Say what you will about his politics or party affiliation. Bobby Jindal was the first first-generation Indian to become US congressman. Now, he set another distinction - he became the first first-generation Indian American to become the Governor of a major state. Not only that, Mr. Jindal, 36, also becomes the youngest US governor and the first Indian-American to head a state.
Congratulations, Mr. Jindal.
I have a few things to say about his politics. I will save them for a future date. See the coverage on MSNBC: Son of Indian immigrants is new La. governor
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( 3 / 22 )
Four Indian cricket fans have been charged for allegedly racially abusing Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds by making monkey gestures, police say.
The four fans were evicted from a one-day international match in Mumbai (Bombay) on Wednesday.
Symonds is the only mixed race player in the Australian side, having made his international debut in 1998.
He frequently clashed with Indian players during the one-day series, which Australia won 4-2.
Cricket officials say that photographs of fans making offensive gestures to Symonds as he came in to bat have been handed over to police.
Police say that the four fans, including a woman, have been charged with harassment and have now been released on bail to appear in court at a later date.
[More from BBC.com]
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( 3 / 23 )
It took 5 trading days for Sensex to go from 17,000 to 18,000 and about the same time form 18,000 to 19,000. This is insanity in steroids. I have been a student of financial markets and, especially crowd psychology that drives financial markets. No matter the fundamentals that are dictating this meteoric rise. It ain't real. It ain't good. caveat emptor! Via BBC.
Trading on India's main stock index, the Sensex, was suspended briefly on Wednesday, after the market slumped 9%.[Read more.]
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( 2.9 / 11 )The immigration debate in US is very lopsided. Currently all the political focus is on illegal immigration. Almost no prominent politician talks about legal immigration.
For decades, if not centuries, the country nurtured fertile policies that attracted the best minds from around the world to come to America and pursue their dreams. The great Albert Einstein was an immigrant. Many top executives of the top hi-tech firms such as Bill Gates support lenient immigration policies that would lessen the burden of obtaining a green card by the highly educated and skilled workers. Some argue that a lenient immigration policy is an antidote to the outsourcing juggernaut that is shipping American jobs off-shore. Easing the immigration hurdles for the highly educated is also seen as a possible fix to the inevitable bankruptcy of the Social Security.
The New York Sun recently published an article on this subject. Some excerpts:
Keep Them Here
BY DIANA FURCHTGOTT-ROTH
October 5, 2007
Edina Rosta, a brilliant Hungarian chemist doing path-breaking research as a post-doctoral student at the National Institutes of Health, is just the kind of young scientist America needs.
With a PhD from the University of Southern California, a sheaf of international awards, and a dozen publications to her name, she should have no trouble getting a visa or "green card" that would let her work or study in America indefinitely.
So one would think. But Edina's F1 Optional Practical Training visa, like all such visas, is good for only one year. Her application for a "national interest waiver-based permanent residency visa" took an entire month to complete last summer and cost her the standard $6,000 in legal fees and $1,000 in application fees. She still does not know whether or not she will receive permanent residency and where she will be this time next year.
Her colleague, Andrei, a Russian physicist with a wife and child to support, can't afford the $7,000 visa application and legal fees. So he's considering applying to go to Canada, where it's easier for highly-skilled persons to be admitted to work.
Edina and Andrei are real-life examples of a recent study by the Kauffman Foundation, a non-profit foundation focusing on entrepreneurship. Entitled "Intellectual Property, the Immigration Backlog, and a Reverse Brain-Drain," the study concludes that one million skilled workers are competing for 120,000 permanent residency visas, causing talented workers to choose to live elsewhere.
According to Harvard Law School fellow Vivek Wadhwa, an author of the study, the visa backlog hurts America. "The United States benefits from having foreign-born innovators create their ideas in this country. Their departures would be detrimental to U.S. economic well-being," he said. Further, "when foreigners come to the United States, collaborate with Americans in developing and patenting new ideas, and employ those ideas in business in ways they could not readily do in their home countries, the world benefits."
By making it difficult for Edina, Andrei, and countless other scientists to stay in America, Congress is dissipating the value America receives from taxpayers' investments in research.
In 2005, the most recent data available, the federal government spent more than $28 billion on science and engineering research at American universities and research institutions. This funding helps finance PhD programs, which are heavily populated with foreign students.
More than $17 billion of this research spending is health related, like Edina's work at NIH. Other funders include the Defense Department, $2.7 billion, and the Department of Energy, $900 million.
In New York State alone, the federal government spent more than $2.3 billion.
......
American universities are among the world's leading research institutions, attracting the top minds, not only those from America but also from many other countries. The National Science Foundation data show that 127,000 foreign graduate students studied in American universities in 2005, down from a peak of 132,000 in 2003.
The number and percentage of PhDs in science and engineering awarded to Americans and permanent residents have declined dramatically over the past decade. Fewer Americans, and more foreigners, are being awarded PhDs in scientific and engineering fields, even as the total number of new doctorates has increased.
In computer science, mathematics, physics, and engineering, more than half of PhDs are awarded to foreigners. In 1995, 72% of PhDs in physics were awarded to Americans. In 2005, the latest data available, it had fallen to 42%. In 1995, 62% of PhDs in computer sciences went to Americans — in 2005, this had declined to 42%. There's a similar decline in Edina Rosta's field, chemistry. In 1995, 75% of PhDs went to Americans, compared to 57% in 2005.
The bottom line is that America attracts the best and brightest researchers from around the world, trains them at great expense to American taxpayers, and then asks them to leave. In their home countries or in other countries that are willing to give them visas, these young scientists work for businesses and government research groups, often in competition with America — and sometimes in conflict.
.......
Rather than simply funding an expensive job-training program for foreign graduate students, Congress should allow them — or even require them — to stay. It should expand the number of permanent resident visas and simplify the application process.
America would be far richer if the Edina Rostas of the world worked here, instead of leaving to compete against us.
I agree. Any government that is pushing globalization and free-trade should also note that these trade policies should not only apply to goods and services, but also to the labor pool. In a competitive world, the highest bidder wins. The way I see things is that just as India and China started bidding for the skilled labor, America is pulling its bids.
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( 3 / 24 )
Total number of films produced by all Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood productions combined will be a big multiple of the number of movies produced by all of the Hollywood filmmakers. Films made in relatively obscure foreign languages not only make entry into Oscars but also win the awards. Yet, we rarely see any Indian made film make entry into the Oscars, much less winning one. The much touted Lagan, which rhymed with long-on, was no doubt an inspirational movie for the Indian crowds. I heard some comments to the effect that Oscars judges don't understand Indian sentiments which is why Lagan didn't win the Oscar. I beg to defer. The Lagan formula was played over and over again in Hollywood flicks - especially in a bunch of Disney movies which featured good guys winning a sport and therefore, their pride back. I think the Oscar judges didn't see anything novel in Lagan.
Oscar 2008 awards are about 4 1/2 months away. For a couple of months there was a talk about Indian movies being nominated for 'foreign language' film category. Excerpts form the Washington Post article .
India may be forced to withdraw its Oscar entry in the foreign film category because of alleged bias in the selection process.
"Maybe there will be no film from India," Vinod Pandey, chairman of the Film Federation of India, said Monday. "Anything is possible. We can reaffirm our choice, send another or maybe India would retire this year."
The Bombay High Court has asked the federation to respond to a lawsuit challenging the selection of well-known filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra's "Eklavya: The Royal Guard."
First-time director Bhavna Talwar filed a petition claiming one panelist on the 11-member jury had edited a promotional short film for "Eklavya," and that two other jury members were also close to Chopra.
Talwar's "Dharm" was passed over for "Eklavya," a thriller starring Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Pandey acknowledged irregularities in the process.
"I cannot be proud about the methodology and the dynamics of selection," he told The Associated Press.
..............
Click here for more from Washington Post (registration required)
Some corrupt instincts deep-rooted in our culture will never change. IDIOTS!!!
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( 3.1 / 24 )The Ups:
- Stock market
- The wealth of top 1% in the US (and the world)
The Downs:
- Housing and Real Estate Prices
- US Dollar
- Bush approval rating
Two noted market strategists think that the US financial markets are headed for a major crash. Click here for the video link.
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( 3 / 20 )
Twice in the last four weeks BBC.com is reporting a 'reverse-outsourcing' phenomenon. While I am not totally convinced that this is a large trend, but I do believe that if the world were to be really 'flat' the best talent would go wherever the opportunities are. Karishma Vaswani reports that Infosys is actively recruiting British graduates for its IT projects.
Excerpts:
Although Indian firms have been growing very quickly, companies are struggling to find skilled professionals at home to keep their businesses growing so now they are turning their focus overseas.
Marco Cullen is one of 25 British students that Infosys has recruited, as part of its hunt for global talent.
He had applied to a number of companies - and was even given an offer at British Telecom - but went with Infosys because of the company's international exposure.
"You get that kind of global experience that you wouldn't really get even if you worked for a global company back home," he says.
"All of your colleagues would be from your hometown and your area. It's a completely different job market here - and you get to see how things work in a new environment."
............
Indian technology firms were the first to take advantage of low cost labour at home to do work for companies overseas.
Now, in an effort to stay in the game, they are heading out of India's shores to stay competitive.
[Full article at BBC.com]
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( 3.1 / 24 )
You may have read (or at least herd of) his book "The World is Flat," No, he is not the type of flat-earther who denies global warming. In that book he makes a case for free-trade. Tom is an editorial columnist in the New York times. He weighs in on Al Gore and his Nobel Prize and President Bush. Excerpts from his article:Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush each faced a crucible moment. For Mr. Gore, it was winning the popular vote and having the election taken away from him by a Republican-dominated Supreme Court. For Mr. Bush, it was the shocking terrorist attack on 9/11.
Mr. Gore lost the presidency, but in the dignity and grace with which he gave up his legal fight, he united America. Then, faced with what to do with the rest of his life, he took up a personal crusade to combat climate change, even though the odds were stacked against him, his soapbox was small, his audiences were measured in hundreds, and his critics were legion. Nevertheless, Mr. Gore stuck with it and over time has played a central role in building a global consensus for action on this issue.
.........
“Gore, even without the presidency, used all the modern tools of communication, the Internet, video and globalization to reach out and galvanize a global movement,” Mr. Rothkopf said. “Bush took the greatest platform in the world and dug himself a policy grave.”
Now Mr. Bush is a spent force and Mr. Gore is, apparently, not running. So we still need a president who can unify the country around meaningful action on energy and climate. Most of the Democratic candidates mouth the right words, but I don’t sense much real passion. Most of the Republican candidates seem to be brain-dead on the energy/climate challenge. And it is amazing to me how flat-out wrong some conservatives, like Rush Limbaugh, can be on this issue.
...........
[More from NY Times (registration required)]
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( 3.6 / 13 )
Dr. Pachauri, the chairman of the UN Panel on Climate Change, will share the Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President Al Gore. Gore and the UN Panel didn't get along in the beginning. From BBC.com:
The two men spoke on the phone after the announcement.
"This is Pachy... I am certainly looking forward to working with you. I'll be your follower and you'll be my leader," Dr Pachauri said.
Nobel laureate Al Gore
Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth was an unlikely box office hit
"Convey my congratulations to the IPCC," replied Mr Gore.
The two campaigners did not get off to the best of starts when Dr Pachauri was elected to head the IPCC in 2002.
US President George W Bush backed the Indian for the post, but Mr Gore, who had lost the presidential election to Mr Bush, criticized his appointment.
In an article in the New York Times, he called Dr Pachauri the "let's drag our feet candidate". The Indian hit back a few days later with a letter condemning Mr Gore for his "derogatory comments".
..........
The IPCC is the top authority on global warming, comprising more than 2,000 leading climate change scientists and experts.
As its chairman, Dr Pachauri is well-placed to combat environmental damage posed by rapid industrialisation.
He began his working life as a mechanical engineer building diesel railway engines, before moving on to study energy and economics.
He is also founder director of the Energy and Resources Institute, India's leading environmental think-tank.
[More from BBC.com]
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( 3.6 / 20 )
In the 2000 Presidential Election Mr. Al Gore won the popular vote. Despite the then Florida Secretary of State Kathrine Harris illegally purging over 60,000 democratic leaning voters, he came close to winning Florida electoral vote in 2000. The Supreme Court said 'stop the recount' and appointed George W Bush as the President of US (when recount was stopped Bush's lead over Gore in Florida was a mere 500+). Rove's dogs and the right-wing echo-chamber made-up phony stories about Gore and his supporters (like removing the letter 'W' from the computer keyboards in the White House.) Thus, the court appointed President's political operatives tried to turn Gore into a sore loser. I too almost believed these stories.
Mr. Gore was against the Iraq war from the beginning. He was and still is right. Years of their insults made him stronger. He became THE spokesperson for the Global Warming issue. They ridiculed him more. He won an Oscar. They were a little subdued but still ridiculed him.
Now, Mr. Gore won the Nobel Peace prize for his work related to raising awareness about Global Warming. All this happened while the idiot and their messianic King George is going down in history as the worst US President ever.
Who is having the last laugh now? They haven't yet ridiculed him. (I am sure they will.) As always, they are the barking stray dogs. This time they will be laughing at the elephant that Mr. Gore is.
Mr. Gore, PLEASE PLEASE run for the Office of the President of US.
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( 3.2 / 22 )
New York: The US Congress has issued a Congressional recognition honouring Indian music maestro M Balamuralikrishna for his stellar contribution to Carnatic music for the past seven decades.The proclamation, successfully piloted by Texas Congressman Nick Lampson, was presented to the music maestro at a function held here last weekend.
New Jersey State Assembly's resolution paying a tribute to Balamuralikrishna was also read out on the occasion. A concert by the maestro followed the function.
The event commemorated Balamuralikrishna's career spanning 70 years as well as his 77th birthday.
It was organised by Shri Vari Foundation, formed in New York to promote Indian music and dance in the US.
Prakaash M Swami, a journalist who has launched Shri Vari Foundation, described Balamuralikrishna as a living legend.
His rich contribution to Indian classical music includes sustained efforts to resurrect forgotten ragas.
He has over 400 compositions to his credit including varnams, krithis, javalis, devotional songs and thillanas.
He has sung in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, Kannada, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi and French. He has held concerts across the world and cut scores of albums.
The acclaimed vocalist's duets with North Indian vocalists and instrumentalists such as Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar and Hariprasad Chaurasia have forged national integration through music.
He is also an accomplished instrumentalist, playing the violin, veena, ganjira, viola and the mridangam with equal ease.
.....
[More form MSN news]
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( 3 / 26 )
CALCUTTA, India: An Indian court fined the organizers of a Hindu festival in east India two million rupees (US$50,000; €35,000) Thursday for using images from the best-selling Harry Potter books and movies without permission, the books' distributor said.Penguin India took legal action on behalf of author J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, who hold the rights in India, over a temporary shrine erected in the West Bengal city of Calcutta to honor the Hindu goddess of valor, Durga. The shrine was decorated to resemble Hogwarts School where the fictional boy wizard is taught his skills, and featured stills from the Harry Potter movies.
Delhi High Court ruled that the organizers of the Durga Puja festival must remove the display or pay the fine for copyright violation, Penguin India's regional sales manager Nirmalya Roychowdhury said.
"Sadly, the organizers of this large-scale commercially sponsored event did not approach us for permission to go ahead," Warner Brothers said in a statement in London.
[Click Here for the full AP Story]
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( 2.9 / 15 )
....India has by far the most restrictive employment-protection laws for collective dismissals, scoring much worse than China and Brazil as well as rich countries (see chart). Manufacturing firms need to obtain government permission to lay off workers from factories with more than 100 staff. This partly explains why most firms are so small: 87% of employment in Indian manufacturing is in firms with fewer than ten employees, compared with only 5% in China. Small firms cannot reap economies of scale or exploit the latest technology, and so suffer from lower productivity than big firms.India's reforms have certainly boosted the productivity of many firms. The snag is that unprofitable companies, which should have been squeezed out by competition, have remained alive because it is so hard to fire workers. This reduces productivity across the economy. India's hiring and firing laws also explain why the growth in manufacturing has been weak compared with the boom in services, which are not covered by the same rules. [Full story at the Economist.com]
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( 2.8 / 13 )NEW DELHI, Oct. 6, 2007
(AP) New Delhi's High Court justices, annoyed with lower court judges who issue problematic rulings, have decided to send one of them back to law school.
In an order issued late Friday, Judge R. K. Tiwari was told to return for a three-month refresher course after issuing an arrest warrant in defiance of a previous High Court ruling.
"Since Tiwari does not have even elementary knowledge of the criminal law and procedure it would be appropriate that he undergoes a refresher course at Delhi Judicial Academy," Justice V. B. Gupta wrote.
The move comes after a series of high-profile cases that have been overturned by the High Court or the national Supreme Court, citing lack of legal understanding by lower court judges.
Tiwari had ordered police to detain a landlord in a case where his tenant had failed to pay the power company, despite a previous High Court ruling that the landlord could not be held responsible. Tiwari could not immediately be reached for comment.
Gupta ordered that the head of the law school personally submit a report on Tiwari's progress after three months. And, to ensure that others in lower courts got the message, Gupta ordered copies of his order sent to all New Delhi judges.
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( 3.2 / 12 )[Via Yahoo/Reuters]By Nellie Andreeva
Reuters
Sunday, October 7, 2007; 7:49 PM
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC is heading east with "Outsourced," an India-set comedy based on the newly released indie film of the same name.
The story centers on a customer service manager in Seattle whose department is outsourced to India, and he goes there to train his replacement. The project explores the clash of the Western and Indian cultures, and chronicles the manager's romance with a local woman. NBC ordered a pilot script.
The premise of a romantic comedy about an American man falling for a woman from a different ethnic background draws parallels to another indie film, the smash hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." A half-hour series version of "Greek" ran briefly on CBS in early 2003.
"Outsourced" feature scribes George Wing ("50 First Dates") and John Jeffcoat are on board to write the pilot script. They also will serve as executive producers, along with pilot director Ken Kwapis ("The Office").
Jeffcoat also directed the movie, which stars Josh Hamilton and Ayesha Dharker and opened in limited release last month.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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( 3 / 26 )
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