Terrorism and SWAT maps

Foresty Map of SWAT, Pakistan.


Terrorism from SWAT needs to be addressed by tribal commanders. They cannot remain oblivious that they are phatans and they have every right to house terrorists like Al-qaida men.





ISI needs to be countered in SWAT. Given blasts in india, I find it releavnt to provide maps of SWAT region so that focus of terror is re-dressed.






Detailed MAP of SWAT and surrounding regions.

Source: Google Images

Pay $2, $1 for palatable water and soda onboard USAIR

The cost planning has gone haywire, with every water/soda you buy, you need to shell bucks except you are in first class or business class on board USAIR.

Source: WSJ

LG partners with Netflix to deliver movies online

Convergence of Internet, Television and Computers is slowly happenming with companies like LG Electronics Device To Deliver Movies Online. South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. will soon offer a device that plays high definition Blu-ray movies along with video streamed over the Internet from Netflix Inc., the latest move by Netflix to deliver movie rentals online rather than through the mail.

The new product, dubbed the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, will go on sale in the U.S. in September for "well under $500," The LG product is part of a wave of electronics devices from Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others enabling video delivered over the Internet to make the leap to televisions from personal computers. The growing online availability of TV shows, movies and other mainstream programming could eventually pose a challenge to more traditional delivery of television through cable and satellite.

Source: WSJ

Arctic climate is changing fast and will continue to happen fast

This isn't Global warming, just the artic climate is reversing and it is one way process. The ice sheets are breaking apart. Artic environment is no longer the process of Ice growing, to the contratary it is ice breaking.

July 30, 2008—A chunk of ice spreading across 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) has broken off a Canadian ice shelf in the Arctic, scientists say.
The sheet broke away last week from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf off the north coast of Ellesmere Island in Canada's far north. Large ice segments—including this 1.5-square-mile (4-square-kilometer) chunk, above—were seen drifting near the ice shelf. A crack in the shelf was first spotted in 2002 and a survey this spring found a network of fissures.

Gary Stern, co-leader of an international research program on sea ice, said it's the same story all around the Arctic.
Speaking from the Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen in Canada's north, Stern said he hadn't seen any ice in weeks.
"Nobody on the ship is surprised anymore," Stern said. "We've been trying to get the word out for the longest time now that things are happening fast and they're going to continue to happen fast."

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/080730-arctic-photo-AP.html

Carl Icahn realized it was impossible to win a majority of the Yahoo! directorships

Carl Ichan writes that he will make sure in the event the next transaction comes , he will ensure that everything is disclosed and he will be a part of the committee.

In response to the Wall Street Journal, he writes a response.

http://www.icahnreport.com/report/2008/07/response-to-wal.html

Major shareholders, particularly those who serve on boards, should actively question decisions a company makes and not simply be a rubber stamp for corporate managements, as all too many are.

http://www.icahnreport.com/report/2008/07/how-i-spent-my.html

Proxy fights are very expensive and time-consuming. Unlike political elections, where change is often seen, it is unfortunately extremely difficult to take control of a company. By the end of last week, I realized that although many large shareholders supported me and my slate for the board, they were nervous about having a complete change of control. From prior proxy contest experience,

http://www.icahnreport.com/report/2008/07/concerning-the.html#comments

Concerning the Annual Yahoo! Meeting
I will not be attending. The proxy fight is over and it will not do shareholders or Yahoo! any good to have the annual meeting turn into a media event for no purpose. Last week, I realized it was impossible to gain enough support from the large institutions to win a majority of the Yahoo! directorships. In today’s corporate governance system where large mutual funds control so much of the stock, it is extremely difficult to oust an entire board, no matter how strongly a large number of shareholders feel about the board’s previous actions. Realizing I could not gain control, I saw no point in spending the final two weeks in a debilitating fight, where little would be accomplished except to build animosity between both camps and the end result would be no better than the compromise that was reached. In fact, in winning a minority position on a board by a fight to the end, you always have to be concerned that you may be "boxed" out by the majority that remains on the board. Committees can be formed that you are excluded from and you are given information only on a need to know basis. An important part of my compromise with Yahoo is that the board in the settlement agreement has agreed "that any meaningful transaction, including the strategy in dealing with that transaction, will be fully discussed with the entire board before any final decision is made." Additionally, if any committee is formed to negotiate a meaningful transaction, Carl Icahn will be a member of that committee.
A few days ago, I met with both Jerry Yang and Roy Bostock and I believe both gentlemen genuinely wish that we will be able to work together to enhance value. While we still disagree on many points, I have great hope "this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Minorities on boards can accomplish a great deal (see following articles on Blockbuster). I look forward to working harmoniously with the new board of Yahoo!

Not to forget the aggressive proxy fight launched by his letters

http://www.icahnreport.com/report/files/icahn_press_release.pdf

Carl Icahn gets backdoor entry into Yahoo

Microsoft finally seems to have won the proxy with activist Carl Icahn whose firm now owns 4.5% of the company to have stayed away from the shareholders meeting, thus averting the board replacement had it come to vote.

Carl Icahn absence paved the way for the internet search engine provider's chairman, Roy Bostock who rejected claims that the board mishandled the bid process, saying it had "called the shots" throughout
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/money/2008/08/02/cnyahoo102.xml
There was never a conversation in more than 30 [board] meetings that did not involve shareholder value," he protested at the firm's annual meeting at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California.
Mr Bostock said the original $31-a-share bid tabled on February 1 was the only formal offer ever received from Microsoft, pointing out that the later $33 "offer" was simply a suggestion that there might be a few more dollars on the table.

He also stressed that Yahoo!'s board had remained open to a deal with the software giant, and that as it tried to engage with Microsoft, so Microsoft pulled away.
The comments were aimed at countering a great deal of criticism over the board's role in the last six months, not least from Mr Icahn.
The activist investor, who owns a 4.98pc stake in Yahoo!, had attempted to replace the company's entire board as a result of its apparent inactivity with Microsoft.
But Mr Icahn last week agreed a pact to drop such a proxy battle in exchange for he and an associate joining the board later this month, along with a third new non-executive director.
As a result, Mr Icahn stayed away from the meeting, and all eight returning directors, including Mr Yang, looked set to be re-elected, although final results had yet to be released at the time of writing.


However dissident shareholder Eric Jackson, who was involved in the demise of former chief executive Terry Semel last year, accused the board of "overplaying its hand" with Microsoft and asked Mr Bostock why he remained on the board when 34pc of shareholders who voted at the 2007 annual meeting chose not to vote for his re-election.

The chances that talks with Microsoft would revive appear remote but Microsoft will always have Mr Icahn to side them whenever such an opportunity arises with Mr Icahn's people on the board.
So game on for Microsoft, Yahoo and Google and yes the shareholder

Verizon Strike: Shameless comments on India

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/verizon_workers_to_rally_today.html
Members of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers carried picket signs and shouted, "No contract, no work!"

I care less of USA but care more about of India.
It is appalling that India has to face shameless comments from Americans who cant solve their backdoor problems. India is an outsourcing destination at its own rights and not at the cost of stikes from Verizon.

Look at some of the comments , some are unfortunately disguised whites acting as Indians.
http://www.wallstrip.com/2008/07/28/verizon-strike/

JIm White One day ago
The shareholders should strike! Flat and diminishing returns caused by a management that is dazed and confused by inferior cable products which outsell and outpace Verizon quality products in growth and revenue. Why? because happy cable customers brag about the superior customer service from the “US reps and SIMPLE if NON EXISTANT computer girl that answers the phone”. VECTORING SYSTEMS which in and of themselves cause customers to become “detractors” and eliminate jobs. Why pay a US worker to answer the phone when a computer can kinda do it. Then there is the India answering connection. We all know that customers are much happier when their problems are address by someone who CAN’T SPEAK ENGLISH or SPANISH!!!!!!!!! Not to mention Verizon management or “lack there of” in marketing. These marketing people are totally incompetent vs. cables cutting-edge creative marketing. They came up with turtles, Verizon answered with a bucket guy.Lastly, BOB is fool if he thinks Verizon management has more university degrees that the union employees. Actually from what I have read BOB is simply a fool.

fios sales One month ago
Hey Bob you would not have job without union your job would be done by somebody in India. management should not only bow down to us they should be gratefull we are the reason they have jobs without union India would have it all. I will also assure you Verizon will give in and I will be laughing at you when I get free medical and full pension I allso willnot have to worry about job security when will they RIFF u

CWA1105 member One day ago
If it wasn’t for the CWA union, every single one of the utilities including Verizon will outsource every job to India. That is why our country’s economy is in the toilet.
So Florence, is you think management is so grand, why don’t promote yourself to management. SO we can then applaud when you are rift!!!!!


Kumar One day ago " The American white collar stooge"
Dank you verizon, TaTa consulting is waiting in the wings for all your jobs. We took over IT and work for 5 dollar an hour even though it takes us 3 times to get anything correct. We just nod our heads and say yes and smile.Notice your ceo get’s a raise every year event though the stock price has stayed basically the same.The I in verIzon stands for India!

Sitemeter platform change

Sitemeter in its blog has said the platform is being migrated to the new platform , the counter display will not be a part of the tracking code. rather it will be available as a seperate piece of code which you paste on the site.

The irony is that the shift of platform for sitemeter has caused several blogsites to crash. Arguably these site hits wont be ever recorded and it could be hypothesized that sitemeter team knew this. They must have given a code that would not fail in case sitemeter is not up.

Both Hot Air and Michelle Malkin sites have been affected. Gawker Media network including Gawker, Valleywag, Gizmodo and Lifehacker, as well as ProBlogger have been reported as affected.

Initial reports suggested that only IE7 was affected but it appears it is beyond web browsers. The IE error says "internet explorer cannot open the internet site operation aborted"



http://weblog.sitemeter.com/
"Visit or Page View Counter DisplayJuly 31st, 2008
For those of you who currently use the SiteMeter Icon that displays the total visitors to your site we wanted to let you know about some forthcoming changes to this feature.
Following the migration of all our SiteMeter customers to the new platform the counter display image will no longer be part of the tracking code. It will instead be available through a separate piece of code which you paste on your site just like you do with our statistics tracking code.
We’ve done this for a few reasons –
1 – It offers a slight improvement to performance and page load times.2 – It gives you the option of having it displayed on as few or as many pages as you want.3 – It allows you to place the code on any page you want, visible to site visitors or on a page only accessible by you the site owner.4 – It allows you to now have the option of displaying either Total Visits OR Total PageViews.
Our plan is that all SiteMeter customers currently using the icon with the counter display image will be have their icons changed to the static default SiteMeter icon following the migration to the new platform. After the migration you can then log into the new system, grab the new counter code at your leisure, select whether you want Visits or PageViews displayed and paste it on only the pages you desire.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we hope the new features and benefits will be appreciated.
Sincerely,The SiteMeter Team"

Latest Virus and Trojans

Please see the latest virus and trojans . Check the recent threats and current threats.

Downloader-UA.h

India will use All Call query method for Mobile portability

Mobile license protability has no established best practice worldwide . The department of Telecommunaction will provide a unique Routing Number(RN) to each access provider to enable porting within MNP ones. This is also known as All Call Query (ACQ) and is highly efficient and scalable. All operators will have a local copy of this and they will instantly know whom to port. In case of multiple operators, The responsibility of routing lies with N-1 operator.

The country is divided into two MNP zones. Seperate Experienced foreign players upto 26% equity are called in to establish theframework for MNP per zone. It will be on Build, operate on transfer basis and license is valid for 10 years. It will evolve study traffic and services to be given MCH ( Mobile Number Clearing House) Number Portability Data base (NPDB)satabase query system. The Licensee has to arrange all those equipment and solutions (tools and testers) needd for efficient working from time to time for all operators in their zones areas and MNP zone.
Chennai with CTMS operators is a complex zone service area also has to contend with UMS operability. All CMTS operators alos have to implement MNP.


Mobile Number Portability (MNP) allows subscribers to retain their existing telephone number when they switch from one service provider to another or from one technology to another of the same service provider. The Guidelines for grant of MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY (MNP) SERVICE LICENCE in the country was announced today by Thiru A. Raja, Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology at a press conference in New Delhi. Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology was also present. The salient features of these guidelines are as below: • MNP zones: For the purpose of grant of Licenses for MNP operation in India, the whole country is divided into 2 MNP zones (Zone 1 & zone 2) consisting of 11 Licensed Service Areas (LSAs) each with 2 Metro service areas in each zone. • • There shall be only one licensee for MNP services in each MNP zone. • No single company/ legal person / the MNP License applicant or MNP Licensee Company either directly or indirectly will have any equity, in any of the telecom service provider licensee company (Basic service, UAS, CMTS, NLD and/or ILD licensees) and vice-versa. • • Initially MNP is to be implemented in all Metro and category ‘A’ service areas within 6 month of award of the License for MNP services. • Direct Solution i.e. All Call Query method be implemented for mobile number portability in India. • Total time to port should not exceed two working days initially and shall be upgradable to much faster levels. Customer shall approach the recipient operator for porting his/her number. • Paid up capital: The applicant Company shall have a minimum paid up capital of an amount Rs 10 Crores on the date of the application. • Networth: The applicant Company and its equity holders shall have a combined net-worth of atleast Rs. 100 Crores (in proportion to their direct equity). • Foreign equity: FDI shall be subject to extant guidelines and regulations. However, equity of the foreign partner in the company should not be less than 26%. • Experience: The Applicant / bidder should have implemented and operating successfully NP solution for a mobile subscriber base of not less than 25 million in one or more countries for at least 2 years. Either the applicant Company or its share equity holders having direct equity of 26 % or more in the Company shall have required experience. • There shall be a lock in period of 3 years for the equity share holders having equity share capital of 26% or more in the MNP Licensee Company. • Entry Fee: One time, non-refundable, Entry Fee of Rs. 1 (one) Crore is required to be paid for grant of MNP services license. • License Fees: The Licensee shall also pay License fee annually @ 1 (one) % of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of the licensee Company. There shall be a moratorium of license fee payment for first two years from effective date of the license. • Method of Selection: The pre-qualified applicant(s)/ bidder(s) shall be subjected to a ‘Techno-Economic Evaluation’ for final selection. • The bid documents containing detailed terms and conditions shall be issued separately. • Detailed Guidelines for MNP Service License will be available on the website http://www.dot.gov.in/2008/Aug%202008/mnp_1.pdf

India's 3G policy with slots in 2.1GHZ frequency

Indian government has come out with a new 3G policy. Under the new policy, overseas players would be allowed to bid for 3G spectrum, while per circle five players would initially be permitted for 3G rollout.


http://www.dot.gov.in/



The minimum reserve price has been set at Rs 2,020 crore, Telecom Minister A Raja said. While there would be no spectrum charge for the first year for 3G, from second year it would be 1 per cent of gross revenue. Three slots for 3G spectrum have been awarded to CDMA players.
BSNL and MTNL would be allotted one slot across the board for 3G, Raja said, adding that the state-owned BSNL and MTNL need not participate in bidding.



http://www.wpc.dot.gov.in/DocFiles/Guidelines%20for%203G%20services%20and%20Broadband%20Wireless%20Access%20(BWA)services.doc

Guidelines for 3G Services:
Ø The 3G (3rd generation) mobile telecommunications is the generic name for the next generation of mobile networks that will combine wireless mobile technology with high data rate transmission capabilities. The 3G networks will be capable of providing higher data rates and will also be capable of supporting a variety of services such as high- resolution video and multi media services in addition to voice, fax and conventional data services.
Ø 3G spectrum will be permitted in the 2.1 GHz band.
Ø The 3G licences would be granted through a controlled, simultaneous ascending e-auction, by a specialised agency to ensure transparency in the selection process.
Ø Besides the initial, one time spectrum charge, it has been decided that the successful service provider would pay additional spectrum charge of 0.5 % of their total Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), as the recurring annual spectrum charge. This additional revenue share is proposed to be 1% of AGR after 3 years from the date of spectrum assignment.
Ø The roll out requirements, including rural roll-out, as well as stiff penalties for non compliance of the same has been stipulated.
Ø Mergers will not be allowed during the initial five years. No trading/ reselling of spectrum is allowed.
Ø The CDMA spectrum in 800 MHz band for EV-DO applications would be treated separately from 2.1 GHz spectrum. If the CDMA based service provider(s) ask for the EV-DO carrier of 2 x 1.25 MHz, they would have to pay an amount proportionate to the highest bid for spectrum in 2.1 GHz band.





DoT plans separate 3G policy for CDMA players
It would be a major sign of relief for the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile players as Department of Telecommunication (DoT), as per sources said was planning to launch a separate policy for 3G spectrum allocation for CDMA players.Earlier, ‘there was nothing for the CDMA players in 3G spectrum policy. E-mail Article Printer Friendly Text-Size DoT had not allocated any specific spectrum for CDMA.’ as CDMA major players said on the government’s previous proposal of 3G spectrum policy. ‘This new move of government will enable the development of CDMA players in the country,’ as CDMA service providers believe. DoT in its new move has decided to make new guidelines for the CDMA players in which the CDMA players, who would bid successfully, get the spectrum bandwidths within 450 Mega Hertz (MHz) and 800 MHz spectrums. At present, Reliance Telecom, Tata Tele Services, state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Sistema backed Shyam Telelink are the major CDMA players in the country. According to DoT, there are only 2 slots in 800 MHz band width while CDMA players are four in numbers. So, DoT has decided to introduce an auction process for receiving the best slot as per their bids for CDMA players in 800 MHz band. The 450 MHz and 800 MHz spectrums are usually uses in the world by the CDMA players, which are the optimum bandwidths for them. At present, CDMA players are sharing the bandwidth of 2.1 GHz, which had been basically allocated for GSM players in the 2G spectrums. After entering in the third generation of mobile service, the quality of voice, data connectivity on handsets and several new values added services would dramatically improve, as experts believe.


Guidelines for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) services
The Government has also issued guidelines for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) services. With this the level of broadband penetration in the country, especially in rural areas, will be addressed. Introduction of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) services will enhance the penetration as well as growth in broadband subscribers.
Guidelines for BWA Services
Ø To begin with BWA services will be permitted in the 2.5 GHz band by UASL and Category ‘A’ ISPs, besides BSNL/MTNL.
Ø Each service provider will be allotted spectrum upto 2 x 10 MHz in 2.5 GHz band, for use by the service provider in FDD (paired) or TDD mode.
Ø The BWA services would be permitted through a controlled, simultaneous ascending e-auction, by a specialised agency to ensure transparency in the selection process.
Ø The base/ reserve price would be 25% of amount for 3G spectrum.
Ø Besides the initial, one time spectrum charge, additional spectrum charge of 0.5 % of total Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), will be levied as the recurring annual spectrum charge. This additional revenue share is proposed to be 1% of AGR after 3 years from the time of spectrum assignment.
Ø The roll out conditions, including rural roll-out, as well as stiff penalties for non-compliance of the same has been stipulated. .
Ø Mergers will not be allowed during the initial five years. No trading/ reselling of spectrum is allowed.
Ø Other service providers will be considered for spectrum allotment for BWA services in the 2.3 GHz band and 3.3 – 3.4 GHz band.
Ø After assessing the compatibility with satellite based services, the allotment of spectrum in the 3.4 – 3.6 GHz band will be considered.



3G Policy for GSM and CDMA. CDMA players will prefer EVDO which is a mix of time division and code division methologies, thus closing in on GSM and CDMA technology convergence

EVDO is Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data only. See http://freewareindia.blogspot.com/2008/07/whats-beyond-3g.html

The upcoming third generation (3G) policy, which the government is slated to announce shortly, is likely to leave CDMA operators in the lurch. The policy will state that CDMA majors like Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices can offer 3G services in the 450 MHz, 800 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency bands, but with a rider — ‘as and when these frequencies become available’. Put simply, there will be no auction of spectrum in these frequency bands during the 3G auctions. “At most, the government may manage to free up one slot in the 800 MHz band and 450 MHz band. But, this is unlikely. The 1900 MHz band is ruled out for the considerable future. This means, CDMA players will have to bid for 3G spectrum in the 2.1 GHz band which favors GSM operators,” explained an industry source. Telecom regulator Trai in its recommendations for CDMA operators for 3G services had asked the government to set aside radio frequencies in the 450 MHz and also two additional carriers the 800 Mhz, which they already use for providing 2G services—the mobile technology used at present. However, with the Department of Telecom issuing new licenses with CDMA technology, it has allotted frequencies in the 800 MHz to these new entrants for 2G services. This implies, spectrum in the 800 MHz is unlikely to be available during the upcoming 3G auctions. The DoT has also decided against allocating the 450 MHz frequency for two reasons — this band is currently occupied by state agencies, and internationally, this has not been allotted for 3G services. CDMA operators say that the country’s telecom growth, particularly that in rural India will be compromised if the DoT fails to release 3G spectrum in the 450 MHz. CDMA operators therefore say that the 3G policy would discriminate against them because they do not have network equipment in 2.1 GHz and handsets which will work with the present 800 Mhz (where they currently offer 2G services). With regard to the 1900 MHz frequency band, Trai had said that the DoT should “verify technical feasibility of coexistence of mixed band allocation, and if this was found feasible, this should be refarmed for allocation to telecom service operators with CDMA technology’. Last year, AUSPI had completed field trails to establish that coexistence is possible with GSM players.

Images: Dark Clouds interspersed with Solar Eclipse

Amazing pics I got to see from live NASA real time. The feature of this blog is the pictures of the solar eclipse with solar eclipse


Clear Solar eclipse

Clear Solar eclipse with dark clouds on one side

Clear Solar eclipse with dark clouds covering half of the sun.

Orange picture of the SUN



You can see the flares for solar eclipse




Clouds Interspersed with Sun and the Lunar planetary object


Clear Sky , no clouds in view for the solar eclipse




Clouds, the NEw moon and The solar eclipse now Partial.

did Solar eclipse influence Veteran "Harkishan Singh Surjeet "?

Veteran Communist leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet died on Friday following a prolonged illness. He was 93. Flags at all party offices would fly at half-mast, Harkishan's Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said in a statement. Born in Punjab, Surjeet was the general secretary of the CPI-M from 1992 to 2005. He was a member of the CPI-M from 1964.
Despite his Communist background, Surjeet was a consummate player of the democratic political game and was instrumental in the formation of three coalition governments at the Centre.

The interplanetary forces are known to influence humans. Many old people are believed to have breathed last during the amavasya or New moon days. Solar eclipse can also influence old people. The death of Harkishan Singh Surjeet who was a big peace broker for Indian government formation in 2005 cannot be incidental.

he was born on 23 March 1916 . 1916 also saw a total solar eclipse on Feb 3, 1916. ome may call it incidental but nevertheless these things cannot be left to the concept of incidentality. You may recall that Earth is the only planet known to have eclipses given the relative size and nearness of the moon.

Born to a Bassi Jat family in Bandala, Jalandhar district, Surjeet started his political career in the national liberation movement in his early teens, as a follower of Bhagat Singh. In 1930 he joined the movement of Bhagat Singh, Naujawan Bharat Sabha. On the anniversary of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Surjeet hoisted the Indian tricolour at the court in Hoshiarpur, an action during which he was shot two times. Later he was punished by the colonial regime. In court he stated his name as London Tod Singh (one who breaks London). In 1936, Surjeet joined the Communist Party of India. He was a co-founder of the Kisan Sabha (Peasants Union) in Punjab. In the pre-war years he started publishing Dukhi Duniya and Chingari. During the war, Surjeet was imprisoned by the colonial authorities. When India became independent and partitioned in 1947, Surjeet was the General Secretary of CPI in Punjab.

Water found in Mars

"We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. "We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."

Mars has confirmed the water can exist in another planet.
Time for ISRO to play catch game before China, USA and EU amke the Mars their next stop over.

With enticing results so far and the spacecraft in good shape, NASA also announced operational funding for the mission will extend through Sept. 30. The original prime mission of three months ends in late August. The mission extension adds five weeks to the 90 days of the prime mission.

The soil sample came from a trench approximately 2 inches deep. When the robotic arm first reached that depth, it hit a hard layer of frozen soil. Two attempts to deliver samples of icy soil on days when fresh material was exposed were foiled when the samples became stuck inside the scoop. Most of the material in Wednesday's sample had been exposed to the air for two days, letting some of the water in the sample vaporize away and making the soil easier to handle. "Mars is giving us some surprises," said Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona. "We're excited because surprises are where discoveries come from. One surprise is how the soil is behaving. The ice-rich layers stick to the scoop when poised in the sun above the deck, different from what we expected from all the Mars simulation testing we've done. That has presented challenges for delivering samples, but we're finding ways to work with it and we're gathering lots of information to help us understand this soil."

Since landing on May 25, Phoenix has been studying soil with a chemistry lab, TEGA, a microscope, a conductivity probe and cameras. Besides confirming the 2002 finding from orbit of water ice near the surface and deciphering the newly observed stickiness, the science team is trying to determine whether the water ice ever thaws enough to be available for biology and if carbon-containing chemicals and other raw materials for life are present. The mission is examining the sky as well as the ground. A Canadian instrument is using a laser beam to study dust and clouds overhead. "It's a 30-watt light bulb giving us a laser show on Mars," said Victoria Hipkin of the Canadian Space Agency. A full-circle, color panorama of Phoenix's surroundings also has been completed by the spacecraft. "The details and patterns we see in the ground show an ice-dominated terrain as far as the eye can see," said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, lead scientist for Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager camera. "They help us plan measurements we're making within reach of the robotic arm and interpret those measurements on a wider scale." The Phoenix mission is led by Smith at the University of Arizona with project management at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and development partnership at Lockheed Martin in Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark; the Max Planck Institute in Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080731.html

Demat transfer between two BOs in India across or within same depositaries

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has granted registration to two depositories -- the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) and the Central Depository Services (India) Limited (CDSL) under the Depository Act (1996). This provided the capital markets with superior technology, complex securities processing and rock solid accounting and portfolio management system.

NSDL charges a minimum fee of Rs 15 per debit transaction, which means the seller will have to pay Rs 15 for every deal, irrespective of the amount. In addition, NSDL also charges a Rs 0.75 custody fee per entry per month, equivalent to Rs 9 per year. CDSL has proposed to charge a fee of 0.01 per cent, subject to a minimum of Rs 5 and maximum of Rs 12, per debit deal. CDSL has also kept a Rs 100 monthly fee per depository participant or the actual bill for a month, which ever is higher. NSDL is still leading with around 80 per cent market share. CDSL charges less than NDSL. These charges, sometimes restrict small investor to opt for depository services.


What is an Inter Depository transfer?
Any transfer of securities between two BOs not having demat accounts with the same depository is termed as an "Inter Depository" transfer.


What are the transaction charges in respect of transfer of demat securities?
Transaction charges for each debit in a BO account is levied by CDSL and collected by DPs. DPs after adding their mark up, if any, fix a composite charge which is intimated by them to their clients.


What is an On Market and Off Market transaction?
a) Any transaction for sale and purchase of securities through a broker on the stock exchange to be settled through Clearing Corporation / Clearing House is generally termed as On Market transaction.
b) Off Market transaction is one which is settled directly between two BOs with or without using the broker and where no Clearing Corporation / Clearing House is involved.

At the time of opening demat account with X bank he must have given you a transaction slip book ( like a cheque book). Fill the details of your Y bank in that transaction slip and sign and hand it over to the X bank. If the signature is tallied then X bank will transfer all the shares listed in the transaction slip to your Y demat account. The ISIN nos required to fill in this slip are available in the Demat statement of X bank Demat account.The normal time period is 3 days.

Demat accounts are for crediting shares and other securities in non physical form i.e.electronic form. Suppose if you have 100 shares of a company you need not hold it in paper from, it will be credited to your demat accounts (dematerialisation). You can sell the shares by giving a debit instruction slip(like a cheque).

Is your demat account safe? Take care!
http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/may/08spec2.htm


BOs should take the following precautions with respect to instruction slips:-
a) Ensure that the DP issues Debit Instruction Slip (DIS) book.
b) Ensure that instruction slip numbers are pre-printed on each DIS.
c) Ensure that the demat account number is prestamped.
d) If only one entry is made in the DIS, strike out remaining space to prevent misuse.
e) All details like target account ID, quantity, ISIN, etc. to be furnished in the DIS should be filled in by BO himself.
f) Use separate DIS for confirming On Market / Off Market / Inter depository obligations / transfers and also for Delivery and Receipt Instructions.
g) In case of a Joint Account, all the account holders must sign the DIS
h) Submit the DIS in duplicate and obtain the DP's acknowledgment / receipt stamp on the copy of the DIS and retain the same in safe custody.
i) Keep the DIS book in proper custody under lock and key when not in use. In case of any loss / misplacement of DIS, the same should be intimated to the DP immediately.
j) Should never sign and keep a blank DIS.
k) All the holders must confirm any alteration, correction or cancellation made on the DIS with their signatures.

Oriental Bank site is a re-direct site

https://www.obconline.co.in/ . it gets confusing when you type directly.

Oriental Bank of Commerce

remember the https instead of http and www

Aug 1 2008: Solar eclipse in India to last two hours

Every year we have two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses. A solar eclipse and lunar eclipse are sepearted by two weeks. We get to see a total solar eclipse on August 1 2008. The following lunar eclipse will be on August 16 2008. Previous total solar eclipse occureed on 2006 March 29 .Next total Solar eclipse will occur on 2009 July 22 .

The solar eclipse being total will last for two hours in India. In Delhi, the maximum impact will be impact at 5:02 pm. the visual treat will start at 4:03 pm in Delhi and last for about two hours. In rest of country, the eclipse will be partial. Bangloreans can go to the planeterium to see the unique phenomenon.

The Moon is not a planet, so orbits the Earth, not the Sun. It takes around 27days to complete its orbit . The exceptions are a New Moon and a Full Moon. What's the difference. A New Moon occurs once a month when the Sun and Moon conjunct. That is, they are at the exact same position in the sky. We can't see the Moon at this point, it's blocked out by the Earth's shadow. Because these two heavenly bodies come together, it is always in the sign that the Sun is moving through. A New Moon is always a time of new beginnings. Since our early history we have planted on a New Moon. Not for any superstitious reasons, but because early man discovered that crops and plants REALLY did grow better under a New Moon. In astrology you have the power of the Sun and Moon combined, as they are both coming from exactly the same point in the heavens. A New Moon is the time to launch and begin new projects. But what should we be launching?

There are 13 lunar months in each year and 12 solar months - that means that each year one sign gets 2 New Moons - the 11 other signs get one New Moon. That means that each sector of your chart has at least one New Moon. There will be a New Moon that is the best time to launch a new career, a new job, a new romance, a new home or a new creative endeavour.
Full Moon comes around 13 - 14 days after the New Moon. The Moon has travelled half way around the signs and is now opposing the Sun. They are at opposite sides of the zodiac. The word opposing is the same in any language. To oppose means they're at loggerheads. That is just one of the reasons why a Full Moon can be a very difficult time emotionally. Also, because a Full Moon is a time of fruition. The Moon is full and so to is the situation in whatever sector of our chart the Full Moon falls.

Like the New Moon, there are 13 Full Moons each year - one more than there are Solar months. When the extra Full Moon also falls in the same calendar month - it's called a Blue Moon - this is rare, only happening every 3 - 5 years. Hence the saying 'once in a Blue Moon'. A blue Moon isn't the second full Moon in a calendar month
That idea came from a typo in a 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine. A science reporter used the mag as the source for her astronomy radio program about blue Moons in 1980. The program was heard - and used - by the authors of a children's almanac, which ended up being the source for a question in Trivial Pursuit. The definition isn't right, but this 60 year old typo is so entrenched in folklore and pop culture it might as well be.
(Sky and Telescope magazine have well and truly made up for their misprint. They did an extremely tedious analysis of 40 editions of the Maine Farmers' Almanac, the source for the 1946 article and it looks like a blue Moon in 19th century Maine was actually the third full Moon in a season that's got four full Moons).


The uniqueness of this lunar event makes the phenomenon of two new moons in the same month of August on August 1 and August 30. Such a new moon is sometimes called a blue moon. The Moon usually looks white because it's reflecting white light from the Sun. It doesn't have an atmosphere, so there's no air or dust to filter the light and change its colour.
If terra-lunar geometry was more thoroughly thought out, we'd have a total lunar eclipse every full Moon.

But during a total eclipse the only light that reaches the Moon has already been filtered by the Earth's atmosphere. Once light hits all that gas and dust, it gets scattered. Long wavelength reddish light tends to bounce right out into space - it's the light that reaches the Moon. Shorter wavelength blue light keeps bouncing around off molecules and doesn't really get a chance to escape. (That's why the sky usually looks blue - the red light bounces away, so blue is all that's left).

The uniqueness of the event when a

SSM fissures the WTO Geneva talks

India was opposed to high tariff limits proposed by US, EU. Japan and China supported India for opposing attempts to dilute the triggers in the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) to check unforeseen rise in imports of farm goods.

India's concerns were to protect
a) Rising Imports of Farm goods which is harm indian farmers livelihood.
b) Protect nascent industries in India like the auto sector.

Kamal Nath is a seasoned politician and he could not compromise on agriculture given his party has to face National elections. So was the case with US WTO trade representative which made George Bush call Manmohan Singh three times to get India on his side. George Bush also has to leave the office with WTO as his successful accomplishments.

Quadruple 8 marks Beijing Olympics

It is no secret that Chinese love number 8 and it is considered auspicious. SO on August 8th,, the eight month of year 2008 when the time is eight, China will have signalled to the world the emergence of a new superpower in world which has organized the Olympic Games. What better than Quadruple 8 to signify this.

Welcome to the world of Ni Hao, How are you? welcome to the Forbidden City. World has finally come to a enviable civilization and China by hosting it has recolored the history. Olympics is as ancient as Greeks and Chinese are as modern as any superpower in world. The convergence of the Olympics with power Of China in sports will be an unmatched effort in 2008 Olympics. China is bound to give tough competition to the other countries.

Though the principal venue is the Birds's Nest, China has multiple venues. As you an see the centre of beijing is Forbidden city and Tinnamean square in red. around the birds nest as you go towards the Great Wall North, slight northeast, you find the Birds Nest. Most Olympic venues are around this principal venue. The other venues like water sports, basket ball games, archery are spread around the city.





The mascots of Olympics are like the olympic rings. They signify the idea to be friendly with children around the world. Children love animals and the five mascots represent the most famous animals and birds from China.


a) Fish
b) Panda
c) Tibetan Antelope
d) Swallow
e) Olympic Flame

The olympic opening games are already mired in controversy as Korean broadcaster has published the unauthorized footage and subsequent Internet links were removed. Storm over rights, censorship grows as Olympics nears. Condemning China as "the world's biggest jailer of journalists," the World Association of Newspapers yesterday called on the IOC to make China keep its commitment. Reporters Without Borders said it was "yet another broken promise" by China since it was awarded the Games. This blatant media censorship adds one more broken promise that undermines the claim that the Games would help improve human rights in China," Amnesty East Asia researcher Mark Allison said.

A spokesman for the Beijing Games organizing committee said censorship would not prevent journalists from reporting the Games, though he acknowledged there would be no access to some Web sites.
"A small number of Internet sites are blocked, mainly because they violate Chinese law," Sun Weide said. "We hope that foreign media will respect Chinese law in this matter."
Mr. Sun identified sites linked to the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is outlawed in China, as ones that would remain censored for the foreign press at Olympic venues.

Doping , sex determination are the two principal factors that will determine how successful the olympics of 2008 will be. This is in additon to negative things you might have heard about things like bad air, algae, locusts, terrorism, Tibet, Darfur, freedom of the press and human rights, or lack thereof.

Olympics was supposed to be the best marketing opportunity for coporates and multinational companies. After IBM withdrew, this year Olympics was being hyped as a blockbuster for marketers, a chance to ride the wave of Chinese national pride that may translate into billions of dollars in sales of Adidas sneakers, McDonald's (MCD) Big Macs, or General Electric (GE) wind turbines. But Beijing 2008 is likely to go down as the high-water mark of the Olympic sponsorship program. While the Games offer unique attractions to sponsors, multinationals are already looking more critically at whether the payback will be worth it for future Games. Of the 12 global sponsors for the Beijing Olympics, only eight have signed on for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and 2012 Summer Games in London. (The International Olympic Committee sells sponsorships in four-year increments to cover both Winter and Summer Games.)
There are 9 new events introduced this time -
Two from the new cycling discipline of BMX. Women will compete in the 3000 m steeplechase for the first time. Marathon swimming events for men and women over the distance of 10 kilometers. Team events (men and women) in table tennis will replace the doubles events. In fencing, women’s team foil and women’s team sabre will replace men’s team foil and women’s team epee.

Now to India, The medal hopefuls for India

• Dola Banerjee : Archery Medal hopeful.
• Manavjit Singh Sandhu : Clay Pigeon Trap shooting Medal hopeful
• Abhinav Bindra : 10M Air pistol Medal hopeful
• Rajyavardhan Rathore - Shooting(Double Trap Men)
• Anju Bobby George - Athletics (Long Jump)
• Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati - Tennis (Mens Doubles)
• Dinesh Kumar - Boxing (-81 kg category)
• Sania Mirza - Tennis (Womens Singles)

The Indian Squad for Beijing Olympics 2008:
(courtesy IBNLive)
For the first time India is sending a team of swimmers to the Beijing Games. So below is the list of members from India at the Beijing Olympics.
Archery: Dola Banerjee, Pranitha Vardhineni, L Bombayala Devi, Mangal Singh Champia.
Athletics: Anju Bobby George (Long Jump), Krishna Poonia (Discus), Harwant Kaur (Discus), Preeja Sreedharan (10,000m), Manjit Kaur (400m), Chitra Soman (4×400m relay), Sini Jose (4×400m relay),MR Poovamma (4×400m relay), Mandeep Kaur (4×400m relay), S Geeta (4×400m relay), K Mridula (4×400m relay), J J Shobha (Heptathlon), Sushmita Singh Roy (Heptathlon), G G Pramila (Heptathlon),Vikas Gowda (Discus), Renjith Maheswary (Triple Jump), Surender Singh (10000m).
Badminton: Anup Sridhar, Saina Nehwal
Boxing: Jitender (51kg), Akhil Kumar (54kg), A L Lakhra (57kg), Vijender(75kg) and Dinesh Kumar (81kg)
Judo: Khumujam Tombi Devi, Divya. Rowing: Bajrang Lal Takhar (Single M1X), Devnder Khandwal and Manjeet Singh (Light Weight Double Scull).
Shooting: Manavjit Singh Sandhu (Clay Pigeon Trap), Mansher Singh (Clay Pigeon Trap), Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Clay Pigeon Double Trap), Gagan Narang (10m Air Rifle), Abhinav Bindra (10m AirRifle), Samresh Jung (10m Air Pistol), Sanjeev Rajput (50m Rifle 3 Position), Anjali Bhagwat (50m Rifle 3 Position), Avneet Kaur Sidhu (10m Air Rifle).
Swimming: Virdawal Khade (50m, 100m, 200m Freestyle), Ankur Poseria (100m Butterfly), Sandeep Sejwal (100m, 200m Breaststrokes), Rehan Poncha (200m butterfly).
Table Tennis: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Neha Aggarwal.
Tennis: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (doubles), Sania Mirza (singles and doubles), Sunitha Rao (doubles). Weightlifting: L Monika Devi (69kg)
Wrestling: Sushil Kumar (66 kg Freestyle), Yogeshwar Dutt (60 kg Freestyle), Rajiv Tomar (120 kg Freestyle).
Yachting: Major NS Johal (Heavyweight Dinghy).

ffff


ggg
gg The schedule of competition.

COMPETITION SCHEDULE
AUGUST 2008	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Matches	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	W	T	F	S	S	M	T	W	T	F	S	S	M	T	W	T	F	S	S
SPORT																				Finals
Opening Ceremony
Closing Ceremony
Athletics										2	4	6	6	5	3	6	7	7	1	47
Rowing										R	7	7								14
Badminton										1	2	2								5
Baseball												R				R		1		1
Basketball																		1	1	2
Boxing																		5	6	11
Canoe/Kayak -- Flatwater																	6	6		12
Canoe/Kayak -- Slalom							2		2											4
Cycling -- Track										1	3	1	2	3						10
Cycling -- Road				1	1			2												4
Cycling -- Mountain Bike																	1	1		2
Cycling -- BMX																2				2
Equestrian -- Jumping													1	R		1	R	R	R	2
Equestrian -- Dressage									1	R				1	R					2
Equestrian -- Eventing							2													2
Fencing				1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1								10
Football																1		1		2
Artistic Gymnastics							1	1	1	1		4	3	3	G					14
Gymnastics -- Trampoline													1	1						2
Rhythmic Gymnastics																		1	1	2
Weightlifting				1	2	2	2	2		2	1	1	1	1						15
Handball																		1	1	2
Hockey																	1	1		2
Judo				2	2	2	2	2	2	2										14
Wrestling -- Greco-Roman							2	2	3											7
Wrestling -- Freestyle											2	2		2	2	3				11
Aquatics -- Swimming					4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4			1	1				34
Aquatics -- Syn. swimming															1			1		2
Aquatics -- Diving					1	1	1	1				1		1		1		1		8
Aquatics -- Water-polo																1			1	2
Modern Pentathlon																1	1			2
Softball														R		1				1
Taekwondo															2	2	2	2		8
Tennis											2	2								4
Table Tennis												1	1				1	1		4
Shooting				2	2	2	2	1	2	1	2	1								15
Archery					1	1			1	1										4
Triathlon													1	1						2
Sailing											2	1	2	2	2	2	R	R	R	11
Volleyball																		1	1	2
Beach Volleyball																1	1			2
Finals				7	14	13	19	17	17	16	30	34	18	20	11	23	20	31	12	302

50 years of Nasa

First management team from NASA in 1958-60

The space.com http://www.space.com/news/080729-nasa-birth-anniv.html

comments
50 Years Ago: NASA Born in Sputnik's Wake
On July 29, 1958, Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, officially establishing NASA

NASA completes 50 years and it still is a vibrant entity. It wishes to conquer the nearby planets, achieve low cost solar transports and explore solar weather. 50 years is a small time in universe , however NASA has achieved astronomical progress and has set clear targets for China, European, Japanese and Indian space programs. The race to the moon will soon hot up by 2025 and world propert prices will soon get a competition from solar brothers.

Probably NASA needs a rename as NESA , e standing for enterprising.

The NASA website mentions http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/whyweexplore/Why_We_29.html

It is instructive to recall the objectives for NASA that emerged in section 102 of the final Space Act:
The expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space;
The improvement of the usefulness, performance, speed, safety, and efficiency of aeronautical and space vehicles;
The development and operation of vehicles capable of carrying instruments, equipment, supplies, and living organisms through space;
The establishment of long-range studies of the potential benefits to be gained from, the opportunities for, and the problems involved in the utilization of aeronautical and space activities for peaceful and scientific purposes;
The preservation of the role of the United States as a leader in aeronautical and space science and technology and in the application thereof to the conduct of peaceful activities within and outside the atmosphere;
The making available to agencies directly concerned with national defense of discoveries that have military value or significance, and the furnishing by such agencies, to the civilian agency established to direct and control nonmilitary aeronautical and space activities, of information as to discoveries which have value or significance to that agency;
Cooperation by the United States with other nations and groups of nations in work done pursuant to this Act and in the peaceful application of the results thereof;
The most effective utilization of the scientific and engineering resources of the United States, with close cooperation among all interested agencies of the United States in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, facilities and equipment