We are drowning!

(This post was mailed to us by Vishal Metha one of our users. He has shared and express his tale (nightmare)  in this recession.)
 

Hi my name is Vihal metha and i’m a users of yqworld.com and also follow your blog. It’s here where I read about the article that was posted by you on recession http://www.yqworld.com/yqblog/?p=137though the article was not on recession, it had more on how to save and make sure that you’re not going to lose your job. 

I have been reading about recession on your site, I always thought this will not touch me. I was under the impression that recession is for others and my job is not at stake. But today this very recession has taken away my job and I see myself one amongst the many who have lost their job.

I was always in command as far as my job was concerned. I worked hard, had a wonderful team under me who kept the deadlines and we together met almost all the targets given to us.

And slowly I could feel the recession gripping me. 

I could see that we were not able to meet the targets in time. Revenues were fast depreciating and one fine morning the top bosses did what they are supposed to do in these days of slowdown. They axed my job.

This was a shocking revelation and struck me hard. Until a few days everything seemd to be working perfectly. And now all of a sudden it was all gone.

Today I don’t have the money and don’t have a job. I am sitting at home doing nothing and this is killing me now. I have applied at many places for the job but since no one is looking to hire I think am not going to find one soon.

Though today I have lost everything, my faith is still intact. I am sure that good times will come soon, all we have to do is hold on and let this recession storm pass us.   

 If you have  you anything to share or to express then please do share with us. 

Preparation For SSC exam

Being a parent of a class X student is not an easy task. This is my first hand experience. My daughter who is going to take her SSC exams in this March informed me that I have to be present for a meeting to be held in her school. “It means forget about your afternoon nap”, I told myself. Considering the fact that I need this so much, she seemed to be understanding and did not pester me to attend it.

As I learnt from her, the meeting was being held to discuss how students must attempt these all important papers. I didn’t know that this is something that the parents needed to know, and hence I showed my reluctance to attend this meeting.

While I was peacefully tucked in bed in the hot afternoon, my daughter came to me and woke me up. Apparently she seemed to be a little depressed that I was serious about not attending this meeting and she convinced me how important it was to go there.

Working women always live in the guilt of being not too helpful to their children and this guilt enveloped me at that instance and I decided to keep this appointment. On reaching the school, each of the subject teacher came forward and explained what the children must do while attempting to take this all important exam.

Listing a few instructions here that may be helpful to all the parents like me and also the students:

1. Make sure to take a photocopy of your hall ticket.

2. Keep the hall ticket at home for any emergency.

3.Do not leave your child and go away, be there at the examination centre until the paper begins and all is settled.

4. Go to the exam centre a day in advance and make sure that your ward’s roll number is written on the desk.

5. Make sure that the time-table you have is correct because there are composite Hindi, and Sanskrit papers that have different timings. One mistake can cause serious damage.

6. Go to the centre in uniform which will save your time in choosing what you want to wear.

7. Keep your pencil box ready a day in advance.

8.  Make sure that your ward has brought the hall ticket back after the previous paper.

9.During geography paper do not forget to carry stencil of maps along with well sharpened pencils.

10. Sleep well during the exam time to make sure you do not feel sleepy while attempting the paper.

11. Eat well and drink lots of water during exam days.

12.  Do not venture out in the sun during this time.

These were a few instructions given to the parents which I feel I must share with those parents who are as lazy as I am. For had it not been for my daughter I would not have gone for this meeting at all.

Best of luck !

Are You Looking At PR As A Career Option?….Read this

Can you impress all and sundry by your sweet talk? Can you manage to weasel out of the toughest situations by the gift of gab? Then a career in public relations is just right for you.

If you possess these soft skills you are here to stay. A liking for meeting people from different walks of life, an extrovert nature, the ability to absorb information about various topics and good organizing skills are an asset in this profession.

What’s really important in a PR professional is a thirst for knowledge. Everyday, you are learning something different. This skill, combined with strong command over languages, adds to the skill set of an ideal candidate. A PR professional is generally required to be present at conferences, parties, interviews and events organised by his or her company.

This could stretch to late evenings and sometimes even nights. But if you are lazy bones and need to hit the bed at 10.30 every night, PR is not for you; you should opt for a 9 to 5 job!

Willingness to travel is another characteristic required of the PR professional because a large-scale event might drag you to different places in and outside India.

Physical attributes do matter to a certain extent as does good grooming; remember, this is a people-related job. So scruffy hair, bohemian attire and sneakers are NOT acceptable at the workplace at all.

The ability to get in touch and stay in touch is probably the greatest skill required of a PR associate. If you are bad at remembering names, saving telephone numbers and writing e-mails, look elsewhere.

Celebrity PR is the one who manages the media and public image of high profile actors, sportsperson, musician. They are the one who handles all the media controversies of the celebrity. 

Flexibility is an absolute prerequisite. You should be able to adapt to anything. Fresh graduates from any discipline can make a career as PR associates. PR is a mass media field and is best learnt on the job. There are many courses available that impart formal training and prepare you for a career in PR. However, there’s only so much that a PR course can teach you. Like journalism, most of the tricks of this trade are learnt on the job and through interactions with people.

The recent mass media boom has resulted in several colleges introducing courses in public relations under the collective Bachelor in Mass Media umbrella. This three year degree, recognised by major universities in India, is offered by many graduate colleges. If you missed the bus earlier, you needn’t fret just because you opted to graduate in another discipline. Various diploma courses are available to teach you the basics of a public relations job.

Most colleges offering PR courses put their students on an internship with PR companies or consultancies for anything between two months to six months. The cost involved for a course? It varies between Rs 8,000 per year for a three-year BMM degree to around Rs 12,000 to 15,000 for a year-long diploma.

Distance learning attributes

With education getting expensive day by day, many student are now preferring to stay back home and take up a online course. It’s not only due to education becoming expensive there are many other factors that makes student to take up online courses like, living far away from institute, working along with studies.

One needs to be very dedicated and has to make a strong decision to take up distance learning because it’s very difficult to be sincere since there is no teacher, friends or classroom. You many want to discontinue the course after sometimes. You are the only one and one needs to be honest, discipline and must dedication to learn.

One needs to have the following attributes to take up a distance learning course.

Dedication: This is most important attribute that one needs to have because if you don’t have that will and commitment to do it then you will never end up completing the course and will suspend it half way.

Self motivator: You need to pull and push yourself forward since there would be no one to give you that support and motivate you. You have to have faith and believe in yourself to motivate you and get done with the courses.

Discipline: You should not take up distance learning program if you are procrastinator. It’s not for some one who keeps pushing and postponing their work to later dates. You need to complete your assignment on time.

Focus and resisting distraction: Since it is online course and you learning while sitting at home there tend to be lots of distraction. Mobiles, online games and social sites etc. You should be able to cope up with all this and avoid being getting distracted by them. Need to focus on your goal.

Understanding Skills: In schools and colleges you are use to listening the lectures and taking notes. If you don’t understand then professor explains it to you and again and makes you understand. In distance leaning it depends on your comprehension skills; means you have to read yourself and understand should have strong grasping power. There are video and audio clips but most of  the material is in written text.

Hardware and tech friendly: One must have a good system (pc) to work on with high internet speed. You need to be tech friendly and should know how to use modern day computers and software.

These are then few points that one need to consider before taking up an distance learning course.

Studying Patterns

How many times have you heard this “Study study if you want to get good percentage” this is something that we all have heard million of times during our school and college life. And lets face it, its not a big secret. We all know we need to study good if we want to score good marks. But studying good doesn’t mean that we have to study 18 hrs a day or doing  “all nighters” yea it may work sometimes but not always. Good and quality study are not a quick fix, it takes time and practice for good and quality study.

Said that what may work for you may not work for your friend. We all need to figure it ourself self what works for us and what doesn’t. Many teachers and expert are trying to figure it out what makes a student understand and learn better. Each student and own his capacity and different style of learning.  But we all have atleast one of the following strength.

 

Linguistic: interpreting words help them learn best

Logical/Mathematical: math, numerical or logical processes help them learn best

Movement/Kinesthetic: action or “doing something” helps them learn bestMusical: musical patterns and/or performances help them learn best

Spatial: using the patterns of open or tight spaces helps them learn best

Interpersonal: understanding the meaning and intent of others helps them learn best.

Intrapersonal: understanding one’s own feelings and motivations help them learn best.

Understand what your studying pattern and follow it, don’t be shy and think that people will laugh at me if I study loud. If you can’t study with people around you then find yourself and personal room and place to study. There are student who writes down everything again and again to help them memories, there are student who like to walk while studying. We all have our own style of studying and one should stick to it.

Passive smoking can test you positive!

7 teenagers, five boys and two girls who were having dinner in restaurant on the terrace of 72° East pub juhu mumbai, where tested positive on drug even though none of them smoke. How? Well the restaurant is on the terrace of the pub, so while making their way to the restaurant they had to pass through the cloud of smoke where others where smoking and doing drugs, since it was the only way to the restaurant they had to walk pass it which lead them to inhale the smoke due to passive smoking.

When police raided the pub and held a post raid medical test, they were tested positive when they didn’t even smoke a cigarette. The seven teenagers allege that the raid and the post-raid medical examinations were conducted arbitrarily by the police: “No labels were put on the urine samples and tests were done in a jumbled fashion.

The seven teenagers are students of prestigious colleges in Mumbai and state in the petition that all have aspirations to take up higher studies either in India or abroad. They have told the court that if the case is kept pending, they will face difficulties in seeking passports, visas and admissions in foreign universities.

The Radio Jockey Handbook Is Worth Reading

A Radio Jockey is to the Radio Station ……what oxygen is to the Human Body”! quotes author of the book ” RJ Simran. The book was released with revised edition in 2006 and now is ready for the Second edition release.

Author RJ Simran is a very popular household name. She started her career with AIR and changed the sound on Radio with her popular program Street Talk 10 ( then of course she was known as Fiza Khan). Apart from being a Radio Jockey, during her tenure of 14 years she has held many positions: Radio Mirchi’s Programming Head, Creative Director – Red FM., had produced capsules for BBC –Radio 4 and Dubai Radio Stations.

This book is not just a handbook but is the extract of 14 years of experience woven into words and bounded into a book.

This book goes beyond “how to speak like RJ”, instead this is about knowing Radio better, loving Radio, understanding the beauty of Radio, being passionate about Radio. This book is the guiding lights for the Radio Students, Professionals and Practitioners. The book will help readers discover the skills that make a good Radio Jockey and Fundamentals of Radio Jockeying.

MBA going Green!!

You all must have heard of MBA in finance, marketing, mass media, sports management as many others. But have you heard of MBA in green. Yes you heard it right there is MBA in green which means Master of Business Administration in sustainable enterprise.

Seeing the world  economy and drastically changing climatic condition around the world. Green MBA has come to the light, to protect the environment and come with different ways of making profit without damaging the nature and natural resources. Already so many industries are trying to solve this problem and contributing to environment in different ways. EX: Automobile industries are coming with more Eco- friendly car.(Honda coming with Honda Civic Hybrid) other brands using Euro II technology. Students will be skilled to protect and solve the troublesome business problem. “Think commercial but without taking away anything from the environment.”

Apparently there is this Huge commercial building which is under construction which will be using solar energy to produce light in its offices, special giant glasses which stores light from sun are use so that it provides good light inside the office even when there is dull light inside. Such innovative thinking is something that has inspired the sustainable enterprise.

 

Job Opportunity:  

Though jobs are vanishing in this recession times, there is a huge scope for Green MBA because there is this constant fight between the business and environment and companies are looking out for people who can solve this environment problem or at least prevent future damage to nature. In the near future demand for Green MBAs would be towering since protecting the nature and environment won’t be a choice to industries they’ll have to do it!

Important Exams Dates

Important Exams Dates For February

Exam Name	Date Of Issue	Last date Of form Submission	Exam Date
Indira Gandhi National Open University OPENMAT Entrance Examination	Not Available	30th November 2007	1st February, 2009
Management Aptitude Test (MAT)	Last date of the availability of MAT Bulletin and Application form is 10th January, 2009	14th January 2009	1st February 2009
Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET) For MBA And MMS	15th January 2009	31st January 2009	15th February 2009
UPSC Combined Defence Services (CDS) Entrance Examination		27th October 2008	15th February 2009
Graduate Aptitude Test In Engineering (GATE)	From 22nd Sepember 2008 to 29th October 2008	29th October 2009	8th February 2009
Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST)		31st December 2008	15th February 2009
Maharashtra State Board Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Exam			26th February 2009 to 21st March 2009
Maharashtra State Board  Secondary Education (SSC) Exam			5th March 2009 to 23rd March 2009

 

Important Exams DatesFor March

Exam Name	Date Of Issue	Last date Of form Submission	Exam Date
K. J. Somaiya Institute Of Management Studies And Research Entrance Examination	21st January 2009	15th March 2009	21st & 22nd March 2009
Kalinga Institute Of Industrial Technology (KIITEE) Entrance Exam	5th January 2009	28th February 2009	15th March 2009
Just Careers Common Admission Test (JC CAT)	16th February 2009	16th February 2009	1st March 2009
Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET) For MCA	Application form and brochures will be available on the official website www.dte.org.in/mca in February 2009	16th February 2009	1st March 2009 (Sunday)
Amrita Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIMS) Entrance Examination (M.D/M.S)	Not Available	Not Available	29th March 2009
Quality Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT)			4th March 2009

 

Important Exam Dates for April

Exam Name	Date Of Issue	Last date Of form Submission	Exam Date
All India Pre-Medical / Pre-Dental Entrance Examination (AIPMT)	Not Available	Not Available	5th April 2009
UPSC (NDA And NA) Entrance Examination		17th November 2008	19th April 2009
Indian Institute Of Technology - JEE	From 19th November 2008 to 24th December 2008	24th December 2009	12th April 2009
Vellore Institute Of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE)	22nd November 2008 to 23 February 2009	23rd Feruary 2009	18th April 2009
All India Engineering / Architecture Entrance Exam (AIEEE)	From 5th December 2008 to 5th January 2009	10th January 2009 for online 5th January 2009	26th April 2009
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) And National Eligibility Test (NET) Examination		1st January 2009	26th April 2009

Exam guide.

The exam period is a time when stress levels are higher than usual. However, too much stress can be unhelpful, it can make you feel overwhelmed, confused, exhausted and edgy.

It’s important to try and keep things in perspective and find ways of reducing stress if things seem to be getting on top of you. Down are few Tips that can help you during your exam pressure..

Study Area - Having a good study area can make a huge difference to how well you learn. Study in a well lit, quiet area, away from noises and people in the house. If this is impossible, it might be better to study at the library. Make sure your desk is tidy and organized - it means you can concentrate on studying and learning, not trying to find information.

Find Out About the Exam – Find out what format the exam will take i.e. Are the questions in essay, short answer or multiple choice format? Is the exam open book or closed book? Knowing how the exam is marked and what proportion of your total mark it’s worth might also be helpful.

To Do Lists - Make a to do list before each study session. Breaking tasks down into small, manageable tasks will make it less overwhelming. Cross them off with a texta as you go.

Past Exam Papers - Ask your teacher for past exam papers. They can be a useful insight into what your exam will be like and can also provide a guide for what you know and the areas in which you need help. If possible, practice some under exam conditions and get your teacher to mark them.

Study Groups - Forming a studying group can be a helpful way to revise your notes and work through past exam questions (it can also help you feel supported, keep you motivated and focused). If you have questions about your work, a study group may be a good place to have them answered. Ask your teacher if they know of anyone else interested in studying with other people.

Switch the Phone or Email Off! - If you find that you are being distracted by the phone or emails, it might help to put the answering machine on or get others in the house to take messages for a while. You can always ring people back later.

Sticky Notes - Write down key concepts you have to learn on small sheets of paper followed by examples of how they are used. Post these sheets around your house, e.g. your bed, on the toilet door, in front of the CD collection. It helps with remembering things like equations, quotes and foreign languages.

Ask Lots of Questions of your Teachers or Tutor! Your teacher or tutor can help if you are having trouble developing a study routine or need help with understanding subjects or a particular topic. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re a failure or stupid - it’s smart to tap into their experience and knowledge to help you perform better. Keep going back to them if you’re still unsure or you have more questions. It’s their job to be available for you.

Know your Preferred Learning Style - Some people work better using text based memory tools, like acronyms (e.g. ROYGBIV - colours of the rainbow; acrostics e.g. Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit). Other people find more visual tools more useful, e.g. mind maps or tree diagrams.

Take Regular Breaks - Getting up, moving around and away from your desk at least every 50 minutes for 10 minutes makes you concentrate and learn better.

Revise and Learn  - Sometimes reading through notes doesn’t result in learning or understanding.

Avoid Procrastination - Procrastination is when you do everything else but the task you need to do. It is normal to procrastinate a little. However too much procrastination can just add to your stress and can result in you not giving yourself enough time to prepare. Managing your time and setting realistic goals for each study session can be helpful ways to avoid procrastinating and make tasks seem less overwhelming.

Make a Study Timetable – Write down all the things you need to do each day of the week, and how long you need for each, including time for enough sleep, relaxation, and exercise. Find out the date of each exam and work out a study timetable leading up to them. Include tests that will help you identify gaps in your knowledge. This can give you some direction and help you focus on what to study each week or day.

Use your Frees - Studying in the school library during your frees gives you access to lots of information available on the reference shelves. Some material, such as sample solutions, often can’t be taken out of the library or can be too long to photocopy.

Students Are Finding It Difficult To Handle Exam Pressure!!

With board exams just around the corner, students are fighting hard to cope up with the pressure that these exams throw at them. Calming nerves and reducing anxiety is their first hurdle. If they cannot overcome this, it may lead to poor academic performance, mental depression and suicidal thoughts. Pressures of poor performance and choosing a career of their choice may be too high on their minds to tackle studies with a stable frame of mind.

To help overcome these tendencies and prepare students to cope with these pressures, we invite readers to share their experiences and opinions regarding examination related stress.

What if you don’t fair well in the exam? What if there is a lot of parental pressure? What if you are not able to pursue your desired career? What if you cannot handle the stress?

If you were once in a similar situation and managed to pull through, share your story with others — who knows, you just might be helping another student cope!

Study hard, party hard too, say parents

TOI,  finds some parents refuse to pressurise their kids though board exams are round the corner and are keen they don’t lose out on a childhood in pursuit of perfect scores.

Music makes him calm:

Jeffrey’s mother Volga has helped him prepare a study time-table that has a special one-hour slot reserved for playing football with his friends in the compound every day. It even has an hour slotted for computer games. He listens to music while studying and even makes time for a half hour of meditation. And after every hour of study, he takes a 30-minute break. His parents, including father John, doesn’t think it’s a good idea for kids to study till late into the night. So even as Class X students elsewhere burn the midnight oil, Jeffrey is asleep by 10 pm. 

“It’s not important how high he scores. As long as he gives the exam his best shot, we’re happy,” says Volga.

Television, chats go on as before : Orkut, TV and long phone calls to friends are all a part of this teenager’s life, even as she gears up for the HSC exams. “I want my daughter to lead a normal life, even during the exams,” says Ashwini’s mother, Mamta Kulkarni. 

The daughter of a pilot and a school vice-principal, Ashwini has faced little parental pressure before the exams. “Once a month, I take my daughter out for a movie to ensure she doesn’t panic,” says Kulkarni, who feels that children are already stressed during the exams, and it’s unfair for parents to stress them even further. 

Mamta, or her husband Tushar, do not interfere in their daughter’s studies and allow her to revise her portion on her own.

Films help keep board blues at bay :

The son of a policeman who is in charge of some of Mumbai’s highways, Vishesh says his parents have gone out of their way to ensure that he is in a relaxed frame of mind while studying for the board exam. Every few weeks his parents Sandhya and Rakesh send him to watch a film with friends. 

Every alternate day, Vishesh goes down for a game of football with his friends. “Football really helps me concentrate on my studies,” says Vishesh. 

“My parents have told me not to worry about the exams,” he adds. Vishesh appreciates his parents for their attitude towards his Class X exams, especially since he has seen other classmates crumble under pressure. “A friend of mine used to score 80 per cent in Class IX. His parents pressurised him to such an extent that he now scores only 50 per cent,” says Vishesh.

If your parents also allows you to play or lets u take a break from studies and do something else like watching tv, chatting etc during exams…then plz write in comment below 

You may only get three chance to crack CET

Unlimited shots at the common entrance exam to get into a college will soon become a thing from past. Lakh of medical and dental aspirant now will get maximum of three chances to clear the exam till the time they are 25 years of age.The state directorate of medical education and research(DMER), which conducts the MHT0CET, (Maharashtra heath science and technical CET), recently moved a proposal to the state government asking it to allow the aspirant a maximum number of three attempt to clear the entrance test., They said we are considering putting the cap on the number of attempt allowed to a student. We also want to set upper age limit 25, medical education secretary said. Sources however said that the sate might not be able to implement this change for this year.

The 50 facts you might not know about Barack Obama

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

• He was known as “O’Bomber” at high school for his skill at basketball

• His name means “one who is blessed” in Swahili

• His favourite meal is wife Michelle’s shrimp linguini

• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father

• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

• He has read every Harry Potter book

• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali

• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can’t stand ice cream

• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars

• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia

• He can speak Spanish

• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead

• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea

• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn’t

• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia

• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs

• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name

• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister’s fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived

• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy

• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books

• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck

• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.

• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees

• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date

• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker

• He doesn’t drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol

• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician

• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine

• His daughters’ ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)

• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside

• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal

• His house in Chicago has four fire places

• Daughter Malia’s godmother is Jesse Jackson’s daughter Santita

• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry

• He uses an Apple Mac laptop

• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300

• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes

• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)

• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire

• He was given the code name “Renegade” by his Secret Service handlers

• He was nicknamed “Bar” by his late grandmother

• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His speciality as a cook is chilli

• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were “street urchins”

• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life

• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government

Barack Obama the President of United States

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama, sworn in on January 20 as the 44th president of the United States, urged his fellow Americans to cast aside their political and social divisions and instead face the challenges of economic chaos, two difficult wars, and a growing environmental crisis with what he called a “unity of purpose.”

The former state and national legislator was sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, with a crowd estimated at up to 2 million people gathered on the National Mall and an estimated 1 billion others watching on television around the globe.

Barack Obama’s left hand rests on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861.

Making history as the first African-American to become president, Obama took the oath of office with his hand on a Bible used by President Abraham Lincoln, also a former U.S. lawmaker from Illinois, at his first inauguration in 1861.

The excitement surrounding Obama’s inauguration reached a fever pitch in the nation’s capital, as hundreds of thousands came to participate in the celebrations. Even the weather cooperated. Though it was cold, the sun shone brightly on a day that was supposed to have been cloudy.�
By Heather Maher, Andrew F. Tully
http://www.rferl.org 

How To Become a Tattoo Artistt

It seems that with the popularity of tattoos and the potential for high income, a lot of people want to become a tattoo artist. Many of them make the mistake of buying a kit and practicing on their friends, which is very dangerous. Many of these people never become truly successful at tattooing anyway, and never acquire the skills necessary to compete in this highly competitive business. If you’re serious about becoming a skilled and competent artist, this is what you need to do.

 

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: 1-5 Years

Skills :

Tattoo artists must be patient, gentle, and calm, and be able to instill a sense of trust in their patients. They need good eyesight, steady hands, and a well-groomed appearance. They need a good sense of color, creative flair and be able to sketch and draw extremely well. They should be skilled listeners who can follow instructions. They should be thorough people who pay attention to details. They need a lot of stamina in order to tackle the physically and mentally draining work. They should know a little about human anatomy, health and safety issues, and should feel comfortable around blood.

The first thing you need is raw talent. Someone who can’t draw or color inside the lines isn’t going to be a good candidate for being a tattoo artist.Then you need to hone your raw talent to develop talent into skill. Skill can come from fine art classes, working with a fellow artist, learning technique from books, or all of the above. On top of that, you need to practice, practice, practice.

Long Term Career Potential 

With additional training and experience, tattoo artists can work as body piercers, manage a body art shop, or open up a studio of their own. They may also choose to become visual and graphic artists.

Educational Paths 

There is no set training for aspiring tattoo artists, but, obviously, some is required. While there are some private schools that offer tattoo artistry courses, most tattoo artists learn the tricks of their trade by working with a mentor. They do this by presenting an established body artist with a portfolio of drawings and by demonstrating a serious desire to learn. It is important for any aspiring tatoo artist to be skilled in drawing and illustration so courses in art, drawing and illustration and design can be valuable.

Mantras for Success

A lot depends on one’s fate is what most of us believe. Well one cannot altogether undermine this but what ever is in our hands is most of the time underplayed. If we perform well at our end then probably we would always be traveling on the road to success.

Five vital ingredients make the recipe of success. These are as follows 

Decision making; Planning; Discipline; Consistency; Determination.

Decision Making : Simply put it every act of your’s bears some result i.e. has its own prospects and consequence. And you act because you decide to do so. You end up burning your finger if you put your hand in fire. Thus this would be a bad consequence of decision making. This is a very natural phenomenon and is applicable every where. A wrong decision of your’s is never going to bring you the right results.Most of the failures we meet in life because of some wrong decision attached with that effort at some place or the other.

Now suppose you end up opting science as an optional stream despite of your lack of interest, because of some reasons, you may end up managing to clear your 12th exam but you won’t be able to perform better elsewhere.Now when such situation arises at a tender age then it duly becomes the responsibility of the teachers and the parents to play vital role in the decision making process of the child.

Planning :This is another crucial variable that plays a vital role in any successful endeavour. For lack of immaculate planning one usually comes across the unexpected results and happenings. This is not so to say that any planned work or effort does not fail but if well planned then definitely the damage is not that great. For e.g. if an aspirant sets out to prepare for the IIT/JEE exam at the right time with good planning and he is unable to secure good rank in the exam he stands the chances of doing well in the other similar exams.

Besides reducing the damage good planning also saves lots of resources. Time and money to a great extent can be saved by good planning. For e.g. in all probability if you plan well before preparing for any exam the chances of success are quite high. Thus success in one attempt saves your time spend for preparing for the second attempt.

Discipline :  All your effort can go in vain if you lack discipline in life. Not only your effort but you end up as a failure in life. We can also label it as the mother of all virtues. For e.g. if you decide on to become a doctor and start your preparation with good planning but you are not disciplined enough to put in the required number hours to study then probably all your effort may crumble in a short span of time.

Consistency : This is another variable that should find a place in ones personality necessarily. All your activities that form part of your plan or the road to success need to perform consistently in order to achieve the desired results. For e.g. if your planning says you need to put in five hours to your studies daily then missing out couple of days to that end means that your decision making, planning and discipline are at a receiving end.

Determination : Undoubtedly a virtue that had made heroes, immortals, legends and kings. The saga of Buddha to Jesus, Alexander to Mahatma Gandhi including the likes of Einstein and Newton stood tall for nothing other than there towering determination to achieve what they wanted at all cost. It won’t be wrong to say that determination is the carrier of success.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire, a British movie with overwhelmingly Indian content and backdrop, has emerged the big winner at the 66th Golden Globes. It scooped four awards to underline its credentials ahead of next month’s Oscar awards.

Ironically, on a star-studded night in Beverly Hills, it was the rags-to-riches love story about an orphan who fights his way out of Mumbai slums on an Indian television game show that triumphed. The film, featuring a cast of virtual unknowns, picked up honours for composer A.R. Rahman, British director Danny Boyle (Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director) and Simon Beaufoy (Best Screen Play).

Rahman, once labelled ‘Mozart of Madras’ by Time, became the first Indian to win the Golden Globe, for Best Original Music Score with ‘Jai Ho’. He thus brought a new round of international recognition to a country whose rich classical traditions have inspired oeuvres of global music.

Based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup’s novel Q and A, the film depicts the heart-warming story of an orphan, Jamal, who goes on to win the Indian version of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ in an effort to win his love back. The film stars Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor as the show host and British Indian Dev Patel in the lead role of Jamal. Like its magical underdog-winner story, the film which was made on a small budget, has turned out a big winner by virtually dominating the pre-Oscar award scene.

Australian actor Heath Ledger earned a posthumous Golden Globe for his performance in Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight while British star Kate Winslet won two awards for best drama actor and supporting actor.

This year’s Globes red carpet read like a who’s who of the movie industry’s A-list. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio were just a handful of the A-listers in attendance at the Beverly Hilton.

More Options To Study Overseas

Though US is still the favorite destination for Indians looking at education abroad, newer destinations such as Ireland, Germany, Taiwan and Hong Kong are also emerging as attractive options for Indians to study overseas.

Courses ranging from master’s programmes in fields such as economics and humanities in the UK to film management, animation and hospitality in Singapore are gaining currency among Indian students.

Most Indians looking to go abroad do so at the postgraduate level and the most popular choice is a master’s in business administration, according to Amit Rao, who heads the Ahmedabad-based Rao Overseas Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.

But new courses often lead to unconventional career moves once students come back.

Vineet Sharma, who finished his MBA in 2007 from Chung Hua University in Taiwan, returned to India to set up a pneumatic tools importing company. Around 250 Indian students went to Taiwan in 2008, up by 100 students from the year before, according to the India-Taipei Association in Taipei.

Another Indian student abroad, Amrita Mondal, followed a degree from the Delhi School of Economics with a global studies course offered in English by universities in Germany and Austria.

For many students, the most attractive factor is cost. Business schools in India charge around Rs8 lakh for a two-year postgraduate course but their graduates can expect around Rs4 lakh per year as the starting salary, according to John Gabriel, chief marketing officer at coaching firm IMS Learning Resources Pvt. Ltd.

In Singapore tuition fees for a one-year programme are roughly the same and a graduate can expect a salary around $2,000 (Rs97,200) per month and can live comfortably in the country while still saving up to $500 per month. “That’s half the salary you are going to draw in India and you complete the course in half the time,” says Gabriel.

An MBA in the UK, on the other hand, will cost around Rs15-18 lakh for one year, including living expenses.

Singapore, with a reputation for safety, proximity to India and large Indian population, make it a popular choice, but other countries such as Spain, France and Thailand have also made visas relatively easy to obtain for students.

Some countries such as Singapore and Canada make it easy for international students to stay and provide them a path to permanent resident status.

And governments ranging from Taiwan to the European Union (EU) countries offer full scholarships to attract foreign students to their universities. The EU-sponsored Erasmus Mundus scholarship, for example, provides funding based on academic merit for citizens of other countries to study at a consortium of schools in continental Europe.

Students in non-English speaking countries do run into language problems but, they say, their hosts try to make the transition easier. Consultants say the choice to go abroad isn’t for everyone. It doesn’t make any sense to go for any second-tier college globally for MBA if you don’t get good options or a good mix of students in a batch. But with the number of interested students far outweighing the number of open slots in India, countries outside the US are becoming a more attractive option.

Medical Entrance Exams

16th January 2009

BLDEU PGET

17th January 2009

Bharati Vidyapeeth University

18th January 2009

Manipal Academy Of Higher Education (MAHE)

17th May 2009

Delhi University Medical Entrance Test (DUMET)

24th May 2009

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University MBBS Entrance Test

21st June 2009

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University MBBS Entrance Test stage II

1st June 2009

AIIMS