To all the Indian women who are waiting for the perfect man, here comes Mills and Boon. To all the men out there, would you like to know how to attract a mate? Simple! Just be like the "perfect" male lead characters in any Mills and Boon Novels. The mate you attract herself may not be perfect, but you will appeal to her. :) Anyway, BBC.com reports that publishers of romantic fiction, Mills and Boon, was launched in India recently.The company hopes that its amorous storylines will eventually seduce the country and become their biggest market.
So what does an all-female reading group in Delhi think of romantic novels where the dark and brooding hero almost invariably ends up wooing and winning the fair maiden?
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( 3 / 201 )
This is funny. Click here and here for more political caricatures like these.
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( 2.7 / 138 )A possible recession in U.S. may benefit outsourcers in India. So says Sudin Apte, a senior analyst and country head for India at Forrester Research.
On an unrelated note, a year ago if you bought a home your realtor probably told you that this is the best time to by home. [You get my drift.]
Seriously, I am not saying that a US recession will not benefit outsourcing companies in India. They may or may not. If a possible US recession is short and shallow, India might not be adversely affected that much. If the recession is deep and prolonged, it will hurt India more than it will hurt US. But I don't think a recession of any scale here will help India.
Excerpts from the article:
PC World
Monday, February 18, 2008; 12:13 AM
Close on the heels of the appreciation of the Indian rupee against the dollar, Indian outsourcing companies are grappling with a new problem -- uncertainty among U.S. companies about a recession has made these companies delay finalizing their IT budgets.
As a result many large deals between U.S. clients and Indian outsourcers will not be finalized in the first half of this year, said Sudin Apte, senior analyst and country head for India at Forrester Research.
Business will, however, pick up for Indian outsourcers by the fourth quarter, particularly if the U.S. economy is in mild recession, Apte said.
"Our experience is that if the IT budgets of U.S. customers are marginally impacted in a recession, then there is an increase in business offshore, to cut costs," Apte said. If the cuts are too large, whole projects can however get canned, he warned.
The U.S. is the largest market for Indian outsourcers.
"We believe that the recessionary nature of today's economic climate will promote the adoption of increased outsourcing," said Siddharth Pai, a partner at outsourcing consultancy firm, Technology Partners International Inc (TPI) in Houston, Texas.
TPI does not as yet see a cut in either discretionary or non-discretionary spending on IT by companies.
Forrester said Monday that the IT services and outsourcing market will increase by 4 percent this year to US$162 billion from a growth rate of 6 percent a year earlier. The research firm forecast slowing growth this year for purchases of IT products and services in the U.S.
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( 3 / 76 )Anytime I see a GOP politician, be it a congressman, Senator, state delegate, state senator or plain GOP hack keeps preaching you family values make loud noise about "FAMILY VALUES," I automatically presume that they have something to hide. The brazen hypocrisy of GOP operatives is amazing. Former GOP Congressman Mark Foley and Idaho Senator Larry Craig, both of whom are closet gays, made all the noise they can against gays. It turns out, they both gay and all that self loathing turned themselves against their own interests. There are numerous such hypocrites within GOP party. Two more surfaced this week.
A Bush appointed federal judge in New Hampshire quits after pleading guilty to drunk driving. From WBZTV.com (A CBS affiliate)
BOSTON (WBZ) ― A federal bankruptcy judge based in Boston has resigned after pleading guilty to drunk driving.
Judge Robert Somma will step down April 1 after already being on leave.
He is accused of rear-ending a pick-up truck in Manchester, N.H. last week.
Under the plea deal, Somma agreed to have his driver's license suspended for a year.
But he could get it back sooner if he successfully completes an alcohol awareness program.
The second case involves a state GOP lawmaker from Maryland. Robert A. McKee, a long-serving Republican delegate from Western Maryland, announced his resignation yesterday after authorities, who say they are conducting a child pornography investigation, seized two computers, videotapes and printed materials from his Hagerstown home.
First elected to the House of Delegates in 1994, McKee was chairman of the Western Maryland delegation and sponsored legislation to protect minors from sexual predators. McKee, 58, also resigned yesterday from his post as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County, a child mentorship program where he has worked for 29 years.
"For me, this is deeply embarrassing," McKee said in a statement. "It reflects poorly on my service to the community."
The FBI's cyber-crimes unit and the county sheriff's office are reviewing the materials seized from McKee's home Jan. 31, federal and local authorities said.
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( 3 / 73 )
God and Politics. This is a MUST see documentary from PBS.
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( 3 / 81 )
It has been 60 years since Gandhi was assassinated by Naduram Vinayak Godse. Regardless of how you view Gandhi's politics and his role in India's struggle for independence, the undeniable truth is that Godse is a religious extremist and a killer. BBC has an article on this. Excerpts:n the communally charged atmosphere during India's Partition in August 1947, Godse and his accomplices held Mahatma Gandhi responsible for the miseries of the Hindus and accused him of appeasing Muslims.
Right-wing Hindu nationalist organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, (Nationalist Volunteers' Organisation) were banned and many of its leaders were sent to jail following the assassination of Gandhi.
The RSS is the ideological fountainhead of India's main opposition party BJP.
'Selfless act'
Nathuram Godse was later tried and hanged but the RSS was exonerated and the government decided to lift the ban on its activities.
Even though the RSS publicly rejects Nathuram Godse, its leaders don't hide their appreciation for what they call his "selfless act".
"We will have to accept that Nathuram Godse acted with selfless spirit; he did not have any self-interest in it. He must also have been aware that he would be hanged for what he was going to do. This spirit cannot be denied," RSS ideologue Devendra Swaroop told the BBC.
"But he was wrong if he thought that Gandhiji was taking history in a wrong direction and by killing him he could correct the course of history," adds Mr Swaroop.
"RSS firmly believes that Godse acted at the spur of the moment and it was quite detrimental for the Hindu society. Gandhi dead proved to be stronger than Gandhi alive."
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( 2.9 / 79 )Super Tuesday turned out to be more than what we bargained for. Democratic voters are nearly evenly split between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama. With winner of New Mexico still not yet declared a few hundred votes difference, Obama is ahead by a mere 4 delegates over Clinton.I am still rooting for Obama and will be voting for him on Feb 12 in VA primary.
On the other side, while Mitt Romney just announced that he is dropping out from the GOP race, Mike Huckabee of GOP is still in the fray. McCain is clearly the front runner. Romney's parting statement:
"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."
What a joke!
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( 2.6 / 49 )
When it comes to politics, I am an independent. However, I have decided to vote straight democratic party line in the coming general election in US. My reasons are simple. I am disgusted by the utter incompetence, hypocrisy, religious extremism, and the divisive politics of GOP during the past 20 years since I have been in US.
Having said that, until last week, I didn't have any favorite in the presidential race. It all changed after I watched Obama's concession speech in New Hampshire and his victory speech in South Carolina primary. Yes, I will vote for Obama. In my earlier entry I said that being on the front cover of the Time Magazine is a contrarian indicator. I hope it is not the case this time and Obama wins the race for White House.
Tuesday, February 5th is the "super Tuesday" of primaries in United States. Voters in more than 20 states will go to the polls and pick their candidate for the president. A week after that (Feb 12), voters in my home state of VA will select their candidate.
One might ask, why Obama and why not Hillary Clinton? I think Hillary is well qualified to be the president. But, I am not convinced that she is the right candidate. A few things about her bother me lot.
1. Her vote for use of force in Iraq (at that time even I was saying it will be big mistake to go after Saddam). This shows poor judgment.
2. very recently she voted to declare Iran's revolutionary Guard as a "terrorist" organization. Really? Since when it is OK to declare legitimate wings of armed forces of a sovereign nation as "terrorists?" Is this necessary? Poor judgment again.
3. When NY Governor Elliot Spitzer wanted to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, she didn't give a straight answer about what she felt about that law. she didn;t want to lose the votes of either the proponents or opposers of that bill. If you wanted to be president, you have to show more courage than that.
4. Most importantly, her return to the White House will bring all the bitter partisan battles of Clinton presidency. The country and the world could use a leader whose time is not tied up in the battles with the right wing media.
5. While I cannot stand most republicans in power today, I am OK with John McCain. John McCain is the only republican candidate who has a chance of winning the White House again. If it is McCain-Clinton race, I think McCain will win. Another republican presidency could put the supreme court to even farther right. We cannot afford that.
If the contest is between McCain and Obama, the race will bring a lot of excitement in the country and around the world. I am hoping that ultimately Obama will win. The reasons:
1. McCain symbolizes the past and will continue to serve us a reminder about everything that is wrong with the establishment.
2. McCain's win will not end the bitter partisanship cultivated by the so called "Regan" republicans.
3. MCCain will certainly help restore some credibility for America among the world nations. At the same time, America will forever be viewed as a country which always elects a white male for its president and cannot overcome its race and gender biases.
4. Obama symbolizes the youth, future and hope. If there is one candidate who can reunite this country, and restore its dignity among it is Obama.
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( 2.9 / 38 )It is highly likely that the recent turmoil in the stock markets around the world would be impacting you personally. I have been into stock market investing in the US since 1991. I have taken my share of hits and hits (beatings and wins.) I read a lot and learned a thing or two about investing. I would like to share some of the things I learned here as a several part series. Take it for what its worth – which is to say, caveat emptor.
Part 1 – Anecdotal Evidence and Investing
You know the most powerful of all emotions in the investing world? If you thought it is “fear” you are correct. The fear of losing more potential gains drives the markets higher. The fear of losing money drives the markets lower. The stronger the fear the faster the speed with which the markets move in either direction.
Most technical analysts claim to predict market tops and bottoms based on some charts and other statistics. May be they can. But you don’t need to be a technical wizard to notice these. At the height of the market everybody who wanted to be in the market will be in. In other words, there is not many new players in the markets to push things higher. When things turn, it takes a while for those who are already in the market to figure out. How would you know if the market has peaked? Here are some anecdotal observations to be on the look out for:
1. Investment discussion dominate your social parties. Everybody and his/her spouse are talking about the money they already made and how much more they are going to make with their current holdings. If somebody who is invested has a long term track record to support their claims, pay attention to what he/she is saying. But if the boasting comes from a not-so-experienced person, or worse, form a stupid person (in your opinion, of course) – get out of the market. If you delay, and want to sell on a day like January 15 and 16 2008 when markets around the world tanked, you broker would be asking you, “sell to whom.”
2. When the cover of Time Magazine (or its equivalent) features a big winner who benefitted from the recent upswing or downswing in the market, that would be the time to take the opposite position. Here are some of the recent anecdotes that would have given you ample warning. Mukhesh Ambani becoming the world’s richest due to the stock market surge in India made a big news in India. Was he the front-page story in India Today? I honestly don’t know if he was or not. But if he was, this would be a big cue for you to dump all your shares. About two weeks ago The Wall Street Journal featured a front page article on a guy who benefitted the most by placing the bets that housing market would slump. In one year he made about 12 billion (3 billion to himself) on these bets. He is still bearish.
3. There are more, but that would be an information overload for you. :)
When I saw the above mentioned WSJ article, I told one of my colleagues, I think the bottom for this market is very near. Right now, I am willing to go out on the limb and say January 16th would be a short-term bottom (say, 12 months) in the world markets. Since the market bottom of 2001 (post 9/11 attacks) the easy money has already been made – especially in India. However, market gains here after would not come as easy they were in 2004 to early 2007. That’s my take. Again, take it for what its worth and don't place your bets based on my prediction(s).
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( 3 / 34 )When it comes to changing the fate of a candidate or even the fate of this country, South Carolina takes the top seat. The Civil War started with the succession of South Carolina from the Union. As far as the Republicans are concerned, nobody who lost in South Carolina primary went on to win the GOP nomination. The infamous smear attacks on John McCain by Carl Rove/George Bush team in 2000 primary season catapulted Bush to win the GOP nomination.
And then with a little help from the US Supreme Court, GW Bush was appointed the President of the United Stated. In other words, Bush was not only benefited by the votes by his Dad appointed SC judges, he also has taken advantage of the stupidity of SC voters.
This time, Obama wins SC primary? Will he win the Democratic party nomination? Will he win all the way? We just have to stay tuned. In the mean time, watch this video of his 'inspirational' victory speech in SC. Oh, ye, he took some swipes at the Clintons.
Victory Speech, Part 1Victory Speech, Part 2
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( 3.1 / 32 )Earlier on this blog I simply raised an issue, "will a possible recession in US affect Indian economy." At least one reader of this blog felt that India will not be affected by the downturn in US. If this observation is based on certain data, we can argue about it. But, this is mainly from "Indian pride" I have to say, "Sorry my friend. You are wrong." As they say, pride comes before the fall. Whether you like it or not, India is now dependent on US economy. Before you dismiss my claim, ask yourself the following:
- What is the percentage of Indian IT industry caters to the US clients?
- How much of the boom in the real estate market can directly be tied to foreign and NRI investments, as well as to the newly rich and hip IT workers in India (a vast majority of whom work on US projects)?
[photo courtesy: BBC.com]
[Quotes from an article at bbc.com]Investors in India are calling it a market meltdown. The drastic fall in the value of Indian shares took investors here by surprise. No one had expected the impact from falls in regional markets to be so pronounced in India.
"It doesn't make sense for markets to fall so much," one investor said as he looked up at the flashing red arrows.
"We are the worst affected out of all the regional markets, but we were performing the best before this. It just doesn't make sense.
"I've lost a lot of money today and I don't know what to do next."
"I thought this was somewhere I could put my money safely and grow it, rather than putting in the bank like my dad did," said Gauravi Sharma, a first-time investor.
"My parents had never invested in Indian shares, they said it was unsafe. But I thought, after everything I heard on TV and in the news, that this was the right place to put my money. Now I'm not so sure."
Indian investors have just learned a harsh lesson. No matter how quickly a market goes up, it can fall just as suddenly too.
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( 3 / 38 )From AP:
Stock Markets Plunge Worldwide
Monday January 21, 12:45 pm ET
By Toby Anderson, AP Business Writer
Stocks Plunge Worldwide Amid Pessimism Over US Stimulus Plan
LONDON (AP) -- Stocks fell sharply worldwide Monday following declines on Wall Street last week amid investor pessimism over the U.S. government's stimulus plan to prevent a recession.
U.S. markets were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but the downbeat mood from last week's market declines there circled through Europe, Asia and the Americas. Britain's benchmark FTSE-100 slumped 5.5 percent to 5,578.20, France's CAC-40 Index tumbled 6.8 percent to 4,744.15, and Germany's blue-chip DAX 30 plunged 7.2 percent to 6,790.19.
In Asia, India's benchmark stock index tumbled 7.4 percent, while Hong Kong's blue-chip Hang Seng index plummeted 5.5 percent to 23,818.86, its biggest percentage drop since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Canadian stocks fell as well, with the S&P/TSX composite index on the Toronto Stock Exchange down 4 percent in early afternoon trading. In Brazil, stocks plunged 6.9 percent on the main index of Sao Paulo's Bovespa exchange.
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Us stock futures are indicating a SHARPLY LOWER Open for Tuesday...
North/Latin America: 3:00 PM, Monday Jan 21, 2008
INDEX VALUE CHANGE
DJIA INDEX 11,592.00 -514.00
S&P 500 1,265.10 -60.20
NASDAQ 100 1,773.50 -76.00
S&P/TSE 60 711.80 -35.10
MEX BOLSA 25,520.00 -1,443.00
BOVESPA 53,873.00 -3,507.00
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( 3 / 40 )Recession is defined as an economic condition where the growth in the Gross Domestic Process (GDP) is negative for at least two consecutive quarters. A lot of economists are saying that if we are not already in a recession, we are headed into one. Lots of questions..
1. A recession in US and a continued boom in India?
2. One Euro is now worth $1.5; nearly doubled since 2000. Wow! Even Rupee is much stronger against the dollar. Will this trend continue?
3. If there is in fact a recession on the horizon, for sure there will be a lot of jobs lost in US. But, what happens to all those outsourced jobs?
The trigger for this steep slide in the US stock markets is the unfolding mortgage crisis. Back in August 2007, I wrote something about this topic. You can read it at: http://teluguoneradio.com/tori/lahari.jsp, click on: The ABCs of Housing Induced Credit Crunch.
On the other hand, the trigger for the weakness in dollar is George W. Bush's illegal war with Iraq. This war exposed the weakness of the so called 'the only superpower' nation. What was once considered as a reserve currency is now treated as toxic waste.
The situation for the US dollar was exactly opposite after the first Gulf War, which was the war of George HW Bush. The fall of the Soviet Union, which was followed by America's (and its real allies') decisive win in the first Gulf war made America look invincible. That's when America called itself the "Only Super Power." The dollar was sexy. People shunned gold and flocked to the dollar as the only reserve currency.
Then came the Euro in 2002, with the backing of the economies that are almost as big as the American economy. For decades, oil was traded only in Dollars. Saddam Hussain broke that tradition in 2001. Some say that GW Bush went to war with Saddam for accepting Euros for oil. I would suspect this may not be the only reason for the war, but it could be one of the main contributing factors to the current Iraq war. If Bush did go to war to solidify the dollar as the only reserve currency, he achieved exactly the opposite.
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( 3 / 40 )
Humility in Victory. Grace in defeat. These are the traits of great personalities. Some of the most inspiring speeches of current times are coming from Senator Obama. I was awe-struck by his charismatic personality, ability to draw the youth, who are otherwise indifferent to politics, to the polls and the eloquence in his speeches. His win in Iowa caucus and loss in New Hampshire primary are both unexpected. He sounds upbeat and optimistic in both victory and defeat. The concession speech [click on the image to watch it on YouTube] he gave after New Hampshire primary is fantastic.
Whether Obama, or Clinton wins all the way, Obama is correct in saying, "Change. That's what is happening in America."
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( 3.2 / 18 )
On Monday January 7, Indian cricket player Harbhajan was banned for making a racist remark against the Australian player Andrew Symonds during their tempestuous defeat to Australia in the second Test. Singh was found guilty of breaching the players' code of conduct. The International Cricket Council held a four-hour hearing after the Test finished on Sunday, finally announcing their verdict deep into the night in Australia. Things apparently got ugly and pretty quick afterwards.Indian cricket team threatened to walkout of the Australian Tour unless the ban on Singh is nullified. The Team contends that there is no hard evidence that Singh made any such insensitive remarks. The Indian team alleged that they were in fact the subjects of discrimination from the test match officials. They allege that Symonds was declared not-out when he was clearly out, which made all the difference in the first test.
The most recent news is that Team India decided to continue with the tour. Of course, you can get this news from any news outlet. However, how do you react to this bizzare set of events?
India and Australia were not strangers to such high drama. Here is a recount of the drama that happened during the 1981 Melbourne Test from Rediff.com.
G R Vishwanath batted as only as he can, scoring 114 in India's first innings score of 237. Australia replied strongly with 417, Allan Border hitting a gritty 124 and veteran Doug Walters scoring a brisk 78. Spinners Dilip Doshi and Shivlal Yadav sent down 84 overs between them capturing five wickets for 209 runs while Karsan Ghavri and Sandeep Patil claimed two each. The match seemed lost.
True to tradition, India's second innings was a different story. Skipper Sunil Gavaskar and his partner Chetan Chauhan were cool and confident and the runs began to flow. The century partnership arrived and the Australian bowlers did not look like taking any wickets.
When the stand reached 165, the drama began. Dennis Lillee was the bowler. Gavaskar was rapped on the pads, there was a huge appeal, and the umpire raised his finger. Gavaskar looked at the umpire disbelievingly and indicated his bat to convey the message that he had played the ball.Lillee, always the showman, ran down the pitch and ordered Gavaskar to walk. Words were exchanged. Gavaskar, furious, did walk, but indicated to Chauhan to leave the crease and return to the pavilion as well! What was going on, everyone wondered.
Disgusted with the overall umpiring standards on the tour and this decision in particular, the captain wanted to walk away with his partner. It would have amounted to conceding the Test match to the Australians, something that had never happened before.
The patient Chauhan talked urgently to the captain and signalled to the pavilion. The team manager, Wing Commander Durrani, trooped to the ground. As the disbelieving Australians watched, he persuaded the captain to return to the pavilion and allow the game to continue.
After things had cooled down, Gavaskar, while maintaining that he had played the ball and hence was not out, apologised for his actions. Dennis Lillee in his book Over and Out claimed that Gavaskar had not played the ball at all and was clearly out.
Anyway, in an action-packed match, this incident stood out. But there was more drama on the field. After losing Chauhan for 85, India were all out for 324. Yadav, whose fractured toe was encased in plaster, volunteered to bat and was ready with his pads on. Kapil Dev injured his ankle badly and hobbled along and it was doubtful if he could bowl when Australia batted again, needing only 142 to win.
What hurt the Indians more was the attitude of some people who were present at a private party that the Indians attended that night. Rude comments were made about their cricketing ability. It was like the nightmarish reception at the Indian high commission in London on the evening of the 1974 Lord's Test after the Indians were bowled out for 42. Everyone, including the high commissioner, was rude to the players!
So the Indians had something to prove. Though they had lost Dyson and Chappell, the hosts were expected to win comfortably. Kapil was on pain killers, Yadav could not field or bowl. But Dilip Doshi kept one end going (two for 33 in 22 overs) and Kapil used the helpful wicket to devastating effect. Bowling off a shortened run, he moved the ball both ways and cut it off the pitch to finish with five wickets for 28 runs in 16.4 overs. His victims? Bruce Yardley, Allan Border, Rodney Marsh, Dennis Lillee and Jim Higgs.
India achieved a remarkable victory. Though I was not at the finish I celebrated with the rest of the nation. Greg Chappell gave way to Kim Hughes as the captain. But to this day, the Melbourne Test is remembered for Gavaskar's action in walking away with his partner Chetan Chauhan, ready to give the match away to the opposition!
Dennis Lillie's infamous 'Howzaaat' stance and his trying to hush Gavaskar out of the grounds was only the trigger for Gavaskar's reaction. included among several other reasons for this was a news paper column written by former Australian skipper Ian Chappel, the older brother of Greg Chappel. In that column Ian Chappel wrote the following (I am paraphrasing):
"If Indians cannot take the Australian heat, they should go and play in the shades with a club team in Sri Lanka." (At that time, Sri Lanka was not yet a test playing country.)
This is history. But the present is not as bad. If Singh actually hurled the alleged racial remarks, he deserves the ban. What do you think?
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( 3.1 / 14 )
Calendar
