Phony Friends? Rejected People Better Able To Spot Fake Smiles

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2008) — “There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.” It’s true too—next time you are lost in a foreign country, just flash a smile and the locals will be happy to help you find your way. An honest smile can convey a wide range of meanings, from being happy to having fun. Although, not all smiles are genuine. All of us have “faked a smile” at some point.

Now, a new study might make us think twice about sending out a phony grin. It has been shown that individuals who are experiencing rejection are better at picking up subtle social cues and according to a recent study published in the October issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, socially rejected people are particularly good at discerning fake smiles from real ones.

Psychologist Michael J. Bernstein and his colleagues from Miami University wanted to see to what extent rejected individuals would be able to identify the authenticity of a facial expression. The researchers induced feelings of social rejection in a group of the participants by making them think about a time when they felt socially isolated. Conversely, another group of participants were asked to recall times they felt accepted or included in a group.

A control group of participants were asked to recall the previous morning’s activities (resulting in neutral feelings). The participants then viewed videos of people smiling—some of the videos showed people expressing genuine smiles and the rest depicted people with fake smiles. Participants were to indicate which of the videos contained real smiles.

The results show that socially rejected individuals are better at distinguishing fake smiles from real smiles compared to individuals who feel socially accepted or who were in the control group. The authors propose that socially rejected people have an increased motivation to be accepted, thus making them more sensitive to specific social cues indicating opportunities for inclusion. The authors conclude, “It seems essential to detect legitimate signs of positivity that indicate possible reaffiliation with other people. Otherwise, rejected individuals could miss out on new chances for acceptance or ‘waste’ affiliation efforts on people who are not receptive.”

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Adapted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

Twenty 20: History in the making

History is about to be written, and that too in the Malayalam film industry.

The film which is creating a buzz is Twenty 20 and all the actors of Malayalam film industry for AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists). The excitement started with the first poster of the movie which featured five of the biggest heroes of Malayalam film industry -- Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Dileep.

So high pitch was the excitment that it has generated extreme reactions from the fans of the super stars. One of them is over Mammootty's placing in the poster. The poster shows him walking tall right at the centre of the poster, which is making Mohanlal's fans pretty concerned. They suggested another poster soon, with their idol at the centre, 'to balance the equation.' The fans of the other stars too are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the issue.

This is nothing new in Malayalam cinema. Such debates have prompted director Fazil to come up with two climaxes for his film Harikrishnans (starring the two Ms and Juhi Chawla) sometime back. One climax had Mammootty walking away with the heroine while another had Mohanlal doing the honours!

Special pujas in Coimbatore for Obama

October 29, 2008 12:10 IST

Democratic White House nominee Barak Obama has found an unexpected ally in Coimbatore. An Ayurvedic hospital chief is conducting special homams since September 26, seeking the blessings of the Gods for ensuring a smooth win for Obama in the US Presidential polls.

Topping the homams is the 'Mrityunjaya Homam', performed for ensuring a healthy and long life of a person, is being conducted from September 26 at the Dhanvanthari Temple, attached to the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP).

"The homam is being performed to protect Obama from attacks by enemies or opponents and also for long life," Krishnakumar, Managing Director of AVP, told PTI.

"I have no special interest in Obama. But I was fascinated by his campaigning style when I was in America recently. I got his horoscope, read it carefully and thought of performing some poojas for his victory," he said.

Finding him to be a Black, dynamic, poor and above all a pro-Indian, I wanted him to win the elections and voluntarily started poojas, he said.

Besides the main Mrityunjaya Homam, 'Shatru Samhara Pushpanjali' are also being conducted to 'dilute' the powers of his opponents, he said.

These special poojas, which would conclude on November 4, (Obama's birthdate) would definitely reflect on his victory, Krishnakumar claimed.

On every Monday, an 'ilanir dhara' on Lord Shiva Idol (anointing with tender coconut water), was also being performed, Krishnakumar added.

Chavez sees Palin as confused "beauty queen"

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, renowned for colourful insults of world leaders, called U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a confused "beauty queen" on Friday after she said he was a dictator.

Chavez, a leftist who often mocks U.S. President George W. Bush, invoked the advice of Jesus Christ on how to handle the slights by Palin, the Republican governor of Alaska and a former beauty pageant winner.

"I saw the vice presidential candidate, there she was talking about 'the dictator Hugo Chavez.' The poor thing, you just feel sorry for her," he said during a televised broadcast.

"She's a beauty queen that they've pulled out to be a figurehead. We need to say as Christ did: Forgive her, she knows not what she's saying."

Republican presidential candidate John McCain picked Palin, who calls herself a moose-hunting "hockey mom," as his running mate for the November 4 election in a surprise move meant to fire up the party's conservative Christian base.

McCain and his Democratic rival Barack Obama have promised to reduce U.S. dependence on oil from Venezuela, which supplies about 11 percent of total U.S. oil imports.

The highly popular Chavez, who ousted the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela in September, has described the United States as a decadent empire and has revelled in the U.S. financial crisis.

The loquacious leader made headlines in 2006 by calling Bush "the devil" at a United Nations assembly. He also sparked controversy by calling German Chancellor Angela Merkel a political descendant of Adolf Hitler.

(Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Is it just a crisis of confidence?

28 Oct, 2008, 1707 hrs IST, BusinessWeek

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By: Michael Mandel Is the market and economic turmoil nothing more than a crisis of confidence? To listen to Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson, you might think so. "At the root of the problem is a loss of confidence by investors and the public in the strength of key financial institutions and markets," Bernanke told the Economic Club of New York on Oct. 15. On Oct. 20, Paulson went further, explaining the bank recapitalization program this way: "Our purpose is to increase confidence in our banks and increase the confidence of our banks so that they will deploy, not hoard, their capital. And we expect them to do so, as increased confidence will lead to increased lending." The implication of the Bernanke-Paulson view is that the underlying economic system is fundamentally sound, so that restoring trust in the financial system will put us back on a growth course. From that perspective, the infusion of massive amounts of capital into banks, which replaces the money lost in bad mortgages, will enable lending to begin again. Once investors see that all is well, then they will cease their irrational behavior, and start putting money back into stock markets and companies around the world. Treating the Wrong Problem? But what if the Bernanke-Paulson view is wrong? What if financial stress is a symptom, not a cause? What if we face a wrenching readjustment of the global real economy rather than a crisis of confidence rooted in the financial system? What if Bernanke and Paulson are treating the wrong problem? What if investors, realizing that their long held assumptions about the global economy are wrong, are rationally bailing out of stock markets in almost every country, at least for now? In fact, there's good reason to believe that the current crisis reflects a growing realization: Long accepted patterns of cross-border technological transfer, foreign trade, and global finance are simply not sustainable. Three Big Flows For the past 10 years, global growth has been driven by three big flows. The first flow was the transmission of knowledge, technology, and business know-how from the U.S. and other industrialized countries to low-wage emerging economies such as China and India. Under the neutral name of "supply chain management," multinationals taught local suppliers to make shirts, laptop computers, and airplane rudders that could be sold around the world. Moreover, U.S. and European companies gave suppliers access to enough information that they could develop their own cell phones, software, and other tech products. The result: a massive improvement in productivity and living standards in emerging economies. The second flow was the movement of goods and services from China and other emerging economies to the U.S. Massive amounts of production capacity was built around the world, assuming that the U.S. was always going to be the consumer of last resort. Indeed, the value of U.S. imports—over $2.3 trillion in 2007—was larger than the entire output of Britain, the sixth-largest economy in the world. The result: Rising living standards in the U.S., rising employment, and production around the world. The final flow, of course, was financial. The rest of the world lent U.S. consumers trillions of dollars to finance the trade deficit. The money flowed into the country in all sorts of ways, including cheap mortgages and cheap credit for cars and televisions that were made overseas. At the same time, companies in emerging markets were borrowing heavily to build the factories that were going to supply the developed world. Something Had to Give This tri-flow worked as long as everyone believed that American consumers could finance their debt. But here's the problem: At the same time Americans were borrowing, their real wages were falling—and not just for the least educated. By BusinessWeek's calculations, real weekly earnings for college grads without an advanced degree have dropped every year since 2002. You can't pay back rising debt with falling wages; something had to give. The first thing that broke were subprime mortgages, given to less creditworthy borrowers. But once investors started to look, they realized that the entire global edifice was built on an impossibility. The tri-flow that had built global prosperity could not be sustained. Good News and Bad News That's why the financial crisis has spread across the globe. Investors are peering at every country, from Kuwait to Korea, asking the question: Is it sound enough to survive if American demand for imports falls? The problem is in the structure of the global real economy, not the financial system. This is both bad news and good news. The bad news is that government injections of capital into banks around the world can slow the damage, but they cannot fix the basic problem. The global economy has to go through a readjustment process that will be difficult even if policymakers can restore confidence in the financial system. The good news is twofold. First, the productivity gains in the emerging economies are real. Sooner rather than later, their growth will resume. Second, we do have a tool for easing the adjustment, and that's fiscal stimulus. With private demand for credit weak, governments can judiciously borrow and spend to help pump up growth and employment. The final implication: Policymakers should stop talking about investor confidence as if it exists in a vacuum. Instead, they should focus on the real goal of stimulating the creation of innovative new goods and services that the U.S. can produce and sell on global markets. That would reduce the amount of borrowing the country has to do, and help create a sustainable global economy. This crisis is not any fun. But if it shakes up companies and government, and forces them to focus on innovation, the end result will be stronger, more solid economic growth. Mandel is chief economist for BusinessWeek.

Suicide linked to brain changes

The brains of people who commit suicide are chemically different to those who die from other causes, a Canadian study has suggested.

Researchers analysed brain tissue from 20 dead people and, in those who killed themselves, they found a higher rate of a process that affects behaviour.

Writing in Biological Psychiatry, they said it appeared environmental factors played a part in the changes.

And they said the discovery opened up a new avenue of research.

This is exciting new evidence that genetic and environmental factors may interact to produce specific and long-lasting modifications in brain circuits John Krystal, Biological Psychiatry editor

The researchers, from the University of Western Ontario, Carleton University and University of Ottawa, analysed tissue from 10 people who had a serious depressive disorder and had committed suicide and 10 who had died suddenly from other causes, such as a heart attack.

They found that the DNA in the suicide group was being chemically modified by a process normally involved in regulating cell development, called methylation.

It is methylation which shuts down the unwanted genes in a cell - so the necessary genes are expressed to make a cell a skin cell rather than, for example, a heart cell.

The rate of methylation in the suicide brains was almost 10 times that of the other group, and the gene that was being shut down was a chemical message receptor that plays a major role in regulating behaviour.

In the paper, the researchers suggest this reprogramming could contribute to the "protracted and recurrent nature of major depressive disorder".

Previous research has suggested that changes to the methylation process can be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors called epigenetics.

Modifications 'shape life'

Dr Michael Poulter, who led the research, said: "The whole idea that the genome is so malleable in the brain is surprising, because brain cells don't divide.

"You get dealt your neurons at the start of life, so the idea that there are still epigenetic mechanisms going on is pretty unusual."

He said the findings of the study opened up a new avenue of research and potential therapies for depression and suicidal tendencies.

John Krystal, the editor of Biological Psychiatry, said: "This is exciting new evidence that genetic and environmental factors may interact to produce specific and long-lasting modifications in brain circuits.

"Further, these modifications may shape the course of one's life in extremely important ways, including increasing the risk for major depressive disorder and perhaps suicide."

IITians feel the global meltdown heat

27 Oct, 2008, 0817 hrs IST,Shreya Biswas, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: So you thought IITians were immune to the ups and downs of the job market, right? Think again! Many IITians working with Indian and multinational companies are facing the axe because of the global meltdown.

The 24-year-old Siddharth Arora (name changed) is one among them. He lost his job last week with a US-based legal process outsourcing company. When he got the confirmation letter for this job 11 months back, he was on cloud nine — an attractive salary and an interesting job profile in intellectual property. But today Siddharth, who completed his masters this April, is looking for a job. He is ready to settle for much less (around Rs 4-5-lakh) compared to Rs 7 lakh that he got with his first job straight out of the IIT campus. He has already applied to 50 companies and is still awaiting a response.

Siddharth’s is not a stray case. Close to 13 of his colleagues from top four IITs — Kanpur, Kharagpur, Bombay and Madras — have also been laid-off.

For almost all of them, the announcement was a bolt from the blue. “Pre-lunch, everything was normal, post-lunch everything changed,” says Mr Siddharth. “At least they could have given us some time or they could have cut our salaries to save the situation rather than laying off people. Our joining was delayed by a month. If they got the signals earlier, they could have at least informed us,” adds Siddharth. These are are not isolated cases of IITians facing the brunt of the job-market slowdown. In fact, according to media reports, 15 students of IIT-Kharagpur have already received regret letters from companies that had earlier extended job offers.

But Prof BK Mathur, chairperson of IIT-Kharagpur’s placement cell, said: “None of the students got in touch with us or have informed (us) about anything like that (regret letters).” According to him, some new employers have got in touch with the institute after media reports on ‘regret letters’ surfaced and have extended job offers to students who have reportedly received such letters.

A faculty member in charge of placements at another top IIT confirmed to ET that five students from the batch that passed out in April 2008 have been given the pink slip. A similar fate awaits another 3-4 students from the same batch, informed sources.

It’s not the thought of not been able to land a new job, but the salary and job-profile compromises that they have to make that trouble these laid-off IITians. No wonder then that most of them are weighing their options more carefully now.

Been subjected to such workplace heat so early in their career, these IITians have a word of advice for their juniors who are yet to pass out of the institutes. “Delay your entry into the job-market, go in for an extra qualification as it will add value to your CV,” says Prachit Manchanda, (name changed), an IITian and ex-employee of another MNC IT company in Bangalore.

Wave of job cuts sweeps across corporate America from Home - Livemint.com

by Reuters

New York: Corporate America is bleeding jobs and wielding the ax well beyond the financial sector.

As companies look at their prospects for the final quarter of the year and begin to see increasingly grim outlooks for 2009, they are cutting jobs from many different parts of their businesses. They are also slashing capital spending and, in some cases, dividends and even wages.

Government figures released on Thursday showed the number of US workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 478,000 in the week ended 18 October.

Whether it is a hotel company fearing declining bookings or room rates, a funds management company facing redemptions from clients who have seen the value of their investments plunge, or an office equipment firm facing slowing demand, many entities are urgently seeking to cut costs. And the payroll is often the critical focus.

“I suppose what we’re really seeing is the movement that the government’s been worried about,” said John Challenger, chief executive officer of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “How will the credit crisis move off of Wall Street and onto Main Street? Now we’re able to see that. These companies needed credit to keep their business going.”

Here are a sample of announcements and reports from the past 36 hours:

* Chrysler LLC said on Thursday it is slashing 1,825 jobs after losing $1 billion in the first half of the year.

* Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to cut 10% of its staff, or almost 3,300 jobs after laying off hundreds of support staff and junior bankers in June.

* Money manager Janus Capital Group Inc said it would cut 9% of its staff a day after rival AllianceBernstein Holding Holding LP said it would make unprecedented job cuts.

* Xerox Corp announced job cuts of 5% or 3,000 positions, due to a “tough business environment.”

* Mining equipment maker Terex Corp said it would lay off hundreds of workers and suspend its share buyback program to preserve cash.

* Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc said it plans to cut an unspecified number of jobs to offset slowing travel demand.

* United Parcel Service Inc sees layoffs in 2009 as customers need less shipping due to cutbacks on holiday gift purchases.

* Computer systems vendor Agilysys Inc cut three senior management positions and is consolidating headquarters in Ohio.

* Merck & Co Inc announced plans on Wednesday to cut 12% of its workforce, citing a need to change its business model in order to survive.

* Fidelity National Financial Inc, which controls one of the largest US title insurers, announced 1,000 job cuts, office closings, a 10 percent pay cut and a 50% dividend cut

* Biotechnology company Maxygen Inc plans to cut nearly 30% of its workforce and explore strategic options due to the current financial environment

* Popular Inc, parent of Banco Popular, is cutting 600 positions and more than a quarter of its branches in the United States.

After Patil's clean chit to cops, Vilasrao orders probe

Press Trust of India

Monday, October 27, 2008, (Mumbai)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday said a high level committee will conduct an inquiry into the shootout incident in which a Bihari youth has been killed to ascertain whether his killing could have be avoided.

"I have asked the State Chief Secretary to setup a high level committee and submit the report at the earliest," Deshmukh said.

While speaking to PTI the Chief Minister said "the DGP and Mumbai Police Commissioner have sought details. They will inquire into all aspects of the incident, including how the armed youth got into the public transport bus and whether his killing could have been avoided."

"I spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and also to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and assured them that the inquiry report would be submitted soon," he said.

"We will submit the factual report to the Centre," Deshmukh said.

Responding to a question on Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal's comment that the Centre had sought a report on the incident, Deshmukh, who is in his hometown Latur, said he was unaware about it.

"May be it has gone directly to the state home ministry," he said.

The Chief Minister also downplayed the meeting of his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and other leaders from Bihar with the prime minister.

"Their meeting was scheduled some time back on the recent happenings involving North Indians. Today's incident just got added on their agenda," he said.

The 23-year-old youth Rahul Raj, who said he wanted to kill MNS leader Raj Thackeray, held a bus load of passengers hostage in a north-east suburb on Monday was killed in a shootout with the police.

European Blue Card visa gets green light

26 Oct, 2008, 1122 hrs IST, IANS
BRUSSELS: A Blue Card that will make it easier for high-earning and skilled Indians to live and work in Europe is all set to be approved by leaders of European countries.

The card - a fast-track work visa - was approved by ambassadors of the European Union's 27 member-states in Brussels this week, and is expected to be rubber-stamped by the continent's home ministers at a meeting in the Belgian capital Nov 27-28.

"As the decision was agreed at the ambassadors' level, it's not yet official but we do not foresee any further debates and the decision will be ratified by the EU minister next month," an EU official told media.

Major European countries are vying to attract the best talents from around the world, but have watered down original plans by insisting that it is up to national governments to decide how many migrants they will allow in and what qualifications they should have.

The Blue Card makes it easier for workers to bring their families to Europe but its validity of four years falls short of the original proposal - a compromise owing to national sensitivities over immigration.

Moreover, the card will only be issued to people whose expected incomes would be at least one-and-a-half times the national average.

As the brainchild of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, the Blue Card was designed to be on par with Green Card system of the US.

President Barroso told journalist in Marseille, France, after the EU-India Summit last month, that he expected the card to attract more Indians to Europe.

"We have made a proposal precisely to make it easier for qualified professionals to come to Europe because we want to remain open and, in fact, we want more people coming to Europe, namely qualified migrants," he said.

"Sometimes we find it's difficult for them to come so we made a proposal and that proposal is being negotiated by the Council of member states and I think the final outcome will be a good one."

Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and current EU Presidency holder French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Barroso said: "I think it will be a good outcome - a balanced proposal - especially for the Indians to come to Europe and cooperate inside our member states."

Many skilled Indian workers in Europe have welcomed the move. Umesh Shenoy, an Indian software consultant working in Brussels, said: "The Blue Card will greatly alleviate the problem of restrictive movement for non-EU employees working in Europe.

"Hopefully it will bring stability to otherwise chaotic procedure that comes with applying for work permit and residence cards.This will be useful for multinational companies which require their workforce to be mobile," he added.

NCP fined Rs 20,000 for ransacking VHP office

CNN-IBN

Published on Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 13:47 in Nation section

New Delhi: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), part of Maharashtra's ruling coalition, has been fined for vandalism under the new state law.

The party has been directed to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 for ransacking the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's office in Nashik on Saturday.

As per the state's new anti-vandalism law, perpetrators of violence have to pay for the damages caused to any public or private property.

The law came into effect last Friday and was pushed, ironically by Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader RR Patil.

"There is no need to feel victimised. Every Indian must follow the rules," said NCP leader Jitendra Awhad.

Five people arrested in the case were also produced before a local court in Thane which remanded them in police custody till October 27.

VHP state unit president Shankar Gaykar informed in a press meet that the VHP will receive the compensation amount on Tuesday.

(With inputs from UNI)

Australia may cut immigration amid financial crisis: minister

26 Oct, 2008, 1023 hrs IST, AGENCIES

SYDNEY: Australia may cut the flow of immigrants into the nation if unemployment rises in the face of the global financial crisis, a cabinet minister said on Sunday.Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the government would wait until the release in November of mid-year financial data before deciding on whether to reduce numbers. "Clearly if the demand for labour comes off you'd adjust the migration programme accordingly," he told Nine Network television. "We can turn the taps off if we need to. "But there are still industries with strong demand for labour and we'll just have to talk to industry and make a judgment about what the appropriate level will be once we've got a bit better idea of what's happening in the economy." Around 190,300 immigrants are projected to arrive in Australia in 2008/09, with skilled workers accounting for most places as the country battles chronic labour shortages in some sectors. Evans said the current programme was designed when Australia's forecast was for economic growth, high inflation and a skills crisis. "If those parameters are changing, the government will take a sober look at those issues and make a decision when we have got proper information," he said. Evans said any decision to cut the intake would be a complex process given the contributions new arrivals made to the economy. "We know that they consume, they buy property, and they're a net positive to the budget," he said. "And a lot of the skills that are coming in at the moment are in the mining sector, which has allowed us to increase our exports." Evans said the global financial crisis had already boosted interest in immigration to Australia from countries experiencing an economic downturn such as Britain and New Zealand. "I think the downturn in Great Britain over the last year or two has actually seen a renewed interest from Great Britain in people looking to migrate either temporarily or permanently," he said

Your Friends are your key to happiness

A new study has revealed that you’re key to happiness lie with the number of good friends you have. According to the study a company of at least ten good friends would bring happiness in your life.

Friends and Happiness

Researchers from the University of Nottingham, School of psychology who conducted the study have found a link between number of good friends and happiness. People with 10 close friends are more likely to be happier than those with less number of close friends.

Dr Richard Tunney, lead researcher analyzed people from the UK. About 1760 participants were questioned about their relationship with their friends. An in-depth questionnaire was prepared and participants were asked to answer, such as the frequency of time spent with friends, how often did they meet and what they did to pass time with their friends.

According to Dr Richard Tunney, people who had twice as many friends were extremely satisfied with their life and people with fewer friends were extremely dissatisfied. Dr. Richard also found that men tend to have more number of friends as compared with women. Women though had fewer friends but had a tight bonding relationship.

It is easier to make friends but difficult to find good friends. Genuine friends bring happiness and good health to ones life.

Experts are still not sure if a person is happy because they have friends or is it because of the friends that make them happy. Well……It’s complicated!

Facebook fuels 'friendship addiction' and users insecurity

London, Oct 23 (ANI): Social networking site, Facebook, is responsible for 'friendship addiction' and is fuelling insecurity in users, according to psychologists.

With social networking sites becoming more of a substitute for families, it is the women who are most affected by it, as they derive their self worth from relationships with others and Facebook compels them to 'acquire' hundreds of friends, experts say.

According to David Smallwood, an addictions expert with the Priory clinic, at least 10 per cent of the population were vulnerable to 'friendship addiction'.

He further stressed that the site was not suitable for people recovering from drug, alcohol and shopping addictions, and that it could increase feelings of rejection through the friend 'request' function.

Anyone who is rejected cannot then access the webpage of the person who refused the original request.

"Acquisition of friends is like any other fix but it's competitive. You judge yourself by how many friends you have online. You go out of your way to amass friends and that means people bend out of shape and become something they are not," the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

"To appear successful, you go and put yourself in credit card debt by buying clothes and handbags. I see patients who are on Facebook and my response is 'get yourself off it'.

"If you're an addict you need to do things to fix yourself and make yourself feel better. People in recovery look for ways of being 'fixed' and these websites can act the same way," he added. (ANI)

Hayden turns Bhajji admirer

Press Trust of India

New Delhi,  October 23, 2008

His "obnoxious weed" comments seemed a thing of distant past as Australia's Matthew Hayden on Thursday turned an ardent admirer of Harbhajan Singh, praising the Indian offie for moving on in life after the racism row in Australia last summer.

"Harbhajan Singh or Andrew Symonds, both have moved on in life after that row," said Hayden, who went on to describe the volatile Indian offie as an "obnoxious weed" after the controversial Sydney Test.

"I rather admire Harbhajan for the way he has gone about his cricket in the ongoing series so far. He has been a pleasure to watch and a great challenge for our batsman," Hayden said.

 "He has also played in the right spirit of the game in the series," the Australian said.

Asked why is it that a cloud of tension always hovers over an India-Australia series, Hayden came up with a theory of his own.

"I think if two hungry dogs are pushed into the rings, it's bound to have tension," said the towering Australian.

"In a Test match, the tension is mounted over five days and it's only likely that every now and then, there would be some tension. Every player wants to show that extra competitive edge," he said.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel

"The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides."

India ranks 66th in global hunger list of 88 nations

by PTI

New Delhi: India appears to have made some progress in tackling the hunger and malnutrition issue, but the situation remains “alarming” in the country on this front, according to the Global Hunger Index released here today.

India ranks 66th on the 2008 Global Hunger Index of 88 countries, a report released by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) said.

According to the 2008 Global Hunger Index (GHI), India’s hunger rate fell to 23.7 points, from 32.5 points in 1990, while Congo showed highest hunger rate of 42.7 points at 88th place.

“The major threat of hunger is in 33 countries including India,” the report said adding that rising food prices pose serious threats for malnourished people in these regions.

Other countries like Bangladesh scored 25.2 points (70th place), Pakistan 21.7 points (61th), Nepal 20.6 points (57th), Sri Lanka 15 points (39th), Thailand 9.9 points (23rd), China 7.1 points (15th) and Mauritius 5 points (1st), it said.

The report noted that countries that have scored between 20-30 points are in an alarming condition. The index ranked countries on a 100-point scale, with zero being the best score having no hunger and 100 being the worst.

“Hunger is closely tied to poverty and countries with high levels of hunger are overwhelmingly low or low-middle income countries,” the report said, adding that hunger rate in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa remain highest since 1990.

However, the global poverty rate has fallen by almost one fifth, to 15.2 points in 2008 GHI from 18.7 points in 1990 GHI, due to progress in children’s nutrition, the report said.

Third year in a row, IFPRI has compiled the hunger index along with Germany-based Welthungerlife and Concern Worldwide.

Faithful gather at TN’s lone shrine for the saint

Sangeetha Neeraja

First Published : 13 Oct 2008 04:28:00 AM IST

Last Updated : 13 Oct 2008 07:44:10 AM IST

CHENNAI: As the Pope canonised Sister Alphonsa of Kerala in Vatican, a small group of devotees congregated on the pavement outside a shrine dedicated to her in Chennai on Sunday for a mass officiated by Fr Stanley Sebastian.R K Ignatious, a former army man who settled here after an early retirement, built the chapel in 1947 on Greenways Road.The family-owned chapel, the only one for Sister Alphonsa in Tamil Nadu, can barely accommodate four persons.“During my grandfather’s time.MGR used to visit our chapel for prayers,” said Annie Johnson, Ignatious’s granddaughter.Actors Chandra Babu, Nagesh and Radha Ravi also visited the chapel regularly.Businessman V G Paneerdhas was a regular worshipper at the shrine.The family fondly remembers Shankar — of yesteryear’s music director duo Shankar-Ganesh — organising a musical concert every year on July 28 when they conducted a mass on the death anniversary of Sister Alphonsa at the chapel. “For almost thirty years till his death in 2003, he did it keeping up his vow taken at the shrine to hold the musical evening if he became famous,” said Sushila Pratap Raj, another granddaughter of Ignatious.Sushila said the shrine came into being after Sister Alphonsa appeared in her grandfather’s dream.

My hometown is changing

Khushwant Singh

October 10, 2008

The second half of September 2008 will go down in the history of our country, for reasons good and bad. Good was finalising the nuclear deals with France and America. Its benefits will accrue soon and silence their critics for ever.

The bad took place in Delhi: the encounter between the police and students of Jamia Millia University, followed by bomb blasts in Mehrauli a few days later. They poisoned the cordial atmosphere that had prevailed in the city. Hindus and Sikhs began to eye Muslims with suspicion and use hurtful language.

I also had the experience of the deteriorating law and order situation in my hometown. My daughter had her pocket picked at the Delhi Railway Station and had to return home. I have begun to believe that pickpockets operate with the help of the police. I also found the change that had taken place in identity verification by the police. I had to go to the Parliamentary Annexe to receive an award from Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. I had to go through three barricades set up by the police to prove my identity before I was allowed to enter. It was like a city under siege. I could well understand the general feeling that if you have to go out to buy vegetables in the market, you can’t be sure if you will get back home in one piece.

I’m particularly worried about the change in atmosphere at Jamia Millia. It is one of the three major institutions for higher education for Muslims. The first was Aligarh Muslim University set up by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. It was pro-British, anti-Congress and in favour of a separate Muslim State — till the separate Muslim State became a reality.

Jamia Millia Islamia was set up by nationalist Muslims who were pro-Congress and against Partition. It has had many eminent men associated with it, including Zakir Hussain, Saiyidain, Prof. Mujeeb, Jamal Kidwai and others. The historian and scholar Mushirul Hasan is its Vice-Chancellor. The third is Osmania University in Hyderabad which has been, and is, free of political overtones.

What causes me anguish is the way the media, both print and electronic, accepted the police version that, as usual, depicts Muslims as subversive and links them with militant outfits. Jamia, which has a proud record of patriotism, has been tarred with the same brush. I am glad Mushirul Hasan has undertaken to defend students of his university against this calumny.

Nizamuddin Auliya, patron saint of Delhi, is said to have prophesied, ‘Hinooz Dilli Door Ast’ (Delhi is a long way away), referring to a ruler who intended to take him to task when he returned to the capital. He was killed before he could get to the city. I invoke his blessings to protect us from evil-doers.

‘Who has Tejpal gone for this time?’

“How many cases are there going against you?” I asked Tarun Tejpal. I had not met him for two years. He raised both his hands in a gesture of resignation and replied, “I have no idea. Quite a few all over the country. Every time I expose some skulduggery, the fellows involved file a criminal case against me. Nothing comes of them because I have solid evidence to back my charges.”

That is true. Tejpal is one of the most daring of the tribe of journalists in the country. When he launched Tehelka, he did it in grand style with Nobel-laureate Vidya Naipaul and mega-star Amitabh Bachchan on his board of advisors. He rented a swanky office in a leafy suburb and hired a large staff of investigators, reporters and sub-editors. But he soon came to grief. He took on too many of the so-called VIPs.

Tejpal was the father of sting investigation. Whatever his staff investigated was recorded by spy cameras and hidden tape-recorders. His victims included Cabinet Ministers, police commissioners, army officers and others who granted licences in exchange of hard cash. They did their worst to ruin him. Business houses were scared to place ads in his journal. He had to close down.

Tejpal took to writing. His first novel, The Alchemy of Desire (Picador), sold over 300,000 copies worldwide. Naipaul wrote: ‘At least — a new and brilliantly original novel from India.’ He found a champion in Ram Jethmalani and re-launched Tehelka. He also took on book publishing — three selections of the best of Tehelka are out.

Tejpal’s recent exposés have been the State-sponsored anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat. He got not only accounts of victims but also photographs and voices of perpetrators of diabolical crimes to prove his allegations. In a recent issue, he exposed the oft-repeated slanders against the Students of Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) made by Home Ministry officials at the time of LK Advani, when he was Home and Deputy Prime Minister of India. Scores of young Muslims were arrested and charged with crimes they had not committed. The only incriminating evidence was of recoveries made by the police and confessions made under torture. The courts refused to convict the accused on such fabricated evidence.

It needs a lot of courage to take on the police and people in power. Tejpal has the guts to do so. Every week as I open the pages of his Tehelka, I ask myself, “I wonder who he has gone in for this time.”

God versus Satan
God’s plan made a hopeful beginning,
But man spoilt his chances by sinning,
We know that the story,
Will end in God’s glory,
But at present the other side’s winning.

(Contributed by Karan Singh, New Delhi)

Half the sensex shares trading at PE of 10 or less

12 Oct, 2008, 1327 hrs IST, PTI

MUMBAI: With the stock market taking a severe beating, the PE or Price Earning ratio of 15 out of 30 sensex shares has dropped to ten or less as of Friday - October 10, according to the data available. The PE ratio for as many as 11 sensex shares is in single digits, the data reveals. The PE ratio indicates to what extent market is willing to pay for the company's earnings. PE is typically higher when the market is booming and drop when the sentiment turns bearish. High performing companies generally tend to command higher PE ratios. PE ratio also depends upon liquidity available in the market. Among the companies whose PE ratios are less than 10 are ICICI Bank (9.9), SBI (9.8), Reliance Comm (8.6), Satyam Computers (9.1), ACC (7.4), Tata Motors (6), DLF (5.9), Hindalco (4.8), Grasim (4.7), Sterlite (4.4). The lowest PE is that of Tata Steel at only (1.7). Shares with PE ratio of ten are Reliance Ind (10.9), ONGC (10.5), TCS (10), and Reliance Infra (10.9). The PE for the sensex overall was 13.44 as of October 10 largely due to comparatively higher valuations still commanded by shares like HDFC Bank (25.7), the highest among the 30 sensex shares. Besides, Hindustan Unilever also has high PE of 24.8 and so also Bhel 22.3 and NTPC at 20.2. The PE ratio is calculated by dividing the market price of a company's share by the earning per share (EPS). While the earning per share is calculated by dividing the net profit of the company by the number of its shares.

Investors' wealth halves in market plunge

October 08, 2008 19:58 IST

The continuing plunge on the stock market has halved the investor wealth from the level seen before the downslide began earlier this year, with promoters taking the biggest hit of more than Rs 20 trillion.

The total investor wealth, measured in terms of market capitalisation of all the listed companies together, on Wednesday dipped to about Rs 36.5 trillion as against close to Rs 73 trillion on January 10 when the benchmark Sensex had scaled its life-time high.

In dollar terms, the loss is even bigger as rupee has depreciated sharply against the US currency.

The cumulative market capitalisation of Indian companies stood at $1.8 trillion on January 10, which today came down to $760 billion, as rupee fell from 39.26 per dollar to near 48-level.

The stock market benchmark Sensex fell to as low as 10,750.76 points -- its lowest in more than two years -- before ending the day at 11,328.26 points after some recovery. In the overall loss of close to Rs 36.5 trillion, the company promoters have seen an erosion of over Rs 20 trillion with their holding of about 60 per cent.

After promoters, FIIs have taken the biggest hit with a loss of over Rs 4 trillion, while retail investors have lost more than Rs 3 trillion. The banks, mutual funds and insurance companies have also seen the value of their holdings plunge by close to Rs 3 trillion.

Attributing the fall in stock markets to happenings in the US and Asian markets, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today cautioned against any hasty decisions by investors as fundamentals of the Indian economy are strong.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said stock market plunge is a matter of concern for investors but normalcy will return once global financial markets stabilise.

Experts ponder link between creativity, mood disorders

(CNN) -- The works of David Foster Wallace, who committed suicide September 12, are famous for their obsessively observed detail and emotional nuance.

Certain characteristics of his prose -- hypersensitivity and constant rumination, or persistent contemplation -- reflect a pattern of temperament that some psychology researchers say connects mental illness, especially bipolar disorder and depression, with creativity.

There have been more than 20 studies that suggest an increased rate of bipolar and depressive illnesses in highly creative people, says Kay Redfield Jamison, professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University and author of the "An Unquiet Mind," a memoir of living with bipolar disorder.

Experts say mental illness does not necessarily cause creativity, nor does creativity necessarily contribute to mental illness, but a certain ruminating personality type may contribute to both mental health issues and art.

"Unquestionably, I think a major link is to the underlying temperaments of both bipolar illness and depression, of reflectiveness and so forth," Jamison said.

This theory could help explain why eminent artists throughout history, from composer Robert Schumann to poet Sylvia Plath to Wallace -- suffered mood disorders. Learn more about mood disorders »

"It's pretty clear if you read [Wallace's] books that he was a very obsessive, kind of ruminating guy," said Paul Verhaeghen, associate professor of psychology at Georgia Institute of Technology.

"You can see it in his sentences. ... They're breathless and they need to be annotated, and the annotations need to be annotated again."

The research of Verhaeghen and colleagues shows when people are in a reflective mode, they may become more creative, depressed, or both. Previous research shows that when people are in a ruminating mode, they are more likely to be depressed, he said.

"If you think about stuff in your life and you start thinking about it again, and again, and again, and you kind of spiral away in this continuous rumination about what's happening to you and to the world -- people who do that are at risk for depression," he said.

Verhaeghen, who is also a novelist and describes himself as a "somewhat mood disordered person," had a particular interest in the connection between creativity and this ruminating state of mind.

"One of the things I do is think about something over and over and over again, and that's when I start writing," he said.

Sensitivity to one's surroundings is also associated with both creativity and depression, according to some experts.

Creative people in the arts must develop a deep sensitivity to their surroundings -- colors, sounds, and emotions, says Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, professor of psychology and management at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. Such hypersensitivity can lead people to worry about things that other people don't worry about as much, he said, and can lead to depression.

"The arts are more dangerous [than other professions] because they require sensitivity to a large extent," he said. "If you go too far you can pay a price -- you can be too sensitive to live in this world."

Terence Ketter is professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Stanford University.

Ketter and his colleagues compared a healthy control group with bipolar patients, depression patients, and a control group of graduate students in writing and the arts.

They found that people with bipolar disorder scored better -- up to about 50 percent higher -- on creativity tests than the healthy control group. The creative control group had about the same increase in score relative to the healthy control group.

But more research is needed, says Ketter. The study does not explain the connection or show a causal relationship, he said.

Some have pointed out that being engaged in creative pursuits makes a person more open to experience, while others say the pressure of being engaged in the arts causes negative emotion, according to Ketter.

Still, the temperamental characteristics in question are thought to be somewhat inherent.

"It's a little hard to argue that engaging in creative activity could create the temperament, and it may be a little bit more possible that this temperament gives you a creative advantage," he said.

Verhaeghen's theory that rumination contributes to negative emotions generally sounds plausible and in some ways consistent with his own views, said Ketter.

Many hope that this type of research will be helpful in developing better strategies to manage and detect mental illness. These strategies can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

"Tragically, mood disorders can still present a sudden death in people who have been undiagnosed and untreated, and die from the illness," says Ketter.

More specifically, Ketter says, just as heart disease sometimes presents itself for the first time as a fatal heart attack, mental illness sometimes presents itself for the first time as a suicide. 

Sensex breaches 11K mark

The domestic bourses crashed on Wednesday as global financial concerns haunted investors.

At 11.10 am, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex plunged by 885.86 points at 10,809.38 following melting global stock markets on deepening worldwide financial crisis.

All BSE sectoral indices were trading in the negative led by consumer durables, metal, IT and realty stocks.

The broader based index of the National Stock Exchange, Nifty, lost over 200 points, breaching the 3,400 mark with all the heavy-weight stocks trading in the negative zone.

Marketmen said apart from sharp losses in the global stock markets, depreciating Indian rupee against the US dollar too dampened the trading sentiments here. Indian rupee fell by 37 paise to 48.28 against the dollar in early trade on the Forex market on Wednesday.

Stocks which dragged the BSE barometer down are Larsen and Toubro, BHEL, Tata Steel, Reliance Industries, Reliance Infra, Rcom, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel, Infosys Technologies, Satyam Computers, Tata Consultancy, Wipro, Grasim Industries, ACC and HDFC Ltd.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Japanese shares plunged nearly 5 per cent each in early trade.

The US Dow Jones Industries lost more than 500 points to 9,447.11, its lowest close in five years.

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Driver loses track: Train leaves for Bihar, reaches UP

Lucknow: You must have heard people getting strayed, but in a bizarre incident, a Bihar bound train today diverted from its route and reached Allahabad city of Uttar Pradesh.

The special train, en route from Delhi to Darbhanga in Bihar, surprisingly changed its route and headed for Allahabad.

The irresponsible act has, however, left the railway officials 'jittery' and 'speechless'.

The Pooja special train 4006 B had left the Delhi railway station for Bihar late last night and had to traverse through Kanpur, Lucknow and Gonda.

However, when the train started heading towards the other city, the passengers pulled the chain near Sarsol station.

Later, after much commotion, the train returned to Kanpur central station, from where it proceeded for Bihar.

The railway officials were, however, tightlipped on the matter.

And while the guard of the train blames the administration for wrongly briefing him and the driver, passengers say that it was entirely the guard's fault.

“We were instructed to take the train to Allahabad. It was on papers as well so we followed the instructions,” the train’s guard, G S Dubey, says.

“When I started from Kanpur, I saw the train was on the wrong track, so I called up Railway Enquiry. The train halted but they did not know the next course of action. The guard and the driver were referring to the train number as 4006A while actually the number was 4006B, and it was very clearly mentioned on the papers the guard was carrying,” a passenger said.

Smokers in a haze on ban

2 Oct 2008, 0512 hrs IST, Priya Saxena & Swati Roy,TNN

NEW DELHI: As the nationwide ban on smoking at public places comes into effect this Gandhi Jayanti, there have been mixed reactions from smokers in the city. While most Delhiites, including some smokers, consider this ban a progressive step, most smokers feel it's just unnecessary interference. 

Says 23-year-old Ajoy Ashirwad, a media professional, “It is a good move for non-smokers. It may give us a cleaner environment. However, I don't think the ban can get smokers to quit. In fact, corruption could rise as desperate smokers may be willing to pay bribes if caught.” 

Ankita, an IT professional, says, "Most public places already have a separate zone for smoking. In pubs, everyone goes to drink and smoke, and the non-smokers who visit these places are completely aware of this fact. It would have been better if the government took steps to make people aware about the harmful effects of smoking." 

Jeenal Shah, a media professional from Mumbai quips, “Smokers are bound to feel victimised and such groups generally retaliate by breaking the law. The restrictions are too harsh and certainly need to be amended. It is simply unfair.” 

Some city smokers however, are preparing to face the ban — not by quitting, but by looking at ways and places to smoke covertly. Says Pallav Jha, an MSc student from Delhi University: “I have a piece of government advertisement from a daily newspaper, which says one can smoke on pavements. If any one objects, I can show him that ad.” 

Passive smokers welcomed the ban. Says Kritika Kinshalay, who works in a finance firm. "This ban is the right move. Even if I pass by someone smoking, I am bound to be affected. " Says another post-graduate DU student, Pranshu: "I doubt if this ban will be actually effective. Smokers will be inconvenienced but none of the smokers I know are going to quit. We have a ban on campus as well, but then we manage to get cigarettes here and smoke. But yes, our intake in a day may reduce.” 

Ajit Jha, who runs an IT solutions company in south Delhi, supports the ban. He says: "People will certainly control their impulse to light a cigarette as and when they feel like. Their intake will definitely reduce. Not everyone who smokes is an addict, and those who are not, might quit smoking altogether." 

The smokers who are ready to abide by the new rules are a confused lot. "Clarification is required on what are private and what are public places. How can smoking be banned in a place like pub or disc? It will be so irritating for a person to keep visiting a particular room for a smoke. The ban in public places makes sense but banning it in places like pubs definitely violates my right to smoke," said Devdeep Choudhary, a second-year JNU student. 

"What if me and my administrator are both smokers? Will he still be in a position to impose a fine on me? Most of the office buildings have specific smoking zones. If a non-smoker still stands there, then it is absolutely his own call. Imposing a fine for smoking in smoking zones in offices makes no sense," says Rajneesh Saxena, an IT professional. 

toireporter@timesgroup.com

Sourav Ganguly writes to Ratan Tata on Singur

Indo-Asian News Service

Kolkata,  October 2, 2008 Sourav Ganguly Former Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly, a local hero, on Thursday urged Tata group chief Ratan Tata not to shift the Nano factory out of West Bengal and instead ensure that the small car was produced at Singur. "Sourav has written to Ratan Tata, urging him to see to it that the Nano rolled out of Singur," Ashok Bhattacharya, state minister for municipalities and urban affairs, said in Kolkata. "Sourav told me he has written to Tata that the majority of people in Singur and the rest of the state were in favour of Tata Motors' Singur project. He has also mentioned the massive employment opportunities that the project will provide to the people of Singur and elsewhere," said Bhattacharya, known for his closeness to the cricketing icon. Ganguly's missive to Tata comes a day before the industrialist is to meet Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at the state secretariat in Kolkata in a last-ditch attempt to produce the car at the Singur factory, where the company suspended work exactly a month back - September 2 - fearing the safety of its workers. Ratan Tata Ironically, it was on the same day - September 2 - that Ganguly had come out in support of the project calling upon people to stand up for the venture, saying it would "revolutionise the industrial prospects of West Bengal". "The starting of the Nano project will be the beginning of an era in West Bengal which will completely revolutionise the prospect of the state and the future of the youth," Ganguly, a Tata Steel employee, said in that statement. Originally scheduled to roll out the world's most inexpensive car this month, the project faces uncertainty with the company signalling it was considering a pull-out and talking to other state governments for an alternate location following intense protests by the state's main opposition Trinamool Congress. The protesters have demanded return of 400 acres to farmers who had to part with their land for the project against their will. An agreement between the state government and the protesters in the presence of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as also a compensation package announced by the chief minister have failed to resolve the deadlock.

Racism taint forces UK top cop to quit

CNN-IBN

COP OUT: Blair said he has resigned because the Mayor didn't support him.

New Delhi: London's top cop, Sir Ian Blair, has resigned as the commissioner of the metropolitan police.

He was under pressure to quit over racism charges, the inquest into the death of the Brazilian national shot dead by mistake after the London terror attack as well as the granting of Scotland Yard contracts.

It was revealed on Thursday that a contract to improve the Yard's image was given to a close friend of the commissioner.

He was also accused of racism by Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, the senior most Asian policeman in the force.

Blair said he has resigned because the Mayor didn't support him.

On Sept 10, Ghaffur, Britain's top Muslim policeman, was suspended from his job after accusing the head of London's Metropolitan Police of racial discrimination, sparking claims of "victimisation".

Ghaffur had sued Blair for 1.2 million pounds on grounds of racial, religious and age discrimination.

The decision to suspend Ghaffur was taken by Blair after a meeting with Ghaffur and his lawyer at Scotland Yard. 

English-speaking beggars on prowl in Delhi streets

Press Trust Of India

New Delhi, October 02, 2008

First Published: 10:48 IST(2/10/2008)

Last Updated: 11:01 IST(2/10/2008)

They come to you dressed in rags but will take you by surprise with their perfect accent and mastery of the Queen's language as you walk through Connaught Place in the heart of the national capital.

They are the modern English-speaking beggars who would not ask for money or food but will hit at your conscience by asking you to buy them medicines which they "badly need".

While some pay few rupees to get away, many got cornered by the "emotional blackmail" and would actually agree to buy the medicine provided they do it themselves.

And so, the beggars take their "unsuspecting victims" to the nearby chemist's shop from where they buy the medicines. Overwhelmed by the feel-good factor of having helped their fellowmen in need, the victims walk away with a clean conscience little did they know that they are duped.

"That's exactly how I felt. But somehow, I suspect later that something was amiss. When inquired, I found out that the shopowner has a tie-up with the beggars. Their modus operandi -- the beggars brought back the medicine intact and get half the money of the cost price from the chemists," Ajit Dubey, a marketing executive and a victim of such a trap, said.

"I spent Rs 270 to buy one fellow an inhaler but later the guards nearby said the beggar usually makes a fool of foreigners by his sob stories and many even take out money from the ATM to give him," Dubey said.

The amount of money these beggars make from their deceptive games of fooling foreigners can be gauged from the number of vagabonds flocking to small-time money-exchange shops in the vicinity.

Raju, an attendant at a nearby petrol pump, throws some light on the background of the new-age beggars.

"They are not from here but from outside Delhi who are now living here for the last one year or two. I don't know how they came here or why but yes, they do make a lot of money," he said.

Another shopper and his wife who had parted with Rs 100 to buy a strip of diabetes medicine for a lady beggar said, "When they come to you speaking English asking not for money but things like medicine and food, it really hurts. She sounded like a person of good roots with destiny playing a cruel game on her."

Deep are the ways of Big Blue

PATENTLY ABSURD

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi October 01, 2008, 0:56 IST

When you hear that someone is filing a patent for a system that will track down white space in a given industry, then you know you’ve come across the ultimate patent maniac. Why so? White space is a term used to specify one or more technical fields in a sector where little or no intellectual property (IP) exists. What the patent applicant expects to do with such a tool is to identify these voids and create new IP to occupy the empty spaces. Whoa! How much more focused can you get about innovation?

The answer is not any more than IBM, the applicant for ‘Methodologies and analytics tools for identifying white space opportunities in a given industry’. IBM, or Big Blue, is the world’s largest owner of IP with over 40,000 global patents and continues to be the leading patent holder in the US for the 15th consecutive year. The latest application, revealed last week by the US Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO), has caused a bit of a flutter with its vacuum cleaner approach to IP, surprising for a company that doesn’t seem to be short on ideas.

Whether it is something as esoteric as stem cell research or as mundane as the lawn-sprinkler business, IBM has come up with some extraordinary innovations. Take two recent examples. One of its patent applications is for lawn-sprinkler systems that receive transmissions about the weather and adjust their irrigation levels accordingly. The radio transmitter station sends out weather reports, and the sprinklers, outfitted with sensors, receive the information and automatically deactivate if rain is forecast. A great invention, perhaps, for those who cannot be bothered to do something as simple as turning off a faucet. Besides, it helps to save water.

Or look at something more ambitious. IBM wants to patent a means of responding to chaos — disasters caused by unpredictable nature or volatile humankind. According to an USPTO filing, the corporation is seeking a patent for a “system and method for optimising the selection, verification, and deployment of expert resources in a time of chaos”. Chaos, as defined by the computer giant, ranges from hurricanes, earthquakes, tidal waves, solar flares and flooding to terrorism, war and pandemics. So, when the next terrorist attack takes place in the US or another Hurricane Katrina strikes the coast, Big Blue would come to the rescue with a patented solution.

The point here is not to dilate on the amazing range and scope of Big Blue’s innovations — not all that surprising if you have research stables overflowing with scientist including several Nobel Prize winners and enough funds to keep them all happily engaged — but to highlight something paradoxical.

While IBM goes around mopping up an incredible number of patents, it also gives away bagsful. First it was with software, in 2005, when it donated 500 patents to the open source movement. It was a surprising move that caught the software universe off guard. Why, asked the intensely-suspicious anti-patent lobby, did a corporation with the reputation that Big Blue had, want to subscribe to a philosophy that was antithetical to its corporate culture? For the most part, software developers welcomed the gift, seeing in it the beginnings of a changed perception on the part of the computer behemoth. Some though remained hostile and unmoved.

The IBM donation, said the critics, should not be viewed in ideological terms even if the corporation had been trying to foster such a perception. In fact, some of the crabbier members of the open source movement declared that half of the 500 patents were pretty much useless and that the donation benefited only the stockholders. That debate is still open.

Now comes another such gesture from Big Blue, but one which may not generate as much heat. IBM has come together with Nokia, Sony Corporation and Pitney Bowes to set up a common pool of patents that will help to protect the environment. Known as the Eco-Patent Commons, it offers free of cost technologies that have a positive impact on the environment. The founder-members have been joined by Bosch, DuPont and Xerox and close to a hundred patents are on offer, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development which launched the initiative in January this year.

IBM says the Eco-Patent Commons is consistent with commitments made earlier “not to assert IP rights for hundreds of patents involving software interoperability and the open source, healthcare and education communities”. Besides, says the company, it cares greatly for the environment (which might help to explain the sprinklers and suchlike). Perhaps, when you are rich enough, you can afford to be philanthropic. Is the patenting frenzy necessary to feed good causes? Would anyone care to explain the mysteries of Big Blue?

Restaurants, bars kick and scream

Rhythma Kaul and Neha Bhayana, Hindustan Times

Email Author

Delhi/Mumbai, September 29, 2008

First Published: 23:58 IST(29/9/2008)

Last Updated: 23:59 IST(29/9/2008)

The blow will perhaps be the hardest for restaurant and pub owners. They fear falling footfall from October 2, when the ban on smoking in public places comes into effect.

“This ban is bad news for us; about 80 per cent of our guests smoke. If people don’t get to smoke at restaurants, they will do it at home. So, how will the ban be a deterrent?” says Ranjeet Singh, manager of Bamboo Garden at Priya Complex, Vasant Vihar.

Santosh Shetty, general secretary of AHAR, the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association, questioned the ban when sale of cigarettes is allowed. “If cigarettes are being sold, there should be a place for people to smoke,” he argues. “It is true that restaurants and bars are public places but people come here by choice. Those who don’t like smoke go to other places. There are many Udipi and vegetarian restaurants where owners don’t allow smoking.”

AHAR has over 6,000 members, including restaurants, bars and permit rooms in Mumbai.

Owners of hookah bars, which have been facing the heat from Mumbai’s civic body, say they could go out of business. “We have suffered major losses since we stopped serving hookahs. If smoking is also banned, it will worsen,” says Anwar Saiyed, owner of Sheesha Mezbaan, a popular hookah joint in Mumbai’s Bandra suburb.

In Delhi, Dr DK Sharma, the medical superintendent at the AIIMS, says it will not be easy to enforce the law. “We have strict orders to fine anyone found smoking on AIIMS campus, but no one has been fined so far. It’s difficult to keep a track of the many thousands visiting the hospital every day.”

But while some fear and others fume at the ban, evidence from Ireland — which has a prominent pub culture — holds out good news for restaurant owners here.

Smoking in public places was banned there in 2004, says Dr Shrinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India. But, it has not affected business. “The tobacco industry argued that smoking was an integral part of the country’s pub culture and enforcing it would not only be impossible but also affect business. The country has now been smoke-free for over three years with strong public support and no negative impact on business.”