Jagatheesan —
You’ve told us in the past
that you’re not yet registered to vote. If that’s still the case, I
hope you’ll take one minute to fix that right now.
Visit VoteForChange.com to make sure your voice will be heard on Election Day — then, encourage your friends and family to do the same.
It all happens at the new one-stop voter registration web site we’ve launched.
This race is too close and too important to stay home on Election Day.
If you take the time to register and vote — and make sure everyone you
know does as well — we’ll be able to turn the tide of the past eight
years.
You can bring communities and states that have been
ignored by presidential campaigns for years back into the political
process.
That’s what this movement is all about — expanding our process and making sure Washington is accountable to all Americans.
Registering to vote is a crucial step. And VoteForChange.com makes it
easier than ever. Instead of tracking down the right forms, all you
need to do is answer a few basic questions and you’ll be ready to vote.
Not only can you register, you can look up early-vote
information for your state, apply to vote absentee, or find your
polling place.
It’s one of the easiest and most important things you can do to bring change to our country.
The deadline is fast approaching — make sure you’re ready to vote.
It’s people just like you who will transform this nation.
We can’t do this without you.
Thanks,
Barack
It is high time that we in India also do the same. Large sections of Sarvajan Samaj votes are missing in the voters list.
Short Hair Styles
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
World’s power women prefer short-hair look!
New Delhi
(PTI): In the world of fairy tale, princess Rapunzel may have used the
power of her long tresses to meet her prince charming, but today’s
powerful women seem to prefer keeping their hair short, mostly.
In
the latest list of 100 most powerful women in the world, compiled by US
business magazine Forbes, close to two- third of them have short hair,
including the Indian debutant Mayawati — Bahujan Samaj Party President
and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Among
those with short hair, Mayawati has company in names like German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp’s head
Sheila Blair and PepsiCo’s Indian origin Chief Indra Nooyi — the three
most powerful in the world.
Other
such famous personalities, who are short on hair but long on power
list, include American senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, US First Lady
Laura Bush and 82-year Queen Elizabeth II of UK.
In
addition, the likes of health insurance major WellPoint chief Angela
Braly and Cynthia Carroll of mining giant Anglo-American have also
opted for cropped-hair look.
In
the top-ten of the 100 most powerful list itself, as many as nine have
short hair, while as many as 75 of the total have their tresses falling
up to or above shoulders.
However,
presence of such a large number of short-hair women on the list might
just be coincidental, as the measure of power has noting to do with
tresses for this list. The US magazine has measured “power” as a
composite of public profile, calculated using press mentions, and
financial heft.
Those
with long hair in the Forbes list include Argentina President Cristina
Fernandez, Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon, Australian mining firm Hancock
Prospecting’s Chairman Georgina Rinehart, Rite Aid CEO May Sammons and
Casablanca Stock Exchange Director General Hynd Bouhia.
Besides,
US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, India’s Congress Party chief
Sonia Gandhi and Biocon CEO Kiran Mazumdar Shaw have hair touching to
their shoulders.
The
hair-length could not be ascertained for a few like Harvard University
President Drew Gilpin Faust and Liberia President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf, as either their pictures were not available or the
head was covered on their photographs on Forbes website.
Generally,
people associate long hair with beauty, as shown by most film actresses
preferring such look, while many believe that some prefer to keep them
short just for the sake of convenience. As long hair requires more
maintenance, the women in corporate world and politics seem to prefer
it short.
As
per a German fairy tale, a prince was riding through a forest when he
heard long-haired Rapunzel singing from her tower room, where she was
kept captive by a witch. Finding no way to reach her, the price asked
Rapunzel to let her hair down from the window of her room, climbed up
on her tresses and asked her to marry him.
Link: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200808311321.htm
Left, BSP and TDP demand immediate convening of Parliament session
Tue, 09 Sep 2008
ANI
New Delhi, Sept 9 (ANI): Leaders of the Left, the Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and other non-Congress and
non-BJP parties on Tuesday met President Pratibha Patil to demand
immediate convening of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
leaders accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government
of subverting the Constitution by deciding to do away with the monsoon
session and convening a combined session.
“As none of the nine assurances given by the Prime Minister on the
Indo-US nuclear deal has been met and crucial information has been
concealed, the Government is accountable and answerable to the people
on various counts,” the leaders charged in a memorandum submitted to
the President.
control the spiraling inflation and the communal situation in Orissa,
they said: “We want to discuss these issues in Parliament session.”
(ANI)
ITGO
India Today Group Online
Left, BSP, TDP meet president, protest parliament session delay
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, September 9, 2008
A delegation of MPs from the Left parties, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
and the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) on Tuesday met President Pratibha
Patil to protest the government’s decision to postpone the second half
of the 14th session of parliament to October.
The next session of parliament is scheduled from Oct 17-Nov 21.
Accusing
the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of sabotaging the
Constitution and the parliamentary democratic system, the delegation
submitted a memorandum to the president appealing for her immediate
intervention to prevent the subversion of the country’s constitutional
scheme.
“We demand that the monsoon session of parliament be
immediately convened. The winter session must, as is the practice,
convene in the second half of November,” the parties said in the
memorandum.
“It (the decision) violates the basic principle of
governance established under our system. Central to India’s
constitutional structure is that the sovereignty rests solely with the
people,” they said.
“The absence of the parliament session negates the legislature’s right and executive obligations,” the memorandum added.
As
the president is the custodian of the Constitution, she has to defend
it, said Sitaram Yechury, leader of the Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Rajya Sabha, after meeting Patil.
“The
government is answerable to parliament and parliament is answerable to
the people. Had the monsoon session of the parliament been held on
time, it could have solved the burning issues of the people including
soaring inflation, Bihar floods, communal violence in Orissa and
troubles in Jammu and Kashmir,” Yechury said.
“If they (UPA)
have majority in the parliament, why are they running away from it,”
asked BSP’s Rajya Sabha leader Satish Chandra Mishra, who represented
his party in the delegation along with the party’s leader in Lok Sabha
Rajesh Verma.
“A minority government is oppressing the majority,” he charged.
CPI
leader Gurudas Das Gupta, who is the leader of the party in Lok Sabha,
alleged that the government was deliberately shortening the session.
Parliament should be in session for at least 100 days in a year, he said.
“The
government is going with the agenda of the US. The US is taking
decision regarding when the parliament of India is to be convened,”
TDP’s leader in the Lok Sabha Yerran Naidu charged.
Janata Dal (Secular) leader Danish Ali was also a member of the delegation.
Left, BSP, TDP meet president, protest parliament session delay
New
Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) A delegation of MPs from the Left parties, Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) and the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) Tuesday met
President Pratibha Patil to protest the government’s decision to
postpone the second half of the 14th session of parliament to October.
Online edition of India’s National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 11, 2008
UP drive to unearth explosive materials
Special Correspondent
| In view of the recent incidents in the State |
Recovery details to be known today
Peace prevails in Azamgarh
LUCKNOW: A drive was conducted throughout Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday
to unearth explosives and unsolicited explosive material. The drive
conducted at the behest of the office of the Director-General Of Police
continued from 3 PM to 6 PM . The details of the recovery would be
known on Thursday.
The Additional Director-General of Police ( Law and Order) Brij Lal
told reporters that the drive was conducted in view of the recent
incidents in the State.
With the communal tensions reportedly increasing, the State
Government has geared up to tackle the situation and thwart the designs
of the anti-social elements to disrupt peace. This follows the stern
view taken by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, on the
incidents of violence and arson in Azamgarh town in Eastern U.P. on
Sunday, in which one person lost his life.
On the directives of the Chief Minister, DG Vikram Singh and
Principal Secretary (Home), Kunwar Fateh Bahadur visited Azamgarh on
Tuesday to take stock of the situation.
The officials said strict action would be taken against the
anti-social elements and nobody would be allowed to disturb the law and
order situation in the State.
While Azamgarh remained peaceful on Wednesday, a group clash
occurred near the Idgah in Bilariaganj in the district on Tuesday
night. Stone-pelting between the rival groups and firing were reported
from the scene of the incident. The ADG, Law and Order said timely
police intervention saved the situation from deteriorating. He said 11
persons each of the two warring groups were arrested by the police.
On Monday, violence had occurred in Kaptanganj, about 20 kilometres
from Azamgarh. Mr. Lal said five additional companies of Provincial
Armed Constabulary (PAC) in Azamgarh and the IG, Varanasi Zone, Praveen
Singh was camping in the city.
Incidents of stone throwing between two groups was also reported from Nawabganj town in Gonda district on Tuesday.
U.P. police seek narco test on criminalLucknow: The Uttar Pradesh police has sought permission to conduct
narco test on a notorious criminal who was arrested by the Special Task
Force from Guwahati in Assam.
Ajay Jadeja alias Janak Yadav had fled from police custody in
Gurgaon in May and was arrested recently. He was brought to Meerut on
transit remand on Tuesday, ADG law and order, Brij Lal said.
Permission would be sought from the court for conducting narco test
on Jadeja who is wanted in over 34 criminal cases, Mr. Brij Lal added.
Lucknow: Five persons were arrested with 1,150 grams heroin worth
over Rs.1 crore from two different places in the state, sources have
said here.
While three persons were arrested in Fatehgarh with 650 grams of
heroin, two others were arrested in Mirzapur with 500 grams of the
contraband.
The police have also recovered three country-made pistols and 15 cartridges from their possession.
Uttar Pradesh girl students to know about women related laws
Lucknow, Sep 9 (IANS) Students in various girls’
degree colleges across the state will know more about women related
laws through a campaign to be undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh state
women’s commission, an official said Tuesday.
‘The move aims to apprise girls of legal tools,
which they can opt for
fighting any crime related to women,’ Abha
Agnihotri, commission chairperson, told IANS.
‘As far as women-related laws are concerned, even the literate girls
and women do not know much about the legal tools to combat domestic
violence and other women related crimes,’ she said.
The situation is more or less similar in rural and urban areas, added Agnihotri.
According to officials, initially the campaign will start within a
month in girls’ degree colleges in various districts, including
Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra and Bareilly.
Agnihotri said: ‘Degree colleges are the best medium to spread
awareness about the legal system. Girls at this stage can understand
the issues better.’
When these girls get married they will have an understanding of
these laws so that they can act accordingly in case of problems, she
added.
According to a study conducted by the National Crime Record Bureau,
Uttar Pradesh accounts for nearly 10 percent of the crime against women
across the country.
Thaindian News
Uttar Pradesh to survey flood-hit areas for giving damages
Lucknow, Sep 9 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh is to launch a survey of allflood-hit areas so that compensation amount could be awarded to the
victims after the state government earmarked a whopping Rs.3.8 billion
for the purpose. “All the district magistrates must undertake a survey
of their respective regions to ascertain the property, agriculture and
other losses,” Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta said at a
review meet convened to discuss flood relief measures Tuesday.
He said the government has already released Rs.3.8 billion for flood-hit regions in the state.
“We want to speed up the process of distributing compensation to those affected by the floods.”
At least 721 people have died due rains and floods in the state since June 1.
Meanwhile, large-scale relief operations were underway to provide
some respite to the nearly two million people across 21 flood-affected
districts of the state. The state has 70 districts.
BSP leader found dead in Uttar PradeshLucknow, Sep 10 (IANS)
A leader of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party
was found murdered in a lake in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district,
the police said Wednesday.”The body of Jeet Lal Singh, who was a member
of the village panchayat, carried several bullet injuries,” police
officer Dhruv Shukla told IANS on phone.
The body was recovered late Tuesday night from the lake in
Maheshganj locality in Tada Bazaar village in Pratapgarh, about 150 km
from Lucknow, he added.
Family members of the deceased had registered a complaint with the
police when Jeet Lal did not return home till 9 p.m., the police said.
The police said the incident can be a fall out of political rivalry.
No arrest has been made in connection with the murder, said Shukla
Latest News
Uttar Pradesh college teacher held for impersonating minister
A college teacher who was posing as a minister and asking policemen to release some criminals was arrested here, the police said Wednesday.
According to the police, Ravikant, a lecturer in a private engineering college
in the Mohanlalganj locality of the Uttar Pradesh capital, was posing
as Urban Development Minister Nakul Dubey, and had phoned two senior
police officials seeking the release of some people in police custody.
“Ravikant called up the Cantonment police station inspector and said
that he is Nakul Dubey, the urban development minister. He told the
inspector to release some people arrested in connection with a criminal
case,” Lucknow police chief Akhil Kumar told IANS, adding that Ravikant
had also called him for the same purpose.
“I received the call on Aug 30 and immediately talked to the
minister. However, he expressed surprise over the issue and clarified
that he did not call any police official,” added Kumar.
Ravikant was arrested Tuesday night after the police traced the calls.
Online edition of India’s National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008 BSP to field C N Singh from Pratapgarh
Lucknow: BSP will field party MP C N Singh in Pratapgarh Lok Sabha seat and Girish Pasi in Kansuambi constituency.
The names were announced by party spokesman and Cabinet Minister Swami Prasad Maurya here on Monday.
Left, allies for early monsoon session
Special Correspondent
They urge President to intervene to “prevent subversion” of constitutional scheme |
— Photo: V. Sudershan
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury (third left) along with (from
left) Debabrata Biswas (AIFB), D. Raja (CPI), Satish Mishra (BSP),
Yerran Naidu (TDP) and Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) addressing the media
outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday, after meeting
President Pratibha Patil seeking monsoon session of Parliament at the
earliest.
NEW DELHI: Leaders of Left parties, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu
Desam Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) on Tuesday met President
Pratibha Patil and sought her intervention to hold the monsoon session
of Parliament immediately to “prevent subversion” of constitutional
scheme. The Manmohan Singh-led government had decided to call a session
from October 17.
Raising the issue of executive accountability, the leaders, in a
memorandum to the President, said for a variety of important reasons
“such manipulation” of Parliament sessions had serious implications and
it violated the basic principle of governance.
The memorandum said a series of reports suggested that the Prime
Minister’s assurances to Parliament and the country on the nuclear deal
with the United States had been violated and crucial information
concealed.
“These are serious matters concerning the sovereignty and security
of India and its independent foreign policy. Parliament, therefore the
people, are being deprived of their fundamental right to make the
government accountable and answerable on these matters,” the memorandum
said.
Other issues
There were also issues such as inflation, agrarian crisis, serious
unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar floods and attacks on Christians in
Orissa that needed to be debated, the memorandum said.
The leaders appealed to the President that as the custodian of the
Constitution, she should intervene urgently to prevent “such a
subversion of our constitutional scheme. We demand that the monsoon
session of Parliament is immediately convened. The winter session must,
as is the practice, convene in the second half of November”, the
memorandum said. The leaders, who called on the President, included
Basudeb Acharya and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Gurudas Dasgupta and D.
Raja (CPI), Rajesh Verma and Satish Chandra Misra (BSP), K. Yerrannaidu
and Mysoora Reddy (TDP), Jochim Baxla and Abani Roy (RSP), Debabrata
Biswas (AIFB) and Danish Ali (JS-S).
SAN FRANCISCO: Google is trying to expand the newspaper section of
its online library to include billions of articles published during the
past 244 years, hoping the added attraction will lure even more traffic
to its leading Internet search engine.
The newly announced project extends Google’s crusade to make digital
copies of content created before the Internet’s advent, so the
information can become more accessible and, ultimately, Google can make
more money from advertisements shown on its website.
Google will foot the bill to copy the archives of any newspaper
publisher willing to permit the stories to be shown for free on
Google’s website. The participating publishers will receive an
unspecified portion of the revenue generated from the ads displayed
next to the stories.
On the net, the service is at http://news.google.com/archivesearch — AP