Celebrate International Friendship Day www.friendshipday.org Honoring the bond of friendship UN chief urges global amity on International Friendship

Friendship Day celebrations take place on the first Sunday of August every year. The tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends began in US in 1935. Gradually the festival gained popularity and today Friendship Day is celebrated in large number of countries including India. On this day people spend time with their friends and express love for them. Exchange of Friendship Day Gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.

" Two may talk together under the same roof for many years, yet never really meet; and two others at first speech are old friends. "

" Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival. "

- C. S. Lewis

" Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success. "

- Oscar Wilde

Celebrate International Friendship Day

Join in today's celebration of International Friendship Day at Town Center at Cobb inspired by the Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment movie Rio, about a Spix Macaw who learns the meaning of friendship.

Children can participate in activities to learn about the importance of friendship and understanding just like Blu, Jewel, Rafael, Luiz and the rest of the gang from Rio.

Friendship activities include the making a friendship bracelet for their BFF, taking a friendship pledge to promise to be kind, share and help others, and receive a Friendship Day certificate. They will also be given Friendship Day postcards to write a letter of friendship to the city of Rio along with other fun crafts and coloring activities.

“We’re delighted to host this event bringing children together in the spirit of International Friendship Day,” said Shelly Weidner, Director of Marketing and Business Development for Town Center at Cobb. “In today’s world where bullying is a concern of parents and children we want to promote the importance of friendship.”

Rio is the story of Blu, a domesticated macaw living thousands of miles away from his homeland, Brazil. When his human owner Linda discovers that he is the last male of his kind, they head south to Rio de Janeiro to meet the only other female. But it’s far from love at first sight between the socially-awkward, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Shortly after Blu’s arrival, the two rare birds are captured by greedy animal smugglers and find themselves lost in the Brazilian rainforest. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on a hilarious and clumsy adventure where they learn about friendship, love, courage and spreading one’s wings to fly.

Friendship Day is all about celebrating the bond of friendship. (TOI Photo)

Friendship Day is all about celebrating the bond of friendship. It is an occasion to turn the pages of life and reminisce the wonderful moments that you have spent with your pals in the school, college or workplace.

A get-together with your pals or sending fancy gifts undoubtedly are great ideas to express your affection, but apart from these you can also consider a few innovative tips to make them feel special on Friendship Day.

Friendship Day greeting cards: Typical, but still well-liked by people who find it hard to express their feelings loud. Choose a fascinating Friendship greeting card carrying inspirational quotes or messages that relevantly express what your heart wants to say in a lovely and impressive way. The market is flooded with multitude brands such as Red Roses, Archie's, Hallmark and more to choose from which are also popular as memento.

Friendship Day SMS: SMSes (Short Message Service) are quite popular among all ages in the contemporary times because they are short, precise, expressive and instantly delivered to the recipient. Sending a lovely Friendship Day SMS on this occasion is a wonderful way to sendFriendship Day wishes and make your friend feel elevated.

A surprise party: Throwing a surprise party for all your friends on Friendship Day would be much fun. But the truth is, when friends catch up celebration come calling. So, just make phone calls and drop an invitation to all your pals to be at your abode. Such surprise parties on the occasion would refresh the bond in this busy life.

If you are looking for some innovative gifts or gift ideas, then take the advantage of the internet and you could easily find one that would bring smile on his/her friend.

Personalized gifts are also a great gift idea to amuse your friend as it also signifies as a token of love and friendship for the years to come.

Friends have an important role to play in everyone's life. They stand aside you at times when you feel lonely and seek support to recuperate from bad times. So, to express your appreciation and celebrate the joy of being friend Friendship Day 2011 is just the perfect occasion.

UN chief urges global amity on International Friendship Day

UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (APP): On the first International Day of Friendship, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Sunday urged the global community to work together to build a peaceful, more prosperous world, where old friendships flourish and new ones are made.“Friendship harmony tolerance mutual respect and mutual concern, these concepts are part of the Organization’s [United Nations] very fibre” said Ban. “They inform our activities, from peacekeeping and defending human rights to our collective efforts to achieve the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “And they are now the focus of the International Day of Friendship, a new observance established by the General Assembly in a resolution that highlights the potential of friendship to ‘build bridges’ and ‘ inspire peace efforts’,” he said. Ban recalled that the UN Charter proclaims that one of the purposes of the UN is to develop friendly relations among nations, words that also appear in the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The constitution of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), he added, also stressed the need for peace based not only on the political and economic arrangements of Governments, but on the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind. The Secretary-General said individual friendships brought humans face to face with diversity and different points of view, as well as joy and support,notwithstanding the tests that can encumber even the best of relationships. “The same pillars that support sturdy personal friendships trust, respect, mutually beneficial decision-making also have an important place in the community of nations,” he said. He quoted the late Woodrow Wilson, a former President of the United States, who once said: “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.

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A woman's history of the world(Or why Delhi needs a slutwak) Delhi all set for its first Slutwalk India Slutwalk sex harassment protest held in Delhi

India 'Slutwalk' sex harassment protest held in Delhi

Most of the marchers in Delhi were soberly dressed

A rally has taken place in India's capital inspired by the "Slutwalk" protests held in a number of countries.

The protest is to challenge the notion that the way a woman looks can excuse sexual abuse or taunting - "Eve teasing" as it is known in India.

Hundreds took part in Delhi, though there was little of the skimpy dressing that has marked protests elsewhere.

The protests originated in Canada after a policeman said women could avoid rape by not dressing like "sluts".

'It's our lives'

The BBC's Mark Dummett in Delhi says the organisers are trying to challenge the mindset that the victims of sexual violence are to blame for the crimes committed against them.

He says Delhi can be a very difficult city for women, with sexual harassment commonplace, and rapes and abduction all too frequent.

And according to a recent survey, India remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women.

One protester told our correspondent: "Every girl has the right to wear whatever she wants, to do whatever she wants to do with her body. It's our lives, our decisions, unless it's harming you, you have no right to say anything."

Another protesters said: "There are a lot of problems for women in Delhi because a lot of women do face sexual harassment and just a couple of weeks ago the chief of police of Delhi said that if a women was out after 0200 she was responsible for what happens to her, and I don't think that's the right attitude."

Most of the marchers in Delhi were soberly dressed in jeans and T-shirts or traditional shalwar kameez.

India recorded almost 22,000 rape cases in 2008, 18% up on 2004, the National Crime Records Bureau says.

Delhi Slutwalk today

The Slutwalk movement, where women have hit the streets worldwide with provocative clothes and slogans against sexual harassment, comes to Delhi on Sunday. The route is shorter than originally planned and the attendance tentative, but supporte

r and organizers of the Slutwalk Arthaat Besharmi Morcha campaign are confident of making a strong statement.

The campaign has earned the support of a few celebrities, some of whom are likely to participate in the walk. “Nafisa Ali and Gul Panag will be there and designers Sanjana Jon and Niket Mishra may also attend,” said Mishika Singh, an organizer.

Participants are expected to assemble outside Free Church on Parliament Street at 10.30am. The walk will proceed to YWCA guesthouse, Jantar Mantar Road and back. The new route is much shorter than the original one, which included Parliament Street police station, Patel Chowk and Asoka Road.

“We were told by Delhi Police that since the monsoon session of Parliament begins on Monday, Section 144 (which prohibits assembly of five or more people at one point) will be imposed in the area till September. That’s why we had to shorten the route,” said Mishika.

They might get lucky, though, as a senior police official said that despite the imposition of Section 144, they might reconsider and allow the campaigners to walk the original route if participants are in controllable numbers.

Organizers say they expect quite a crowd as flyers have been distributed during street plays and weekly debates t o promote the campaign as it unfolded across the world. In the days leading up to the walk, they also flooded Delhi University with campaign posters, and with a team of about 25 volunteers distributed flyers in North Campus.

Delhi all set for its first Slutwalk

The virtual world was Saturday abuzz with last minute invitations, even as preparations were in full swing for the capital’s first Slut Walk or ‘Besharmi Morcha’ Sunday — a campaign to protest the random use of the word ‘slut’ and sexual violence against women.

The official page of the campaign on Facebook, with over 1,450 members, had the message loud and clear: “All set for tomorrow.”

While the route of the walk has been shortened and the event will be a toned-down version of its international counterpart, the organisers have asked supporters to get creative and make their own slogans.

“Make your own slogans, bring colourful placards to the walk. Say what you want,” posted Umang Sabharwal, the organiser.

Slut Walks have become a global phenomenon to protest against sexual violence after a police officer in Toronto caused outrage by stating in a speech to university students that women should avoid “dressing like sluts” to avoid being victimised.

“We have shortened our initial route and are now starting the walk from the Free Church to YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) all the way to Jantar Mantar (in central Delhi). We have taken permission from the Delhi Police,” Mishika Singh, one of the organisers, told.

Slut Walks across the globe see women dress in skimpy clothing to challenge the mindset that victims of sexual violence should be blamed for the assault on them.

“The name Besharmi Morcha was keeping in mind the Indian target audience,” added Singh.

The supporters seemed excited to make the event a colourful one. The walk starts at 10.30 a.m. and ends at 12.30 p.m.

“Countdown starts! Sunday we will make our point clear. Full support to slut walk,” wrote one of the supporters Alexander Will.

Read biography

Nandini Ramachandran is a books-writer, lawyer, and editor who graduated from National Law School in 2009. She reads for a living, runs the blog chaosbogey, and writes a weekly books column for mylaw.net. She has been published in online venues like OpenDemocracy, Global Comment, and Popmatters, as well as print magazines and newspapers. One day she hopes to grow up and become a hippie.

A woman’s history of the world (Or why Delhi needs a slutwalk)

Last month, if you remember, Delhi was due to slutwalk. The event was later postponed into oblivion, and most people appeared to have forgotten about it. Not so me. I was skeptical, it is true, but only until I realised how mighty the forces against slutwalk were.

Slutwalk London | Reuters

I wrote this post to coincide with the slutwalk on June 25th. At the time, I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself forget, however quickly the event slipped from public memory. Now that the slutwalk is happening, however hasty and poorly attended, I am glad to have the opportunity to finally put it up.

A few weeks ago, I called Eduardo Galeano’s Mirrors a “masterful capsule-history”. That was, to be honest, understating the wonder of the book.

The blurb gives this away. The Guardian calls is “pure delight”, The Times says it is “endlessly fascinating”, Isabel Allende says Galeano’s prose has a “mysterious power”. Even such relentless gushery, however, understates the genius of Galeano, who has wrestled the entire cosmos down to less than 400 pages. Coming to the book well-disposed to mirrors from all myths and magics, I found myself in instant love. If there were ever a book that deserved to be called a world-history- and there are very few- Mirrors would take the prize. In it there are stories, as the subtitle claims, of almost everyone.

You might remember Galeano from an early controversy in the Obama administration. Hugo Chavez famously gifted his polemic Open Veins in Latin America to the newly minted President in 2009. Back then, there was much dither about Chavez’s derring-do. The right was inflamed while the left claimed that the visit would mark a turn in American foreign policy. Now, as Obama settles into an indefinite occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and a new war in Libya, one can only look back upon such fond hopes with a wry smirk. Given that Galeano has become our generation’s prophet for doomed (if worthy) causes, I guess it is apt that I’m relying on him to explain why, of all cities, Delhi needs to slutwalk.

Victorious Sun, Moon Vanquished.

The moon lost her first battle against the sun when he spread word that it wasn’t the wind who was impregnating women.
Then history brought more sad news:
the division of labour assigned nearly all tasks to females so that we males could dedicate ourselves to mutual extermination,
the right to property and the right to inheritance allowed women to be owners of nothing,
the organisation of the family enclosed them in the cage of father, husband, and son,
and along came the state, which was like the family, only bigger.

The moon shared in her daughters’ downfall.
Left far behind were the times when the Egyptian moon would devour the sun at dusk and sire him at dawn,
when the Irish moon kept the sun in line by threatening him with perpetual night,
and when the kings of Greece and Crete would dress up as queens, with taffeta tits, and in sacred ceremonies would unfurl the moon as their standard.
In the Yucatán, the moon and sun lived in matrimony. When they fought, it caused an eclipse. The moon was lady of the seas and the springs, and goddess of the earth. With the passing of time, she lost her powers. Now she only reigns over birth and illness.
On the coasts of Peru, we can date her humiliation. Shortly before the Spanish invasion, in the year 1463, the moon of the Chimú kingdom, the most powerful of moons, surrendered to the army of the Incan sun.

Before folk get too merrily complacent about the magnanimity of the Hinduism when it comes to female deities, here is “Phoolan” from later in the book:

Phoolan Devi had the terrible idea to be born poor and female and a member of one of India’s lowest castes.
In 1974, at the age of eleven, her parents married her to a man from a caste not quite as low, and gave him a cow for a dowry.
Since Phoolan knew nothing of conjugal duties, her husband taught her by torture and rape. And when she fled, he went to the police, and the police tortured and raped her. And when she returned to the village, the ox, her ox, was the only one who didn’t accuse her of being impure.
And she left. And she met a thief with a long and impressive record. He was the only man who ever asked her if she was cold and if she felt all right.
Her thieving lover was shot down in the village of Behmai and she was dragged through the streets and tortured and raped by a number of landowners. And some time later, Phoolan returned to Behmai at night leading a gang of strongmen and found twenty two of them. And she woke them up, one by one, and killed them.
By then Phoolan was eighteen. Along the entire length of the Yamuna people knew that she was the daughter of the goddess Durga, and as beautiful and violent as her mother.

Is there anyone still arguing that clothing can protect Indian women? Any Indian Woman? The clothes, just to emphasise this one last time, are the least important thing about slutwalk, just as lingerie was hardly the point behind bra-burning. To twist the Rolling Stones into an unlikely feminism, if only we could make a rag-pile of our shiny clothes and ride down the moonlight mile.

Hundreds march in New Delhi’s ‘SlutWalk’ but minus the provocative clothes of earlier marches

NEW DELHI — Hundreds gathered in India’s capital to protest sexual violence against women. New Delhi is the latest city to hold an international series of protests known as “SlutWalk.”

Indi’a protests featured none of the short skirts, fishnet stockings or lingerie typical in other cities. But the marchers’ message was no less adamant.

While millions of women in India now work outside their homes, the country is still largely conservative. Perhaps keeping that in mind, most marchers wore jeans and T-shirts or salwar-kameezes, the Indian tunic paired with loose pants.

The protests originated in Toronto, Canada, sparked by a police officer’s remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like “sluts.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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www.mohdrafi.com bollywood Singer Mohammad RaGulam Nabi Azad to Attend Rafi Tribute

Rafi Saab, is indeed the best singer of all times. Today, 30 years after his death, he lives on eternally. His songs today are just as popular as they were during his lifetime.

When Rafi Saab had a one-man audience, a special day for me

This was perhaps one of those dreams…..

I sat , thinking to myself – “Lagta nahin hai dil mera ujade dayar mein”. I was missing my idol, my God, the great soul whose voice had taken total possession of me from the evening that I slipped on the rain drenched patch of road outside a theatre in Chennai, as I came out after watching a tall and handsome young man call out “Khoya Khoya chaand”.

Rafi the Artist: Always and

And what is art? The prayer, the music, and the song of the human soul. – Ivan Bunin

The singer of the millennium Mohammed Rafi has been entertaining his audience for over sixty years now, since the 1940s. His popularity has not diminished a bit even decades after his demise in 1980. Even those who were born long after his passing seem to be enthralled by his voice. This does not happen by chance or by luck. This does not happen magically, either. There are genuine reasons why Rafi still shines like a Polaris on our musical horizon. His versatility, of course, is one reason, which has been well documented. The tragedy king Dilip Kumar states that Rafi sang with so much emotion that it lightened the burden on the actor during song sequences. His fellow actor Shammi Kapoor echoes that sentiment, revealing that Rafi could always capture Shammi’s style, his grace, his energy, imagining how he would “jump or roll or lift his hand or shake a leg.”

Gulam Nabi Azad to Attend Rafi Tribute

Mumbai, Jul 30 (IANS): Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad will be the chief guest at a function in New Delhi Sunday to pay tribute to legendary singer Mohammed Rafi on his 31st death anniversary. Shahid Rafi, the singer's son, is organising the evening and has roped in crooner Roop Kumar Rathod to sing some of Rafi's popular songs. "No one can sing like Rafi Sahab... He had the voice of God in him. We will try and take people back to his songs by singing songs like 'O duniya ke rakhwale', 'Chaudavi ka chaand' and 'Tum jo mil gaye ho'. "The unique thing about Rafi sahab's voice was his versatility. Imagine the same singer singing 'Sar jo tera chakraye' for 'Johnny Walker' and 'Hum aapki aankhon mein' for Guru Dutt in the same film. There cannot be another Rafi for sure," a statement quoted Rathod as saying.

Iqbal Memorial Institute, Boys Wing, Bemina, Srinagar celebrated Iqbal day here today with great fervor and enthusiasm. District Development Commissioner, Budgam, Mohammad Rafi was the chief guest on the occasion and was presided over by the Chairman Iqbal Memorial Trust, J&K Dr. Yusouf-ul- umer.

They also took salute at the parade at the march past presently by student day also presented different colorful programmes. Young Iqbalians also highlighted the contribution of Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal as a poet as a philosopher and as a visionary.

Mohammad Rafi in his speech said that the youth of the community should strive hard to get good education. He also congratulated the management of the Institute for achieving the success in different fields of curricular and co-curricular activities.

Chairman of the trust laid stress upon achieving a good and higher education. He said that Iqbal Memorial school should produce students who can change the destiny of the world.

Earlier, Principal of the Institute presented welcome address and highlighted the achievements in academics as well as in extracurricular activities of the Institute of the year 2010.

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Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Top 10 MTNL Lost Cause www.bsnl.co.in Cellular services grow 16.6% in 2010-11

	BSNL is in the process of commissioning of a world class, multi-gigabit, multi-protocol, convergent IP infrastructure through National Internet Backbone-II (NIB-II), that will provide convergent services through the same backbone and broadband access network. The Broadband service will be available on DSL technology (on the same copper cable that is used for connecting telephone), on a countrywide basis spanning 198 cities. In terms of infrastructure for broadband services NIB-II would put India at par with more advanced nations. The services that would be supported includes always-on broadband access to the Internet for residential and business customers, Content based services, Video multicasting, Video-on-demand and Interactive gaming, Audio and Video conferencing, IP Telephony, Distance learning, Messaging: plain and feature rich, Multi-site MPLS VPNs with Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees. The subscribe will be able to access the above services through Subscriber Service Selection System (SSSS) portal. Key Objectives To provide high speed Internet connectivity (upto 8 Mbps) To provide Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to the broadband customers To provide dial VPN service to MPLS VPN customers. To provide multicast video services, video-on-demand, etc. through the Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS). To provide a means to bill for the aforesaid services by either time-based or volume-based billing. It shall provide the customer with the option to select the services through web server To provide both pre-paid and post paid broadband services Technical Capability of the Backbone The Broadband Service will be given through the state of the art Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) based IP Infrastructure, which is designed to provide reliable routes to cover all possible destinations within and outside the country. Layer 1 of the network will consist of a high speed Backbone comprising of 24 powerful Core Routers connected with high speed 2.5 Gbps(STM-16) links. The routers are located on the national DWDM network interfacing at STM-16 optical level to provide for high transmission speeds. What advantage does MPLS have over other Technologies? MPLS VPN is a technology that allows a service provider like BSNL to have complete control over parameters that are critical to offering its customers service guarantees with regard to bandwidth throughputs, latencies and availability. Services available through Broadband High speed Internet Access: This is the always-on Internet access service with speed ranging from 256 kbps to 8 Mbps. Multicasting: This is to provide video multicast services for application in distance education, telemedicine etc Dial VPN Service: This service allows remote users to access their private network securely over the NIB-II infrastructure. Video and Audio Conferencing: Content based Services: Like Video on Demand, Interactive Gaming, Live and time shifted TV What the customer needs in order to be able to use Broadband? BSNL's Bfone (Basic phone) connection Personel Computer with 10/100 Ethernet Port ADSL CPE (Customer Premise Equipment). This can be taken from BSNL at nominal rental per month. When is the service being launched The Broadband Service has been launched in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata from 14th January 2005. Soon, it will be extended to more than 200 cities. Please click here for list of cities>> Does BSNL provide PC for broadband access BSNL has tied up with HCL Infosystems Ltd. to launch the BSNL HCL PC for BSNL broadband customers in the country. For further details about pricing and configuration please click here. How do I apply for a BSNL broadband connection For applying a broadband connection you may download the form from this page and submit the same at your nearest BSNL Customer Service Center. You may also apply online by clicking here.

It seems like nothing is going in favor of the state-run telecom firms like BSNL and MTNL. Despite tremendous support from government in all aspects, these companies have so far failed to leverage on that. MTNL, for instance, garnered revenue of `3,951 crore in FY11 showing a huge dip of -21.9% over `5,058 crore business it did in FY10. The company also posted a net loss of `2,826.95 crore in FY11 compared to `2,514.87 crore it suffered in FY10.

However this loss can be attributed to many factors besides just its performance over its core business. The company that is operational only in 2 telecom service areas is overstaffed with close to 50,000 employees compared to 15,000-20,000 for telcos having presence in all 22 circles. This is bound to impact the bottomline. The company incurred a wage bill of `1,704 crore for the year ended March 2011 against `1,968 crore for the previous financial year. The pension bill increased to `340 crore in 2010-11, against `261 crore a year ago.

Though MTNL is one of the first 2 telcos provided with 3G spectrum, and the company had already made the 3G services available in its 2 operating circles, it has so far not seen much success. By the end of FY10, MTNL had managed to acquire only 250,000 3G subscribers. On an yearly basis, the revenue from its cellular services declined from `705.5 crore in FY10 to `648.8 crore. Overall, the voice ARPU for MTNL has come down to `260 in FY11 from `303 in FY10.

Though MTNL has not done remarkably well in its voice business, the company has taken few long strides in pushing its data services. In the last fiscal year, MTNL had seen major uptake in 3G services and subscriptions, mostly on the data front. Earlier the data usage in both its services areas was around 50 GB per day. But by the end of FY11, it had grown to 1,400 to 1,500 GB data usage in each city. The company's data ARPU of its broadband services for FY11 was `573 compared to `618 in FY10. It's a good sign that the company, though late, realized that it needs to bank on enterprise services in order to make up for its poor performance in cellular business.

The company had taken few steps in that regard during the last year. MTNL has started connecting around 86 CGHS hospitals in Delhi and providing backbone to them. Though revenue from this is not that significant, but it is a continuous revenue stream without any investments from MTNL's side. They are also connecting all the police stations in Delhi through its IP-MPLS network to provide them seamless connectivity for voice, data, and video. The company is also working on connecting Universities of Delhi and Mumbai through its network. It has also tied up with few device makers like Nokia, Samsung, and Micromax to make its services more accessible to its customers. Overall, MTNL had made `343 crore from the enterprise segment in FY11.

MTNL is the first company to float the idea of 3G roaming, wherein it will share a part of its network with private companies and the telcos who do not have 3G license in Delhi or Mumbai can utilize MTNL's network and offer their services. BSNL, which received BWA spectrum at the same time as MTNL, launched WiMax services in the country but MTNL so far has refrained from this. The company is mulling of going the LTE route instead of WiMax.

So far, marketing and customer care have been the company's main bottlenecks and the company is planning to synergize operations with BSNL and proposed to form a joint venture called Millennium Telecom (MTL). This new entity is expected to be the marketing and customer care arm for the enterprise segment of both MTNL and BSNL.

This has been revealed in Voice&Data 100 (V&D100), the second volume of the survey by the leading Telecom industry journal Voice&Data. Telecom services revenue include revenue from cellular, fixed line, National Long Distance (NLD), International Long Distance (ILD), broadband, VSAT services.

The cellular services market, the largest among all the communication services offered in the country, grew at 16.6% to cross the Rs 100,000 crore revenue milestone (Rs 102,230 crore) in FY2010-11 from Rs 87,680 crore a year before.

The fixed lines and revenues, the only significant means of telecommunications until mid 1990s continued decline both in terms of number of connections and revenues (Rs 11602 crore, YoY decline of 15.6%).

Commenting on the way ahead for the telecom industry as it struggles to deliver in an ever evolving policy roll out Mr. Ibrahim Ahmad, Group Editor of Voice&Data said, “The recent tariff hike will help the industry invest in telecom infrastructure that delivers better customer experience through improved quality of service.”

Active subscribers cross 501 Mn as SIM cards swell to 812 Mn
Even though the telecom regulator reported India's mobile subscription base at 812 million at the end of March 2011, that number includes a large base of inactive subscriptions. This includes those who are in the 'grace period' after their SIM validity has lapsed, with them having not charged their SIM cards for months or even years.

The active subscribers, represented by the figure in the VLR (visitor location database), reported by TRAI was at 574 million. Using a very conservative estimate of multi-SIM usage at just under 15% (1.15 SIMs per user) Voice&Data estimated the actual active user base in India at 501 million, for March 2011. This growth indicates huge untapped market for the mobile operators.

Three mobile operators--Bharti, Reliance and Vodafone--now boast of a subscriber base of over 100 million each. The subscriber base for fixed line in the country is languishing at 34.71 million.
.
Even though most top cities have statistically achieved near 100% mobile penetration Voice&Data estimates that nearly 20% of the mobile subscribers are inactive. The journal from CyberMedia, the largest specialty publishers in south Asia, reveals that in 2010-11 nearly three-fifths of the new additions came from rural areas. Voice&Data expects the new customers in future to come mostly from the rural markets.

Fixed Line Posts Negative growth

Cellular, Broadband and ILD grow at Healthy rate

While the top three fixed line players—BSNL, MTNL and Bharti Airtel—reported a revenue decline, others like Reliance Communications, TTSL and TTML posted growth in revenues.

The International Long Distance (ILD) segment posted a 10.1% growth to touch revenue of Rs. 22,607 crore in FY11 compared to Rs 20,530 in FY10. While Tata Communications, the largest ILD player, posted revenue of Rs 8,672 crore showing a growth of just 0.5%, smaller players like Verizon, Idea and Aircel grew at a very healthy rate, at 61.7%, 59.3% and 43.9% respectively.

The ILD segment grew as Indian telecom operators increased their presence in foreign markets. This brought additional ILD revenue for domestic operators. With falling rates there has been a substantial growth of inbound voice traffic into India.

According to Voice&Data estimates, the two PSU players -- MTNL and BSNL, who have the first mover advantage in the 3G space -- seeded the market by adding 1.8 million subscribers.

Broadband, the fifth large segment of the telecom services space, posted revenues of Rs. 6,846 crore recording a growth of 22.4% over last year’s earnings of Rs 5,591 crore. While BSNL and MTNL saw 40% and 32.9% growth in FY2010-11 in their broadband revenues respectively, the other state-run telecom operator MTNL grew just 8% over the same period.

Broadband growth still lagging targeted 20 Mn connections by 2010

The industry failed to achieve the Indian Government’s target of 20 million broadband connections by 2010 even by end of March, 2011, ending with just 11.87 million subscribers. Here also, the top 30 cities contributed nearly 60% to all the broadband subscribers.

The popularity of Value added services (VAS), that include the basic SMS, ring-tone downloads, navigation aids and mobile payment features, picked up during 2010-11. The vast potential of the Indian market kept the VAS providers on their toes to build content and services focused on the Indian market. The VAS business, fast growing in terms of number of players, is highly competitive leading to wafer thin margins. And with 3G services proliferating, this space is likely to get even more competitive and exciting.

The Top 10 Service Providers
Bharti Airtel, retained its position for the second consecutive year, by posting a growth of 42.1%, to end the fiscal with revenues of Rs. 59,467 crore. Vodafone Essar posted revenue of Rs 27,348 crore in FY11 from Rs 23,559 showing a healthy growth of 16.1% and emerged as the third largest player. Reporting a marginal growth of just 4.4% Reliance Communications was at No. 4 with revenues of Rs. 23,108 crore.

The leading public sector giant BSNL saw a drop in its revenues for the third consecutive year to end the year with Rs. 28,877 crore, a drop of 10% from its last year’s earnings of Rs 32,072 crore. Idea Cellular, Tata Communications and Tata Teleservices retained their slots at No. 5, 6 and 7 with revenues of Rs. 15,503 crore, Rs. 11,932 crore and Rs. 8,280 crore, respectively.

Aircel retained its No. 8 slot--by recording the highest growth of 44.1%--among the Top 10 players, to post revenue of Rs. 5,392 crore. MTNL’s revenue dropped nearly 22%—the biggest drop among the top 10 players--to post revenue of Rs. 3,951 crore at No 9.

Telecom Equipment market plunges 2.52%
Voice & Data had in June 2011 reported that the revenues of the Indian telecom equipment industry plunged 2.52% to touch Rs 1,17.039 crore in 2010-11, from Rs 1,20,069 crore in FY2009-10.

This together takes the size of the Telecom (equipment and services) industry size to Rs 283207 crore in 2010-11, up 7% from Rs 264669 crore reported in 2009-10.

The survey 'V&D 100' volume 1 covered over 500 telecom companies in India spanning carrier equipment, enterprise communication equipment, and user device manufacturers.

According to the annual telecom industry survey, the 16th from the specialty publishers CyberMedia, close to half of the telecom equipment revenue came from carrier equipment manufacturers, which saw a dip of 12.12% to touch Rs 58,294 crore during the year. In FY2009-10, the segment registered revenue of Rs 66,332 crore.

The enterprise equipment vertical grew at 0.87% to report revenues of Rs 24,023 crore for the same period from Rs 23,815 crore in FY2009-10. The user device segment that includes mobile handsets, fixed phones, data cards and tablets, contributed more than one-third to the total telecom equipment industry, at Rs 34,722 crore recording a growth of 16.04%.

V&D100 is the most comprehensive annual survey of the Indian equipment industries and telecom services.

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Chandigarh to Amritsar Death row Families wait for return of their sons Gold ornaments worth Rs. 50 lakh snatched

AMRITSAR: In daring act of loot, an unidentified motorcycle borne snatched bag containing Gold ornaments having worth Rs. 50 lakhs here today in the night around 10. 00 p.m.

Confirming the incident ADC Punjab Police, Satpal Joshi said that incident occurred when Gold merchant Naresh Kumar Mehta after closing his showroom at plush area Lawrence road, walking toward his house, which was just few yards away from his showroom, his bag of Gold ornaments was snatched.

Police said that all of sudden an unidentified motorcycle borne youth who came and snatched away his bag then sped up his bike. So far police has no clue abut the accused.

FEROZEPUR /AMRITSAR /KAITHAL: Family members and relatives of the Punjabi and Haryanvi youth, who were awarded capital punishment in Sharjah, are finally feeling relaxed after on Wednesday the blood money was deposited in a court there.

The 16 Punjabi youths and one from Haryana were on a death row for allegedly killing a Pakistani national, Misri Khan.

But now with the payment of blood money, the families' hopes of their return have gotten stronger.

Dharmpal of Jhoke Tehal Singh village of Ferozepur district is one of the youths who were awarded capital punishment.

In tears of joy, Surjit Kaur, wife of Dharmpal, said she has faith in God and prayed for early release of her husband. Dharmpal's grandparents too expressed happiness.

Got up at 4:40am and we all did get ready by 6:15 and paid the bills and just when we were about to take the luggage to our bikes there was a huge down pour and delayed our start. Luckily it got reduced after about 45 minutes. Though it stopped raining we loaded the entire luggage and wore our rain coats and got fully suited up and left after taking a few snaps in front of the hotel.

We finally left at 7:30am. We drove through the well structured roads of Chandigarh and Mohali. A few minutes into the ride and rain gods decided to come back again. Once we were out of Mohali we rode through kharar, Morinda, furore, Khamnon, Samrala and reached Jullandar by about 9am.

At Morinda though the gate at the railway crossing was open we did encounter another kind “A buffalo crossing”. A herd of buffalos crossed the road around 50 of them, so patiently we had no choice other than to stop our bikes and wait until the last buffalo crossed on to the other side of the road.

Though the road from Chandigarh to Jallandar NH95 is still one of the old 2 lane highways which is un divided it was smooth and fairly wide but we had to be very careful as any undivided highway as there were many vehicles which would come to our lane while overtaking.

One thing I noticed on all the boards on the shop is that all of them have their owner’s names and their mobile nos on them unlike our area where the address is displayed on them. All the liquor shops are called “English wine and Beer shops”.(commando RUM )

At jallandar took a right from NH 95 onto NH1 (Grand trunk road). If I remember this was one of the oldest and longest highways in India. It starts from New Delhi to Attari at the border between India and Pakistan. Orginally the road started from Lahore in Pakistan. The present day NH 1 passes through Amritsar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat and Delhi. It runs for a distance of 456 km (283 mi). The Delhi–Lahore Bus travels on NH 1 in India. At Jallandar we had to do some guessing game as the board on showing directions was covered with election banner with some photos.

After getting on to NH1 just past Jallandar stopped for Breakfast in one of the dhabas “Highway Vaishnodevi Dhaba”. Had piping hot Allu paranthas with butter, Channa masala and curds. I always enjoy Allu parotas but an authentic Panjabi Alu parota is something out of this world.

After breakfast took off our raincoats as the rain stopped with lots of bright sunshine. We rode at an average speed of 75 kms and drove through Phagwara and Beas and reached Jandiala guru where Sunil’s nephew’s friend Mannu (Santosh Jain) met us on the highway. He took us to his palatial farm house which is attached to his rice farm and his huge rice processing plant.

We had refreshing cold Rose Milk soda and sat and chatted for a about half an hour and left his farm at
2 pm and reached Amritsar and Jallianwala bagh and checked into our hotel “Hotel golden tower” at 2:30pm.

We all ordered lunch, freshened up and by the time we finished our lunch our transport to Wagah border arrived by 4pm. Mannu Jain had sent his innova along with his driver to take us to the border. An 7 footer “Shukram Singh” Punjab plolice escort with an AK 47 took us to the border and made sure we were well seated in the VIP part of the stadium. Thanks to JP’s neighbour in the Bangalore-Delhi flight who had told JP about the need for the VIP arrangements if not, the visit to wagah border would have been a fiasco.

The ceremony of retreat and joint flag unhoisting is definitely a life time experience. I had always wanted to visit the border and watch this ceremony but never knew that Amritsar was just 30 kms to the border until I started planning this trip and Dr Prithvi told me so. Lahore is just 29 kms from Atari. Sitting at the ceremony a new idea came in my mind that I need to visit Lahore someday. May be being a Rotarian can give an opportunity someday. A big thanks to Sunil Bhaglani, his nephew Pavan from Bombay who helped us in organizing our trip to the border with VIP passes without which our visit to the border would have been a big fiasco.

By the time we finished the ceremony and came back to Amritsar it was 8pm and we requested our handsome Satram singh to drop us off at the Harmandir Sahib (The world famous Golden temple). Before we entered the temple another senior Panjabi police who saw us spoke to us and with solid authority called us and explained us what all to do while inside the Sanctum sanatorium.
We went to the stall where we give keep our foot wear and we were humbled by the people who were sitting there to polish everyones shoes. Ravish reminded that our Ex President Gyani zail Singh once came and did the same during his presidency.

We went for a stroll around the lake and went into started walking towards the temple by 8:30pm and came out by 9pm.

Later we took a cycle rickshaw and went to the one and only “Kesar Da Daba” inside the Market town. The roads were like a maze narrow and we were going innumerable lefts and rights. The ride on the rickshaw was a torture as we had decided to go on a single one all three of us that is. We ordered the famous Amritsari parantha, Allu da parantha and what they called Chapati which was almost like our Kulchas. We were served these with Black dhal fry, Channa masala, raita made of besan ka bundhi and achar and onions. We shared all the 3 kinds of breads as we wanted to taste all of them. The breads were oozing butter and the curries were drowned in oil. JP was a little hesitant seeing so much of fat content. Ravish and Myself being foodies of “Highway on the Plate” kinds ate the whole thing without a second thought and I tell you I thoroughly enjoyed the taste. It was heavenly. I always heard about the taste of Panjabi food, though I have eaten quite a lot the so called Panjabi food in Bangalore. But eating a parantha in “Kesar da Daba” in Amritsar the heart of Punjab is the best thing of the trip so far I guess.
We then returned to our hotel “The golden tower” and saw some snaps which we took that day and decided to retire a little early by 10:30pm. What a day experienced all the lovely Panjabi Courtesy extended by Mannu, real authentic Panjabi cuisine started and ended the day with mouth watering Alu paranthas. Moovva

All in all the Day 2 went better than the original plan and another curtain fall until the next day starts.

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WEF Job Bank - Job Opening Plant management superintindent Plant Bank jobs in peril as global debt crisis pinches profits

UK's big-name banks expected to put thousands of jobs at risk as profits are hit by the US and eurozone problems

A woman uses a cash point machine at a HSBC bank in the City of London. The bank reports its first-half results on Monday. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

Britain's leading banks will put thousands of jobs on the line this week when they announce first-half figures dented by the lack of trading activity caused by the parallel crises in the eurozone and the US.

Exposures to the sovereign debt crisis will be scrutinised, as will any indications of the cost of "ringfencing" high-street businesses as recommended by the independent banking commission. Provisions to compensate customers mis-sold payment protection insurance will also hurt results, particularly at Lloyds and RBS.

HSBC, which employs 300,000 globally, reports on Monday, when its new chief executive, Stuart Gulliver, is expected to take the first steps towards broadly admitting the scale of job losses if he is to save $3.5bn (£2.14bn) within three years.

Barclays may also indicate that jobs will need to go, as analysts reckon its investment banking arm, Barclays Capital, will have been hit by the downturn in the markets.

Analysts at Credit Suisse are estimating an 18% fall in revenues at BarCap in the second quarter.

They also believe that investment banking revenues will be hard hit at bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland.

Other banks with major investment banking arms such as Credit Suisse and UBS signalled job cuts last week.

Lloyds Banking Group, due to report on Thursday, has warned that 15,000 posts will be cut.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley believe UK banks will find profitability squeezed by higher funding costs in the wholesale market and the low interest environment, although impairment charges should be improving. Ireland, though, remains a concern, as does Barclays' exposure to Spain.

HSBC's profits are forecast to be flat around $11bn (£6.7bn), Barclays' at £2.4bn, while analysts at Credit Suisse expect RBS and Lloyds to make losses.

Career Center

Employer Information

About Since 1992, San Antonio Water System, a municipally owned utility, has provided leadership in managing and developing water resources in the San Antonio region. Water and wastewater services are provided to more than 1 million consumers in the San Antonio area. As stewards of our community’s water supply, we are committed to serving our region with precision, efficiency and innovation. Our efforts not only assure a bright economic future for our community, but also help sustain the vibrant-yet-relaxed lifestyle that makes San Antonio such a unique and inviting place to call home

Job Description

The Director is responsible for one or more program areas devoted to the maintenance services related to the support of major water recycling centers or water treatment facilities, potable water systems, non-potable water lift stations, odor control or recycle water systems. The Director provides oversight, management control, and overall direction for all work activities within the assigned program scope. San Antonio Water System offers a generous salary and benefits package that consists of health and life insurance, competitive retirement plans, vacation, sick leave, paid holidays and educational assistance. San Antonio Water System takes to heart our core values and provide a positive work environment for our employees to support their career growth. To learn more about the company please visit our website at http://www.saws.org/

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS * Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, or Public Administration, or related field from an institution accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency. * Eight years’ progressively responsible experience in budgeting, management, supervision, design, operations and construction in a large industrial environment or utility environment with wastewater facilities 20 MGD or larger in rated capacity. Must include five years of supervising personnel, project development, budgeting, and strategic planning in a 24 hour operating environment. * Proficient in the use of word processing, spreadsheet, database, maintenance management, presentation, and financial software. * Valid Class “C” Texas driver’s license consistent with SAWS driving policy. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS * Master’s degree in Science, Engineering or Public Administration or related field from an institution accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

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