tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246534002009-03-23T19:30:20.928-05:00Sandeep Bahl - Web DiarySandynoreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-19215220669851110262008-12-15T17:11:00.003-06:002009-03-23T19:30:20.938-05:002009-03-23T19:30:20.938-05:00Pakistan and India need to seize chance to shape ties<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p>Nations tend to have a defining moment. It isn’t always necessarily for their good. That’s why India and Pakistan need to get out of the partition straight jacket.</p><p>Nearly three weeks after gunmen attacked Mumbai, India’s Foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee added a tentative step toward squeezing out of the jacket last Thursday. Both nations have worn it since the 1947 independence from Britain and partition. </p><p><strong>Confront it</strong></p><p>“We shall have to patiently confront it.” By “it” Mr Mukherjee meant terrorism. “We have no intention to be provoked.” It is most likely that had it not been for external calls for restraint, notably from the<br/>United States, India would have carried out some form of military action against Pakistan.</p><p>The attack by at least 10 men killed 179 and injured more than 300 people. Granted the targets were<br/>soft, but at best, Indian security apparatus emerged inept in the three-day siege.India immediately said the attackers came from Pakistan and were members of an Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan intelligence formed the outfit in 1980s for a proxy war with India in Kashmir. The government outlawed the group in 1991 but its infrastructure remains.</p><p><strong>Published names</strong></p><p>Without mentioning Pakistan, India’s Prime Minister Manohan Singh said neighbouring countries had better understand the use of their territory “for launching attacks against us will not be tolerated. Last Tuesday,India published the names and photographs of the raiders, all from Punjab. Initially, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari sounded ridiculous, saying the attackers couldn’t have come from his country. It didn’t take long for Pakistani to arrest suspects in the plot. Last week, Mr Zardari redeemed himself in an article <em>The New York Times</em> published: “Pakistan is committed to the pursuit, arrest, trial and punishment of anyone involved in these heinous attacks.”In addition to deaths in the attacks, the other casualty was talks began four years ago to normalise relations between the two countries. They<br/>had born fruits. In September, the two countries allowed freight trains to carry goods between them. </p><p>The list of allowed goods faced expansion from 13 to 1,938. Next month, both countries’ commerce secretaries were to meet. In February, New Delhi was to host a “Made in Pakistan” trade fair. Unless tempers cool, all this will be on hold. India’s anger is understandable. Pakistan has been too tolerant of militant Islamist groups, some of which have attacked India in the past. At the same time, India needs to take note of a few things. Pakistan is in a bad shape and the current leadership isn’t to blame.</p><p>To begin with, the country is financially in hard times. Last month, the International Monetary Fund<br/>provided a bailout package of US$7.6 billion. The country’s foreign reserves stood at $US$3.45 billion.</p><p>Additionally, the country is battling extremist Islamists not just in the so-called tribal regions, but elsewhere. Moreover, United States attacks against the Taliban and al-Qaeda along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan makes India a target just because of its current close ties with Washington.</p><p>Many observers have pointed out that a conflict between India and Pakistan would force the latter to pull their forces from the regions the Taliban, al-Qaeda and their Pakistan sympathizers are. In this scenario, only the extremists win. </p><p>Both India and Pakistan are nuclear armed. That means they can’t fight a war to dominate the other because of the mutual destruction capability. Their only option is rapprochement. They should seize the Mumbai attacks as an opportunity to define their future relationship—cooperation.</p><p>Genuine<br/>joint investigations of Mumbai attacks are a good option. Negotiations under way should not only resume but be speeded. Both countries have a common enemy. Moreover, both have only folly to show for 60 years of being suspicions of other.</p><p>Privacy and Intellectual rights<br/></p><p>This article has been taken from here -><br/></p><p>http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/502016/-/sdvwjn/-/</p><p>I dont own any rights for this article. This article has been posted to my blog out of faction and interest. If you categorically agree that this is a copyright impeachment of any kind, please leave a note. I will do the needful. Thanks for your time. Enjoy reading! </p><br/><br/><div class='zemanta-pixie'><img src='http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=c237fa45-c8df-437f-8447-e5265aecf102' class='zemanta-pixie-img'/></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-1921522066985111026?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-71705327565459794402008-10-02T15:05:00.001-05:002008-10-02T15:05:50.832-05:002008-10-02T15:05:50.832-05:00Ishq ne meri mitran naal pehchan kiIshq di mere mitra pehchaan ki. Mit jaave jadon jid apnan di<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-7170532756545979440?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-26473708567051039672008-08-17T22:43:00.001-05:002008-08-17T22:43:43.667-05:002008-08-17T22:43:43.667-05:00Racistist approach to a fellow American<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div class='sidebarhack'><b/></div><div class='sidebar'><h2>Who's Blogging?</h2><div class='sidebarcontent'><div class='sidebarbox'>Read what bloggers are saying about this article.<br/><ul style='padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;'><li><a href='http://livinginadigitalworld.com/2008/02/01/a-political-time-bomb/'>Living in a digital world</a></li><li><a href='http://bobkunkel.blogspot.com/2008/01/al-franken-wishes-he-was-funny_24.html'>BobKunkel.com</a></li><li><a href='http://reflectionsbykris.squarespace.com/journal/2008/1/11/the-clintons-dirty-tricks.html'>Journal - Reflections by Kris</a></li></ul><br clear='all'/><style>#technorati_link a {color:#339900;}</style><div id='technorati_link'><img border='0' src='http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/icn-talkbubble.gif'/> <a style='font-weight: normal;' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400589_Technorati.html'>Full List of Blogs (120 links) »</a></div><img height='12' width='100' src='http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/images/spacer.gif'/><br/><div>Most Blogged About Articles</div><style>#technorati_link a {color:#339900;}</style><div id='technorati_link'><img border='0' src='http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/icn-talkbubble.gif'/> <a style='font-weight: normal;' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/RoundUp.html'>On washingtonpost.com</a> | <a style='font-weight: normal;' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/NewsTalk.html'>On the web</a></div><img height='12' width='100' src='http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/images/spacer.gif'/><br/><a href='http://www.technorati.com/'><img height='18' border='0' width='82' src='http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/pwdByTech82x18a.gif'/></a></div></div></div><a href='http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v8/3720/0/0/%2a/e;44306;0-0;0;11281753;19067-208/40;0/0/0;;%7Eokv=;dir=7node;dir=metro;dir=special;dir=7;heavy=y;;pos=ad24;del=js;ad=208x40;sz=208x40;%7Eaopt=2/1/1a00ab/1;%7Esscs=%3f' target='_new'><img border='0' alt='Click here!' src='http://m1.2mdn.net/viewad/817-grey.gif'/></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-2647370856705103967?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-16658842995313601342008-08-17T22:42:00.000-05:002008-08-17T22:43:02.988-05:002008-08-17T22:43:02.988-05:00<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Pyaar is of all interest, to me in everyday! Several times, I have <br/><br/><div class='youtube-video'><object height='355' width='425'><param value='http://www.youtube.com/v/HmBy8uF5dLA' name='movie'> </param><param value='transparent' name='wmode'> </param><embed height='355' width='425' wmode='transparent' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://www.youtube.com/v/HmBy8uF5dLA'> </embed> </object></div><br/><br/>mujhse dosti karoge part 14</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-1665884299531360134?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-44962677206587024912008-08-03T13:16:00.002-05:002008-08-03T13:19:08.080-05:002008-08-03T13:19:08.080-05:00PMP Exam experience - Aftermath & Before it !For the readers who are relatively new to PMP or Project Management field in general, PMP is a world wide acclaimed certification for professionals in Project Management field. For more information, visit www.pmi.org<br />I wrote my credential examination today at the Glastonbury Center, Connecticut. For most part of it, the center was not what you would expect from a Prometric Center. The executives ( read as "ladies") were as rude as they could be. It appeared to me as if they were from some other country or rather planet all together, where courtesy was a less known term or distinctively instinct. I landed a little bit earlier--> I am phobic to see an entirely new area for the first time for one of the major examination of my professional voyage. I started a little bit earlier since some guy had not made it to his test in time.<br />Moving from from there, Exam was pretty tough. ( Equivalent to the first read of PMBOK for a naive--> ha ha ) the exam really tests your experience and your skills that you might have learnt mostly from the Experience at work and concepts from texts ( be it PMBOK or any other you might prefer to use). For last 5 months I have been preparing for the exam, quite intermittently sometimes and sometimes regulare. As you might be able to make it out that I struggled to be a regular at the preparation. Partly because it is summer ( travel time :D) and some because I have been traveling for work as well. Apart from this, my newly found fitness routine that keeps me busy for one & half hour at the gym, nearly everyday! Coming back to the point that I took nearly 5 months to prepare for this exam. While doing the exam, several times I doubted that was doing things right or wrong, like everyone else! PMP exam proved not to be that tough nut afterall. I aced the test.<br />Below is the strategy for all of the people who would like to know<br /><br />Strategy:<br />My preparation solely revolved around PMBOK for the getting familiar phase! Once I read the whole PMBOK twice word-to-word then I used another text "Success project management" by Jack and Gido. You might have not heard about it. I used this book earlier as text for my PM class and I found it easy and helpful to understand Cost, Time and Scope problems ( number problems) and the whole concept of project management. You may want to consider one of the regular help books for yourself. I opted out for this book since I was familiar and adapted to this book' langauge and structure.<br />Give a test every two days to guage where you lack and what you need to polish more.<br /><br />Preparation tips:<br />1. A word from the wise men( not me) --> Read PMBOK atleast 3 times word-to-word before the exam.<br />2. Test yourself as much as you can. May be 1K questions or more, should not stop you to try another 1K<br />3. Use free websites for test sample questions & try Rita Mulcahy book for tests<br />4. Read Vikram Gupta's book for delegation in project management from PMI.org, since it is not covered in pmbok and is asked several times ( 4 questions I myself answered in the test)!<br />5. Don't take PMBOK lightly. Read ITTO ( Inputs, Tools, Techniques, outputs) very carefully.<br />6. There is a significant amount of brain dump you might have to do ( I did), to remember all the sub-processes and their ITTOs.<br />7. Give fair time for cost questions. I encountered atleast 15 questions ( ya! thats' right) for Schedule Variance, Cost variance, CPI, SPI, Actual Cost, Planned Value, Earned Value, Estimate at Completion, Budget at completion, etc. You got the fair idea about what it is!<br /><br />You may find these websites helpful<br />http://pmzilla.com/pmzilla-free-pmp-tests<br />http://www.pmstudy.com/practicetestsindex.asp<br />http://www.oliverlehmann-training.com/<br />http://www.pmhub.net/index.php<br />The last link is cool! check is out!<br /><br />In last, folks you are best judge about your preparation. Please take time to prepare enough and then knock it down!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-4496267720658702491?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-25797528841284966062008-07-20T16:49:00.001-05:002008-07-20T16:49:56.509-05:002008-07-20T16:49:56.509-05:00INDRAJAAL OF TAMILNADU<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt;'><b><font face='Verdana'><br/></font></b></p><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'>Indrajaal<br />or illusion is when you perceive a rope as a snake or vice versa. One<br />of the greatest indrajaal of present time can be experienced in Tamil<br />Nadu where Dravidian fascism is being marketed as 'social justice'.<br />Tamil Nadu model of reservation has virtually robbed the minority<br />general community of their dignity and right to life/livelihood and has<br />lead to their disenfranchisement. Analysis of an entrance results or<br />appointment is sufficient to prove it.</font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'> </font></p><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'><span> </span><b>The results of Tamil Nadu MBBS and Postgraduate degree courses (MS/MD/MCh) entrance</b> have been declared recently. Highlights of the results are as follows: </font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'>Current reservation in Tamil Nadu: <b><span style='color: blue;'>Backward Classes ( BC) 23%, Backward Classes Christians (</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>BCC</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>) 3.5%, Backward Classes Muslims(</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>BCM</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>)<br />3.5%, Most Backward Classes/ Denotified Classes (MBC/DC) 20.0%,<br />Scheduled Castes (SC) 18%, and Scheduled tribes (ST) 1%. Total<br />reservation is 69%. </span></b></font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'>Remaining<br />31 % seats belong to Open Category (OC). All above mentioned<br />communities and general non-reserve 'Other Communities (OC) ' can<br />compete for this open category. </font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><b><span style='color: blue;'><font face='Verdana'>There were 1394 seats in MBBS. Out of these, 26 seats were allotted to 'Special Category" candidate' </font></span></b></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'><b><span style='color: blue;'>Distribution of remaining 1368 seats was as follows: BC (312), </span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>BCC</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'> (48), </span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>BCM</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'> (48), MBC/DC (275), SC (247), and ST (13). The remaining 425 seats were for Open Category.<span> </span></span></b></font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'><b><span style='color: blue;'>In Open Category, about 89% seats were taken away by reserved candidates: BC (244), </span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>BCC</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'> (28), </span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'>BCM</span></b><b><span style='color: blue;'> (18), MBC/DC (60), SC (27), and ST (1). </span></b></font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'>Other highlights included: · </font></p><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'><span> </span>The <b><span style='color: rgb(153, 51, 102);'>General candidates (OC/OC) could get only 47 seats out of 1368 seats, i.e. only 3.4% seats.<span> </span></span></b></font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><b><span style='color: rgb(153, 51, 102);'><font face='Verdana'>General candidate could get only 47 seats out of 425 open seats, i.e. only 11.0% seats.<span> </span></font></span></b></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'><span> </span>Backward Classes (BC+MBC + BCC + BCM) took away 350 seats in Open category, i.e. 82.5% of open category.<span> </span></font></p><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'><span> </span>In first 50 ranks, only 3 belonged to general, non-reserved communities. Remaining 47 seats were taken away by Backward Classes.<span> </span></font></p><br /><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'><span> </span>Even SCs captured 27 seats in Open Category and could make about 60% of non-reserved general candidates.</font></p><br /><p style='margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;'><font face='Verdana'> </font></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-2579752884128496606?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-68083912038091388692008-07-15T22:26:00.001-05:002008-07-15T22:26:37.074-05:002008-07-15T22:26:37.074-05:00My Bourne Voyage<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>For the first time in my trip to write PMP exam, I have landed up a stage where I need help to understand what the following diagrammatic representation means:???<br/><br/><img height='46' width='118' alt='' src='file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/SANDEE%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg'/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/sandeepbahl/SH1qYxe0_zI/AAAAAAAACh8/0x4XwZF6M3I/%5BUNSET%5D.jpg' style='max-width: 800px;'/><br/><br/>All rights reserved by PMI.<br/><br/>I get the idea of project life cycle and how it related to the product life cycle, but the point where operations/divestment turn into an upgrade to become another idea, I just don't get it. Can anyone help on this? Leave a message.<br/></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-6808391203809138869?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-43451032902187236992008-07-15T22:15:00.001-05:002008-07-15T22:15:01.413-05:002008-07-15T22:15:01.413-05:00Indian Draft of Nuclear agreement to IAEA - Critiques view<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/459011'>TheStar.com | Opinion | India nuclear ties need full debate</a><br/><br/><p>U.S. President George Bush may be in a hurry to sign a controversial<br/>pact to sell India nuclear technology and fuel before he leaves office<br/>early next year. And the U.S. has lobbied for the support of Canada,<br/>Australia and other allies. But there is no guarantee the deal will get<br/>approved by India's parliament in a scheduled July 22 vote, much less<br/>by the U.S. Congress during Bush's tenure.</p><p>If Democrat Barack<br/>Obama or Republican John McCain inherit the file, he will face pressure<br/>from arms control advocates to insist that India accept strict<br/>conditions on the deal.</p><p>Given this uncertainty, Prime Minister<br/>Stephen Harper would be wise to move cautiously before giving Canada's<br/>assent to the deal.</p><p>As a member of the International Atomic<br/>Energy Agency (IAEA) board and of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group<br/>(NSG), Canada has a duty to weigh the risk of nuclear proliferation<br/>before signing on.</p><p>India, like Pakistan, Israel and North Korea,<br/>is a nuclear maverick. These countries all have the Bomb but do not<br/>adhere to the full range of international protocols to prevent the<br/>spread of such weapons. New Delhi built its first bomb in 1974 by<br/>misusing Canadian civilian nuclear technology. It exploded others in<br/>1998 (as did Pakistan). </p><p>For these reasons, Canada for three<br/>decades refused to sell India technology and fuel. In 2005, Paul<br/>Martin's Liberal government reversed course and agreed to re-establish<br/>nuclear co-operation, though it hasn't resumed yet. The proposed<br/>U.S.-India deal would open a floodgate to technology and fuel transfers.</p><p>Canada<br/>could potentially benefit by selling India know-how, reactors and fuel.<br/>But without proper safeguards, India could test more bombs, rapidly<br/>build up its arsenal to 300 bombs (which would rival Britain, France<br/>and China) and transfer technology or fuel to other countries. </p><p>Canadians<br/>need to hear a lot more about safeguards before the government approves<br/>any deal. Preferably, the matter would be brought before Parliament for<br/>debate.</p><p>What safeguards? Arms control experts are urging the IAEA<br/>and NSG to make any co-operation conditional on a commitment from India<br/>that it will not test any more bombs. As well, India should be urged to<br/>ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, outlawing nuclear tests.</p><p>Beyond<br/>that, India should be pressed to halt its domestic production of<br/>material for weapons. It has enough to meet its stated "minimum<br/>deterrence" doctrine. And it must not transfer know-how and fuel.</p><p>Finally, the IAEA should have the access to ensure India complies.</p>Canada<br/>should be willing to share nuclear technology only with countries that<br/>agree to use it for peaceful purposes. Safeguards are essential.<br/><p><br/></p>__________________________________________________________________<br/><p>I really have a couple of things that I think I must bring forward! I think the whole concept of India getting the Nuclear technology is wrongly presented. SE Asia needs more energy or they will burn more fossil fuel than ever. <br/></p><br/><blockquote/></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-4345103290218723699?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-33410205403143717042008-02-27T12:37:00.001-06:002008-02-27T12:37:37.820-06:002008-02-27T12:37:37.820-06:00How to be a great CEO? 8 tipsJohn Deere. eBay. Johnson & Johnson. Disparate companies with one critical element in common: leaders who know how to create a sense of loyalty and passion in their employees. In other words, leaders who know how to inspire workers to go the extra mile.<br /><br />Vijay Govindarajan, a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, examines how the most successful leaders do this in his study "The Emotionally Bonded Organization: Why Emotional Infrastructure Matters and How Leaders Can Build It." (It has yet to be published.)<br /><br />John Deere. eBay. Johnson & Johnson. Disparate companies with one critical element in common: leaders who know how to create a sense of loyalty and passion in their employees. In other words, leaders who know how to inspire workers to go the extra mile.<br /><br />Vijay Govindarajan, a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, examines how the most successful leaders do this in his study "The Emotionally Bonded Organization: Why Emotional Infrastructure Matters and How Leaders Can Build It." (It has yet to be published.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-3341020540314371704?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-62752278652355320232008-02-26T14:52:00.001-06:002008-02-26T14:55:12.527-06:002008-02-26T14:55:12.527-06:00GYM bluesI just started to go the gym (seriously) from last 2 weeks :P (maintained to go for two weeks). The so called Terrible pain issues are here for the weight training that I have been doing these days.<br /><br />Here is an excerpt from what I read :P<br /><br />Q: I'm frequently very sore from my workouts, particularly after training legs—it's sometimes so bad I can't walk down stairs unassisted! Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to prevent it?<br /><br />A: This is a common problem that occurs after weight training. I've even seen people walking backwards down stairs due to the pain from their hard leg workout. So rest assured... you're not alone!<br /><br />There are two types of exercise-related soreness. The first is immediate or acute soreness, and the second, more common type, is "Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness" or DOMS. Let's take a look at these two, what causes this soreness, how to tell if the pain is good or bad, and perhaps most importantly, how to ease the post-workout "ouch."<br />Acute Soreness<br /><br />This type of soreness occurs during exercise or immediately after. It's caused by a buildup of chemical waste in your muscles (technically known as "endotoxins," which are measured by the rise in lactic acid within the blood). These toxins usually dissipate within a couple of minutes as you rest between sets when strength training, or if you are doing some form of cardio exercise, when you slow your pace.<br /><br />During exercise, when these toxins reach a peak within the muscle, athletes refer to this sensation as "the burn," and it's normally a good indication our muscles are about to reach failure. Most athletes consider this a "good" pain as it signifies the high level of intensity you're putting into your workout.<br /><br />Fortunately, this pain goes away almost immediately.<br /><br />However, if you feel this type of pain after your workout, then it may be caused by fluid moving from the blood plasma into the tissues, which can occur an hour or two after stopping intense exercise. As with acute/immediate soreness, which occurs during exercise, this pain should ease on its own within the same day. Normally within an hour or two after your workout.<br /><br />** WARNING **<br /><br />It's a good idea to always be in tune with your body and on the lookout for signs of "bad" pain, such as a localized stabbing, stinging, sharp pain, or tingling, as these sensations could indicate something more serious than acute or immediate soreness. Perhaps you're performing an exercise incorrectly, or a previous injury (that was never fully healed) is recurring, and without suitable attention, this could lead to further injury.<br /><br />If this type of pain persists, beyond a couple of minutes, then you may have seriously injured yourself and should stop exercising immediately. If the pain persists for more than 24 hours, consider seeking the assistance of your primary care physician. Hopefully stopping the exercise will prevent further injury, and rest should make the pain go away completely. If not, again, please seek the advice of your personal physician.<br />DOMS<br /><br />This may sound familiar: you work out intensely and leave the gym feeling great. You feel great the whole day. And then bam, the following day, you feel like you've been put on the rack in a torture chamber.<br /><br />Welcome to DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness.<br /><br />Typically, DOMS occurs the day after you work out, but oftentimes you actually feel even sorer on day two. Think of the last time you trained your leg muscles… either with heavy weights or with super high intensity. Remember how you endured a full day or two of walking funny and screaming "ouch" every time you lifted one of your legs to take a step or, worse, trudge up a set of stairs? And sitting down, forget about it!<br /><br />DOMS can be especially difficult if you've laid off for some time from training, and then, when returning to the gym, hit it hard. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about here.<br /><br />Fortunately, this type of pain should subside after a couple of days, and once you've adapted to the new exercise, higher level of intensity, workload, or new workout program, the pain should lessen considerably.<br /><br />Since DOMS is the one most people endure, this is the type of pain I'm going to be focusing on in this article.<br />DOMS is particularly seen in "newbies" who are just starting a workout program. So if this is you, please don't let the temporary (and typical) soreness of DOMS put you off—it will get better! As any seasoned trainer can tell you, though, DOMS can also be experienced when introducing a new exercise or hitting a new, higher level on the weights you use.<br /><br /><br />Why does pain happen?<br /><br />When you train with weights, you're actually breaking down the muscle fibers, and as current theories hold, this may be what causes general, localized soreness. Basically, what is happening when you train intensely with weights is, on a microscopic level, you're tearing the muscle fibers. The muscle tears are essential, though, as you actually build new muscle when these fibers are repaired and, as a result, increase in strength and size.<br /><br />Lactic acid was previously blamed for DOMS, however, recent research indicates this isn't so: lactate concentrations return to normal levels within 60 minutes, whereas DOMS occurs after 24 to 72 hours. It 's also theorized that DOMS may be caused in part from inflammation around the muscle fibers or even from damaged connective tissue. Research is still ongoing to give a conclusive reason for it. (In other words, the scientists aren't exactly sure what causes it!)<br /><br />Research so far does suggest that certain types of exercise are associated with persistent soreness. For example, a study published in the journal Ergonomics compared two types of strength training: concentric (as in ordinary flexion) and eccentric (as in lowering a weight). Subjects in the eccentric group complained of muscle soreness, while the concentric group did not. In other words, it appears from this study that micro tears (and thus the possibility of DOMS) are more common with the "negative" (or eccentric) portion of the exercise, versus the "positive" (or concentric) part. Therefore, if you want to increase your muscle size and strength, you need to concentrate more heavily on the eccentric/negative part of lifting weights. I'd say this goes hand and hand with the old theory that says "slow and controlled" movements stimulate the most muscle fibers.<br /><br />Is there any way to prevent DOMS?<br /><br />Luckily, there are certain measures you can take to ease DOMS or even prevent it altogether. First, try warming up thoroughly before you start your workout. This could be as simple as five to 10 minutes of easy cardio (in other words, until you start to break a light sweat) or by performing a few "warm-up" sets, using lighter weights than you would normally use for the muscle group you're about to train. Both these methods help you completely warm up your body, ensuring your connective tissues (that hold the muscle to the bone) and muscles are "warm"—meaning they are filled with fresh, flowing blood, and nutrients are being delivered to the local area, and you're not just hitting the weights or going full-belt into cardio without "waking up" your body and preparing it for intense training. By the way, this is particularly true if you work out first thing in the morning and your muscles are stiff from lying in bed for eight hours or so.<br /><br />What you do after your workout is important too. That is, you should "cool down" completely before leaving the gym. I'd recommend you again do five to 10 minutes of cardio and then some light stretching—concentrating on the muscle group you've just trained. You could even try stretching the working muscle(s) between sets as well. This works particularly well for people who just want to get out of the gym after their workout or are on a time constraint.<br /><br />Stretching helps lengthen the muscle and increases blood flow, which helps flush out the toxins that have built up during your workout. Be sure to stretch only after working out, though, and not before—as you might have heard. You don't want to stretch muscles that aren't "warmed up" as this can potentially lead to injury.<br /><br />You're already sore... now what?<br /><br />Sometimes you just get sore, despite doing everything you possibly can to prevent it, so how can you ease the pain?<br /><br />Don't call me crazy but the answer is.. more exercise. I'm not suggesting you go and repeat the workout you just did or run three miles at a hard pace after running five miles the day before. I'm talking easy, light exercise, which will increase blood flow to the area to diminish the soreness. Examples would be a light workout, like riding a bike; a nighttime walk at a moderate pace; or even performing another weight-training session but focusing on core body parts, such the abdominals (rather than limbs).<br /><br />Other ways to ease the pain include more stretching, especially on the affected area. Yoga is great for stretching and a fabulous way to keep toxins from building up. Another way to flush out toxins from your body is to have a full body massage. Preferably, the type best known as a "deep-tissue" massage. Massage has been shown to help if done soon after you've finished working out. (Okay, this isn't a proven fact, but do you really need an excuse for a massage?!) It will not only relieve some of the soreness, but it will keep your body free from potentially damaging toxins that build up over time. It's a good idea to get a massage at least once a month. But if private massage is not something you feel comfortable with or can fit in your budget, you can always administer some self-massage to the affected area.<br /><br />Icing can be very effective too and, if the pain is really persistent, try taking some ibuprofen or aspirin. Take note that aspirin increases Vitamin C excretion, so leave a few hours between taking your multivitamin and the painkiller. If the pain continues for longer than seven days, make sure you consult your physician as this sounds like more than just DOMS.<br />You'll probably find that if you have a desk job, your muscles feel worse after a prolonged period of sitting down, so get up every few hours and take a little walk and then stretch out.<br /><br /><br />Supplements for Pain Relief?<br /><br />Speaking of Vitamin C, research has shown that this vitamin does ease the pain associated with DOMS. Although this research has been criticized by some researchers, it's a fact that Vitamin C does aid in making new connective tissue, so if damage to this tissue is part of the reason DOMS occurs, then it follows that supplementation could help. A good, healthy dosage of Vitamin C is one to three grams daily.<br /><br />Bromelain is a digestive enzyme that has been shown to ease inflammation and may ease the symptoms of DOMS. Between 80 and 320 mg of bromelain, depending on the amount of physical activity, taken three times daily (after meals), has shown positive results. Commonly found with bromelain in supplement form is white willow (Salix alba), an herb commonly used by those wanting to avoid aspirin because it works in the same way, reducing the levels of pain-producing prostaglandins without the side effects that may be associated with aspirin. Anywhere from 200 to 400 mg can be used. But under no circumstances should white willow be mixed with other pain relieving substances, nor should white willow be given to children (under the age of 18).<br /><br />L-Glutamine use has been shown to speed muscle recovery, and continuous use of this amino acid may help reduce the symptoms. You should take this daily, after your workout and prior to bedtime, if you suffer regularly from aches and pains from the gym. A good, effective dose of glutamine is 10 to 20 grams, daily, taken with meals or your favorite protein or meal-replacement shakes.<br />In Conclusion<br /><br />DOMS usually only occurs when your body is adapting to exercise—if you're new to the gym or if you've introduced a new exercise into your program or increased your intensity level. Thus, you shouldn't suffer after every workout. And remember, DOMS is a sign that your body is working to recover and rebuild itself.<br /><br />Are you familiar with the lyrics of a classic song by John Mellencamp (then known as John Cougar), where he says… "Sometimes love don't feel like it should. You make it hurt so good!"? Well, I guess you could say that in our world, we have a love-hate relationship with the temporary pain we experience after weight training, and some of us might consider it to be a "good" hurt. I know it sounds a little crazy, but if you can, try and look at your post-workout soreness (as long as it's within reason) as normal.<br /><br />Besides, the soreness will soon pass. And as you're hobbling along, look on the bright side: as your body adapts to the stress of the exercise, you're only getting stronger, healthier, and re-building a better body!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-6275227865235532023?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-45636123057308152722008-02-25T14:27:00.004-06:002008-02-27T12:44:45.247-06:002008-02-27T12:44:45.247-06:00Tourist Information about SwitzerlandINTERLAKEN isn't much more than its long main street, Höheweg, with a train station at each end. It has little to amuse the trippers passing through on their way to the mountains, save the cafés and hotel bars lining this main drag. The town lies on a neck of land between two of Switzerland's most attractive lakes, and the best way to arrive is by boat. <br />Interlaken Ost is the terminus of mainline trains and the departure point for branch lines into the mountains; boats also dock here from Brienz, on the Luzern rail line.<br />Trains from the Bern/Zürich direction pass first through Interlaken West (docking point for boats from Thun), and this station is nearer to the tourist officem which sits beneath the town's tallest building at Höheweg 37 (Mon–Fri 8am–6/6.30pm, Sat 8/9am–noon; July–Sept Sat until 5pm, Sun 10am–noon & 4–6pm; tel 033 826 53 00, www.interlakentourism.ch).<br /><br />Things to do: <br />Interlaken is a hub for adventure sports:<br />Alpin Raft (tel 033 823 41 00, www.alpinraft.ch) is the local leader, with loads of daily activities from skydiving to horse trekking.<br /><br />Accommodation fills up quickly in the summer and winter high seasons; there are hotel lists and courtesy phones at both stations. The HI hostel is 2km east (bus #1), at Aareweg 21 in Bönigen (tel 033 822 43 53, www.youthhostel.ch; dorms Fr.28, rooms £30–40/$48–64 [€44–58]); <br />you'd do better joining the backpacker crowd at the excellent SB Balmer's Herberge, fifteen minutes south of town at Hauptstr. 23, Matten (tel 033 822 19 61, www.balmers.com; dorms Fr.22, rooms £20–30/$32–48 [€29–44]). <br /><br />There are quieter places in town, pick of which is the excellent SB Backpackers <a href="http://www.villa.ch">Villa Sonnenhof</a>, Alpenstr. 16 (tel 033 826 71 71; <br />dorms Fr.29, rooms £30–40/$48–64 [€44–58]). <br /><br /><a href="http://www.happy-inn.com">SB Happy Inn</a>, Rosenstr. 17 (tel 033 822 32 25, ;£30–40/$48–64 [€44–58]), is a backup option. <br /><br />The nearest campsite is <a href="http://www.campinginterlaken.ch">Sackgut</a> behind Ost station (tel 033 822 44 34, ; May–Oct). <br /><br />For budget food, Migros opposite West station has self-service staples (closed Sun); PizPaz on Centralstr. does pizza, pasta and fish dishes (closed Mon);<br />El Azteca, Jungfraustr. 30, has Mexican set-meals from Fr.14.<br />Café Runft opposite West station is a tearoom, snackerie and bar open until 3am; <br /><br />Entertainment: Positiv Einfach, Centralstr. 11, is a hip music bar; and Balmer's hostel has cheap beer.<br /><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g188081-c2-Interlaken_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps-Hotels.html "><br />1. Find a hotel in Interlaken</a><br /><a href="http://www.hotels.com/property.do?mtnHotelID=285850&CIMonth=5&COMonth=5&CIDay=1&CODay=10&CIYear=2008&COYear=2008&numrooms=1&roomOccupancyString=1%7C%7C2%7C0%7C0&PSRC=TAJ&utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=feeds&adults%5B0%5D=2 ">2.One of the hotels </a><br /><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g188081-zfp2-Interlaken_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps-Hotels.html ">3. Mother of all searches </a><br /><a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Switzerland/Kanton_Bern/Interlaken-691572/Things_To_Do-Interlaken-BR-1.html"> 4. Things to do in Interlaken</a><br /><br />Additional links<br /><br /><a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Switzerland/Kanton_Luzern/Lucerne-691229/TravelGuide-Lucerne.html "> --->Lucerne</a><br /><a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Switzerland/Kanton_Zuerich/Zuerich-689714/TravelGuide-Zuerich.html ">--> Zurich</a><br /><a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Switzerland/TravelGuide-Switzerland.html">-> HOLIDAY PLACES IN SWITZERLAND </a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-4563612305730815272?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-86108999580010546872008-02-22T14:28:00.000-06:002008-02-22T14:29:16.545-06:002008-02-22T14:29:16.545-06:00Is Yahoo deal behind Microsoft's Open Source push?Those looking for an ulterior motive in Microsoft's big Open Source push should look no further than its Yahoo takeover bid --- some believe that may be the real reason for the company seeing the light.<br /><br />Believers in this theory, including several analysts who refused to go on the record, say that yesterday's announcement was little more than a desire on Microsoft's part to clear the regulatory decks. The move, the theory goes, is aimed at stopping the European Union's anti-trust investigation of Microsoft. That way, when a deal is finally struck to buy Yahoo, it would sail through, with no messy investigations required.<br /><br />I'm not sure I buy that being the primary reason, though. More likely, I believe that Microsoft truly has recognized that a sea change is required if the company is to thrive. As I've written in my blog previously, the move is a way to stave off Google.<br /><br />Of course, the move might also help speed through the Yahoo bid, which would help Microsoft as well. But I don't believe that's the primary motive.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-8610899958001054687?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-24611863216345850682008-02-22T13:02:00.001-06:002008-02-22T13:02:57.401-06:002008-02-22T13:02:57.401-06:00Preparation for Planning a Business VenturePreparation for Planning a Business Venture<br />A Feasibility Study to Answer "Should I start a new business?"<br /><br />Written by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Copyright 1997-2007.<br />Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Program Design, Marketing and Evaluation.<br />Nonprofit-specific and for-profit-specific items, below, are noted as such.<br /><br /> "New businesses fail usually due to poor management, not because of the idea for the business."<br /> -- Peter Drucker, internationally renowned management expert <br /><br />How to Use This Manual<br />Far too often, people are so eager to start a new business or product, that they end up skipping some very important considerations. This is very likely one of the major reasons that so many new businesses fail within the first five years. This manual will help you ensure that you're really ready to start your new venture.<br /><br />The first section of this manual is "Considerations About You". Carefully answer each of the questions in this section. The second section is "Considerations About Your Business Idea". In this section, you don't need to answer the questions in detail -- but you should be aware of how you plan to answer the questions once you've started your new venture.<br /><br />Near the end of the manual, you're referred to other sites that can help you officially register your new organization once you've considered the questions -- and resources to help you answer them -- in this manual.<br /><br />Table of Contents<br />Considerations About You<br />Are You Really an Entrepreneur?<br />Have You Looked at Alternatives to Starting a Business?<br />Are Your Personal Finances in Shape to Start a New Business?<br />How Will You Manage the Stresses Involved?<br /><br />Considerations About Your Business Idea - Some basic business planning<br />Is There Really a Market (Customers/Clients) for Your New Product/Service?<br />What Type of Business Will You Start? (for-profit? nonprofit? what name?)<br />What Are the Risks Involved?<br />What Skills Do You Need to Run Your Business?<br />What Are Your General Plans for the Future of Your Business?<br />What Resources Will You Soon Need? (skills, facilities, money, etc.)<br />You're Ready to Write a Business Plan Document, If Needed<br />If You're Still Going to Start a New Business ..<br /><br />General Resources<br />Numerous Sources of Additional Assistance for Startups<br /><br />Are You Really an Entrepreneur?<br />What is an Entrepreneur?<br />It often takes a certain kind of person to be an entrepreneur. The following articles might help to give you some sense of the typical nature of an entrepreneur, that is, someone who starts a new venture (organization, program, product line, etc.).<br />What is an Entrepreneur? (you might follow some of the links out of this article, too)<br />What Makes an Entrepreneur? (Part 1)<br />What Makes an Entrepreneur? (Part 2)<br /><br />Another approach to understanding the nature of entrepreneurs is to interview entrepreneurs in your community. The links Networking and Interviewing for a Job might help you.<br /><br />Are You an Entrepreneur? (articles to help you reflect about this question)<br />The following article "Are You An Entrepreneur?" helps you to get started thinking about your own nature as an entrepreneur. The article references the notion of starting a home business, but applies even if you're planning to run your business in any other setting. If you're planning to start a nonprofit (that is, if you're a social entrepreneur), you might substitute the focus on money in the following article for a focus on community service -- otherwise, the article is still relevant to your situation. Next, read "Dare to be Different".<br />Are You an Entrepreneur?<br />Who Wants to Be An Entrepreneur?<br />5 Secrets of the Authentic Entrepreneur<br />The Right Stuff<br />So You Want to Start a Business?<br /><br />Are You an Entrepreneur? (self-tests to help you decide if you're an entrepreneur)<br />The following self-tests might help you to think about your nature and how you'll handle the risks and stresses of starting a new organization. These tests are not comprehensive and scientifically validated. But they do pose useful questions to think about now.<br />Self Quiz for Small Business Success (includes self-scoring)<br />Self-Taking Personal Flexibility Assessment (includes self-scoring)<br />Do You Have What it Takes?<br />Measure Your Entrepreneurial Quotient<br />Entrepreneurial Test<br /><br />Additional reading, if you prefer<br />Why People Start Companies<br /><br />Also consider these library topics:<br />The topic Personal Development includes many more self-assessments.<br /><br />Consider Alternatives to Starting a Business?<br />Sometimes people try start their own business (for-profit or nonprofit) because they're frustrated with their lives or current jobs. These are valid reasons. But starting a business can cause even more frustration! There are alternatives that should be considered before you start a new business.<br /><br />NOTE: In the next section, titled "Resources to Help You Explore Alternatives Other Than Starting a Business", there are resources that can help you answer each of the following questions.)<br /><br />1. How about working to improve your attitude toward your life or work?<br />The frustrations of starting a new business might make your attitude even worse for you -- and those around you.<br /><br />2. How about working to get promoted in your current job?<br />This option lets you work from current strengths to shore up areas where you might need growth, and you can usually keep your current benefits and level of income, as well.<br /><br />3. How about finding a new job?<br />This can be much easier than starting a new business. You might even consider getting a part-time job to phase yourself into the full-time role of running your new business. Sometimes just the activity of interviewing with other companies can remind you of your value, and improve your attitude in your current job.<br /><br />4. (For those of you who are thinking about starting a new for-profit business) How about buying an existing business?<br />An existing business already has products/services, customers and a financial track record.<br /><br />Resources to Help You Explore Alternatives Other Than Starting a Business<br />1. Personal Development -- This topics includes assessments to help you identify areas where you might want to grow. The topic also has materials to help you set goals and reach them, as well, including by going back to school.<br /><br />2. Personal Productivity -- This topic includes materials to help you become more effective in your life and work.<br /><br />3. Personal Wellness -- Materials in this topic can help you to focus more attention on your attitude, personal motivation and overall sense of well being.<br /><br />4. Employee Performance Management - Materials in this topic can help you identify performance goals and get help from your supervisor to reach those goals.<br /><br />5. For-Profit and Nonprofit Jobs -- There are vast number of online resources to help you think about, prepare for and find a new job. Consider working from home.<br /><br />6. Buying a Business -- This topic will be useful for those of you who are considering buying a current for-profit business.<br /><br />Are Your Personal Finances in Shape?<br />It's likely that your personal income will be affected if you start a new business, particularly if you have to invest any of your personal finances in your new business. You should consider where your money will come from while you're getting your new business off the ground. Where will you get benefits, such as health insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, etc?<br /><br />You should take stock of your finances. Potential funders may want to understand your personal financial situation -- and will be impressed if you've done thorough planning and documentation.<br /><br />The topic Introduction to Personal Financial Planning includes references to a variety useful materials about Basics of Personal Financial Planning, Budgeting, Insurance Planning, Savings, Consumer Credit and Debts, Investing, Tax Planning, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning and Estimating Your Net Worth.<br /><br />How Will You Manage the Stresses Involved?<br />Most people assume that there are many stresses involved in getting a new venture off the ground. Few people really prepare for them. They're too eager to get the new business going. You very likely won't be able successfully to manage the new business for the long term if you can't successfully manage yourself as well.<br /><br />Consider some of the materials in the following key topics.<br />Staying Motivated and Keeping a Good Attitude (to avoid Burnout and Cynicism)<br /><br />Stress Management (including Physical Fitness) -- There are several basic things you can do that go a long way toward managing yourself. The following articles provide a variety of perspectives and advice.<br /><br />Time management -- Managing cash is usually the biggest challenge in running a small for-profit business. Getting funding is usually one of the biggest challenges in a small nonprofit. Time management is usually one of the biggest challenges in managing yourself!<br /><br />Mentoring -- Find someone who is willing to help you with ongoing advice. You're not the first person to start a new venture.<br /><br />Work-Life Balance -- The best way to manage time and stress is to have a life other than just your new venture.<br /><br />Managing Interpersonal Conflicts and Handling Difficult People -- If you're stressed out, it'll seem like everyone else is, too.<br /><br />Resources for Nonprofits or Resources for For-Profits -- There are plenty of sources of free help. It's amazing how we fail to take advantage of resources unless we have to pay for them!<br /><br />Basics for New Managers and Supervisors to Manage Themselves<br />Basics for New Managers and Supervisors to Manage Themselves<br />At this point, you need not have detailed answers to the following questions. But you should be thinking about how you will get answers to them.<br /><br />Is There Really a Need for Your New Business?<br />Sometimes people get so excited about their idea for a new product or service, that they almost become obsessed with the idea of starting their own new business -- without really verifying if there really is a market for their new product or service in the first place! Some basic business planning can go a long way toward verifying if there's a market, and whether you're really committed to starting a new business. If you don't have the commitment to do some basic business planning, you might be fooling yourself about whether you have the commitment to start and run a business. Do some up-front, basic business planning!<br /><br />The following basic questions address many of the critical considerations when starting a new business. Next to each question is a recommended topic from the Free Management Library.<br /><br />NOTE: If you'll need funding to start your new for-profit or nonprofit business, investors or funders are much more likely to provide money to you if they see that you've done some business planning.<br /><br />NOTE: In each topic are links to related topics as well.<br /><br />1. What is the nature of your new "product" for your new business?<br />Is it retail? Manufacturing? Service? Wholesaling? The answer to this question will guide you to a wide variety of helpful resources by contacting trade associations for retail, manufacturing, services or wholesaling. (If your product is primarily a service to the community, you may want to consider starting a nonprofit organization (more about that later on in this library). The topic Two Basic Types of Business Organizations: For-Profit and Nonprofit will help you answer this question. (Nonprofit entrepreneurs may also benefit from the topics Social Entrepreneurship1 and The Unique Needs and Nature of Nonprofits.)<br /><br />2. How do you know there is a need for your new product or service?<br />You'll have to do more than "sense that there is a need" or claim that "it's common sense that there is a need". You'll have to have enough evidence to convince an investor or funder -- and yourself. Read information at a few of the links in Marketing Research to help you. (Nonprofit entrepreneurs should strongly consider collaborating with an existing nonprofit, rather than starting a new nonprofit that might end up competing for the same funds. To see if a relevant nonprofit already exists, you might contact your local office of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations or use the GuideStar.<br /><br />3. Who are your competitors? What makes your new product/service any different or more needed by customers?<br />The links Competitive Analysis and Positioning will help you.<br /><br />Also see:<br />Matching Personal Interests With Marketplace Needs<br /><br />What Type of Business Will You Be Starting?<br />1. What is the basic purpose of your business? (This is your mission statement.)<br />You will need to specify this mission statement to investors or funders, to register your legal form, to provide continued guidance to major decisions, etc. The topic Developing/Updating a Mission Statement will help you answer this question.<br /><br />2. What type of organization will your new business be? For-profit? Nonprofit?<br />The topic Two Basic Types of Business Organizations: For-Profit and Nonprofit will help you answer this question. Nonprofit entrepreneurs may also benefit from the topics Social Entrepreneurship1 and The Unique Needs and Nature of Nonprofits.<br /><br />3. What will be the legal description of your organization?<br />For example, unincorporated (sole proprietorship or partnership)? Corporation (S, C) or Limited Liability Company? Another type (nonprofit, cooperative, association, franchise, etc.)? See<br />Enterprise Law<br /><br />4. What will you name your new organization, or new product/services?<br />The links Naming and Branding and Intellectual Property Law (about trademarks, copyright and patents) can help you.<br /><br />5. Might you carry out your business primarily over the Internet? Might you carry out your business primarily by working from home?<br />The link One Basic Overview of E-Commerce will be helpful to you.<br /><br />What Are the Risks Involved?<br />Questions -- What Risks Do You Face? (your risk management plan)<br />1. What can go wrong that would really hurt you and the new organization?<br />The topic Risk Managementwill help you.<br /><br />2. What insurance coverage do you need?<br />What coverage do you have? Is it enough? The topic Insurance (Business)will help you.<br /><br />3. How can you minimize the likelihood of employee litigation against you?<br />You will soon need to implement a set of personnel policies and ensure they are followed by your staff (to minimize the chance of litigation). The topic Policies (Personnel) will help you.<br /><br />What Skills Do You Need to Run Your Business?<br />Questions About Financial Management<br />1.How will you manage your finances?<br />How will you monitor and record your income and expenses? Do you know how to prepare and manage a budget? Cash flow statement? Balance sheet? The links Finances (For-Profit)or Finances (Nonprofit) will help you.<br /><br />2. What system will you use for bookkeeping and accounting?<br />The links Finances (For-Profit)or Finances (Nonprofit) will help you.<br /><br />3. How will you compute your taxes?<br />What forms must you use? The link Taxation will help you.<br /><br />Questions About Personnel Management<br />1. How will you attract and retain the best people?<br />The topics Recruiting, Retaining Employees and Basic Guide to Management and Supervision will help you.<br /><br />2. How will you know how to organize your staff?<br />The links Workforce planning, Specifying Jobs and Roles and Selecting Your Organizational Design (who will work for whom, etc.) will help you. For those starting nonprofits, the links Key Roles and Structures in Nonprofits and Three Aspects of Nonprofit Structure and will help you.<br /><br />3. How will you compensate employees? What benefits will you offer?<br />The topic Benefits and Compensation will help you.<br /><br />4. How will you know what basic personnel policies you'll need?<br />The topic Policies (Personnel) will help you.<br /><br />5. How will you know how to manage your organization?<br />The topic Broad List of Knowledge Areas and Skills in Management (you don't have to master all these skills to start an organization) will help you. Also consider Boards of Directors, Chief Executive Role, Basic Overview of Supervision and Management Skills Unique to Nonprofits (for nonprofits).<br /><br />6. How will you ensure personnel are effectively working toward the organization's goals?<br />The topic Employee Performance Management will help you.<br /><br />NOTE: A key resource to help you manage and supervise people is Basic Guide to Management and Supervision.<br /><br />What Are Your Plans for Your Business?<br />You need to think about some strategic decisions. While you may not have to know the detail to answers about the near future of your new business, you should have some impression about the overall goals to accomplish. Knowledge of these goals will help you a great deal when thinking about what resources and skills you will need right away in your new business. Think about your answers to the above questions so far when identifying your plans.<br /><br />1. What are the major goals for your organization over the next three years?<br />Think about your answers to the above questions so far. The link Strategic Analysis will also help you.<br /><br />2. What do you need to do to reach those goals?<br />The link Setting Strategic Direction will help you.<br /><br />3. What objectives do you need to reach along the way to each goal?<br />Who needs to be doing what and by when in order to reach each objective? The link Action Planning will help you.<br /><br />4. How will you know that the organization is efficiently pursuing its goals?<br />The links Coordinating Activities will help you.<br /><br />What Human Resources Will Your New Business Need?<br />1. What skills (and people) are needed by your organization?<br />Consider your answers to the above questions about how you'll carry out marketing, and financial management and personnel management. Will you get these skills by hiring, outsourcing or training?<br /><br />2. Do you have a banker? Financial adviser? Tax advisor? Lawyer?<br />The topics Getting and Using Banker, Getting and Using a Consultant, Getting and Using a Lawyer and Getting and Using an Accountant will help you.<br /><br />What Facilities and Equipment Will Your New Business Need?<br />1. What equipment needs will you have?<br />(These needs depend very much on the resources needed to develop, distribute and support your product/service.) The link Facilities Management might be helpful to you.<br /><br />2. What computer equipment will you need?<br />The link Computers, Internet & Web will help you.<br /><br />How Much Money Will You Need?<br />What is the Cost of Needed Resources?<br />Consider the costs to obtain the necessary skills, facilities and equipment identified from addressing the above questions.<br /><br />For nonprofit entrepreneurs, the links Designing a Budget and Fundraising (Nonprofit) will help you.<br /><br />For for-profit entrepreneurs, the links Designing a Budget and Fundraising (For-Profit) will help you.<br /><br />Writing a Basic Business Plan Document, If Needed<br />The following link "Basics of Business Planning" provides resources to help you write a basic business plan document. If you've addressed the above questions in this manual, then you've already gone through most of the basic business planning process (Congratulations!). The "Basics of Business Planning" resources will also help you expand and fine tune the business planning you have already done.<br /><br />You may not be required to develop a business plan document. Various funders (foundations, corporations, banks, etc.) require a business plan document. The document can help you immensely as means to track your plans and progress toward implementing your plans.<br />Basics of Business Planning<br /><br />If You're Still Going to Start a New Business ...<br />If, at this point, you have carefully answered the above critical questions, then congratulations! You are indeed very serious about starting a new business -- and you're that much more likely to succeed! We're ready to move on.<br /><br />If you're considering a for-profit business, see<br />Starting a for-profit business<br /><br />If you're considering a nonprofit business, see<br />Starting a nonprofit organization<br /><br />Sources of Additional Assistance for Startups<br />Resources for For-Profits<br />Resources for Nonprofits<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-2461186321634585068?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-20184527390185258402008-02-22T12:56:00.001-06:002008-02-22T12:56:40.101-06:002008-02-22T12:56:40.101-06:00HDFC Bank Plans India's Biggest Banking Takeover (Update2)Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- HDFC Bank Ltd., India's third- biggest by market value, plans to buy Centurion Bank of Punjab Ltd. in the nation's biggest financial sector takeover.<br /><br />The boards of both banks will meet tomorrow to consider the plan, they said in separate filings to the Bombay Stock Exchange. Centurion, based in Mumbai, fell 1.1 percent today, valuing it at $2.6 billion, after both banks were non-committal on reports about the merger.<br /><br />HDFC Bank would add 2.5 million customers at 393 branches, extending its reach before overseas lenders are allowed to buy local rivals. The central bank plans to lift curbs on Citigroup Inc. and HSBC Holdings Plc next year to spur competition in the world's fastest-growing major economy after China.<br /><br />State Bank of India, ICICI Bank Ltd. and other lenders are seeking to grow rapidly before India reviews rules next year. The banks are competing for a larger market share in an economy that's estimated to grow 8.7 percent this financial year.<br /><br />``A larger network and size is the key in tapping retail opportunities in lending and distribution of financial products,'' said Vishal Goyal, an analyst with Edelweiss Capital Ltd. in Mumbai. ``It will certainly help HDFC Bank to add almost 400 branches.''<br /><br />The merged entity will have 1,165 branches, surpassing the 955 of ICICI Bank Ltd., the second-largest lender, according to their Web sites.<br /><br />Fund Raising<br /><br />HDFC Bank may raise as much as $1 billion to fund expansion overseas and plans to open offices in Bahrain, Hong Kong and London in a year.<br /><br />State Bank of India, the nation's biggest bank by assets, is currently raising $4.2 billion selling shares to stakeholders to finance growth. ICICI Bank sold $5 billion of shares to local and overseas investors in June.<br /><br />Both HDFC Bank and Centurion Bank got licenses in the mid- 1990s as part of the central bank's initiative to encourage so- called new-age banks that would operate efficiently with the latest technology to compete with global banks. HDFC Bank has almost 10 million customers, compared with Centurion's 2.5 million.<br /><br />Centurion, rescued by 3.2 billion rupees of funds from buyout firm Sabre Capital Worldwide Inc. in 2003 after making losses because of bad loans, last week told investors it will meet earnings expectations for the fiscal year. This assurance was made after the Economic Times newspaper reported the bank lost money by investing in Reliance Power Ltd.'s share sale.<br /><br />Reliance Power fell 17.2 percent in its debut on Feb.11.<br /><br />IPO Investments<br /><br />``We invest in IPOs as part of our normal treasury operations and we also invested in the Reliance Power IPO,'' Tarini Vaidya, country treasurer, Centurion Bank of Punjab, said in a release Feb. 14. ``Till date our cumulative investments in IPOs, including this IPO, have delivered profits.''<br /><br />Bank of Muscat owns 14.02 percent of Centurion, which is headed by former Standard Chartered Plc Chief Executive Rana Talwar. The bank last year acquired Lord Krishna Bank and had earlier absorbed Bank of Punjab Ltd.<br /><br />HDFC Bank fell 67.95 rupees, or 4.4 percent, to 1,474.95 in Mumbai trading today for a market value of 522 billion rupees ($13 billion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg.<br /><br />To contact the reporters on this story: Sumit Sharma in Mumbai at sumitsharma@bloomberg.net; M.C. Govardhana Rangan in Mumbai at grangan@bloomberg.net.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-2018452739018525840?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-29365736522258942782008-02-22T12:51:00.000-06:002008-02-22T12:52:13.529-06:002008-02-22T12:52:13.529-06:00Minorities Front demands Constitutional statusNEW DELHI: All India Minorities Front President S M Asif has urged the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, to introduce a bill during the forthcoming Budget Session of Parliament to grant Constitutional status to the Minorities Commission.<br /><br />He said that if the government is sincere in what it has been claiming so far, then it should not delay the tabling of the bill.<br /><br />Stating that minorities are a depressed, oppressed and harassed section of society, it is the duty of the government to ensure a feeling of equity, equality and justice in them.<br /><br />Asif said that the Government has been claiming that it has studied the plight of the minority communities and wants its development, but in practicality, the results are not seen.<br /><br />Implementation of recommendations of Sachhar Committee report are getting delayed and the percentage of members of minority communities in government jobs and police forces is declining, which is a matter of grave concern.<br /><br />He urged the Prime Minister not to call an all party meeting immediately and bring the bill unanimously so that it has an easy passage.<br /><br />Even if some fundamentalists wish to oppose, let them get exposed before the country and the Government should fulfill its commitment to the members of minority communities.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-2936573652225894278?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-76401788301789164852008-02-22T12:50:00.001-06:002008-02-22T12:50:26.824-06:002008-02-22T12:50:26.824-06:00Jennifer Lopez gives birth to twinsJennifer Lopez gives birth to twins<br /><br />By LARRY McSHANE and JO PIAZZA<br />DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER<br /><br />Friday, February 22nd 2008, 12:57 PM<br />Jennifer Lopez with husband Marc Anthony. Corkery/News<br /><br />Jennifer Lopez with husband Marc Anthony.<br /><br />It's a boy — and a girl — for Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony.<br /><br />The platinum-selling pair became parents early today with the arrival of twins: their daughter was delivered at 12:12 a.m., followed 11 minutes later by their son, according to People magazine.<br /><br />"Jennifer and Marc are thrilled, delighted and over the moon," Lopez manager Simon Fields told the mag. The girl weighed in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces, while her brother weighed 6 pounds.<br /><br />People magazine, which broke the story on its Web site early today, is also thrilled. After a lengthy bidding war, the magazine won the rights to print the first photos of the Lopez-Anthony family, shelling out a record-breaking $6 million.<br /><br />The brood will do a series of TV interviews after the photos are printed and OK! magazine has secured the international rights. <br /><br />The arrival of the twins makes Lopez a first-time mom. Best-selling crooner Anthony has three children from previous relationships.<br /><br />The much-rumored pregnancy was confirmed in November by Lopez, who announced she was in a family way after the last show on a joint tour with Anthony.<br /><br />"This is a special time in our lives," she told the crowd in Miami. Lopez's dad, David, spilled the beans about twins during a television interview earlier this month.<br /><br />The 39-year-old Lopez, a Bronx native, married fellow New Yorker Anthony in 2004 — her third marriage, and his second. Anthony, 38, was previously wed to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.<br /><br />It wasn't J.Lo's first brush with celebrity romance — past beaus include Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Ben Affleck.<br /><br />Mom and the babies are expected to head home early next week where the kids will immediately be given the royal Lopez treatment. The proud parents have reportedly commissioned a $120,000 luxury ocean-themed nursery at their Long Island home with French-made cribs, hand-embroidered bedding and 18-karat gilded chandeliers.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-7640178830178916485?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-85660241277591112232008-02-22T12:48:00.000-06:002008-02-22T12:49:15.828-06:002008-02-22T12:49:15.828-06:00E-mail threatens terror attacks in DelhiNEW DELHI: An anonymous e-mail to the Noida SSP on Friday threatened a series of attacks in the Capital. The attacks, the e-mail claims, would be carried out next week.<br /><br />Following the e-mail, which has been written in Hindi, cops in Delhi and Noida are investigating the matter.<br /><br />Earlier, police had received intelligence inputs about militant outfits planning terror strike in the Delhi.<br />The input was of general nature but security had been stepped up throughout Delhi after that.<br /><br />Following the intelligence warning, Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal has issued orders for mounting vigil at all major markets and other crowded places, including malls, railway stations, Delhi Metro and bus stands.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-8566024127759111223?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-34768745075465703772008-02-22T12:47:00.000-06:002008-02-22T12:48:06.575-06:002008-02-22T12:48:06.575-06:00Global outsourcing: Infy, TCS among bestReflecting the outsourcing prowess of India Inc around 20 Indian companies, including the likes of Infosys [Get Quote], Wipro [Get Quote] and Tata Consultancy Services [Get Quote], are among the best in the world.<br /><br />'The 2008 Global Outsourcing 100' list compiled by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) has named about 20 companies based in India.<br /><br />Among them are, India's top software exporters -- Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Technologies [Get Quote] and Wipro Technologies, while Genpact, WNS and EXLService are leading BPO firms listed in the US.<br /><br />The others figuring in the list are MindTree Consulting [Get Quote], Aditya Birla Minacs, Patni, Quest, Tech Mahindra [Get Quote], Mastek, KPIT Cummins, Convergys, Zenzar Technologies, First Source, ITC Infotech, Hexaware [Get Quote] and 24/7 Customer.<br /><br />The evaluation process for compiling the list mainly takes into consideration the size and growth in revenue of the company, its employees, centres and countries served management capabilities, competencies and customer experience.<br /><br />The list also features many foreign entities who have a substantial presence in India. Most of these companies are American such as Accenture, Cognizant Technologies, IBM, ADP, Xerox, CB Richard Ellis and Hewlett-Packard. Other names include Cushman & Wakefield, Unisys, Hewitt and French firm Capgemini.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-3476874507546570377?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-54390057652971412792008-02-22T12:45:00.002-06:002008-02-22T12:46:40.689-06:002008-02-22T12:46:40.689-06:00US will pressure PPP to keep MusharrafThe Bush administration still considers Pervez Musharraf [Images] as its best choice for president of Pakistan despite a big no from Pakistani voters on February 18 against America's most trusted friend.<br /><br />Efforts are on to bridge the gap between Musharraf and Pakistan People's Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari who described the president as 'Gorbachev' immediately after Benazir Bhutto's [Images] assassination on December 27.<br /><br />The US is pushing the PPP to develop a 'working relationship' with Musharraf, but the party is reluctant to make any commitment yet.<br /><br />A source close to Musharraf said the PPP has no other choice than to cooperate with them, else the National Reconciliation Ordinance may go and Zardari could be arrested.<br /><br />A top diplomat in Islamabad said, "The US invested more than $10 billion in Musharraf; they will not allow anyone to destroy this huge investment."<br /><br />It is learnt that the Bush administration needs Musharraf to stay in power not only for the war against terror, but also for implementing a new Kashmir plan before the presidential election in the US later this year.<br /><br />A close aide of the president, Tariq Aziz, completed his homework on this new Kashmir plan just few days before the election.<br /><br />He recently spent many days in Dubai where he met important Kashmiri leaders from India-controlled Kashmir with New Delhi's consent.<br /><br />Musharraf planned to start a new initiative on Kashmir in April with the support of a new political government, but the people's verdict on February 18 shattered his plans.<br /><br />He is not ready to realise that the verdict was not only against him, but that it also rejected all those policies which were taken under US pressure.<br /><br />The fact is Musharraf is the most unpopular man in Pakistan, but he is still the most popular Pakistani in the White House and among India's ruling elite.<br /><br />Top Indian officials gave many hints to the international media before February 18 that they like Musharraf more than anyone else in Pakistan.<br /><br />The Bush administration is now ready to oblige the PPP with a United Nations investigation into Benazir's assassination.<br /><br />In return, Washington needs the PPP to support Musharraf. The PPP leadership is still inclined to form a coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Awami National Party, but the restoration of the deposed judges is becoming a problem between the two parties.<br /><br />Many important PPP leaders like Senator Raza Rabbani, Senator Babar Awan and Sherry Rehman supported the idea of forming a coalition with the PML-N at the party's central executive committee meeting.<br /><br />A few days before February 18, Zardari assured Nawaz Sharif that both of them would resolve the issue of the judges after the election. It is no longer a secret in the capital of Pakistan that the Bush administration forced the PPP to desist from giving support to deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.<br /><br />Top US officials conveyed their dislike for Justice Chaudhry to the PPP leadership long before the election.<br /><br />PPP leaders were informed that Justice Chaudhry had sympathies for Islamic hardliners because he ordered the release of some alleged militants in 2007.<br /><br />Visiting US Senators recently demanded the release of the deposed judges, but not their restoration.<br /><br />A top PPP leader informed Democratic Senator John Kerry in Islamabad that Musharraf has nothing to lose politically after February 18, but the PPP will be destroyed after supporting Musharraf.<br /><br />The PPP is also aware of the bad relations between Musharraf and Pakistan's independent media.<br /><br />The PPP leadership knows the media may put Zardari in the line of fire by quoting anti-PPP paragraphs from Musharraf's autobiography.<br /><br />PPP sources are confident that an expected meeting between Zardari and Nawaz Sharif will clear the uncertainty about the future of a PPP-PML-N coalition.<br /><br />Sharif has conveyed to the Bush administration that he is not against the war on terror, but he will support a war against terror for Pakistan, not America, and that the Bush administration should not interfere in the politics of Pakistan.<br /><br />It is most likely that the Bush administration will fail to save its most trusted friend because the PPP and the PML-N are determined to form a coalition and clip all those powers through which a president can dissolve Parliament.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-5439005765297141279?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-14970082806809136072008-02-22T12:45:00.001-06:002008-02-22T12:45:40.078-06:002008-02-22T12:45:40.078-06:00India should stand up to China as an equalIndia's China policy has been marked by friendship, sentimentalism, fear, diffidence, appeasement, brinksmanship, wishful thinking and engagement. This mixture of attitudes reflects the complexity of the relationship, our difficulties in managing China's challenge, the nature of the Chinese regime, China's strategic advantage over India and the fulgurant rise of China in recent years.<br /><br />Some very far-reaching strategic mistakes were made in not comprehending the Maoist take-over of China and its implication for India. Mao Tse-Tung seized China through revolutionary violence, while India won freedom through a non-violent struggle. China's leaders were Communist, India's were nurtured in democratic thinking. Mao's China wanted to settle historical wrongs against the country, Mahatma Gandhi [Images] and Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to forget and forgive historical wrongs.<br /><br />In one country the militants had wrested power, in the other pacifists assumed power through a constitutional process. The political trajectories of the two countries and the nature of their leadership were so different, that a clash of thinking and ambitions should have been more than anticipated.<br /><br />India could not physically prevent China from militarily occupying Tibet in 1950, but the dangerous strategic consequences of this for India's security should have been flagrantly obvious. A political and geographical buffer was being removed for the first time in history. Given the absence of a formally demarcated border in the western sector and China's position on the MacMahon Line, China's occupation of Tibet should have warned India, that the Chinese would sooner or later assert their physical control over the entire Tibetan border as they saw it. Our so-called 'forward policy' should have been insured with adequate military preparations on the ground.<br /><br />The 1962 border conflict scarred us politically, militarily and psychologically. It made India look militarily feeble; it provided China reason to support insurgencies in our north-east; it damaged our standing in the third world as well as our leadership pretensions; it made China a potent player in South Asian affairs; it gave Pakistan an additional political and military crutch for confronting India; it gave space to our neighours to play the China card against us, not only Nepal and Sri Lanka [Images], but later Bangladesh too.<br /><br />China's disinclination to settle the border issue and our non-existing capacity to force it to do so in its own interest, left us no choice but to try to stabilise the situation on the border through the Agreements on Maintaining Peace and Tranquillity and on Confidence Building Measures in the 1990's. These have contained the border problem, but have also frozen it to India's disadvantage. The status quo always favours the side not anxious for change. India wants peace on the border but also wants a border settlement. It suits China also to have peace as it defuses the border issue politically and militarily and gives it a free hand to settle Tibet internally.<br /><br />China, on the one hand, wishes the world to believe that it has pacified Tibet, with Tibet riding the crest of prosperity under Chinese rule. And yet China takes ground decisions which reflect a sense of insecurity about its hold over the territory. The railway line it has built, at great expense, makes less economic sense and more military/security sense as it augments China's capacity to move troops and munitions to the border and meet any future local challenge to its rule in Tibet. The impressive road infrastructure that China has built along Tibet's border with India, along with expansion of airfields in Tibet in recent years, is surely intended not for border trade but for border domination, behind which Tibet will be held secure.<br /><br />The importance of the Dalai Lama [Images] factor should not be underestimated, no matter China's posturing about his growing irrelevance to the reality on the ground in Tibet. India, as the most concerned party, has always had a timorous policy towards him. The Dalai Lama has himself said publicly that India is over-cautious in dealing with China.<br /><br />There is no international pressure on China to negotiate with the Dalai Lama. China can revile him as a 'splittist', even when he has publicly reaffirmed on various occasions his acceptance of Chinese sovereignty and has limited his demand to real autonomy. China realises that once, on the back of an agreement with him, the Dalai Lama were to return to Tibet, their position in Tibet would become complicated as would their policy towards India. Reconciliation with the Dalai Lama means in effect reconciliation with India.<br /><br />China's claims on Indian territory, and indeed, China's military pressure on India is on account of its direct military occupation of Tibet. The extent of Chinese cynicism towards India is reflected in its claim on Tawang because of its Tibetan links and the fact that one of the earlier Dalai Lamas, an institution that they have tried to destroy politically, was born there.<br /><br />The Chinese unabashedly play the Tibetan card to the hilt against India. Yet we are reluctant to play the Tibetan card against China. A reasonable settlement between the Dalai Lama, the recognised spiritual head of Tibet, and the Chinese is good for China, good for the Tibetans and good for India.<br /><br />It will resolve a festering issue of denial of political and cultural rights of a distinctive people and the suppression of their separate identity. Equally importantly, the example of Dalai Lama leading a peaceful, non-violent struggle to redress grievances and injustice, is deeply relevant in the context of the rise of extremism and terrorism to fight real or imagined grievances and injustice by people and communities elsewhere in the world.<br /><br />The world needs to press China to deal with the Dalai Lama with transparency and sincerity. <br /><br />There are two possible approaches to the border issue. One is to envisage a settlement which will involve fairly substantial give and take, in favour of India in the western sector and China in the eastern sector. The border would be settled not on the basis of actual ground control but based of complex agreed principles. China could easily make concessions in the western sector as they are occupying territory much beyond their own historical claims. For India making equal concessions in the eastern sector would be impossible for political and security reasons. India cannot but seek to move back China in Aksai Chin in view of their very advanced positions, which gives the Chinese a handle to raise the ante in the east.<br /><br />The other approach would be that to have a realistic solution, it would be necessary to work on the basis of the hard realities on the ground. What China is actually holding, it will not cede in negotiations, and so would it be in India's case. This implies a very limited give and take, only to make the border more rational and remove anomalies here and there. If one is to proceed on the basis of what each country is holding, then the delineation of the Actual Line of Control (LAC) on the maps becomes necessary.<br /><br />In some areas, the two sides have conflicting views of where the LAC is and in these pockets both sides do patrolling to assert their claim. Periodic reports about Chinese incursions relate to their patrolling in the areas we claim are under our control, bearing in mind that the entire length of the border is not permanently manned on both sides.<br /><br />The understanding between the two sides to exchange maps of their respective perceptions of the LAC in order to identify the physical extent of the disputed areas, was important. On completion of this exercise in the middle, western and eastern sectors (in this order) the process of actual negotiations of give and take in these areas was to have begun. After exchanging maps in the middle sector, and after India presented its map of the western sector in 2002, the Chinese halted the exercise without any cogent explanation.<br /><br />During Prime Minister Vajpayee's visit to China in 2003, we decided to abandon the earlier agreed approach and proposed a 'political solution' to the issue. To this end, Special Representatives of the two countries were nominated and given a mandate to establish a set of guidelines (which they have done) for proceeding towards resolution. The Chinese, having rejected the approach of first delineating the LAC as an attempt to maintain the status quo, are making the subsequent approach unworkable by demanding significant territorial adjustments in the east, laying claim to Tawang, China's Tawang claim shows absence of any real desire for a border settlement and the tactic is to contrive an issue so as to transfer the responsibility for an impasse on to the Indian side.<br /><br />In 1962, China had captured Tawang and yet it withdrew from it and the rest of Arunachal Pradesh largely to what is the MacMahon line, thereby de facto accepting its validity. In the western sector, it did not go back to the pre-1962 line and retained the fruits of its aggression. If they needed to hold Tawang for religious or security reasons or felt that their legal claim was rock solid, they would not have withdrawn. 45 years later to demand Tawang is sheer political effrontery.<br /><br />The phenomenal growth of India-China trade (almost $40 billion or Rs 160,000 crore) is a welcome development as it contributes to increasing mutual prosperity. It is important to note that on the Indian side the decision to boost economic exchanges is a political one based on the logic that the border issue should not stand in the way of normalisation of relations in other fields. Its political character is underlined by the completely opposite attitude of Pakistan, i.e., no normalisation of relations with India, including in trade, unless the core issue of Kashmir is settled. For the Chinese the decision is not political. China controls what it wants on the border and claims more as a pressure point.<br /><br />China has strategically neutralised India by supplying Pakistan with nuclear and missile technologies. It is the biggest defence supplier of Pakistan. While it is extremely sensitive on the issue of 'One China', on which it has extracted support from us, its position on Jammu and Kashmir [Images], veering from support of Pakistan's position to a quasi-neutral position, and notable for the absence of any endorsement of our legal position, stands out as a contrast. Its claim on vast swathes of Indian territory, in any case, makes mockery of "one India". Its export dependent growth needs all markets, and certainly a large one like India's.<br /><br />Given China's size, its view of itself in historical terms, its claims on India, on Taiwan, in the South China sea etc, its rise has implications for the region and beyond. As China grows muscles, it will flex them. China's opaque political system adds to outside concerns as it makes its conduct unpredictable. Countries hope that prosperity and integration with the global system will make China more responsible and more transparent internally, increasing confidence levels abroad.<br /><br />While a policy of containing China would be imprudent, yet it cannot be given a free hand in Asia. Other players in the region have to caution China about political and other costs of seeking domination.<br /><br />Any initiative to that end serves our interests even as engagement with China continues. However, engagement does not mean acquiescence to Chinese hegemony in Asia.<br /><br />China's calculatedly ambiguous position on India's permanent membership of the Security Council as well as on opening doors of international cooperation in India's civilian nuclear sector indicates a serious adversarial posture towards our rising aspirations.<br /><br />If Russia [Images], Britain and France [Images] can support India's candidature and these countries, with US in the lead, can support us on the nuclear issue, why shouldn't China, if it wishes to build a strong, forward-looking, cooperative relationship with India as the second biggest Asian power.<br /><br />The satisfaction we seem to derive from semantic play by the Chinese on these two issues reflects our mental acceptance of an inferior status vis-a-vis China and our readiness to be patronised by that country.<br /><br />We should not demand equality from China, we should behave as equals. We should protect our interests more forcefully. Our border infrastructure should be developed rapidly. Our strategic programmes must be accelerated. The prime minister's visit to Arunachal Pradesh in January was a very welcome development. With announced plans to integrate the state more closely with the rest of the country, it signalled to the Chinese that our land of the rising sun will not be relinquished.<br /><br />Kanwal Sibal is a former foreign secretary of India<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-1497008280680913607?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-67933505127319772522008-02-22T12:43:00.000-06:002008-02-22T12:44:39.534-06:002008-02-22T12:44:39.534-06:00'Virtual fence' OK'd for U.S.-Mexico borderWASHINGTON (AP) -- A 28-mile "virtual fence" that will use radars and surveillance cameras to try to catch people entering the country illegally has gotten final government approval.<br />art.virtual.fence.file.gi.jpg<br /><br />A mobile observation tower is part of a "virtual fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border.<br /><br />Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced approval of the fence on Friday. The fence, built by the Boeing Co., uses technology the government plans to extend to other areas of the Arizona border, as well as to sections of Texas.<br /><br />The projects could get under way as early as this summer, said department spokeswoman Laura Keehner.<br /><br />The virtual fence is part of a national plan to secure the southwest border with physical barriers and high-tech detection capabilities intended to stop illegal immigrants on foot and drug smugglers in vehicles. As of Thursday, 302 miles of fencing had been constructed.<br /><br />Chertoff said the virtual fence already is working.<br /><br />On February 13, an officer in a Tucson command center -- 70 miles from the border -- noticed a group of about 100 people gathered at the border. The officer notified agents on the ground and in the air. Border Patrol caught 38 of the 100 people who tried to cross illegally, and the others went back into Mexico, said a Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he isn't authorized to speak publicly.<br /><br />The virtual fence system includes 98-foot unmanned surveillance towers that are equipped with an array of sophisticated technology including radar, sensors and cameras capable of distinguishing people from cattle at a distance of about 10 miles. The cameras are powerful enough to tell group sizes and whether people are carrying backpacks that may contain weapons or drugs.<br />Don't Miss<br /><br /> * FBI wants palm prints, eye scans, tattoo mapping<br /><br />"I have personally witnessed the value of this system, and I have spoken directly to the border patrol agents who are involved in operating that system over the last few months and who have seen it produce actual results in terms of identifying and allowing the apprehension of people who are illegally smuggling across the border," Chertoff said.<br /><br />Last year the government withheld some of Boeing's payments for the system because technology the company used in the test project did not work properly. Boeing also was late in delivering the final product, known as Project 28.<br /><br />Because of this, the department received a $2 million credit from the company to go toward maintenance and logistical support of the system, the Homeland Security officials said.<br /><br />The government paid Boeing $15 million of its initial $20 million contract before determining that there were glitches in the test project. The department gave a conditional acceptance in December.<br /><br />Lawmakers have been skeptical of the product Boeing delivered. Video Watch Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama give their views on border fence »<br /><br />"This is not the end of the Project 28 story," Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pennsylvania, said in a statement Thursday. "We need to understand what went wrong with Project 28 to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and taxpayer dollars are not squandered." Carney chairs the House Homeland Security management subcommittee.<br /><br />Also Friday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Chertoff announced a 25 percent increase in the fines the government will levy against employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. It is the first boost in fines in nearly a decade.<br /><br />Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for investigating illegal hirings, has stepped up its enforcement of the employer sanctions law in the past year, leading to a dozen major busts.<br />advertisement<br /><br />Currently, fines range from $2,000 to $10,000 depending on the offense.<br /><br />The agency says some penalties could include at least six months in jail.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-6793350512731977252?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-46906509430456064132008-02-22T12:42:00.001-06:002008-02-22T12:42:57.240-06:002008-02-22T12:42:57.240-06:00Pakistan's opposition parties reach agreementISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's two main opposition parties announced Thursday they would form a new government together, but skirted the issue of whether they would push for the ouster of U.S.-backed President Pervez Musharraf.<br />art.pakistan.agreement.ap.jpg<br /><br />Nawaz Sharif, right, shakes hand with Pakistan Peoples Party's co-chairman and husband of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.<br />Click to view previous image<br />1 of 2<br />Click to view next image<br />more photos »<br /><br />The ruling party said Friday it doubted that the new alliance would be stable, calling it a "marriage of convenience."<br /><br />The broad agreement between the two secular opposition groups, which fought bitterly for a decade before Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup, marks an important step toward setting up a civilian administration to govern the Islamic nation after years of military rule.<br /><br />Asif Ali Zardari, husband of slain former Premier Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif, whose last government was ousted by Musharraf, made the announcement after meeting in Islamabad.<br /><br />"We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to form a government together in the center and in the provinces," Sharif told reporters. He said a smaller group, the Awami National Party, would join them.<br /><br />"The future of democracy is within our grasp. We will strengthen the parliament, we will strengthen democracy, we will work together for Pakistan. We will make a stronger Pakistan," Zardari said.<br /><br />Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party won 87 National Assembly seats in Monday's election, and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N won 67 out of the 268 contested seats. The pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q got 40, with the rest going to smaller parties and independent candidates. Six seats have yet to be announced.<br />Don't Miss<br /><br /> * Musharraf faces call to resign<br /> * Blog: Uncertainty and relief<br /> * In-Depth: Pakistan votes<br /><br />The election exposed Musharraf's lack of public support amid rising Islamic militancy and anger over his crackdown on the judiciary. It also raised questions about his survival as head of state. He recently resigned his dual post of military commander, considerably diminishing his power.<br /><br />While both parties rode a wave of anti-Musharraf sentiment, they still have to hammer out the details of how they will share power and resolve divergence in policy, from the future of Musharraf to the restoration of the judiciary.<br /><br />"I don't think the parties of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto have reached any final agreement about forming a government," Tariq Azim, a ruling party leader, said Friday. "And if they do, it would be a marriage of convenience."<br /><br />Sharif has been far sterner in demanding Musharraf's ouster and in seeking the reinstatement of the chief justice, one of dozens of independent-minded judges sacked by the president in November just as the Supreme Court was to rule on the legality of his re-election by parliament.<br /><br />In what appeared to be a face-saving formula, Sharif told reporters that he and Zardari agreed in principle on restoration of the judges, but would leave it to parliament to sort out the details.<br /><br />"In principle there's no disagreement on restoration of the judiciary. We will work on the modalities in parliament," he said.<br /><br />A few hours earlier, Sharif had made an impassioned address to protesters at the Islamabad home of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, demanding his release and restoration to the court, which is now stacked with Musharraf appointees.<br /><br />The party leaders did not make explicit whether they would push for Musharraf's removal, but Sharif reiterated his desire for the president to go.<br /><br />"I think the nation today has given out its verdict and that verdict is amply clear, and it is from every nook and corner of Pakistan. He also understands that. The sooner he accepts the verdict the better it is for him," Sharif said.<br /><br />Musharraf, a key ally of Washington in its war on terrorist groups, has said he has no intention of resigning and will serve out his five-year term.<br /><br />However, many Pakistanis see Musharraf as a divisive figure whose continued presence could lead to political confrontation and destabilize the new government.<br /><br />White House press secretary Dana Perino said it was up to the Pakistanis "to decide whether Musharraf retains his position." But State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said U.S. officials also are telling opposition forces that moderates should work together to fight extremists and move toward democracy.<br /><br />Last year, the U.S. and Britain pushed for rapprochement between Bhutto and Musharraf. The two held talks, paving the way for Bhutto's return from self-exile amid hopes they could form a pro-Western alliance and galvanize the campaign against the Taliban and al Qaeda.<br /><br />The negotiations collapsed before Bhutto's December 27 assassination, but Zardari has not ruled out working with Musharraf.<br /><br />One of the first tasks of the new government, which is expected to be installed by mid-March, will be determining how to fight Islamists. The country has been hit by dozens of deadly attacks blamed on Muslim militants in recent months.<br /><br />Both opposition parties have considered negotiating with the extremists rather than relying on military force.<br />advertisement<br /><br />Zardari said the new government's first act will be to ask the United Nations for help in uncovering who was behind his wife's killing.<br /><br />U.S. and Pakistani officials have accused Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud of masterminding the assassination, but many Pakistanis suspect Pakistani intelligence services may have been involved.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-4690650943045606413?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-59825494896609464782008-02-22T12:41:00.001-06:002008-02-22T12:41:46.367-06:002008-02-22T12:41:46.367-06:00U.S. warns Serbia it's responsible for safety of embassyBELGRADE, Serbia (CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade is evacuating all nonessential personnel following Thursday's attack on the building by a crowd of protesters, a spokesman for the embassy told CNN Friday.<br />art.serb.embassy.afp.gi.jpg<br /><br />Serbian riot police stand in front of the damaged U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on Friday.<br />Click to view previous image<br />1 of 2<br />Click to view next image<br />more photos »<br /><br />The U.S. ambassador, Cameron Munter, is staying, officials said.<br /><br />The embassy was closed Friday, and a handful of riot police holding shields stood outside the building, its outer walls blackened from fires set the night before and some of its windows smashed.<br /><br />It will remain closed until Monday or Tuesday so officials can assess the damage, said Bill Wanlund, the embassy's spokesman.<br /><br />He said embassy staff were still in a heightened state of alert but there were no specific threats against any staff members.<br /><br />The United States has warned the Serbian government that it has a responsibility to protect its assets.<br /><br />A top U.S. diplomat was asked during an interview on CNN if the Serbian government "gets" the warning.<br /><br />"They'd better get it, because they have a fundamental responsibility to protect our diplomats and our embassy and to protect American citizens," said Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns. "What happened yesterday in Belgrade was absolutely reprehensible." Video Watch Burns' angry comments on Belgrade attack »<br /><br />Thursday's violence erupted after demonstrations by thousands of Serbs against Kosovo's declaration of independence. The anger directed against the United States and other countries for recognizing the breakaway province as a nation sparked attacks on Western embassies and shops by hundreds of people.<br />Don't Miss<br /><br /> * Fresh violence in Kosovo Serb protests<br /> * Serb protesters attack U.S. Embassy<br /> * Kosovo faces economic challenges<br /> * I-Report: Protesters, rioters take to streets<br /><br />Burns said there was an "insufficient" number of security people guarding the U.S. Embassy at a demonstration everyone knew would take place. He said security "melted away" as "the mob attacked our embassy."<br /><br />"This kind of thing should not happen in a civilized country. It doesn't happen in the United States of America. It doesn't happen in most world capitals. So the Serb government needs to reflect seriously about the responsibility it has under the Vienna Convention," he said.<br /><br />Burns, the third highest ranking diplomat in the State Department, said he told the Serbian prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, and his government that the U.S. "would hold them personally responsible for the safety of our people."<br /><br />"They assured me that they would have adequate security on the ground today and for every day to come. We will hold them to that commitment," Burns said.<br /><br />Demonstrators only managed to break into one U.S. embassy building, which Wanlund said was rarely used by staff. He said the protesters didn't manage to get any documents or embassy materials.<br /><br />Only Marines and security guards were present at the embassy when the angry mob of about 100 approached the walls.<br /><br />In addition to the U.S. Embassy, the protesters attacked other Western interests including the embassies of Britain and Germany, as well as a McDonald's restaurant and a Nike shop.<br /><br />"One might understand the emotion, but not the violence, and that's what the Serb government needs to remember," Burns said.<br /><br />Burns, who is stepping down in March, has long been involved in trying to resolve tensions in the former Yugoslavia. The situation was complicated by Sunday's unilateral declaration of independence by Serbia's predominantly Albanian region of Kosovo. Kosovo is revered historically by Orthodox Christian Serbs but also is claimed as separate and distinct by its ethnic Muslim Albanians.<br /><br />The wisdom of recognizing Kosovo independence has been questioned by many observers, who say the United States won't recognize other unilateral declarations of independence.<br /><br />Some opponents of Kosovo's independence say recognition is a bad precedent if it's unilateral and not done in a bilateral, diplomatic setting. They say it will give others the incentive to stage their own breakaway nations.<br />advertisement<br /><br />Burns said every situation has its unique set of circumstances, as does Kosovo, which was the victim of ethnic cleansing policies by the Slobodan Milosevic regime in 1999.<br /><br />NATO troops fought Serbia in an air war then and pushed Serbian forces out of the region. Since then Kosovo has been run by the United Nations and with security supplied by NATO forces<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-5982549489660946478?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-77799594050265459652008-02-20T18:19:00.000-06:002008-02-20T18:20:28.990-06:002008-02-20T18:20:28.990-06:00Total Lunar Eclipse TonightA total eclipse of the moon tonight is expected to delight skywatchers across the United States and much of the world.<br /><br />It will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2010.<br /><br />The easy-to-watch event will play out in several stages as Earth's shadow blocks sunlight from shining on the moon. Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from all locations in the United States, according to NASA. Along the Oregon and northern California coasts, the moon will rise during the early stages of the eclipse, however.<br /><br />When to watch<br /><br />Eclipses occur only at full moon when the sun, Earth and moon are in a perfect line. Because the moon's orbit around Earth is not perfectly aligned with the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun, eclipses do not occur at every full moon.<br /><br />The moon will enter Earth's umbral shadow (the full shadow) at 8:43 p.m. ET (that's 7:43 p.m. Central, 6:43 p.m. Mountain and 5:43 p.m. Pacific) on Wednesday, Feb. 20. It will appear as though an ever-larger bite is being taken out of the moon.<br /><br />Some 78 minutes later, the moon will slip into full eclipse. About 51 minutes later, a bright scallop will appear as the moon starts emerging. It will be completely out of the umbral shadow at 9:09 p.m. Pacific time, which is 12:09 a.m. ET on Thursday morning.<br /><br />For Europe and Africa, the eclipse is a predawn Thursday event, with the moon starting entry to the umbral shadow at 1:43 Greenwich (or Universal) Time.<br /><br />What you'll see<br /><br />Look for the moon to possibly turn red during the total portion of the eclipse. "The exact color that the moon appears depends on the amount of dust and clouds in the atmosphere," according to a NASA statement. "If there are extra particles in the atmosphere, from say a recent volcanic eruption, the moon will appear a darker shade of red."<br /><br />The redness occurs because while the moon is in total shadow, some light from the sun passes through Earth's atmosphere and is bent toward the moon. The effect is to cast all the planet's sunrises and sunsets on the moon.<br /><br />Christopher Columbus famously used a blood-red eclipse in 1504 to frighten natives on Jamaica into feeding his crew.<br /><br />The planet Saturn and the bright star Regulus will form a broad triangle with the moon's ruddy disk, according to Joe Rao, SPACE.com's Skywatching Columnist.<br /><br />You don't need any special equipment to watch a lunar eclipse. Comfortable chairs and warm clothing are good ideas. A telescope will bring out interesting details of the lunar surface, and even a small telescope will reveal Saturn's stunning rings<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-7779959405026545965?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24653400.post-77878503622782970822008-02-20T14:06:00.000-06:002008-02-20T14:07:04.780-06:002008-02-20T14:07:04.780-06:00Cos should hurry up with their H1B petitions to beat the April 1 deadlineIt’s that time of the year when Indian companies that plan to send employees to the US on H1B work permits need to wake up and start smelling the coffee.<br /><br />Last year, the H1B work permit quota, applicable for those who started their employment term in the US in October 2008, was hit within a day. And this year too, there’s likely to be a similar rush for the non-immigrant visa category - which is meant for skilled foreigners in specialty occupations.<br /><br />Immigration experts and lawyers are all advising companies and skilled individuals to start planning ahead for their H1B applications and not leave things to the last moment. “I strongly recommend that companies should begin preparing for H1B filings at the earliest if they hope to file on April 1, 2008, which is the first day on which H-1B applications will be accepted for an employment commencing on October 1, 2008,” says Poorvi Chothani, founder of LawQuest, a general business law firm that offers global immigration solutions and is sole correspondent in India to Cyrus D. Mehta & Associates PLLC, a New York based immigration law firm.<br /><br />Fast Track<br /><br />Labor Condition Application Process - Department of Labor<br /><br />Employer must certify:<br /><br />It is paying the higher of what it pays its own similar workers or what similar workers in the area are paid (whichever is higher)<br /><br />The working conditions of its US workers are not adversely affected.<br /><br />There is no strike/lockout at the worksite nor in the occupation for which a foreign professional is sought.<br /><br />It has given notice to current employees that it is seeking to hire an H-1B professional.<br /><br />The H-1B cap applies to new petitions filed for foreign workers that have not been counted against the H-1B cap within the past six years. The following are not subject to this cap.<br /><br />Any petitions, extensions, or change of employer, filed for current H-1B workers.<br /><br />New petitions filed for employment at institutions of higher education or related or affiliated nonprofit entities, or nonprofit research organisations.<br />Agrees Anu Peshawaria, a California based lawyer and immigration consultant: “Like last year, this year too the visa numbers are likely to finish in a day. Preparation such as collection of documents, approval of prevailing labour and educational evaluation needs to be done in advance. We have informed all our corporate clients as well as students on F1 status in the US to file for H1B status early so that they do not miss the cap.”<br /><br /><br />The rush for H1Bs, which is fuelled by Indians and Indian companies in a big way, is expected to get bigger this year. Last year, 133,000 applications were filed on April 2 and April 3, the first two days when the 2008 H-1B visa process opened.<br /><br />The additional 20,000 advanced degree visas were also used up by April 30, 2007. “This year, we expect that the US masters’ degree quota may also be met on the first day or soon thereafter, unlike last year where we had about one month,” says Sheela Murthy, founder, president and managing attorney of Murthy Law Firm in Maryland.<br /><br />Meanwhile, a large number of Indian students who are graduating in the US are likely to forgo part of their one-year Optional Practical Training period and apply for H-1B visas to avoid the gap in status that arises when transitioning from OPT to H-1B.<br /><br />Experts feel that people have become smarter with many filing for H1B and L1 simultaneously to avoid disappointment. “Corporations have already started the preliminary work and most applications will be ready by the middle of March,” Ms Peshawaria says.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24653400-7787850362278297082?l=sandeepbahlspot.blogspot.com'/></div>Sandynoreply@blogger.com0