Bailiwick

Finding love in the wrong places

2010-09-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

With Barack Obama heading towards his first Mid-term as president, concerns are developing among his core constituents.

Accompany me, if you will, to an alternative universe. It is one where President Richard Nixon said “we’re all Keynesians now” and founded the Environmental Protection Agency, and President Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex, and dismissed any party that would even think of eliminating unemployment insurance or Social Security.

In this world, President Gerald Ford supported the Equal Rights Amendment and even the high priest of Conservative daydreams, Ronald Reagan, raised corporate taxes and inaugurated a cabinet department to care for American veterans. As you may or may not know, this is not actually another world, but an accurate description of another time, when the Democratic Party and its progressive philosophy played offense, and Republicans felt a need to prostrate themselves before it, lest they join the Whigs, Federalists, and Know Nothings in that big political convention in the sky.

Yet, as a more assertive President Obama once pointed out, even while Reagan still bowed to some of the 50-year consensus that progress was good and with freedom came responsibility to our fellow countrymen, he lead a “transformative” presidency that blamed Big Government for all our nation’s ills (this “big government,” of course, only referred to economic issues, as growing the government to police your personal life and the world at large was as cool as a credit default swap).

It wasn’t only Reagan, of course, but the growth of talk radio buffoonery, new television channels that were not all that fair and balanced, and a wholesale movement by many segregationist Democrats into the Republican Party that also helped send the conventional wisdom in a more Jean-Marie Le Pen kind of direction.

Now fast forward to today. Most Democrats seem to stumble around like Leonard in Memento, possessing no institutional memory that when their forebears spoke out passionately with a strong progressive vision for the country, most Americans agreed with them and elected them overwhelmingly.

But they also seem to have forgotten—and George W. Bush could remind them if they need a refresher course—that even when people disagree with their President, Senators, Governors and Congressmen, they are looking for leaders—those who unabashedly stand up and tell you what they think is right. It’s what everyday people do in their own lives, and they expect at least as much from their leaders.

So why do many Democrats—and there certainly are a few impressive exceptions—hedge, hem, haw, hide and otherwise somersault to the Right on any number of issues when they feel threatened? Well, there are probably a few reasons, but the main one would seem to be that they simply buy wholesale the conventional wisdom doled out by lobbyists, big campaign contributors, certain media outlets, and Sarah Palin’s ghost-written, grammatically-challenged Twitter feed. Namely that America is a “center-right” or even conservative country.

You can’t go too far to the Left they repeat ad nauseam. You have to appease Big Business, or they’ll do to your political career what they did to the public option. You have to be “moderate,” or “centrist,” because Americans just love that mythical middle, like its cotton candy or the “Contest” episode of Seinfeld. Of course, all it takes is a couple of minutes perusing poll numbers on virtually any issue to know that this is as accurate as a Hutton Gibson’s Holocaust history or George Will’s “hair.”

Lets look at a few hot button issues, such as gun control, gay rights and taxes.

When asked by Republican pollster Frank Luntz whether they wanted to see the gun show loophole—or the lack of a background check for those purchasing guns from “private” gun sellers—even 85% of gun owners and 69% of those who are members of the radical National Rifle Association said yes.

A recent CNN poll showed that an overwhelming 78% of Americans support allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Finally, when the argument is over taxes, a USA Today/Gallup Poll found that while only 37% want the richest Americans to keep tax cuts enacted by President Bush in 2001, while 59% either want only those making less than $250,000 a year to keep theirs, or want them to expire for everyone.

Now, I know that states are different and Congressional districts even more so, but with these overwhelming numbers, most to all Democrats are in safe territory to stand up for progressive values. And if being progressive kills candidates, once again looking to history, someone is going to have to explain to me how unapologetic liberals such as Frank Church of Idaho, Mike Mansfield of Montana (who introduced the Civil Rights Act of 1964), and even George McGovern of South Dakota (to name only a few) managed to get elected and re-elected so many darn times.

This pattern of electing those who choose to lead continues today. Even as the Midwest, or Middle America, is fetishized in Washington for its middle-income, middle-class, moderate political bent, somehow Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, and Al Franken of Minnesota are among the half-dozen to dozen most progressive Democrats in the Senate.

So to summarize, Democrats won for much of the 20th Century by being proudly progressive, forcing Republicans to tack to the left early and often, polls show Americans agree with progressives on hot button issues, and there are many current examples of proud and loud progressives who have made it to the Senate from swing or conservative states.

Reducing CO2 Emissions: A Man-Kind Challenge

2010-09-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

A little good news/bad news on the climate and energy front. In the Sept. 10 Science, Steven Davis and Ken Caldeira of Stanford University have a study that estimates what future carbon emissions—and consequent global warming—would be from existing energy and transportation infrastructure. (In other words, what would happen if we used all the current buildings and power plants and cars we have today to the end of their operational lifetimes, but built nothing new.) It's a useful thought experiment, and the results are somewhat cheering. Davis and Caldeira estimated that our current, almost completely fossil-fueled infrastructure would lead to an additional 496 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions between now and 2060, which would lead to an atmospheric CO2 concentration of less than 430 parts per million and a mean warming of 1.3 C above pre-industrial levels. If we could achieve those goals, it would be a major success for climate policy—international negotiators have generally looked to keep atmospheric CO2 levels below 450 ppm and warming below 2 C. As Davis and Caldeira write in their paper (done with the help of H. Damon Matthews from Montreal's Concordia University): "The primary threats posed by climate change are a consequence of emissions from devices that do not exist."

To put it simply, it's not the cars and other fossil-fuel burning devices that we've already built that will push warming to edge—it's everything we're likely to build in the future, as the globe's population and economy keeps growing. And that might be the bad news—it's obvious that we're not going to simply stop building new planes and power plants. That's especially true in rapidly growing developing nations like China, where the mean age of power plants is just 12 years (compared to 32 years in the U.S.). And existing infrastructure doesn't just mean cars on the road and coal power plants—highways networks with gas stations facilitate more cars, just as our network of oil refineries and drilling platforms facilitate the use of more oil. Changing all of that will be incredibly difficult—and it's getting harder every day.

Butt, Amir, Asif to get Life Bans

2010-09-13T03:15:00.000-07:00

According to ICC's code of conduct for players and officials, there is no way around for the Pakistani players accused of match fixing and involving in betting. The careers of skipper Salman Butt, Mohd Asif and Mohd Amir are but over - they will face a life ban. It remains to be seen how many other players of the side will be revealed to have been part of the match fixing ring, controlled by Mazhar Majeed, who is in Scotland Yard custody at the moment.

In the latest reveal by News of the world, rigger Mazhar Majeed boasted that cheating in the sport is rife, with the controversial second Test between Australia and Pakistan in Sydney last January netting a shady betting syndicate more than £830,000. Pakistan had managed to lose that Test from a supremely commanding position, chasing a mere 176 to win on the last day, they were bowled out for just 139. Incidentally Kamran Akmal had dropped as many as four catches and had missed an easy run out, apparently to give Australia chances to score higher. "Let me tell you the last test we did. It was the Second Test against Australia in Sydney. Australia had two more wickets left. They had a lead of ten runs, yeah. And Pakistan had all their wickets remaining," Majeed claimed, "The odds for Pakistan to lose that match, for Australia to win that match, were I think 40-1. We let them get up to 150 then everyone lost their wickets. That one we made 1.3. But that's what I mean, you can get up to a million. Tests is where the biggest money is because those situations arise."

Majeed claimed that when Pakistan's bowling was on a low, he used to go out into the field to hand the players some drinks, and used to slip in a lump of Vaseline after shaking their hands. All in order to make the ball swing more. Majeed went as far ahead as to justify the bribes - "They (the Pak players) need to make money" eh said, ""You'll find there's only a few players who are genuine and who are actually here for the love of the game and there's not many believe me. A lot of them are just looking for money, women and food. They make money and they need to make money. The problem is if they don't then they're not going to have enough money for the rest of their lives. In cricket there's not enough money. How much they're getting paid is a joke. I came from a football background and I can see the difference in football and cricket. It's huge."

IPL teams have the edge in the Champions League

2010-09-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

A quick look at the playing XIs of quite a few of the non-IPL teams in the Champions League is enough to tell the story in no uncertain terms - they are the poorer cousins of their IPL counterparts. Let’s say they are as good as a Bengal or a Baroda, but are as run down as any state team would be, when playing an international outfit. The IPL teams swanking big names and decades of experience are of course better bets.

Logically then, the local teams sans star power should not be a patch on the three Indian teams. Yet not only have they put up a good fight, but have outperformed the IPL teams - none of the Indian teams qualified for the knock-outs in the first edition of the tournament. So what is it that is allowing the lesser teams to hold sway? More importantly, a question begs to be asked — how good are our IPL teams after all?

In my humble opinion, it isn’t the standard but the sheer competitiveness that seals the deal in favour of the IPL. Most teams in the IPL are equally balanced or imbalanced and share similar strengths and handicaps. Teams have the luxury of being able to start slowly, since the league is a lengthy event. So it’s okay to start working as a unit a couple of weeks into the tournament.

But there are no such luxuries in the Champions League. It’s mandatory to hit the ground running or else you will be forced to play catch up. Since the IPL teams don’t play together year round, they find it tough to work as a team right from the beginning. Finding out out what makes certain players tick and how they will perform in certain situations consumes vital time. Of course, the local teams enjoy an edge on this account as the line-up works as a cohesive unit round the year.

Unfortunately, IPL teams have mostly banked on reputations and not on current form to bail them out of tough situations, while the other first-class teams have had in-form players to assume the responsibility.

Another major factor that has had a huge impact on the overall standing of the non-IPL teams is knowledge of the opposition. Since the IPL is a hugely watched worldwide spectacle, its players have been exposed to analysis. The other participating teams escape such scrutiny. For example T&T took everyone by surprise with a brand of West Indian cricket which was almost forgotten or absolutely new to others.

While non-IPL teams can plan and prepare in advance and hence know what to expect from the IPL teams, our teams need to be more fluid in their approach. The role of a coach becomes remarkably insignificant because it’s the captain who must think on his feet, analyse the opposition on the ground itself and react appropriately. He must back his instincts a great deal too.

The only thing that might bring parity in this year’s edition is its timing. Most teams are coming out of an off-season and might be equally rusty as our IPL teams. In spite of the IPL teams claiming to have more match-winners than the rest, it’s imperative to play as a single unit. The seasoned players are expected to adapt to tough South African conditions more easily than most first-class cricketers from around the world, but it is always a team that wins a match.

Israel-Palestine conflict: Imposing solutions

2010-09-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Peace talks in the Middle East could be about to resume this week after a gap of 16 months. The optimism, if such a concept applies to this moribund lifeform, is contained in hints last week that Palestinian negotiators were considering inducements to start talking: the release of 1,000 prisoners, the lifting of some roadblocks, the easing of the Gaza blockade. The Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has refused to halt settlement construction in East Jerusalem, and his partial freeze on construction in the West Bank is anyway due to expire, so the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will not talk directly with him. After two decades which saw meetings between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, the fact that a Palestinian leader universally deemed to be more pliant than his predecessor can only engage in indirect talks shows how deadlocked the conflict has become.

Former true believers in the peace process are renouncing their faith. Aaron Miller, an adviser on Arab-Israeli negotiations who served six US secretaries of state, is one of them. Arguing against many of the memos he penned to past political masters (after the Wye River accords which were never implemented, he declared the move toward peace was irreversible), Mr Miller now questions whether the conflict is capable of a negotiated solution and if it isn't, whether it should continue to be regarded as central to the stability of the region. There are ample grounds for thinking that neither Mr Netanyahu nor Mr Abbas can negotiate a solution, one because he won't and the other because he can't.

In his refusal to consider the core issues – East Jerusalem, and the right of return, being just two on which no one could imagine Mr Netanyahu conducting any meaningful negotiations – the Israeli premier is doing those Palestinians who have renounced violence a favour. Sooner or later they are going to say that as Israel reneges on previous agreements - Camp David, the road map, Annapolis - they are better off not negotiating at all. Mr Abbas came close to this yesterday when he urged President Barack Obama to impose a solution. This has a certain logic to it. Hints at how close Mr Abbas and Ehud Olmert had got, the last time there were direct talks between the two sides, left the impression that the solution is there to be grasped and the script already written, if only the actors could be found to speak the words. The row over building in East Jerusalem has dispelled that illusion. The solution is not there. After 17 years of intermittent negotiation but continuous settlement in the West Bank, there is zero trust between the two sides.

So what will the proximity talks be about if they go ahead this week? It will not be the first time that Mr Netanyahu has miscalculated US politics, but he could be thinking that if only he strings this out to November when he hopes the Republicans will gain control of the House of Representatives, then the pressure will be off him. He will have defanged the Democratic president. Mr Obama could just as easily think that the harder he pushes, the greater the chance of forcing Ehud Barak to leave the coalition. Mr Barak has said it is in Israel's interest to build a Palestinian state.

Either way Mr Obama could be clearing away any last hope in the viability of the peace process, before coming up with his own plan. That would be based on the guidelines for a permanent status agreement which were offered by Bill Clinton in 2000, known as the Clinton Parameters. It would then be endorsed by the EU, UN and Russia, who would then have to implement it. Having declared the solution of the conflict vital to US interests, Mr Obama can hardly walk away. Mr Netanyahu would kick and scream against an imposed plan, but that is the consequence of rejecting lesser demands now.

• This article was amended on 26 April 2010, to eliminate the stray "not" in a phrase referring to "[issues] on which no one could not imagine Mr Netanyahu conducting any meaningful negotiations".

CIA Red Cell: Wikileaks Info

2010-09-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

CIA Red Cell
A Red Cell Special Memorandum

This CIA ”Red Cell” report from February 2, 2010, looks at what will happen if it is internationally understood that the United States is an exporter of terrorism; ’Contrary to common belief, the American export of terrorism or terrorists is not a recent phenomenon, nor has it been associated only with Islamic radicals or people of Middle Eastern, African or South Asian ethnic origin. This dynamic belies the American belief that our free, open and integrated multicultural society lessens the allure of radicalism and terrorism for US citizens.’ The report looks at a number cases of US exported terrorism, including attacks by US based or financed Jewish, Muslim and Irish nationalism terrorists. It concludes that foreign perceptions of the US as an ”Exporter of Terrorism” together with US double standards in international law, may lead to noncooperation in renditions (including the arrest of CIA officers) and the decision to not share terrorism related intelligence with the United States.

What If Foreigners See the United States as an “Exporter of Terrorism”?

Much attention has been paid recently to the increasing occurrence of American-grown Islamic terrorists conducting attacks against US targets, primarily in the homeland. Less attention has been paid to homegrown terrorism, not exclusively Muslim terrorists, exported overseas to target non-US persons. This report examines the implications of what it would mean for
the US to be seen increasingly as an incubator and “exporter of terrorism.”

Contrary to common belief, the American export of terrorism or terrorists is not a recent phenomenon, nor has it been associated only with Islamic radicals or people of Middle Eastern, African or South Asian ethnic origin. This dynamic belies the American belief that our free, open and integrated multicultural society lessens the allure of radicalism and terrorism for US citizens.

• Late last year five young Muslim American men traveled from northern Virginia to Pakistan allegedly to join the Pakistani Taliban and to engage in jihad. Their relatives contacted the FBI after they disappeared without telling anyone, and then Pakistani authorities arrested them as they allegedly attempted to gain access to al-Qa’ida training facilities.

• In November 2008, Pakistani-American David Headley conducted surveillance in support of the Lashkar-i-Tayyiba (LT) attack in Mumbai, India that killed more than 160 people. LT induced him to change his name from Daood Gilani to David Headley to facilitate his movement between the US, Pakistan, and India.

• Some American Jews have supported and even engaged in violent acts against perceived enemies of Israel. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, an American Jewish doctor from New York, emigrated to Israel, joined the extremist group Kach, and killed 29 Palestinians during their prayers in the mosque at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron which helped to trigger a wave of bus bombings by HAMAS in early 1995.

• Some Irish-Americans have long provided financial and material support for violent efforts to compel the United Kingdom to relinquish control of Northern Ireland. In the 1880s, Irish American members of Clan na Gael dynamited Britain’s Scotland Yard, Parliament, and the Tower of London, and detonated bombs at several stations in the London underground.In the twentieth century, Irish-Americans provided most of the financial support sent to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The US-based Irish Northern Aid Committee (NORAID), founded in the late 1960s, provided the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) with money that was frequently used for arms purchases. Only after repeated high-level British requests and then London’s support for our bombing of Libya in the 1980s did the US Government crack down on
Irish-American support for the IRA.

XLRI

2008-12-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

XLRI was founded in 1949 by Fr Quinn Enright, S.J. in the Steel City of Jamshedpur. Fr. Enright visualized XLRI to be a partner in the liberation and development journey of the independent India with a vision of "renewing the face of the earth". Fr. Bill Tome joined hands with him to bring that vision to fruition. Both, together with the other Jesuit companions, worked tirelessly towards translating the Vision "Renewing the face of the earth" into action.

Over many years XLRI has developed its own identity. The hall mark of this identity is, not to walk on the beaten path but to strike new routes; not to benchmark but to be benchmarked, to be second to none but to be the first to respond to the needs of the people and the nation, by taking up the tasks which are bold but necessary which nobody has hitherto taken up.This enterprising and pioneering spirit can be witnessed throughout the history of XLRI.

The Principle of Relativity

2008-12-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

In order to attain the greatest possible clearness, let us return to our example of the railway carriage supposed to be travelling uniformly. We call its motion a uniform translation ("uniform" because it is of constant velocity and direction, " translation " because although the carriage changes its position relative to the embankment yet it does not rotate in so doing). Let us imagine a raven flying through the air in such a manner that its motion, as observed from the embankment, is uniform and in a straight line. If we were to observe the flying raven from the moving railway carriage. we should find that the motion of the raven would be one of different velocity and direction, but that it would still be uniform and in a straight line. Expressed in an abstract manner we may say : If a mass m is moving uniformly in a straight line with respect to a co-ordinate system K, then it will also be moving uniformly and in a straight line relative to a second co-ordinate system K¹ provided that the latter is executing a uniform translatory motion with respect to K. In accordance with the discussion contained in the preceding section, it follows that:

If K is a Galileian co-ordinate system. then every other co-ordinate system K' is a Galileian one, when, in relation to K, it is in a condition of uniform motion of translation. Relative to K¹ the mechanical laws of Galilei-Newton hold good exactly as they do with respect to K.

We advance a step farther in our generalisation when we express the tenet thus: If, relative to K, K¹ is a uniformly moving co-ordinate system devoid of rotation, then natural phenomena run their course with respect to K¹ according to exactly the same general laws as with respect to K. This statement is called the principle of relativity (in the restricted sense).

As long as one was convinced that all natural phenomena were capable of representation with the help of classical mechanics, there was no need to doubt the validity of this principle of relativity. But in view of the more recent development of electrodynamics and optics it became more and more evident that classical mechanics affords an insufficient foundation for the physical description of all natural phenomena. At this juncture the question of the validity of the principle of relativity became ripe for discussion, and it did not appear impossible that the answer to this question might be in the negative.

Wireless and Power Line Data Communication Systems

2008-12-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

by Tamal Gope, Sahil Modi & Brijesh Yadav

In recent times there has been a large growth in the number of small communications networks in the home or office. Cash registers, burglar alarms, computers and their peripherals all rely on small interconnected networks. A number of networking technologies are aimed purely at implementing these small home networks. Many remain costly, overly limited, or difficult to install in pre-existing buildings. This book details on these Communication Networking concepts. It goes on to demonstrate the wireless data transmission techniques and the power line data communication systems. The book aims to thoroughly explore the theoretical and practical aspects of power line carrier and wireless communications techniques.

As an engineering student, I had a special interest in Computer Networks. I have also felt the need for a book that had computer network theory basics along with a practical methodology to it. Special focus on real time networking concepts is the feature of this book. This book intends to have an impact on readers who look upon to have a practical, example oriented methodology.

This book gives an exhaustive reference on all computer networking concepts - from OSI model to RAID to FTP servers, this also has reference on networking concepts in Linux/UNIX environment - Installation & Configuring a Samba Server. Ranging over 300 pages, this also has glossary and appendix on all networking terminologies. Fully illustrated diagrams and tables help in grasping and understanding the concepts better. An additional chapter on Cable Creation and troubleshooting techniques also differentiates this book as a more practically approached methodology in networking. Special detail to attention on CCNA concepts and tested practice papers further helps the purpose to create a complete networking book.

This book has a lot more detailing than the books available in the market on the same subject. Most books when it comes to Computer network concepts treats the reader on the assumption that they already know something about computer networks beforehand which is usually not the case. So, I have made it sure that the book doesn’t miss out on Detailing aspects enabling virtually every reader to understand it in the first reading (Not the 3^rd or the 4^th time as is the case usually.)

As we all know, the soft skills demanded by the industry is vastly different than the syllabus taught at undergraduate colleges. The result is that the students have to waste their time and resources over extra coaching of the soft skills demanded by the industry. By reading this book, students won’t have to worry about taking special classes for these skills like CCNA, CCNP etc. In short, this book will help them prepare not only for the university or the college exams but for the professional world too.

Size 14 women are ‘happiest with life’

2008-12-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

Happiness, it seems, comes with curves, for a new poll has found that size 14 women are the happiest with their life and looks.

According to the study, girls who wear the dress size rated their general happiness higher than any other with a quarter saying they were extremely happy.

More than 43% of size 14 women also said they were as happy as they could be with their career, while almost a third say they couldn’t be more content with their love life. Second happiest were size 12s, followed by sizes 8, 16 and 10, reports the Sun.

A spokesman for Special K, which polled 3,000 women, said: “It’s great to discover that being a size zero wouldn’t necessarily bring you happiness. Size 14 woman are much more comfortable with their shape and have a happier outlook.”

The poll found that women size 24 or above were most miserable, with nearly one in five “extremely unhappy” with life. Less than 4% were happy with their career, and one in ten were extremely unhappy with their lovelife, the study also found.

LATEST ICC RANKINGS

2008-12-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

ICC Test Championship

23 Dec 2008

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
Australia	34	4409	130
India	43	5071	118
South Africa	37	4331	117
Sri Lanka	28	3032	108
England	41	4213	103
Pakistan	19	1895	100
West Indies	25	2034	81
New Zealand	30	2426	81
Bangladesh	20	0	0

ICC ODI Championship

30 Nov 2008

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
Australia	28	3658	131
South Africa	29	3451	119
India	41	4865	119
Pakistan	28	3182	114
New Zealand	24	2714	113
England	32	3469	108
Sri Lanka	32	3416	107
West Indies	24	2178	91
Bangladesh	32	1494	47
Ireland	10	190	19
Zimbabwe	22	280	13
Kenya	7	75	11

Click here to access the full rankings on www.icc-cricket.com

South Africa does it AGAIN

2008-12-30T15:09:00.001-08:00

South Africa has secured the most significant success in its cricketing history. It was a triumph that reached beyond sport. When Hashim Amla flicked another ball off his pads and scampered the winning run, he achieved more than a mere victory. It was a stroke that spoke for generations of Indian cricketers unable to compete for places in the national team. Suddenly they knew their records meant something, that they had been right, the champions of previous generations could play the game. When JP Duminy constructed his accomplished innings, he was representing a coloured community that languished for so many years in a twilight world. When Makhaya Ntini took wickets, he was uplifting downtrodden tribes. If hearts swelled with pride across the country it'd hardly be surprising. Others rejoiced in the peaceful revolution that made it possible.

Miraculously these varied characters were all playing for the same side. For so many hard decades it seemed a ridiculous dream, like the removal of the Berlin Wall. Yet there it was before our eyes, a devout Muslim stroking the decisive runs alongside a belatedly sane Salty Dick ( the term used by locals convinced that Englishmen have one foot in Africa and one in Australia). And there was Graeme Smith hugging Duminy and old stagers with tears in their eyes and Jacques Kallis taking his wife out to inspect the pitch and managers and support staff smiling from ear to ear. Rugby had led the way and now cricket has played its part. Amidst the crime and corruption there is hope.

And yet in this long awaited moment, this moment of exaltation, the South Africans behaved impeccably. Far from parading around in the disrespectful manner displayed by both parties last summer, before congratulating each other, the batsmen shook hands with opponents and umpires. Nor did their team-mates forget themselves when they came onto the field. For their part the Australians were gracious, none more so than Ricky Ponting at the awards ceremony. His team had been beaten fair and square. Australia had won both tosses. Far from claiming a low catch, too, Smith asked the umpires to check its legitimacy. Pity that did not happen last summer.

South Africa played intelligently, consistently and with the utmost determination. Throughout, Smith's side remained calm in adversity and retained confidence in itself. By no means has its rise been an overnight sensation. To the contrary, the team has been rising steadily throughout the year and even between matches. After failing in Perth, the visiting tailenders worked at their batting and played a vital role at the MCG. Unimpressed with their contributions in the first match, the fast bowlers toiled hard and improved markedly. Changes were also made between innings, with Neil McKenzie playing forward and Smith using a deeper mid-off for Matthew Hayden. Of course, the tourists caught superbly in the slips and ran sharply between innings. South Africa have played a lot of good cricket. Australia relied on superb individual performances from accomplished batsmen.

Along the way Australia have taken part in three of the greatest series ever staged, in the Caribbean, India and England. Always it has taken a mighty effort to bring them down, and that remains the case. Australia may not have been liked but they have commanded respected, sometimes amounting to fear. It has been a time of Waugh and Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne and broken moulds. But nothing lasts forever and now it is someone else's turn.

Target Rating Point's

2008-12-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

A Television Rating Point (TRP) is a measure of the purchased television rating points representing an estimate of the component of the target audience within the gross audience. Similar to GRP (gross rating point) it is measured as the sum of ratings achieved by a specific media vehicle of the target audience reached by an advertisement. For example, if an advertisement appears more than once, reaching the entire gross audience, the TRP figure the sum of each individual GRP multiplied by the estimated target audience in the gross audience.

In the case of a TV advertisement that is aired 5 times reaching 50% of the gross audience with only 60% in the target audience, it would have 250 GRPs (= 5 x 50) -- ie, GRPs = reach x frequency - TRP in this case should be 60% out of 250 GRPs = 150 TRPs - this is the rating point in the target, 60% of the gross rating.

Both of these metrics are critical components to determine the marketing effectiveness of a particular advertisement.

Television Rating Points - TRP is the criterion that indicates the popularity of a channel or programme and this data is very useful for the advertisers Presently, INTAM (Indian Television Audience Measurement) is the only electronic rating agency functioning in India. INTAM uses two methodologies for calculating TRP. First is frequency monitoring, in which 'people meters' are installed in sample homes and these electronic gadgets continuously record data about the channel watched by the family members. 'People meter' is a costly equipment, which is imported from abroad. It reads the frequencies of channels, which are later, decoded into the name of the channels and the agency prepares a national data on the basis of its sample homes readings. But there is a drawback in the technique, as cable operators frequently change the frequencies of the different channels before sending signals to the homes. It may be very misleading to read a channel according to a particular frequency even if the down linking frequency is same all over India.

Second technique is more reliable and relatively new to India. In picture matching technique people meter continuously records a small portion of the picture that is being watched on that particular television set. Along with this agency also records all the channels' data in the form of small picture portion. Data collected from the sample homes is later on matched with the main data bank to interpret the channel name. And this way national rating is produced. 1 year ago

OLYMPICS 2008

2008-08-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008 and followed by the 2008 Summer Paralympics from September 6 to September 17. Ten thousand, five hundred athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports, just one event more than was on the schedule of the 2004 games. The 2008 Beijing Olympics will also mark the third time that Olympic events will have been held in the territories of two different National Olympic Committees at the 2008 Olympics, equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong, which competes separately from mainland China.

The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the games, titled "Dancing Beijing," features a stylized calligraphic character jīng (京, meaning capital), referencing the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 are the five Fuwa, each representing both a colour of the Olympic rings and a symbol of Chinese culture. The Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit. Several new NOCs have also been recognized by the IOC.

The Chinese government has promoted the games to highlight China's emergence on the world stage and has invested heavily in new facilities and transportation systems. A total of 37 venues will be used to host the events including 12 newly constructed venues. Earlier in 2007, former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch had said that he believes that the Beijing games will be "the best in Olympic history, and despite the controversies that have marred the image of the Chinese Olympics, current president Jacques Rogge asserts that the IOC has "absolutely no regrets" in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 games.

N.I.T BHOPAL ::{ { My Alma Matter}}

2008-08-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India (formerly Maulana Azad College of Technology, MACT), is one of the first eight Regional Engineering Colleges in India. The institute has been named after the great scholar, educationist and the first education Minister of Govt. of India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. The Govt. of India and Govt. of Madhya Pradesh jointly sponsored the then MACT (a Regional Engineering College) in 1960 to attract bright young students from across the country. The Institute is successfully meeting the objective of producing skilled manpower of the highest quality who is able to cope up with challenges of ever evolving industrial needs of the country.

The Institute is situated in the heart of Bhopal on southern side. The verdant 650-acre (2.6 km²) campus, on a beautiful plateau, houses, about 400 faculty and 1500 students who enjoy excellent facilities of laboratories that are well equipped. Over the past 40 years of the effective existence the laboratories have not only at attained maturity and confidence but also shaped themselves as Center for Excellence for higher education.

MANIT has students from all parts of the country. Student life revolves around the college campus and hostels. College has Hostel facility with round the clock net connectivity, electricity, water, security, canteen and other facilities for students. There are separate hostels for students who are in different academic years. Other than these hostels, Hostels for post graduation students are also available. All the hostels have a care taker, an assistant warden and a warden separately. A Chief warden is head of all hostels and post is held by senior Professor of college.

Apart from Indian students, candidates from many countries such as Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius, Malaysia, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Oman also join MANIT for various undergraduate and post-graduate programs.

The college has active student life with various student organizations that include Drishtant (The literary society), iBC,ISTE(Technical Community), Vision (Science community),The Edboard,.etc. The students learn a lot more than mere academics. They are made into good entrepreneurs.

The year 2007-08 saw an unprecedented 662 job offers being made to MANITians from 64 companies. The year also saw a marked increase in the number of core jobs to an extent that the core fields seem promising. Many students had 2 offers and some even had 3 or more jobs. The institute boasts of very good placements with leading companies like Microsoft, Google,Verizon, HP Labs, Accenture , Aricent, CSC, IBM, Intel, Amdocs, Analog Devices, Reliance, Essar, TIME, LG, C-Dot, Capgemini, Honda, Hindalco, Samsung, BPCL, Bajaj Verizon, Career Launcher, Vedanta, Nestle, Areva TnD, DRDO, ABB, Tata Motors, Maruti, Pepsico, IOCL, NTPC, BHEL, Alstom, Satyam, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Conexant, Cognizant, HCC, L&T etc. visiting the institute for placement.

cELLO mANIA

2008-04-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

In our modernized world, we all like or we can say addicted to use the most latest and fancy gadgets. But we don’t care for the harm they are doing to us, as it doesn’t appear sharply. The gadget like cell phone, we even can’t think about our life without it. In India the cell phone business is in flow. India at now is a home of 200 million mobile phone user with 60 million being added each month.

Phone too creates health problems. Cell phone usage has been suspect for time for the health hazards it poses. Studies have shown that people who use cell phone for long periods face the risk of developing malignant brain tumors; or it could lead to hearing impairment and sleep disorders and memory lapses. According to a survey, conducted by a Swedish scientist, indicates that’s an hour a day on a mobile phone for a decade is enough to increase the risk. Those who are much more addicted to their phones have double chances of developing a brain tumor on the side of skull where they held their handsets for over 10 years. The scientists have said to strictly prohibit children to use mobile phones because their thinner skull and developing nervous system made them especially vulnerable. This phone anxiety has added a new term in its dictionary and it is ringxiety. According to the psychiatrist it is a phenomenon in which users imagine their phone ringing or feel it vibrate when it is actually doesn’t.

For this there is no permanent solution since there is no replacement to phone, as it has become our essential part of living that is we can’t remove phone from our life but we can reduce its usage to have a painless and secure life. And yah the children must be discouraged to use mobile phones as they are our future generation.

The "Babylonian" Brotherhood

2008-03-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

As the flood waters receded after the Venus cataclysm the survivors came down from the mountains and up from within the Earth. They settled on the lowlands and plains and began to rebuild. This was when Sumer, Egypt and the civilization in the Indus Valley suddenly appeared at a very high level of technological advancement, although they had existed before and were now restored after the upheavals. The Sumerian society began at the peak of its development because of this sudden infusion of knowledge and the white Aryan race, originally from Mars, expanded out from the Caucasus Mountains and the Near East down into Sumer, Egypt and the Indus Valley where, as even conventional history agrees, highly advanced societies spontaneously emerged. However within this white race, and others also, was a genetic stream I will call reptile-Aryan or reptile-human. Whenever I use the term Aryan I am referring to the white race. These were the crossbreed bloodlines created from the genetic manipulation of the Anunnaki. The major centre for the reptile-Aryan bloodlines, in the ancient world after the flood waters receded, was Babylon in the south of the Sumer region alongside the River Euphrates. A closer look at the evidence appears to date the foundation of Babylon far earlier than previously believed and it\ was one of the first cities of the post-flood era. It was here that the mystery schools and secret societies were formed which were to span the globe in the thousands of years that followed. The Brotherhood which controls the world today is the modern expression of the Babylonian Brotherhood of reptile-Aryan priests and ‘royalty’ which came together there after the flood. It was in Babylon in this post-flood period from around 6,000 years ago that the foundation beliefs - manipulated beliefs - of today’s world religions were established to control and rule the people.

Genetics : The Science of Heredity

2008-03-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Genetics is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. Knowledge of the inheritance of characteristics has been implicitly used since prehistoric times for improving crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of genetics, which seeks to understand the mechanisms of inheritance, only began with the work of Gregor Mendel in the mid-1800s.^[3] Although he did not know the physical basis for heredity, Mendel observed that inheritance is fundamentally a discrete process with specific traits that are inherited in an independent manner — these basic units of inheritance are now called genes.

Following the rediscovery of Mendel's observations in the early 1900s, research in 1910s yielded the first physical understanding of inheritance — that genes are arranged linearly along large cellular structures called chromosomes. By the 1950s it was understood that the core of a chromosome was a long molecule called DNA and genes existed as linear sections within the molecule. A single strand of DNA is a chain of four types of nucleotides; hereditary information is contained within the sequence of these nucleotides. Solved by Watson and Crick in 1953, DNA's three-dimensional structure is a double-stranded helix, with the nucleotides on each strand complementary to each other. Each strand acts as a template for synthesis of a new partner strand, providing the physical mechanism for the inheritance of information.

The sequence of nucleotides in DNA is used to produce specific sequences of amino acids, creating proteins — a correspondence known as the "genetic code". This sequence of amino acids in a protein determines how it folds into a three-dimensional structure, this structure is in turn responsible for the protein's function. Proteins are responsible for almost all functional roles in the cell. A change to DNA sequence can change a protein's structure and behavior, and this can have dramatic consequences in the cell and on the organism as a whole.

Ancient Rome and the Republic

2008-03-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

According to Roman legend, Rome was founded in 753 BC by the twins named Romulus and Remus. They built their settlements on the Palatine and Aventine hills respectively. (Rome sits on seven hills.) Remus grew jealous of Romulus and mocked the size of the walls he had built, so Romulus killed him. He then named the city after himself and was crowned king. Whether or not this story is true, it highlights the warlike origins of Rome. Around 753 BC the foundations of one of the most powerful empires in history were laid - one which would shake the very foundations of the world.

The Romans' own accounts and historical evidence suggests that, for several hundred years after its founding, Rome was ruled by kings from the nearby land of Etruria. The Etruscans were very oppressive rulers and the Romans desired to rid themselves of their masters. In 509 BC, the son of the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, raped a noblewoman named Lucretia, and then Lucretia, out of her own humiliation, killed herself. Outraged, her family instigated a revolt that drove the royal house of the Tarquins out of Rome. Lucretia's husband, Lucius Tarquinius Collantis and one Lucius Junius Brutus became the first two consuls of a new republic which they founded. The office of the consul became the chief executive position in the Republic. The title of "king" became so despised that it remained a career-shattering charge until the rise of Julius Caesar and the end of the Republic.

The social structure of the Republic was basically divided between two main groups: the patricians, or the wealthy noble class, and the plebeians, the broad mass of peasant citizens. One's class was hereditary, meaning that even if one was lucky enough to be one of the few plebeians who became wealthy and rich, especially as a merchant, one was still considered a plebian. Likewise, some patricians had become almost poor towards the latter end of the Republic. The plebeians were often at odds with the patricians and the class conflict that was generated often saw the patrician nobles granting certain privileges, rights, and concessions to the plebeians in order to keep them under control. In 494 BC, the plebeians gained the right to elect two Tribunes, who held large amounts of control in the government of the Republic. Later, this number was expanded to ten. Finally, the plebeians were eventually allowed to elect a Concilium Plebis, or "Council of the Plebians" which gave them greater control in legal affairs. Towards the end of the Republic, a new group known as the equites became a powerful and potent force within the Republic, as the result of the actions of the Consul Tiberius Gracchus (more on him later). Note that only men, no matter what class, were able to have authority or hold a political position in Rome.

REGISTRY : The Windows Power Tool

2008-03-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

The registry has a subtle but important role in Microsoft Windows XP. On one hand, the registry is passive—it's just a big collection of settings sitting on your hard disk, and you probably don't think much about it while you're editing a document, browsing the Internet, or searching for a file. On the other hand, it plays a key role in all those activities. The settings in the registry determine how Windows XP appears and how it behaves. They even control applications running on your computer. This gives the registry great potential as a tool for power users or IT professionals, enabling them to customize settings that aren't available in the user interface.

Heart and Soul of Windows XP :
Windows XP stores configuration data in the registry. The registry is a hierarchical database, which you can describe as a central repository for configuration data (Microsoft's terminology) or a configuration database (my terminology). A hierarchical database has characteristics that make it ideally suited to storing configuration data. The registry's hierarchical organization makes all settings easy to reference.

Who's Who In Telecommunication World

2008-02-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

The legal status of the world's telephone companies varies considerably from country to country. At one extreme is the United States, which has 1500 separate, privately owned telephone companies. Before it was broken up in 1984, AT&T, at that time the world's largest corporation, completely dominated the scene. It provided telephone service to about 80 percent of America's telephones, spread throughout half of its geographical area, with all the other companies combined servicing the remaining (mostly rural) customers. Since the breakup, AT&T continues to provide long-distance service, although now in competition with other companies. The seven Regional Bell Operating Companies that were split off from AT&T and numerous independents provide local and cellular telephone service. Due to frequent mergers and other changes, the industry is in a constant state of flux.
Companies in the United States that provide communication services to the public are called common carriers. Their offerings and prices are described by a document called a tariff, which must be approved by the Federal Communications Commission for the interstate and international traffic and by the state public utilities commissions for intrastate traffic.
At the other extreme are countries in which the national government has a complete monopoly on all communication, including the mail, telegraph, telephone, and often, radio and television. Most of the world falls in this category. In some cases the telecommunication authority is a nationalized company, and in others it is simply a branch of the government, usually known as the PTT (Post, Telegraph & Telephone administration). Worldwide, the trend is toward liberalization and competition and away from government monopoly. Most European countries have now (partially) privatized their PTTs, but elsewhere the process is still slowly gaining steam.
With all these different suppliers of services, there is clearly a need to provide compatibility on a worldwide scale to ensure that people (and computers) in one country can call their counterparts in another one. Actually, this need has existed for a long time. In 1865, representatives from many European governments met to form the predecessor to today's ITU (International Telecommunication Union). Its job was standardizing international telecommunications, which in those days meant telegraphy. Even then it was clear that if half the countries used Morse code and the other half used some other code, there was going to be a problem. When the telephone
was put into international service, ITU took over the job of standardizing telephony (pronounced te-LEF-ony) as well. In 1947, ITU became an agency of the United Nations.
ITU has three main sectors:

1. Radio communications Sector (ITU-R).
2. Telecommunications Standardization Sector (ITU-T).
3. Development Sector (ITU-D).
ITU-R is concerned with allocating radio frequencies worldwide to the competing interest groups. We will focus primarily on ITU-T, which is concerned with telephone and data communication systems. From 1956 to 1993, ITU-T was known as CCITT, an acronym for its French name: Comité Consultatif International Télégraphique et Téléphonique. On March 1, 1993, CCITT was reorganized to make it less bureaucratic and renamed to reflect its new role. Both ITU-T and CCITT issued recommendations in the area of telephone and data communications. One still frequently runs into CCITT recommendations, such as CCITT X.25, although since 1993 recommendations bear the ITU-T label.
ITU-T has four classes of members:

1. National governments.
2. Sector members.
3. Associate members.
4. Regulatory agencies.

Napoleon : The Great

2008-02-26T12:55:00.001-08:00

Napoleon I (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, later Napoléon Bonaparte) ^[1] (15 August 1769–5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who had significant impact on modern European history. He was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as Premier Consul of the French Republic, Empereur des Français, King of Italy, Mediator of the Swiss Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine.

Born in Corsica and trained in mainland France as an artillery officer, he first rose to prominence as a general of the French Revolution, leading several successful campaigns against the First Coalition and the Second Coalition arrayed against France. In late 1799, Napoleon staged a coup d'état and installed himself as First Consul; five years later he became the Emperor of the French. In the first decade of the nineteenth century, he turned the armies of France against almost every major European power, dominating continental Europe through a lengthy streak of military victories—epitomized through battles such as Austerlitz and Friedland—and through the formation of extensive alliance systems. He appointed close friends and several members of his family as monarchs and important government figures of French-dominated states.

The disastrous French invasion of Russia in 1812 marked a turning point in Napoleon's fortunes. The campaign wrecked the Grande Armée, which never regained its previous strength. In October 1813, the Sixth Coalition defeated his forces at Leipzig and then invaded France. The coalition forced Napoleon to abdicate in April 1814, exiling him to the island of Elba. Less than a year later, he returned to France and regained control of the government in the Hundred Days (les Cent Jours) prior to his final defeat at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Napoleon spent the remaining six years of his life under British supervision on the island of St. Helena. Napoleon developed relatively few military innovations, although his placement of artillery into batteries and the elevation of the army corps as the standard all-arms unit have become accepted doctrines in virtually all large modern armies. He drew his best tactics from a variety of sources and scored several major victories with a modernized and reformed French army. His campaigns are studied at military academies all over the world and he is widely regarded as one of history's greatest commanders. Aside from his military achievements, Napoleon is also remembered for the establishment of the Napoleonic Code (Code Napoléon), which laid the bureaucratic foundations for the modern French state.

ALBERT EINSTEIN : War and peace

2008-02-26T09:26:00.001-08:00

In August 1939, just prior to outbreak of war in Europe, Einstein sent his "letter to president Roosevelt on atomic weapons".Einstein wrote, that Uranium could be fashioned into "Extremely powerful bombs of a new type". He expressed his fear that the NAZI regime may be working on an atomic weapons program, and urged a speeding up of experimental work on nuclear fission and for closer contact to be maintained between the U.S. government and the group of physicists working on fission in the United States.

In October 1939, partly due to Einstein's prompting, the president's advisory committee on Uranium was formed. Though he continued to urge expansion and greater co-ordination of atomic weapons research, Einstein declined an invitation, the following year, to become a member of an extended committee.

Today, the arm's race between United States and the Soviet Union had assumed a "hysterical character", and that with the advent of hydrogen bombs, "radioactive poisoning of the atmosphere and hence annihilation of any life on Earth has been brought within the range of technical possibilities.

TELNET: A Real Utility

2008-02-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

Telnet is an older Internet utility that lets you log on to remote computers systems. It gives you a character-based terminal window on anathor system. You get a login promt on that system. Traditionally, Telnet has been used by people who have logins on remote systems and want to do serious work over there. But Telnet has some additional uses that are more relevant to people who are exploring the Internet.
Telnet is an Internet utility that lets you log onto remote computer systems. To run a telnet session, you have to run the Telnet client and then connect to the desired Telnet site.
Remote login(TELNET) is the process of accessing a network from a remote place without actually being at the place of working.

Nanotechnology and Medicines

2008-02-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

Often hailed as a revolutionary new technology, nanotechnology has the caliber to impact almost every area of society. Nanotechnology involves major manipulating properties and structures at the nanoscale. Often involving dimensions that are just tiny fractions of the width of the human hair. Nanotechnology is being already used in products in its passive form, such as cosmetics and sunscreens, and it is expected that in the coming decades, new phases of products such as better batteries and improved electronic equipment will be developed.

ESTRASORB:
This is a tropical lotion that contains estrogen, which approved for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. The product utilizes Novavax's patented and proprietary mi cellar nanoparticles drug-delivery platform. This technology involves the application of a cosmetic like, moisturising emulsion to deliver a therapeutic dose of 17a estradiol into the bloodstream when applied to the skin.

NANOSHELLS:
For people wipth cancer, chemotherapy, with its painful side effects, is often worst part of the treatment process. The next stein research will be to do a human trial.

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

2008-02-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

The programmability of the industrial industrial robot using computer
software makes it both flexible in the way it works and versatile in the

range of tasks it can accomplish. The most generally accepted definition

of an industrial robot is a re programmable, multi-function manipulator
designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through
variable programmed motions to perform a variety of tasks.

Industrial robots can be floor-standing, bench top, or mobile.Industrial robots are classified in ways that relate to the characteristics of their control systems,
manipulator or arm geometry, and modes of operation.

A basic industrial robot classification relates to overall performance
and distinguishes between limited and unlimited sequence control. Four
classes are generally recognized: limited sequence and three forms of
unlimited sequence—point-to-point, continuous path, and controlled
path.

World In Your Pocket

2008-02-22T06:55:00.001-08:00

GSM or CDMA - lets find the best for you

Talking to someone on a wireless device was a dream that transformed into thoughts and now it is showcasing its reality picture. Mobile has certainly synchronized itself with roti, kapra and maakan. In just a decade time or so, mobile phones have become indispensable for modern world. But how many of us really think as which technology best satisfies our needs - GSM or CDMA.

GSM:
Global system for mobile communications is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. This technology is based on subscriber identity module (SIM) , commonly known as the SIM card. The SIM is a detachable smart card containing user's subscription and phone book.

CDMA:
Code division multiple access (CDMA), is a wireless in local loop or WLL based mobile networking technology. This technology doesn't feature any SIM card. The main advantage of this is they work better inside buildings. This technology provides superior voice and data capabilities. CDMA internet speeds are up to 144Kbps.

Which is the BEST?
It is a debate that has raged ever since cell phones proliferated. Both the services are available in INDIA at a very competitive rates, and both have their own advantages. You have GSM players like Airtel, Hutch, Idea, BSNL on one hand whereas Reliance and Tata Indicom are major CDMA players. CDMA offers slightly faster data downloads. However we can have GSM and CDMA together. This is done in recently launched D88 by spice mobiles.