Frugality-a best practice for recession

frugality is the practice of resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services.
For most people, frugality is a lifestyle choice born out of necessity. A lost job, increase in expenses, or a battle with debt has forced them to take extreme measures to balance their budget. Sometimes, however, frugal choices can hinder you beyond the benefit of the dollar saved.
Here are few telltale signs that you've done yourself no favors in your quest to cut costs:

• You spend more than you save- Unless you are investing for the future in a specialty item, there is usually no justification for spending more money via "frugal" methods than if you'd just done your normal shopping. This happens often with coupons, for example. I applaud those who've mastered the art of getting stuff for less(or even free), but I'm personally aware that using coupons most likely leaves me buying unnecessary things and ultimately increasing my shopping bill by at least 20% more than if I'd stuck to a list and didn't entertain extra "deals."
  Buying something on clearance (even at 90% off) isn't a great buy if you didn't have the money to begin with, or you didn't need the thing you just bought.
• You're not fun to be around-Some folks will never be the life of the party, but that's not what I'm talking about. If your obsession with cost-cutting has left you looking stingy and insane in the eyes of your friends, it could be that you need new friends. More likely, however, is the fact that you've let your penny-pinching ways rule every decision, and worse yet, it's affected your relationships.
  If you're intent on letting the almighty dollar invade every thought for the day, do us all a favor and keep it to yourself. Some of us truly understand what it means to be frugal, but strive to keep it in balance with the rest of our lives.
• Your frugality isn't safe- Some money-saving habits have the potential to cause harm, but only need a few extra safeguards to make them safe. Making your own laundry soap, for example, would require extra care to keep little ones out of the commonly used buckets that the soap is stored in. Other tips -- like reusing plastic containers that aren't meant for food storage -- can cause others to get sick or degrade the quality of your possessions.
  Before you head out into the Wild West of ultimate frugality, check with trusted sources to make sure you're keeping it harmless.
• You hate it-Granted, most of us make frugal decisions out of necessity. Others, however, make the choice out of habit or the sense of control it gives them over a situation. If you've found yourself doing things that could save a bit here and there, but it's left you despising money, life, or other people, maybe it's time to take a hiatus. Life, after all, is meant to be experienced, and most of the precious experiences don't cost much.
  Take time to asses where you're saving, and where you're simply causing extra work and heartache. If you're able to loosen up on a few of your frugal rules (even for a little while) it might be worth taking a fresh stab at it after a small break. Opportunities to save money generally aren't going anywhere.
  Where are you in your frugality? Are you new and growing? Have you been doing this "cheapskate" stuff for a while? Do you still enjoy those times when you've succeeded in a plan to pinch pennies, or are you dreading the work involved with taking care of your finances?
  Share your comments for keeping frugality fresh. We'd love to hear how you do it.
  

Pets - Recession Victims

The family dog is the latest casualty of rising foreclosures.
As more families are forced to sell their homes, an increasing number of pets are being left behind in shelters or, worse, empty houses. Though it is difficult to put an exact figure on the number of abandoned pets, shelters across the country say they are seeing double-digit percentage increases in the number of animals left in their care. The Humane Society estimates that more than 3 million animals will be euthanized this year.
"The more foreclosures, the more abandoned pets," said Dawn Lauer, outreach coordinator with the Humane Society. "The majority of shelters we speak to have been seeing an increase in animals coming in. There are heartbroken families that are moving to rentals or in with family members and are unable to keep their pets."
Caring for a pet adds hundreds of dollars to the yearly bills. Pet food costs between $125 and $500-per-year, depending on the size of the pet, according to PetEducation.com. Vaccinations and standard veterinary bills often add another $100 to $500-a-year to the cost, depending on the age of the animal. Add the cost of regular medications, such as heartworm pills, chew toys, and the occasional trip to the groomers and it's not difficult to see why Americans spent a combined $32 billion on their pets last year.
"When somebody gets a pet, they should really be considering any kind of financial problems they could have and make sure that they are planning ahead," says Lauer, adding "if they are going to give the animal to a shelter, they need to call ahead because, unfortunately, there are a lot of people in similar situations."

Shelters across the country are taking steps to stop the influx of abandoned animals. In Richmond, Va., the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offers to board pets until families get back on their feet. They also have pantries and clinics that provide free pet food and veterinary care to pet owners who don't want to give up their animals, but can't afford to care for them at the moment.
During the past several months, the Richmond SPCA has seen a 15% to 25% increase in the number of pet owners who come in and qualify for its free services.
"We recognize that families are struggling to get ongoing care for their pets," says Tamsen Kingry, Chief Operating Officer of the Richmond SPCA. Kingry estimates that the free programs helped keep between 300 and 400 animals in their homes last year.
Unfortunately, there are not enough grants and free programs to meet the needs of all the families and shelters asking for help. Earlier this month, the Humane Society of the United States temporarily suspended a grant program for rescue groups because demand exceeded funding.
Shelter owners say they are seeing more pets that have simply been abandoned in their former home.
"They assume that people will come into the home, but it can take a long time," says Lauer, "and the pet cannot survive on its own."
Aside from taking advantage of free services, where available, pet owners have other options to reduce costs. Dog food companies will often offer coupons and discounts to loyal customers that call and ask for them, says Cathy Bendzunas, a Virginia Beach resident with four dogs who writes the dog-lovers blog "bloggydoggies."
"You can email the customer service department and tell them how much you love their product and ask for coupons, and they will send you some," says Bendzunas. "I've done that, but you have to ask."
Another tip? Bendzunas says that pricier dog food can actually turn out to cheaper because the dogs seem to get full faster.
"There's always a way to keep your pet," says Bendzunas, adding that if she ever finds herself without a home. "My dogs are coming with me."

Pegasystems SmartBPM

Pegasystems SmartBPM™ Suite consists of PegaRULES Process Commander, Process Analyzer, and Process Simulator. It includes componentized business services you can use for analytics, reporting, modeling, simulation, presentation, case management, process flows, business rules, and an enterprise repository for your organization’s policies and procedures. In short, everything you need to build a complete BPM solution. Pegasystems offers additional options, including a rich library of Solution Frameworks and integration components to help get off to a running start and work within your existing infrastructure.

Pegasystems SmartBPM is the only completely unified BPMS (business process management suite) available today. That means you can do everything you need to do for your BPM solution without having to learn separate tools. It also means new levels or real time agility, a capability Pegasystems calls “build for change”, something that offers those starting their BPM journey the confidence that Pegasystems can grow and scale with them.

What do we mean by “build for change”? Well for one thing, shouldn’t it be possible to update goals and policies or specific business rules and have them take effect immediately across an entire enterprise? We think so, and only Pegasystems SmartBPM can give you that kind of competitive power and agility. Pegasystems converts information technology into business technology, making it easy for business and IT to collaborate – no more specification gaps between business intention and process execution. Pegasystems SmartBPM is used by leading organizations of all sizes to start small, find quick wins, and beat their competition by building for change.

With over two decades worth of experience working with innovative organizations around the world, Pegasystems offers the right blend of pragmatism and domain expertise across a wide range of industries: financial services, insurance, retail and wholesale banking, healthcare, compliance, life sciences, government, retail, manufacturing, Six Sigma, and more. Pegasystems experience in helping organizations start small while planning globally, helps keep ROI benefits on track, sustaining a continuous cycle of improvement and growth.

As a result of using SmartBPM, customer experience improves, building loyalty. New and more appropriate products come to market more quickly. Global enterprise changes are managed with ease, eliminating massive amounts of manual effort and – more importantly – allowing the company to use its new found agility to competitive advantage.

Each BPM journey begins with a single step, and logging on to PegaRULES Process Commander is the best first step you can make in building a culture of continuous improvement and change in your organization!

Learn to weave a ladies purse

Here's the idea for weaving a bag from the commonly made "magazine/shopping bags." However, in order to weave bags out of magazinepages, lamination or a lot of tape must be used instead use a shopping bag.
You will need:
-shopping bag
-paper cutter
-scissors
-sewing machine
-hot glue gun (not necessary, but helpful)
-old shower curtain (in the spirit of recycling, but any fabric that will work as a liner will do)
Take your shopping bag and cut out its handles, making sure not to damage them (they will be used later.)





Using a paper cutter, cut the bag into equally sized strips.



Then weave these strips together, making a square or rectangle. You can choose whatever size suits you.

Next cut a piece of shower curtain or any type of fabric that corresponds to the shape of your weaving and sew it onto the weaving.

To make the edges nicer, fold over two sides of the weaving and sew them down.
Next take the middle of the weaving and fold it inwards.

Bring the two sides up around the fold and either sew or hot glue gun those sides together. I tried to sew initially but the thickness of my particular shopping bag made it impossible for the needle to go through.

Then punch holes in the bag where you would like to place the handles. You can put two on each side, one on each end, use single handles or braid them for a thicker handle.

And now you have a lovely purse which keeps shopping bags from becoming waste and you from buying another purse, which benefits both the environment and your wallet.

10 Touch-Screen Technologies

Our touch screen future is finally here. At the Consumer Electronics Show, Steve Ballmer talked about how Microsoft will put touch-screen capabilities into the next version of Windows. LG showed off a touch-screen watch. Sony hawked a touch-screen camera. Palm is betting its new touch-screen Pre can turn the struggling smart phone maker around. And Samsung introduced a touch-screen music player. Here's a list of devices that showcase the technology.

Windows 7



The next version of Windows, Windows 7, will boast support for touch-screen interfaces. While touch screens may not be useful for heavy-duty office chores--cranking out memos or blasting through spreadsheets--they could make Windows a better platform for kiosks, tablet computers and home entertainment systems.

iPhone




Apple's iPhone kicked off the latest touch-screen fad. The iPhone's innovation, however, isn't so such its touch screen as the way the phone can be controlled by gestures, such as pinching and swiping, which could become the building blocks for a whole vocabulary of gestures.

Palm Pre



The struggling smart phone vendor is betting the Pre will help lead it back to glory. Like the iPhone, Pre's interface can be controlled through gestures made on the gizmo's touch-sensitive screen.

Microsoft Surface




Microsoft Surface was the star of the Consumer Electronics Show in 2008. While it's gotten lots of attention, Apple has gone further and faster with its dinky touch-screen devices.

Sony DSC-G3

The headline feature on this camera is wi-fi, not its touch screen. In a connected world, this only makes sense: a photo is no longer really useful unless it can be sent to friends and relatives, posted to Web pages, or sent to a computer for editing. It also makes sense that such a device would have a touch screen, giving the user the ability to navigate wireless networks, and the camera's features, when they need to.

Samsung P3

Samsung's P3 is more than just another iPod touch knockoff. Sure, this media player has a touch screen. Unlike the iPod or iPhone, however, Samsung uses haptic feedback to give a user a little reassuring vibration whenever a menu item is selected. The P3 will go on sale sometime during the first half of 2009.

LG's Watch Phone

The idea of putting a phone on your wrist is as old as Dick Tracy. But it's a place where a touch-screen interface makes a lot of sense, since there's little room for buttons. LG's Touch Watch Phone comes with 3G Video Telephony service, thanks to a 7.2 Mbps 3G HSDPA connection. It goes on sale in Europe later this year. Oh, and it also tells time.

ATMs

Touch screens have become common on ATMs and kiosk machines.

Asus Eee Top

Asus' touch-screen tablet version of the "nettop" allows users to bop from one Web-based service to another with a touch of the finger.

Coke machines

Samsung's interactive uVend machine has a touch screen display to let users pick out a refreshing beverage. Samsung worked with Sapient and Coca-Cola to create the machine.

Exit Polls by Major TV Channels

13th May '2009: Exit Polls by Major Tv Channels:
The real fun begins now. WIth after a month of intense speculations and opinion polls, here comes the next best thing to actual results on 16th - the exit polls for all 543 seats from different News Channels. Although, almost all show a Congress lead, but BJP is shown to lag not far behind. In this neck and neck race, wait till the 16th of May to checkout the real big picture.

Times Now National projection: The UPA ahead of NDA

The Congress-led UPA has been projected to have an edge over NDA and others in the Lok Sabhaelections which are expected to produce a highly-fractured verdict, according to the The Times Of India projection of the outcome of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

According to the TOI projection shown exclusively on TIMES NOW , UPA is likely to win 198 seats, the NDA 183, the Third Front 112 seats. The Congress is likely to get 154 seats, while the other UPA constituents could get around 44. In BJP, on the other hand, is likely to get 142 seats, while other parties in the NDA are likely to get 41 seats. In the Third Front, Left parties are projeced to bag 38 seats, BSP 27, AIADMK+ 24, TDP+ 20 and the JD(S) 3. The SP is pegged to get 23 seats, BJD 8, RJD+LJP 6, PRP 4, AUDG 1, SDF 1, NPF 1, HJC 1, JMM 2 and independents are projected to get about 3 seats.

That means that while Congress and BJP lose out a few seats from their 2004 performance, neither has a clear shot at forming the government 272 being the majority mark. Mayawati's BSP, which has been projected to win about 28 seats as well as the AIADMK+ with about 23 seats could well end up holding the key to the government formation.

The state-wise TOI projection is as under:

BIHAR: 40 SEATS

CONG 3 NCP 1 BJP 10 JD(U)19 LEFT 1 RJD 4 LJP 2

ASSAM: 14 SEATS

CONG 5 BPF 1 BJP 4 AGP 3 LEFT 0 AUDF 1

NORTH EAST: 10 SEATS (MEGHALAYA, MANIPUR, MIZORAM, TRIPURA, NAGALAND,SIKKIM)

CONG 4 NCP 1 BJP 0 LEFT 2 NPF 1 SF 1

MADHYA PRADESH: 29 SEATS

CONG 6 BJP 23

GUJARAT: 26 SEATS

CONG 7 BJP 19

RAJASTHAN: 25 SEATS

CONG 12 BJP 11 IND 2

ORISSA: 21 SEATS

CONG 9 BJP 4 BJD 8

PUNJAB: 13 SEATS

CONG 9 BJP 1 SAD 3

KERALA: 20 SEATS

CONG 12 IUML 2 KC(M) 1 LEFT 5

KARNATAKA: 28 SEATS

CONG 9 BJP 16 JD(S) 3

MAHARASHTRA: 48 SEATS

CONG 12 NCP 11 BJP 13 SHS 12

UTTAR PRADESH: 80 SEATS

CONG 13 BJP 14 RLD 3 BSP 28 SP 22

WEST BENGAL: 42 SEATS

CONG 5 TMC 11 BJP 1 LEFT 24 SUCI 1

TAMIL NADU: 39 SEATS

CONG 4, DMK 7, BJP 1, LEFT 4 AIADMK+23

6th May - Times of India Result estimates after Phase Three:

Times of India suggests that BJP led NDA is catching up fast with its latest seat estimate for the elections. As compared to 176 in the last polls of 10th April, it now gives NDA an edge with 187 seats, just 8 behind the Congress led UPA. If you look at the figures closely, you'd realise the irony - just three Indian states basically decide the fate of this Lok Sabha: Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. It is well clear that neither BJP nor Congress led coalitions yet seem to be in a position to form the Govt on their own. The others and third front get majority of its seats from these three states, and they are the one's who'd decide who forms the next Govt.

Star News - Nielsen Opinion Polls:

Star News & Nielsen came out with their second opinion polls, made from data collected till 3rd of April. It must be kept in mind that a week has since passed and recent activities, such as the shoe throwing incident, removal of Jagdish ytler and Sajjan Kumar from contest, etc are bound to have some impact. However, one thing strikes out and that is that today's poll compares similar to the poll by Times of India which came out on 10th April(shown below). Both show Congress getting near to 155 seats and overall tally of UPA to be around 200 seats.
As compared from it's own previous poll on 23rd March, Star News-Nielsen shows a slight decline in the numbers of UPA, although individual tally of Congress is showed to increase from 144 to 155. In comparison, NDA is set to increase it's tally, mainly because of increase in seats to the BJP, from being at 137 to now 147. The third front, although still going no where, is said to increase its tally from 96 to 104.

Most Important Inventions of the Next 10 Years

Innovation from Recession

Ocean-Driven Hydropower

Till now, hydropower has mostly been generated at dams. Now, turbines around the world are being designed to harness the power of the ocean. Blue Energy Canada is close to commercializing a turbine that captures energy from ocean currents, and already has purchased power agreements in India, Indonesia, and New Zealand. With a set of subway-size floating turbines, Pelamis Wave Power is converting wave power into electricity off the coast of Scotland.

Miniaturized Medical Equipment

Truly tiny implants that can test, diagnose, and even alert doctors to problems with their patients will replace costly routine visits. Researchers in the Netherlands say they've developed a pill that can be loaded with medicine and programmed to travel to a specific part of the body to unload it. A pen-size device is being developed at the University of Texas that can detect skin cancer without the need for a biopsy.

3D Printing

It has been around for a while, but 3D printing, in which three dimensional object is created by layering and connecting successive cross sections of material, is becoming more affordable, which in itself will unleash a host of new inventions and applications, pushing beyond prototypes and models. Scientists have been experimenting using the technology to reconstruct human tissue.

Even Smarter Apps

Mobile applications can already identify what song is playing, point you to a nearby restaurant, or manage your social networking utilities, but that was just the start. The relatively low cost of entry and the speed at which an app hits or misses creates a environment ripe for breakthrough innovation. What's next could be the first big business to arise from the downturn.

Next-Generation Bio-Fuels

The first round of biofuels caused a spike in global food prices. Now companies are developing the next generation from non-edible sources. Scientists at ADM (ADM) are creating cellulosic ethanol from corn stalks, and other companies are experimenting with switchgrass, woodchips, and the tropical grass miscanthus.

Electric Avenues

While Detroit struggles, would-be automakers are getting in on the action, with a host of electric vehicles now in various states of readiness to roll. Shai Agassi's Better Place is proposing a network of stations where drivers of electric cars can exchange dying batteries for ones freshly charged. For its part, GM's (GM) Chevy Volt is due in 2010.

Truly "On-Demand" Entertainment

As entertainment technologies converge, we're better able to watch, listen, or read anything we want any time we want. The Netflix Player by Roku streams an ever-growing library of Netflix and Amazon content directly to the TV. Apple TV offers both shows and movies for purchase or rental. Open-source media software, Boxee, aims to run on all third-party streaming boxes and plans to release its own box, too. Soon, these systems won't only be for the alpha geeks.

Nanotech Computing

In Chicago, two separate teams recently made breakthroughs that dramatically shrink the size of electronics. One team's new transistors allow for processors that will make silicon chips seem gigantic. The other came up with film material that can store the equivalent of 250 DVDs on the space of a quarter.

Cure for Cancer

Huge advances are being made that could some day eradicate cancer, AIDS, brain tumors, prostate cancer, and other diseases. Nanotech medicine provides a more targeted delivery to cells than chemotherapy or other treatments, which means doctors can lower dosages to minimize side effects.

Rahman unhappy with use of 'Jai Ho' in poll campaign

Chennai, Music maestro A.R. Rahman, whose compositions in "Slumdog Millionaire" made him the first Indian to win twin Oscars, is critical of political parties using for a poll campaign the song "Jai Ho" that he composed for Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches drama.
"I was like in the bed, I was dehydrated, exhausted, and then all these things happened, somebody told me these people are using it. I hate politics. I just want people to serve the people. I want governments, whichever government comes in, to be unbiased and say there should be justice in the country and that's my purpose in life," Rahman said in an interview on CNN's Talk Asia. The interview will be aired on CNN May 20 and there will repeat telecasts May 21 and May 23. The Congress had bought exclusive rights to the song "Jai Ho" for its poll campaign but the jingle was later dropped as the party's theme song. In the interview, the shy composer also explains how his accolades for "Slumdog Millionaire" are also a recognition for India. "I got very emotional when saying this is for India, when you guys truly deserve it because there are so many different film industries in India, so many different markets, Hindi film industry, Tamil film industry, Malayalam, then Bengali, so in a way I think it culminates all their aspirations and so it's here," he said. Before he shot to stardom with the film "Roja", Rahman used to create radio jingles. He has since collaborated with international music superstars like Michael Jackson and Kylie Minogue. When asked about his next project post-Oscars, he said: "I have a couple of offers from Hollywood. Pure American movies which I thought for the heck of it let's do it and a couple of other surprises that you'll know very soon if it works out. Big surprises I think."

Pacman Fever

At the age of 30, Manny is a 14-year pro—he made his debut at 16. He has been fighting at the top levels of competition and given some of the most exciting performances in the ring in recent years. He is a national hero in his native Philippines the entire country comes to a virtual standstill whenever he fights. Manny is also recognized by most observers as the best fighter at any weight in the ring today—the best "pound for pound" fighter. With all of his accomplishments, which someday will surely be immortalized in the Hall of Fame, Manny is coming off the biggest win of his career in his last fight on December 6—a dominant eighth-round TKO against former junior lightweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight, two-time super welterweight, and middleweight world champion Oscar De La Hoya—the biggest name in the sport and a sure future Hall of Famer himself.

Manny was considered a huge underdog by most observers—and the fight a mismatch—because of their extreme difference in size. Manny weighed 134.5 pounds when he won the WBC lightweight world title in his previous fight in June, 2008. De La Hoya last held a world title at 154 pounds, and weighed 150 in his previous fight in May, 2008. Boxing's time-honored conventional wisdom says that, "A good big man beats a good small man."

After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com, "Pacquiao stunningly administered a beat down of epic proportions. [De La Hoya] was never in the fight for a moment. Pacquiao won his third fight of the year in his third weight division, including winning two titles. The victory makes Pacquiao something of a modern-day Henry Armstrong, the all-time great pound-for-pound legend who over the course of ten months from October 1937 to August 1938, claimed, in order, the world featherweight, welterweight and lightweight championships—back when there were only eight divisions." Fightwriter.com's Graham Houston reported from ringside, "So many people got it so wrong. What some thought would be a mismatch turned out to be a mismatch in reverse when Manny Pacquiao pasted Oscar De La Hoya for eight rounds in the so-called Dream Match in Las Vegas," Houston wrote. "Far from being the weaker, smaller man, Pacquiao looked much stronger and also much harder-hitting than De La Hoya. Pacquiao was the puncher in the fight. Right from the start he was hurting De La Hoya. "His upper-body movement and quick moves had the older fighter looking perplexed. The speed and power of Pacquiao's punches actually seemed to shock De La Hoya, who looked old, slow and painfully vulnerable. "Just 19 months earlier [De La Hoya] had fought Floyd Mayweather Jr.—the world's number one at the time—to a close, split decision. This time, as a 2-1 on favorite at the MGM Grand sports book before the line was taken down, De La Hoya looked as if he didn't belong in the same ring as Pacquiao. "Pacquiao punched with excellent technique from his southpaw stance, sharp and accurate, and he was superior in every department and in fact was made to look a bit of a bully, such was the one-sided nature of the affair."

He has held world titles in four weight divisions—he won the WBC flyweight world title two weeks before his 20th birthday in December, 1998, the IBF junior featherweight world title at 22 in 2001. Manny won the WBC super featherweight world title in March, 2008, with a 12 round decision victory in the rematch against defending champion Juan Manuel Marquez. It was one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year, and one of the most exciting. He won the WBC lightweight world title in June, 2008, with a ninth-round TKO against defending champion David Diaz. Manny was named "2006 Fighter of the Year" by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring. From TheRing-online.com: "It's amazing what a little guy with a big smile and an even bigger punch can accomplish. While the heavyweight division was bogged down by mediocrity last year, the junior lightweight class soared to new heights thanks in large part to Manny Pacquiao, The Ring's 2006 Fighter of the Year." Manny's nickname is "PacMan."

5 financial tips for you to plan ahead

There are 5 great tips to assist your budget planning and produce excellence results.

• Create a list for your budget planner for the month and list down expensive events such as holidays,weddings and so on. You can plan ahead and make sure enough money to kept aside and cut down unnecessary items.
• Take action to follow your progress for the month and keep the receipts. It easy for you to check your daily expenses. You also can use price comparison sites to monitor whether this is for shopping, insurance, mobile or etc.
• Always think carefully and remember to avoid temptation in sale that does not mean to spend it. Be sure spend your money wisely. You must have a sense of awareness of the results you are getting so that you move the right direction to achieve it.
• Keep in mind that meeting deadlines is very important. For example when paying back credit card bills try to avoid paying off just the minimum amount each month as this will lead to more interest accruing on your account. Instead pay off the maximum amount you feel you're able to budget for each month.
• Lastly, be sure you keep up to date on the latest finance news such as information on money saving or etc. To be successful, you need to have smart money action plan to achieve financial excellence for yourself. For instance if you save for you big occasion like holidays, you do not need to borrow or to borrow as much.

Catch me if you can, says ‘richest’ candidate

In a strange move to raise doubts over the honesty of the political class, a candidate from South Chennai, J. Mohanraj, declared that he had Rs 1,977 crore in deposits, making him the richest contestant in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
Son of a veteran freedom fighter and Congressman from Tamil Nadu, 57-year-old Mohanraj, is representing the Jebamani Janata Party, an unrecognised party.
He told on Monday, “If what the top political leaders have declared as their assets are correct, then mine is also correct. I will say all my assets are in a Swiss bank and if you bring back black money, my name will also be in that list,” he said.
He termed his move as a “patriotic duty” to show how the leaders were “making a mockery” of the Supreme Court judgment and violating all electoral norms.
Mohanraj, however, said he had Rs 2,000 in cash, four acres of land at Oothukottai village, 50 km from Chennai, seven acres in the same village in his wife’s name and 35 gold sovereigns his wife possessed which was now worth Rs 3.50 lakh.
Besides, he owns an apartment worth Rs 10 lakh in the city. But it is hypothecated to a bank for a loan. He said if only the Returning Officer had seen this entry, he should have had doubts over his cash deposits elsewhere.

160,000 singers in Hyderabad set new world record

A whopping 160,000 people sang in chorus seven keerthanas, or hymns in praise of god, of Telugu saint-poet Thallapaka Annamacharya in Hyderabad on Sunday evening, and broke a 70-year-old world record.
A representative of the Guinness Book of World Records announced that the previous record is broken at the grand spiritual musical event, organised to mark the 601st birth anniversary of Annamacharya.
"I have great pleasure in announcing that more than 70 years later the record has been broken," said Guinness Book representative Raymond Marshal amid thunderous applause at the sprawling Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, Hyderabad's twin city.
He also presented the certificate from Guinness Book of World Records to state Minister for Finance K. Rosaiah.
It was on Aug 2, 1937, that 60,000 people sang the national anthem in Germany to set the world record.
The programme, 'Laksha Gala Sankirthanarchana', was organised jointly by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the Andhra Pradesh state cultural council and Andhra Silicon.
The organisers said 160,000 people sang the keerthanas in one voice.
Renowned Carnatic musician M. Balamurali Krishna, singer Kavitha Krishnamurthy and her husband L. Subramanyam and Garimella Balakrishna Prasad led 160,000 singers, both professionals and amateurs. Telugu actor Nagarjuna, who acted in film "Annamayya", was also present.
Annamacharya, who was born in 1408, composed 32,000 Sankeerthans eulogising Lord Venkateswara.
The TTD, which manages the affairs of the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala, is organising Annamacharya's 601st birth anniversary celebrations on a grand scale.
TTD chairman D.K. Audikesavulu Naidu announced that Tallapaka, the birthplace of Annamacharya in Kadapa district, will be developed as a major spiritual centre.
The TTD is also making efforts to propagate Keerthanas of the first Telugu lyric poet worldwide by organising spiritual programmes, including group rendering of Sankeerthans and lectures on his literary works.

A girl spends life's 4 years on phone!

Girl-phone affair has long been known to mankind. And now, a new study has claimed that girls spend more than four years of their lives “on the beloved”.
The new UK study has found that women will make or receive an average of 288,000 calls in their lifetime. Those calls last a total of 42,000 hours — or 4.75 years.
As far as men are concerned, they are not much of “yappers”— their 277,000 calls in a lifetime take up 28,500 hours or 3.25 years, reports The Sun.
The research, for mobile phone recycler phonepiggybank.com, found that women in London are Britain’s biggest gasbags, spending an incredible 14 hours 16 minutes a week talking on either mobile or landline.
A spokesman for phonepiggybank.com said: “The figures are remarkable. “It’s very easy to lose track of time while chatting on the phone, and it seems women are more prone to this than blokes.”

Profile of India

Country profile: India



The world's largest democracy and second most populous country has emerged as a major power after a period of foreign rule and several decades during which its economy was virtually closed. A nuclear weapons state, it carried out tests in the 1970s and again in the 1990s in defiance of world opinion. However, India is still tackling huge social, economic and environmental problems. Overview
Overview
Facts
Leaders
Media


The vast and diverse Indian sub-continent - from the mountainous Afghan frontier to the jungles of Burma - was under foreign rule from the early 1800s until the demise of the British Raj in 1947. AT-A-GLANCE Economy: Fast-growing economy; large, skilled workforce but widespread poverty Politics: 380m people voted in 2004 election; winning Congress party led by Sonia Gandhi International: Ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir region; nuclear weapons state; world's most prolific film industry - Bollywood Timeline But the subsequent partition of the sub-continent sowed the seeds for future conflict. There have been three wars between India and its arch-rival Pakistan since 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir. A peace process, which started in 2004, stayed on track despite tension over Kashmir and several high-profile bombings until the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, which police blamed on Pakistani militants. India announced that the process was on pause the following month. Communal, caste and regional tensions continue to haunt Indian politics, sometimes threatening its long-standing democratic and secular ethos. In 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was gunned down by her Sikh bodyguards after ordering troops to flush out Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. And in 1992, widespread Hindu-Muslim violence erupted after Hindu extremists demolished the Babri mosque at Ayodhya. Independent India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, dreamed of a socialist society and created a vast public infrastructure, much of which became a burden on the state. From the late 1980s India began to open up to the outside world, encouraging economic reform and foreign investment. It is now courted by the world's leading economic and political powers, including its one-time foe China. The country has a burgeoning urban middle class and has made great strides in fields such as information technology. Its large, skilled workforce makes it a popular choice for international companies seeking to outsource work. Nuclear tests carried out by India in May 1998 and similar tests by Pakistan just weeks later provoked international condemnation and concern over the stability of the region. The US quickly imposed sanctions on India, but more recently the two countries have improved their ties, and even agreed to share nuclear technology. India launches its own satellites and in 2008 sent its first spacecraft to the moon. It also boasts a massive cinema industry, the products of which are among the most widely-watched films in the world. But the vast mass of the rural population remains illiterate and impoverished. Their lives continue to be dominated by the ancient Hindu caste system, which assigns each person a fixed place in the social hierarchy. Facts Overview Facts Leaders Media Full name: Republic of India Population: 1.2 billion (UN, 2008) Capital: New Delhi Most-populated city: Mumbai (Bombay) Area: 3.1 million sq km (1.2 million sq miles), excluding Indian-administered Kashmir (100,569 sq km/38,830 sq miles) Major languages: Hindi, English and at least 16 other official languages Major religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 66 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Indian Rupee = 100 paise Main exports: Agricultural products, textile goods, gems and jewellery, software services and technology, engineering goods, chemicals, leather products GNI per capita: US $950 (World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .in International dialling code: +91 Leaders Overview Facts Leaders Media President: Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil became India's first female president in July 2007, after being voted into office by members of state assemblies and the national parliament. President Pratibha Patil Mrs Patil, the candidate of the ruling Congress Party, was previously the little-known governor of the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan. She drew criticism during the campaign over scandals involving family members, and over controversial remarks. Supporters hailed her election as a victory for women, but critics wondered how much influence she would have. India has had several women in powerful positions - most notably Indira Gandhi, one of the world's first female prime ministers in 1966 - but activists complain that women still face widespread discrimination. Mrs Patil succeeds APJ Abdul Kalam, a scientist and the architect of the country's missile programme. Indian presidents have few actual powers, but they can decide which party or individual should form the central government after general elections. Prime minister: Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh's government has come under intense pressure in the wake of the Mumbai attacks of November 2008 which left nearly 200 people dead and hundreds injured. The next election, to be held over April and May 2009, looks set to be a close race between Mr Singh's Congress Party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by LK Advani. Mr Singh became prime minister in May 2004 after the Congress Party's unexpected success in general elections. The party's president, Sonia Gandhi, the widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, shocked her supporters by declining the top post, apparently to protect the party from damaging attacks over her Italian origin. PM Singh took office after Sonia Gandhi turned down the job India's architect of reforms Mr Singh said his priorities were to reduce poverty and to plough on with economic reforms. He stated a desire for friendly relations with India's neighbours, especially Pakistan. During his first year in office he held together a coalition which included communist allies and ministers accused of corruption. He continued to pursue market-friendly economic policies and oversaw the introduction of nuclear non-proliferation legislation. But his promised "New Deal" for rural India - an attempt to raise the poorest citizens out of poverty - has still to bear fruit. Mr Singh made his reputation as a finance minister in the early 1990s, under the Narasimha Rao government, when he was the driving force behind economic liberalisation. When the Congress Party was voted out of office, Mr Singh became opposition leader in the upper house. A Sikh born in West Punjab, Mr Singh is a former International Monetary Fund official and governor of India's Central Bank. He was educated at Oxford and Cambridge. Media Overview Facts Leaders Media Indian broadcasting has flourished since state TV's monopoly was broken in 1992. The array of channels is still growing. Billion-dollar film industry produces hundreds of movies each year BBC Asian Network: Bollywood Private cable and satellite stations command large audiences. News programmes often outperform entertainment shows. Many 24-hour news channels are up and running and more are planned. Doordarshan, the public TV, operates 21 services including its flagship DD1 channel, which reaches some 400 million viewers. Multichannel, direct-to-home (DTH) TV has been a huge hit. Five operators - Dish TV, Tata-Sky, Sun Direct, Big TV and Airtel Digital TV - have attracted millions of subscribers. State-owned Doordarshan Direct offers a free-to-air DTH service. Some industry sources say the number of DTH subscribers could reach 60 million by 2015. The cable TV market is one of the world's largest. Since they were given the green light in 2000, music-based FM radio stations have proliferated in the cities. But only public All India Radio can broadcast news. Established newspapers are slugging it out with new rivals India's press is lively. Driven by a growing middle class, newspaper circulation has risen and new titles compete with established dailies. Internet use has soared; by September 2007, around 60 million Indians were online (ITU figure). Paris-based Reporters Without Borders says press freedom is threatened by "the violence of political parties as well as religious and separatist groups" (India - Annual report 2008). The press Deccan Herald - Bangalore-based daily The Hindu - Madras-based daily The Hindustan Times - New Delhi-based daily The Pioneer - New Delhi-based daily The Indian Express - New Delhi-based daily The Statesman - Calcutta-based daily The Times of India - Mumbai-based daily The Asian Age - New Delhi-based daily India Today - New Delhi-based news magazine Outlook - New Delhi-based news magazine Television Doordarshan Television - public TV; operates national, regional, local and satellite services Zee TV - satellite, cable TV services operated by Zee Group STAR TV - operates satellite, cable TV services including STAR News, owned by News Corporation Sony Entertainment TV - commercial channel Aaj Tak - 24-hour news in Hindi New Delhi TV (NDTV) - operates NDTV-India and NDTV 24x7 news channels Sun Network - commercial multi-channel broadcaster Radio All India Radio - public, operates domestic and external networks Radio Mirchi - commercial network, stations in Mumbai, Delhi and other cities, mainly music, operated by The Times Group Radio City - commercial, FM stations in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities, owned by News Corporation Red FM - commercial, operated by India Today Group News agency Press Trust of India - non-profit, owned by newspaper titles