The Excess Of Success

Tiger Woods
The Excess Of Success

Exceptional people, be they superstar athletes, politicians, celebrities or CEOs, are driven to be the very best at what they do.

To that end, Tiger Woods is no exception.

We shouldn't be surprised, then, when that zeal carries over to the rest of his life, several psychologists and therapists said.

"How do you become Tiger Woods? It's not just talent," said Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington. "It's very coherent with who he is that, in the rest of his life, he can tell himself, 'I have a bigger drive than other people do, in every category. I can deliver bigger than other people can, in every category. And I can keep everybody happy.'"

Add in that many of these high achievers have been celebrated for many years ? all the way back to childhood, in some cases -- and it can be a combustible combination.

"That's what leads them to cross the line, whereas the rest of us common people would be more wary, more mindful, more thoughtful of dangers that might happen," said psychologist Stan Teitelbaum, author of "Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols."

"There's a sense of invincibility that goes with that picture that makes them think they can do whatever they want."

By now, the salacious details of Woods' "transgressions" are well known. The public has gotten over its shock at the shattering of his pristine image, with new revelations of alleged indiscretions almost becoming background noise.

There still is that one, persistent question: With a beautiful wife, two small children, more money than some royals and the adoration of millions, what was he thinking?

"They just want to know why, and he hasn't told us that. And he might not know why," said Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of radio's "Love Line" and VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" and author of "The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America."

With Woods, it could be a combination of things.

He is famous for his intensity and focus. This is, after all, a man who won a U.S. Open on a broken leg and shredded knee. In a playoff, no less.

But as highly driven people achieve, their success can breed an arrogance and sense of entitlement, said Herbert Samuels, a professor of human sexuality at the City University of New York and president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.

"Bill Clinton probably said it best. His answer was, 'Because I could,'" Samuels said, referring to the former president's explanation for his affair with Monica Lewinsky. "I think there are some men in positions of power who... have a sense of entitlement that the rules of the game don't necessarily apply to them."

Consider the star-studded names who've faced sex scandals: talk show host David Letterman, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and former presidential candidate John Edwards, to name a few.

"People say, 'Do you think celebrities and governors and CEOs are different?' And I go, duh!" Schwartz said. "Who has the drive, the thick skin, the energy, the desire at the level these guys, and some women, have to create the lives they had?"

Sports' special place in society can elevate that. Sports are the source of some of our biggest dreams and fondest memories and, in an increasingly fragmented world, is the shared language that binds us together.

"In some ways, the very same quality that allows you to reach Herculean heights can also work to destroy you," said Teitelbaum, who has coined the term "toxic athlete profile" to describe the mix of arrogance, grandiosity and entitlement that some athletes possess.

"It can be used in the most constructive of ways, but it can also be destructive."

Even their own success can work against them.

"I think they get into the mode that, 'Everything works out OK for them, so this will work out OK for them, too.' I think they do have some guilt about it, but they just go ahead," said Emily Brown, a marriage and family therapist in Arlington, Va., who said she sent her book "Affairs: A Guide to Working Through the Repercussions of Infidelity" to Woods' agent.

For whatever Woods' failings are, the public isn't blameless, Teitelbaum said.

"We used to enjoy a parade," Teitelbaum said, "and now we're very invested in enjoying the trainwreck."

source: askmen

Career As A Company Secretary

jeanene-fox


Career As A Company Secretary
By Dr Amita Ahuja



CAREER AS A COMPANY SECRETARY is not only prestigious and financially rewarding but also carries with it a high level of job satisfaction.

Employment Prospects

* A qualified company secretary has openings in Employment and can also practice as an Independent Professional
* Pursuant to section 383A of the Companies Act, 1956, companies with a paid-up share capital of Rs. 5 crores or more are compulsorily required to appoint a whole time Company Secretary who must be a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

· All companies seeking listing on Stock Exchange are required to appoint a whole time company secretary

· Almost every kind of organization whose affairs are conducted by boards, councils or other corporate structures, be it a company, trust, association, federation, authority, commission or the like, finds it useful to appoint a person who holds the qualification of Company Secretaryship in key administrative position.

· Membership of the Institute is recognized for appointment to superior posts and services under Central Government.











Self-Employment/Practising Company Secretaries



· After obtaining a ‘Certificate of Practice’ from the Institute, Members of the Institute can go in for Independent Practice.

· Every company having a paid-up share capital of Rs. Ten Lakhs or more but less than Rs. five Crores is required to engage the services of a Secretary in Whole-Time Practice for issue of Compliance Certificate.

· Pursuant to Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement, Practising Company Secretaries have been authorized to issue Certificate regarding compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance as stipulated in the Clause.

· Practising Company Secretaries have also been recognized to appear before various Tribunals such as Company Law Board, Securities Appellate Tribunal, Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, Competition Commission of India, Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, Consumer Forums, Tax Tribunals etc.

· Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has recognized the Practising Company Secretaries to undertake Diligence Report for Banks.



“The Institute of Company Secretaries of India” (ICSI) is a premier National Professional body established by Act of Parliament to develop and regulate the Profession of Company Secretaries.



ICSI imparts training in Company Secretaryship by Distance Learning (by correspondence) enabling students to qualify as Company Secretaries. The Institute provides “Course Material” for all the subjects at the time of Registration. There is also provision for Optional Oral Coaching classes.



The Company Secretaryship Course: A course that transforms students into corporate professonals

Stages to become a Company Secretary:



The student who would like to join the Course after 10+2 has to undergo three stages to pursue the Company Secretaries Course i.e.



Foundation Programme

Executive Programme

Professional Programme



The Student who would like to join the Course after passing the Graduation has to undergo two stages of the Company Secretaryship i.e.



Executive Programme

Professional Programme



Foundation Programme which is of eight months duration can be pursued by 10+2 pass students of Arts, Science or Commerce stream (Excluding Fine Arts)



Executive Programme can be pursued by a Graduate of all streams except Fine Arts.



Professional Programme can be pursued only after clearing the Executive Programme of CS Course.



Training Requirements

A student has to undergo 16 month Training in a company or under a Practising Company Secretary after passing the Executive Programme or Professional Programme. Students who possess prescribed practical experience can seek partial or total exemption from Training. Sponsorship for the Training is made by the Institute. The companies and the Practising Company Secretaries pay stipend during the training period. In addition every student is required to undergo 15 days Training in a specialized agency and 15 days Secretarial Modular Training Programme.



After qualifying the CS Professional Programme and on successful completion of Training, a candidate is enrolled as an Associate Member of the Institute and can use the descriptive title “ACS” after his/ her name.











ADMISSION TO THE CS COURSE is open throughout the year. Examinations are held twice a year in June & December. There is no minimum pass percentage requirement for admission.



Cut off dates for admission to CS course:



For Foundation Programme


31st March for appearing in December Examination in the same year

30th September for June Examination next year

For Executive Programme


28th February for December Exams in the

same year year

31st August for June Exam next year



For details website www.icsi.edu queries can be e mailed to info@icsi.edu



The CS Course is:

· recognized by the various Universities for admission to PhD Course

· appointment of Lecturers in Commerce & Management



SUBJECTS FOR CS PROGRAMME

There are 4 papers in CS Foundation Programme
There are 6 papers divided into 2 Modules in CS Executive Programme

There are 8 papers divided into 4 Modules in CS Professional Programme



SUBJECTS
Foundation Programme

( 4 papers)


* English & Business Communication

* Economics & Statistics

* Financial Accounting

* Elements of Business Laws and Management

Executive Programme [6 papers]

Module I

(3 papers)




* General and Commercial Laws

* Company Accounts, Cost & Management Accounting

* Tax Laws

Module II

(3 papers)






* Company Law

* Economic and Labour Laws

* Securities Law and Compliances


Professional Programme [8 papers]

Module I

(2 papers)


* Company Secretarial Practice

* Drafting, Appearances and Pleadings

Module II

(2 papers)


* Financial, Treasury and Forex Management

* Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency

Module III

(2 papers)


· Strategic Management, Alliances and International Trade

* Advance Tax Laws and Practices

Module IV

(2 papers)


* Due Diligence and Corporate Compliance Management

* Governance, Business Ethics and Sustainability









ICSI Introduces 24X7 Study through E-Learning: (http://elearning.icsi.edu)

In order to facilitate students, e-learning portal is available for the Company Secretary Foundation Programme which will also be extended to Executive Programme and Professional Programme in due course. Students through out the country including rural and semi-urban areas as well as from other countries can avail this 24x7 hours on-line study facility as the portal has global reach.

Under e-learning, students can have continuous access to studies and guidance of faculties on-line. The e-learning module will enable the students to have access to learning and faculty support at any time as per their convenience. Interactivity will be established by modules such as Discussion Boards and Online Chat. After the proposed virtual classroom facility under e-learning portal starts, students will be able to interact live with the faculty. This will take the CS course studies virtually into the space age.

Undergoing of e-learning is in addition and not in substitution to compulsory postal tuition. E-learning is designed to provide a virtual contact between the teacher and the taught. Students intending to join e-learning are therefore, required to pay additional fees as determined by the Institute from time to time.



ICSI - IGNOU MOU:

Specialised B.Com & M.Com courses for students & Members of Company Secretaryship

The Institute has been continuously endeavouring towards capacity building of its students and members. It is in this direction, The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Under this MOU, IGNOU offers a specialized B.Com Course with major in Corporate Affairs and Administration and specialized M.Com Course in Business Policy and Corporate Governance exclusively for the students of Company Secretaryship and Members of the ICSI.



MOU with ICSA, London

The ICSI and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, UK (ICSA) after satisfying the high standards of examination and appreciating each others activities in promoting the best practices in Company Secretaryship and professional education & administration signed an MOU which provides for reciprocal exemptions on mutual basis. Members of ICSI are exempted from passing 14 out of 17 papers and are required to pass the following three core papers to acquire the membership of ICSA:

• Corporate Law

• Corporate Secretaryship

• Corporate Administration

Members of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, in good standing for a period of two years, can avail of the benefit of the MOU.

MOU between ICSI & SII,

source: employment news

Is there plastic in your metal water bottle?

Is there plastic in your metal water bottle?
How safe is your reusable water bottle? That's a question many consumers are asking thanks to a recent announcement from Sigg, the manufacturer of trendy aluminum water bottles.

Some consumers switched to the brightly colored metal bottles in an effort to avoid bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical that interferes with the female hormone estrogen. The controversial chemical has been linked to a long list of health concerns including early onset of puberty, neurotoxicity, and some cancers.

BPA can leach from polycarbonate plastic bottles when it comes into contact with hot liquids and from regular wear and tear. Parents and other concerned consumers thought they were doing a good thing for their family's health and the planet's by choosing metal over plastic.

However, all metal bottles are not created equally. Aluminum bottles typically have epoxy liners, which may contain BPA and other unwanted chemicals. In the past, Sigg would not reveal the ingredients in its liners, claiming that it was "proprietary."

Now, the company admits that the epoxy liners in its bottles used to contain trace amounts of BPA. Sigg says it switched to a new "EcoCare" liner in August 2008, but angry consumers wonder why the company wasn't upfront about the fact that BPA was in its liners.

Sigg says its old bottles didn't leach any BPA. But, how safe are they? "It is possible that very low levels of BPA will leach from the bottle, especially when something hot or acidic is placed in there," says Sarah Janssen, a staff scientist the Natural Resources Defense Council. "As the bottle ages and the resin begins to break down, there will be more leaching. It's the same process as with any other BPA containing containe
If you own a Sigg bottle, the first thing you should do is check to see if you have an old liner or a new one. Even if you bought it after August 2008, you still may have an older bottle that was shipped to the store before the company made the switch. The former lining has a shiny copper bronze finish. The EcoCare liner has a dull yellow coating.

If you have an old liner, then you can trade in your old bottle for a new one. Sigg's voluntary exchange program is available through October 31, 2009. You can pay to have your bottles shipped back to Sigg, or check to see if a local retailer will take it back.

You'll have to decide for yourself if you want to support a company that wasn't completely transparent in the first place.

There's also no guarantee that Sigg's new epoxy liner is completely safe. “Just because a bottle is labeled ‘BPA-free’ there is no guarantee that another toxic chemical wasn’t used as the replacement,” says Janssen.
What kind of water bottles should you look for?

Stainless steel is your best bet if you're in the market for a new reusable bottle or just want to choose the safest option around. "I would recommend going with a stainless steel bottle and avoiding any questions about what the new chemical is," says Janssen.

In general, all aluminum bottles have epoxy linings and just because Sigg has changed its lining doesn't mean other manufacturers have changed theirs. "Consumers should be wary of buying any aluminum water bottle as many are still made with an epoxy resin lining that contains BPA and can leach significant levels depending on the quality of the product," says Janssen.

Luckily there are plenty of safe choices for consumers. Kleen Kanteen, ThinkSport, and Nalgene all sell stainless steel water bottles that are BPA-free and, most importantly, don't have any liners (so there aren't any potentially dangerous secret ingredients to worry about).

For small children, there's a growing array of "sippy cups" made from stainless steel. They're less expensive than Sigg's Kids Bottles, but pricier (yet more durable) than plastic versions. Learn more about buying safe baby bottles.

source: yahoo

life is now - this day - this hour

It is good to appreciate that life is now. Whatever it offers, little or much, life is now - this day - this hour - Charles Macomb Flandrav

TOP 10: The World's Most Powerful Celebrities

TOP 10: The World's Most Powerful Celebrities

1. Angelina Jolie
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Madonna
4. Beyoncé Knowles
5. Tiger Woods
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. Steven Spielberg
8. Jennifer Aniston
9. Brad Pitt
10. Kobe Bryan

source: Forbes

Social networking out, streaming video in

Social networking out, streaming video in
Hulu was praised for giving web users what they were after — on-demand TV shows — without having to turn to illegal file-sharing.

“Determined not to let what happened to the music industry happened to Hollywood, NBC and Fox teamed up,” TIME said of the site’s creation.

“If it aired recently on NBC, ABC or Fox, you’ll probably find it archived on Hulu.”

Hulu is unavailable in Australia due to licensing restrictions, but most local networks have launched similar sites since the success of ABC’s excellent iView service.

SBS, Seven, Nine and Ten now all stream full episodes of key shows — All Saints, Sea Patrol, Rush to name a few — on their websites.

The other trend on TIME‘s list was towards websites promising to save users money.

The magazine included sites like ConsumerSearch, Yelp and Kayak that help users find the best deals or read other people’s reviews of companies and products, as well as cut-price auction site Shop Goodwill and budget calculator Mint.

Another one, Supercook, offers recipes based on the ingredients you already have in your pantry, while CouchSurfing hooks travellers up with a (really) cheap place to stay.

Social networking sites, a few years ago the craze of the web, seem to have fallen from favour with no mention of previous inclusions LinkedIn, MySpace, Digg or Meebo.

However Twitter and Facebook both made this year’s list — the latter for the first time ever.

“If you’ve been avoiding Facebook because you’re concerned about privacy issues or worried you’ll lose your life to social networking, you’ve already spent too much time thinking about (it),” said TIME.

“Although it’s desperate to be more, Facebook is really just a phone book.”

source: news

How 20 popular websites looked when they launched

blogger.com - launched in 1999

How 20 popular websites looked when they launched (telegraph)

YSR: From an aggressive politician to a mass leader

Y S Rajasekhara Reddy

YSR: From an aggressive politician to a mass leader (PTI)
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who grew from the faction-ridden and often violence-marked politics of Kadapa, steered his party through spectacular victories twice consecutively in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to emerge its undisputed leader in Andhra Pradesh.

60-year-old Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, widely known as YSR, was equally controversial as he was popular. He was a lot mellowed once he assumed reins of power, compared to the aggressive image he had acquired from his days in student Congress and later as an MLA and MP.

Reddy was impatient with the party High Command when under the late P V Narasimha Rao, Vijayabhaskara Reddy was made the chief minister in the mid-1990s but some sane counsel from the the former Prime Minister softened him to bide his time.
Indian politician Y.S.R. Reddy, Andhra Pradesh minister, killed in jungle helicopter crash: reports (dailynews)
YSR Reddy dies in chopper crash (livemint)

helicopter that killed YSR

YSR keeps his word on retirement at 60

YSR keeps his word on 'retirement' at 60 (Times of india)
YSR's legacy: Leaders need not be good men (ibnlive)
India awaits politician funeral (bbc)
Country pays last respect to YSR, funeral today (ibnlive)
YSR matured like fine wine (Expressbuzz)(PTI)
PM, Sonia pay tributes to YSR, funeral today (zeenews)
YSR: India loses a real agri-commodities leader (commodies online)
Welfare topped his agenda (expressbuzz)
Nation Pays Tribute, as YSR begins his Last Journey (breakingnews online)
YSR: India's tribute to the mass leader (worldnews)
YSR's demise a huge loss: Congress (Hindustan Times)
Over 60 die after hearing news about YSR`s death (sify)
Will son Jagan step into YSR's shoes? (Times of India)
Rajasekhara Reddy was one of our most charismatic leaders: Sonia (Hindu)
India Inc. pays tributes to YSR's vision (sify)
India Inc. pays tributes to YSR's vision (Times Now)
Kadapa district to be named after YSR (Hindu)
YSR, the leader of aam aadmi (Economic Times)

The world's happiest cities

The world's happiest cities
Top 5 World's Happiest Cities
1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Melbourne, Australia

source: forbes

50 things that are being killed by the internet

50 things that are being killed by the internet
The internet has wrought huge changes on our lives – both positive and negative – in the fifteen years since its use became widespread.
1) The art of polite disagreement
2) Fear that you are the only person unmoved by a celebrity's death
3) Listening to an album all the way through
4) Sarah Palin
5) Punctuality
6) Ceefax/Teletext
7) Adolescent nerves at first porn purchase
8) Telephone directories
9) The myth of cat intelligence
10) Watches
11) Music stores
12) Letter writing/pen pals
13) Memory
14) Dead time
15) Photo albums and slide shows
16) Hoaxes and conspiracy theories
17) Watching television together
18) Authoritative reference works
19) The Innovations catalogue
20) Order forms in the back pages of books
.......
source: Telegraph

Mourners gather to pay respects to Y.S.R. Reddy

Mourners gather to pay respects to Y.S.R. Reddy
Thousands of Indians have gathered to pay their respects to politician Y.S.R. Reddy who was killed in a helicopter crash.
Mourners gather to pay respects to Y.S.R. Reddy
Thousands of Indians have gathered to pay their respects to politician Y.S.R. Reddy who was killed in a helicopter crash.
source: Telegraph

The 100 most annoying things: poll

Top 100 most annoying things:

1. Chavs

2. People driving close behind you

3. People who smell

4. People who eat with their mouth open

5. Rude shop assistants

6. Foreign call centres

7. Stepping in dog poo

8. People who cough and do not cover their mouths

9. Slow internet connections

10. Poor customer service

11. Dog owners that don't clean up after their dog

12. Noisy Eaters

13. Cold-callers

14. Door-to-door salesman

15. Stubbing your toe

16. Bullying

17. Computer crashing losing work you've spent three hours doing

18. People who talk loudly on their mobile phones

19. Spam email

20. The nation's obsession with Z-list celebrities

21. Leaving a tissue in a pocket and putting it in a washing machine

22. Driving slow in the fast lane

23. Adverts in between programmes

24. Toilets you have to pay for

25. The nation's obsession with the Katie & Peter split saga

26. People reading over your shoulder

27. People that park in disabled bays when they're not disabled

28. Brownnosers

29. People who complain about their weight yet make no effort to exercise or eat properly

30. People jumping the queue at the bar

31. Junk mail

32. Tailgaters

33. Big Brother

34. Muggers

35. MPs' expenses

36. Stepping in chewing gum

37. Pricey train fares

38. People who walk painfully slowly on the street

39. Noisy neighbours

40. People who sniff and don't use a tissue

41. Sweating

42. Binge drinking culture

43. Feeling bloated

44. The recession

45. Delays at the airport

46. Automated phone systems

47. Smoking

48. Road rage

49. People that have their mobile turned off when you really need to get in contact with them

50. Running out of toilet roll

51. Coverage of Michael Jackson's death

52. Reality TV

53. Flies

54. Finding a flat tyre

55. Parking costs

56. Bossiness

57. Rubbish opening times to doctors, dentists

58. When your washing machine breaks down

59. Politicians

60. Paper cuts

61. Buses not arriving on time

62. Singers who mime

63. People who can't park properly

64. Over packaged kids toys

65. Diarrhoea

66. Constipation

67. Text message speak

68. Bad hair days

69. Getting something in your eye

70. The hot water running out when you're running a bath

71. People who drive in the middle lane of motorways

72. People who mumble

73. Slow traffic lights

74. Cashiers giving you your change on top of a receipt

75. Cramp

76. Reading about Brad Pitt/Jennifer Aniston saga

77. Unpredictable weather

78. Cars blocking pedestrian crossings

79. Adult acne

80. People who are not polite in emails

81. Yo-yo dieting celebs

82. Trying to find the end of the sticking tape or toilet roll

83. Pimped up cars

84. Traffic wardens

85. Losing your passport

86. Running out of petrol

87. Burning your toast

88. Sunburn

89. iPhone obsessives

90. Celebrity fitness DVDs

91. People addicted to watching soaps

92. Breaking a nail

93. Bankers

94. PDA (public displays of affection)

95. Under performance

96. Someone altering your seat height at work

97. People who don't remove their shoes in the house

98. Children at weddings

99. Hot weather when you're not on holiday

100. Sports commentary

source: Telegraph

Lessons from SS Rajamouli

Magadheera
The tough taskmaster S S Rajamouli has created history with his recent venture ‘Magadheera’ and not just in terms of breaking the box office records, he has set a new benchmark to the Telugu film industry and perhaps the Indian cinema by coming up with such a mega blockbuster.

However, the man has not got into anything ambitious and is currently said to be busy with the making of his new movie ‘Maryada Ramanna’ with super comedian Sunil. Well, the expectations usually tend to go high but then Rajamouli anticipated such thing and so he is playing a safe game with this project.

Those who have followed his career moves say that he is truly a man to reckon with when it comes to planning. With ‘Maryada Ramanna’, Rajamouli knows that the stress factor would not be that intense and this in a way is a good learning point for many other directors. Hats off Rajamouli!!!

Meanwhile, ‘Magadheera’ has been running strongly not just in one or two but a total of 110 theaters. Now, the best part is, all these theatres belong only in the Naizam area. Not only that, the collections are said to be going solid across all theatres.

Sources reveal that the film has cast a spell over the Naizam audience and there are those who have been coming for repeated shows. While the visual grandeur is one aspect, many say that the film leaves with a high level of courage and motivation which has become a crowd puller. Way to go ‘Magadheera’!!!

source: great andhra

India's 5 most affluent cities

The HiTec City in Hyderabd.
India's 5 most affluent cities
1. New Delhi
2. Bengaluru
3. Greater Mumbai
4. Chennai
5. Hyderabad
Hyderabad stands fifth in the list of India's most affluent cities.

More than three in five affluent persons watch movies outside home and more than half use Internet at home.

Overall, the economic slowdown has not impacted spending habits of affluent individuals but luxury accessories and vacations are items where they have cut down spending.

source: rediff

All That Popular on the Net

A rare positioning of planets Venus (top left) and Jupiter (top right) and the crescent moon of the Earth provides a 'smiley' effect that captivated Asia Monday night Dec. 1, 2008 in Manila, Philppines.




Geek Life

Lessons in Leadership from Barack Obama
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=guy.wisdom&category=life.lessons&conitem=7987743a7fddc110VgnVCM20000012281eac____&cm_mmc=RSS-_-mhrsshome-_-NA-_-NA
The 10 Most Expensive Movies of All Time
http://blog.knowyourmoney.co.uk/index.php/2008/11/the-10-most-expensive-movies-of-all-time/
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2006)
2. Cleopatra (1963)
3) Superman Returns (2006)


The Dollar-a-Day Diet
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/the-dollar-a-day-diet/


The 5 rules of advertising on Twitter
http://www.oldmedianewtricks.com/?p=48

"He that would be a leader must also be a bridge." - Welsh Proverb

money spinners on the net
clixncash.com
www.alertpay.com
www.paypal.com
www.buxout.com
www.buxp.info
http://uronlinebux.com
www.extra10.com
www.neobux.com
www.splurgebux.com
www.sandraclicks.com
www.getpaidto.net
www.opinionoutpost.com
www.globaltestmarket. com
www.online-paid-surveys.net
www.hits4pay.com
www.bluebayptr.com
www.e-mailpaysu.com
www.bountycenter.com
www.wowearinings.com
www.affiliatetips.com
www.clixgalore.co.uk
www.clickbank.com
www.coffeewitharya.blogspot.com
www.coffeewitharya.com
http://hyperwebenable.com
www.blogger.com
www.freewebs.com
www.google.com/adsense
www.adbrite.com
http://adsvert.com
www.bidvertiser.com
http://adwords.google.com
www.linkshare.com,
www.affiliatebot.com,
www.clickbank.com
www.makemoneykingdom.com
www.mylot.com The Best Films of the 90s
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2008/nov/05sli1.htm

Do you Spik Inglis?!?
http://allfunny-stuff.com/index.php/Funny-Pictures/Do-you-Spik-Inglis.html



10 of the Best Social Media Tools for PR Professionals and Journalists
http://mashable.com/2008/10/30/best-social-media-tools-for-pr-professionals-and-journalists/

10 Promising Content Management Systems
http://sixrevisions.com/web-applications/10-promising-content-management-systems/
=======
Oh, grow up
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12566826
Blogging is no longer what it was, because it has entered the mainstream

IN THE anthropologically isolated subculture of elite bloggers, it was the equivalent of a watershed, and certainly a tear-shed. With “a heavy heart, and much consideration”, Jason Calacanis this summer announced his “retirement from blogging”, which he believed was “the right decision for me and my family”. Mr Calacanis, a founder of Weblogs, Inc., a blog network that he later sold to AOL, an internet portal, had been a member of the “A-list”—those bloggers with the most incoming links and the highest “authority” on blog-search engines such as Technorati. With the bathos of Napoleon departing for Elba or Michael Jordan bidding adieu to basketball, Mr Calacanis bowed out, reverting to the ancient medium of e-mail to disseminate his opinions.

“Blogging is simply too big, too impersonal, and lacks the intimacy that drew me to it,” he offered by way of explanation. It was, he said, “the pressure” of staying on the A-list—ie, of keeping his blog so big and impersonal—that got him. Only a few years ago, so few people blogged that being a blogosphere celebrity required little more than showing up. Now it takes hard work. And vitriol. “Today the blogosphere is so charged, so polarised, and so filled with haters hating that it’s simply not worth it,” Mr Calacanis lamented.
The rest of the world may well have missed the unfolding of his tragedy. Behind it, however, is a bigger trend. Blogging has entered the mainstream, which—as with every new medium in history—looks to its pioneers suspiciously like death. To the earliest practitioners, over a decade ago, blogging was the regular posting of text updates, and later photos and videos, about themselves and their thoughts to a few friends and family members. Today lots of internet users do this, only they may not think of it as blogging. Instead, they update their profile pages on Facebook, MySpace or other social networks.

They may also “micro-blog” on services such as Twitter, which recreate the raw, immediate and intimate feel of early blogs. Twitter messages, usually sent from mobile phones, are fewer than 140 characters long and answer the question “What are you doing?” Tellingly, Evan Williams, the co-founder of Blogger—an early blogging service that is now owned by Google, the Wal-Mart of the internet—now runs Twitter, which he regards as the future.

As for traditional (if that is the word) blog pages, these tend increasingly to belong to conventional media organisations. Nearly every newspaper, radio and television channel now runs blogs and updates them faster than any individual blogger ever could. Professional blogs such as HuffingtonPost.com for liberals (with 4.5m visitors in September) or FreeRepublic.com for conservatives (with 1m visitors in that month) have played a big role in America’s election season, according to comScore, an online-measurement firm. These “new media” firms are now suffering from the same advertising slowdown as their offline rivals. Gawker, a gossip-blog empire, has already begun laying off bloggers.

Simultaneously, companies far outside the media industry have embraced blogging as just another business tool. They are using blogs both to get corporate messages to the public and as an internal medium for staff. Companies like Six Apart, which provides Movable Type, TypePad and other blogging tools, see firms as their most promising market.

Gone, in other words, is any sense that blogging as a technology is revolutionary, subversive or otherwise exalted, and this upsets some of its pioneers. Confirmed, however, is the idea that blogging is useful and versatile. In essence, it is a straightforward content-management system that posts updates in reverse-chronological order and allows comments and other social interactions. Viewed as such, blogging may “die” in much the same way that personal-digital assistants (PDAs) have died. A decade ago, PDAs were the preserve of digerati who liked using electronic address books and calendars. Now they are gone, but they are also ubiquitous, as features of almost every mobile phone.

Watermelon Juice: The New Fuel?

Watermelon Juice: The New Fuel?
A staple of backyard barbecues and summer time snacks, watermelon is also a promising new source of renewable energy.

According to a new study, leftover watermelons from farms' harvests could be converted into up to 9.4 million liters (2.5 million gallons) of clean, renewable ethanol fuel every year destined for your car, truck, or airplane's gas tank.

Agriculturally, watermelon is a peculiar fruit -- each year farmers across the country leave between 20 and 40 percent of their crop to rot on the ground. These are the ugly ducklings of the lot; though perfectly fine on the inside, the misshapen or blemished melons simply won't sell at the grocery store.
source: dsc.discovery

A "Public Option" Would Be Bad - cartoon

A "Public Option" Would Be Bad - cartoon

Students Get New Assignment: Pick Books You Like

Students Get New Assignment: Pick Books You Like
For years Lorrie McNeill loved teaching “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the Harper Lee classic that many Americans regard as a literary rite of passage.
But last fall, for the first time in 15 years, Ms. McNeill, 42, did not assign “Mockingbird” — or any novel. Instead she turned over all the decisions about which books to read to the students in her seventh- and eighth-grade English classes at Jonesboro Middle School in this south Atlanta suburb.

Among their choices: James Patterson‘s adrenaline-fueled “Maximum Ride” books, plenty of young-adult chick-lit novels and even the “Captain Underpants” series of comic-book-style novels.

But then there were students like Jennae Arnold, a soft-spoken eighth grader who picked challenging titles like “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines and “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, of which she wrote, partly in text-message speak: “I would have N3V3R thought of or about something like that on my own.”

The approach Ms. McNeill uses, in which students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading, is part of a movement to revolutionize the way literature is taught in America’s schools. While there is no clear consensus among English teachers, variations on the approach, known as reading workshop, are catching on.

In New York City many public and private elementary schools and some middle schools already employ versions of reading workshop. Starting this fall, the school district in Chappaqua, N.Y., is setting aside 40 minutes every other day for all sixth, seventh and eighth graders to read books of their own choosing.

In September students in Seattle’s public middle schools will also begin choosing most of their own books. And in Chicago the public school district has had a pilot program in place since 2006 in 31 of its 483 elementary schools to give students in grades 6, 7 and 8 more control over what they read. Chicago officials will consider whether to expand the program once they review its results.

None of those places, however, are going as far as Ms. McNeill.

In the method familiar to generations of students, an entire class reads a novel — often a classic — together to draw out the themes and study literary craft. That tradition, proponents say, builds a shared literary culture among students, exposes all readers to works of quality and complexity and is the best way to prepare students for standardized tests.

But fans of the reading workshop say that assigning books leaves many children bored or unable to understand the texts. Letting students choose their own books, they say, can help to build a lifelong love of reading.

“I feel like almost every kid in my classroom is engaged in a novel that they’re actually interacting with,” Ms. McNeill said, several months into her experiment. “Whereas when I do ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,” I know that I have some kids that just don’t get into it.”

Critics of the approach say that reading as a group generally leads to more meaningful insights, and they question whether teachers can really keep up with a roomful of children reading different books. Even more important, they say, is the loss of a common body of knowledge based on the literary classics — often difficult books that children are unlikely to choose for themselves.

“What child is going to pick up ‘Moby-Dick’?” said Diane Ravitch, a professor of education at New York University who was assistant education secretary under President George H. W. Bush. “Kids will pick things that are trendy and popular. But that’s what you should do in your free time.”

Indeed, some school districts are moving in the opposite direction. Boston is developing a core curriculum that will designate specific books for sixth grade and is considering assigned texts for each grade through the 12th.

Joan Dabrowski, director of literacy for Boston’s public schools, said teachers would still be urged to give students some choices. Many schools in fact take that combination approach, dictating some titles while letting students select others.

Even some previously staunch advocates of a rigid core curriculum have moderated their views. “I actually used to be a real hard-line, great-books, high-culture kind of person who would want to stick to Dickens,” said Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University and the author of “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.” But now, in the age of Game Boys and Facebook, “I think if they read a lot of Conan novels or Hardy Boys or Harry Potter or whatever, that’s good,” he said. “We just need to preserve book habits among the kids as much as we possibly can.”

In Search of a Better Way

As a teenager growing up just a few miles from Jonesboro, Ms. McNeill loved the novels of Judy Blume and Danielle Steel. But in school she was forced to read the classics. She remembers vividly disliking “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Still, she went on to teach it to her own students.

source: nytimes

Fatigue Fighters — Six Quick Ways To Boost Energy

Fatigue Fighters — Six Quick Ways To Boost Energy
When you're dragging from all that multi-tasking, here are proven strategies to fight off fatigue
Energy Boost #1: Reach for energy food
Energy Boost #2: Eat a high-carb, high-fiber breakfast
Energy Boost #3: Take breaks
Energy Boost #4: Get moving
Energy Boost #5: Take 5 and Meditate
Energy Boost #6: Ditch the Energy Vampires

source: webmd

Tough cure for China web addicts

Tough cure for China web addicts
For patients at Beijing's Youth Psychology Development Centre, the day begins with the loud blast of a whistle at about 0600.

They roll out of bed and quickly change into military fatigues before lining up in the corridor, ready to start the day's activities.

The mostly male youngsters at this centre all have the same problem - they are addicted to the internet.

And through a tough programme of physical exercise, medication and counselling, this is where they hope to be cured.

There has been a lot of interest in these boot camps over recent weeks after two teenagers were beaten up at two separate camps in China. One died, the other was seriously injured.

Internet 'slaves'

Tao Ran, the director of the Beijing centre, denies that camp workers use violence against his patients.

He said: "We use love and science to look after and cure our patients, to allow them to go to school and use the internet in a healthy way."

But the centre he runs is certainly no holiday camp.

It is run by a hospital attached to the Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army, and is on a military base.

As the young people go through their daily activities, real soldiers clean their rifles outside a dormitory next-door.

The patients - all teenagers or in their 20s - are sent to the centre because their parents believe they spend too much time on the internet.

Mr Tao defines an internet addict as anyone who is on the internet for at least six hours a day and has little interest in school.

Slogans posted on the walls of the centre make it clear that spending too much time on the internet is not healthy.

"Those who are masters of the internet are heroes," reads one, before adding, "Those who are controlled by the internet are slaves."

Youngsters come to the centre from across China and many of them have to endure its tough regime for three months.

'Father cheated me'

That regime starts with early morning exercises on the base's parade ground.

After that the addicts are brought back to their quarters - which they are locked into - where they have to tidy up.

Four people share each of the rooms, which - when put in order - look just like soldiers' dormitories.

Duvets are folded neatly on beds, flannels are hung over washbowls and four toothbrushes stand in cups, all pointing in the same direction.

According to the parents, few youngsters want to come to the centre to be cured - and it is not hard to see why they object.

Patients have to follow orders; one centre worker physically turned a youngster around when he was not paying attention at a roll call.

"My father cheated me to get me here. He said we were going out to have fun, but then he brought me here," said one teenager.

"At first I felt very unhappy, but later on I understood why my parents wanted me here. They want me to get rid of my internet addiction."

But at the centre it is not just the youngsters who have to reform.

Part of director Tao's approach is to change the way the whole family behaves; he believes it is not just the internet user who has a problem.

Many parents accompany their children to the Beijing boot camp in an attempt to learn how to better bring up their offspring.

And some of them admit that they do have something to learn.

"When we arrived and started listening to Dr Tao, we realised there were problems with our parenting, particularly with me," said one father, Chen Lin.

"We treated our child like an underling. We believed our child should do whatever we told him to do."

Last hope

Mr Chen said he used to beat, abuse and make fun of his son to encourage him to work harder - now he says that was wrong.

"We hurt his feelings and he became less confident," admitted Mr Chen.

China's government has become increasingly concerned about how these boot camps are run - and their lack of oversight.

At the moment there is no national register of camps, and none of them have been approved and inspected by government officials.

The ministry of health issued a notice in July banning the use of "electro-stimulation" that was being used to "cure" internet addicts.

But worried parents across China continue to send their children to the camps.

As one father at the Beijing centre put it: "There's no other choice - this is our last hope."

source: bbc

Internet + Imagination = A new life

Internet + Imagination = A new life

When Tulika Verma checked into a Delhi hospital for her second delivery, she was calm and relaxed, looking forward to taking her second baby home to bond with their two-year-old daughter.

Moments after Arjunuday was born, though, the doctor told her he had multiple congenital defects. And a very rare blood type.
“All I can remember of those first few weeks,” says Rahul, Tulika’s husband, “is the endless phone calls and SMSes as we tried desperately to find matching blood donors for our baby.”

The couple would stay up all night, sending out text messages to friends, radio stations, TV channels. “With all the stress of an ailing infant, it was almost more than we could take,” says Tulika.

For the Vermas, the nightmare ended when Rahul set up his own online registry of donors, through website rarebloodgroups.org. But the MBA in finance marketing had to give up his job to run the site.

With their limited finances and virtually no expertise, the Vermas have raised a bank of 5,000 committed donors in a little over two years. They even have 20 donors registered for the Bombay blood group, one of the rarest in the world. If Verma could do it, so can the government.
Finding blood and organ donors is always hard.

From 1990 to 2000, the number of patients on the transplant waiting list rose by 14 per cent per annum, while the increase in donors has averaged just 3 per cent a year.

But in most countries, in the 21st century, it isn’t this impossible.

Around the world, governments in countries from Spain to Singapore play an active role in connecting blood and organ donors with recipients, offering counselling and conducting awareness drives to attract more donors.

Since shortage of blood is never listed as a cause of death, there are no statistics available for how many lives could be saved. But it’s time the government of India used the funds, expertise and technology at its disposal to set up a national donor registry.
“It is an area where the government has a great role to play,” says Dr Debashish Gupta, head of Transfusion Medicine at the government’s National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

Dr Gupta should know. NACO submitted a plan two years ago, detailing how a cental database of blood donors would function. The plan it is still awaiting approval. The framework already exists: NACO regularly conducts blood donation drives and screens the blood to ensure it is safe.

So here is what we propose:

Regular donors from across the country could be compiled into a central database.
This resource could be made accessible only to public hospitals, trusts and non-governmental organisations like Red Cross and the Rotary Club, to minimise the risk of misuse.
“A national donor registry is a good idea. It would save lives,” says Dr Vanshree Singh, Director (Blood Bank) with the Indian Red Cross Society. “And NACO is the perfect agency for such a database.”

Those signing up to donate blood be offered incentives, like a free medical test for the family — and be referred to the database.

The database could be expanded through awareness campaigns and blood donation drives.

In emergencies, donors could be picked from the database and called upon.
Each regular donor could be given an ID card to entitle him to any amount of blood in case of emergency, anywhere in the country.
As an added incentive, the government could even throw in perks like free train travel or payment of health insurance premiums for a limited period.

A similar plan was mooted for organ donors four years ago, by then additional secretary and director-general (NACO) Dr S.Y. Quraishi, now an election commissioner.
“Our report had suggested a two-pronged approach to the problem of insufficient organs and the resultant black-market trade: Make illegal organ transplants punishable by life imprisonment; and empower the ORBO [Organ Retrieval and Banking Organisation] to maintain a database of all those waiting for organs — and real-time records of organs available and people who have signed up as donors,” says Dr Quraishi.

The ORBO — already in place at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, but largely ineffective outside of Delhi — was to network with hospitals across the country through a nationwide chain of regional hubs.

These hubs would make families of deceased or brain-dead patients aware of their options and the importance of donating organs. When an organ became available, the hospital would log into the central database to ensure it was transplanted as soon as possible to avoid wastage.

To encourage more families to donate, the report even suggested that the government — through the ORBO — offer compensation to live donors, or the families of deceased.

This could include free health insurance and railway travel and compensation for loss of wages.
“More people may be willing to do the right thing if they get something in return,” says Quraishi.
People in need of organ transplants could register online for a token fee, ensuring that there was a paper trail and accountability. A vigilance wing could perform periodic checks on whether the organs had gone where they were supposed to go.

The report, tabled before the Health Ministry in 2005, has so far been ignored. Meanwhile, the need for organs has grown nearly five times faster than number of cadaver donors.

“Awareness is the key,” says Dr Gupta of NACO. “Eye donations jumped after the Aishwarya Rai ad campaign. But for something as essential as a kidney, there are no banners, no celebrities, no effort.”
Out of the Vermas’ New Delhi home, Rahul now operates a Facebook page too, creating an online community of support. “The youngest member of our network is four months old, our oldest is 80,” he says. “The online community reminds them that they are not alone in their struggle.”

At their home, where Rahul's second cellphone doubles as the official helpline number, calls come in from desperate families across the country.

“We are trying to expand our base to help these people,” says Tulika, “But we need help too. The government must step in.”

source: hindustan times

Richest lord of Kaliyuga

Richest lord of Kaliyuga
The Rs 42 crore diamond-studded 2.5 feet tall crown gifted by Karnataka tourism minister Gali Janardhan Reddy on Thursday could be the most significant contribution to Lord Venkateswara's ever growing wealth of gifts but the Lord of the Seven Hills has by now become so familiar with these riches that few are surprised by this latest offering. His riches are such that they are guarded by armed security personnel in a treasury, the location of which remains a closely guarded secret by top brass of the temple . With the total worth of the offerings made to the Lord estimated to be somewhere between Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore, the deity's title of the 'Richest Lord of Kaliyuga' is not without reason.

Devotees enrich Tirumala treasury
While Gali's gift was the seventh crown offered to the Lord, the earlier crowns in his glittering kitty were no small gifts either. In the past, Sri Venkateswara Hatcheries ' owner had gifted a gold crown weighing 13 kg and another business tycoon gifted a 10 kg gold crown. In 2001, an industrialist from Pune had donated a pure gold crown weighing about 14.3 kg costing nearly Rs 1 crore.

Gold and diamond-studded gifts have been streaming into the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's coffer regularly, more so in the last three to five years. From a diamond parrot to a golden prawn, the 'Srivari Hundi' is glittering like never before since the beginning of this millennium. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) officials say that the donations have touched an all time high mark since 2005.

In 2005, a businessman from Tamil Nadu donated a valuable golden crown studded with precious American diamonds to the processional deity of Lord Malayappa Swamy, the cost of which was estimated as Rs 2 crore. In 2006, Lord Venkateswara received his most precious set of ear rings (Karnaabharanaalu) when a devotee from Chennai, Alagappa Chettiyar offered diamond studded Karna Patralu worth Rs.1.01 crore and if this offering wasn't enough he went on to give a 'Sahasranamakasulaharam' , golden chain worth over Rs 50 lakh to Goddess Padamavathi.

And in April 2009, when the world was reeling under the meltdown and real estate activity was still at a standstill, a cement baron donated Rs 5 crore worth gloves, Kati and Varada Hastam, to Lord Venkateswara. Not too long ago, a business tycoon from Pune offered a diamond studded parrot and 'Nagabharanams' worth Rs 1.5 crore. Not to be left behind, the King of good times, UB Group Chairman Vijay Mallya donated Rs 7 crores towards the gold plating inside the sanctum sanctorum about three years ago. And last year, when gold prices went through the roof, a Hyderabad-based businessman Rajendran offered Rs 1.7 crore worth Lakshmi Haram (a garland of gold coins) to the deity while another Bangalore-based businessman donated a diamond crown to Goddess Padmavati which was worth Rs. 1 crore.

The not-so-rich, small humble gifts are also quite a booty at TTD. Devotees promising replicas of their limbs in gold if their wish of a cure to an ailing hand or leg is fulfilled, or businessmen dropping gold and silver replicas of cigar packets, liquor bottles, watches, shoes (offerings reflective of the work they do) in the hundi are fairly common. Even smaller offerings such as gold chains etc are collected and sent to the Bombay Mint and the gold melted and sent back to TTD. Some gold is converted into a given number of coins, which is then sold by the temple at the market rate.

Jewel's Day Out
While there are no exact estimates of the value of the jewellery of Lord Venkateswara, since many of these gifts have a high antique value, temple sources peg the entire jewellery property to be worth anywhere between Rs.30,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore.

All these precious jewels are safe guarded inside the sanctum sanctorum at a sacred hall called Bokkasam (Jewel Gallery), which is guarded by half a dozen armed security personnel and has CCTV cameras installed to monitor every movement in arguably one of the world's richest treasury. There is, in fact, a Thiruvabharanam (holy jewels) register meant to list out the jewellery items. The register has been maintained strictly for gold and diamond studded offerings from the time TTD took over charge of the temple in 1933.

The precious jewels leave the treasury only on special occasions - auspicious days when the Lord is adorned in the diamond-studded love of his devotees. For such auspicious days, the temple priests give the list of jewels needed for the Lord's decoration a day in advance to the temple peshkar and Bokkasam-in-charge. They, under the supervision of temple deputy executive officer, assistant executive officer, and in the strict vigil of security personnel, open the Thiruvabharanam box and take out the items. These items are later returned in the same manner
source: Times of India

Ivanka Trump

Ivanka Trump