The great land grab for personal, political and corporate gains

The great land grab of India

Be it the Raman Singh-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh,

BJP Govt of Madhya Prades ,

Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh,

Biju's BJD govt in Orissa,

previous CPI(M)-led Left Front government's initiatives in West Bengal , they have all , for the immediate personal and political gains , overlooked the rights of the farmers and tribal land rights by taking up huge industrialisation and infrastructure projects

They have ignored the livelihood concerns of these land based communities,

-leading to unjust agricultural and forest land acquisition ,

-displacement of local and tribal communities,

-economic and social marginalisation of farming communities

-increasing risk of environmental hazards

-and increase in the number of landless labourers

Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore

Tagore show



Tagore known for his literary works across the globe was also a versed painter, a facet of his not much known to the world.
 

From 1928 onwards, Rabindranath began to paint images laden with memory and fantasy. He used very simple material – any available paper, coloured ink, crayon, gouache pigment, brush, rags and fingers with frenzy. He painted heads, figures, bizarre animals and flora, and landscapes of the mind.” It took India time to ‘accept' him as an artist. Tagore had his first show of painting in the early 1930s in Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a lukewarm response.
The National Gallery for Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi, is celebrating it with a unique art exhibition titled “Circle of Art: The Three Tagores”.

Annihilating caste and Ambedkar

Annihilating caste

Baba saheb Ambedkar in his time took lot of initiatives to overcome the caste barriers and hurdles that most poor indians were facing.
He tried his best with the then British  government to create a seperate electorate for the lower caste marginalised Indians , so as to bring them up in he political and educational circle of country, but he could not suceed.Yet his efforts have not gone in vain.

The less priviledged have been able to come up the creamy layer because of his efforts.

Ironically in India Where politics has its tentacles spread into every nook and corner of the Indian society, one sees caste based politics and caste and sub caste based ooganizations flourishing just to gain the vote bank , much less for the development of the marginalised.
According to Ambedkar, caste destroyed the concept of ethics and morality. To quote him: “The effect of caste on the ethics of the Hindus is simply deplorable. Caste has killed public spirit. Caste has destroyed the sense of public charity. Caste has made public opinion impossible. A Hindu's public is his caste. His responsibility is to his caste. His loyalty is restricted only to his caste. Virtue has become caste-ridden, and morality has become caste-bound.”

YEMEN: Conflict generating more child soldiers |

Clad in military fatigues at a recently established checkpoint west of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, 15-year-old Walid tried to sling an AK-47 assault rifle over his shoulder but the gun was too big for his short physique.

"He is carrying a gun taller than him," mocked a passer-by.

Does God need his Own Gold

God’s Own Gold

When five of the vaults were opened, they reportedly revealed incredible riches, among them, hundreds of kilos of gold coins, trinkets, diamonds, statues studded with jewels, emeralds and rubies, an 18-foot gold ornament, golden ‘coconut shells' and idols made of solid gold.

http://www.frontlineonnet.com/stories/20110729281512500.htm

Rs 50,000 crore The value of thousands of necklaces, coins, precious stones and artefacts found in the underground vaults at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.

Mediocrity in US education gap

The economic cost of the US education gap - McKinsey Quarterly


A persistent gap in academic achievement between children in the United States and their counterparts in other countries deprived the US economy of as much as $2.3 trillion in economic output in 2008, McKinsey research finds.¹ Moreover, each of the long-standing achievement gaps among US students of differing ethnic origins, income levels, and school systems represents hundreds of billions of dollars in unrealized economic gains.

$50 Billion mountain Peak in Peru Bought for $810 Million by China for copper mining

China Boss in Peru on $50 Billion Peak Bought for $810 Million

Chinese mining investments of $11 billion for Peru project , for mining copper as chinese demand for the metal soars up.

Chinese state-owned mining company will tear down the peak in Peru's town of Morococha, 103-year-old mining town with $50 billion deposit of ore underneath , to ship home the copper and leaving behind a crater 800 meters (2,600 feet) deep and a third larger than New York City's Central Park . The mountain village's population of 5,397 will be relocated . Many don't want to leave.

As chinese economy surges many mining treasures are being searched for meeting its copper needs.
This precious metal's global demand is stated to exceed its supply by 11 million tons by 2035 .

More than half of China's 1.3 billion people live in rural areas. Over the next 15 years, the country will need 50,000 skyscrapers, 170 mass transit systems and urban housing for 350 million people as it develops the interior, according to a 2009 study by the McKinsey Global Institute, a research arm of New York-based McKinsey & Co. That represents a potential doubling of the domestic market for autos, appliances, televisions and other consumer goods.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/nov2010/gb2010111_682546.htm

Why Americans pay more for health care

Why Americans pay more for health care - McKinsey Quarterly - Health Care - Strategy & Analysis
Americans are paying more for their health especially for outpatient care , visits to hospitals , emergency services and drug cost and insurance.

McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) and McKinsey’s health care practice research sheds light

The United States spends nearly $650 billion more on health care than might be expected, with outpatient care accounting for over two-thirds of this extra spending.Drug prices for comparable products are 50 percent higher in the United States than in other OECD member countries.

An economy that works: Job creation and America's future

Ever since the recession 2008-2009 , American economy has suffered a huge setback in terms of Job loss.Since the formation of a new government, which is focused on addressing this issue , the challenge still looms larger.
The job creation process has been slow, and it is still a mammoth task a head for the country to provide jobs for the future recruits as well as the present unemployed workforce.

Following is an excerpt from McKinsey survey indicating the areas from which future jobs will be created and how to create sustainable jobs and throws light on the growing gaps in skill and education that slows down the employment.


An economy that works: Job creation and America's future:

• The US needs to create 21 million new jobs by 2020 to regain full employment – and only achieves this in our most optimistic job growth scenario.
  
  
• The US workforce will continue to grow until 2020, but under current trends, many workers will not have the right skills for the available jobs. Technology is changing the nature of work: jobs are being disaggregated into tasks, work is becoming virtual, and firms are relying on flexible labor (temporary, contract workers)
• Seventy-one percent of U.S. workers are in jobs unfavorable to robust income growth. While there is no single cause or "silver bullet" remedy for rising income dispersion, upgrading the productivity, skills, and rewards in the service sector is the key challenge.

Abundant riches of the Indian millionaires never trickles-down -poor CSR efforts

All the CSR efforts of most private Indian companies seem to have a mask. A mask of protecting their vested interests , of tax relaxations and making profits.
there are very few , who are doing the real good work, rest all give back a miniscule of what they have scavenged from the public.


Growth-obsessed economists continuously propagate the theory that abundant riches will invariably have a trickle-down effect; the truth is that it rarely occurs. While we gloat over disputable figures on poverty alleviation, the real serious threat of an unequal society is quietly glossed over. So the often paraded maxim: push the bottom of the pyramid upwards without dragging down the upper echelons. Poverty, in reality, should never be measured in percentages, but in actual head-count

Madiba birthday wish

Madiba birthday wish
Mandela turns 93.

Earth may enter a Little Ice Age within a decade

Earth may enter a Little Ice Age within a decade:

Solar activity rises and falls about every 11 years, which is half of the 22-year sunspot cycle. The current cycle is now supposed to be ramping up, but so far results have been most disappointing.
Sunspots, the enormous magnetic storms that erupt on the sun's surface as the cycle builds, might disappear entirely for the first time since the Maunder Minimum, almost 400 years ago.

The Maunder Minimum, a 70-year period from 1645 to 1715 when virtually no sunspots appeared, coincided with the Little Ice Age.

http://www.iceagenow.com/Earth_may_enter_a_Little_Ice_Age_within_a_decade.htm

Mount Etna eruption 'knocks clocks 15 minutes fast'

Mount Etna eruption 'knocks clocks 15 minutes fast

Early for work, due to the magnetic activity caused by the eruption of mount Etna at sicily.
Italy's Mount Etna volcano spewed lava on to its south-eastern slopes on Saturday afternoon and windswept ash stopped flights at Catania's Fontanarossa airport.

Underwater volcanoes heating Antarctic waters

Underwater volcanoes heating Antarctic waters

Ship-borne sea-floor mapping technology is enabling scientists working to understand the eruption and collapse of volcanoes under sea surface.
This new technology will enable scientists to understand the Evolution of Earth and also provide extremely valuable information concerning disasters like Tsunami.

12 volcanoes beneath the sea surface — some up to 3km (1.86 miles) high. They found 5km (3 mile) diameter craters left by collapsing volcanoes and 7 active volcanoes visible above the sea as a chain of islands.

http://www.iceagenow.com/Underwater_volcanoes_heating_Antarctic_waters.htm

Skype introduces video calling for Android -

Skype introduces video calling for Android

With the new Android Skype app, users will be able to make free one-to-one video calls between Android phones, iPhones, Mac computers, Microsoft Windows PCs and televisions.

The first Android handsets to support Skype video calling are the HTC Desire 5, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/skype-introduces-video-calling-for-android/163967-11.html

Telgi names Sharad Pawar in multi-crore fake stamp paper scam -

Telgi names Sharad Pawar in scam - India News - IBNLive


Abdul Karim Telgi, the main accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scandal, has named Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar during investigation. "Mr Pawar, Mr Bhujbal," he tells the investigators. “Politicians are the backbone of this business,” he is heard saying

Peru marks 100th anniversary of Machu Picchu's 'discovery' -

Peru marks 100th anniversary of Machu Picchu's 'discovery'

Hiram Bingham is credited with bringing Machu Picchu to the attention of the world and this is the 100 years of Machu Picchu discovery in the world.

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance

"The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup; thou maintainest my lot.  The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage."

Psalm 16: 5, 6

King James Version

"And the Lord gave them rest round about;... the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand" (Joshua 21:44).

 

"He will beautify the meek with victory" (Ps. 149:4).

From pole to pole let others roam,
And search in vain for bliss;
My soul is satisfied at home,
The Lord my portion is.

2. Jesus, who on his glorious throne
Rules heav'n and earth and sea;
Is pleased to claim me for his own,
And give himself to me.

3. His person fixes all my love,
His blood removes my fear;
And while he pleads for me above,
His arm preserves me here.

4. His word of promise is my food,
His Spirit is my guide;
Thus daily is my strength renewed
And all my wants supplied.

5. For him I count as gain each loss,
Disgrace, for him, renown;
Well may I glory in his cross,
While he prepares my crown!

Settle into your quiet place of prayer and meditate

What sin is Satan trying to remind you of? Is it lying or adultery or abortion or jealousy or bitterness or resentment or unforgiveness or child molestation or abuse? Is it ingratitude or prayerlessness or pridefulness or casualness or hypocrisy or a critical spirit? When Satan comes to remind you of your sin, remind him that your sin has been forgiven and your guilt has been atoned for - at the Cross!  

It has been covered by the blood of Jesus, and you bear it no more! When Satan tries to dig up your forgiven past, settle into your quiet place of prayer and meditate on the words of [an] old hymn:

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well with my soul,
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!




-Expecting to See Jesus: A Wake-Up Call for God's People. (An Expanded Edition of "I Saw the Lord"), by Anne Graham-Lotz

http://view.lists.zondervan.com/?j=fe5c16777662027d761c&m=ff3216797566&ls=

Attrition highest in B’lore, Hyderabad & Chennai

Attrition highest in B’lore, Hyderabad & Chennai - The Economic Times
Companies located in the southern cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai are finding it difficult to hold on to their young employees as attrition levels in these cities stood at 15%--- the highest in the country during the last twelve months.
Junior level profiles having work experience of 1-3 years stole the limelight from across all other hierarchical levels. This segment showed the highest and the fastest growing intent to hire, while middle-level hiring (with 3-7 years of work experience) showed a marginal drop in the data collected from about 8 major cities.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/attrition-highest-in-blore-hyderabad-chennai/articleshow/92002