V. Thomas
20 Ministry of Power
Shri Bharatsinh Solanki
21 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
Shri Mahadev S. Khandela
22 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Shri Dinesh Trivedi
23 Ministry of Rural Development
Shri Sisir Adhikari
24 Ministry of Tourism
Shri Sultan Ahmed
25 Ministry of Shipping
Shri Mukul Roy
26 Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Shri Mohan Jatua
27 Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Shri D. Napoleon
28 Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan
29 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Shri S. Gandhiselvan
30 Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shri Tusharbhai Chaudhar y
31 Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Shri Sachin Pilot
32 Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Shri Arun Yadav
33 Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Shri Pratik Prakashbapu Patil
34 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
Shri R.P.N. Singh
35 Ministry of External Affairs
Shri Shashi Tharoor
36 Ministry of Water Resources
Shri Vincent Pala
37 Ministry of Rural Development
Shri Pradeep Jain
38 Ministry of Rural Development
Ms. Agatha Sangma
$
MINISTERS OF STATE WITH INDEPENDENT CHARGE
S.N.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Portfolio
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Ministry of Science and Technology; Ministry of Earth Sciences; and
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office;
Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Ministry of Minority Affairs
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Name of Minister
Shri Praful Patel
Shri Prithviraj Chavan
Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal
Shri Salman Khursheed
Shri Dinsha J. Patel
Smt. Krishna Tirath
Shri Jairam Ramesh
CHIEFS OF ARMED FORCES
Supreme Commander:
Chief of Air Staff:
Chief of Army Staff:
Chief of Naval Staff:
Chief of Integrated Defence Staff:
Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Air Marshal Pradeep N. C. Suri, PVSM, VSM, ADC
General Deepak Kapoor, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC
Admiral Pradeep Vasant Patil, PVSM, AVSM, ADC
Lt. Gen. Hardev Singh Lidder UYSM, YSM, VSM, ADC.
tututu
$
Sports Awards
Sports
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award Winners
Winner
Boxer
Boxer
Wrestling
Sports
M.C. Marykom
Vijender Kumar
Sushil Kumar
Dronacharya Award Winners
Winner
Hockey
Boxing
Wrestling
Badminton
Kabaddi
Sports
Baldev Singh
Jaidev Bisht
Satpal
Pullela Gopichand
Udaikumar
Arjuna Award Winners
Winner
Archery
Athletics
Badminton
Boxing
Chess
Cricket
Hockey
Hockey
Kabaddi
Physically challenged
Rowing
Shooting
Table Tennis
Wrestling
Yatching
Mangal Singh Champia
Sinimol Paulose
Saina Nehwal
L. Saritha Devi
Tania Sachdeva
Gautam Gambhir
Ignatius Tirkey
Surinder Kaur
Pankaj Shirsat
B. Prabhu
Satish Joshi
Ranjan Sodhi
Poulami Ghatak
Yogeshwar Dutt
G.L. Yadav
$!
Padma Awards
Padma Bhushan 2009
G Sivarama Krishna Murthy
Art
Prof Ramanlal C Mehta
Art
Shamshad Begum
Art
V P Dhananjayan & Shanta Dhananjayan
Art
Dr Vaidyanathan Ganapathi Sthapati
Art
S.K. Misra
Civil Service
Shekhar Gupta
Journalism
Prof. Alappat Sreedhara Menon
Literature
C.K. Prahlad
Literature
D. Jayakanthan
Literature
Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia
Literature
Kunwar Narain
Literature
Prof. Minoru Hara
Literature
Ramachandra Guha
Literature
Dr. Brijendra Kumar Rao
Medicine
Vaidya Devendra Triguna
Medicine
Dr. Khalid Hameed
Medicine
Lt.Gen. (Retd.) Satish Nambiar
Security Affairs
Dr. Inderjit Kaur Barthakur
Public Affairs
Dr. Kirit Shantilal Parikh
Public Affairs
Dr. Bhakta B. Rath
Science
Shri C.Srirangachari Seshadri
Science
Dr. Gurdip Singh Randhawa
Science
Sam Pitroda
Science
Prof. (Dr.) Sarvagya Singh Katiyar
Science
Prof. Thomas Kailath
Science
Dr. Naganath Nayakawadi
Social Work
Dr. Sarojini Varadappan
Social Work
Abhinav Bindra
Sports
Anil Manibhai Naik
Trade & Industry
$"
Padma Shri 2009
Thilakan
Art
Vivek (Tamil Comedian)
Art
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Art
Akshay Kumar
Art
Dr Ameena Ahmed Ahuja
Art
Aruna Sairam
Art
Devayani Chaymotty
Art
Geeta Kapur
Art
Govind Ram Nirmalkar
Art
Gurumayum Gourakishor Sharma
Art
Hashmat Ullah Khan
Art
Helan Khan
Art
Hemi Bawa
Art
Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Art
Iravatham Mahadevan
Art
K.P. Udayabhanu
Art
Dr Kanneganti Brahmanandam
Art
Prof. Kiran Seth
Art
Kumar Sanu Bhattacharjee
Art
Prof. Dr Leela Omchery
Art
Mattannoor Sankarankutty Marar
Art
Niranjan Goswami
Art
Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa
Art
Penaz Masani
Art
Prakash N. Dubey
Art
Dr. Pratapaditya Pal
Art
Ram Kishore Chhipa
Art
Saoli Mitra
Art
Skendrowell Syiemlieh (Posthumous)
Art
Dr. Subrahmanyam Krishnaswamy
Art
Suresh Dutta
Art
Tafazzul Ali (Posthumous)
Art
Udit Narayan
Art
$#
VMG alias Kalamandalam Gopi
Art
S.B. Ghosh Dastidar
Civil Service
Ameen Sayani
Broadcasting
Abhay Chhajlani
Journalism
Dr. A. Sankara Reddy
Literature
Alok Mehta
Literature
Dr Bannanje Govindacharya
Literature
Dr Birendranath Datta
Literature
Prof. Geshe Ngawang Samten
Literature
Prof. Jalees Ahmed Khan Tareen
Literature
Jayanta Mahapatra
Literature
John Ralston Marr
Literature
Lalthangfala Sailo
Literature
Laxman Bapu Mane
Literature
Dr. Mathoor Krishnamurty
Literature
Norden Tshering
Literature
Dr. Panchapakesa Jayaraman
Literature
Prof. Ram Shankar Tripathi
Literature
Prof. Ranbir Chander Sobti
Literature
Dr. Ravindra Nath Srivastava
Literature
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi
Literature
Shashi Deshpande
Literature
Sunny Varkey
Literature
Suresh Gundu Amonkar
Literature
Dr. Utpal K. Banerjee
Literature
Dr. A.K. Gupta
Medicine
Dr. Alampur Saibaba Goud
Medicine
Dr. Arvind Lal
Medicine
Dr. Ashok K. Vaid
Medicine
Dr. Ashok Kumar Grover
Medicine
Dr. Balswarup Choubey
Medicine
Dr. D. S. Rana
Medicine
Dr. Govindan Vijayaraghavan
Medicine
Dr. Kalyan Banerjee
Medicine
P.R. Krishna Kumar
Medicine
$$
Dr. R. Sivaraaman
Medicine
Dr. Shaik Khader Noordeen
Medicine
Prof. (Dr.) Thanikachalam Sadagopan
Medicine
Dr. Yash Gulati
Medicine
K. Asungba Sangtam
Public Affairs
Dr. Shyamlha Pappu
Public Affairs
Prof. Syed Iqbal Hasnain
Research on Himalayan Glaciers
Goriparthi Narasimha Raju Yadav
Science
Prof. Pramod Tandon
Science
Bansilal Rathi
Social Work
Begum Bilkees I. Latif
Social Work
Cheril Krishna Menon
Social Work
Rev. Joseph H. Pereira
Social Work
K. Viswanathan
Social Work
Keepu Tshering Lepcha
Social Work
Prof. Shyam Sunder Maheshwari
Social Work
Sunil Kanti Roy
Social Work
Balbir Singh Khullar
Sports
Harbhajan Singh
Sports
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Sports
Pankaj Advani
Sports
Surinder Mehta
Technology Solutions
Arunmugam Sakthivel
Trade & Industry
Dr. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty
Trade & Industry
R.K. Krishna Kumar
Trade & Industry
Padma Vibhushan 2009
Dr Chandrika Prasad Srivastava
Civil Service
Sunderlal Bahuguna
Environment
Prof D P Chattopadhyaya
Literature
Prof Jasbir Singh Bajaj
Medicine
Dr Purshotam Lal
Medicine
Govind Narain
Public Affairs
Dr Anil Kakodkar
Science
G Madhavan Nair
Science
Sister Nirmala
Social Work
Dr A S Ganguly
Trade & Industry
$%
54th Filmfare Awards 2009
Category
Winner
Best Film
Jodha Akbar
Best Director
Ashutosh Gowarikar (Jodha Akbar)
Best Actor
Hritik Roshan - (Jodha Akbar)
Best Actress
Priyanka Chopra - (Fashion)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Om Puri & Bhanu Athaiya'
Best Music Director
AR Rahman (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
Best Story
Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On)
Best Supporting Actor
Arjun Rampal (Rock On)
Best Supporting Actress
Kangna Ranaut (Fashion)
Best Playback Singer (Male)
Sukhwinder Singh (Haule Haule - Rab Ne Bana De Jodi)
Best Playback Singer (Female)
Shreya Ghoshal (Singh is Kinng)
Best Debut (Male)
Farhan Akhtar (Rock On) & Imraan Khan (Jaane Tu)
Best Debut (Female)
Asin (Ghajini)
RD Burman Upcoming Talent
Benny Dayal (Ghajini)
Best Costumes
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Best Background Score
AR Rahman (Jodha Akbar)
Best Cinematography
Jason West (Rock On!)
Best Editing
Amit Pawar (Mumbai Meri Jaan)
Best Choreography
Longinus (Jaane Tu)
Best Lyricist
Javed Akhtar (Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodha Akbar)
Best Sound Design
Vinod Subramanyam (Rock On)
Best Visual Effects
John Deitz (Love Story 2050)
Best Action
Peter Heinn (Ghajini)
168
PULITZER PRIZE
Area
Journalism
Letters, drama
and music
Field
Awardee
Public Service
Las Vegas Sun
Breaking News Reporting
The New York Times Staff
Investigative Reporting
David Barstow of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times
Local Reporting
Detroit Free Press Staff and Ryan Gabrielson and
Paul Giblin of the East Valley Tribune, Mesa, AZ
National Reporting
St. Petersburg Times Staff
International Reporting
The New York Times Staff
Feature Writing
Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times
Commentary
Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post
Criticism
Holland Cotter of The New York Times
Editorial Writing
Mark Mahoney of The Post-Star, Glens Falls, NY
Editorial Cartooning
Steve Breen of The San Diego Union-Tribune
Breaking News Photography
Patrick Farrell of The Miami Herald
Feature Photography
Damon Winter of The New York Times
Fiction
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Random House)
Drama
Ruined by Lynn Nottage
Biography
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by
Annette Gordon-Reed (W.W. Norton & Company)
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
by Jon Meacham (Random House)
Poetry
The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press)
History
169
Famous books and Authors
Books
Authors
Discover the Diamond in You
Arindam Chaudhuri
Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
David Crystal
What the Dog Saw
Malcolm Gladwell
The Diary of an Unreasonable Man
Madhav Mathur
The Rediscovery of India
Meghnad Desai
I Accuse : The Anti-Sikh Violence of 1984
Jarnail Singh
The Confession of Sultana Daku
Sujit Saraf
A Dead Hand
Paul Theroux
Confronting Terrorism
Maroof Raza
Venus Crossing: Twelve Stories of Transit
Kalpana Swaminathan
Memories of Life in Lhasa under Chinese Rule
Tubten Khétsun
Free Radical
Vince Cable
Happy Hours: The Penguin Book of Cocktails
Bhaichand Patel
Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century
Nandan Nilekani
And Another Thing
Eoin Colfer
The Museum of Innocence
Orhan Pamuk
The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma
Gurcharan Das
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest
Stieg Larsson
Swapnalok Society: The Good News Reporter
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi
Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
William Dalrymple
Ethnography of Goa, Daman and Diu
A.B. De Braganca Pereira
The Idea of Justice
Amartya Sen
The Face You Were Afraid to See: Essays on the Indian Economy
Amit Bhaduri
In the Country of Gold-digging Ants: Two Thousand Years of Travel in India
Anu Kumar
The Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy
Ghalib:Epistemologies of Elegance
Azra Raza
%
Rage, Reconciliation, Security: Managing India's Diversities
B.G. Verghese
Eating India: Exploring a Nation's Cuisine
Chitrita Banerji
Fantastic Mr Fox
Roald Dahl
Not By Reason Alone: The Politics of Change
N.K. Singh
The Adventures of Mowgli
Rudyard Kipling
Folktales from India
A.K. Ramanujan
A Place Within: Rediscovering India
M.G. Vassanji s
The Crab Who Played with the Sea
Rudyard Kipling
The Beginning of the Armadillos
Rudyard Kipling
How the Camel Got His Hump
Rudyard Kipling
How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities
John Cassidy
Business Essential
Lisa Carden
Granularity
Patrick Viguerie
Hero Vol 1: The Silent Era to Dilip Kumar
Ashok Raj
Autobiography, Biography, Memoir
Books
Authors
My Own Country
Abraham Verghese
Multiple City: Writings on Bangalore
Aditi De
Behenji: A Political Biography of Mayawati
Ajoy Bose
Memory's Gold: Writings on Calcutta
Amit Chaudhuri
Vikram Sarabhai
Amrita Shah
Kalpana Chawla : A Life
Anil Padmanabhan
Autobiography : Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Kasturba : A Life
Arun Gandhi
Ramana Maharshi : The Sage of Arunachal
Arvind Sharma
Abundant Living, Restless Striving
B.K. Karanjia
%
Inventions and Discoveries
Inventions and Discoveries
Year
Inventor
Adhesive tape, Scotch
1930
Richard Drew
Aeroplane
1903
Orville & Wilbur Wright
Air conditioning
1902
Carrier
Airplane, jet engine
1939
Ohain
Artificial Heart
1957
Willem Kolff
Automatic rifle
1918
John Browning
Ballistic missile
1944
Wernher von Braun
Ball Point Pen
1888
John J. Loud
Ball Point Pen (Modern)
1938
Lazlo Biro
Battery (Electric)
1800
Alessandro Volta
Bicycle
1839-40
K. Macmilan
Bifocal Lens
1780
Benjamin Franklin
Bleaching Powder
1798
Tennant
Canned food
1804
Appert
Car (Petrol)
1888
Karl Benz
Carburettor
1876
Gottlieb Daimler
Cement (Portland)
1824
Joseph Aspdin
Chemotherapy
1909
Ehrlich
Cinema
1895
Nicolas & Jean Lumiere
Cloning, DNA
1973
Boyer, Cohen
Compact Disc
1972
RCA
Computer, Laptop
1987
Sinclair
CT scan
1973
Hounsfield
Diesel Engine
1895
Rudolf Dieself
Disc Brake
1902
Dr. F. Lanchester
DNA, structure
1951
Crick-UK, Watson-US, Wilkins-UK
Electric Flat Iron
1882
H.W. Seeley
Electric Lamp
1879
Thomas Alva Edison
172
Electric Motor (DC)
1873
Zenobe Gramme
Electric Motor (AC)
1888
Nikola Tesla
Escalator
1894
GH Wheeler, JW Reno
Fire extinguisher (mod.)
1816
George Manby
Frequency Modulation (FM)
1933
E.H. Armstrong
Fountain Pen
1884
Lewis E. Waterman
Guided missile
1942
Wernher von Braun
Hearing Aid
1952
Sonotone Corp. USA
Heart lung Machine
1953
Dr. John H. Gibbon
Helicopter
1924
Etienne Oehmichen
HIV
1984
M. Cockerell
Intelligence testing
1905
Simon Binet
Jet Engine
1937
Sir Frank Whittle
Laser
1957
Gould
Lift (Mechanical)
1852
Elisha G. Otis
Locomotive, electric
1879
E.W. von Siemens
Loudspeaker
1900
Horace Short
Maps
B.C. 3800
Sumeria clay tablets
Match, safety
1826
John Walker
Microphone
1876
Alexander G. Bell
Microprocessor
1971
R. Noyce & G. Moore
Microscope, comp.
1590
Z. Janssen
Microscope, elect.
1931
Ruska Knoll
Microwave Oven
1947
Percy LeBaron Spencer
Motor Cycle
1885
G. Baimler (Cannstatt)
MRI
1971
Damadian
Musical Synthesiser
1964
Robert A. Moog
Neon Lamp
1910
Georges Claude
Neutron
1932
Chadwick
Optical Fibre
1955
Narinder Kapany
Odometer
1724
Merneir
Paper
A.D. 105
China
Pacemaker
1952
Zoll
Pencil
1792
Jacques N. Conte
Periodic table
1869
Dmitri Mendeleev
173
Photocopier
1938
Carlson
Piano
1709
Cristofori
Pistol, revolver
1836
Colt
Plutonium fission
1940
Kennedy, Whal, Seabiorg, Segre
Post it note
1980
3M
Pop up toaster
1927
Charles Strite
Postage Stamp
1840
Sir Rowland Hill
Radiocarbon Dating
1947
Libby
Radio Telegraphy (Trans Atlantic)
1901
G. Marconi
Refrigerator
1850
J. Harrison, A Catlin
Relativity theory
1905
Albert Einstein
Roller skates
1863
J.L. Plimpton
Rubber (Tyres)
1846
Thomas Hancock
Rubber (vulcanised)
1841
Charles Goodyear
Rubik Cube
1975
Prof. Emo Rubik
Safety Pin
1849
Walter Hunt
Seat belt
1959
Volvo
Skyscraper
1882
W. Le Baron Jenny
Slide Rule
1621
William Oughtred
Stethoscope
1819
Laennec
Submarine
1776
David Bushnell
Super Computer
1976
J.H. Van Tassel
Swiss army knife
1891
Karl Elsener
Tank
1914
Sir Ernest D. Swington
Teddy bear
1903
Margarete Steiff
Telegraph
1787
M. Lammond
Telephone, cellular
1947
Bell Labs
Telescope
1608
Hans Lippershey
Television (electronic)
1927
P.T. Farnsworth
Television, colour
1928
John Logie Baird
Uranium fission, atomic reactor
1942
Szilard Fermi
Vacuum Cleaner, Elect.
1907
Spangler
Velcro (fastener)
1948
Georges de Mestral
Washing Machine (mod.)
1910
Alva J. Fisher
Watch
1462
B. Manfredi
Water Closet
1589
J. Harrington design
X-ray
1895
Wilhelm K. Roentgen
Yo-Yo
1929
Donald F. Duncan
174
Punchlines of major companies and products
Sr No.
Company
Punchlines
1
TCS
Beyond the obvious
2
Wipro
Applying thought
3
Infosys
Driven by intellect,powered by values
4
Kingfisher
king of good times
5
IBM ThinkPad
I think, therefore IBM
6
Adidas
Impossible is nothing
7
American Express
Don’t leave home without it
8
Birla Mutual Fund
The name inspires Trust
9
ICICI Bank
Hum Hai Na
10
Compaq
Ban jaaye baat
11
L&T
We Make the Things that Make India Proud
12
LG
Digitally Yours
13
Sify
Sense & Simplicity
14
Voltas
ACs with IQ
15
Alcatel
Architect of an Internet World
16
Cathay Pacific Airlines
The Heart of Asia
17
MS Office 97
Work Less, Do More
18
Hyundai
Drive Your Way
19
Canon
Delighting You Always
20
Philips
Making the Internet work for you
21
The Economic Times
The Power of Knowledge
22
Cell One
The One for Everyone
%#
International Clothing
Play the Game
The Affordable Network Service
With You all the Way
Better Ideas-Better Life
The Sign of Excellence
Don't Dream it, Drive it
The Power of Dreams
Transparency makes us Different
You Look the World, We Look After You
Making More Possible
For managing Tomorrow
Connecting People
Making the Sky the best place on Earth
There's no Better Way to Fly
Touch the Perfection
The Joy of Flying
Enduring Value
The Life You Desire
Your Potential, Your Passion
Exceed Your Vision
Play the lead
The World is Waiting
Dressing the World
For a Special Journey called Life
Be the First to Know
The Power of We
The Network is the Computer
%$
Business Without Limits
When Reliability Matters
Easy as Dell
Intelligence Everywhere
The complete family car
Tyres with muscles
Born Tough
The World's Online Market Place
Earth's Biggest BookStore
If you have a reason, we have the job
Push Button Publishing
Do More with Less
Everything is Possible
High Performance. Delivered
ON DEMAND
We are building a new technology company
Think different
Simplicity at work. Better by adobe
What the web can be
Built for the Road Ahead
Only GM
The Ultimate Driving Machine
Drive Your Way
Obsessed with Quality since 1897
Drivers wanted
Driven by Passion
Even More Car per Car
Intel inside
%%
79
LEE
The jeans that built America
80
Master card
For everything else there's MASTERCARD
81
Kotak
Think Investments. Think Kotak
82
Ernst and Young
Quality in Everything we Do
83
Barclays
Its our business to know your business
84
Standard Chartered Bank
Your Right Partner
85
CNBC
Profit from it
86
AT&T
The World's Networking Company
87
Monster.com
Never Settle
88
British airways
The Way to Fly
89
Air Canada
A breath of Fresh Air
90
Sahara
Emotionally yours
91
Malaysian Airlines
Going Beyond Expectations
92
Kingfisher Airlines
Fly the good times
93
Exxon Mobil
Taking on the World’s Toughest Energy Challenges
94
Chevron Corporation
Human Energy
95
Reliance industries Limited
Growth is Life
96
British Petroleum
Beyond Petroleum
97
ONGC
Making Tomorrow Brighter
98
IOCL
Bringing Energy to Life
99
BPCL
Pure for Sure
100
IBP
Pure bhi. Poora bhi
101
GAIL
Gas and Beyond
102
Essar corp
A positive a++itude
103
Speed
High Performance Petrol
104
Servo
100%
105
NDTV Profit
News you can Use
%&
The Celebrity 100
by Forbes 2009 survey
Rank
Name
Pay ($mil)
Web Rank
Press Rank
TV Rank
1
Angelina Jolie
27
3
5
3
2
Oprah Winfrey
275
4
8
2
3
Madonna
110
9
6
8
4
Beyonce Knowles
87
2
20
16
5
Tiger Woods
110
54
4
4
6
Bruce Springsteen
70
32
19
25
7
Steven Spielberg
150
48
26
48
8
Jennifer Aniston
25
6
30
21
9
Brad Pitt
28
11
7
6
10
Kobe Bryant
45
53
10
15
11
Will Smith
45
37
18
17
12
Dr. Phil McGraw
80
74
55
10
13
Britney Spears
35
10
16
11
14
Britney Spears
45
35
36
9
15
Coldplay
70
64
17
57
16
Adam Sandler
55
25
43
44
17
Harrison Ford
65
13
48
75
18
Michael Jordan
45
19
33
39
19
LeBron James
40
58
15
27
20
Tom Cruise
33
33
13
19
21
Bon Jovi
50
20
57
50
22
Donald Trump
50
57
47
26
23
Rush Limbaugh
54
80
45
22
24
George Lucas
170
71
65
85
25
Simon Cowell
75
62
97
40
26
Stephenie Meyer
50
31
42
82
27
Roger Federer
33
56
3
20
28
David Beckham
42
63
9
59
29
Miley Cyrus
25
5
29
7
30
Tyler Perry
75
84
73
55
%'
31
Kenny Chesney
65
79
75
41
32
Jay-Z
35
12
37
47
33
Clint Eastwood
35
41
23
43
34
Howard Stern
70
61
86
72
35
Sean (Diddy) Combs
30
8
44
28
36
Phil Mickelson
40
97
14
23
37
Jerry Seinfeld
85
83
82
71
38
Dave Matthews Band
65
67
74
74
39
Tom Hanks
35
29
46
46
40
Ellen DeGeneres
35
39
56
36
41
Eddie Murphy
40
23
66
63
42
Rascal Flatts
60
78
80
61
43
Jay Leno
32
73
32
5
44
Ryan Seacrest
38
14
81
49
45
Nicolas Cage
40
42
51
69
46
Kanye West
25
7
31
37
47
AC/DC
60
89
71
72
48
George Clooney
25
28
22
29
49
Barack Obama
2
1
1
1
50
50 Cent
20
22
2
12
51
Brian Grazer/Ron Howard
45
75
58
69
52
Kimi Raikkonen
45
76
28
100
53
Jerry Bruckheimer
100
100
95
95
54
Chris Rock
42
65
67
62
55
Ronaldinho
30
30
11
99
56
Jim Carrey
30
40
50
51
57
Manny Pacquiao
40
55
59
80
58
Sarah Jessica Parker
27
21
49
60
59
Toby Keith
52
93
87
65
60
Jonas Brothers
25
68
34
13
61
James Patterson
60
96
83
98
62
Kevin Garnett
30
87
35
38
63
Jeff Gordon
30
91
40
30
64
Meryl Streep
24
52
21
31
65
Larry David
55
98
93
93
&
66
Derek Jeter
30
85
41
52
67
Serena Williams
17
44
12
18
68
Stephen King
30
49
60
89
69
Taylor Swift
18
46
54
42
70
Daniel Radcliffe
25
17
85
87
71
Reese Witherspoon
15
24
52
56
72
Gisele Bundchen
25
27
91
85
73
Cameron Diaz
20
16
62
76
74
Nicole Kidman
9
47
24
35
75
Carrie Underwood
14
38
68
32
76
Maria Sharapova
22
15
78
81
77
Venus Williams
15
86
25
24
78
Heidi Klum
16
50
61
58
79
Rachael Ray
15
43
76
34
80
David Copperfield
30
88
96
91
81
Glenn Beck
23
59
89
54
82
Katherine Heigl
18
18
88
79
83
Jon Stewart
14
66
53
33
84
Jeff Dunham
30
95
98
97
85
Anne Hathaway
7
26
39
53
86
Tina Fey
7
45
79
14
87
Drew Barrymore
12
51
63
68
88
Charlie Sheen
21
72
84
64
89
Eva Longoria Parker
9
34
69
66
90
Ana Ivanovic
10
82
27
83
91
Alec Baldwin
8
69
64
45
92
Sandra Bullock
17
60
90
94
93
Steve Carell
20
81
99
95
94
Hugh Laurie
10
70
72
84
95
Wolfgang Puck
18
99
94
77
96
Penn & Teller
20
94
100
92
97
Kate Moss
8
92
38
88
98
Mariska Hargitay
8
90
69
66
99
Jennifer Love Hewitt
6
36
92
90
100
Danica Patrick
7
77
77
78
&
The World's Most Powerful People
by Forbes 2009 survey
Name
Title
Organization
Age
1
Barack Obama
President
United States of America
48
2
Hu Jintao
President
People's Republic of China
66
3
Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister
Russia
57
4
Ben S. Bernanke
Chairman
Federal Reserve
55
5
Sergey Brin and Larry Page
Founders
Google
36
6
Carlos Slim Helu
Chief Executive
Telmex
69
7
Rupert Murdoch
Chairman
News Corp.
78
8
Michael T. Duke
President, CEO and Director
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
59
9
Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud
King
Saudi Arabia
85
10
William Gates III
Co-Chair
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
54
11
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope
Roman Catholic Church
82
12
Silvio Berlusconi
Prime Minister
Italy
73
13
Jeffrey R. Immelt
Chairman
General Electric Company
53
14
Warren Buffett
Chief Executive
Berkshire Hathaway
79
15
Angela Merkel
Chancellor
Germany
55
16
Laurence D. Fink
Chairman
BlackRock, Inc.
57
17
Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
United States of America
62
18
Lloyd C. Blankfein
Chairman
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
55
19
Li Changchun
Propaganda Chief
Communist Party of China
65
20
Michael Bloomberg
Mayor & Founder
New York City & Bloomberg LP.
67
21
Timothy Geithner
Secretary
United States Treasury
48
22
Rex W. Tillerson
Chairman
ExxonMo Corp.
57
81
Rank
23
Li Ka-shing
Chairman
Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited &
Hutchison Whampoa Limited
24
Kim Jong Il
Chairman of National Defense
Commission
North Korea
68
25
Jean-Claude Trichet
President
European Central Bank
66
&
26
Masaaki Shirakawa
Governor
Bank of Japan
60
27 Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al Nahyan
Managing Director
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
41
28
Akio Toyoda
Chief Executive
Toyota Motor Corporation ADS
53
29
Gordon Brown
Prime Minister
United Kingdom
58
30
James S. Dimon
Chairman
JPMorgan Chase & Company
53
31
Bill Clinton
Former President
United States of America
63
32
William H. Gross
Chief Investment Officer
Pacific Investment Management
Company
65
33
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
President
Brazil
64
34
Lou Jiwei
Chairman
China Investment Corporation
59
35
Yukio Hatoyama
Prime Minister
Japan
62
36
Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister
India
77
37
Osama bin Laden
Founder
al-Qaeda
52
38
Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister
Pakistan
57
39
Tenzin Gyatso
Dalai Lama
Tibet
74
40
Ali Hoseini-Khamenei
Grand Ayatollah
Shi'a
70
41
Joaquin Guzman
Drug Trafficker
Sinaloa Cartel
52
42
Igor Sechin
Deputy Prime Minister
Russia
49
43
Dmitry Medvedev
President
Russia
44
44
Mukesh Ambani
Chairman
Reliance Industries Limited
52
45
Oprah Winfrey
Media Personality
The Oprah Winfrey Show
55
46
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister
Israel
60
47
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Managing Director
International Monetary Fund
60
48
Zhou Xiaochuan
Governor
People's Bank of China
61
49
John Roberts Jr.
Chief Justice
United States Supreme Court
54
50
Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar
Head
D-Company
53
51
William Keller
Executive Editor
The New York Times
60
52
Bernard Arnault
Chairman
Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy
60
73
53
Joseph S. Blatter
President
The International Federation of
Association Football (FIFA)
54
Wadah Khanfar
Director-General
Al Jazeera
41
55
Lakshmi Mittal
Chairman
ArcelorMittal ADS
59
56
Nicolas Sarkozy
President
France
54
57
Steve Jobs
Chief executive
Apple, Inc.
54
58
Fujio Mitarai
Chairman
Canon, Inc. ADR
74
59
Ratan Tata
Chairman
Tata Group
71
&!
Richest persons of India
by Forbes 2009 survey
Net Worth
($mil)
Age
City
Mukesh Ambani
32,000
52
Mumbai
2
Lakshmi Mittal
30,000
59
London
3
Anil Ambani
17,500
50
Mumbai
4
Azim Premji
14,900
64
Bangalore
5
Shashi & Ravi Ruia
13,600
65
Mumbai
6
Kushal Pal Singh
13,500
78
Delhi
7
Savitri Jindal
12,000
59
Hisar/Delhi
8
Sunil Mittal
8,200
52
Delhi
9
Kumar Birla
7,800
42
Mumbai
10
Gautam Adani
6,400
47
Ahmedabad
11
Anil Agarwal
6,300
56
London
12
Adi Godrej
5,400
67
Mumbai
13
G.M. Rao
4,300
59
Bangalore
14
Dilip Shanghvi
4,100
54
Mumbai
15
Shiv Nadar
3,700
64
Delhi
16
Uday Kotak
3,300
50
Mumbai
17
Malvinder & Shivinder Singh
3,000
37
Delhi
18
Subhash Chandra
2,700
59
Mumbai
19
Indu Jain
2,400
73
Delhi
20
Kalanithi Maran
2,300
44
Chennai
21
Anand Burman
2,250
57
Delhi
22
Brijmohan Lall Munjal
2,200
86
Delhi
23
Sudhir & Samir Mehta
2,020
55
Ahmedabad
24
Cyrus Poonawalla
2,000
68
Pune
25
Ramesh Chandra
1,950
70
Delhi
26
Micky Jagtiani
1,900
58
Dubai
27
Yusuf Hamied
1,890
73
Mumbai/London
28
Pravin Kumar Tayal
1,880
52
Mumbai
Rank
Name
1
&"
29
Jaiprakash Gaur
1,870
78
Delhi
30
Rajan Raheja
1,850
55
Mumbai
31
Venugopal Dhoot
1,800
58
Mumbai
32
Rahul Bajaj
1,750
71
Pune
33
Tulsi Tanti
1,700
51
Pune
34
L. Madhusudan Rao
1,670
43
Hyderabad
35
Baba Kalyani
1,630
60
Pune
36
Rakesh Wadhawan
1,600
57
Mumbai
37
Chandru Raheja
1,550
69
Mumbai
38
N.R. Narayana Murthy
1,500
63
Bangalore
39
Gautam Thapar
1,400
48
Delhi
40
Rama Prasad Goenka
1,350
79
Kolkata
41
Niranjan Hiranandani
1,320
59
Mumbai
42
Desh Bandhu Gupta
1,300
71
Mumbai
43
Nandan Nilekani
1,250
54
Bangalore/Delhi
44
Pankaj Patel
1,210
56
Ahmedabad
45
Vikas Oberoi
1,200
39
Mumbai
1,150
54
Bangalore
46
Senapathy Gopalakrishnan
47
G.V. Krishna Reddy
1,070
72
Hyderabad
48
Ajay Piramal
1,060
54
Mumbai
49
Vinod Goenka
1,050
50
Mumbai
50
Shahid Balwa
1,020
35
Mumbai
51
Virendra Mhaiskar
1,010
38
Mumbai
52
Anand Jain
1,000
52
Mumbai
53
Anurag Dikshit
980
37
Gibraltar
54
Shyam & Hari Bhartia
950
57
Delhi
55
Anu Aga
935
67
Pune
56
Keshub Mahindra
930
86
Mumbai
57
Shantanu Prakash
920
44
Delhi
58
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
915
49
Mumbai
59
Murali Divi
910
58
Hyderabad
60
Vijay Mallya
900
53
Bangalore
&#
The Most Powerful Women
by Forbes 2009 survey
Rank
Name
Occupation
Country
1
Angela Merkel
Chancellor
Germany
2
Sheila Bair
Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
U.S.
3
Indra Nooyi
Chief executive, PepsiCo
U.S.
4
Cynthia Carroll
Chief executive, Anglo American
U.K.
5
Ho Ching
Chief executive, Temasek
Singapore
6
Irene Rosenfeld
Chief executive, Kraft Foods
U.S.
7
Ellen Kullman
Chief executive, DuPont
U.S.
8
Angela Braly
Chief executive, WellPoint
U.S.
9
Anne Lauvergeon
Chief executive, Areva
France
10
Lynn Elsenhans
Chief executive, Sunoco
U.S.
11
Cristina Fernandez
President
Argentina
12
Carol Bartz
Chief executive, Yahoo
U.S.
13
Sonia Gandhi
President, Indian National Congress Party
India
14
Ursula Burns
Chief executive, Xerox Corp.
U.S.
15
Anne Mulcahy
Chairman, Xerox Corp.
U.S.
16
Safra Catz
President, Oracle
U.S.
17
Christine Lagarde
Minister of Economy, Finance & Employment
France
18
Gail Kelly
Chief executive, Westpac
Australia
19
Marjorie Scardino
Chief executive, Pearson Plc.
U.K.
20
Chanda Kochhar
Chief executive, ICICI Bank
India
21
Mary Sammons
Chief executive, Rite Aid Corp.
U.S.
22
Michelle Bachelet
President
Chile
23
Paula Reynolds
Chief restructuring officer, AIG
U.S.
24
Carol Meyrowitz
Chief executive, TJX Companies
U.S.
25
Andrea Jung
Chief executive, Avon
U.S.
26
Patricia Woertz
Chief executive, Archer Daniels Midland
U.S.
27
Guler Sabanci
Chairman, Sabanci Holding
Turkey
&$
28
Barbara Desoer
President, Bank of America Home Loans & Insurance
U.S.
29
Brenda Barnes
Chief executive, Sara Lee Corp.
U.S.
30
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey
Chief executive, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
U.S.
31
Ann Livermore
Executive vice president, Hewlett-Packard
U.S.
32
Cathie Lesjak
Executive vice president, Hewlett-Packard
U.S.
33
Marina Berlusconi
Chairman, Fininvest Group
Italy
34
Melinda Gates
Co-chairman, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
U.S.
35
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
U.S.
36
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State
U.S.
37
Jane Mendillo
Chief executive, Harvard Management Co.
U.S.
38
Margaret Chan
Director-general, World Health Org.
Switzerland
39
Susan Chambers
Executive VP, Global People Division, Wal-Mart Stores
U.S.
40
Michelle Obama
First Lady
U.S.
41
Oprah Winfrey
Chairman, Harpo
U.S.
42
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen
U.K.
43
Nancy McKinstry
Chief executive, Wolters Kluwer
Netherlands
44
Gloria Arroyo
President
Philippines
45
Ana Patricia Botin
Executive Chairman, Banesto
Spain
46
Ann Veneman
Executive Director, UNICEF
U.S.
47
Yulia Tymoshenko
Prime minister
Ukraine
48
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Supreme Court Justice
U.S.
49
Janet Robinson
Chief executive, The New York Times Co.
U.S.
50
Dominique Senequier
Chief executive, AXA Private Equity
France
51
Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S.
52
Anne Sweeney
Co-chairman, Disney Media Networks
U.S.
53
Neelie Kroes
Commissioner for Competition, European Union
Netherlands
54
Gail Boudreaux
President, UnitedHealthcare
U.S.
55
Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court Justice
U.S.
56
Mary Schapiro
Chairman Securities & Exchange Commission
U.S.
57
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health & Human Services
U.S.
58
Ellen Alemany
Chief executive, RBS Americas and Citizens Financial
U.S.
59
Susan Ivey
Chief executive, Reynolds American
U.S.
60
Amy Pascal
Co-chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment
U.S.
&%
The World's Billionaires
by Forbes 2009 survey
Rank Name
Citizenship
Age
Net Worth
($bil)
Residence
1
William Gates III
United States
53
40
United States
2
Warren Buffett
United States
78
37
United States
3
Carlos Slim Helu & family
Mexico
69
35
Mexico
4
Lawrence Ellison
United States
64
22.5
5
Ingvar Kamprad & family
Sweden
83
22
6
Karl Albrecht
Germany
89
21.5
Germany
7
Mukesh Ambani
India
51
19.5
India
8
Lakshmi Mittal
India
58
19.3
United Kingdom
9
Theo Albrecht
Germany
87
18.8
Germany
10
Amancio Ortega
Spain
73
18.3
Spain
11
Jim Walton
United States
61
17.8
United States
12
Alice Walton
United States
59
17.6
United States
12
Christy Walton & family
United States
54
17.6
United States
12
S Robson Walton
United States
65
17.6
United States
15
Bernard Arnault
France
60
16.5
France
16
Li Ka-shing
Hong Kong
80
16.2
Hong Kong
17
Michael Bloomberg
United States
67
16
18
Stefan Persson
Sweden
61
14.5
19
Charles Koch
United States
73
14
United States
19
David Koch
United States
68
14
United States
21
Liliane Bettencourt
France
86
13.4
France
22
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal
Alsaud
Saudi Arabia
54
13.3
Saudi Arabia
23
Michael Otto & family
Germany
65
13.2
Germany
24
David Thomson & family
Canada
51
13
25
Michael Dell
United States
44
12.3
United States
26
Donald Bren
United States
76
12
United States
26
Sergey Brin
United States
35
12
United States
26
Larry Page
United States
36
12
United States
&&
United States
Switzerland
United States
Sweden
Canada
29
Steven Ballmer
29
United States
53
11
United States
Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor &
United Kingdom
family
57
11
United Kingdom
29
George Soros
United States
78
11
United States
32
Paul Allen
United States
56
10.5
United States
32
Kwok family
Hong Kong
NA
10.5
Hong Kong
34
Anil Ambani
India
49
10.1
India
35
Abigail Johnson
United States
47
10
United States
35
Susanne Klatten
Germany
46
10
Germany
35
Ronald Perelman
United States
66
10
United States
35
Hans Rausing
Sweden
83
10
United Kingdom
39
Birgit Rausing & family
Sweden
85
9.9
Switzerland
40
Michele Ferrero & family
Italy
82
9.5
Monaco
40
Mikhail Prokhorov
Russia
43
9.5
Russia
40
Jack Taylor & family
United States
86
9.5
United States
43
Mohammed Al Amoudi
Saudi Arabia
63
9
Saudi Arabia
43
Anne Cox Chambers
United States
89
9
United States
43
Carl Icahn
United States
73
9
United States
43
George Kaiser
United States
66
9
United States
43
Lee Shau Kee
Hong Kong
81
9
Hong Kong
43
Forrest Mars Jr
United States
77
9
United States
43
Jacqueline Mars
United States
69
9
United States
43
John Mars
United States
72
9
United States
51
Roman Abramovich
Russia
42
8.5
Russia
52
Ernesto Bertarelli
Switzerland
43
8.2
Switzerland
52
Philip Knight
United States
71
8.2
United States
54
Nasser Al-Kharafi & family
Kuwait
65
8.1
Kuwait
55
James Simons
United States
70
8
United States
55
Alain & Gerard Wertheimer
France
NA
8
NA
57
Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair & family United Arab Emirates
55
7.8
United Arab Emirates
57
Vagit Alekperov
Russia
58
7.8
Russia
59
Sunil Mittal & family
India
51
7.7
India
60
Francois Pinault & family
France
72
7.6
France
&'
Best Business Schools
by Forbes 2009 survey
5 Years gain
Salary
Tuition ($ GMAT
Rank Name
Location
Total ($ As % Of Years To Pre-MBA 2008 ($ thousand) SCORE
thousand) Expenses (%) Break Even ($thousand) thousand)
1 Stanford
Stanford, CA
85
38
4.2
82
225
102
730
2 Dartmouth (Tuck)
Hanover, NH
80
39
4
70
205
94
720
3 Harvard
Boston, MA
79
34
4
82
215
102
720
4 Chicago (Booth)
Chicago, IL
63
30
4.2
71
210
97
720
5 Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
57
27
4.4
75
200
100
715
6 Columbia
New York, NY
57
28
4.2
70
182
99
710
7 Cornell (Johnson)
Ithaca, NY
57
32
4.1
60
168
92
700
8 Northwestern (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
52
27
4.2
66
165
96
710
9 Virginia (Darden)
Charlottesville, VA
50
28
4.2
60
159
93
700
10 Yale
New Haven, CT
46
26
4.3
57
160
93
720
44
29
4.2
57
125
81
690
11 Texas-Austin (McCombs) Austin, TX
12 UC Berkeley (Haas)
Berkeley, CA
43
26
4.2
67
163
86
710
13 Duke (Fuqua)
Durham, NC
43
24
4.3
62
148
93
700
14 MIT (Sloan)
Cambridge, MA
42
20
4.4
70
190
96
710
15 UNC (Kenan-Flagler) Chapel Hill, NC
41
28
4.2
55
142
86
690
41
39
3.9
45
105
38
680
16 Brigham Young (Marriott) Provo, UT
17 NYU (Stern)
New York, NY
37
20
4.3
62
170
89
710
18 Michigan (Ross)
Ann Arbor, MI
37
20
4.3
62
155
93
710
19 UCLA (Anderson)
Los Angeles, CA
35
21
4.4
68
160
83
710
20 Iowa (Tippie)
Iowa City, IA
35
30
4.2
43
112
53
660
21 Michigan State (Broad) East Lansing, MI
34
26
4.2
53
114
62
640
22 Emory (Goizueta)
Atlanta, GA
34
23
4.2
56
121
81
685
33
18
4.4
60
145
98
700
23 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) Pittsburgh, PA
'
24 Texas A&M (Mays)
College Station, TX
30
29
4.2
47
106
39
650
25 Indiana (Kelley)
Bloomington, IN
29
21
4.3
53
115
76
670
26 Minnesota (Carlson)
Minneapolis, MN
29
22
4.2
53
104
79
663
27 Connecticut
Storrs, CT
29
25
4.4
52
153
51
620
28 Penn State (Smeal)
University Park, PA
29
20
4.3
54
120
66
650
29 Maryland (Smith)
College Park, MD
29
18
4.3
49
109
86
660
30 Vanderbilt (Owen)
Nashville, TN
29
18
4.5
53
128
87
650
31 Georgetown (McDonough)
Washington, DC
28
16
4.5
60
147
83
678
32 USC (Marshall)
Los Angeles, CA
28
18
4.5
56
155
86
700
33 SMU (Cox)
Dallas, TX
28
20
4.4
52
122
81
640
34 Wake Forest (Babcock)
Winston-Salem, NC
27
21
4.4
47
108
71
630
35 Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
27
19
4.3
51
103
53
666
36 Rollins (Crummer)
Winter Park, FL
27
30
4.1
29
75
59
605
37 Rochester (Simon)
Rochester, NY
27
17
4.4
49
120
82
680
38 Notre Dame (Mendoza) Notre Dame, IN
26
18
4.4
49
110
77
680
39 Ohio State (Fisher)
Columbus, OH
26
21
4.4
45
94
76
680
40 Washington (Foster)
Seattle, WA
25
21
4.3
48
111
68
688
St. Louis, MO
25
16
4.5
52
118
85
681
42 Tennessee
Knoxville, TN
25
26
4.2
39
82
37
615
43 Miami
Coral Gables, FL
25
22
4.3
35
85
70
630
44 Georgia Tech
Atlanta, GA
25
22
4.3
47
100
66
680
45 Purdue (Krannert)
West Lafayette, IN
25
20
4.5
47
100
72
670
46 Boston College (Carroll) Chestnut Hill, MA
24
20
4.4
47
125
68
660
47 Rice (Jones)
Houston, TX
24
15
4.6
60
140
78
680
48 SUNY Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
24
28
4.2
31
84
32
610
49 William & Mary (Mason) Williamsburg, VA
24
19
4.4
44
110
69
610
50 Georgia (Terry)
23
21
4.4
45
108
58
650
41
Washington U-St.Louis(Olin)
Athens, GA
'
The Web Celeb 25
by Forbes 2009 survey
Rank Name
Age
What
Find him on
1
Perez Hilton
30
Celebrity gossip blogger
http://perezhilton.com/
2
Michael Arrington
38
Tech blogger
http://www.techcrunch.com/
3
Kevin Rose
31
Digg founder, videoblogger
http://www.digg.com
4
Frank Warren
44
Online artist
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
5
Cory Doctorow
37
Author and blogger
http://www.craphound.com
6
Pete Cashmore
23
Tech blogger
http://mashable.com
7
Beppe Grillo
60
Activist, comedian and blogger
http://www.beppegrillo.it/
8
Heather Armstrong
33
Blogger, mom
http://www.dooce.com/
9
Guy Kawasaki
54
Entrepreneur, blogger
http://www.guykawasaki.com/
10
Jason Calacanis
38
Entrepreneur, blogger
http://www.calacanis.com/
11
Robert Scoble
43
Tech blogger
http://scobleizer.com/
12
Will Leitch
33
Sports blogger
http://leitch.tumblr.com/
13
Jeff Jarvis
54
Media critic
http://www.buzzmachine.com/
14
Wil Wheaton
36
Blogger, author, actor
http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/
15
Nate Silver
30
Statistician and blogger
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
16
Om Malik
42
Tech blogger
http://gigaom.com/
17
Matt Drudge
42
News Web site editor
http://www.drudgereport.com/
18
Owen Thomas
36
Blogger
http://valleywag.com
19
Dave Winer
53
Programmer, blogger
http://www.scripting.com/
20
Seth Godin
48
Marketing guru
http://www.sethgodin.com
21
Brian Lam
31
Blogger
http://www.gizmodo.com/
22
Mark Frauenfelder
47
Editor, blogger, illustrator
http://boingboing.net/markf.html
23
Steve Rubel
39
PR expert, blogger
http://www.micropersuasion.com/
24
John C. Dvorak
56
Blogger, videocaster
http://channeldvorak.com/
25
Leo Laport
52
Internet broadcaster
http://leoville.com/
'
The Forbes Fictional 15
by Forbes 2009 survey
( the annual ranking of top15 fictional characters)
Rank Name
Net Worth
($bil)
Age
Residence
Source
1
Uncle Sam
Infinite
232
Washington, D.C.
Engraving
2
Scrooge McDuck
29.1 bil
80
Duckburg, U.S.A.
Mining, Treasure
Hunting
3
Richie Rich
12.3 bil
10
Richville , U.S.A.
Inheritance,
Conglomerates
4
Gordon Gekko
8.5 bil
44
New York, N.Y.
Investments
5
Jabba The Hutt
8.4 bil
603
Tatooine
Crime
6
Ebeneezer Scrooge
8.0 bil
63
London, England
Investments
7
Tony Stark
7.9 bil
35
New York, N.Y.
Defense
8
Thurston Howell III
6.5 bil
60
Private Island, South
Pacific
Howell Industries
9
Bruce Wayne
5.8 bil
32
Gotham City , U.S.A.
Inheritance, Defense
5.4 bil
47
New York, N.Y.
Marketing
10
Adrian "Ozymandias" Veidt
11
Jed Clampett
3.6 bil
51
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Oil & Gas, Banking
12
Artemis Fowl II
1.6 bil
15
Dublin, Ireland
Inheritance, Crime
13
C. Montgomery Burns
996 mil
104
Springfield, U.S.A.
Energy
14
Lara Croft
900 mil
37
Wimbledon, England
Wimbledon, England
15
Mr. Monopoly
800 mil
71
Atlantic City, N.J.
Real Estate
'!
GLOBAL HIGH PERFORMERS
by Forbes 2009 survey
Sr No.
Industry
1
Aerospace & Defense
2
Banking
3
Business Services & Supplies
4
Capital Goods
5
Chemicals
6
Conglomerates
7
Construction
8
Consumer Durables
9
Diversified Financials
10
Drugs & Biochemistry
Company
BAE Systems
Goodrich
L-3 Communications
Lockheed Martin
Precision Castparts
Axis Bank
Commonwealth Bank
HDFC Bank
Hudson City Bancorp
Standard Chartered Group
Automatic Data
Kone
SGS
Sodexo
World Fuel Services
ABB
Alfa Laval
WW Grainger
Larsen & Toubro
Vestas Wind Systems
Monsanto
Mosaic
Potash of Saskatchewan
SQM
Yara International
Bidvest Group
Emerson Electric
ITT
SembCorp Industries
United Technologies
CRH
Fluor
Jacobs Engineering
URS
Vinci Group
Bridgestone
Honda Motor
Hyundai Motor
Toyota Motor
Volkswagen Group
BlackRock
CME Group
Nasdaq OMX Group
Charles Schwab
TD Ameritrade Holding
Abbott Laboratories
Biogen Idec
CSL
Gilead Sciences
Novo Nordisk
5-YEAR AVG
GROWTH %
Sales
Net Income
5-Year Annualized
total return annualized total
returns %
14.70%
10.3
24.9
6
32.7
40.1
18.1
37.8
28.5
25.5
3.1
10
14.4
3.1
43.1
8.3
16
8
23.4
29.7
17.6
39.8
23.9
14.2
18.1
18.6
12.3
16.8
16.4
13.5
14.2
20.2
20.6
23
13.4
7
8.5
7.7
10.4
4.8
66.2
35.7
50.4
8.7
37.7
10.6
33.7
22.3
44.8
11.4
44.4%2
65.3
26.1
27.6
NM
40.7
18.9
32.7
13.7
24.5
3.3
14.1
25
18.3
35.8
54.42
47
15.2
43.8
NM
82.7
NM
75.65
52
30.5
18.7
19.6
15.2
12.2
16.2
14.3
34
29.6
30.3
24.1
NM
7.1
2.2
12.7
34.1
50.2
42.6
NM
27.8
44.7
9.1
NM
43.6
NM
14.7
10.20%
8.4
3.9
10.9
22.2
6.13
3.3
12.9
1
-4.5
1.6
21.94
15.93
11.9
13.1
19.9
21.94
9.2
21.7
-2.13
37.6
27
43.1
50.3
27.73
7.5
0.1
1.4
12.1
0.8
5.3
15
11.5
5.5
12.53
0.2
1.9
-3.8
-1.3
47.3
15.2
20.9
19.8
5.9
2.6
7.5
-1.1
35.44
26.2
15.5
'"
Estimated EPS growth Debt/Capital %
18%
12
9
10
15
26
7
26
14
9
12
6
8
5
14
3
12
31
16
15
7
3
3
14
10
13
13
10
2
12
15
10
3
5
15
11
15
20
16
12
12
25
17
15
23%
40
43
55
5
49
61
37
0
64
1
14
1
35
1
15
23
19
37
1
16
13
26
25
37
20
26
13
11
36
43
1
2
22
69
29
28
41
32
47
6
10
32
18
32
33
15
22
23
3
Country
United Kingdom
United States
United States
United States
United States
India
Australia
India
United States
Uinted Kingdom
United States
Finland
Switzerland
France
United States
Switzerland
Sweden
United States
India
Denmark
United States
United States
Canada
Chile
Norway
South Africa
United States
United States
Singapore
United States
Ireland
United States
United States
United States
France
Japan
Japan
South Korea
Japan
Germany
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
Australia
United States
Denmark
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Delhaize Group
Jeronimo Martins
Food markets
Kroger
Tesco
Woolworths
Archer Daniels
Brown-Forman
Food , Drink, & Tobacco
Campbell Soup
Nestle
Tingyi
CR Bard
Baxter International
Health Care Equipments & Services
Express Scripts
Medco Health
Varian Medical Systems
Carnival
Darden Restaurants
Hotels, Restaurents & Leisure
McDonald's
Starbucks
Tim Hortons
Adidas
Colgate-Palmolive
Household & Personal Products
NIKE
Procter & Gamble
Reckitt Benckiser Group
Aon
Chubb
Insurance
Fairfax Financial
HCC Insurance
Travelers Cos
Goldcorp
Impala Platinum Holdings
Materials
Newcrest Mining
Posco
Vale
DirecTV Group
Grupo Televisa
Media
Naspers
Shaw Communications
Thomson Reuters
Chevron
Lukoil Holding
Oil & Gas Operations
Murphy Oil
Noble
SouthwesternEnergy
Amazon.com
CVS Caremark
Retailing
Fast Retailing
Fastenal
GameStop
Altera
Intel
Semiconductors
Samsung Electronics
Taiwan Semiconductor
Xilinx
Accenture
Cognizant Technology
Software Services
Google
Infosys Technologies
Oracle
23
Technology Hardware & Equip
24
Telecom Services
25
Transportation
26
Utilities
Amphenol
Apple
Juniper Networks
Nintendo
Research In Motion
America Movil
AT&T
China Mobile
Singapore Telecom
Verizon Communications
China Shipping Develop
Expeditors Intl
Norfolk Southern
CH Robinson Worldwide
Union Pacific
EDP-Energias de Portugal
Iberdrola
National Grid
Scottish & Southern
UGI
0.2
15.1
7.3
12.4
12.3
14.4
8
3.4
4.6
23.9
11
6.5
11.8
8.4
14.1
15
6.4
6.7
20.8
11.9
11.5
9.1
11.2
14.2
12.1
-4.3
2.7
7.5
20.5
8.5
72.4
26.1
31.2
17.1
29.4
15.6
15.3
12.9
9.5
17.8
15.6
32.3
37
33
44.1
29.3
28.8
13.6
18.6
42.7
9.9
3.9
10.6
10.4
9.7
13.1
51.4
72
35.6
19.5
22.1
40.1
35
27.1
78.1
32.1
29
25.5
7.7
9.3
24.8
16.5
10.1
18.8
8.2
14.8
21.7
3.3
30.3
15.7
20.7
22.9
8.92
17.6
20.1
39.2
14
4
23.8
23
16.4
27.1
26.2
21.2
16.6
12.9
12.6
16.8
7.9
12.5
19.8
7.1
19.3
18.7
18
2.7
19.1
NM
28
27.3
63.2
38.8
7.8
26.7
36.4
57.7
16.8
62.6
72.1
23.5
22.7
33.1
33.8
69.3
51.5
46.4
33.6
15.8
25.3
40
13.7
-3
2.2
16.2
18.8
25.4
49.9
111.7
37.3
18.4
8.5
21.34
5
2
16.8
11.8
3
2
5.9
24.3
10.9
12.2
20.2
18.9
-7.9
-10.6
8.4
16.5
-9.5
-2.83
-3.7
3.1
4.7
-0.5
9.7
9.8
5.9
12.4
3.3
1.9
21
17.1
21.9
14.1
28.2
5.9
6.8
21.3
16.7
-1
11.4
6.4
10.1
5.7
60.2
10.3
9.8
9.64
5.4
23.8
-2.4
-9.4
-4.4
3.6
-10.4
5.6
13.3
13.3
5.6
8.2
31.2
132
NM
30.8
NM
31.9
22.1
30.5
23.1
8.3
50.4
21.8
28.3
28.9
25.8
23.4
22
43.6
14.4
17.3
13.9
51
-9.5
26.4
21
19.4
5.5
25.5
5.9
0.7
7.2
9.1
9.7
19.7
6.5
8.9
-21.73
4.1
10.4
10.3
'#
8
20
9
7
11
15
5
8
5
17
14
13
18
17
15
15
12
9
18
13
11
11
15
10
15
10
8
10
8
5
4
5
4
29
8
12
22
15
9
7
10
10
15
41
20
14
18
19
18
15
10
15
14
20
18
12
15
20
15
16
17
20
38
5
5
1
6
34
15
10
15
10
11
5
7
8
6
37
44
54
33
26
35
26
58
10
7
7
35
55
36
3
29
50
42
17
26
34
64
5
21
0
26
23
22
12
20
0
3
10
12
29
51
44
26
48
23
6
10
13
12
17
13
17
6
0
21
38
5
7
1
30
0
0
0
0
30
37
0
0
0
0
44
35
9
21
34
26
0
28
0
25
60
48
76
41
51
Belgium
Portugal
United States
United Kingdom
Australia
United States
United States
United States
Switzerland
China
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
Panama
United States
United States
United States
Canada
Germany
United States
United States
United States
United Kingdom
United States
United States
Canada
United States
United States
Canada
South Africa
Australia
South Korea
Brazil
United States
Mexico
South Africa
Canada
Canada
United States
Russia
United States
Cayman Islands
United States
United States
United States
Japan
United States
United States
United States
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CEO's Compensation
by Forbes 2009 survey
Rank Name
Company
Pay ($mil) 5-Yr Pay ($mil)
Shares Owned
($mil)
Age
Efficiency
1
Lawrence J Ellison
Oracle
556.98
944.45
21,987.40
64
103
2
Ray R Irani
Occidental Petroleum
222.64
743.55
394.3
74
106
3
John B Hess
Hess
154.58
234.83
2,016.80
55
115
4
Michael D Watford
Ultra Petroleum
116.93
174.17
104.1
55
28
5
Mark G Papa
EOG Resources
90.47
170.69
51.7
62
92
6
William R Berkley
WR Berkley
87.485
178.29
627.4
63
67
7
Matthew K Rose
Burlington Santa Fe
68.62
140.73
39.8
50
40
8
Paul J Evanson
Allegheny Energy
67.26
143.54
33.1
67
NA
9
Hugh Grant
Monsanto
64.6
135.3
28
51
NA
10
Robert W Lane
Deere & Co
61.3
142.4
11.8
59
109
11
Keith A Hutton
XTO Energy
54.786
NA
96.4
50
NA
12
Mark V Hurd
Hewlett-Packard
51.93
114.402
17.9
52
NA
13
John H Hammergren
McKesson
51.29
137.78
9.4
50
124
14
Bradbury H Anderson
Best Buy
49.265
80.63
92.9
59
68
15
David J O'Reilly
Chevron
47.56
121.62
15.8
62
119
16
Frederick W Smith
FedEx
44.49
131.1
1,001.90
64
165
17
Robert J Stevens
Lockheed Martin
42.68
101.39
26.3
57
NA
18
Ronald E Hermance Jr
Hudson City Bancorp
42.27
65.89
42.8
61
13
19
Brian L Roberts
Comcast
39.26
159.7
283.5
49
137
20
John W Rowe
Exelon
39.22
155.13
20.9
63
83
21
Richard C Adkerson
Freeport Copper
38.665
142.85
58.6
62
NA
22
Ronald A Williams
Aetna
38.125
77.863
28
60
NA
23
Chase Carey
DirecTV Group
36.865
54.362
15.3
55
NA
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