Maruti Bets Big On The Alto

Maruti’s decision to phase out the iconic 800 had left a lot of fans emotional, and some even watery-eyed. But India’s current largest selling passenger car Alto has now kind of replaced the 800, and now, is getting ready for a face lift. The company is planning to give a whole new 1000cc engine from K-Series to its favorite and hottest selling car that clocks sales of 17,000 to 18,000 units per month on average.

The plan to introduce Alto with a new engine is part of the carmaker’s tactic to fit its models with the latest K series engine. Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava said, “Alto needs a face-lift. It has been there for quite a while.” However, he declined to comment on the specifications of the engine.

With a bigger K-series engine, the new Alto will obviously be costlier than the current BS IV compliant model with 800cc F-Series engine. The existing Alto is priced between Rs 2.29 lakh and Rs 2.8 lakh.

At a time when the small car segment has become very competitive with new models arriving from Ford, GM, Nissan and Volkswagen.

How to Find the Best Used Car

In the earlier post we discussed how to clear up your car buying confusion. Most of us have agreed that buying a used car is often the best and most financially efficient choice. However, out of the excitement of getting a car, many used car buyers don’t look close enough at the pre-owned vehicle or they look at the wrong things. I don’t want your story included in the list of used car tragedies, so here are ten commandments on examining a pre-owned car.

Carefully examine the body, look for fresh paint jobs or different colors of paint on the body panels. Open the bonnet and look at the paintwork so that you can make out if the car has been repainted or not.
Under the bonnet, look for oil leaks and use the dipstick to check the amount of oil. If the level is low, the car hasn’t been looked after properly. Examine the surroundings of the oil filler cap, if you find a white substance it is an indication of a damaged head gasket, replacing which is going to be darn expensive.
Check the tyres and the spare tyre to ensure they’re in good condition with plenty of tread. If the tyres are bald, you can bargain up to Rs 1000 per tyre. Worn tyre edges indicate problems with the wheel alignment.
Check for acid wear and tear around the battery areas. If the battery is not new, there is another chance of decreasing the price of the car by Rs 2,500.
Another very important thing to assess is the suspension. Push down on top of the wing each side just once and release, the vehicle should go down and come back up once and stay put. If the car bounces up and down and appears soft, the shock absorbers are faulty. While test driving the car, listen for any ‘thud’ sound coming from the shock absorbers. Replacing them is going to be incredibly expensive, so what I would suggest is, try another car if the suspension is defective.
Get inside, check the kilometre reading of the car and calculate with the year of manufacture. There is always a possibility of Odometer tampering irrespective of the meter being mechanical or electronic.
Personally speaking, clutch is the most challenging part of a used car. Because, if the car has done more than 50,000 kms, you don’t know when the car is going to break down in the middle of the road due to clutch failure. Unfortunately, there’s probably no practical way to measure the degree of clutch wear. Yet, you can refer this link to get an idea on How to Diagnose a Slipping Clutch.
Check ALL electrical components, lightings, dippers, cabin lights, indicators and tail lamps, stereo, windshield washer and wiper and especially, Air Conditioner.
Start the engine. It should start at the first attempt without any hiccups. The engine should idle seamlessly without clattering or metallic sounds. With the engine idling, turn the steering wheel right and left and ensure there’s no play in the wheel before the tyres start to turn.
Test drive is the most important part of examining a used-car. Drive it for 4-5 kilometers in different road conditions, paying attention to the synchronization of the steering wheel, brake pedals, clutch, and the gear shifts. Drive with AC on/off while climbing a slope, there shouldn’t be an abnormal drop in power when the AC is on.

These Ten Commandments can be condensed into one single dictum: Hire a good mechanic and have the car inspected by him

VW Polo Has A Sedan Sibling – Vento

ot on the heels of an aggressive brand campaign and the much hyped Polo launch, Volkswagen has officially confirmed its plan to introduce Polo sedan, but with the Vento nameplate instead. Officially unveiled at the Moscow Motor Show recently, the Vento is expected to hit the Indian market by August-September with a price tag of Rs. 7-9 lakhs.

Most of us must have cribbed about the lack of rear legroom in the Polo, but the sedan sibling comes with more space inside, thanks to the 50mm longer wheelbase. Except for a different grille and lights, the Vento is more or less similar to the Polo up to the B-Pillar. Boot space is said to be somewhere near 500 litres with a split seat option on offer.
According to Autocar, the Vento will initially get two engine options – petrol and diesel. Both these engines displace 1.6 litres and both produce 105bhp. However, the diesel has a thumping 25.5kgm of torque to the petrol motor’s 15.8kgm and their driving characteristics will differ like chalk and cheese. The 1.6 common-rail diesel is brand new and comes from the same engine family as the 1.2 turbo-diesel that powers the Polo and the bigger 2-litre diesel under the hood of the Jetta.

The new Vento will be the seventh model in India from Volkswagen’s stable. The company currently offers compact cars Beetle and Polo, premium sedans Phaeton, Passat and Jetta and sports utility vehicle Touareg.

checkout the site for more pictures
http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/06/07/vw-polo-has-a-sedan-sibling-vento/

Erase painful memories

Anti-fear drug may help erase painful memories
It is possible to overcome bad memories of painful situations with the help of a chemical that works on the brain, say scientists.

Researchers suggest that anti-fear medication could help soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. The new study was carried out on laboratory rats.

According to boffins, instead of working in the same way as a conventional sedative or anti-depressant, the new chemical stimulates the area of the brain thought to be involved in remembering a painful situation from the past. The chemical, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is naturally produced in the brain and is involved in learning and memory. When given to the rats, the drug caused them to re-learn a painful association so that the memory of it is extinguished - although not lost entirely.

"Many lines of evidence implicate BDNF in mental disorders. This work supports the idea that medications could be developed to augment the effects of BDNF, providing opportunities for pharmaceutical treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders," said Thomas Insel, director of the US National Institute of Mental Health.

Published in the journal Science, the study investigated how laboratory rats freeze when they hear a sound that they have associated with a small electric shock to their feet. It is possible to overcome this fear of the sound by training the animals with a series of similar sounds not associated with painful shocks.

The Independent reports, "But by injecting BDNF, a protein that stimulates the growth of nerve cells, into the brains of the rats, the scientists found they could mimic the effects of the retraining process. This chemical mimicry only worked if they put BDNF into a part of the brain called the infralimbic prefrontal cortex, a structure that appears to be critical for the extinction of memory.

"The drug seems to induce a "memory of safety" in the rats that overrides the fearful memory. In effect, the BDNF drug mimics the effect of retraining the rats to extinguish the memory of the painful situation, said Gregory Quirk of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, who led the investigation."

"The surprising finding here is that the drug substituted for extinction training, suggesting that it induced such a memory [of safety]," Dr Quirk said.

Banker sues Citigroup after she was fired for being 'too hot'!

A female employee of Citibank was apparently fired from her job because her male colleagues found her 'too distracting'.

Debrahlee Lorenzana said that despite her turnout being professional, her male bosses and co-workers still found her too hot be around their cold cash.

"Shortly after the commencement of her employment, branch manager Craig Fisher and assistant branch manager Peter Claibourne began articulating inappropriate and sexist comments concerning plaintiff's clothing and appearance," The New York Post quoted her court filings as saying.

"The improper comments made to plaintiff by Fisher and Claibourne included, but were not limited to, advising her that she must refrain from wearing certain items of clothing, in particular, turtleneck tops, pencil skirts, fitted business suits, or other properly tailored clothing.

"In blatantly discriminatory fashion, plaintiff was advised that as a result of the shape of her figure, such clothes were purportedly 'too distracting' for her male colleagues and supervisors to bear."

The filing also read, "In a regressive response more suitable for reality television than a white-shoe corporation in the 21st century, plaintiff was advised that these other comparator females may wear what they like, as their general unattractiveness rendered moot their sartorial choices, unlike plaintiff, whose shapeliness could not be heightened by beautifully tailored clothing."

After rejecting a complaint and an application to be transferred, she was eventually moved to a new branch, she was reprimanded for failing to recruit new customers.

"The purported reasons for plaintiff's termination included that she failed to meet the required new account opening quotas, in addition to the credulity-straining assertion that her clothing choices were 'inappropriate,'" the suit said.

"Are you saying that just because I look this way genetically, that this should be a curse for me?" she told the Village Voice, which first reported her case.

In a statement, Citibank said, "We believe this lawsuit is without merit and we will defend against it vigorously."

Citibank has not commented for reasons of employee privacy but added that the bank has "a strong commitment to diversity and we do not condone, or tolerate, discrimination within our business for any reason."

World's Most Reputable Companies

Google
Industry: Technology, Information and Media
Headquarters: Mountain View, Calif.
Reasons behind the ranking: Google boosted its rating this year, becoming the world's most reputable company. The Web giant gained luster through its candor, its free products and services and by sticking to its values. Google's decision to pull out of mainland China in late March weakened its reputation across Asia, but its action suggested to other nations that the company is committed to transparency.

Sony
Industry: Consumer Electronics, Entertainment
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Reasons behind the ranking: With electronics that touch consumers on a daily basis, Sony has earned the respect of shoppers around the world. The maker of televisions, music players and entertainment scored high for its products and services, governance, how it operates in society and how it treats its employees. It helps them build trust

The Walt Disney Co.
Industry: Entertainment, Information and Media
Headquarters: Burbank, Calif.
Reasons behind the ranking: As a global entertainment company with media networks, theme parks and consumer products, Disney touches people of all ages. The company has crafted a story about its company and how it engages families and society.

BMW
Industry: Automotive
Headquarters: Munich, Germany
Reasons behind the ranking: Consumers may have pulled back on new car purchases over the last several years of economic hardship, but they still view some carmakers as companies that pitch reputable products. BMW is one. The German auto company is regarded as having the best products and services of all companies across the globe.

Daimler (Mercedes-Benz)
Industry: Automotive
Headquarters: Stuttgart, Germany
Reasons behind the ranking: Daimler has built prestige around its brand and is being rewarded for it. The German automaker has a strong emotional connection with consumers across the globe, particularly in Central Europe and Asia.

Apple
Industry: Technology, Consumer Electronics
Headquarters: Cupertino, Calif.
Reasons behind the ranking: After launching its new tablet, the iPad, this year, Apple won over consumers with its innovation in products and services. Apple founder and Chief Executive Steve Jobs has also built a strong brand based on his leadership. Consumers look to Apple as a company with a vision for the future.

Nokia
Industry: Technology, Consumer Electronics
Headquarters: Espoo, Finland
Reasons behind the ranking: Nokia is a global leader in the mobile industry and has driven its reputation with innovative handsets and mobile applications. The Finland company also scores high in philanthropy with its efforts to provide access to communication in less-developed countries.

Ikea
Industry: Consumer Products
Headquarters: Almhult, Sweden
Reasons behind the ranking: For many countries, Ikea has opened access to affordable designer furniture. The Swedish company makes a connection with families in the most critical environments for them: their homes. It has revolutionized the market for home furnishings and scores high in leadership

Volkswagen
Industry: Automotive
Headquarters: Wolfsburg, Germany
Reasons behind the ranking: Volkswagen has earned its reputation through its workplace and strong leadership in the industry. Consumers look at the German automaker as a company that innovates in a responsible, visionary way.

Intel
Industry: Technology
Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.
Reasons behind the ranking: Intel's chips are not actually seen by the people who use them, but that hasn't stopped consumers from seeing Intel's offerings as quality products. The company is perceived as an innovator that will make products to improve the future.

Microsoft
Industry: Technology, Information and Media
Headquarters: Redmond, Wash.
Reasons behind the ranking: Maker of computing software and entertainment hardware, Microsoft has shaken its cut-throat, monopolistic image. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reflects Microsoft's softer, philanthropic side. The company's leadership remains strong even in the absence of founder Bill Gates.

Johnson & Johnson
Industry: Consumer Products
Headquarters: New Brunswick, N.J.
Reasons behind the ranking: Maker of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods, Johnson & Johnson gains trust with a 124-year-history. With its baby care products and drugstore brands, such as Band-Aid and Neutrogena, shoppers see J&J as a reliable household name. The New Brunswick-based company sends its products to more than 175 countries and has ranked the most reputable company in the U.S. and Canada.

Panasonic
Industry: Technology, Consumer Electronics
Headquarters: Osaka, Japan
Reasons behind the ranking: Japan's biggest electronics manufacturer has lured consumer trust and admiration through its 90-year-history and product innovations.

Singapore Airlines
Industry: Airline
Headquarters: Singapore
Reasons behind the ranking: With strong rankings in customer service and innovation, Singapore Airlines has earned its reputation. Consumers in Northern Europe, as well as Asia, ranked it among the top five most reputable companies.

Philips Electronics
Industry: Technology, Consumer Electronics
Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Reasons behind the ranking: Operating in 60 countries, Philips has made global connections with its mainstream products, such as its DVD and Blu-ray players.

TATA Consultancy Science Graduates and Diploma students 2009 & 2010 on 29th May 2010

How to Fine-Tune Your Résumé

It’s one of the first things people think to do after losing a job: quickly get a résumé into as many hands as possible. But career experts say doing so without a strategic plan is a mistake becauses it wastes time and energy and typically results in few callbacks.

Here’s how to fine-tune your résumé:

Make a wish list. Take the time to identify the companies you want to work for before you sit down to write your résumé. This can help you make key adjustments to the document. For example, knowing a company you are applying to is in the midst of making acquisitions can help you structure your résumé to highlight relevant work experience.

Use keywords. Recruiters often rely on keyword-search technology to sift through resumes. When responding to job ads, be sure to include the same language they contain in your résumé. For example, if you’re answering an ad for an arbitrator position make sure your document describes you as such and not a mediator, even though both terms refer to the same job.

Tell your story. Once you’re ready to send out the résumé, make sure it’s doing the job of showcasing your skills and accomplishments. First, for each job you list, spell out the details of a work-related situation, any obstacles you encountered, the actions you took to resolve the issue, and the results that followed. Next, write out the complete story and then whittle it down to a series of concise descriptive bullet points.

Find an insider. Develop a networking list of friends, former colleagues, and acquaintances who might know people at your target companies. Then ask them to help ensure your résumé gets into the right person’s hands.

Try a personal touch. Writing a tailored cover letter to accompany your résumé is one way to grab the attention of hiring managers. In it, demonstrate that you have researched the firm, for example, by mentioning its last quarterly report or a recent speech made by the CEO. Your ultimate goal is to stand out from the competition by showing you’re knowledgeable and interested in the particular organization you’ve targeted.

Re-evaluate after a lull. If you’ve been sending your résumé out for a month or more with no response, ask yourself a few questions. Have you developed a plan that outlines the job functions and industries that most interest you? Is your résumé lacking keywords or are your bullet points not playing to your strengths or the copmany’s needs? Does your cover letter provide details that make you stand out from other applicants?

Five tips to crack CAT 2010 by IIM B alumnus

Serious MBA aspirants are now getting all set to prepare for CAT 2010. You too need to chalk out a proper preparation plan and then abide by it. We at MBAUniverse.com are publishing series of articles, tips and guides on CAT 2010. Here is a special article by IIM Bangalore alumnus Vivek Gupta on how to prepare for CAT.
Vivek Gupta, an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and author of CAT preparation books is going to share with you five tips on cracking CAT. Let us know what the five tips are. To put it into Gupta’s words, “Given below are few tips which can turn you into Formula 1 racer for CAT! Read them carefully and imbibe them in you right now so that you are equipped well when the D-day arrives.”
Analytical skill: Being an application driven test, CAT would test your analytical skills. It is mandatory to develop strong problem – solving skill rather than memorizing the age – old math formulae and grasping the theories. So, after going through Study Lessons and solved examples, start solving the Practice Tests. Follow the 48-hours Principle which means do not look for solutions till 48 hours. You are free to seek outside help during this time. If you are still confused then only see the answer. The most common mistake students can make is to look at the solved answer as soon as they realize that they are unable to work out a question. This hampers the building up of their analytical power. It is necessary the building up of their analytical power. It is necessary that you strain your brain to solve a question. As a result you would be able to understand the concept in – depth as well as develop sound problem solving skills.
Think long term: Our brain functions like a computer’s memory. Whatever we learn either gets stored in the short term or long term memory. One critical mistake which most students make is that whatever they learn gets stored in their short term memory. This is why students forget about the concepts and principals which they have learned before the exam. To tackle this problem, follow the ‘Times 3 principal’. According to this principal, practice every concept/question three times. First is attempt, then a solution and finally the last one makes for revision. Revision is an integral part of any preparation. You must not take this lightly.
Start speeding up: As mentioned earlier, speed is a major factor while appearing for CAT. You will not be able to suddenly start solving questions quickly at the time of the examination. Once you are through with the entire course, start giving mock entrance tests. The higher the number of tests, the better it is. However, do not err by thinking that this solely would increase your speed. Rather, you need to analyze every mock examination that you take to ensure that you don’t end up making the same mistakes again. Keep a note of time that you take to solve the paper and the marks that you attain in every mock test. A better option would be to track your rank at a national level. Remember one thing; never fall in love with a question! So if you can’t solve a question, leave it ASAP. Also, you all have heard that you should never throw good money after bad. This thing is applicable here also. Even if you have spent two to three minutes over a question, do not hesitate to leave it, the question might take another six to seven minutes or more. So do not worry about wasted three minutes, save the next seven minutes which you are going to waste on this question.
Work smart: Good decision – making skills go a long way in helping you crack CAT. It would be a better idea to deal with simple and less time – consuming questions. Once you have attempted the easier ones, your nervousness would take a back seat and you would be geared up to handle the difficult questions. This in turn would also increase the probability of getting the right answers for such problems. So always start with a section in which you are most comfortable. Get seven to eight right questions in your kitty and you are on the right path to tackle the difficult questions/sections. So if the paper contain questions with different maximum marks, it is better to attempt questions with lower marks first as they logically should be easier. Remember, nothing matters more than your confidence during those two to three hours.
Practice Online: With the CAT exam going online, the test pattern might change considerably. Hopefully, it would follow the structure of GMAT and GRE entrance examinations. It is thus critical to familiarize yourself with the computer and internet as the test is conducted online. So take a lot of mock tests online so that you are comfortable in using online testing software.
Vivek Gupta has over eight years of experience in managing Business operations, Analytics, sales and marketing in organizations as Coca Cola, American Express and an internet startup – Studyplaces.com where he was Vice President – Business Operations and Strategy. Due to his urge to benefit the society, he has been associated with coaching and counseling students.

Laugh every day to keep doctor away

Forget rigorous workout schedules, finding humour in real life situations could be just enough to keep you hale and hearty.

A new study has revealed that laughter can do as much good for your body as going for a run.

The findings showed that volunteers who watched 20 minutes of comedies and stand-up routines experienced a dramatic drop in stress hormones, blood pressure and cholesterol. Their appetite was also stimulated just as it is with exercise.

'There's no doubt about it - the 'high' people get from mirthful laughter is very similar to the endorphin rush you get from light to moderate exercise,' express.co.uk quoted lead researcher Lee Berk from Loma Linda University, California, as saying.

Even for diabetics, laughter can be the best medicine. In one study, people who watched a funny video during dinner had lower blood sugar levels after the meal compared to the people who watched a video of a lecture.

'It was quite by accident that we stumbled across this finding. The expectation of watching a video was enough to raise levels of feel-good endorphins and boost amounts of a hormone that helps our immune systems fight infection

'Kites' grosses over Rs.21 crore on opening day

Hrithik Roshan-Barbara Mori starrer "Kites" grossed over Rs.21 crore on its opening day and has become the second highest opening-day grosser after "3 Idiots", its distributor said Saturday.

"Kites" released with 2,000 screens in India and across 500 screens overseas Friday.

The film that has been distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures is a love story between an Indian guy and a Spanish girl. Directed by Anurag Basu, the film has been produced by Hrithik's father Rakesh Roshan.

A survival tale

I heard the shrieks of co-passengers: crash survivor
Mangalore (Karnataka), May 22 (IANS) 'I saw the flight catching fire and heard the shrieks of my co-passengers inside the aircraft,' said Krishnan, who survived by escaping through a gap in the broken Air India Express aircraft seconds after it crashed in Mangalore Saturday.
Krishnan, a Keralite, said the aircraft shook as it lost one of its tyres immediately after the landing.
'The moment I felt the unnatural movement of the flight, it turned turtle and hit an object like a tree. I looked upward when sunshine hit my eyes and I saw a gap in the aircraft, which was broken,' Krishnan said.
He said he removed the seat belt immediately and jumped out through the gap. 'I felt that I was in a forest. I along with four others who also jumped out ran away,' narrated Krishnan, who was admitted to a Mangalore hospital.
'I submit everything to god,' Krishnan said.
Miraculous escape for eight passengers of crashed AI flight
Mangalore, May 22 -- It was a miraculous escape for eight passengers onboard Air India flight which crashed in Mangalore this morning. The survivors managed to jump out of the Boeing 737-800 soon after it hit the ground.
Some survivors reached a nearby road, others jumped into a pit to evade the massive fire that engulfed the aircraft. Some of them were helped by people, including auto-rickshaw drivers and bikers to reach hospital.
"I can't believe I survived the crash," said Pradeep reliving the moments when the plane hit the ground after it overshot the runway. "There were vibrations before the plane crashed.
as soon as it hit the ground, I managed to get out and jump into a pit. There was smoke all over as the plane caught fire.
After ten minutes, there was an explosion," he said. According to most of the survivors, the fuselage of the aircraft had split into two.
Abdul Puthur, another survivor, said he, along with two others, managed to get out of the mangled remains of the aircraft from an opening on the left side. "It all happened within a few seconds," he said.

Atlantis Crew Finishes Third and Final Spacewalk

Astronauts Michael Good and Garrett Reisman performed the final spacewalk, completing the last of the battery exchanges and a few additional tasks.

These two baby white lion cubs were born at West Midland Safari Park in January

Life Insurance Corporation of India Engagement of Direct Sales Executive

Approximately 2418 Direct Sales Executives are proposed to be engaged by various Offices of the Corporation purely on Contract basis for 3 years under the jurisdiction of Northern Zonal Office. The number of engagements may be changed during the selection process depending on the requirements of the office.

Eligibility Conditions:
Qualification:
Applicant shall possess the Bachelor’s Degree of a University in India established under a statute. Preference may be given to those applicants who possess who possess the Bachelor Degree or Diploma in Marketing /Management. Good working knowledge of English and also one Regional language preferably local language is desirable. Knowledge of soft skills such as Power Point / Word / Excel would be additional advantage.

Age Limit : The applicant shall have completed 21 years of age and not more than 35 years of age as on 01.05.2010.

Pay Scale : Rs 25000/- per month.

Selection Procedure :
Selection will be made on the basis of a written test if necessary, followed by an Interview of candidates who qualify in the written test. Written Test will be of Objective Type covering Sales aptitude, Test of Reasoning, Numerical Ability and General Knowledge.
Interview: Candidates successful in the written test (if conducted) or eligible candidates will be called for an Interview. The Corporation reserves the right to restrict the number of candidates to be called for written test and/or interview commensurate with number of Direct Sales Executives to be engaged and the decision of the Corporation in this regard shall be final. No correspondence will be entertained in this regard.

Application Fee :
A crossed Demand Draft of Rs.100/- drawn in favour of "Life Insurance Corporation of India" payable at (....Divisional Headquarters......). SC/ST candidates are not required to pay any fee. Candidates should write hi s/ her name and date of birth on the back side.

How to Apply:
Application Form completed in all respects with enclosures should be posted in a closed cover with a superscription on the cover “Application for Engagement of Direct Sales Executives, _________ Division” to the following address:

The Senior Divisional Manager,
LIC of India, Delhi Division-I
Jeevan Prakash
25, K.G. Marg
New Delhi-110001 The Senior Divisional Manager,
LIC of India, Delhi Division-II
Scope Minar, 9th Floor (North Tower)
Laxmi Nagar
Delhi-110092 The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Delhi Division-III
Jeevan Pravah
Distt. Centre
Janakpuri-110058
The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office
Jeevan Prakash
Ranade Marg
Ajmer, Rajsthan-305029 The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office
Jeevan Prakash
Sector-17B
Chandigarh-160017 The senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office-1
Jeevan Prakash
Bhawani Singh Road
Jaipur-302005
The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office-2
A/20, Nangi Plaza,
Anita Colony
Opp. Gandhi Nagar Rly. Stn.
Jaipur-302015 The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office
Jeevan Prakash
Model Town Road
Jalandhar-144001 The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office
1, West Patel Nagar
Circuit House Road
Jodhpur-342001
The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office
Jeevan Prakash
489, Model Town
Karnal-132001 The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office
Jeevan Prakash
Urban Estate-Phase1, Dugri
Ludhiana-141002 The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office Cell
Jeevan Jyoti Bldg.
18A, Rail Head Complex
Jammu-180012
The Senior Divisional Manager
LIC of India, Divisional Office
Jeevan Prakash
Sub City Centre
Udaipur (Rajasthan)-313001

Last Date of Receipt of Application Form : 24-5-2010.

for more check out the link
http://www.freshersworld.com/jobs/displayjob.asp?fwid=14199

Tennis Photo Wire

In this May 16, 2010, file photo, Rafael Nadal, right, and Roger Federer, left, talk during the podium ceremony of the Madrid Open tennis tournament final in Madrid. Nadal won 6-4, 7-6.

Candle trick's

Don't believe

Next Indian Ocean cyclone to be called Bandu

It might not be known when the next cyclone will hit the northern Indian Ocean, but what is already known is its name - Bandu, an official said Thursday.

Cyclones derive their names through a systematic procedure laid down by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Cyclone Laila, which developed in the Indian Ocean off the Andhra Pradesh coast creating much havoc in the state, was named by Pakistan. The next to hit countries in the north Indian Ocean region will be called Bandu - a name given by Sri Lanka, and the one after that will be Phet, named by Thailand.

Eight north Indian Ocean countries - Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand - have prepared a list of 64 names.

'We give identity to the cyclones as per the list finalised by the WMO,' M. Mahopatra, director of the cyclone division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told IANS.

'The practice of naming storms (tropical cyclones) began years ago to help in their quick identification while issuing warnings because names are presumed to be far easier to remember than numbers or technical terms,' Mahopatra explained.

'When a hurricane hits these countries, the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), housed in the IMD office in New Delhi, picks up the name next on the list. The RSMC has been set up by the WMO for forecasting tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,' he said.

The countries take turns in naming the cyclones. The last six were: Nisha (Bangladesh), Bijli (India), Aila (Maldives), Phyan (Myanmar), Ward (Oman) and the most recent being Laila (Pakistan). Local names are used for cyclones to make it convenient for use.

In the 1970s, the WMO in Geneva asked some countries around the Pacific Ocean to prepare a list of names. The decision to name the cyclones in the Indian Ocean was taken at a meeting of WMO/ESCAP in 2000.

NASA's eco-friendly, cheaper airplanes to hit runways by 2050

In a bid to cut costs and pollution spewed by today's aircrafts, researchers at MIT are designing a completely new type of airplane for NASA that will enable greener airplanes to take flight before 2050.

The 180-passenger D "double bubble" series was designed for domestic flights, meant to replace the Boeing 737 class aircraft, the most popular jetliner in the world right now.

The design is called a "double bubble" because it uses two partial cylinders placed side by side, reports Discovery News.

The two cylinders create a wider structure that looks like two soap bubbles joined together.

In today's commercial airplanes, air flows directly into the engines located on the plane's wings. That undisturbed, high-speed air flow drags on the plane, and requires more fuel to overcome the design inefficiency.

But MIT's design changes all that-by moving the engines to the plane's tail, they take in slower moving air present in the wake of the fuselage.

Less drag means less fuel is needed to get the plane the same distance.

NASA awarded contracts to MIT and several companies to develop concepts and designs for the next generation of airplanes.

MIT researchers had four goals for the plane they designed-it had to be much quieter, burn 70 percent less fuel, emit 75 percent less nitrogen oxides(a noxious gas that many researchers are trying to remove from various mechanical processes) and take off from shorter runways.

Burning less fuel can help airline passengers' wallets as well as the environment, as the cost of fuel makes up 35 percent of the price of an average plane ticket, according to the Air Transport Association. f fuel costs are cut by 70 percent, as MIT's design is supposed to, that would decrease the price of an average plane ticket by almost 25 percent.

And the fewer emissions that planes spout into the atmosphere, the healthier our planet.

But, there is still a long wait before any of these planes make it onto the runway.

NASA's goal is to make sure the planes that MIT has designed can take off by 2035.

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'Sexiest video ever' spreads virus on Facebook

Social networking website Facebook has asked its users to be aware of a link that says it is the 'sexiest video ever', warning that the video is spreading virus on the internet.

'If you get a posting on your Facebook wall telling you 'this is without doubt the sexiest video ever!' which seems to be accompanied by a video titled 'Candid Camera Prank [HQ]', then don't click on the video: it's a lead-in to malware,' the website warned.

'Clicking the link will take you to what seems like a Facebook application which then tells you that your video player is out of date - and encourages you to download a file. If you do, then the same 'video' plus link gets posted using your avatar to all your friends on Facebook -- meaning it is spreading virally,' it said.

'Judging by the number of messages posted on Facebook, thousands of people received this attack. If you were one of them, you should scan your computer with an up-to-date anti-virus, change your passwords, review your Facebook application settings, and learn not to be so quick as to fall for a simple social engineering trick like this in future,' Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at anti-virus company Sophos, was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

Big B falls short of Sachin’s Twitter record

Amitabh Bachchan may be the megastar of Bollywood, but his draw of 37,500 fans on the first day of Twitter was far less than that of Sachin Tendulkar at 79,000.
Tendulkar was bitten by the Twitter bug early this month, while Amitabh joined Twitter Tuesday and got plenty of welcome messages from various celebrities.
But the 67-year-old, who regularly writes on his blog and also has a mobile blog and a voice blog, is excited with his first day’s experience on Twitter.
“Day 1 on Twitter, Day 757 on blog, Day 138 from the year… endless days of love and affection to those that count and follow… love,” Amitabh posted on his Twitter account.
“33,341 followers in a few hours of starting! Tweety baby I love you!! Keep it rolling,” he added.
Currently the actor is following his son, Abhishek and Sachin on the site.


Read more: http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/140203.htm#ixzz0oQGq0q00

Hanks, Spielberg’s $200 mn mini-series comes to India

How much does it take to make a 10-part mini-series for a channel? $200 million in this case, as Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and filmmaker Steven Spielberg have put in for World War II drama “The Pacific”, which will be aired in India now.
The series is going on air May 30 on HBO.
“At $200 million, this is the most expensive mini-series at HBO and it looks at the humane side of war. Shot at actual locations, it has 138 roles and the principal photography of the same took 10 months,” said Shruti Bajpai, country manager, HBO South Asia.
“We were ready to launch ‘The Pacific’ in the US and India simultaneously, but that time was apt to play in the US but not in India as it was exams time and IPL (Indian Premier League) was going on here, but it (the series) is here in the same season,” she added.
“The Pacific” is produced by HBO, Seven Network Australia, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone and Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Television.
The period war series has an Indian connect too as some of the costumes for the same were made in India, said Bajpai.
Based on two memoirs of US Marines – “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa” by Eugene Sledge and “Helmet for My Pillow” by Robert Leckie – the series premiered in the US March 14 to positive reviews.
James Badge Dale, Jon Seda and Joseph Mazzello play leads in the series that focuses on the US Marine Corps’ actions in the Pacific.
HBO India is also coming out with three other original series this year – “Bored To Death”, Golden Globe nominated series “Hung” and “The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency”.
HBO is also planning to bring third and seventh seasons of hit series “True Blood” and “Entourage” to India.


Read more: http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/140385.htm#ixzz0oQGhinMJ

Daniel Radcliffe wants to be known for his acting

Hollywood actor and “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe wants to be known for his acting performances.
The 20-year-old actor admits he enjoyed the Potter ride and says he would love to be recognised for his acting ability and wants to become a “working actor”, reported femalefirst.com.
“It’s bizarre. Most working actors want to become stars. I am sort of a star because of Harry Potter, and I would love to become a working actor,” Radcliffe said.
“But to be honest, I’m happy to ride this as long as it goes. If it goes for two months after Potter, I’m happy. If it goes for six years, I’m happy. It’s a tough industry and I’ve got a lot of friends in it. And I truly believe that if I don’t make it as an actor, I will make it another way – I don’t have doubts about myself,” he added.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” has been split into two movies which will be released in November 2010 and in the summer of 2011.


Read more: http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/140492.htm#ixzz0oQGYDASC

Working overtime is bad for the heart

Working overtime is bad for the heart, say results from a long-running study of more than 10,000 civil servants.
The research found that people who worked three or more hours longer than a normal seven-hour day had a 60 percent higher risk of heart-related problems such as death due to heart disease, non-fatal heart attacks and angina.
Marianna Virtanen, epidemiologist at the University College London (UCL), said: “The association between long hours and coronary heart disease was independent of a range of risk factors that we measured at the start of the study, such as smoking, being overweight, or having high cholesterol.”
The Whitehall II study started in 1985 and recruited 10,308 office staff aged 35-55 from 20 London-based civil service departments.
Data has been collected at regular intervals and in the third phase, between 1991-1994, a question on working hours was introduced.
This current analysis looks at the results from 6,014 people (4,262 men and 1,752 women), aged 39-61, who were followed until 2002-2004, which is the most recent phase for which clinical examination data are available.
During the average 11.2 years of follow-up, Virtanen and her colleagues in Finland, London and France, found that there had been 369 cases of fatal CHD, non-fatal heart attacks (myocardial infarctions) or angina.
After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, marital status and occupational grade, they found that working three to four hours overtime (but not one to two hours) was associated with a 60 percent higher rate of CHD compared with no overtime work.
Further adjustments for a total of 21 risk factors made little difference to these estimates.
The researchers say there could be a number of possible explanations for this association between overtime and heart disease, said an UCL release.
Their results showed that working overtime was related to type A behaviour pattern (type A behaviour tend to be aggressive, competitive, tense, time-conscious and generally hostile), psychological distress manifested by depression and anxiety, and possibly with not enough sleep, or not enough time to unwind before going to sleep.
These findings were published online at the European Heart Journal.


Read more: http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/139386.htm#ixzz0oQFPDmgQ

Heavy use of mobile phones can cause cancer

Just half an hour a day on your mobile phone can increase the risk of brain cancer by a third, according to a report.
The interphone report, which has been largely funded by the mobile phone industry, was based on interviews in 13 countries over 10 years with 5,000 brain cancer victims or a friend or relative of those who had died or were too ill to be quizzed, reports express.co.uk.
It also found out that the heaviest user category were in greater danger of developing malignant glioma tumours, which account for half of all brain tumours in the Britain.
“It’s time for the government to put warnings on mobile phone packaging and to issue cautions over children, similar to those in other countries,” said Grahame Blackwell, a spokesman for health charity WiredChild.
“Parents just don’t realise the dangers, which go beyond brain tumours, and the government needs to inform them because the manufacturers certainly won’t,” he added.


Read more: http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/139639.htm#ixzz0oQEztRYw

How much water on earth? Exactly 1.33 billion cubic km

Washington, May 19 (IANS) Try finding out the exact volume of water on the earth and chances are that you will get multiple results and end up confused about which one is correct and accurate.
Inspired by the need to do away with the confusion, scientists have come up with an exact figure, 1.332 billion cubic kilometres.
Matthew Charette, associate scientist in marine chemistry and geochemistry at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), is member of a research team that has audited all the water on the planet.
“A lot of water values are taken for granted. If you want to know the water volume on the planet, you Google it and you get five different numbers, most of them 30 or 40 year-old values,” says Charette.
Charette and co-investigator Walter H.F. Smith, geophysicist at the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have come with up the new ocean volume figure.
“The satellite project has covered virtually all the world’s oceans, except for some areas of the Arctic that are covered with ice,” Charette says. The result is a “new world map” of the oceans, Smith adds.
The researchers report that the world’s total ocean volume is less than the most recent estimates by a volume equivalent to about five times the Gulf of Mexico, or 500 times the Great Lakes.
While that might seem a lot at first glance, it is only about 0.3 percent lower than the estimates of 30 years ago.
What may be more interesting, Matthew says, is how accurate scientists were in the past, using cruder techniques to measure ocean depth.
As long ago as 1888, for example, John Murray dangled lead weights from a rope off a ship to calculate an ocean volume – the product of ocean area and mean ocean depth – just 1.2 percent greater than the figure Charette and Smith now report.
Starting in the 1920s, researchers using echosounders improved depth estimates significantly, according to the researchers. Most recently, Smith and others have pioneered the use of satellites to calculate ocean volume.
The trend toward a progressive lowering of volume estimates is not because the world’s oceans are losing water. Rather, it reflects a greater ability to locate undersea mountain ranges and other formations, which take up space that would otherwise be occupied by water.
Satellite measurements reveal that ocean bottoms “are bumpier and more mountainous than had been imagined,” said Smith, according to a WHOI release.
It would take a single ship 200 years (or 10 ships 20 years) to measure all the ocean-floor depths with an echosounder, according to published U.S. Navy estimates. “That would come to about $2 billion,” Smith says. “NASA is spending more than that on a probe to [the Jupiter moon] Europa.”
The work is published in the current issue of Oceanography.


Read more: http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/140284.htm#ixzz0oQDxgjEu

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Consumer prices dip 0.1 percent in April

WASHINGTON -- Consumer prices fell in April for the first time in 13 months as energy prices tumbled and high unemployment limited businesses' ability to raise prices.

The 0.1 percent decrease in overall prices was pulled down by gas prices that are expected to drop further over the summer.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was flat in April, according to the Labor Department report issued Wednesday. Core inflation is up just 0.9 percent over the past 12 months, the smallest increase since 1966.

The recession in 2007 and 2008 has kept inflation tame, giving the Federal Reserve leeway to keep interest rates at historic lows to help jump-start economic growth. Some economists worry about the possibility of deflation, a destabilizing period of falling prices.

"With the unemployment rate so close to 10 percent, it is entirely understandable that the Fed wants to stick with its commitment to leave rates at near-zero," said Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics.

Ashworth said the Fed will not start raising interest rates until late next year and it's possible the first Fed rate hikes will not occur until 2012.

The World's Billionaires

For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_The-Worlds-Billionaires_Rank.html

It's official: Men lie more than women

A new study has confirmed what many ladies already knew: Men tell more lies than women.

According to the study, on an average, a man will tell three lies a day, racking up 1,092 whoppers in a year. However, an average woman will come out with 728, fibbing just twice a day, reports The Daily Express.

The study, which was commissioned by researchers at the Science Museum in London, found that 82 per cent of females questioned said telling a lie ate away at their conscience but only 70 per cent of men confessed to suffering pangs of guilt.

"Lying may seem to be an unavoidable part of human nature but it's an important part of social interaction," said Katie Maggs, the museum's associate medical curator.

"The jury is still out as to whether human quirks like lying are the result of our genes, evolution or our upbringing."

OnePoll spoke to 3,000 adults for the survey.

The top 10 lies men tell their partners include "I had no signal", "I'm on my way", "I'm stuck in traffic", "Sorry, I missed your call", "You've lost weight" and "It's just what I've always wanted"

Maruti to launch Alto with 1-ltr K series engine

Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is planning to launch a new version of its small car Alto, the highest selling model in India, with a bigger engine.

According to industry sources, the company plans to launch the new Alto with a one-litre petrol engine from its latest generation of engine, the K -series.

When contacted, Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava said, "Alto needs a face-lift. It has been there for quite a while."

He, however, declined to comment when a refreshed Alto would be launched and what kind of engine would be fitted on the new version.

Last month, MSI had introduced BS IV compliant Alto on the existing 800cc F Series engine.

Sources said the company has decided to equip the Alto with a 1000 cc K series engine.

"With a bigger K-series engine, the new Alto will obviously be costlier than the existing Alto," a source said.

The existing Alto is priced between Rs 2.29 lakh and Rs 2.8 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The Alto is the best selling car model in India averaging about 20,000 units per month. It has sold about 13.5 lakh units since its launch in September 2000.

The plan to launch Alto with a new engine is part of MSI's strategy to equip its models with the latest generation K series engine.

Maruti Suzuki offers two variants of the K series engines -- 998cc three-cylinder, 'K10B' fitted in A-star, Estilo, and the new WagonR and a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder 'K12M' petrol engine powering Ritz, Swift and Swift Dzire.

In April, MSI crossed the milestone of rolling out three lakh K Series engines. The company has a total engine capacity of 10 lakh units annually, of which the share of K-Series engines is 2.5 lakh units.