APPSC: APPSC Group 2 Results Announced

APPSC: APPSC Group 2 Results Announced

Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission Results

Click here for results.

www.apspsc.gov.in

appsc.ap.nic.in

Happy New Year: New Year Greetings, New Year Wishes

Happy New Year: New Year Greetings, New Year Wishes

I wish you Health...

So you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the Love of friends and family...
And Peace within your heart.

I wish you the Beauty of nature...
That you may enjoy the work of God.

I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities...
For those things that really matter in life.

I wish you Generousity so you may share...
All good things that come to you.

I wish you Happiness and Joy...
And Blessings for the New Year.

I wish you the best of everything...
That you so well deserve.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIEND!

~ Author Unknown to me ~


H ours of happy times with friends and family
A bundant time for relaxation
P rosperity
P lenty of love when you need it the most
Y outhful excitement at lifes simple pleasures

N ights of restful slumber (you know - dont' worry be happy)
E verything you need
W ishing you love and light

Y ears and years of good health
E njoyment and mirth
A angels to watch over you
R embrances of a happy years!


~ Author Unknown to me ~


Happiness deep down within.
Serenity with each sunrise.
Success in each facet of your life.
Family beside you.
Close and caring friends.
Health, inside you.
Love that never ends.
Special memories of all the yesterdays.
A bright today with much to be thankful for.
A path that leads to beautiful tomorrows.
Dreams that do their best to come true.
Appreciation of all the wonderful things about you.

~ Author Unknown to me ~


I look to the new year and my wish for you;

Peace within your heart
Love from family and friends
Faith to guide your way
Hope to to make it through each day
Sunshine to light the day
Heavenly Stars to wish upon
Rainbows to to let you know there is a tomorrow
A tear to show compassion
A heart to hold the love
But most of all I wish for you
to feel my hand in yours,
To know I am here if you stumble or fall.
To bring you cheer, to bring you love,
to return the love you always share with me.

~ Author Unknown to me ~


Perhaps a bit wiser,
a bit kinder, too,
a little bit braver,
a heart that's more true,
a touch of believing
I've not known before,
in joys I'm receiving
a little bit more.

A little more anxious
to reach out my hand,
despite hurt or problems
to still understand,
accepting the heartache
that life often brings,
a little more beauty
in life's simple things.

A prayer when I'm weary
as onward I trod,
a little more trusting,
believing in God,
'tis this I would wish for
within moments dear,
not a lot - just a little
this wondrous new year.

~ Garnett Ann Schultz ~

Source: rosebriar.uk.com

Snap 2008 Answer Key

Snap 2008 Answer Key

SNAP Answer Key | Solution Key

SNAP Exam’s (held on 21st December 2008) Answer key will be put up on competeindia.com shortly.

Miss World: Miss World Pageant

Miss World: Miss World Pageant

Miss World 2008 Contestants

Millions of women across the globe aspire for the title of Miss World. They work hard to bag the most prestigious beauty

pageant in the world. The year-long event is held in several stages. Hundreds of contestants compete in the initial stages.

The numbers shrink to a few more than a dozen on the final day. 110 contestants are expected to participate in Miss World

2008 contest.

Country Contestant Age Height
Albania Egla Harxhi 17 175
Angola Brigith dos Santos 18 180
Antigua & Barbuda Athina James 18 180
Argentina Agustina Quinteros 17 176
Aruba Christina Trejo 20 175
Australia Katie Richardson 20 178
Austria Kathrin Krahfuss 23 177
Bahmas Tinnyse Johnson 21 176
Barbados Natalie Griffith 18 168
Belarus Volha Khizhynkova 21 184
Belgium Alizée Poulicek 21 175
Belize Charmaine Chinapen 21 174
Bolivia Jackelin Arias 18 177
Bosnia & Herzegovina Herzegovina Tanja Vujicic 18 178
Botswana Itseng Kgomotso 19 178
Brazil Tamara Almeida 22 174
Bulgaria Julia Yurevich 19 177
Canada Leah Ryerse 20 178
Cayman Islands Nicosia Lawson 25 175
Chile Nataly Chilet 23 175
Mei Yan Ling China PR 24 180
Chinese Taipei Jamie Lin 24 173
Colombia Katherine Medina 17 180
Congo DR Christelle Ndila 18 174
Costa Rica Amalia Matamoros 19 175
Croatia Josipa Kusic 20 182
Curacao Norayla Francisco 23 181
Cyprus Mari Vasileiou 18 168
Czech Republic Zuzana Jandová 20 180
Denmark Lisa Lents 21 177
Dominican Republic Nathali Montes de Oca 21 175
Ecaudor Marjorie Cevallos 22 183
Egypt Sanaa Ismail Hamed 24 175
El Salvador Gabriela Gavidia 18 173
England Laura Coleman 22 175
Ethiopia Hibret Fekadu 18 180
Finland Linda Wikstedt 19 174
France Laura Tanguy 20 175
Georgia Khatuna Skhirtladze 18 177
Germany Anne Katrin Walter 21 172
Ghana Frances Takyi-Mensah 22 180
Gibraltar Krystel Robba 22 178
Greece Angeliki Kalaitzi 24 173
Guadeloupe Frédérika Charpentier 23 175
Guatemala Maribel Arana 23 174
Guyana Christa Simmons 23 173
Honduras Gabriela Zavala 23 183
Hong Kong Skye Chan 24 168
Hungary Szilvia Freire 24 174
Iceland Alexandra Ívarsdóttir 18 180
India Parvathy Omanakuttan 21 175
Indonesia Sandra Angelia 22 168
Ireland Sinéad Noonan 21 175
Israel Tamar Ziskind 23 176
Italy Claudia Russo 25 178
Jamaica Brittany Lyons 19 166
Japan Mizuki Kubodera 21 173
`Kazakhstan Alfina Nassyrova 20 175
Kenya Ruth Kinuthia 22 184
Korea Choi Bo-in 22 169
Latvia Ina Avlasevica 20 180
Lebanon Rosarita Tawil 20 178
Lithuania GabrieleMartirosianaite 17 176
Macedonia FYRO Suzana Al-Salkini 24 176
Malaysia Soo Wincci 23 170
Malta Martha Fenech 17 170
Martinique Elodie Delor 18 183
Mauritius Olivia Carey 19 170
Mexico Anagabriela Espinoza 20 180
Moldova Iana Varnacova 17 180
Mongolia Anun Chinbat 23 173
Montenegro Mariana Mihajlovic 18 180
Namibia Marelize Robberts 21 180
Netherlands Carmen Kool 22 178
New Zealand Kahurangi Taylor 17 180
Nigeria Adaeze Igwe 18 173
Northern Ireland Judith Wilson 23 180
Norway Lene Egeli 21 178
Paraguay Gabriela Rejala 19 173
Peru Annmarie Dehainaut Velezmoro 18 175
Philippines Danielle Castaño 18 174
Poland Klaudia Ungerman 20 180
Portugal Andréia Rodrigues 24 175
Puerto Rico Ivonne Orsini 20 175
Russia Ksenia Sukhinova 21 178
Scotland Stephanie Willemse 19 180
Serbia Nevena Lipovec 19 175
Seychelles Elena Angione 22 168
Sierra Lione Tyrilla Gouldson 24 188
Singapore Faraliza Tan 22 175
Slovakia Edita Krešáková 19 180
South Africa Tansey Coetzee 23 174
Spain Patricia Rodríguez 18 179
Sri Lanka Rochelle Correa 24 180
St Lucia Joy-Ann Biscette 22 173
Swaziland Tiffany Simelane 20 172
Sweden Jennifer Palm Lundberg 22 176
Tanzania Nasreem Ndiye 22 174
Thailand Ummarapas Jullakasian 23 173
Trinidad & Tobago Gabrielle Walcott 23 170
Turkey Leyla Tugutlu 19 175
Uganda Dora Mwima 18 175
Ukraine Irina Zhuravskaya 18 177
United States Lane Lindell 18 177
Uruguay Fatimih Dávila 20 176
Venuzuela Hannelly Quintero 22 176
Vietnam Duong Truong Thiên Lý 19 169
Wales Chloe Morgan 22 175
Zambia Winfridah Mofu 19 172
Zimbabwe Cynthia Muvirimi 25 170

Source: pageants.india-server.com

DDA: DDA Results - www.dda.org.in

DDA: DDA Results - www.dda.org.in

DDA housing scheme results out, over 5000 flats allotted

Here's a piece of good news for the applicants of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) housing scheme. The two websites that were displaying the results of the draw are now opening. Earlier, many were facing problems while logging onto the sites. The sites - www.dda.org.in or www.urbanindia.nic.in, were not opening till afternoon.

Besides the sites, the DDA has also promised to publish the results in major newspapers on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, a number of calls were received at NDTV.com with people complaining that they were unable to view the results on the DDA website and asking for an alternative way to do so.

It was a day many in Delhi had been waiting for with fingers crossed - the DDA allotted 5,000 flats through a computer lottery. At the Vikas Sadan office where applicants had been collecting since morning, the display of results had mixed news. An exultant Ratnesh Kumar Maheshwari, whose name appeared in the list, said, Earlier, I used to stay in a rented house. But now, I'll have a flat of my own.

On the other hand, Harish Kumar, whose name did not figure in the list, said he was not lucky this time. I will try next time because it is still affordable, he said.

The lottery process, which began at 12 noon, saw hundreds of applicants protesting and shouting slogans outside the DDA's office at Vikas Sadan. The protesting applicants said they were told that the draw would be shown live to them on a screen to ensure transparency. But they were not being allowed inside the building. Instead, they' d been asked to check the result at 3 pm on the DDA website.

The 5,000 DDA flats range from Rs 7 to 77 lakh in cost. They've been built in some of Delhi's most-wanted colonies like Dwarka, Rohini and Vasant Kunj.

The fact that they are 50 per cent cheaper than market rates for these areas makes them priceless. And to avoid any controversy, the lottery was supervised by IIT teachers.

Source: ndtv.com

A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story is a 1983 film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark. (wikipedia.org)

Sixth Pay Commission: Govt rejects 'one rank-one pension' demand of ex-servicemen

Sixth Pay Commission: Govt rejects 'one rank-one pension' demand of ex-servicemen

New Delhi, Dec 15 (PTI) Rejecting a long-standing demand of ex-servicemen, the government today said it was not contemplating providing "one rank-one pension" to similarly placed officers and jawans after their retirement.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said the demand was "not found acceptable" due to administrative, financial and legal reasons.

Moreover, Raju said, the pensionary benefits of personnel below officer rank, particularly of the three ranks of Sepoy, Naik and Havildar have been significantly increased by increasing weightage from five years to ten, eight and six years respectively.

They were also allowed pension before January 1996 to be computed with reference to the maximum of the pay scale introduced from January 1, 1996.

With the Pay Commissions increasing the pay of armed forces and men every 10 years, the gap between the pension received by those who retired before the implementation of the respective commissions widened.

Similarly placed retired officers (with same ranks and number of years of service) were receiving different amounts as pension, which has been opposed by lakhs of ex-servicemen all across the country and hence the demand from them for "one rank-one pension." In another reply, Raju said the government had already received representations from ex-servicemen regarding their grievances against various recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. PTI

Bihar keen on implementing 6th pay commission

Bihar keen on implementing 6th pay commission

Patna (PTI): If all goes well, Bihar government employees might receive an enhanced pay during the current year with the state government "seriously considering" implementing the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of the Janata Darbar on Monday, implementation of the Pay Panel recommendations would undoubtedly put an extra burden on the state exchequer, "still we want to implement it in the interest of the state government employees".

Kumar said, "We told the chairman of the 13th Finance Commission Vijay Kelkar that it will be fair if the states are given at least 50 per cent financial assistance for the additional burden of implementing the recommendations".

The empowered committee of the state finance ministers has already submitted a memorandum to the 13the Finance Commission in this regard, Kumar said.

Expressing displeasure over, what Kumar termed as, the "slow progress" on the projects sanctioned for Bihar when he was the Railway minister, the Chief Minister said he would pose six questions to Lalu Prasad as to why no action was taken on the projects okayed by him.

The projects include setting up of Harnaut rail factory in Nalanda, construction of Munger railway bridge, Kosi Mahasetu, Digha railway bridge and doubling of Patna-Gaya railway line.

"Lalu was instead laying foundation stones of several railway projects for Bihar with the Lok Sabha elections round the corner', he said.

- PTI

Sixth Pay Commission: Hike in salary for State staff

Sixth Pay Commission: Hike in salary for State staff

BHUBANESWAR: As yet another sop in the runup to polls, the State Government Sunday accepted the report of the fitment committee on the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations with some changes for across-the-board hike in salary of employees with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006.

The increase will be from 30 to 60 per cent depending on the seniority and grade and will benefit around five lakh employees, including grant-in-aid employees, and 2.5 lakh pensioners. The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting here presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and will be placed in the Assembly Monday. The cut-off date was fixed on November 30, 2008 before which the pay will be treated as arrear.

Forty per cent of the arrear will be paid along with the enhanced salary in December. Rest will be paid in 2009. Sources said that 40 per cent arrear and enhanced salary of December, January and February along with increased pension will cost the exchequer a whopping Rs 2,255.36 cr. Provision for this has been made in the first supplementary budget which was passed on November 26.

The number of payscales has been brought down from 28 to 5 band of scales. The payscales of administrative officials have been brought down to three bands from seven scales. Sources maintained that the posts special secretary, additional secretary senior grade and additional secretary will be in the highest grade with starting scale of Rs 37,400 while their grade pay will differ. The highest grade pay in this band will be Rs 9,000.

The highest gross pay will be around Rs 53,000 per month while the lowest will be around Rs 15,000. The lowest pay band is reported to have been fixed at Rs 4,700. The Dearness Allowance (DA) has been made zero in January, 2006. After that, there has been revision of DA five times, the latest in July, 2008. The DA, after the implementation of the fitment committee recommendations, will be 16 per cent.

The House Rent Allowance for employees posted in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack has been revised to 20 per cent while for rest of the State, it will be 10 per cent. Block grant for 1,694 high schools, 100 girls high schools and 860 upper primary schools have been increased from 40 to 60 per cent. This will cost the exchequer Rs 68.68 cr per year. The proposal for third peon post in block grant high schools was accepted.

Other decisions included appointment of village level workers (VLWs) as panchayat executive officers for which the Orissa Gram Panchayat Act will be amended. Cadre rules of data entry operators was approved.

Source: expressbuzz.com

Sixth Pay Commission: Orissa House gives nod to pay hike

Sixth Pay Commission: Orissa House gives nod to pay hike

Bhubaneswar (Orissa): Orissa Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadai on Monday announced that the State Government would implement

revised pay scales for its employees on the basis of the Sixth Pay Commission in State Assembly.

With this the State would bear an additional burden of Rs.6300 crore. For arrears Rs.4200 crore and Rs.2100 towards current

pay and pension additional liability will be created, Ghadai informed the House.

Employees will be given revised pay with effect from 1 January 2006, while pension in the revised scale will be given from 1

December 2008, he added.

At least 28 pay scales have been prescribed of which 3 interim scales with grade pay and remaining 25 scales are compressed

in 4 pay bands with appropriate grade pay.

Lowest pay scale is Rs.4,440- 7,440 with grade pay of Rs.1300 per month and the highest scale is Rs.37,400- Rs.67,000 with

grade pay of Rs.9000 per month, he said.

Revised pay scales will also be applicable to work-charged employees, fully aided educational institutions having regular

posts with scales.

Urban bodies can be allowed to give the revised pay scale to their employees if they can manage through their own resources,

he said.

Assured Career Progression (ACP) has been introduced for all the State Government employees up to Group A for continuing in

one grade and one scale on completion of 15 years, 25 years and 30 years instead of present TBA after 15 years and benefit of

one increment after 25 years.

House rent allowance has been enhanced in case of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack from 15 to 20 per cent. House rent allowance in

other 20 urban areas will be given at 10 per cent basis.

Maximum gratuity has been raised to Rs.7.5 lakh from Rs.2.5 lakh. The commuted value of pension has been enhanced to 40 per

cent.

Maximum qualifying service for pension has been reduced to 25 years from 33 years. Additional pension will be given to

pensioners and family pension aged 80 and above as per with the Government of India, the Minister closed.

Source: odishatoday.com

Top 10 Social Networks

Top 10 Social Networks

Top 10 social networking websites:

1. facebook
2. myspace
3. hi5
4. orkut
5. linkedin
6. nasza klasa
7. netlog
8. mixi
9. meetup
10. odnoklassniki

Facebook

Facebook

Type : Private

Founded : Cambridge, Massachusetts
(February 4, 2004)
Headquarters Palo Alto, California
Dublin, Ireland (international headquarters for Europe, Africa, Middle East)
Key people Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO
Dustin Moskovitz, Co-founder
Sheryl Sandberg, COO
Matt Cohler, VP of Product Management
Chris Hughes, Co-founder
Revenue ▲ 300 million USD (2008 est.)
Net income ▼ -50 million USD (2008 est.)
Employees 700 (November 2008)[3]
Website: facebook.com
Type of site Social network service
Advertising Banner ads, Referral marketing
Registration Required
Available in Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (American), English (British), English (Pirate), Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian (bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Russian, Slovene, Spanish (Castilian), Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Welsh
Launched : February 2004
Current status : Active

Facebook is a social networking website launched on February 4, 2004. The free-access website is privately owned and operated by Facebook, Inc. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profile to notify friends about themselves. The website's name refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of a campus community that some US colleges and preparatory schools give to incoming students, faculty, and staff as a way to get to know other people on campus.

Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook while he was a student at Harvard University. Website membership was initially limited to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Ivy League. It later expanded further to include any university student, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has more than 120 million active users worldwide.

Facebook has met with some controversy over the past few years. It has been blocked intermittently in several countries including Syria and Iran. It has also been banned at many places of work to increase productivity.[8] Privacy has also been an issue, and it has been compromised several times. It is also facing several lawsuits from a number of Zuckerberg's former classmates, who claim that Facebook had stolen their source code and other intellectual property. (wikipedia.org)

Top Lyrics Search

Top Lyrics Search

1. With you Lyrics (chris brown)

2. My life Lyrics (lil wayne)

3. Love song Lyrics (sara bareilles)

4. Lollipop Lyrics (lil wayne)

5. Low Lyrics (flo rida, featuring t-pain)

6. Paper planes Lyrics (m.i.a.)

7. Bleeding love Lyrics (leona lewis)

8. Tonight Lyrics (jonas brothers)

9. Forever Lyrics (chris brown)

10. Viva la vida Lyrics (coldplay)

Railway Tickets Online - Train Tickets Online

Railway Tickets Online - Train Tickets Online

Train Ticket
Tourism Services
Mumbai Season Ticket

Train Reservation
Reservation Enquiries
PNR Enquiry
Train Enquiry
Trains at a Glance
Train/Fare Accommodation
Train Between Important Stations

The above mentioned are available online at www.irctc.co.in

Miss World 2008 Kseniya Sukhinova

Miss World 2008 Kseniya Sukhinova

Miss Russia Ksenya Sukhinova is Miss World 2008

Miss Russia Ksenya Sukhinova is Miss World 2008

Russia's Ksenya Sukhinova was crowned Miss World 2008 after beating scores of international beauties, including India's

Parvathy Omanakuttan who finished first runner up, at a glittering African extravaganza held here.

"Miss World 2008 is Russia," announced Julia Morley, head of the Miss World committee that organises the event. The

21-year-old Parvathy, who hails from Kottayam in Kerala, narrowly missed out on joining five Indian glamour queens Reita

Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999) and Priyanka Chopra (2000) who had won

the title.

The second runners up was Gabriel Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.

More than 100 international beauties participated in this year's Miss World pageant, hosted by South Africa.

Sukhinova, who took over the title from Zhang Zi Lin of China to become the 58th Miss World, was crowned after a two-hour

long spectacle that combined elements of travelogue and reality show. She beamed as she was crowned.

Sukhinova also had won the contest's top model award and was third in the swimsuit competition. Miss South Africa Tansey

Coetzee had made it to the final five.

"I think I can help people and I want to help people and today if I walk away with this crown I will do that," Sukhinova told

judges through a translator after being asked why she should be crowned the winner.

India's Parvathy, who had won the Miss femina contest in April this year, said: "In India and South Africa people are warm

and warm-hearted. I felt at home in Johannesburg." "Presence of two great leaders Mahatma Gandhi (India) and Nelson Mandela

(South Africa) have influenced millions of people in both the countries," she said.

Asked About her experience in the beauty pageant, the 5 feet 9 inches tall dusky beauty said: "It is a great journey for me."

South Africa, who hosted the event for the sixth time, became the country that has held more Miss World pageants than any

other. The event was broadcast to millions of viewers in 187 countries.

Beauties from 109 countries were whittled down to 15 semi-finalists with India, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Angola and South

Africa named the five finalists as the audience willed their favourite to go forward.

Source: ndtv.com

Russian blonde Kseniya Sukhinova named new Miss World 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa

Russian blonde Kseniya Sukhinova named new Miss World 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Russian blonde Kseniya Sukhinova is the new Miss World.

Sukhinova was crowned after a two-hour spectacle in Johannesburg Saturday that combined elements of travelogue and reality show, and the kind of flag-waving usually seen at sports events. She beamed as she was crowned.

Sukhinova also had won the contest's top model award and was third in the swimsuit competition. She was a crowd favorite — though not as popular as hometown beauty Miss South Africa, Tansey Coetzee. Coetzee made the final five.

Second runner up was Miss Trinidad and Tobago, Gabrielle Walcott. First runner up was Miss India, Parvathy Omankuttan.

Source: http://www.dailypress.com

American Idol Season 8 2009

American Idol Season 8 2009

The eighth season of American Idol will premiere on January 13, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson will return to judge once again, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. Kara DioGuardi was announced as the fourth and newest judge to the 'Idol' panel.

Media sponsorship
American Idol is often noted for advertising its sponsors during the show's runtime. Being the number-one-rated show in the United States, it costs around $700,000 for a 30-second commercial.

Apple iTunes has joined as a Season 7 major sponsor in the U.S., and Ryan Seacrest notes during the program that all performances are available via iTunes. Video is regularly shown of contestants learning their songs by rehearsing with iPods. Coca-Cola is a major sponsor in the U.S., and all the judges, hosts, and contestants are seen consuming beverages out of cups bearing the Coca-Cola logo, although video evidence suggests there is actually no beverage in the judges' cups at all.[38] The sponsorship also depicts contestants and host Seacrest gathering for a "Keeping it Real" segment between songs in the "Coca-Cola Red Room," the show's equivalent to the traditional green room. (During rebroadcast on ITV in the UK, the Coca-Cola logo is obscured in the shots.) In seasons 1 through 4, after every Wednesday results show, the host and remaining contestants meet in the Coca-Cola Red Room to discuss next week's theme; the footage of this meeting is shown at the start of the following Tuesday's performance show. The red room was removed in Season 7 at the beginning of the top 12 when American Idol switched to a new stage. Highlights of the show were also featured on the official American Idol web site with a Coca-Cola logo surrounding them.

Text voting is made possible by AT&T Mobility, formerly Cingular Wireless. AT&T created an ad campaign that centered around an air-headed teenager going around telling people to vote. This kind of branding to American Idol enabled AT&T to become the favored system to vote for many Americans (Jenkins 87).

Kellogg and Pop-Tarts are also two major sponsors, especially of the cast tour that follows the end of every season.[40] Products from the Ford Motor Company also receive prominent product placement; contestants appear in Ford commercials on the results shows, and the final two of Seasons 4, 5 and 6 each won free Mustangs. Previous contestants Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Hicks have also been tapped to do commercials for Ford. Also, in the top 24's studio, in the red room there is a glass table with a Ford tire inside of it. The camera routinely captures the logo. Carrie Underwood previously did commercials for various chocolate brands. Jordin Sparks, the winner of the sixth installment of 'Idol', filmed a commercial promoting the new "American Idol Experience" section of the Florida theme park, Disneyworld.

Contestants will occasionally don Old Navy clothing during performances,[40] and celebrity stylist Steven Cojocaru appeared in two previous seasons to assist contestants with picking out wardrobe pieces from Old Navy. Clairol hair care products also sponsors the show, with contestants usually getting Clairol-guided hair makeovers after the first two or three episodes during the round of 12.

Source: wikipedia.org

Katrina Kaif is the hottest babe on Google

Katrina Kaif is the hottest babe on Google

Looks like Katrina Kaif has finally won the 'Race'! As per a new Google report, Indians couldn't have enough of the leggy beauty on big screen so they spent most of the 2008 searching for this Bollywood siren on the Web.

Recently declared as Asia's sexiest woman, Katrina Kaif has yet again pipped former beauty queen and Bollywood heart-throb Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the most searched for person on the Web, according to Google's India Zeitgeist list for 2008.

Interestingly, Katrina has also outdone her boyfriend and godfather Salman Khan when it comes to being googled on the Net! As for Salman, he may not have been able to set his account straight with Shah Rukh Khan in real life but on the world wide web he has elbowed King Khan, and remains the most searched for actor in India. Shahid Kapoor makes his debut on the list while Genelia D'Souza of Jaane Tu Jaane Na has been declared as one the fastest rising searched for terms on the Net besides Beijing Olympics and IPL!

Bollywood remains one of the most popular Internet search terms ahead of Tamil Cinema when it comes to netizens' interest on movies. As with most of the awards ceremonies, one name that is conspicously missing is none other than Aamir Khan's. After all, Aamir was never in the rat race, more so if it was run on people's keyboards!

Source: movies.ndtv.com

Katrina Kaif is the hottest babe on Google

Katrina Kaif is the hottest babe on Google

Looks like Katrina Kaif has finally won the 'Race'! As per a new Google report, Indians couldn't have enough of the leggy beauty on big screen so they spent most of the 2008 searching for this Bollywood siren on the Web.

Recently declared as Asia's sexiest woman, Katrina Kaif has yet again pipped former beauty queen and Bollywood heart-throb Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the most searched for person on the Web, according to Google's India Zeitgeist list for 2008.

Interestingly, Katrina has also outdone her boyfriend and godfather Salman Khan when it comes to being googled on the Net! As for Salman, he may not have been able to set his account straight with Shah Rukh Khan in real life but on the world wide web he has elbowed King Khan, and remains the most searched for actor in India. Shahid Kapoor makes his debut on the list while Genelia D'Souza of Jaane Tu Jaane Na has been declared as one the fastest rising searched for terms on the Net besides Beijing Olympics and IPL!

Bollywood remains one of the most popular Internet search terms ahead of Tamil Cinema when it comes to netizens' interest on movies. As with most of the awards ceremonies, one name that is conspicously missing is none other than Aamir Khan's. After all, Aamir was never in the rat race, more so if it was run on people's keyboards!

Source: movies.ndtv.com

Ring Of Fire Lyrics

Ring Of Fire Lyrics

Love Is A Burning Thing
And It Makes A Fiery Ring
Bound By Wild Desire
I Fell Into A Ring Of Fire

CHORUS:
I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher

And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire

I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher

And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire

The Taste Of Love Is Sweet
When Hearts Like Ours Meet
I Fell For You Like A Child
Oh, But The Fire Went Wild

CHORUS
I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher
Cool New Version of Johnny Cash
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire

I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down(down), Down(down), Down(down)
And The Flames Went Higher Higher Higher

And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire

And It Burns, Burns, Burns

The Ring Of Fire

The Ring Of Fire
Oh Yeah!
The Ring Of Fire

Jingle Bell Rock - Billy Idol

Jingle Bell Rock - Billy Idol

Embedding disabled by request

Click here for Jingle Bell Rock - Billy Idol.

Jingle Bell Rock Lyrics

Jingle Bell Rock Lyrics

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air.

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell rock.

Sixth Pay Commission: MBAs play safe, vie for civil services

Sixth Pay Commission: MBAs play safe, vie for civil services

A24 x7 blue-collar job, with a six-figure pay - and the demons of impossible targets, insecurity and killer stress. Or a cushy government job, with a decent pay, comfortable lifestyle, non-existent accountability, loads of perks and real power? For MBAs, the choice is no longer a blind first. The heat generated by the global meltdown seems to have warmed their hearts for government jobs.

Caught in the worldwide financial turmoil, the glam quotient in corporate jobs has taken a nose-dive . Job security - rather than big bucks - is determining factor. Even IIM-Calcutta grads, the much-envied elite in the MBA community, cannot resist the survival instinct. Their choice: the Indian Civil Services.

Several IIM-C students are preparing as hard for the 2009-2010 civil service examinations, as they are for their MBA finals. IIM and IIT grads do appear in the civil services exam and make it to the topper's list every year. In fact, the Bengal cadre has a number of IIT graduates - S K Gupta, N S Nigam, Talleen Kumar, Binod Kumar , and Prabhat Mishra - to name a few. But this time the number of hopefuls from these elite campuses is far more.

The campus placements - in which the big bucks had dried up this season - perhaps isn't as much of a pull as the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy that trains IAS officers . But won't they miss the sixfigure salaries?

"Money isn't everything," says Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh, 1st year student at IIM-C . He knows that the starting point is only Rs 24,000 a month in the civil services, but says he can "discount that for the more meaningful stuff in life" . With a gold medal in electrical engineering from NIT, Kurukshetra, the IIM-C students' council president is even ready to vouch for his campus mates. "We'll take the IAS exams because government service offers quality work. The reach is wider. And the pay does enhance with seniority."

"I want quality life and a rewarding career. You can have both as a bureaucrat . Besides, I don't want the stress that comes with a corporate package," says Harish, Singh's batchmate . "I always dreamt of being a civil servant. This meltdown has only reinforced my resolve. After the Sixth Pay Commission revision, a civil servant's job is paying, too."

Singh has made a note of the Cabinet secretary's Rs 90,000-minimum basic salary. "Add to that the other allowances and the perks and I can be laughing my way to the bank," he says, solemnly adding: "We've all weighed the pros and cons carefully. This isn't a sudden decision."

However, Jyotirmoy Pal Chowdhury , director of Bose Academy, an IAS coaching centre, feels it is just that - a knee-jerk reaction. "We have been struck by the sudden interest generated from B-schoolgoers for the 2009 ICS prelims. The global meltdown has certainly touched the civil service chord in job aspirants," says the veteran trainer.

IAS coaching centres run by IISWBM and Asutosh College had closed down a few years ago because the demand had waned in the glare of the corporate boom. Now, it's just the opposite.

"If B-school boys are really interested in our service, it's certainly a welcome development," says Sunil Mitra, power secretary and president, IAS Officers' Association. "The country will benefit from their managerial skills."

Subesh Das, principal secretary to chief minister, isn't surprised by the trend. "The government sector is the most challenging. It's the best paying, professionally," said Das, who has done a PhD in industrial and labour relations from Cornell University , US. "The extra professional degree (MBA) would only heighten their expertise as bureaucrats."

West Midnapore district magistrate N S Nigamagrees: "Several of my batchmates from IIT-Kanpur became civil servants. Nobody has any regret. This is one of the best professions available in India. Paywise, this job offers enough for a decent living."

But there have been some in the Bengal cadre who took a lien for Bcourses . Most of them left in due time for the moolah. Mitra's candid explanation : "Some of our younger colleagues have left the service to meet bigger challenges. On the flip side, there's no denying that the political environment does affect decisionmaking in governance. But now that the corporate bubble has burst, the positive sides of bureaucracy will be seriously considered. I am sure the trend is here to stay."

Or is it? A K Patnaik, member, State Administrative Tribunal, takes a different view. "Just because a handful of IIM grads are showing interest in IAS, we must not read too much into it. Our service has lost its primacy and differential advantage. In a meltdown scenario, any government job - and not just civil service - would be considered a better option."

Ditto, says HR consultant Tushar Bose: "I think it's only a temporary phenomenon. Once the economy bounces back, they will again look the corporate way."


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Miss World 2008 is Ksenia Sukhinova - Russia

Miss World 2008 is Ksenia Sukhinova - Russia

Miss World 2008 Russia - Ksenia Sukhinova

1st Runner-up India - Parvathy Omanakuttan

2nd Runner-up Trinidad & Tobago - Gabrielle Walcott.

Jennifer Aniston Desktop Calendar 2009

Jennifer Aniston Desktop Calendar 2009

Jennifer Aniston's wet T-shirt look for desktop calendar

IT'S only a 2009 desktop calendar, but the rather prim Jennifer Aniston has revealed herself like never before. news.com

Christmas Decorations

Christmas decorations extend well beyond the Christmas tree. Christmas is an occasion to decorate the entire home – outdoors,

indoors, window decor, lighting displays, mantle garlands, Christmas stockings, beautiful door wreaths – the list never ends!

lick Celebrations.com experts have tips and

ideas to help you and your family spread Christmas cheer throughout your home.

Click here for more.

Part Time Online Jobs

Make $250-$1000 daily. Part time online jobs offered from home.

Make money, Earn extra income, Work at home, Work from home.

Visit:

www.home-profits.biz

www.online-dataentry.com

Today December 1 is World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of

HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33 million people

worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent,

improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2

million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children. The concept of a World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World

Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments,

international organizations and charities around the world.

World AIDS Day Themes 1988 - present

1988 Communication
1989 Youth
1990 Women and AIDS
1991 Sharing the Challenge
1992 Community Commitment
1993 Act
1994 AIDS and the Family
1995 Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities
1996 One World. One Hope
1997 Children Living in a World with AIDS
1998 Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign With Young People
1999 Listen, Learn, Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children & Young People
2000 AIDS: Men Make a Difference
2001 I care. Do you?
2002 Stigma and Discrimination
2003 Stigma and Discrimination
2004 Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS
2005 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise
2006 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Accountability
2007 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Leadership
2008 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Lead - Empower - Deliver


Read more.

Aileen Quinn

Aileen Quinn

Date of Birth:28 June 1971, Yardley, Pennsylvania, USA
Mini Biography:Born June 28, 1971, Aileen was introduced to show business by her mother.
Trivia:Studied at Drew University, New Jersey.
Awards:Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Filmography
Jump to filmography as: Actress, Soundtrack, Self, Archive Footage
Actress:
In Production
2000s
1980s
Multiple Sarcasms (2008) (completed) .... School Secretary


30 (2007) .... Maggie
Generation Gap (2004) (TV) .... Host


The Frog Prince (1986) .... Princess Zora
... aka Cannon Movie Tales: The Frog Prince
The Charmkins (1983) (TV) (voice) .... Brown-Eyed Susan
Annie (1982) .... Annie
Ozu no mahôtsukai (1982) (voice) .... Dorothy Gale
... aka The Wizard of Oz (USA)

Soundtrack:
The Frog Prince (1986) (performer: "Lucky Day", "A Promise Is A Promise", "Friendship", "Have You Forgotton Me?")
... aka Cannon Movie Tales: The Frog Prince
Annie (1982) (performer: "Tomorrow (Opening Titles)", "Maybe", "It's The Hard-Knock Life", "Dumb Dog", "Sandy", "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here", "Let's Go To The Movies", "Tomorrow (White House Version)", "Maybe (Same Effect On Everyone)", "Finale Medley: I Don't Need Anything But You/We Got Annie/Tomorrow", "Tomorrow (End Credits)")
Ozu no mahôtsukai (1982) (performer: "Strictly Up to You", "I Dream of Home", "It's a Wizard of a Day")
... aka The Wizard of Oz (USA)

Self:
2000s
1980s
"Gylne tider" .... Herself (1 episode, 2006)
- Episode #3.3 (2006) TV episode .... Herself
The 100 Greatest Musicals (2003) (TV) .... Herself


Andy Williams' Early New England Christmas (1982) (TV) .... Herself
"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" .... Herself (1 episode, 1982)
... aka The Best of Carson (USA: rerun title)
- Episode dated 27 August 1982 (1982) TV episode .... Herself
Lights, Camera, Annie! (1982) (TV) .... Herself/Annie

Archive Footage:
"VM Show Vol. 2"
- Episode #1.5 (2005) TV episode .... Annie


Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0703747/

Cornwell Tools

Cornwell Tools

At Cornwell Tools, our commitment is to provide you with the highest quality products and service in the industry.

Cornwell Tools are only available through authorized Cornwell Dealers. If you do not have a local dealer or are unable to

contact yours, please let us know. Either call us toll free at (800) 321-8356 or use our online Dealer Locator form.

If you have Cornwell manufactured product that needs to be warrantied, please ship it prepaid with packing slip enclosed to

the following address:

Cornwell Tools
Attn: Warranty Return Department
635 Seville Road
Wadsworth, OH 44281
Tel: (800) 321-8356 or (330) 336-3506
Fax: (330) 336-3337

Source: http://www.cornwelltools.com/custservice.asp

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom resigns

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom resigns

Mississippi coach Sylvester Croom has resigned.

ESPN is reporting the news.

Croom, the first African-American head coach in the history of SEC football, took over the Bulldogs in 2004.

Source: http://blogs.suntimes.com

Plaxico Burress Shot

Plaxico Burress Shot

New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was involved in an accidental shooting at a night club Friday night.

Giants wideout Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a nightclub Friday night. Burress spent the night at

the hospital, and his wound is not considered life-threatening.

Burress had already been sidelined for this Sundays’ game against the Washington Redskins due to a hamstring injury. He was

not at team meetings and did not attend Saturday’s walkthrough. Specific details of the shooting are not available, and the

Giants are not commenting on the incident.

This marks another black spot in what has not been a good year off the field for Burress. He has been suspended and fined

several times this season for missing meetings and arguing with officials. After all his woes, Burress insisted he was not a

distraction to his team. Burress is currently playing on a $35million contract that he signed after the Giants won the Super

Bowl last season.

Source: sports.rightpundits.com

Chris Matthews For Senate?

Rumors have been flying around over the past year or so about the possibility of MSNBC political commentator and host of

“Hardball,” Chris Matthews, running for the Senate in Pennsylvania. He was born in Philadelphia.

Could it really happen? Two separate reports today indicate that it just might. FiveThirtyEight reports that Matthews has

been in discussions with veteran Obama staffers to “enlist in his campaign.”

Additionally, the Associated Press picked up on the story today to report that a Pennsylvania Democratic party leader has

heard some serious rumblings of a potential run as well.

A Pennsylvania Democratic party leader says MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews may be considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2010.

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reports Matthews met with state party leaders this past week in Washington to discuss a

possible bid to unseat Republican Sen. Arlen Specter.

Party official Mary Isenhour says she left the meeting feeling that Matthews still hadn’t made up his mind.

The 62-year-old Matthews hosts MSNBC’s “Hardball” and provides political commentary on NBC’s “Today.” He ran unsuccessfully

for a Pennsylvania congressional seat in 1974.
But of course, the inevitable “that’s crazy!” retort was given by a spokesperson at MSNBC to Politico in response to the

rumors which have suddenly gained newsworthy attention today.

UPDATE: Through a spokesperson, Matthews gave the following statement to Politico about the FiveThirtyEight report: “It is

absolutely not true.”
Matthews would reportedly run as a Democrat against veteran incumbent Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). Some pundits, including

the Cook Political Report, see Specter as a possible candidate for retirement when his term runs out in 2010. Specter would

be 80 at that time and has had two serious battles with cancer over the past few years.

The Cook folks have Specter’s seat currently rated as “Leans Republican” which means it would likely be a competitive race.

A recent poll shows Specter would have a significant lead to start with, largely due to the fact that voters don’t know much

about Matthews.

Source:
target="_blank">http://senatus.wordpress.com

Linux 2.6 kernel ported to the iPhone

Linux 2.6 kernel ported to the iPhone

A rather interesting report has been filtering out of various websites: a 2.6 version of the Linux kernel has been ported to

the iPhone. This Linux operating system can be used on the iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, and first-generation iPod touch platforms.

This site: http://linuxoniphone.blogspot.com/2008/11/linux-on-iphone.html announced that the Linux 2.6 kernel has been ported

to Apple’s iPhone and is fully (more or less) functional, with support for the first and second generation iPhones as well as

the first generation iPod touch. They do warn that this is a rough first draft

of the port, and many drivers are still missing, but it’s enough that a real alternative operating system is running on the

iPhone.

This could be an important stepping stone for the true acceptance of the iPhone for a new breed of higher-end tech user.

What’s included so far: the Framebuffer driver, a Serial driver (and over USB as well), and interrupts, MMU and clock.

Read-only support for the NAND is nearly complete as well. Touchscreen, sound and wireless networking as still being added,

but he anticipates those will be in soon.

Source: http://www.iphonestalk.com/

Suzuki Unveils The Hayabusa’s 2009 Version

Suzuki Unveils The Hayabusa’s 2009 Version

Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Ltd. (SMIPL), a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, on Wednesday launched two

hyper sports bike — Hayabusa and Intruder M1800R. Both priced at Rs. 12.50 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), Hayabusa comes with a

1,340-cc engine, while Intruder is available with a 1,783-cc V-twin engine. Hayabusa has a four-stroke, four cylinder and

liquid-cooled DOHC (double overhead cam) engine that comes with radial mount breaks in the front.

The company aims to sell over 350 super bikes at the rate of one bike per day. Already, Yamaha has launched its 1,000 cc

YZF-R1 superbike and the 1,670 cc MT-01 priced in the Rs 10-15 lakh range. Italian moto-major Triumph has also launched its

Monster, Multistrada and 1098 superbikes in the Indian market priced in the Rs 15-55 lakh range.

Depending upon the response to these products, Suzuki —among the largest manufacturer of bikes in the world after fellow

Japanese makers Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki—also plans to bring its GSX -R series of motorcycles to India.

Source: autoracingdaily.com

Haryana to implement sixth pay commission scales from Jan 2006

Haryana to implement sixth pay commission scales from Jan 2006

Saturday, 29 November 2008

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said that the revised pay scales according to the

recommendations of sixth pay commission to all State Government employees would be implemented from January 2006. The State

Government had already made a provision of Rs. 1500 crore in the annual budget
this financial year.

The Chief Minister while replying the questions of Media Persons at Rohtak said that a committee had been formed under the

Chairmanship of Haryana Chief Secretary to look into the matter and to decide the revised pay scales as per the

recommendations of sixth pay commission.

He said that the committee had received about 225 suggestions from different departments about the revision in the pay

scales. For the transparency in the fixation of pay scales the committee had given personal hearing to all the request and

suggestions. He assured that the new pay scales would be satisfactory and justifiable to each and every category of

employees.

Hooda said that "employees are the back bone of the administration set up and the present Congress Government is well-wisher

of the employees". He said that almost all the retrenched employees by the previous Government had been merged in the various

departments by this Government only. They had also been given relaxation to appear again in the departmental examinations.


He said that keeping in view the interest of the employees the Government had made the ex-gratia scheme more effective for

their dependents. This scheme would provide financial security besides giving social security to the employees.

Source: www.punjabnewsline.com

Karolina Kurkova Belly Button

Karolina Kurkova Belly Button

Photos: SplashNewsOnline

Good sex everyday, keeps doctors away

21 Oct 2008, 0000 hrs IST, MONIKA RAWAL

You would have never thought that a kiss could help keeping dental worries at bay or a gratifying sexual act at night make you feel fit and fresh the next morning. But that's what studies across the web claim.

Healthy sex leads to a healthy life. You may have tried copious measures to get that extra glowing skin and shiny hair. You must have also worked out rigorously to achieve that perfect ten figure you've desired. But the key to your mind and heart is fulfilling sex. Even for those who lose their temper or are always in a depressed state of mind, 'sex' can be the solution.

A happy sexual life with your partner not only gets you in shape with better skin texture and silken tresses, it also burns extra calories, keeps you fit, combats asthma, relieves headache, reduces depression and tranquilises your mind. From make-up experts, hair stylists, sexologists and fitness connoisseurs – there's a common consensus that a vigourous sexual life leads to a healthy life – both physically and emotionally. We get them share more on this...

There have been several notions stating that 'sex' produces certain hormones that bring happiness, which lead to a fit body and a healthy mind. Shedding some light on this, Dr. Sanjay Chugh, specialist on sexual issues, states, "Sex contributes to general good health. Any sexual intimacy that is enjoyable and pleasurable promotes well being by providing several physical

and psychological benefits. It is believed that sex boosts chemicals in the body that protects us against diseases. Research also suggests that sex and masturbation can help ease joint and muscle pain, combat depression, promote heart health and
lengthen one's life span."

Dr. Samir Parikh, clinical physiatrist adds, "The basic fact is that a good sex life also means in a larger picture, a good relationship with one's partner and this makes the partner happier, less stressed and by virtue of that physically
healthier."

Not just this, sex also accelerates blood circulation and one's basic metabolic rate, which further enhances the well-being of our mind and soul and helps us calm down.

On these emotional benefits, Dr Chugh adds, "A satisfying sexual relationship strengthens the bond between couples, making them feel secure and loved. The feeling of emotional connectedness adds to ones sense of belonging, which in totality helps

them achieve a positive physical, psychological and spiritual state that is necessary for one's general health."

Elaborating further, on a scientific angle, Dr Avdesh Sharma, a consultant psychiatrist, and an expert on relationship issues shares, "Sex is a way of bonding at the physical, mental and emotional level and leads to health (including psychological)

benefits. If it is used as a mechanical process, it may have limited benefits. There are physiological benefits of positive changes in parameters like pulse, heart rate, reduction in blood pressure (after an increase in B.P. specially if vigourous
sex is tried), dilation of blood vessels and capillaries of the skin, leading to a 'glow', burning of a few calories (depending on the duration of the act and vigour), exercising of some of the muscles, thus improving lung capacity (during
heavy breathing)."

However, we also need to understand that sexual acts work more in terms of improving resistance, but are not a safe guard or a treatment to illnesses. Any sexual act can neither be used as a treatment nor would it change your stresses of life, which
one would need to resolve irrespective.

"The extra edge of sex may be due to the feeling of being wanted, an expression of emotions and certain hormonal and physiological changes that happen as an expression of love for another individual. Unfortunately, the benefits of sexuality are usually quoted out of context and people may look at this as a panacea for everything. But sexuality without emotions have limited value," concludes Dr Avdesh Sharma.

Here are some lesser known fun facts about sex.

Have sex stay fit : Sex may seem like the safest sport you can take up. It de-stresses you, keeps you rejuvenated, elevates your moods and stretchs, tones and exercises your body muscles.

Expert opinion : Dr Ishi Khosla, clinical nutritionist, Director Whole Foods asserts, "Sexual acts certainly lead to a normal mental well-being and a healthy state of mind. This in turn creates a physically fit body. If there's an ill-health or

manifestation of any problem, it would reflect on your outer body."

Dr Samir Parikh adds, "You would still need a balanced lifestyle, which means that if you compare two equals in terms of lifestyle age and other factors as a constant, then it's possible that a sexually active person feels better."

Sex burns extra calories : It is indeed a form of exercise and naturally burns one's calories too.

Expert Opinion : Dr Geetu Amarnani, wellness expert at Kolmet Hospital, opines, "While having sex, the BMP (basic metabolic rate) increases and that ultimately helps in burning the calories, so it's widely believed that one can shed that extra flab through sexual encounters."

Sex for glowing skin and hair : When women make love they produce the hormone oestrogen which makes their hair shine and their skin smooth.

Expert Opinion : Make-up expert Sylvie, also an expert on sexual issues asserts, "As sex helps releasing the extra level of frustration and stress on one's mind and body, so logically it leads to a glow on your face and your skin texture looks
better too. Also, hormones in our body are activated at a faster rate than usual during sex, which helps in better blood circulation, adding that extra shine to one's skin and hair."

Sex brings relief from headaches, reduces depression and tranquilises your mind : A satisfying love-making session releases tension that restricts blood vessels in the brain. It brings you out of a depressed state of mind and acts as a tranquilliser.

Expert Opinion : Dr Sanjay Chugh, "The pleasure that is derived from a satisfying sexual act tends to relax one's mind, taking away headache. It releases endorphins into the bloodstream, producing a sense of euphoria and leaving you with a feeling of well-being. Good sex leaves the person feeling relaxed and satisfied thus acting like a tranquiliser."

A kiss to keep dental problems at bay : It is medically accepted that a kiss encourages saliva to wash food from the teeth and lowers the level of the acid that causes decay. It also prevents the build-up of plaque.

Expert Opinion : Dental expert, Dr. Vandana Jyoti opines, “Anything that increases salivation will help in bringing down the acid level, which causes damage to one’s teeth. It also prevents cavity. Other than a kiss, chewing gum and more of lemon
intake also tend to act in the same manner. But one has to be extra careful, as it might act the other way round, in terms of spreading germs, if either of the two persons involved in a kiss is suffering from a tooth infection.

monika.rawal@indiatimes.co.in

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3334523.cms

Jet Airways Bengaluru/Mangalore Flights & Pune/Bangalore Services,Dec 01,2008

Nov 20, 2008

Bengaluru/Mangalore, November 17, 2008: Jet Airways India’s premier international airline, will reintroduce daily service on

the Bengaluru – Mangalore – Bengaluru sectors, effective December 01, 2008.This has been necessitated due to rise in popular

demand in passenger traffic on these routes in the up coming holiday season.

Flight 9W 3561 will depart daily from Bengaluru at 0855 hrs in the morning, and arrive at Mangalore at 0955 hrs. On the

return leg, flight 9W 3562 will leave Mangalore at 1025 hrs and arrive back at Bengaluru at 1125 hrs.

In the evening, flight 9W 3563 will depart Bengaluru at 1730 hrs and arrive in Mangalore at 1830 hrs. On the return journey,

flight 9W 3564 will leave Mangalore at 1900 hrs and arrive back into Bengaluru at 2000 hrs.

With these timings, passengers travelling on business will find it convenient to take advantage of a same day return

facility.

Also effective 1st December'08, Jet Airways will further enhance its services to and from India’s the IT hubs Pune and

Bengaluru. Flight 9W 3559 will depart Pune daily at 0620 hrs and arrive in Bengaluru at 0820 hrs. 9W 3560 will then depart

Bengaluru 2030 hrs and arrive in Pune at 2250 hrs.

This is in addition to Jet Airways’ existing services operated by 9W 445 on the Bengaluru – Pune, and 9W 446 on the Pune -

Bengaluru routes.

All the above routes will be serviced by Jet Airways’ comfortable turboprop aircraft, ATR 72-500 series, with an all economy

configuration.

About Jet Airways:

Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 85 aircraft, which includes 10 Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, 11 Airbus A330-200

aircraft, 52 classic and next generation Boeing 737-400/700/800/900 aircraft and 12 modern ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft.With

an average fleet age of 4.38 years, the airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleet in the world.

Flights to 64 destinations span the length and breadth of India and beyond, including New York (both JFK and Newark), San

Francisco, Toronto, Brussels, London (Heathrow), Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok,

Kathmandu,Dhaka, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

About JetLite:

JetLite is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jet Airways India Ltd. and was acquired by Jet Airways in April 2007.Positioned as an

all-economy value carrier, JetLite promises to offer value for money fares.JetLite currently operates a fleet of 24 aircraft,

which includes 17 Boeing 737 series and 7 Canadian Regional Jets 200 Series.The airline flies to 30 domestic destinations and

2 international destinations (Kathmandu and Colombo).

Jet Airways, with the acquisition of JetLite, today has a combined fleet strength of 109 aircraft.

Jet Airways
Public Relations
New Delhi & Mumbai,India
November 2008
Jet Airways (I) Ltd

Ragini Chopra
Vice President – Corporate Communications & PR
New Delhi,India
Tel: +91-11-4164 5080
Fax: +91-11-4609 5084
raginic@jetairways.com

A.K. Sivanandan
Sr. General Manager – PR
New Delhi,India
Tel: +91-11-2652 3357
Fax: +91-11-2652 3348
asivanandan@jetairways.com

Srirupa Sen
Manager – PR
Mumbai,India
Tel: +91-22-2852 3648
Fax: +91-22-2920 4437
ssen@jetairways.com

Source: http://www.mediasyndicate.com

KSRTC launches online hotel booking

Bangalore: If you plan to travel, you can now book hotels online through the new KSRTC website -- www.ksrtc.in -- that was

launched on Wednesday. The corporation has developed a software for booking hotels through private and e-booking services.

Many hotels in Bangalore, Mysore, Pondicherry and Mangalore have entered into agreement with KSRTC to use the online booking

service.

Transport principal secretary Upendra Tripathy said a state transport policy is in its planning stage. "Mobility is a

fundamental right. There should be 1,000 buses for every 10 lakh people," he said. "But for 4.5 crore population in

Karnataka, there are 20,000 buses maintained by four corporations and 7,000 private buses. The number should be 45,000

buses," he added.

Along with the launch of the website, Suvarna Karnataka tickets were also released. These tickets are valid for three or four

days and are ideal for short distance travel, such as in weekends. Passengers can buy the tickets online too.

The corporation has also launched a web portal to accommodate advertisements. The webpage will also offer news and other

information.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com (20 Nov 2008)

IMS: IIM CAT 2008

IIM CAT 2008, CAT 2008 : IMS India : Training for IIM entrance exams, MBA in India, MBA Abroad, CAT Coaching / training

IMS India assists / trains / coaches MBA aspirants prepare for the Indian B School/ IIM / MBA entrance exams such as CAT,

XAT, GMAT, FMS. Coaching through Classroom courses and correspondence distance learning preparation options are available.

The IMS faculty comprises graduates from top B Schools such as Indian Institute of Management, Ahemadabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM

Bangalore. This year IMS students have received calls over 2479 calls from IIMs alone. For the Fall '06 cycle of MBA abroad

IMS helped students get admits to Tuck, Sloan, Wharton, Insead, LBS and a host of top B schools in US and UK. IMS admission

consultancy services have helped get over Rs.4.5 crore scholarships for IMS students.

Click Here for IIM Ahmedabad,

IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow

http://www.imsindia.com/

Countdown to CAT 2008: Experts answers from IMS Learning, T.I.M.E, Career Launcher and PT Education on MBAUniverse.com

Its now down to the final over of this T20 match called CAT! November 16 is just a few days away. To help lakhs of CAT takers across the country, MBAUniverse.com has initiated yet another tool for MBA Aspirants – Ask the Experts.

We presents the answers from experts from IMS Learning, T.I.M.E., Career Launcher and PT Education. The experts on 'Ask the Experts' include Mr Gejo Srinivasan, General Manager, IMS Learning, Mr Dhruba Jyoti and Mr Ajay Nayar, T.I.M.E., Mr R Shiva Kumar, Director, R&D, Career Launcher and Mr Subhashish Mitra, VP (Academics), PT Education.

While responding to a student's query, Mr Mitra shared the '4 S Strategy' and said, "Surely, you must have identified your strong points (areas) within each section. Even in your weakest area - there would be some "Areas of Comfort" as we call it. Try and score from these areas. Remember to follow the 4 S strategy - Scan / Search / Select and the Solve - in each section."

Click here for more.

Career launcher: Will they make the IIM cut?

Bangalore: A fter years of holding down tough managerial positions and leading many in the boardroom, a few get back to the classroom. CAT candidates over 35, though few, are not uncommon. According to statistics provided by the Indian Institutes of Management, the number of candidates over 35 in 2007 was 22.72% higher than the previous year.

After garnering work experience, what interest could CAT possibly be hold for these candidates? According to Ajay Arora, director, TIME, of the total candidates, at least 3% fall in the over-35 category. "Most write the CAT because they feel they've reached a plateau and are looking for a career shift. An IIM degree would certainly add weight to the resume," said Arora. It's not the only reason -- some candidates are actually PhD aspirants or want to pursue the fellowship programme, added Arora.

According to Kavitha Narendra, head, academics, Career Launcher, said working software engineers also add to the number of CAT candidates over 35 years. "They take CAT for the post-graduate course in Software Enterprise Management, believing that an IIM degree adds value to their resume," said Kavitha.

Age, said these experts, is no hindrance. "Quite the opposite. As they've already been in the industry, they bring in a different perspective to the class than a person without any experience," said Arora. CAT experts said age and work experience are actually an advantage. "They're really focused because they know what they want. Besides, they've already experienced pressure in the workplace. It is easier for them," added Kavita.

Experts also said that if money is not a constraint, getting an IIM degree never goes waste. Manikantan Kumar (name changed), 38, works as an MNC global product manager. A mechanical engineer, he started working soon after getting his degree. With 15 years of experience to his credit, he's appearing for the test so "he can grow further and have a quantitative career jump". He said, "I'm looking at becoming a CEO of my company. For that, I need good qualifications," he said.

Disability no bar

Sanjeev Chaodhari, a visually impaired candidate, started his preparation in July but he's still not satisfied. "I'm in no hurry to get into the IIM or any other B-school. This time, I'm looking at improving my percentile and get familiar with the paper. For the next CAT, I'll start my preparation earlier," he said.

computer programmer Sanjeev said his toughest challenge is geometry and algebra as he's never studied geometry. He added that by next year, he'll be thorough with the basics in these subjects.

Like Sanjeev, there are other physically challenged candidates. Data provided by Career Launcher, a coaching centre, shows that IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Calcutta each has three Persons with Disability (PWD) who will pass out in 2009. In 2010, 10 students will complete the course from IIM-A.

Shiva Kumar, director (R&D), Career Launcher, told STOI that from his coaching centre, three PWD candidates will take CAT-2008. "PWD candidates are given extra time. For every hour, they get an extra 20 minutes according to IIM norms. Candidates come with their scribes who should be less qualified than the candidate," he said, adding that 3% of seats are reserved for PWDs.

Coaching such candidates, especially the visually impaired, is not easy. "We have software which can convert the entire study material into a PDF document. Most have this software, but it's just a small part. Some candidates don't have a problem with English but geometry is challenging for them and data interpretation (DI) document doesn't really help," he explained.

He added that candidates are given a feel of geometrical cut-outs. But the difficulty is in DI as it involves a lot of expressions. "We train candidates to ask the scribe the right questions when it comes to DI," Shiva Kumar said, adding that they sometimes advise candidates to quit geometry.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Ind vs Eng - India vs England

Watch 1st ODI Ind Vs Eng 2008 Series LIVE

November 14th, 2008

Follow Ind vs England 2008 your way!

The 1st ODI India Vs England Series started at 0900 am IST and is currently played at Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot.

England won the toss and elected to bowl. At the time of writing India has made 247 at the loss of four wickets with Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni on strike.

India’s players for today are Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Munaf Patel.

Representating England : Kevin Pietersen (Captain), Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Andrew Flintoff, Samit Patel, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison.

The Umpires for today are Russel Tiffin and Suresh Shastri.

The cricket match livescore can be followed at

1. Visit www.thaindian.com main page, the live scores are shown on the right side. The score changes dynamically as the match progresses.
2. Cric Buzz is updating the scores at : http://live.cricbuzz.com/live-cricket-scores-and-commentary.html
3. CricInfo is giving live ball by ball updates at : http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/361043.html?CMP=OTC-GCN
4. Follow Rediff’s score card at : http://imsports.rediff.com/score/in_match9231.html

Source: http://www.thaindian.com

noidaauthorityonline.com - Noida Authority Online

noidaauthorityonline.com - Noida Authority Online

Noida:

A Brief compendium of its achivements, in the years passed by, here we strive to present you the matchless facilities available in NOIDA. NOIDA Constituted under the U.P. Industrial Area Development Act, 1976, NOIDA has now emerged as a planned, integrated, mordern Industrial City, well connect to Delhi through a network of roads, national highways and the ultra - morden DND flyover, offering inter - road linkages to all parts of the country. Spread over 20,316 hectares, with many sectors fully developed, NOIDA offers a pollution free high standard of living and highly supportive industrial environment with its unique infrastucture providing numerous, matchless facilities. Today, it stands as an enviavle monument of the concept of integrated Industrial township in the world, with smooth and wide roads, well developed land, unintrrupted power supply, clean and save drinking water, unfailing telephony, and splendid residential complexes in the serene and peaceful enviornment with greenery all around

One of the largest Industrial Townships of Asia Not very far from Delhi yet away from the dirt, grime and pollution, part of the National Capital Region, Noida is the industrial fairy land of the nation. New Ohkla Industrial Development Authority - NOIDA is one of the largest planned industrial townships of Asia. Set up in 1976, with a view to develop an Integrated Industrial Township for the industrial growth of the area, under the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Area Development Act, it best symbolizes harmony between human habitat and Industrial Enterprise.


Read more at http://noidaauthorityonline.com/about-noida.html

Tags: noida authority, noidaauthorityonline.com, www.noidaauthorityonline.com, noidaauthority, noida authority online

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise Keep Bugging Around

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise

Continuing their trend of seeing New York City on foot, Katie Holmes was spotted meandering around the Big Apple earlier

today with her daughter Suri Cruise.

Undaunted by the rain, the “Mad Money” mommy came equipped with the lovely ladybug umbrella from last night, successfully

keeping them from getting wet.

Holmes looked beatnik chic in a black turtleneck underneath a black trench coat with sunglasses, while Suri sported a red

jacket, black leggings, and red shoes.

Earlier this morning, Katie was up and at ‘em with an energizing yoga session, starting her day off right with some physical

as well as mental focus.

Photo Credit: INF Daily

Source: celebrity-gossip.net

Infotech show in Bangalore from Nov 6-8

Software honchos and hardware geeks will gather to solidify strategies to tackle the effects of the global meltdown on the Indian information technology (IT) industry at a CEOs conclave. It will be a part of the three-day Bangalore IT.biz 2008 tech conference beginning at the Bangalore Palace grounds from November 6,2008.

N. Jayadeva, additional managing director of Karnataka Biotech and Information Technology Services of the Karnataka Government, told India Today that this year's edition will feature conferences and seminars on various IT verticals like telecom, cyber security, healthcare and even government's thrust on taking IT to the rural sectors.

The emphasis is on business and cyber security in the light of the increasing attempts to embrace technology by terrorists in India.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will open the event.

Yeddyurappa has said that he will like to emulate Modi's formula of development in his state, especially relevant after Karnataka fought hard to attract Ratan Tata's Nano project to his state which eventually drove to Gujarat, the partner state for the Bangalore tech show.

Famed guitarist Mexico-born Carlos Santana has been one of those who has endeared to the Indians not just because of the way he rendered top hits like Abraxas or Oye Como Va but also because of his closeness to Indian spirituality.

For a change, the Bangalore tech show will have a 50-member delegation from Mexico, the show's partner country. Mexico's minister for economy Gerardo Ruiz will be leading the team to explore tech opportunities in India.

"Indian software expertise has reached a new level," points out software hotshop Manthan Systems Managing Director Atul Jalan, "and Indian companies are at a level where they can offer their services to clients around the world."

Indian software exports have crossed thirty billion US dollars and the more than 6,000 units registered with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) are hoping to push the figure beyond 50 billion dollars in three years.

STPI export awards will also be given away at the Bangalore IT.biz tech show.

Source: http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in

Sixth Pay Commission: U'khand opposes raising VAT limit

The Uttarakhand finance department today said it was not in a position to concede the demand of the business community for increasing the threshold VAT limit from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

The development comes a day after Chief Minister B C Khanduri assured the business community in Haldwani that he would look into their demand on sympathetic grounds, official sources said here today.

Indian Industry Association President Pankaj Gupta has also sought clarification from the chief minister whether any such move is being contemplated, saying the step would be “suicidal” for the economy of the hill state, which has meagre revenue resources.

Commenting on the chief minister’s reported statement, a top official said the threshold limit of Rs 5 lakh was in consonance with the national consensus on VAT. Any such increase would jeopardise the budget of the hill state, which is already reeling under the burden of the Sixth Pay Commission.

The Uttarakhand government recently decided to implement the new pay committee report that increases the salaries of its employees by 25 per cent and pensions by 40 per cent. The acceptance of the new wage report would put an extra burden of Rs 1,000 crore every year on the state exchequer. This year, the burden would be Rs 744 crore for salaries and Rs 284 crore for pensions.

“Since we are already reeling under huge financial burden, we will oppose any increase in VAT limit as and when the issue comes up,” said the official.

Meanwhile, Khanduri has also announced setting up of a new committee “Vyapar Mitra” to ensure better coordination between the business community and the government.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com

Sixth Central Pay Commission: DRDO facing attrition problem: Defence Minister

Sixth Central Pay Commission: DRDO facing attrition problem: Defence Minister

20 Oct 2008, 2214 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: Country's premier defence research organisation DRDO is facing the attrition problems as 785 defence scientists have resigned in the last three years.

The government has offered various incentives for scientists in the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) report, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

"A number of incentives were recommended by the CPC, which have been accepted and implemented by the government, " defence minister A K Antony said in a written reply to a question on exodus of scientists from DRDO.

Incentives to arrest the attrition rate in DRDO include providing career enhancement opportunities to scientists by granting them study leaves, sending them to attend conferences and seminars and long term training courses.

"DRDO is providing study leaves to scientists for acquiring higher qualifications like PhDs, Masters Degrees. Scientists are sponsored to go and attend conferences and seminars and for long term courses for research both within and outside the country," Antony said.

The minister added that a lot of stress was being laid upon by DRDO to mentor young scientists along with improving their work environment and social life in DRDO campuses.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Sixth pay commission: 584 Army officers seek pre-mature retirement: Antony

Sixth pay commission: 584 Army officers seek pre-mature retirement: Antony

New Delhi, Oct 20: As many as 584 officers from the Army have sought pre-mature retirement from services since March this year but the Government said it was not due to resentment over the sixth pay commission recommendations.

"No officer of navy, air force has sought pre-mature retirement on the ground of dissatisfaction with the Six Central Pay Commission report. However, in the Army, since March 2008, a total number of 584 officers have applied for premature retirement/resignation," Defence Minister A K Antony said replying to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Antony said the officials seek retirement on the "ground of non-empanelment, compassionate ground, low medical category, failure to acquire minimum technical qualification and better employment in civil life".

"From this, it cannot be ascertained that they have sought an exit due to resentment against the Sixth Pay Commission Report," he said.

The Defence Services, led by their Chiefs, have refused to implement the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, alleging that their status and honour were compromised.

Antony, while replying to a question by BJP's V K Malhotra and Santosh Gangwar, said the Services had submitted a detailed representation to the Government brining out certain issues arising out of the Sixth Pay Commission report.

"The Government has reached a decision on most of the issues," he said adding that a few more subsequent issues have been raised by the Services namely grant of higher grade pay to Service officers, placement of Lt-Col and equivalents in Pay Band 4 and reinstatement of pensionary weightages for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR).

The Centre on September 25 set up a committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram as members to look into the grievances of the armed forces.

"The Government has decided that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will look into the issues raised by the Services and give recommendations in consultation with the Defence Minister and Finance Minister," Antony said.

After the government notification was issued on August 29, issues of "anomalies" in the pay for officers were first raised by Air chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee.

Chiefs of Navy and Army too have voiced their resentment in letters to the government.

The armed forces are demanding that the government place Lieutenant-Colonels and their equivalents in Pay Band-4, ensure parity in Grade Pay of officers from Captains to Brigadiers with their civilian counterparts, accord the Higher Administrative Grade Plus status in pay scales to Lieutenant Generals and restore 70 per cent pensionary benefits to jawans.

Mukherjee held discussions with Chidambaram last week on the issue after consultations with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Girl asks Rahul about safety of women in Delhi Ramnagar (Uttarakhand), Oct 20 (PTI) Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who began his three-day tour to Uttarakhand today, was asked by a young girl why women are not safe in Delhi.

"Girls are not safe in Delhi. What is your Congress government doing in this regard," was the poser to Rahul. "I cannot say what the government is doing. Political leaders do not have much information. I will definitely look into the matter," said Rahul, as he faced a volley of questions from college girls at Ramnagar.

As he arrived in this Corbett City, Rahul drove to Dhikuli area where he interacted with nearly 2,000 girls from different colleges of Kumaon region.

Another girl asked Rahul why the voice of the youth is being suppressed in Congress.

To this question, Rahul said: "It is not true. NSUI is a very good organisation where we welcome new talent and one can easily create a niche at the national level."

The programme "Talaash Nai Pratibha Ki" (search for new talent) was organised by NSUI in which its top leaders like Meenakshi Natrajan and Amrita Dhawan were also present.

Earlier in the town, police took into custody nearly a dozen ABVP workers for showing black flags and raising slogans against Rahul.

Savitri Sharma asked Rahul whether he took a bath after having food with Dalits.

"You wait for another four years, you will get the answer in Uttar Pradesh," was his refrain.

When a girl wanted to know about his reaction to the alleged beating of north Indians in Mumbai, Rahul said some political parties are indulging in petty politics for small gains.

Bureau Report


http://www.zeenews.com/

Sixth Central Pay Commission: Resentment Among Personnel Against Report of Sixth Pay Commission

Sixth Central Pay Commission: Resentment Among Personnel Against Report of Sixth Pay Commission

Monday, October 20, 2008

Lok Sabha

The Services had submitted a detailed representation to the Government bringing out certain issues arising out of the report of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. The Government has decided on most of the issues. Subsequently, few more issues have been raised by the Services viz. grant of higher grade pay to Service officers, placement of Lt. Col. and equivalent in PB-4, reinstatement of pensionary weightages for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR), providing HAG + Pay Band for Lt. Generals and equivalent holding post of Principal Staff Officer, Director Generals, Controllers, etc.

No officer of Navy, Air Force has sought pre-mature retirement (PMR) on the ground of dis-satisfaction with the Sixth Central Pay Commission Report. However, in the Army, since March, 2008 a total number of 584 officers (less Army Medical Corps/Army Dental Corps & Military Nursing Service) have applied for pre-mature retirement/resignation on ground of non-empanelment, compassionate ground, low medical category, failure to acquire minimum technical qualification and better employment in civil life. However, from this it cannot be ascertained that they have sought an exit due to resentment against Sixth Pay Commission Report.

The Government have decided that the Minister of External Affairs will look into the issues raised by the Services and give recommendations, in consultation with the Defence Minister and the Finance Minister.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Shri Santosh Gangwar in Lok Sabha today.

Samir/RAJ

Source: http://pib.nic.in/

Tags: Sixth Pay Commission,6th Pay Commission,6th Central Pay Commission

Sixth Pay Commission: Armed forces short of 13,830 officers

Sixth Pay Commission: Armed forces short of 13,830 officers

The armed forces are facing a shortage of 13,830 officers. This was stated by Defence Minister A K Antony while replying to a question in Parliament on shortage of officers in the armed forces.

"There is a shortage of 11,119 officers in army, 13,59 officers in navy and 13,52 officers in air force. Armed forces have 53,849 officers against a sanctioned strength of 67,679," Antony said.

The Defence Minister listed the various steps taken up to tackle the shortfall of officers by the government. These steps include extension of Short Service Commission (SSC) officers, implementation of both phases of A V Singh Committee report and implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) report.

"Tenure of SSC officers has been increased to 14 years, Phase 1 of A V Singh committee was implemented earlier, which resulted in upgrade of 750 Lieutenant-Colonel level posts to the Colonel level,” he said.

"Phase 2 of the report has also been cleared for implementation creating or upgrading 1,896 additional posts in ranks of Colonel, Brigadier, Major-General and Lieutenant- General and equivalents in other two services," the Defence minister said.

Antony said implementation of the 6th pay commission recommendations will help in arresting shortfall of officers in armed forces.

Source: http://howrah.org/

Tags: Sixth Pay Commission,6th Pay Commission,6th Central Pay Commission

Sixth Pay Commission: Too serious a business to be left to the car dealer

Sixth Pay Commission: Too serious a business to be left to the car dealer

When you buy a car, usually the car dealer offers first-year insurance free of cost. Instead of passively accepting this freebie, look closely at the policy to see if it offers you comprehensive and adequate cover

September and October have always been favourable months for car manufacturers as the festive season propels their sales higher. This year, besides festive fervour, the Sixth Pay Commission's payouts have filled car showrooms to the brim with prospective buyers. According to industry estimates and company figures, in September the top six manufacturers in India notched up a 2.4 per cent year-on-year rise in car sales.

If you are buying a car this season, pay heed to the insurance cover and make sure that it is comprehensive and adequate. Vehicle insurance protects you against several risks: theft, damage, death of driver or passenger, and damage caused by your car to some other vehicle, person or property. Although tailor-made covers have not debuted in the market yet, cut throat competition is working in the interest of consumers. With the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) freeing up prices in the general insurance space — motor, fire and engineering — in January this year, there is much scope for you to bargain and get the best possible rate.

Tumbling rates, soaring discounts
Motor insurance consists of two main parts: own damage and third-party liability. According to the law of the land, every vehicle owner must have at least third-party liability cover. The regulator has freed only the own damage insurance cover rates so far. Depending on the size and the make of the car, own damage rates have come down almost 20 to 40 per cent. Says Rahul Aggarwal, chief executive officer, Optima Brokers: "The premium for a comprehensive insurance cover has fallen between 25 and 40 per cent depending on the type of car. The fall has been more in case of premium cars that cost Rs 10 lakh and above. For smaller cars like the Santro and Maruti Alto, the drop has been nearly 20 per cent."

While the regulator freed up pricing in January, the premium rates fell steeply only during the last four months. Insurers initially started off by offering 10 per cent discount, then slowly graduated to 20 per cent, and now are giving discounts as high as 40 per cent.

Main components of the policy
A vehicle insurance cover has the following main components:

Own damage. This cover entitles you to claim compensation in the event of damage or theft of your vehicle. Various factors dictate the premium of a standard policy: type of vehicle, its engine capacity, its age, and the region in which it is registered. While these are the broad parameters, the exact premium for your car is calculated on the basis of its insured declared value (IDV). When buying a policy, never compromise on this value as this is the amount that the insurance company will pay you if your car gets completely damaged or stolen. Beware: a steep discount in premium might mean a lower IDV. While buying the policy always ask for the exact IDV to get an idea of the insurance amount you are likely to get in case of a casualty. The IDV of a vehicle declines with age (insurers generally give a depreciation schedule for up to five years).

Third party. According to the Insurance Act, it is compulsory to have third-party liability cover. In metropolitian cities it becomes imperative to have such a cover due to higher chances of accidents.
"Third party liability under the insurance law in India is unlimited," says M. Ramadoss, chairman and managing director, Oriental General Insurance. That means if you hit a person on the road, then the liability is unlimited. In case of property damage, the liability is limited to Rs 7.5 lakh.

Points to remember
Here are key aspects that you should keep in mind while buying vehicle insurance:
Premium. The insurance regulator has freed the pricing of products but not the wordings. Therefore, the whole industry is selling more or less the same product. Pricing is the only tool in their hands for driving sales. Use this to your advantage. "A customer must insist on getting quotes from different companies. Ask a friend who has the same car what premium he pays. By doing a bit of legwork and haggling, a customer can get discounts as high as 40-50 per cent," says Ramadoss.
You can bargain for a lower premium in case you have a no-claim (or fairly low claim record) history. “Longer the claim history, higher is the premium levied by companies,”says Eswaranatarajan N., head, motor insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance.

Moreover, keep in mind that you can transfer the vehicle insurance from your old vehicle to the new one. “The no-claim bonus goes with the driver and not with the vehicle. So when you sell a vehicle and buy a new one, the no-claim bonus from the earlier vehicle can be transferred to the new one,” he adds.

Co-payment clause. Watch out for the co-payment clause, also known as excess. While offering a lower premium, insurers pass on some of the risk to the customer using this clause. In case of a claim, the expense will then have to be borne by both the insurer and the insured. Hence, avoid the co-payment clause even if it means paying a higher premium.

Claims and customer service. These are the two most important criteria that should be kept in mind while buying or renewing a policy. Today one out of every three vehicles meets with an accident. Hence customer service plays an prominent role. According to Darvesh Panchal, practice leader, Prudent Brokers, "The ease of getting a claim settled without any hassles is a big factor in motor insurance. Always look for companies that offer cashless facility (i.e., they get the vehicle repaired at an empanelled garage). Also check out what other value-added services they provide."
A few dealers or brokers help their customers in getting the claim. "The most important thing to look for in the dealer or the intermediary is the services he offers. See how qualified and geared up the intermediary is to provide claim support and information," says Aggarwal.

In case of total loss or theft, it takes more than three months to settle the claim. In case of theft, the insured has to lodge a complaint in the local police station and wait till it issues a non-traceable report. The process takes about three months. And needless to add, it requires you to make several rounds of the court and the police station. It is only after this report is submitted that the insurance company starts its work of paying you the claim. Any help that you can get from the broker or dealer will come as welcome relief.

More regulatory changes needed
While the regulator has freed up pricing control, general insurance companies do not yet enjoy the freedom to alter the wordings of the policy. Says Eswaranatarajan N., “Today only the premiums have been de-tarriffed and not the products. What we sell in the market is basically one product with a common set of policy wordings. To open up the market and in the interest of the consumer, it is anticipated that the regulator will introduce flexibility in wordings and allow new products.”

N.K. Kedia, director (marketing), Iffco Tokio General Insurance too feels the same. “Freedom in wordings would allow us to come out with innovative products. The industry would then develop on the lines of matured markets. This move will be in the consumer's interest as it will allow introduction of new products, and lead to greater choice."

Ramadoss of Oriental Insurance is of the view that greater regulatory vigil is the need of the hour. “There should be strict vigilance against uninsured vehicles. The government should take action against them. Because so many vehicles remain uninsured, there is a lot of leakage of premium. After this is taken care of, premium rates will come down further,” he says.
Till these regulatory changes come about, make the best of the current regime and get yourself a comprehensive cover at the lowest possible cost.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/