Is yoga Hindu? Campaign ignites fresh debate in US

Americans, including those of Indian origin, are debating whether yoga, practised by about 15 million in that country, is Hindu. 

The Times of India reports:

… (A) group of Indian-Americans has ignited a surprisingly fierce debate in the gentle world of yoga by mounting a campaign to acquaint Westerners with the faith that it says underlies every single yoga style followed in gyms, ashrams and spas: Hinduism.The campaign, labeled “Take Back Yoga,” does not ask yoga devotees to become Hindu, or instructors to teach more about Hinduism. The small but increasingly influential group behind it, the Hindu American Foundation, suggests only that people become more aware of yoga’s debt to the faith’s ancient traditions. 

That suggestion, modest though it may seem, has drawn a flurry of strong reactions from figures far apart on the religious spectrum. Dr Deepak Chopra, the New Age writer, has dismissed the campaign as a jumble of faulty history and Hindu nationalism. R Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has said he agrees that yoga is Hindu — and cited that as evidence that the practice imperiled the souls of Christians who engage in it.

Earlier, California-based yoga practitioner Bikram Choudhary’s attempts to patent yoga were met with outrage. In India, Swami Ramdev urged the government to counter Choudhary’s action. He was quoted as saying: “Yoga can’t be owned and run like a company. Since there are attempts to patent this tradition (of yoga) in America, the Centre and yoga organisations should take measures to prevent it.”

The Telegraph reported that India subsequently moved to patent hundreds of postures, and protect the country’s traditional knowledge from ‘theft’ by practitioners in the US.

How to plan the perfect party at home

 Plan the perfect party...

Ready your home

The basics there are no set rules for decorating your interiors. Find your individual style and work around it. If a style doesn't suit you or just doesn't work in your home, move things around and add or remove items until you are comfortable with it. Some basics you can keep in mind-the less cluttered a room is, the more elegant it'll look; dust and dirt can make our home look and feel dreary and dull. Remember to give your entire house a once-over-not just the living room.

Smell nice

Keep your home pleasant-smelling-not only for parties, but every day, so that each family member feels good about coming home! It can be a simple matter of eliminating odours, or using nice-smelling cleaning products.

Get rid of the source of bad odours

You may need to make some small changes, say, store the trash container outside, keep pet areas clean, get your carpets vacuumed regularly, and forbid smoking indoors.

Pick up products that'll keep your home smelling nice

Air fresheners come in solid or spray form. Put some scented candles in each room and let them burn for a few hours before your guests arrive; potpourri burners (you can try heating a small container of water and dried flowers in these) are also great ways to introduce fragrance.

Right lighting

The lighting in all the rooms of your house should be a mix of diffused and focussed. You can have candles in the bedroom to create a cozy feel. Tea lights in pretty holders work well when you are entertaining.

Furniture facts

Positioning the furniture right is significant. If you have a large space, it is a good idea to divide the sitting room in two or three separate seating areas-this allows guests to talk comfortably, while you can move from group to group and chat with each guest "group". The snacks can be placed on tables in each "area".

Some party platter ideas

Try these delicious and healthy party dishes:

Chilled minty tomato soup

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups chopped tomatoes; 3 cups water; a dash of red chilli sauce; 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce; salt to taste; 2tsp honey. To garnish 1tbsp chopped mint (pudina) leaves 4 slices lemon

1. Cook the tomatoes on low heat, for around five minutes, until they become mushy.

2. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, chilli sauce, salt and honey. Give it a light stir and bring it to a boil. Simmer for another five minutes.

3. Bring to room-temperature and sieve, without squeezing tomatoes. Transfer the mixture into another dish, leave it so that it can cool down to room temperature. Now put it inside the freezer for 10 minutes.

4. Take the mix out of the freezer and transfer to soup bowls garnish it with mint leaves and lemon slices.

Each serving: About 29.3 Calories; 0.8g protein; 5g carbohydrate; 0.3g fat (negligible saturated fat); 1g fibre; no cholesterol; 49.8mg sodium.

Organic carrots

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients: 24 baby carrots; 8 cloves garlic, sliced; 4tbsp olive oil, seasoning

1. Scrape the carrots whole. Do not remove their leafy tops.

2. Now simmer the carrots, garlic cloves and olive oil together, with a little wateror saffron stock, for about 20 minutes in a lidded pot. Serve seasoned.

Each serving: About 149 Calories, 0.75gm protein,5gm carbohydrates, 13.5gm fat (1.8gm saturated),1.7gm fibre, 0 cholesterol, 46.7mg sodium.

Roast vegetable pasta

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 yellow capsicum, 2 red capsicums, deseeded; 4 leeks, sliced; 300gm pasta; 200gm cherry tomatoes; 4-5 garlic cloves; 1tbsp olive oil;

1 cup vegetable stock; chopped mint or basil, fresh oregano and thyme

2. Put all vegetables in a flat baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over, add stock. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

3. Preheat oven to 200?C and bake till the capsicum skin has blackened and cherry tomatoes have burst.

4. Peel off capsicum skin and chop. Squeeze the garlic pod out of its skin.

5. Cook pasta. Mix with veggies, add chilli flakes, chopped mint or basil. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Each serving: About 311 Calories, 5gm protein, 67gm carbohydrates, 1.8gm fat (0.3gm saturated), 2.7gm fibre, 53mg cholesterol, 158mg sodium.

Best bananas with pineapple sauce

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients 1tbsp butter; 4 small bananas

For sauce

1 cup crushed pineapple pieces; 1tbsp melted butter; 3tbsp brown sugar; 2tsp cornflour; 12 tsp almond essence; 1tbsp lemon juice; 14 tsp grated lemon peel

1. Fry bananas, browning on all sides. Place in individual serving dishes.

2. To make sauce, mix pineapple, melted butter, brown sugar, cornflour and almond essence. Cook on low heat until thick. Stir in lemon juice and peel just before removing from heat. Pour over bananas. Serve. each serving: About 198 Calories; 1.7gm protein; 41gm carbohydrate; 4.6gm fat (2.7gm saturated); 3.2gm fibre; 8mg cholesterol; 40mg sodium.

FACTBOX - Seven big Indian corruption scandals

Top Scams That Rocked India

REUTERS - India has been rocked this year by a series of corruption scandals that have embarrassed the ruling Congress party, rattled markets and delayed reform bills as the opposition stalls parliament.

The country, 87th in Transparency International's rankings based on perceived levels of corruption, is no stranger to scandals.

Here are some of the biggest in the last two decades:

2010 -- LOAN BRIBERY CASE

The case broke after a year of investigation on Nov. 24 when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested eight people, accusing them of bribery for corporate loans.

The arrests included the chief executive of state-run mortgage lender LIC Housing Finance and senior officials at state-run Central Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Bank of India.

While the size of the scandal is not yet known, local media have reported it could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

The CBI is probing 21 companies involved in India's booming infrastructure sector for links, but has not named them.

The bribes were allegedly paid by private finance firm Money Matters Financial Services, which acted as a "mediator and facilitator" for the loan beneficiaries, the CBI said.

Companies whose officials have been arrested have all denied any wrongdoing. Individuals arrested have not yet commented.

Government officials, including ministers, have said this is a case of individual wrongdoing and not a widespread scam.

2010 - TELECOMS LICENCE ROW

Telecoms Minister Andimuthu Raja was sacked after a report by India's state auditor said his ministry sold licences and spectrum below market prices, depriving the government of up to $39 billion in revenues.

The scandal swept up as high as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had to explain to the Supreme Court why he sat on a request for permission to charge Raja with corruption.

In its report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) also said rules were flouted when the licences were given in 2007-08 which led to many ineligible firms getting them.

The CBI has launched an investigation into alleged corruption at the ministry. Nobody has been charged yet and Raja has denied any wrongdoing.

The CAG said Unitech units got licences despite having inadequate capital, Swan Telecom got a licence even though there were monopoly issues and Reliance Communications got undue benefits as it sought permission to offer services under the more popular GSM technology.

Revenue authorities have questioned Nira Radia, a top lobbyist, as part of an investigation into whether money laundering and forex laws were broken when the licences were purchased. Radia has denied any wrongdoing and has said she is cooperating with the probe.

2010 - COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Allegations of corruption over the international sporting event that took place in Delhi in October are being investigated by several bodies including the anti-corruption watchdog, the state auditor, the CBI and a special committee set up by Prime Minister Singh.

The Congress-party led coalition government came under fierce criticism for mismanagement and ineptitude over the sporting extravaganza which cost up to $6 billion.

Allegations of corruption spanned a broad spectrum including issuing of contracts and purchase of equipment -- from treadmills to toilet rolls.

India's anti-corruption watchdog has identified more than 16 projects with possible irregularities.

The Congress party eventually sacked Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the organising committee, as secretary of the party's parliamentary wing.

Aides have been arrested and local media has said Kalmadi could be arrested once he returns back from a foreign trip.

2010 - HOUSING SCAM

Congress party politicians, bureaucrats and military officials have been accused of taking over land meant for building apartments for war widows. The CBI has begun investigating the case.

Local media say apartments with a value of $1.8 million were sold for as little as $130,000 each in the apartment block, which faces the Arabian Sea in one of the world's most expensive stretches of real estate in Mumbai.

The government has sacked the chief minister of western Maharashtra state, Ashok Chavan, who is a member of Congress.

The apartment block is also being investigated for several violations of norms, including environmental laws and land-use rules.

The government has now effectively taken back permissions allowing owners to occupy the apartments, which are required for water and power supplies, leading to the disconnection of these services.

2009 - SATYAM

The founder of Satyam Computer Services, one of India's top software firms, resigned in January 2009 after admitting profits were falsely inflated for years.

The fraud, estimated at $1 billion, was India's largest corporate scandal and was dubbed "India's Enron".

With clients abandoning it, shares were hammered down to near-penny-stock levels.

The government stepped in to save the firm by appointing a new board of directors and midwifed its sale to Tech Mahindra. The firm is now called Mahindra Satyam.

The founder chairman of Satyam, Ramalinga Raju, and other officials including the then chief executive officer and chief financial officer, were arrested under several charges including fraud. The cases continue in court. The defendants have said they were not involved in the fraud.

1992 - SECURITIES SCAM

Several Indian stockbrokers were accused of siphoning off over 35 billion rupees ($778 million) of funds, mostly from inter-bank transactions, to fuel a rise in the Mumbai stock market in 1992. It involved top officers of state-run and foreign banks and financial institutions, bureaucrats and politicians.

News of the scam led to an over 40 percent fall in shares over two months, wiping millions of dollars from market value.

Harshad Mehta, the main accused, died in 2002, convicted in only one of the many cases filed against him, for misappropriation of funds in a case involving the use of money from the bank account of carmaker Maruti Suzuki for trading in stocks.

Several bank executives were convicted for fraud in allowing bank funds to be used for trading stocks.

1986 - BOFORS GUN DEAL

India's purchase of artillery guns from Swedish firm Bofors in 1986 was rocked by allegations that 640 million rupees ($14.2 million) -- a huge sum then -- was paid as bribes to people close to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to swing the deal.

The scandal caused an uproar in parliament, led to a split in the ruling Congress party and the defeat of Gandhi in federal elections in 1989.

Its fallout has stymied India's defence expansion, with officials for years unwilling to take decisions on purchases that could later be probed for corruption.

Amongst the people probed were the London-based Indian business family of the Hindujas, who were later acquitted by a court of any involvement.

The case has dragged on for years without any result.

Fun Family Holiday Destinations

The holiday season is almost us! Take a family vacation with your loved ones and explore these stunning destinations

England

Where to go
South West England (Cronwall, Devon, Dorset or Somerset)

What to do
At South West England, you can choose to go to beaches like Widemouth Sands Beach, Cornwall, Shore Road Beach, Dorset or Crinnis Beach Cornwall. You can take part in water sports like sailing, surfing and canoeing. These make for fun family activities.

You could also go on trails and walks. Go to Cerne Abbas, Dorset and explore ruins from the medieval times or head to the South West Coast National Trail and explore the West Devon Mining World Heritage Site, Iron Age Hill Forts, World War II defences and more. Or, you could simply go for horse riding at Cardinham Woods, Cornwall. Click here for more information.

Singapore

Where to go
Sentosa, Jurong Bird Park and Singapore Zoo

What to do
The Singapore Zoo has animals living in their natural habitat and is probably the best way to introduce your children to wildlife. Try out breakfast with the friendly orangutans. The Jurong Bird Park is home to more than 8000 birds. All of you can have you fortune told by Merlin the parrot! Sentosa is a theme park on an island. You can get there by ferry or cable car. There you can go to Underwater World, an aquarium; Volcano World and Fantasy World, a water theme park.

Of course besides that, you can always go shopping. It is one of the best places to buy electronics. You can also go to Chinatown, Arab Street and Katong to shop for sarongs and more. Click here for more information.


Rajasthan

Where to go 
Udaipur, Jodhpur, Chittorgarh, Jaisalmer and Junagarh

What to do
Visit the majestic forts like Chittorgarh, Jaisalmer or Junagarh. Make history fun for your kids by taking them to the Lake Palace, Udaipur and Umaid Bhavan Palace built by European architects.

You could also book a desert safari across the Thar desert  that includes camel rides. Children will surely enjoy a visit to the Ranthambore national park, known for tiger spotting. There are different trails to choose from like- tiger spotting, bird spotting or weekend trails. Click here for more information.

Karnataka

Where to go 
Mysore

What to do
Take your kids to the famous Mysore Palace the official residence of the Mysore Royal family- the Wodeyars. There's also the Brindavan Gardens and the Ranganathaswami Temple and St Philomena church. You can also visit the Bandipur National Park, about 80 km off Mysore. It spans over 875 sq km and is home to animals like tuskers, tigers, deers and bisons. 

There are several serene beaches you can explore at coastal Karnataka too. The stretches at Bhatkal Karwar and Murudeshwar are perfect to lounge around and make sand castles. While at Murudeshwar, you can visit the fort of Tipu Sultan. If your family is into adventure, go to Kurumgad and for seal and dolphin spotting and activities like snorkelling and diving. Malpe is a good place to take your family to simply laze about and go boating and fishing. Click here for more information

Haryana rings in first with mobile number portability

If you’re dissatisfied with poor service from your current telecom service provider, you don’t need to bear with it anymore. Just dump it and go for another one. And no, you won’t have to change your number every time you switch providers.

Number portability is here, finally.

After a two year delay, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) will be launched in Rohtak, Haryana today. Telecom Ministry officials say that this system is likely to be launched in other parts of the country by the end of December provided the operators are ready with their network.

Market analysts believe that this would lead to another tariff war as telecom operators would like to retain their existing customers.

Aditya Birla Group’s Idea Cellular Network is confident of attracting users once MNP is rolled out.

“Our focus is to provide good network and customer services. Though we are not launching any new plan or tariff package, we are confident that large number of customers who want to have better network would switch to Idea,” the firm’s chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukarji told.

So how does MNP work? Well, all you need to do is send an SMS from your phone to 1900. Your present company will reply with a unique porting code. Use that code while filling out a detailed form for the provider you want to shift to. Within 48 hours, that company will take over all your cell services. This may cost you a meagre Rs 19.

Your cell number will be switched off for only one hour. All bills after that are payable to your new provider. Once a subscriber ports his number to the new operator, then, he will have to wait for at least 90 days before he can change his operator again. While you can shift from a GSM service to CDMA or vice versa, you cannot shift from one state to another.

NRIs can now vote, Govt issues notification

 NRIs get the right to vote

New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) A longstanding wish of millions of NRIs for voting right in India has come true with the Centre issuing a notification to this effect to enable them to exercise their franchise. Parliament had in the monsoon session passed the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill, 2010 to allow NRIs to vote in Indian elections and now government has issued a gazette notification in this regard.

"Gazette notification has been issued giving voting rights to Non-Resident Indians," Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told Lok Sabha, replying to a question. An estimated 11 million NRIs are living in various countries across the world.

However, the person will be able to exercise the franchise only if he or she is present in the constituency on the polling day. Ravi said NRIs, "who have not acquired citizenship of any other country and are living abroad owing to employment, education or otherwise, are now eligible to register their names in the electoral rolls" in their places as mentioned in their passport.

He said the Election Commission is likely to soon finalise the rules and regulations prescribing modalities for entry of names of NRIs in electoral rolls. The Government had decided to allow the NRIs to participate in the democratic process to further boost the two-way engagement.

As per the existing rules, an NRI''s name gets deleted from the voters'' list if he or she stays outside the country for more than six months at a stretch. The new law will allow an Indian citizen residing abroad to enroll in voter''s list and exercise his franchise even if he or she remained away from place of residence in India for more than six months owing to employment, education or otherwise.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addressing the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas earlier this year, had indicated that Indian passport holders living abroad could get voting rights by the time of next Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

How the new airport might help Mumbai

New Mumbai airport gets environmental clearance

A long-delayed project to build a second international airport in India's commercial hub of Mumbai took a big step forward on Monday after it received clearance from the environment minister.

Ending months of wrangling between India's environment and civil aviation ministries, the approval imposes 32 stipulations to ensure the area surrounding the estimated $220 million project is protected.

The approval was necessary for construction to begin on the project in Navi Mumbai, seen as vital to the city's status as an international commercial centre with a passenger crunch looming at the current airport.

Overhauling India's creaking infrastructure is seen as crucial to continued economic growth, with the country targeting increased private investment and a doubling in infrastructure spending to $1 trillion in the five years starting in 2012.

The civil aviation ministry and local Maharashtra government have pushed hard in recent months to ensure environmental clearance was granted for the airport, which will be funded through a public-private partnership.

"Today, formally the environmental clearance has been given to the Navi Mumbai Project. The provisions of building the airport will start today," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told a press conference in New Delhi.

"From an environmental point of view, this has been a very major compromise that has been reached."

A tough environment ministry stance has stalled many big-ticket projects such as a $12 billion mining project by South Korean steel maker POSCO, and sparked criticism of Ramesh from businesses and officials pushing for rapid industrialisation.

Under the terms of the agreement for the Navi Mumbai airport, the river Gadhi will not be diverted and 678 hectares of mangrove plantation will be developed around the new site to replace 161 hectares that will be destroyed during construction.

"We will take every step to ensure environment norms are followed," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.

The new airport, first approved by the government in 2007 to reduce the burden on the existing Chattrapati Shivaji airport, is reportedly expected to handle 40 million passengers when fully operational in 2030.

A small glass of red wine consumed daily can tame diabetes: Study

A new study found that the drink contains high concentrations of chemicals that help the body regulate levels of sugar in the blood.

High levels of sugar in the blood can cause tiredness, heart disease, strokes, blindness, nerve damage and kidney disease, reports the journal Food and Function.
The condition occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin - the hormone that regulates blood sugar - or when its insulin does not work properly, according to the Daily Mail.
Just a small glass of red wine contains as many of these active ingredients as a daily dose of an anti-diabetic drug, the researchers found.
Although the study didn't look at the effects of wine on people, studyauthors believe moderate drinking as part of a calorie controlled diet could protect against type 2 diabetes.
Past studies have shown that natural chemicals found in grape skin and wine called polyphenols can help the body control glucose levels, and prevent potentially dangerous spikes or dips in blood sugar.
The new study compared the polyphenol content of 12 different wine varieties. The team, from the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, found that levels were higher in red wines.
However, their conclusions angered Diabetes UK who accused the researchers of making "astonishingly bold suggestions" based on "limited research".
The charity warned that wine was so high in calories that it could lead to weight gain - outweighing any benefit.

Ambassador Set For A Comeback

Amby gets a complete facelift

For us Indians, there was a time when the word ‘car’ meant only Ambassador. Regardless of whichever luxury car you drive now, you can never forget those moments of comfort you enjoyed in an Amby, right? But Ambassador failed to survive amid the revolution in the Indian automobile industry.  Before Amby ended up in heritage car lovers’ garages, Hindustan Motors decided to act. They are coming up with not just one, but four new variants of the car that was once the favorite of India’s politicians and bureaucrats.

Although HM had made couple of not-so-successful efforts to revamp the iconic car, their tweaks were limited to just interiors and power trains. The exterior design always remained the same and the retro looks failed to impress the GenX. Finally, the company has decided to give a complete new look to Amby and has roped in Pune-based design firm Onio Design for this purpose. The first variant would be ready by December.

All the new variants of the Ambassador will be available with an engine size ranging between 1500 cc to 2000 cc. Meanwhile, HM will work equally hard to preserve the traits of the Amby which is space, comfort and ease of maintenance.

Do you think the rejuvenated Amby can regain the lost charm?

Soon, a pill to 'extend your life by 10 yrs'!

live longer with magical pills

Sydney, Nov 18 (ANI): A Harvard Medical School professor believes that the day is not far when just popping a pill could make you live longer and healthier.

Associate Professor of Pathology David Sinclair said his work to activate the sirtuin genes, which control ageing "could expand lifespan by five to 10 healthy years."

It wouldn't stop you getting old, he said, but instead would push back the point at which you become impaired before "hopefully, [you] immediately drop dead," reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

He suggested that activating the sirtuins increases memory and endurance but also slow ageing and alleviate the impact of a high-fat diet.

"If the animal studies are borne out in humans, you would have a pill for arthritis that would prevent Alzheimer's, cardiac arrest, would slow down heart disease and even protect you against cataracts," Sinclair said.

"Within scientific circles this is as cutting edge as stem cell research," he added.

Sinclair also pioneeered the use of resveratrol - and now synthetic compounds up to 10,000 times more potent - which have been shown to slow the ageing process and prevent the onset of many diseases in animals.

However, he admitted that there was a risk because the effects of long-term doses in humans were not known, but no side effects in either animals or humans had been found. (ANI)

After back office, India roping in global functional jobs

India ropes in global functional jobs

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) Wide availability of talent and cost advantage has helped India emerge as a "skill hub" not only for back-office jobs but also global functional roles, says an international recruitment firm. According to GlobalHunt, an executive search firm, In last two-three years, there was a 25- 35 per cent rise in global functional roles that came to India.

"India''s advantage is that a large number of skilled professionals are available at very competitive cost. Their skills are global in nature and they are best in technology and analytics," GlobalHunt Director Sunil Goel said.

About 20 per cent of companies have given India as ''region status'' and India is no longer a part of Asia Pacific for them. "Besides, 1520 per cent of global workforces are reporting to Indian counterparts at various functions and hierarchy levels", it said.

So, decision making abilities are moving to India based roles, the firm said. "Having large captive centres in India has helped large global organisations in maintaining their competitiveness with the cost advantage that they get from India centres," Goel said.

A large percentage of global companies have their business centres in India, though that varies in size of operations, it said. Moreover, most of the companies are focusing on Indian market and want to know what their competitors are doing.

Goel said "many big organisations have almost one third of total global strength based out of India. So, it makes lot of sense for them to put global functional roles in India.

" This trend is growing gradually. It is bound to grow as global professionals'' interests are increasing and getting more inclined to India based work.

Though recession has given an endorsement to India''s economy stability and advantage but situation (overseas) was not alarming from Indias economy perspective, GlobalHunt said

Astronomers find giant extragalactic planet

Giant extragalactic planet found

London, Nov 19 (IANS) Astronomers have for the first time spotted a planet that originated outside the galaxy.

Till date, about 500 planets have been discovered. This is the first known planet to have been born elsewhere.

The gas planet, at least 25 percent heavier than Jupiter or 400 times heavier than Earth, orbits a star that started life in a dwarf galaxy, according to the journal Science Express.

Known as HIP 13044b, the hydrogen and helium planet sits in a solar system belonging to a group of stars called the Helmi stream, some 2,000 light years away from Earth, the Telegraph reports.

Between six and nine billion years ago, the Helmi merged with the Milky Way in an act of 'galactic cannibalism'. It is now in a southern constellation of the Milky Way called the Fornax or Furnace.

Because of the vast distance, astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in La Silla, Chile, could not detect the planet visibly, using the 2.2 metre-diameter telescope.

Instead, they inferred its existence from tiny telltale wobbles of the star.

These are caused by the gravitational tug of its large orbiting companion, which the astronomers detected with a high-resolution spectrograph attached to the telescope.

Rainer Klemen, of the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, said: 'This discovery is very exciting. For the first time, astronomers have detected a planetary system in a stellar stream of extragalactic origin.'

The planet is orbiting a star which is approaching the end of its life, having exhausted its hydrogen fuel and gone through a stage of massive expansion - called the red giant phase - in which it probably consumed the inner planets in its solar system.

It has now contracted again and is burning helium in its core.

Full body scanners as likely to kill you as a terror bomb

A Case Against Body Scanners

London, Nov 19 (IANS) Full-body airport scanners are just as likely to kill you as a terrorist's bomb blasting your plane in the sky.

The controversial machines that have been brought in at major airports across the globe are evoking fears that the increased exposure to radiation may cause cancer.

Now a physics professor has claimed that scanners are redundant because you are just as likely to contract cancer from the radiation as you are to die in a terrorist bomb on your flight.

Peter Rez from Arizona State University in the US said the probability of dying from radiation from a body scanner and that of being killed in a terror attack are both about one in 30 million, reports the Daily Mail.

'The thing that worries me the most is not what happens if the machine works as advertised, but what happens if it doesn't. A potential malfunction could increase the radiation dose,' he said.

Rez has studied the radiation doses of backscatter scanners using the images produced by the machines. He discovered the radiation dose was often higher than the manufacturers claimed.

Rez suggested the statistical coincidence means there is really no case to be made for deploying any kind of body-scanning machine -- the risk is identical.

Critics say the low level beam used delivers a small dose of radiation to the body but because the beam concentrates on the skin -- one of the most radiation-sensitive organs of the human body, that dose may be up to 20 times higher than first estimated.

A number of scientists have already written to the Food and Drug Administration to complain that the safety aspects have not been properly addressed before the nationwide rollout of the scanners.

Biochemist John Sedat from the University of California and his colleagues said that most of the energy from the scanners is delivered to the skin and underlying tissues.

'While the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high,' they wrote.

50 Keywords That Can Ruin Your Resume

Risky words in your resume or CV

If you are looking for a job change and are aiming to write an eye-catching resume, this may surprise you. Some keywords or buzzwords you use in your CV could actually ruin your chances of getting that dream job.

Why?

According to Karen Burns, the author of the illustrated career advice book The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use, these words are simply “vague”. It makes your resume look like everyone elses.

She advises:

You want your resume to stand out. The best way to sell yourself is to show, don’t tell. Explain your accomplishments rather than spouting them off in trite ways. So check your resume for these boilerplate words and phrases. If you find them, replace them–or at the very least, elaborate upon them — with real-life, specific examples.

So when making your resume, keep the following words out of the scene.

1. Team player

2. Detailed-oriented

3. Proven track record of success

4. Experienced

5. Excellent communication skills

6. Leadership skills

7. Go-to person

8. Managed cross-functional teams

9. Exceptional organizational skills

10. Self-starter

11. Results-oriented professional

12. Bottom-line orientated

13. Works well with customers

14. Strong negotiation skills

15. Goal-oriented

16. People-person

17. Dynamic

18. Innovative

19. Proven ability

20. Top-flight

21. Motivated

22. Bottom-line focused

23. Responsible for

24. Assisted with

25. Skilled problem solver

26. Accustomed to fast-paced environments

27. Strong work ethic

28. Works well with all levels of staff

29. Met (or exceeded) expectations

30. Savvy business professional

31. Strong presentation skills

32. Looking for a challenging opportunity

33. Cutting-edge

34. Multi-tasker

35. Proactive

36. Seasoned professional

37. Perfectionist

38. Highly skilled

39. Functioned as

40. Duties included

41. Actions encompassed

42. Best-in-class

43. Strategic thinker

44. Trustworthy

45. Flexible

46. Works well under pressure

47. Quick learner

48. Partnered with others

49. Results-focused

50. Out-of-the-box thinker

10 Things Recruiters Won't Tell You

Know your recruiters

1. "There are better ways to find a job."

A recruiter or agency is one part of a job search, but it shouldn't be your primary source – and maybe not your secondary one, either. Referrals – that is, a connection made by someone you know – remain your best bet. CareerXRoads' annual survey of more than 200 employers shows that the percentage of hires made through referrals has remained remarkably consistent over the last five years. Nearly 27% of respondents said referrals were the biggest factor in external hires in 2009, practically unchanged from its 27.1% figure in 2005. Third-party agencies, meanwhile, accounted for only 2.3% of external hires last year, compared to a 5.2% success rate in 2005.

2. "We don't work for you."

Christy Ezelle, a media advertising executive in New York, was in her first job out of college when she got a call from a headhunter working for a major advertising agency. It was a good experience, until she tried to negotiate her salary – the company wouldn't budge. Why? They had already shelled out for the headhunter that tracked her down – a fee that was eating into the amount they were willing to pay Ezelle.

Recruiters work for the hiring company, and that's where their allegiance lies – not with the job-seeker. That means headhunters will always be more interested in making their client happy than in finding a candidate the best possible package, says Carolyn Dougherty, an executive search consultant in Villanova, Penn. "There's a belief that the recruiter is working on the candidate's behalf and that's not the case," she says. "They're working for the client – that's where the fee is coming from." And because most recruiters don't get paid until the position gets filled, they care more about sealing the deal than about getting you another $10,000.

Getty Images

3. "Until a year ago, I was a car salesman."

There are no laws or rules that govern what constitutes an "employment agency" or who can call himself a recruiter, and setting up shop is pretty easy: A year's worth of advertising, office space, travel and communications equipment is just $50,000 for an experienced recruiter like Eleanor Sweet, who runs the Remington Group in Barrington, Ill., an hour outside of Chicago; a rookie could put out a shingle for far less. Anyone can do it, she says, "It's pretty much like getting a real estate license."

That means job seekers have to vet a recruiter with the same diligence they'd investigate a potential employer. Ask how long the recruiter's been in the business, and where they've placed candidates in the past – and then call those companies and confirm, experts advise. Also, though a certification isn't required to be a recruiter, there are a handful of designations a pro can earn. Getting certified as a Temporary Staffing Specialist, a Personnel Consultant, or a Professional in Human Resources don't require any coursework, but all require previous experience and the passage of an exam – legitimate hoops for a dedicated professional to jump through. One strategy to avoid at all costs: firms that charge for job search services or call themselves "fee-based counselors" raise red flags with experienced recruiters, because "It's expected that the company pays the fee," says Dougherty. (see No. 2, above).

4. “The job we advertised may not exist.”

Recruiters often advertise appealing jobs that aren’t vacant, just to build up a stable of candidates, says Nick Corcodilos, who heads the executive search firm North Bridge Group and runs www.asktheheadhunter.com in Lebanon, N.J. From a staffing firm or recruiter’s perspective, this is a practical way to do business, because many assignments offer a bonus for filling a key job fast. But for the job hunter, it’s misleading, raising false hopes at an already anxious time.

That doesn’t mean an applicant’s efforts are useless. Just because there’s no job now doesn’t mean there won’t be one in a few months. Jeremy Dixon, general manager at A-1 Temps in Tampa, says client companies will ask him for 50 people qualified for customer service positions “in a couple of weeks.” If he has a sufficient pool of established applicants, he can place them in a hurry.

For the best odds of success, job-seekers should identify companies and positions they’re specifically interested in and seek out recruiters who work with them. (This is particularly true for anyone seeking an upper management job, for which companies typically rely on an established relationship with a recruiter or recruiting firm.)

5. “We already know quite a bit about you.”

As soon as you sign up with a recruiter or search firm, they check you out – your background, your credit history, even legal records. That’s why they have applicants sign all those disclosures. If you want to work with them, you have to submit. That’s fairly standard in the job market these days, whether or not you work with a recruiter, but unlike a recruiter, a prospective employer usually doesn’t do the background check until after he’s met you. That gives a candidate the opportunity to impress on his merits, and explain anything that might be dodgy in his history. Working through a recruiter, a job seeker might never get that chance.

In that case, all you can do is make sure that the information they have is accurate, says Corcodilos. Almost 80 percent of credit reports contain errors, and 25 percent have what’s considered to be a “serious error” such as false delinquencies or accounts that did not belong to the consumer, according to a 2004 study from U.S. PIRG. To ensure you’ll be judged on your own merits, check your credit report for errors and take steps to fix what you find.

6. “Our jobs aren’t so hot either.”

Because most agencies don’t get paid unless they place candidates at jobs, the weak labor market has taken its toll. In Orange County, Calif., for example, the 20 largest employment firms saw revenue drop almost 20% in 2009, prompting many to lay off employees, according to an Orange County Business Journal survey. A lot of experienced people have left the field, says Darrel Gurney, an independent career consultant who runs the CareerGuy.com web site, leaving “empty desks and brand spanking new people who have never done this before.” That means you often don’t get the best help in your job search, particularly working with smaller firms, he says.

Bigger, national and international firms are doing better. Revenue at Switzerland’s Adecco, the world’s largest staffing company, rose 16% in July and August. Meanwhile, revenues at domestic search firms Manpower (MAN) and Robert Half International (RHI) are up 15% and 6% respectively in the last three months, in part a result of an increase in revenue-producing job placements.

7. “You’re at the mercy of a computer, just like online job board users.”

The rise of online job sites like Monster (MWW) and Careerbuilder has changed the way many staffing professionals work. The sites use computer programs to scan applications for particular keywords – and now, so do recruiters. Even if you submit your resume on fancy stationery, it gets scanned by the recruiter or staffing agency. Especially for entry or mid-level jobs, cover letters don’t get read, Gurney says: It’s this digital process that drives the professional match-making.

To get through the computer gatekeeper, applicants need to make sure the relevant, searchable words are on their resumes. For example, he says, if you want to work in the entertainment industry, listing a past job at Sony Pictures on your resume isn’t enough; the word “entertainment” must be there too. Candidates who aren’t sure what the magic keywords are should look at the description of the job they’re applying for, says Jessica Mazor, an account manager for the accounting and finance business at Kforce Professional Staffing (KFRC) in New York. The “must have” criteria in the description are particularly important.

8. “The ‘temp-to-perm’ carrot is rotten.”

Many staffing agencies hold out the promise of permanent jobs after success in a temporary position, but that trend isn’t holding in this recovery. Since temporary employment trends hit bottom in September 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor says the service and professional sectors have added 392,000 temporary jobs. But the CareerXroads survey showed that positions explicitly advertised as temp-to-perm accounted for just 1.6% of all hiring in 2009 – and even in better times, that rate was only around 3%. “Temp-to-perm is basically a marketing ploy,” says Corcodilos, who says it’s really more of a fantasy: “It’s what recruiters would like to see happen.”

9. “If you have a job, I could get you fired.”

Not all recruiters are careful, and the last thing you want is to have your resume land on the desk of your current boss. This is a very real risk, says Sweet, president of the Remington Group, so job seekers need to make sure they know exactly what recruiters are doing on their behalf. “Put every recruiter you work with on notice,” she says. “Say, ‘You do not have permission to release my paperwork without my permission.”

And then there are the aggressive recruiters who pull resumes off LinkedIn profiles and job boards and circulate them without getting the candidates permission – or even letting him know. That’s what happened to Michael Segel, an information consultant in Chicago, who was interviewing with several different companies when one prospective employer asked him why he’d received his resume twice. An overzealous recruiter whom Segal had never met had sent it. Now Segal only posts his resume as an un-alterable PDF, and he keeps careful track of where he and any recruiters he’s working with send it. He says it can’t stop the practice of unauthorized circulation, but if he’s contacted by a recruiter he doesn’t know, he can quickly figure out what’s happened. “I usually cut off contact right there,” he says.

10. “If I’m in Virginia, I probably won’t help you find a job in Nebraska.”

If you’re willing to relocate, don’t rely on your contact in your home city to help you find work outside the area — even if you’re working with a national search firm. Recruiters at big firms have little incentive to spread your resume around to other locations; they’ll have to split a commission with the colleague that helps you land a job. Instead, send your resume to the branch offices in the places you would like to go. As soon as that office has you on file, “they take ownership of your search,” says Sweet. Smaller, more local firms agree – and may even refer you to someone else. “We have alliances with other staffing companies,” says Diana Wall, a senior account manager at Accel Financial Staffing in Oklahoma City. “There’s no commission – it’s all friendly referrals.”

'Homeopathy tricks you into feeling better'

History

Homeopathy (also spelled homoeopathy or homœopathy) is a form of alternative medicine, first proposed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, in which practitioners use highly diluted preparations. Based on anipse dixitaxiom formulated by Hahnemann, which he called the law of similars, preparations which cause certain symptoms in healthy individuals are given in diluted form to patients exhibiting similar symptoms. Homeopathicremedies are prepared by serial dilution with shaking by forceful striking, which homeopaths term succussion, after each dilution under the assumption that this increases the effect. Homeopaths call this process potentization. Dilution often continues until none of the original substance remains. Apart from the symptoms, homeopaths use aspects of the patient's physical and psychological state in recommendingremedies. Homeopathic reference books known as repertories are then consulted, and a remedy is selected based on the totality of symptoms. Homeopathic remedies are, with rare exceptions, considered safethough homeopathy has been criticized for putting patients at risk due to advice against conventional medicine such as vaccinations,anti-malarial drugs, and antibiotics.

Homeopathy's efficacy beyond the placebo effect is unsupported by the collective weight of scientific and clinical evidence.While some individual studies have positive results, systematic reviews of published trials fail to demonstrate efficacy conclusively.Furthermore, higher quality trials tend to report less positive results, and most positive studies have not been replicated or show methodological problems that prevent them from being considered unambiguous evidence of homeopathy's efficacy.A 2010 inquiry into the evidence base for homeopathy conducted by the United Kingdom's House of Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that homeopathy is no more effective than placebo.

Depending on the dilution, homeopathic remedies may not contain any pharmacologically active molecules,and for such remedies to have pharmacological effect would violate fundamental principles of science.Modern homeopaths have proposed that water has a memory that allows homeopathic preparations to work without any of the original substance; however, there are no verified observations nor scientifically plausible physical mechanisms for such a phenomenon.The lack of convincing scientific evidence supporting homeopathy's efficacyand its use of remedies lacking active ingredients have caused homeopathy to be described as pseudoscience, quackery, and a "cruel deception".

The regulation and prevalence of homeopathy is highly variable from country to country. There are no specific legal regulations concerning its use in some countries, while in others, licenses or degrees in conventional medicine from accredited universities are required. In several countries, homeopathy is covered by the national insurance coverage to different extents, while in some it is fully integrated into the national health care system. In many countries, the laws that govern the regulation and testing of conventional drugs do not apply to homeopathic remedies

 Homeopathy tricks

London, Nov 15 (IANS) Homeopathy tricks you into feeling better, even if a tincture prescribed is not genuine, new research says.

Sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis who approached a homeopath experienced significant easing of joint pain, inflammation and other key markers of the disease. Yet, it made no difference whether the solution they received was a genuine homeo tincture prescribed to treat rheumatism, or a placebo, according to the journal Rheumatology.

Sarah Brien of Southampton University, who led the study, said it provided the first scientific evidence to show such benefits were 'specifically due to its unique consultation process'.

Homoeopathy is based on a theory that substances which cause symptoms in a healthy person can, when vastly diluted, cure the same problems in a sick person.

The research compared different groups of patients, who were already being given conventional medication for the disease, reports the Telegraph.

Those who had a series of five consultations with a homeopathic doctor experienced 'significant clinical benefits', whether the tincture they received was a specially prepared 'homeopathic' remedy used to treat rheumatism, or a placebo.

Patients given exactly the same remedies without the consultations did not improve.

The findings suggested that simply 'talking and listening' to patients could dramatically assist their health.

George Lewith, professor of health research from the university, said: 'This research asked the question: 'Is homeopathy about the talking, or is it about the medicine?' We found it was about the talking, and indeed about the listening.'

TCS plans to recruit 50,000 employees in 2011

TCS to hire 50,000 employees

Chennai, Nov 15 (PTI) The country's largest IT services provider, Tata Consultancy Services, plans to recruit about 50,000 employees in 2011, the same figure as this year's, a top company official said today.

"This year we will add 50,000 people and next year we will add the same (number)," Tata Consultancy Services Managing Director and CEO N Chandrasekaran told reporters here. He said 30,000 of the 50,000 persons recruited were in the first quarter of this year.
Stating that there are good prospects in the overseas market, he said that TCS would recruit more number of candidates for overseas operations, but did not give exact numbers. "We plan to increase the number everywhere (in the world)," he said. Currently, TCS has a presence in the US, Latin America, China, the Middle East and European countries.
"In the first year of our operations in China we quickly recruited 1,000 candidates but it took us two years to add 200 more," Chandrasekaran said.
He said the company preferred to maintain the attrition rate at the industry lowest rate of 14 per cent. "Last two-three years it was 9-9.5 per cent. I would not like to see any kind of escalation (in 14 per cent..)", he said.
Chandrasekaran was here to announce the first batch of candidates for TCS Research Fellowship Programme launched by them to promote research.
He said TCS planned to fund about 200 doctoral candidates over five years to take up PhD programmes in academic institutions across India. However, he declined to comment on the funds they planned to spend for this programme.
On future plans, Chandrasekaran said they would soon make an official announcement of a new product in Small and Medium Enterprises. A similar launch was also planned in Business Process Outsourcing platform. Plans are also on to launch services in healthcare platform globally.
"We have launched the health care service in three top notch hospitals and they are already gone live. We want to launch it internationally...", he said.
Chandrasekaran termed the exchange rate as a major challenge and market volatility as a "big problem."
On the Rs 1,000 crore Passport Seva Project joint venture with External Affairs Ministry,he said it was doing very well. "It is being rolled out in phases and we will roll out in 77 sites. I hope in another 5-6 months we will cover pan India".
On implementation,TCS would offer end-to-end services, after which the Ministry expects issuing passports to be completed in three working days and passports under Tatkal scheme to be dispatched he same day.

A minister had asked for Rs 15 cr bribe: Tata

'I was asked to pay bribe'

Dehradun: When asked to reveal his mantra for success without compromising with ethics and values, Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata said he did not have a methodology in this regard but he has an example to tell the audience.

"Several years ago, Tatas were trying to set up a domestic airlines in collaboration with Singapore Airlines. Even though we were pioneer in airline industry, we had enormous problems if you remember through the reports in the media.
"We approached three Prime Ministers also. But an individual thwarted our efforts to form the airlines." he said.
Later, Tata said a fellow industrialist commented, "You are stupid people. The Minister was asking for Rs 15 crore. Why didn't he pay?"
The top industrialist was responding to a query from audience after delivering 8th Uttarakhand foundation lecture on "India in the 21st century: Opportunities and Challenges" on the occassion of 10th anniversery of formation of hill state.
Ratan Tata also made it clear there were no change in his plans to retire in 2012 even as he assured a successor who is committed to "ethics and value". Tata, who took the the USD 72 billion dollar company to new heights and made the world's cheapest car Nano, has already announced he will quit office by the end of 2012.
"I don't want to change my deadline I set for my retirement. There are lots of sacrifices, one has to make in terms of personal life. I wanted my life back. I want to enjoy the things that I wanted to do," the top industrialist said here.
In August this year, the Board of Tata Sons Ltd has formed a selection committee comprising five members, including an external member for eventually deciding on a suitable successor to Ratan N Tata.
"There is no such thing indispensably individual. The day I succeeded JRD Tata, I felt in very large shoes. I knew that I cannot be another JRD and I have to be my own person", Tata said in reply to a question after delivering a lecture here.
"I believe my successor will be his own person and hopefully will do things for the country and the group the way we have been doing till now or much better. "I ferociously wanted to ensure that my successor has total commitment for ethics and values, we fought for years now," Tata said.