A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and ask him for a Phone Call.
Shop-owner replied Sweety this is no a STD, but you can do one call.
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation:
The boy asked, "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
The woman replied, "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
"Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now." replied boy.
The woman responded that she was very satisfied with the person who was presently cutting her lawn.
The little boy found more perseverance and offered, "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of North-Palm beach, Florida."
Again the woman answered in the negative.
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.
The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy and said," Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
The little boy replied, "No thanks, I was just checking my performance with the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to!"
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Visualise Your Goals
The Catalina Island is twenty-one miles away from the coast of California, and many people have taken the challenge to swim across it.
On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold.
She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water.
After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land.
She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit.
She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land.
She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men's record by two hours.
PRINCIPLE OF SUCCESS
When you set your goal, keep pressing on even when you are tired, physically and mentally, and even though there are many challenges ahead.
Keep the vision of your goal crystal clear before you and never, never, never… give up!
See the reaching, commit to it, and you will surely see your goal realized.
On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold.
She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water.
After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land.
She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit.
She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land.
She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men's record by two hours.
PRINCIPLE OF SUCCESS
When you set your goal, keep pressing on even when you are tired, physically and mentally, and even though there are many challenges ahead.
Keep the vision of your goal crystal clear before you and never, never, never… give up!
See the reaching, commit to it, and you will surely see your goal realized.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Why Exercise in Morning?
It is true that one can exercise at any time of day as long as you're burning those extra calories. However, there are many added benefits to choosing morning time to any other. Even if you manage to fit in just 15 minutes of strenuous exercise, it will help you stay happy and healthy all day. Here are some reasons why exercising first thing after waking up is beneficial.
Benefits of Morning Exercise
*
When you exercise in the morning, you'll find that because of the increased intake of oxygen and circulation of blood in your body, you'll stay energized for the whole day. It will automatically put you in a healthy frame of mind. Whatever other things you may have on your schedule, you will notice that you will be eager and energetic to handle them.
*
Morning exercise is a great way of waking up your brain, thus helping you to be alert to plan out your daily, weekly, even monthly schedule. It will help you organize your thoughts and make mental lists of what the day holds for you.
*
Exercising in the morning can help reduce stress that has built up due to work, family and other life situations. One of the reasons this is true is because morning time is the quietest and most peaceful time of day - before the daily routine begins. It gives you alone time, time to think and work things out for yourself, without being disturbed.
*
Increase in morning activity levels (exercise) helps increase metabolic rate. This means that you end up burning calories throughout the day, no matter how often you may choose to eat. However, you still need to take care about what you put into your body. Exercising goes hand in hand with sensible eating.
*
Research has proven that people who exercise in the mornings tend to be the ones most consistent in their fitness regimes and diets. So if you choose morning time for your exercise program, then chances are that you'll stick to the plan for the long term. And that's a good thing!
*
Waking up at about the same time everyday and exercising daily at the same time conditions your endocrine system and circadian rhythm to "know" when to wake up and prepare your body for the rest of the day. The human body is a learning machine. You can train it to be on schedule with your exercise program.
*
By exercising in the morning, you make sure that you won't miss it out for the day. A lot of times other things can crowd out exercise - work, meetings, social events etc. Thus, exercise tends to get pushed to be the last priority at times.
*
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Most people eat a light breakfast before they exercise in the mornings. This is a double bonus. For one thing you actually get to eat breakfast which will keep you going the whole day. Secondly, you exercise and thus, energize yourself.
So there you have it. If you're not a morning exerciser, try switching over for a couple of weeks. In that time you will be able to tell whether mornings work for you or not. Keep those calories burning!
Benefits of Morning Exercise
*
When you exercise in the morning, you'll find that because of the increased intake of oxygen and circulation of blood in your body, you'll stay energized for the whole day. It will automatically put you in a healthy frame of mind. Whatever other things you may have on your schedule, you will notice that you will be eager and energetic to handle them.
*
Morning exercise is a great way of waking up your brain, thus helping you to be alert to plan out your daily, weekly, even monthly schedule. It will help you organize your thoughts and make mental lists of what the day holds for you.
*
Exercising in the morning can help reduce stress that has built up due to work, family and other life situations. One of the reasons this is true is because morning time is the quietest and most peaceful time of day - before the daily routine begins. It gives you alone time, time to think and work things out for yourself, without being disturbed.
*
Increase in morning activity levels (exercise) helps increase metabolic rate. This means that you end up burning calories throughout the day, no matter how often you may choose to eat. However, you still need to take care about what you put into your body. Exercising goes hand in hand with sensible eating.
*
Research has proven that people who exercise in the mornings tend to be the ones most consistent in their fitness regimes and diets. So if you choose morning time for your exercise program, then chances are that you'll stick to the plan for the long term. And that's a good thing!
*
Waking up at about the same time everyday and exercising daily at the same time conditions your endocrine system and circadian rhythm to "know" when to wake up and prepare your body for the rest of the day. The human body is a learning machine. You can train it to be on schedule with your exercise program.
*
By exercising in the morning, you make sure that you won't miss it out for the day. A lot of times other things can crowd out exercise - work, meetings, social events etc. Thus, exercise tends to get pushed to be the last priority at times.
*
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Most people eat a light breakfast before they exercise in the mornings. This is a double bonus. For one thing you actually get to eat breakfast which will keep you going the whole day. Secondly, you exercise and thus, energize yourself.
So there you have it. If you're not a morning exerciser, try switching over for a couple of weeks. In that time you will be able to tell whether mornings work for you or not. Keep those calories burning!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
GOOGLE Searches Affect Environment
The next time you do a Google search from your computer, please spare a little thought for the environment.
A new study has revealed that performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, which adversely affects the environment. According to researchers, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 while boiling a kettle generates about 15g.
“Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power. Google are very efficient but their primary concern is to make searches fast and that means they have a lot of extra capacity that burns energy.
“A Google search has a definite environmental impact,” lead researcher Alex Wissner-Gross of Harvard University was quoted by The Sunday Times as saying.
In fact, Google’s search engine generates high levels of CO2 because of the way it operates—when one types in a Google search for, say, “energy saving tips”, the request does not go to just one server but to several even miles apart. And, Google’s infrastructure sends data from whichever produces the answer fastest. Though the system helps minimize delays, it raises energy consumption. Google has servers in the US, Europe, Japan and China.
Wissner-Gross and colleagues have also calculated the CO2 emissions caused by individual use of the Internet. They have found that viewing a simple web page generates about 0.02 g of CO2 per second. And, this rises tenfold to about 0.2g of CO2 a second when viewing a website with complex images, animations or even videos, the study has found.
A new study has revealed that performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, which adversely affects the environment. According to researchers, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 while boiling a kettle generates about 15g.
“Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power. Google are very efficient but their primary concern is to make searches fast and that means they have a lot of extra capacity that burns energy.
“A Google search has a definite environmental impact,” lead researcher Alex Wissner-Gross of Harvard University was quoted by The Sunday Times as saying.
In fact, Google’s search engine generates high levels of CO2 because of the way it operates—when one types in a Google search for, say, “energy saving tips”, the request does not go to just one server but to several even miles apart. And, Google’s infrastructure sends data from whichever produces the answer fastest. Though the system helps minimize delays, it raises energy consumption. Google has servers in the US, Europe, Japan and China.
Wissner-Gross and colleagues have also calculated the CO2 emissions caused by individual use of the Internet. They have found that viewing a simple web page generates about 0.02 g of CO2 per second. And, this rises tenfold to about 0.2g of CO2 a second when viewing a website with complex images, animations or even videos, the study has found.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
List of Indian Celebrity Blogs
There are celebrity bloggers and then there are celebrity bloggers. The first kind are those who have gained name and fame via blogging and the other includes the ones who are famous and are now therefore reaching out to their fans via the medium of the weblog.
This post makes an attempt at listing the Indian celebrities (mostly Bollywood people) who have taken on to blogging.
There are a number of lists listing celeb blogs in India, but I didn't find any to be comprehensive enough, therefore spent many many hours looking for them and putting them together in one place (and also adding some frills).
The opinions expressed against each blog is at the time of posting and if the nature of the blog changes later, it might not hold true.
Indian Celebrity Blog Directory (in alphabetical order)
- Aamir Khan
Who: Actor, director, producer [More]
Where: His own website
Feed: No
Worth following: Yes
Aamir keeps his blog regularly updated. Writes about a lot of things but many tend to revolve around his films. Good blog to follow if you want to know what The Perfectionist has to say. But the blog in itself is far away from being perfect. It even lacks many features that we non-celebrity bloggers expect as default in our blogs. - Abhay Deol
Who: Actor [More]
Where: Celebrity Angst blog at PassionForCinema
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
Abhay's blog at PassionForCinema has a single post related to his film Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye and nothing else. - Abhinav Bindra
Who: Shooter [More]
Where: Beijing and Beyond blog on Blogger
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Maybe
The Olympic gold medallist isn't no longer an active blogger. Though he hid post a number of posts in August 2008. - Ajay Devgan
Who: Actor, producer, director [More]
Where: His own website
Feed: No
Worth following: Maybe
Ajay Devgan makes very infrequent entries on his online diary and it is more of an one-sided affair as users cannot comment there. - Ajit Pal Mangat
Who: Director, producer, writer [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: Maybe
Ajit is the producer-director of Victory and this blog is related the movie. - Amitabh Bachchan
Who: Actor [More]
Where: Big Blog at Bigadda
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
The Big B is a prolific blogger and Bigadda.com has provided him with a comparatively decent platform to blog on. His and Aamir's blog are the two most discussed celebrity blogs in the country. - Amrita Rao
Who: Actress, model [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: No
She's good looking but doesn't write much. Only two little posts. - Anant Mahadeven
Who: Actor, director [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: Maybe
Anant hasn't been writing much recently. Maybe there'll be more updates when his next film would be lined for a release. - Anupam Kher
Who: Actor, director, producer [More]
Where: Blog at IntentBlog
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
This blog is long dead. - Anurag Kashyap
Who: Director, writer [More]
Where: My Diary blog at PassionForCinema
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Anurag's thoughts are interesting to read even when he is spewing fire at his detractors. - Bipasha Basu
Who: Actress, model [More]
Where: On her own website and an old blog at RediffBlogs
Feed: No
Worth following: No
No diary entries since March 2008. Miss Basu doesn't seem to find this blog thing interesting enough. 15 posts in all. The RediffBlogs blog is practically defunct. - Celina Jaitley
Who: Actress, model [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: Maybe
Though she hasn't yet blogged much, Celina does love to quote other people in her posts. - Cyrus Broacha
Who: Television host [More]
Where: Blog at IBNLive
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
The funny man writes funny posts but the last one was dated February 26, 2007. That's ages ago. - Dev Benegal
Who: Director [More]
Where: His own blog - The Dev Benegal Weblog
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
The last post was ten months ago. - Dibakar Banerjee
Who: Director, writer [More]
Where: Oye Cinema! blog at PassionForCinema
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Maybe
He made a couple of nice movies and his blog too has only a couple of nice posts. - Dino Morea
Who: Actor, model [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Dino's blog seems to be as short-lived as his acting career. - Emraan Hashmi
Who: Actor [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Nothing there beyond May 2008. Maybe something would crop up when Raaz 2 releases. - Farhan Akhtar
Who: Director, writer, producer, singer, actor, television host [More]
Where: His TV show's website
Feed: No
Worth following: Yes
Farhan is a wonderful director and a so-so singer-actor-host. This blog is more about his show on NDTV Imagine, but he also does write about other things too. But there are only four posts, therefore can't say more. - Gul Panag
Who: Actress, model [More]
Where: On her own website
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Maybe
The lovely Gul isn't seen much besides the Tata Sky ad with Aamir Khan and even her blogging is erratic, but it seems to have picked up pace of late. - John Abraham
Who: Actor, model [More]
Where: On his own website
Feed: No
Worth following: Perhaps
The functionality of John's blog is a bit strange and moreover there isn't much in there too. Only a solitary post. But he might get on to writing soon. - Karan Johar
Who: Director, producer, TV host [More]
Where: His own website
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
When KJo writes, he writes a lot. But of late there isn't much happening on his blog. - Khalid Mohamed
Who: Journalist, writer, director [More]
Where: Cinema Ray at PassionforCinema
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
All that the acerbic film critic wrote on the blog was a couple of posts related to Satyajit Ray. - Kiran Bedi
Who: Ex-cop, social activist [More]
Where: Crane Bedi blog on Blogger
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
Nothing in there since November 2006. - Koena Mitra
Who: Actress, model [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Three posts, nothing worth the while. - Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Who: Former cricketer, cricket commentator [More]
Where: Blog at IBNLive
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
Last post is dated March 18, 2007. - Kunal Kohli
Who: Director [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: Maybe
Kunal tends to be repetitive in his writing. - Kundan Shah
Who: Director, writer [More]
Where: Simply Kundan blog at PassionforCinema
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Maybe
Kundan writes about his area of expertise, comedies, even if his later ventures were nowhere close to Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. - Lalu Prasad Yadav
Who: Politician [More]
Where: Blog at MyPopcorn
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Lalu's blog had generated quite a lot of interest, but the idea seemed unsustainable right from the start and also proved to be so. Just another attempt by a website to generate pageviews. - Nandita Das
Who: Actress, director [More]
Where: Nandita Writes section on her own website
Feed: No
Worth following: Maybe
Known to be a thinking actress, her writing also reflects that thought. But she doesn't seem to write too often. - Madhavan
Who: Actor [More]
Where: Blog at Galatta
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Maddy's writes short and irregular posts. There doesn't seem to be much interest in his blog either, assuming from the few comments it received. - Mammootty
Who: Actor [More]
Where: Mammootty With Love blog on Blogger
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Mammotty just started his blog, the first post was on January 1, 2009 and he already has hundreds of followers on his blog. The only problem being that it is in Malayalam and therefore I can't understand a thing. Moreover Google lists Mammootty's official website (not the blog) as a Reported Attack Site. - Manoj Bajpayee
Who: Actor [More]
Where: Two blogs at ItzMyBlog (powered by Blogger) in Hindi and English
Feed: Yes - Hindi | English
Worth following: Yes
The two blogs are just translations and the content is essentially the same. There are atleast a couple of posts every month. - Milind Deora
Who: Politician [More]
Where: Blog at IntentBlog
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Perhaps
Most of Milind's blogging seem to be concentrated to a few months in 2005. There's not much here beyond that. - Mohan Agashe
Who: Actor, psychiatrist [More]
Where: Blog at RediffBlogs
Feed: No
Worth following: No
This blog was primarily for the promotion of the movie Apaharan. - Muzaffar Ali
Who: Director, fashion designer, painter [More]
Where: Blog at IntentBlog
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
Only two posts. The last is from 2005. - Nana Patekar
Who: Actor, director [More]
Where: Blog at RediffBlogs
Feed: No
Worth following: No
This blog was primarily for the promotion of the movie Apaharan. - Omar Abdullah
Who: Politician [More]
Where: On National Conference party's official website
Feed: -
Worth following: -
The blog is presently inaccessible due to technical reasons. - Onir
Who: Director, producer, writer, editor [More]
Where: Dream Seller blog on PassionForCinema and another one on BollywoodHungama
Feed: Yes (PassionForCinema)
Worth following: Perhaps
Onir's blogs posts are usually related to his films and therefore are more frequent only when something is happening on that scene. - Payal Rohatagi
Who: Actress, model [More]
Where: Her blog on Blogger
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Payal keeps her blog updated and has plastered the blog with images. Her brother Gaurav is the co-author. - Pooja Bedi
Who: Actress, TV host [More]
Where: I Am Who I Am blog on Blogger
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Perhaps
Pooja Bedi takes to blogging made quite a bit of news. But then it seems to have fizzled away. She has managed only two posts since August 2008. - Prakash Jha
Who: Director, producer, writer [More]
Where: Blog at RediffBlogs
Feed: No
Worth following: No
This blog was primarily for the promotion of the film Apaharan. - Rahul Bose
Who: Actor, director [More]
Where: Blog at IntentBlog
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
Most of Rahul's blogging activity is from 2005-06, with only a solitary post in 2008. - Rahul Khanna
Who: Actor, TV host [More]
Where: Blog at IntentBlog
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
He is a likeable actor and his writing is the same too. Pity he doesn't keep his blog updated. - Ram Gopal Varma
Who: Director, producer, writer [More]
Where: Blog on Windows Live Spaces
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Ramu might have lost his touch in movies but he is still an interesting read. - Ravi Shastri
Who: Former cricketer, cricket commentator [More]
Where: Blog at IbiboBlogs
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
This blog was only for the Commonwealth Bank Triseries in 2008. Nothing more happening there since. - Remo Fernandes
Who: Musician [More]
Where: On his own website
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Only a solitary post there, that too a copy of a letter he had sent to the editors of some dailies. - Revathy
Who: Actress, director [More]
Where: Sindanaigal (Thoughts) blog on PassionForCinema
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
There are only two posts there. - Rohit Roy
Who: Actor [More]
Where: Blog on his own website
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
Just three random posts in there. - Saira Mohan
Who: Model, actress [More]
Where: Blog at IntentBlog
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Though there are no recent posts, the archives show that the girl is able to post a lot when she wants to, even if they are only links. - Salman Khan
Who: Actor [More]
Where: 10 Ka Dum blog on Blogger
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
The blog died along with the TV show it was meant to promote. - Samar Khan
Who: Director, writer [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Just one Shaurya specific post. - Samit Basu
Who: Author [More]
Where: On his own website
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Though he hasn't been posting of late, Samit used to be an active blogger and I expect him to continue being so. - Sanjay Suri
Who: Actor, model, porducer [More]
Where: On his own website
Feed: -
Worth following: -
You need to be registered as a member of the Sanjay Suri Fan Club (online registration) to be able to access the blog. I didn't, so have no idea of the contents. - Santosh Sivan
Who: Director, cinematographer [More]
Where: Lil Bit of Sin, Lil Bit of Zen blog on PassionForCinema and also on his own website
Feed: Yes
Worth following: No
In the PassionForCinema blog there has been no updates in the last one year and his website doesn't exactly have a blog but does provide some of his views on different things (and they have a datestamp). - Shahrukh Khan
Who: Actor, producer [More]
Where: Blog at IntentBlog and at
Milan of the Villains website
Feed: Yes (IntentBlog)
Worth following: Perhaps
There might be some activity on SRK's blog during the next IPL season. The IntentBlog blog has only a single old post on Paheli. - Shekhar Kapur
Who: Director, producer [More]
Where: On his own website and
a blog at IntentBlog
Feed: Yes - ShekharKapur.com | Intentblog
Worth following: Yes
Shekhar Kapoor is one celebrity who has really take on to blogging. Even the now inactive blog on IntentBlog has 110 posts and he keeps the blog on his official website very updated. His blog is a recommended read and has insightful posts on a variety of topics. Shekhar is definitely the best amongst the Indian celebrity bloggers. - Sherlyn Chopra
Who: Actress, model, singer [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Worth following: No
Feed: No
Sherlyn Chopra, earlier known as Mona Chopra, always wants to make news and is a tabloid journalist's delight. She promised a blog on her official website - SherlynChopra.com - but that didn't happen yet. - Shilpa Shetty
Who: Actress, model [More]
Where: On her own website
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Shilpa's career has risen from the ashes post Big Brother and she wants to make the best of this opportunity. Her recently started blog has some long posts. - Shobaa De
Who: Novelist, columnist [More]
Where: Blog on Blogger
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
After so many years writing should come naturally to Mrs De and she also lets it flow in her blog. - Suchitra Krishnamoorthi
Who: Actress, singer, painter [More]
Where: On her own website
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Yes
Suchitra is quite active on her blog nowadays, maybe some Shekhar Kapur effect. - Sudhir Mishra
Who: Director, writer [More]
Where: Trying My Best Not To Bullshit blog on PassioForCinema
Feed: Yes
Worth following: Perhaps
Sudhir posts are usually related to the release of his films. So wait until the next one comes along. - Vikram Bhatt
Who: Director, writer [More]
Where: Blog at MyPopcorn
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Only three dated posts there. Same fate as Lalu's blog. - Vishal Dadlani
Who: Music director [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Not much in his blog, only a couple of old posts. - Vivek Agnihotri
Who: Director, writer [More]
Where: Blog at BollywoodHungama
Feed: No
Worth following: No
Nothing much in there.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Health tips
Health - Very Very Important Tips
Answer the phone by LEFT ear.
Do not drink coffee TWICE a day.
Do not take pills with COOL water.
Do not have HUGE meals after 5pm.
Reduce the amount of OILY food you consume.
Drink more WATER in the morning, less at night.
Keep your distance from hand phone CHARGERS.
Do not use headphones/earphone for LONG period of time.
Best sleeping time is from 10pm at night to 6am in the morning.
Do not lie down immediately after taking medicine before sleeping.
When battery is down to the LAST grid/bar, do not answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times.
Answer the phone by LEFT ear.
Do not drink coffee TWICE a day.
Do not take pills with COOL water.
Do not have HUGE meals after 5pm.
Reduce the amount of OILY food you consume.
Drink more WATER in the morning, less at night.
Keep your distance from hand phone CHARGERS.
Do not use headphones/earphone for LONG period of time.
Best sleeping time is from 10pm at night to 6am in the morning.
Do not lie down immediately after taking medicine before sleeping.
When battery is down to the LAST grid/bar, do not answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Satyam: Full text of Raju's letter to the Board
Satyam Computers Services Ltd.
From B. Ramalinga Raju
Chairman, Satyam Computer Servcies Ltd
Dear Board Members,
It is with deep regret, and tremendous burden that I am carrying on my conscience, that I would like to bring the following facts to your notice:
1. The balance sheet carries as of September 30, 2008
a) Inflated (non-existent) cash and bank balance of Rs 5,040 crore (as against Rs 5361 crore refglected in the books)
b) An accured interest of Rs 376 crore which is non-existent
c) An understated liability of Rs 1,230 crore on account of funds arranged by me
d) An over stated debtor position of Rs 490 crore (as against Rs 2651 reflected in the books)
2. For the September quarter (Q2) we reported a revenue of Rs 2,700 crore and an operating margin of Rs 649 crore (24 per cent of revenues) as against the actual revenues of Rs 2,112 crore and an actual operating margin of Rs 61 crore (3 per cent of revenue). This has resulted in artificial cash and bank balances going up by Rs 588 crore in Q2 alone.
The gap in the balance sheet has arisen purely on account of inflated profits over a period of last several years (limited only to Satyam standalone, books of subsidiaries reflecting true performance). What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years. It has attained unmanageable proportions as the size of the company operations grew significantly (annualized revenue run rate of Rs 11,276 crore in the September quarter, 2008 and official reserves of Rs 8.392 crore). The differential in the real profits and the one reflected in the books was further accentuated by the fact that the company had to carry additional resources and assets to justify higher level of operations – thereby significantly increasing the costs.
Every attempt made to eliminate the gap failed. As the promoters held a small percentage of equity, the concern was the poor performance would result in a takeover, thereby exposing the gap. It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten.
The aborted Maytas acquisition deal was the last attempt to fill the fictitious assets with real ones. Maytas’ investors were convinced that this is a good divestment opportunity and a strategic fit. Once Satyam’s problem was solved, it was hoped that Maytas payments can be delayed. But that was not to be. What followed in the last several days is common knowledge.
I would like the board to know:
1. That neither myself, not the Managing Director(including our spouses) sold any shares in the last eight years-excepting for a small proportion declared and sold for philanthropic purposes.
2. That in the last two years a net amount of Rs 1,230 crore was arranged to Satyam (not reflected in the books of Satyam) to keep the operations going by resorting to pledging all the promoter shares and raising funds from know sources by giving all kinds of assurances (Statement enclosed, only to the members of the board). Significant dividend payments, acquisitions, capital expenditure to provide for growth did not help matters. Every attempt was made to keep the wheel moving and to ensure prompt payment of salaries to the associates. The last straw was the selling of most of the pledged share by the lenders on account of margin triggers.
3. That neither me, nor the Managing Director took even one rupee/dollar from the company and have not benefitted in financial terms on account of the inflated results.
4. None of the board members, past or present, had any knowledge of the situation in which the company is placed. Even business leaders and senior executives in the company, such as Ram Mynampati, Subu D T R Anand, Kesab Panda, Virender Agarwal, A S Murthy, Hari T, S V Krishnan, Vijay Prasad, Manish Mehta, Murali V, Sriram Papani, Kiran Kavale, Joe Lagioia. Ravindra Penu Metsa, Jayaraman and Prabhakar Gupta are unaware of the real situation as against the books of accounts. None of my or managing directors immediate or extended family members has any ideas about these issues.
Having put the facts before you, I leave it to the wisdom of the board to take the matters forward. However, I am also taking the liberty to
recommend the following steps:
1) A task force has been formed in the last few days to address the situation arising out of the failed Maytas acquisition attempt. This consists of some of the most accomplished leaders of Satyam: Subu D, T R Anand, Keshab Panda and Virender Aggarwal, representing business functions, and A.S.Murthy, Hari T and Murali V representing support functions. I suggest that Ram Mynampati be made the Chairman of this task force to immediately address some of the operational matters on hand. Ram can also act as an interim CEO reporting to the board.
2) Merrill Lynch can be entrusted with the task of quickly exploring some merger opportunities.
3) You may have a ‘restatement of accounts’ prepared by auditors in light of the facts that I have placed before you.
I have promoted and have been associated with Satyam for well over twenty years now. I have seen it grow from few people to 53,000 people, with 185 Fortune 500 companies as customers and operations in 66 countries. Satyam has an excellent leadership and competency base at all levels. I sincerely apologize to all Satyamites and stakeholders who have made Satyam a special organization, for the current situation. I am confident they will stand by the company in this hour of crisis.
in light of the above, I fervently appeal to the board to hold together to take some important steps. Mt T R Prasad is well placed to mobalize support from the government at this crucial time. With the hope that members of the Task Force and the financila advisor, Merrill Lynch (now Bank of America) will stand by the company at this crucial hour, I am marking copies of this statement to them as well.
Under the circumustances, I am tendering my resignation as the chairman of Satyam and shall continue in this position only till such time the current board is expanded. My contribution is just to ensure enhancement of the board over the next several days or as early as possible.
I am now prepared to subject myself to the laws of the land and fact the consequences thereof.
(B. Ramalinga Raju)
Copied marked to:
1) SEBI Chairman
2) Stock Exchanges
From B. Ramalinga Raju
Chairman, Satyam Computer Servcies Ltd
Dear Board Members,
It is with deep regret, and tremendous burden that I am carrying on my conscience, that I would like to bring the following facts to your notice:
1. The balance sheet carries as of September 30, 2008
a) Inflated (non-existent) cash and bank balance of Rs 5,040 crore (as against Rs 5361 crore refglected in the books)
b) An accured interest of Rs 376 crore which is non-existent
c) An understated liability of Rs 1,230 crore on account of funds arranged by me
d) An over stated debtor position of Rs 490 crore (as against Rs 2651 reflected in the books)
2. For the September quarter (Q2) we reported a revenue of Rs 2,700 crore and an operating margin of Rs 649 crore (24 per cent of revenues) as against the actual revenues of Rs 2,112 crore and an actual operating margin of Rs 61 crore (3 per cent of revenue). This has resulted in artificial cash and bank balances going up by Rs 588 crore in Q2 alone.
The gap in the balance sheet has arisen purely on account of inflated profits over a period of last several years (limited only to Satyam standalone, books of subsidiaries reflecting true performance). What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years. It has attained unmanageable proportions as the size of the company operations grew significantly (annualized revenue run rate of Rs 11,276 crore in the September quarter, 2008 and official reserves of Rs 8.392 crore). The differential in the real profits and the one reflected in the books was further accentuated by the fact that the company had to carry additional resources and assets to justify higher level of operations – thereby significantly increasing the costs.
Every attempt made to eliminate the gap failed. As the promoters held a small percentage of equity, the concern was the poor performance would result in a takeover, thereby exposing the gap. It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten.
The aborted Maytas acquisition deal was the last attempt to fill the fictitious assets with real ones. Maytas’ investors were convinced that this is a good divestment opportunity and a strategic fit. Once Satyam’s problem was solved, it was hoped that Maytas payments can be delayed. But that was not to be. What followed in the last several days is common knowledge.
I would like the board to know:
1. That neither myself, not the Managing Director(including our spouses) sold any shares in the last eight years-excepting for a small proportion declared and sold for philanthropic purposes.
2. That in the last two years a net amount of Rs 1,230 crore was arranged to Satyam (not reflected in the books of Satyam) to keep the operations going by resorting to pledging all the promoter shares and raising funds from know sources by giving all kinds of assurances (Statement enclosed, only to the members of the board). Significant dividend payments, acquisitions, capital expenditure to provide for growth did not help matters. Every attempt was made to keep the wheel moving and to ensure prompt payment of salaries to the associates. The last straw was the selling of most of the pledged share by the lenders on account of margin triggers.
3. That neither me, nor the Managing Director took even one rupee/dollar from the company and have not benefitted in financial terms on account of the inflated results.
4. None of the board members, past or present, had any knowledge of the situation in which the company is placed. Even business leaders and senior executives in the company, such as Ram Mynampati, Subu D T R Anand, Kesab Panda, Virender Agarwal, A S Murthy, Hari T, S V Krishnan, Vijay Prasad, Manish Mehta, Murali V, Sriram Papani, Kiran Kavale, Joe Lagioia. Ravindra Penu Metsa, Jayaraman and Prabhakar Gupta are unaware of the real situation as against the books of accounts. None of my or managing directors immediate or extended family members has any ideas about these issues.
Having put the facts before you, I leave it to the wisdom of the board to take the matters forward. However, I am also taking the liberty to
recommend the following steps:
1) A task force has been formed in the last few days to address the situation arising out of the failed Maytas acquisition attempt. This consists of some of the most accomplished leaders of Satyam: Subu D, T R Anand, Keshab Panda and Virender Aggarwal, representing business functions, and A.S.Murthy, Hari T and Murali V representing support functions. I suggest that Ram Mynampati be made the Chairman of this task force to immediately address some of the operational matters on hand. Ram can also act as an interim CEO reporting to the board.
2) Merrill Lynch can be entrusted with the task of quickly exploring some merger opportunities.
3) You may have a ‘restatement of accounts’ prepared by auditors in light of the facts that I have placed before you.
I have promoted and have been associated with Satyam for well over twenty years now. I have seen it grow from few people to 53,000 people, with 185 Fortune 500 companies as customers and operations in 66 countries. Satyam has an excellent leadership and competency base at all levels. I sincerely apologize to all Satyamites and stakeholders who have made Satyam a special organization, for the current situation. I am confident they will stand by the company in this hour of crisis.
in light of the above, I fervently appeal to the board to hold together to take some important steps. Mt T R Prasad is well placed to mobalize support from the government at this crucial time. With the hope that members of the Task Force and the financila advisor, Merrill Lynch (now Bank of America) will stand by the company at this crucial hour, I am marking copies of this statement to them as well.
Under the circumustances, I am tendering my resignation as the chairman of Satyam and shall continue in this position only till such time the current board is expanded. My contribution is just to ensure enhancement of the board over the next several days or as early as possible.
I am now prepared to subject myself to the laws of the land and fact the consequences thereof.
(B. Ramalinga Raju)
Copied marked to:
1) SEBI Chairman
2) Stock Exchanges
Satyam Chairman Resigns After Falsifying Accounts
Satyam Computer Services Ltd. Chairman Ramalinga Raju resigned after saying he falsified accounts and assets, sending shares of the Indian software services provider to a record decline.
Raju, 53, unsuccessfully tried to sell two companies to Satyam last month in a final attempt to plug 50.4 billion rupees ($1.04 billion) of “fictitious assets” on the company’s balance sheet, Hyderabad-based Satyam said in a statement today. Profits from the main business have been inflated “over a period of last several years,” Raju said in a letter to the board.
The transactions started to unravel after shareholders vetoed the sale of two construction companies, four directors quit the company and the World Bank barred Satyam from bidding for contracts. India’s markets regulator C.B. Bhave said the event is of “horrifying magnitude” as Satyam dragged down the benchmark stock index already hit by a record slump last year.
“This is a black day for India, the software sector and corporate governance claims,” Arun Kejriwal, founder of Kejriwal Research & Investment Services, said in Mumbai. “If at all there’s an event that could be the biggest setback for corporate India, it is this.”
Shares of Satyam, which means “truth” in Sanskrit, plunged 69 percent to 55 rupees in Mumbai trading. The Sensitive Index tumbled 4.3 percent.
‘Non-Existent’
Of the reported cash and bank balances of 53.61 billion rupees on Sept. 30, 50.4 billion rupees was non-existent, Raju said in the letter sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Operating margin at Satyam, India’s fourth-largest software exporter, in the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 3 percent of revenue, instead of the reported 24 percent, Raju said in the letter. The company’s revenue was 21 billion rupees, 22 percent less than the inflated figure of 27 billion rupees that had been reported.
Raju arranged 12.3 billion rupees “to keep operations going” at Satyam over the last two years by pledging the founders’ shares and raising funds from other sources, he said.
“What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years,” Raju said. “It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten.”
‘Easy Target’
The founders’ concern was that a poor performance, combined with the fact they held a small stake in the company, would make Satyam an easy target for a takeover, exposing the inflated figures, he said.
Satyam yesterday denied a report that the company received a merger offer from Tech Mahindra Ltd., an Indian software-services provider controlled by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and partly owned by BT Group Plc.
Tech Mahindra termed the report of a proposed all-stock merger as “speculative.”
Earlier in the week, MindTree Ltd. denied a report it was one of two smaller rivals in talks for a merger with Satyam. The Hyderabad-based company is in talks to merge with smaller rivals including HCL Technologies and MindTree, the Business Standard reported on Jan. 5, citing unidentified people at investment banks.
Raju’s attempts to “keep the wheel moving” at Satyam was finally derailed as lenders sold most of the pledged shares because of margin calls, he said.
Reduced Holdings
SRSR Holdings Pvt., which holds the founding family’s stake, reduced their holding to 3.6 percent from 5.13 percent, Satyam told the Bombay Stock Exchange yesterday. Of the 3.6 percent, 1.7 percent is pledged with lenders, it said.
The stake sales by the families of Chairman Raju and his younger brother, manager director Rama Raju, reduced their holdings to below levels held by institutional investors including Aberdeen Asset Management Plc. Funds run by Aberdeen own 6.6 percent of Satyam, according to data compiled by Bloomberg until the end of October.
Raju scrapped the planned acquisition of Maytas Properties Ltd. and Maytas Infra Ltd. last month, less than 12 hours after announcing it, after the company’s ADRs plunged.
Separately, the World Bank Dec. 23 declared India’s fourth- biggest software-services provider ineligible for contracts for eight years, alleging “improper” benefits were given to the bank’s employees.
Satyam was founded in 1987 by Ramalinga Raju and Rama Raju and counts ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, and Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s third-biggest carmaker, among its customers.
“This company had a five-star independent board and it had a leading auditor and still it managed the con,” said Tarun Sisodia, a Mumbai-based analyst with Anand Rathi Securities Ltd. “So the question is why only Satyam, why not every other company.”
Raju, 53, unsuccessfully tried to sell two companies to Satyam last month in a final attempt to plug 50.4 billion rupees ($1.04 billion) of “fictitious assets” on the company’s balance sheet, Hyderabad-based Satyam said in a statement today. Profits from the main business have been inflated “over a period of last several years,” Raju said in a letter to the board.
The transactions started to unravel after shareholders vetoed the sale of two construction companies, four directors quit the company and the World Bank barred Satyam from bidding for contracts. India’s markets regulator C.B. Bhave said the event is of “horrifying magnitude” as Satyam dragged down the benchmark stock index already hit by a record slump last year.
“This is a black day for India, the software sector and corporate governance claims,” Arun Kejriwal, founder of Kejriwal Research & Investment Services, said in Mumbai. “If at all there’s an event that could be the biggest setback for corporate India, it is this.”
Shares of Satyam, which means “truth” in Sanskrit, plunged 69 percent to 55 rupees in Mumbai trading. The Sensitive Index tumbled 4.3 percent.
‘Non-Existent’
Of the reported cash and bank balances of 53.61 billion rupees on Sept. 30, 50.4 billion rupees was non-existent, Raju said in the letter sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Operating margin at Satyam, India’s fourth-largest software exporter, in the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 3 percent of revenue, instead of the reported 24 percent, Raju said in the letter. The company’s revenue was 21 billion rupees, 22 percent less than the inflated figure of 27 billion rupees that had been reported.
Raju arranged 12.3 billion rupees “to keep operations going” at Satyam over the last two years by pledging the founders’ shares and raising funds from other sources, he said.
“What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years,” Raju said. “It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten.”
‘Easy Target’
The founders’ concern was that a poor performance, combined with the fact they held a small stake in the company, would make Satyam an easy target for a takeover, exposing the inflated figures, he said.
Satyam yesterday denied a report that the company received a merger offer from Tech Mahindra Ltd., an Indian software-services provider controlled by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and partly owned by BT Group Plc.
Tech Mahindra termed the report of a proposed all-stock merger as “speculative.”
Earlier in the week, MindTree Ltd. denied a report it was one of two smaller rivals in talks for a merger with Satyam. The Hyderabad-based company is in talks to merge with smaller rivals including HCL Technologies and MindTree, the Business Standard reported on Jan. 5, citing unidentified people at investment banks.
Raju’s attempts to “keep the wheel moving” at Satyam was finally derailed as lenders sold most of the pledged shares because of margin calls, he said.
Reduced Holdings
SRSR Holdings Pvt., which holds the founding family’s stake, reduced their holding to 3.6 percent from 5.13 percent, Satyam told the Bombay Stock Exchange yesterday. Of the 3.6 percent, 1.7 percent is pledged with lenders, it said.
The stake sales by the families of Chairman Raju and his younger brother, manager director Rama Raju, reduced their holdings to below levels held by institutional investors including Aberdeen Asset Management Plc. Funds run by Aberdeen own 6.6 percent of Satyam, according to data compiled by Bloomberg until the end of October.
Raju scrapped the planned acquisition of Maytas Properties Ltd. and Maytas Infra Ltd. last month, less than 12 hours after announcing it, after the company’s ADRs plunged.
Separately, the World Bank Dec. 23 declared India’s fourth- biggest software-services provider ineligible for contracts for eight years, alleging “improper” benefits were given to the bank’s employees.
Satyam was founded in 1987 by Ramalinga Raju and Rama Raju and counts ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, and Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s third-biggest carmaker, among its customers.
“This company had a five-star independent board and it had a leading auditor and still it managed the con,” said Tarun Sisodia, a Mumbai-based analyst with Anand Rathi Securities Ltd. “So the question is why only Satyam, why not every other company.”
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Are Soups Healthy?
As we all know, the first dish of a meal is the most important one. Even today, with all the debates going on about right and wrong food, nobody doubts the good effects of soups in our body. Hot soup in particular has numerous health benefits.
Soup is made by boiling ingredients in water or broth until the ingredients become tender and the flavor is extracted. Drinking this liquid, the body can then absorb and assimilate these nutrients quickly without having to digest and break down the meat and vegetables. It is an ideal way to obtain loads of nutrients minus the calories!
A big advantage of soup is that it can be made from almost anything and that too in minutes. Thus, making soup is a good way to get rid of leftovers. You can toss nearly any kind of meat or vegetable into a pot of boiling water along with some onions, sliced potatoes, add some salt and pepper; and in 30 minutes or less you will have a nice pot of soup. Another advantage of soup is that it does not require a sense of timing. Once it is made, it can set on the stove for hours to be devoured at any time. For those of us who are continuous eaters, this is a great advantage.
Soups have many health benefits like:
- They are the most nutritive method of consuming vegetables because the vitamins and nutrients in the soup are retained unlike the overcooked vegetables.
- Soups are excellent for many diseases like asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and many others. The reason being that the soup are packed with the nutrients of the vegetable plus while making the soup we also tend to add ginger, garlic, black pepper which are responsible for making the mucus and phlegm thinner and hence it can be easily coughed/drained away. The antioxidants present in vegetables and garlic are excellent for decreasing the high cholesterol levels. Diabetics would also benefit from drinking soup as the high antioxidant content of soups helps rectify the damage by the high blood sugar levels.
- Soups are filling and very low calorie, therefore they are great for someone trying to decrease the quantity of food.
- Soups are a great substitute to excessive tea/coffee and now many companies offer soups in the workplace besides the coffee/tea vending machines.
- Kids often enjoy soups and it is far tastier than cooked vegetables.
Different ingredients used to make soups determine what the soup can do for the body. Some good soups include:
- Onion soup: Good for clotting disorders.
- Spinach soup: Prevents anemia.
- Lentil soup: Great for growing children.
- Mixed vegetable soup with chicken: A complete and nutritious meal.
- Cabbage soups: Great to lose those extra pounds.
The list is endless and open to creativity...
Points to keep in mind while making soups:
- Do not add milk or cream to the soup, not only does it add calories to the soup but even more important is the fact that it binds and locks the vitamins in the soup which are then not available to the body.
- Avoid adding cornflour or maida (plain white flour) to the soup because it prevents the decongestant benefits of soups.
- Do not always have packet soups because only the fresh soups have the antioxidant properties.
- Add herbs like coriander, lemon grass, ginger, garlic etc as they add to the healing properties of the soup.
- To make the soup a complete meal you can add chicken, vegetables, tofu or boiled and mashed mung dal (green gram) or channa dal (skinless black chickpeas) OR you can also make lentil soup.
Take soup to drink away the problems. Preparation of soup can be carried out at home as well. It is better than going to restaurant. Methods of preparation can be obtained from kitchen booklets available in the market or by surfing on the internet. You can even switch on to cookery show in TV. Many people believe in blind faith that having soup actually doesn't yield any good to health. Throw away this belief and drink soup.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Nokia's Take Back Program
Nokia has announced ‘Take Back’ program and is encouraging mobile phone users to dispose their used handsets (any brand) and accessories such as charges and handsets, regardless of the brand, at any of the recycling bins set up across Nokia Priority Dealers and Nokia Care Centers.
Image via Wikipedia
Nokia conducted a survey (across 13 countries) on awareness of recycled handsets and found out that only 17% of Indian users are aware of the fact that handsets can be recycled.
As per Nokia, 100% of the materials in the phones can be recovered and used to make new products or generate energy. Since Nokia is the first company to launch a campaign like this, expect some more action from their competitors (especially Samsung) targeted towards the replacement market.
Handset Replacement Market
Currently, the replacement market in India is ~55% (Delhi ~60%) and by 2010, India’s handset replacement market is expected to reach 70%.
So essentially, there is big money in this market and apart from CSR (Corp. Social Responsibility), companies might want to clear off (exchange/discounts) their inventory using such campaigns.
Just because handsets follow Moore’s law, do you really think that consumers will give away their used phones for free?
What’s your opinion?
How many used handsets do you have? Are you comfortable giving it away for nothing in return?
Qn to Nokia: What about Green Phones?
Nokia’s Remade, a flip phone cell uses recycled cans, plastic bottles, and car tires and up to 60 percent of the metal in its available handsets comes from recycled materials. How about launching something similar for the Indian market (in 2009?)
How to Eat Out and still Stay Healthy?
Whenever you are out and have forgotten to carry lunch or if you are a bachelor/bachelorette and do not have the time to cook, you will frequently find it difficult to find a wholesome healthy meal outside in the market. To top that, eating out everyday has its own perils.
Eating out is becoming a bigger and bigger challenge. Sticking to your guns away from home is hard for many reasons. Plus you never know what's in your food especially when the kitchen is behind closed doors. The way out of this dilemma is to know what to choose when eating out.
So you want your cake and want to eat it , well you can! Eat out and stay healthy, how you ask? It's easy, just follow these tips:
When Eating:
- At market grocery store or at roadside vendors, GO FOR:
- A banana (no fear of infection thanks to the natural packaging) with packed curd or bottled cold coffee.
- Packet of roasted channa plus nariyal pani (Coconut water).
- Packet fruit juice plus pop corn (for chubby friends, avoid butter).
- Whole wheat biscuits plus a packed juice or a cold coffee.
- At a Fast Food joint, GO FOR:
- Whole wheat sandwiches plus ice tea.
- Veggie salads with less cheese and cream OR non-veg salad with lot of greens.
- Garlic bread plus a salad with very little mayonnaise or cheese.
- At a Budget joint, GO FOR:
- Upma plus chaach (Cultured Butter Milk).
- Idli OR plain dosa plus mint chutney and light sambhar.
- Whole wheat sandwich with lots of green veggies plus cold coffee.
- Lassi (Sweet Butter Milk) plus dhokla OR khandvi.
- Salad plus ice tea.
- Whole wheat roti plus palak paneer (avoid all other green vegetables which have too much oil).
- At a hotel, GO FOR
- It is good to stick to light food without too much oil and cheese.
- Potato salad OR fruit salad and rice noodles with lots of green vegetables.
- Whole wheat pasta with a tomato base with lots of green vegetables.
Friday, January 2, 2009
New Year's Day
Fact of the Day: New Year's Day
On the Roman republican calendar, the year began on March 1, but after 153 BC the official date was January 1, and this tradition was continued in the Julian calendar of 46 BC. This day was first recognized as New Year's Day with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain in 1582. It was not until 1752 that the New Style was adopted in Britain -- and Russia was last to recognize this as the date, in 1918. The earliest-known record of a New Year festival dates from about 2000 BC in Mesopotamia, where in Babylonia the new year began with the new moon after the spring equinox and in Assyria with the new moon nearest the autumn equinox.
On the Roman republican calendar, the year began on March 1, but after 153 BC the official date was January 1, and this tradition was continued in the Julian calendar of 46 BC. This day was first recognized as New Year's Day with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain in 1582. It was not until 1752 that the New Style was adopted in Britain -- and Russia was last to recognize this as the date, in 1918. The earliest-known record of a New Year festival dates from about 2000 BC in Mesopotamia, where in Babylonia the new year began with the new moon after the spring equinox and in Assyria with the new moon nearest the autumn equinox.
Perform Case Sensitive Search with Google
Google says that they treat search queries as case-insensitive and all letters in a search phrase are always interpreted in lower case. For example, searches for barack obama, Barack Obama and BARACK OBAMA will all return the same results on Google.
There are however instances when the case of a search query is as important as the search phrase itself because the word meaning can change with the case. Some examples of Capitonym words include March (month) & march (walk), Polish (language of Poland) & polish (to shine), Bill (person’s name) & bill (invoice), etc.
For instance, "Ram" is the name of a Hindu God while "RAM" is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. They both share the same spelling and it’s the case that helps you understand the real context of the word. Unfortunately, Google searches are not case sensitive (or fold case) and hence most search results for Ram or RAM are about the "temporary" memory.
To solve this problem and help you conduct case sensitive searches on Google, someone has created a Google Appengine powered search engine at Case Sensitive Search - it scans through Google search results and filters out results that match the case of your search query.
Coming back to original example, here’s is a comparison of case sensitive Google search results for "Ram" vs. "RAM".
How to Do Everything with PDF Files(Useful)
Adobe PDF is the best format for sharing documents because they are compact, the formatting is preserved and most computers / mobile devices / ebook readers can easily handle PDF files.
Here you’ll learn how to do just about everything with PDF documents without buying Adobe Acrobat. You can edit PDF files, combine multiple files as one, add signature images to PDF pages, fill PDF forms online, add clickable hyperlinks to existing PDF documents and so much more.
Adobe PDF Guide and Tutorial
Q: First things first - How do I create PDF documents on my computer without Adobe Acrobat?
A: Get a copy of DoPDF - it installs as a virtual printer driver on your desktop just like Acrobat and lets you print PDF files from any Windows application including images, documents, emails, websites, etc.
Q: I don’t want to install software just for converting a bunch of documents to PDF. Do you know of any alternative?
A: Upload your documents to Google Docs via the browser and then export them as PDF files. Simple.
Q: A client just sent me a PowerPoint presentation by email. Since I am travelling without the laptop and my mobile phone cannot read PPT files, what should I do?
A: Forward that email message (with the PPT attachment) to pdf@koolwire.com - they’ll convert the presentation to PDF and email to you immediately. Most mobile phones can read PDF files.
Q: How do I directly save a web page as PDF without having to save that page as an HTML file first?
A: Go to PrimoPDF, type the URL of the web page and they’ll send you a PDF version of that page via email.
Q: How can I convert PDF files into other formats like Word documents, images, HTML web pages, etc.
A: You can upload the PDF document to Zamzar and convert it any formats like doc, html, png, txt or rtf (rich text format). Alternatively, you can convert PDF to HTML using Gmail.
Q: How do I create a single PDF package by merging files of different formats.
A: Try Loop PDF - it’s a free service that lets you combine multiple documents, images and even web pages into a single PDF file.
Q: How do I merge two or more PDF files into one? Can I also change the page order?
A: You can grab PDF Fill - it’s a versatility PDF editing tool that lets you combine PDFs from the desktop. PDF Fill can also help you rearrange pages in any order or for rotating pages inside a PDF.
Q: I want to extract some text from a PDF and use it in my Word document. What is the best option?
A: Go to PDFTextOnline and upload your PDF - it will extract text from the first 10 pages of your PDF document (to start) and will also show the PDF bookmarks, document properties, and form data (if available).
Q: I can’t get the above trick to work since I have a scanned PDF.
A: You can extract text from scanned PDF documents with Google Search. It’s not an instant process but probably the only free solution we know of.
Q: I have some restricted PDF documents on my computer in the sense that they neither allow printing nor can you select text with the mouse.
A: Get the PDF Unlocker - its a free Windows utility that will remove all common restrictions around a PDF file without requiring any passwords. Alternatively, you may use the online service at ensode.net that will remove all the printing or copying/pasting related restrictions from your PDF.
Q: Some PDF files on our company’s intranet are protected by a password that no one can remember anymore. Can we still open them?
A: Check this article - How to Open Password Protected PDF
Q: I am looking for a service that would let visitors download my articles as PDF files.
A: Add the Web2PDF button anywhere in your website - it converts web pages to PDF files on demand and also keeps a track of all PDF conversion related activities on your website.
Q: Someone sent me a PDF document in Chinese but I can read only English?
A: You can easily translate PDF files using Google Translate and Zoho Viewer.
Q: How can I add annotations or text notes to some of my PDF documents?
A: Get the PDF-X Viewer - it’s like Adobe Reader but with some extra features. You can add comments, annotations or even paste images to your PDF pages. You can also add annotations, call-outs and text to your PDFs online with PDF Escape.
Q: How do I read PDF files online without desktop software?
A: You can open PDF documents in the browser with PDFMeNot without requiring any software. See more options.
Q: Can I fill PDF forms online without Acrobat Reader?
A: Sure, go to PDF Filler, upload the PDF form and start typing. PDF typewriter works by converting PDF forms into images and allowing the user to type right on top of the images.
Q: How can I add watermarks or even my (real) signature to a PDF document?
A: First draw your signature in Paint (or other photo editing tool) and save it as an image. Make sure you crop all the blank portion that lies outside the signature. Now open the PDF document inside PDF-X Viewer and copy-paste that watermark / signature image. Simple.
Q: I have a PDF book that contains some 200 pages. Is there a way to extract selected pages from that book and save it as another PDF.
A: You can either PDF Merge or PDF SAM (split and merge) to extract pages from a PDF document.
Q: How can I protect my PDF documents with a password?
A: Upload your PDF file to PDF Hammer, set a security password and export it as PDF again.
Q: A PDF document has lot of links but I can’t click them as they are in plain text. How do I make them clickable?
A: Go to PDF Escape, upload the PDF and then place hyperlinks anywhere on the page.
Q: Which online service(s) would you recommend for uploading PDF files on the web?
A: My favorite is Issuu - they have built an excellent PDF viewer inside a beautiful interface. You can also use Issue to embed PDF files in your own website. Next recommendation is Scribd - it’s a more popular service so your PDF document would get more eye balls.
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