National Geography...strikes again...

 

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Events in pics...

Congress supporters in Bhubaneshwar celebrate ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India for the second time. Artists put the finishing touches to a sand sculpture of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a map of India on the banks of the Ganges river in Allahabad. Buddhist monks pray during a protest, demanding the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in front of the UN office in Bangkok. Students exult after a satisfying performance in the CBSE board exams in New Delhi.

A man has his ear cleaned for 30 rupees on a street in Karachi — Reuters/Athar Hussain 

A vendor displays and sells Lassi as summer approaches in Hyderabad — APP/Akram Ali



An Allosaurus puppet from the Australian art performance group Erth Visual and Physical walks to the Singapore National Museum for a children's program.



Rescuers evacuate a body from a C-130 military transport plane that crashed in East Java, Indonesia. The wreck, which killed 99 people, has put a spotlight on the country's beleaguered air force.



William Windsor, mascot of England's 1st Battalion, appears at his retirement parade after seven years of UK Army service. The Battalion, known as The Royal Welsh, has had a goat in its ranks for more than 200 years.

Slumdog child star gets new home

Danny Boyle set up a trust which is supposed to look after the child stars

Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle and the trust he set up have bought a new home for one of the child stars of his Oscar-winning movie.

The filmmaker, who is currently in Mumbai, has told Azharuddin Ismail, 9, he will be re-housed after his family was made to leave the slums.

Boyle, who has been criticised for not helping the child actors enough, blamed the press for raising expectations.

"Inevitably, the tension and pressure is media generated," he said.

'Emergencies'

He said he hoped a new home would also be found for Rubina Ali, who played Latika, before the monsoon rains in June.

"They were given access to a world, an extraordinary and glamorous world, and they understandably want their lives to be completely transformed," he said.

Soon after the movie was finished, Boyle and producer Christian Colson set up the Jai Ho trust, which was aimed to help the children financially until they turned 18.

"The homes are a concern. That is one of the reasons why we built the trust," Boyle said.

It has been five to six months. Everything is available in Mumbai if you have the money  Rafiq Qureshi

"We have been trying to accelerate the process of re-housing the families, and one of the reasons we set up the trust is to deal with emergencies like this," said Colson.

A director for the trust said the apartment for Ismail, who played the young Salim, was "comfortable, in a good neighbourhood [and] near his school".

In February, the state housing authority said it would give the two children apartments, but the families had not heard from them, said Ali's father Rafiq Qureshi.

"It has been five to six months. Everything is available in Mumbai if you have the money," he said.

"If you really want to get us a house you can get us a house in two days."

Earlier this month, the authorities tore the children's slum homes down.

Since then Rubina has been staying with relatives and Azhar was living in a makeshift shanty with his parents.

WAVES !!!

Waves...

These incredible images of waves were taken by the number 1 photographer of surf: Clark Little.

  He has dedicated his life to photographing the waves and

has published a selection of the the best images of his career. 

He captures magical moments inside the "tube", as surfers say.

 

Sun ... glints off wave 
Clark Little/SWNS

Sand ... in surf 
Clark Little/SWNS

Tubular ... shining 
Clark Little/SWNS

Beach ... surf crashes down 
Clark Little/SWNS

Molten ... liquid gold 
Clark Little/SWNS

White ... tumultuous water

Splash ... stunning shot 
Clark Little/SWNS

Red ... mysterious shot 
Clark Little/SWNS

Break ... wave crashes down 
Clark Little/SWNS

Climate of India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) designates four official seasons:

A winter scene in Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh.

• Winter, occurring between January thru March. The year's coldest months are December and January, when temperatures average around 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) in the northwest; temperatures rise as one proceeds towards the equator, peaking around 20–25 °C (68–77 °F) in mainland India's southeast.
• Summer or pre-monsoon season, lasting from March to June (April to July in northwestern India). In western and southern regions, the hottest month is April; for northern regions, May is the hottest month. Temperatures average around 32–40 °C (90–104 °F) in most of the interior.
• Monsoon or rainy season, lasting from June to September. The season is dominated by the humid southwest summer monsoon, which slowly sweeps across the country beginning in late May or early June. Monsoon rains begin to recede from North India at the beginning of October.
• Post-monsoon season, lasting from October to December. South India typically receives more precipitation. Monsoon rains begin to recede from North India at the beginning of October. In northwestern India, October and November are usually cloudless. Parts of the country experience the dry northeast monsoon.

The Himalayan states, being more temperate, experience an additional two seasons: autumn and spring. Traditionally, Indians note six seasons, each about two months long. These are the spring (Sanskrit: vasanta), summer (grīṣma), monsoon season (varṣā), early autumn (śarada), late autumn (hemanta), and winter (śiśira). These are based on the astronomical division of the twelve months into six parts. The ancient Hindu calendar also reflects these seasons in its arrangement of months.

Winter

Once the monsoons subside, average temperatures gradually fall across India. As the Sun's vertical rays move south of the equator, most of the country experiences moderately cool weather; temperatures change by about 0.6 °C (1.35 °F) per degree of latitude. December and January are the coldest months, with mean temperatures of 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) in Indian Himalayas. Mean temperatures are higher in the east and south, where they reach 20–25 °C (68–77 °F).

Inclement conditions in the Indian Himalayas: a view of Gulmarg, a popular tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir in winter.

In northwestern India, virtually cloudless conditions prevail in October and November, resulting in wide diurnal temperature swings; as in much of the Deccan Plateau, they range between 16–20 °C (61–68 °F). However, from March to May, "western disturbances" bring heavy bursts of rain and snow. These extra-tropical low-pressure systems originate in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. They are carried towards India by the subtropical westerlies, which are the prevailing winds blowing at North India's range of latitude. Once their passage is hindered by the Himalayas, they are unable to proceed further, and they release significant precipitation over the southern Himalayas. The three Himalayan states (Jammu and Kashmir in the extreme north, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand) experience heavy snowfall; in Jammu and Kashmir, blizzards occur regularly, disrupting travel and other activities.

The rest of North India, including the Indo-Gangetic Plain, almost never receives snow. However, in the plains, temperatures occasionally fall below freezing, though never for more one or two days. Winter highs in Delhi range from 16 °C (61 °F) to 21 °C (70 °F). Nighttime temperatures average 2–8 °C (36–46 °F). In the Punjab plains, lows can fall below freezing, dropping to around −6 °C (21 °F) in Amritsar. Frost sometimes occurs, but the hallmark of the season is the notorious fog, which frequently disrupts daily life; fog grows thick enough to hinder visibility and disrupt air travel 15–20 days annually. Eastern India's climate is much milder, experiencing moderately warm days and cool nights. Highs range from 23 °C (73 °F) in Patna to 26 °C (79 °F) in Kolkata (Calcutta); lows average from 8 °C (46 °F) in Patna to 14 °C (57 °F) in Kolkata. Frigid winds from the Himalayas can depress temperatures near the Brahmaputra River. The two Himalayan states in the east, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, receive substantial snowfall. The extreme north of West Bengal, centred around Darjeeling, also experiences snowfall, but only rarely.

In South India, particularly the hinterland of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, parts of Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, somewhat cooler weather prevails. Minimum temperatures in western Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh hover around 10 °C (50 °F); in the southern Deccan Plateau, they reach 16 °C (61 °F). Coastal areas, especially those near the Coromandel Coast, and low-elevation interior tracts are warm, with daily high temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) and lows of around 21 °C (70 °F). The Western Ghats, including the Nilgiri Range, are exceptional; there, lows can fall below freezing. This compares with a range of 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) on the Malabar Coast; there, as is the case for other coastal areas, the Indian Ocean exerts a strong moderating influence on weather.

Summer

A summer view of Khajjiar, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh.

Summer in northwestern India lasts from April to July, and in the rest of the country from March to June. The temperatures in the north rise as the vertical rays of the Sun reach the Tropic of Cancer. The hottest month for the western and southern regions of the country is April; for most of North India, it is May. Temperatures of 50 °C (122 °F) and higher have been recorded in parts of India during this season. In cooler regions of North India, immense pre-monsoon squall-line thunderstorms, known locally as "Nor'westers", commonly drop large hailstones. Near the coast the temperature hovers around 36 °C (97 °F), and the proximity of the sea increases the level of humidity. In southern India, the temperatures are higher on the east coast by a few degrees compared to the west coast.

By May, most of the Indian interior experiences mean temperatures over 32 °C (90 °F), while maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F). In the hot months of April and May, western disturbances, with their cooling influence, may still arrive, but rapidly diminish in frequency as summer progresses. Notably, a higher frequency of such disturbances in April correlates with a delayed monsoon onset (thus extending summer) in northwest India. In eastern India, monsoon onset dates have been steadily advancing over the past several decades, resulting in shorter summers there.

Altitude affects the temperature to a large extent, with higher parts of the Deccan Plateau and other areas being relatively cooler. Hill stations, such as Ootacamund ("Ooty") in the Western Ghats and Kalimpong in the eastern Himalayas, with average maximum temperatures of around 25 °C (77 °F), offer some respite from the heat. At lower elevations, in parts of northern and western India, a strong, hot, and dry wind known as the Loo blows in from the west during the daytime; with very high temperatures, in some cases up to around 45 °C (113 °F); it can cause fatal cases of sunstroke. Tornadoes may also occur, concentrated in a corridor stretching from northeastern India towards Pakistan. They are rare, however; only several dozen have been reported since 1835.

Monsoon

Onset dates and prevailing wind currents of the southwest summer and northeast winter monsoons.

Regional variation in rainfall across India. The monsoon season delivers four-fifths of the country's precipitation.

The southwest summer monsoon, a four-month period when massive convective thunderstorms dominate India's weather, is Earth's most productive wet season. A product of southeast trade winds originating from a high-pressure mass centered over the southern Indian Ocean, the monsoonal torrents supply over 80% of India's annual rainfall. Attracted by a low-pressure region centered over South Asia, the mass spawns surface winds that ferry humid air into India from the southwest. These inflows ultimately result from a northward shift of the local jet stream, which itself results from rising summer temperatures over Tibet and the Indian subcontinent. The void left by the jet stream, which switches from a route just south of the Himalayas to one tracking north of Tibet, then attracts warm, humid air.

The main factor behind this shift is the high summer temperature difference between Central Asia and the Indian Ocean. This is accompanied by a seasonal excursion of the normally equatorial intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a low-pressure belt of highly unstable weather, northward towards India. This system intensified to its present strength as a result of the Tibetan Plateau's uplift, which accompanied the Eocene–Oligocene transition event, a major episode of global cooling and aridification which occurred 34–49 mya.

The southwest monsoon arrives in two branches: the Bay of Bengal branch and the Arabian Sea branch. The latter extends toward a low-pressure area over the Thar Desert and is roughly three times stronger than the Bay of Bengal branch. The monsoon typically breaks over Indian territory by around 25 May, when it lashes the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It strikes the Indian mainland around 1 June near the Malabar Coast of Kerala. By 9 June, it reaches Mumbai; it appears over Delhi by 29 June. The Bay of Bengal branch, which initially tracks the Coromandal Coast northeast from Cape Comorin to Orissa, swerves to the northwest towards the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Arabian Sea branch moves northeast towards the Himalayas. By the first week of July, the entire country experiences monsoon rain; on average, South India receives more rainfall than North India. However, Northeast India receives the most precipitation. Monsoon clouds begin retreating from North India by the end of August; it withdraws from Mumbai by 5 October. As India further cools during September, the southwest monsoon weakens. By the end of November, it has left the country.

Pre-monsoon clouds, as they appear in Mumbai, western Maharashtra.

Monsoon rains impact the health of the Indian economy; as Indian agriculture employs 600 million people and composes 20% of the national GDP, good monsoons correlate with a booming economy. Weak or failed monsoons (droughts) result in widespread agricultural losses and substantially hinder overall economic growth. The rains reduce temperatures and replenish groundwater tables, rivers, and lakes.

Post-monsoon

During the post-monsoon months of October to December, a different monsoon cycle, the northeast (or "retreating") monsoon, brings dry, cool, and dense Central Asian air masses to large parts of India. Winds spill across the Himalayas and flow to the southwest across the country, resulting in clear, sunny skies. Though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and other sources refers to this period as a fourth ("post-monsoon") season, other sources designate only three seasons. Depending on location, this period lasts from October to November, after the southwest monsoon has peaked. Less and less precipitation falls, and vegetation begins to dry out. In most parts of India, this period marks the transition from wet to dry seasonal conditions. Average daily maximum temperatures range between 28 °C and 34 °C (82–93 °F).

The northeast monsoon, which begins in September, lasts through the post-monsoon seasons, and only ends in March, carries winds that have already lost their moisture while crossing central Asia and the vast rain shadow region lying north of the Himalayas. They cross India diagonally from northeast to southwest. However, the large indentation made by the Bay of Bengal into India's eastern coast means that the flows are humidified before reaching Cape Comorin and rest of Tamil Nadu, meaning that the state, and also some parts of Kerala, experience significant precipitation in the post-monsoon and winter periods. However, parts of West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and North-East India also receive minor precipitation from the northeast monsoon.

mysore hotels phone numbers

List of hotels in mysore with their phone numbers and website

• adhi manor ph: 0821-4001000 www.adhimanor.com
• dasaprakash paradise 0821-2410366 www.mysoredasaprakashgroup.com
  
• pai vista 0821-2521111 www.paihotels.com
• siddharta 0821-5280999/5280888 www.hotelsiddharta.com
• ginger 0821-6633333 www.gingerhotels.com
• hotel maurya residency 0821-2523375 www.sangrouphotel.com
• shree guru residency 0821-4269111 www.sreegururesidency.com
• the viceroy 0821-2424001/4008900 www.theviceroygroup.com
• ramanashree 0821-2522202 www.ramanashree.com
• bombay tiffanys 0821-2435255/2435256
• parklane 0821-2430400
  

Indian team for T20 World Cup 2009 England

http://weeksupdate.com/2009/04/indian-team-for-t20-world-cup-2009.html

The 30 member probable Indian squad for selection of the team for the forthcoming T20Cricket World Cup 2009 to be held in England has been declared.


The team include - Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan singh, Praveen Kumar, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, S Badrinath, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhishek Nayar, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, RP Singh, L Balaji, Dhawal Kulkarni, Naman Ojha.

Vote for Rupee Symbol

The Government of India wants your help. It has invited the public to suggest a symbol for the Rupee. Just as the Dollar is universally denoted by $' the government thinks the Rupee should also have its own unique symbol that captures a sense of India's history and culture. Listed below are 19 suggestions from ET's team of designers in the mentioned link. Please vote for the one you find best. ET will present all these symbols ' along with the ET viewers' preference' to the Ministry of Financ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/rupeesurvey.cms

K Ramalingam named Chairman of Maytas Infra board

HYDERABAD: K Ramalingam, former Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and Maytas Infra's newly inducted board member, has been named Chairman of the board.

Ramalingam and Anil K Agarwal, past president of Assocham were appointed in the first week of April as additional directors on board by the Company Law Board.

The government had last month appointed noted tax lawyer O P Vaish and past president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Ved Jain on the board of Maytas Infra following an order by the Company Law Board in this regard.

Maytas Infra is promoted by B Teja Raju, son of B Ramalinga Raju disgraced founder of Satyam Computers. The firm was starved of funds after Ramalinga Raju confessed to perpetrating a Rs, 7,000 crore financial fraud at Satyam.

The government wanted to supersede the Maytas board, but this was turned down by the Company Law Board. The CLB instead issued a directive to the government to appoint four nominee directors.

Maytas Infra is now undergoing a corporate debt restructuring (CDR) exercise. CDR is done to re-organise the outstanding obligations to financial institutions.

Banks have an exposure of around Rs 5000 crore in the firm.

It has an order book of about Rs 8,000 crore, apart from the prestigious Rs 12,000 crore Metro Rail Project, which is in a limbo.

Laid-off US workers finding new jobs, less pay

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Jobs/Laid-off-US-workers-finding-new-jobs-less-pay/articleshow/4378455.cms


NEW YORK: Half of US workers laid off in the past year who were questioned in a survey released on Wednesday reported finding new jobs, bur often with less pay and in different field.

The survey of 807 adults who lost full-time jobs in the past year showed that 49 percent had found new jobs but of those, 49 percent now earn less money.

The survey was conducted for CareerBuilder.com, an online jobs site. Those questioned for the survey were chosen as representative of workers in an array of industries at various job levels around the nation, CareerBuilder.com spokeswoman Jennifer Grasz said.

Of those with new jobs, 38 percent said they are now employed in a different field, the survey found. Eight percent reported finding part-time work.

One-sixth of those with new jobs said they had to relocate, one-sixth are now working more hours and one-sixth reported getting higher pay, the survey found.

"This is encouraging news for the job seekers out there," Grasz said. "There is a popular misconception that if you lose your job today you won't be able to find another opportunity."

"There are companies out there hiring today," Grasz said.

Workers aged 35 to 44 were most likely to find new jobs, while workers aged 18 to 24 were least likely, according to the survey. More men than women found new jobs.

A third of the laid-off workers said they got severance packages from their employers, and two-thirds of those said the severance lasted for two months or less. Forty-five percent of the laid-off workers said they had to tap into long-term savings.

The survey was conducted between February 20 and March 11 by Harris Interactive. Its margin of error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

CareerBuilder.com is owned by Gannett Co, Tribune Co, the McClatchy Co and Microsoft Corp.

Make calls from U.S. to India for 1 cent per minute

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Make_calls_from_US_to_India_for_1_cent_per_minute_-nid-54959.html/1/1

New Delhi: Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel Wednesday launched a new offer for its U.S. customers which will enable them to make calls to India at 1 cent per minute using online calling cards.

"With our IndiaOne Offer, we are delighted to take the lead in offering the best value for US to India calling. Our tariff at 1 cent per minute is a compelling customer proposition and is in line with Airtel's commitment to make calling to India more affordable," Airtel executive director Syed Safawi said.

"Through this offer, we are looking at delivering unmatched value to the three million strong NRI population in the U.S., who reach out to their friends and family in India," he added.

Airtel has also launched a number of new features for its US consumers, including auto recharge, free SMS from the web and audio conferencing facilities.

Airtel subscribers can buy this calling card for $10 by logging on to the company's website.

Techies now happy to work for small firms

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Techies_now_happy_to_work_for_small_firms-nid-54954.html/1/1


California: Despite the widely held perception that SMEs are most vulnerable during the recessionary setbacks, the attraction of working for a small company has not been diminished for technical staff, reported Microscope.

Figures available with the IT Job Board shows that 60 percent of technical staff think small firms are vulnerable in the current economy, but 53 percent said that it had not kept them away from applying for roles in smaller companies.

Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, said that there was still an open mind from technical applicants which was encouraging.

Of course, some are avoiding seeking work at smaller outfits but the proportion is not as high as might have been expected.

"Techies certainly seem to think that small companies are suffering more in the current climate. However, it is good to see that this hasn't affected the choices many would make in the size of organization they would work for," Farrell said, adding, "Bigger companies seem to have more draw when it comes to training and salary benefits. But, small organisations still have their place, and it is encouraging to see that techies relish jobs in IT that offer more challenging work."

India to launch spy satellite to fight terrorism

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/India_to_launch_spy_satellite_to_fight_terrorism-nid-55005.html/1/1

New Delhi: Brimming with terror threats, India aims to launch a spy satellite to control infiltration and terrorist operations. The satellite to be launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would primarily keep an eye on India's borders round-the-clock.

The 300-kg radar-imaging spy satellite, which is built by Israel, will be launched on April 20. It is set to blast-off with India's home-grown rocket 'Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) onboard'. "The satellite will be positioned 550 km above the earth, this remote-sensing advanced imaging satellite, has all-weather capabilities, including under cloud cover, a capability that Indian satellites do not have," an anonymous ISRO official told PTI. He also pinpoints that the satellite also has good application in the area of disaster management and in managing cyclones, floods and agriculture-related activities.

The spy satellite, which will primarily be used for used for defense and surveillance, would carry Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload, which can take images during day and night.

47 Indian firms in Forbes Global 2000 List

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/47_Indian_firms_in_Forbes_Global_2000_List-nid-55030.html/1/1

Washington: With $34 billion in sales from its oil and gas operations, Reliance Industries tops 47 Indian companies that figure in the Forbes list of the world's biggest 2,000 companies.

Ranked 121st, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance also makes it to the list of top 200 companies with two other Indian entities, State Bank of India (150) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (152), in the list compiled by the US business magazine.

However, five Indian companies - scam-hit IT firm Satyam, realty firm Unitech, Suzlon Energy and two Anil Ambani group firms - Reliance Power and Reliance Capital - have been dropped from the Forbes 'Global 2000 List' this year.

Four Indian companies - Hero Honda Motors, Sun Pharma, Indian Bank and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd - are the new entrants to the list.

The top 10 Indian companies are: Reliance Industries (121), State Bank of India Group (150) Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (152) Indian Oil Corporation (207) NTPC (317), ICICI Bank (329), Tata Steel (463), Bharti Airtel (508), Steel Authority of India (582) and Reliance Communications (689).

"This year's list reveals the dynamism of global business," Forbes said, noting the rankings span 62 countries, with the US still dominant at 551 members, but 200 fewer than in 2004, when Forbes first published the global list.

This year, China has 91 members, south Korea 61, and India 47. Even Kazakhstan is now a Global 2000 member. Also gaining a significant presence on the Forbes list are corporations from Arab countries: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates each have at least 10 entries on this year's list.

In total, the Global 2000 companies now account for $32 trillion in revenues, $1.6 trillion in profits, $125 trillion in assets and $20 trillion in market value.

"The Global 2000 continues to amass revenue and assets, but lately, that has not translated into wealth creation or profits," the magazine said. In the past year, combined profits were down 31 percent while market value was down 49 percent.

Forbes said an analysis of the Global 2000 shows that despite the turmoil in the banking industry, banks still dominate, with 307 companies in the 2000 lineup, thanks in large measure to their asset totals.

The oil and gas industry, with 126 companies, scores high in sales, profits and stock-market value, yet these sectors were not the leaders in growth over the past year.

Drug and biotech companies (up 59 percent) led all sectors in sales growth, while the leaders in profit growth were telecom service firms (up 51 percent).

H-1B visa filing drops by 50 percent

New Delhi: The protectionist measures and the economic slump in the U.S. have hit the demand for the H -1B visas as the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Council (USCIS) is yet to reach the targeted cap of 65,000 petitions for fiscal 2010. The council has received around 42,000 applications, which is just 'about half' the applications it needs for the quota to be filled.

"The visa cap has not been met yet as there is not enough business in the U.S. The visa update also validates our argument that H-1Bs are not being used to replace American workers, because if that was so, companies would have flocked to file petitions amid lay-offs in the US. That has not happened," said Nasscom President, Som Mittal told Business Line. The Indian firms, which had filed around 11,000 visas last year have opted for less applications this year.

Poorvi Chothani, a U.S. immigration attorney based in Mumbai, admits her firm has seen a 50 percent drop in H-1B filings this time. "Besides the fact that the basic demand is less, other factors such as a possible fear of a backlash in employing foreign professionals, and Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) curbs are likely to have influenced the filings," she said. The USCIS maintained that due to the lowered rate of filing, it will continue accepting petitions till it receives the required number of petitions to meet the respective caps.

'Satyam still among top five IT firms in India'

New Delhi: Despite the unpleasant developments within the organization that led to a complete restructuring of top management, Satyam Computers could retain its position among India's top five software service providers, says a Senior official of Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

"The employee strength of Satyam was around 50,000, even three months after its founder, B Ramalinga Raju, confessed to manipulating the books of accounts," the official told Business Standard, on condition of anonymity.

The official pointed out that Satyam continues to have strong revenues. The difference between its turnover and the next highest is around 10-15 per cent.

According to the available data, HCL Technologies, which was the fifth-largest IT firm before the scam-hit Satyam, recorded a revenue of Rs 4,860 crore in the July-December. So, 10-15 per cent less than HCL means Satyam's turnover is Rs 4,100-4,400 crore. At this turnover, Satyam's top line has dipped by only 1-7 percent compared with the year-ago period (July-December 2007).

Meanwhile, Tech Mahindra, which is looking to pick up stake in Satyam is a distant sixth, with a turnover of only Rs 2,297 crore in the six months ended December 2008.

After the government-nominated directors took control of the board of Satyam, two audit firms - KPMG and Deloitte - were asked to restate the accounts of the company. While the two audit firms are expected to take six months for the job, the companies that have evinced interest in picking up a stake in Satyam are being given restated accounts for six months ended December 2008.

However, the restated accounts are not available for January-March 2009, the critical period after Raju's confession and the government taking control of the company. The official said Satyam had performed well in January and February by operating without taking bank loans, adding that client churn rate was not abnormal.

The flip side of Nano - Watch out 10 possible drawbacks of Nano.....

The flip side of Nano

The Nano car, designed to be affordable for millions of middle-class Indians who currently travel on two wheels, often with the whole family on board, has been stripped down to its bare essentials. That means one windscreen wiper, a single, centrally-mounted speedometer on the dashboard, only a driver's side wing mirror and a solitary right-hand switch for the indicators and lights.

Watch out 10 possible drawbacks of Nano.....

• Single windscreen wiper

As it has single windscreen wiper, speed of the car will be compromised during rains.

• No easy access to engine bay

To top up the radiator, you will need to unscrew six butterfly nuts and lift off the engine cover — which restricts easy access to the engine bay.

• Sun visor

Even the mirror on the front passenger seat sun visor has been sacrificed while the steering wheel is little bigger than an oversized dinner plate at a trendy London gastropub.

• Different specifications of tyres

The tubeless tyres used in Nano have different specifications for rear and front end. So, the speed of the car at any turning point needs to be very slow.

• Stepney problem

In case the front tyre punctures, you can replace it with the stepney provided, but in case of a rear tyre puncture, there is no stepney of that tyre. However, stepney of the front tyre can be used for some time at rear end during emergency.

• Some extra efforts

Some extra efforts: You will need to open the bonnet every time you travel to a gas station.

• Flat seats

Only driver's seat is adjustable and reclining. Four adults can sit comfortably in the simple and spartan interior. But the seats are thin and flat.

• Only driver's side wing mirror

It has only a driver's side wing mirror and there is no point given to fix one if a person would wish to install it.

• Spare parts

Since it is the newest species, spare parts of the Nano will be available only in Tata authorised service stations.

• Base model lacks features

The base model lacks features like central locking, air conditioning and fog light.

75,000 more jobs likely to be lost in Indian IT in two years

Mumbai: Close to 75,000 more jobs are likely to be lost in the Indian IT industry this year, according to senior executives of leading software companies, reported The Economic Times.

Infosys board member TV Mohandas Pai estimated that close to 30,000 IT professionals, earning an average salary of Rs 5 lakh per annum, would have lost their jobs between April 2008 and March 2009 in Bangalore. Pai also said that an additional 25,000-30, 000 jobs may be lost in Bangalore alone for fiscal year 2009-2010. "These job losses are due to the fact that many companies have shed excess capacity as the growth rates of industries have decreased. It is possible that a fair number of these people would have found jobs in other industries too during this time at a lesser salary," he said.

Due to the new steps taken by the U.S. president Barrack Obama to deal with outsourcing to India, some technocrats has estimated the extent of possible job-losses in India at about 50,000 in the first half of thisyear itself. These job losses would be across sectors such as IT, ITeS and BPO, they added.

But next year, about 50,000 jobs could be at risk, thinks Ravi Ramu, CFO of realty firm Puravankara and former CFO of Mphasis. What worries him more is the spin off effect that will see a lot more losses. "Every direct job in the BPO is supported by 6 indirect jobs. In reality, the spin-off will be even more negative," he said.

Though IT bigwigs are concerned about the high rate job loss, IT lobbying body Nasscom doesn't think so. According to Nasscom president Som Mittal, earlier the retrenchment was not on such a large scale as attrition was high.

India may see 75, 000 IT job cuts this year

MUMBAI: The Indian IT industry, already under pressure since the downturn began in the US financial, banking and insurance markets last year, is likely to see close to 75,000 job losses this year, according to senior executives of leading software companies.

US president Barrack Obama's policy on outsourcing had prompted some technocrats to estimate the extent of possible job losses in India at about 50,000 jobs in the first half of the new year itself. These job losses would be across sectors such as IT, ITeS and BPO, they added.

"As on March 31, 2008 there were 550,000 direct jobs created by the IT industry in Bangalore," said Infosys board member TV Mohandas Pai. "I would estimate close to 30,000 IT professionals

, earning an average salary of Rs 5 lakh per annum, would have lost their jobs between April 2008 and March 2009 in Bangalore."

Mr Pai also said that for fiscal year 2009-2010, an additional 25,000-30, 000 jobs may be lost in Bangalore alone. "These job losses are due to the fact that many companies have shed excess capacity as the growth rates of industries have decreased. It is possible that a fair number of these people would have found jobs

in other industries too during this time at a lesser salary," he added.

Mr Ravi Ramu, CFO of realty firm Puravankara and former CFO of Mphasis says about 50,000 jobs could be at risk next year. However, what worries him more is the spin off effect that will see a lot more losses. "Every direct job in the BPO is supported by 6 indirect jobs. In reality, the spin-off will be even more negative." Even though, IT bigwigs are concerned about the high rate job loss, IT lobbying body Nasscom, doesn't think so.

According to Nasscom president Som Mittal, earlier the retrenchment was not on such a large scale as attrition was high. "Companies are stressing more on performance issues in these times as they want to increase productivity. The coming times are uncertain and people are not hiring in large numbers as before. There is already a wage moderation that is happening across the industry and this will definitely reflect on the spending," he told ET.

Attention for those who bring vehicals to ooty

hi,

Those who are bringing bikes/car to ooty make sure that u carry original RC Book, Insurance, DL and Emission test certificate.

--
Regards,

Pavan Kumar P G
Software Engineer
Informedia Technologies (M) Pvt Ltd.
Mysore.

Valued exposure: Top dog

Valued exposure: Top dog Photographers snap pictures of Pickles, the dog who sniffed out the missing Jules Rimet World Cup Trophy, stolen on 20 March 1966 from the National Stamp Exhibition in Britain. Photo: Central Press/Getty Images

Ada Lovelace - World's First Computer Programmer.

Ada Lovelace Lovelace was fascinated by Charles Babbage's idea for a new mechanical calculating machine, the Difference Engine. In 1842 Luigi F. Menabrea [b. Chambéry, Savoy, France, September 4, 1809, d. St Cassin, France, May 24, 1896] summarized the concept behind Babbage's more advanced calculating machine, the Analytical Engine. Lovelace translated Menabrea's article into English and added her own notes as well as diagrams and other information. She predicted that such a machine, which Babbage never built, would have many applications beyond arithmetic calculations, from scientific research to composing music and producing graphics. She explained how the machine might be instructed to perform a series of calculations. The programming language ADA is named for her, although the countess has only a slender claim to the frequently used label of "first programmer." But she really did write a program, one for calculating Bernoulli numbers--not a mean feat. To celebrate the role of women in technology March 24, has been named Ada Lovelace Day. Augusta Ada Byron was born in 1815, the daughter of Lord Byron she is now known simply as Ada Lovelace. A skilled mathematician she wrote the world's first computer programmes for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. Years ahead of her time she realised that the Analytical Engine "might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent." She is mainly known for having written a description of Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine. She is today appreciated as the "first programmer" since she was writing programs—that is, manipulating symbols according to rules—for a machine that Babbage had not yet built. She also foresaw the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching while others, including Babbage himself, focused only on these capabilities.[1] She died, aged only 36, on 27th November 1852. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Image/Circa 1840/Published 24 March 2009 Ada is a structured, statically typed, imperative, and object-oriented high-level computer programming language, extended from Pascal and other languages. It was originally designed by a team led by Jean Ichbiah of CII Honeywell Bull under contract to the United States Department of Defense (DoD) from 1977 to 1983 to supersede the hundreds of programming languages then used by the DoD. Ada is strongly typed and compilers are validated for reliability in mission-critical applications, such as avionics software. Ada is an international standard; the current version (known as Ada 2005) is defined by joint ISO/ANSI standard (ISO-8652:1995), combined with major Amendment ISO/IEC 8652:1995/Amd 1:2007. Ada was named after Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), who is often credited as being the first computer programmer.[1]

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"There will always be a frontier where there is an open mind and a willing hand." —Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958); inventor, engineer

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